Vigilant

“One of my clients is placed there,” Ari explained.

“We’ve got that guy downstairs waiting for his hearing,” Detective Morgan said.

Ari reached in her bag and pulled out Maria’s file. “I looked through everything and made sure it was up to date. I don’t think there’s anything relevant in there, though.”

“Can you tell me a little about her?” he asked, taking the file and flipping through it.

“She was a pretty good kid. She went to school because she was good at science. Maria was super smart, but boys and problems at home made it hard to focus. I know she took care of her younger sisters a lot. I’m pretty sure this is why she missed so much school.”

“I see she ended up in GDJJ custody because of truancy and chronic running away.”

“Yes. She’d been detained enough to cause concern from the court so they assigned her to us, but she was still technically in school and hadn’t committed any major crimes yet.”

Nick had a briefcase of his own and Ari was surprised when he extracted his own file. He opened it and offered it to Detective Morgan without showing it to Ari. “Juvenile court took these photos the last time she came in.”

Ari leaned over the desk and saw a photo of Maria, defiantly glaring at the camera. Angry, but Ari could see the glint of tears in the corner of her eyes. She stood in front of a gray cinderblock wall. Her hair was a mess, sticking out at odd angles and a smear of mascara rubbed under her eyes. But that wasn’t the alarming part. A large bruise splayed across her neck, mimicking the shape of long, slim fingers. Ari clenched the front of her shirt, knowing she had something similar to that on her own body—understanding the power it took to leave a mark so defined.

“When did this happen?” she asked.

“During her last detention.”

“How come no one told me?”

Nick shook his head. “Ari, I’m sorry. I didn’t know myself until I went looking for her file. But if you ask me, and I’m no detective,” he looked across the desk, “I’d maybe guess an abusive boyfriend? Family member?”

“Maybe so.” Ari thought back to all the times she’d been with Maria. Never had she gotten the impression she was being abused. Of course that wasn’t unusual. Victims were good at hiding. “She did have that pregnancy scare. I took her to the clinic. She said she miscarried but now I wonder…”

“Can I keep this?” Detective Morgan held up the photo.

“Of course. I hope it’s helpful,” Nick said.

“It could be. The attack has a personal feel to it. A boyfriend may be the right track.”

Ari tried to push away the bad feeling in her stomach but it wouldn’t budge. The past couple of weeks had been hard. Starting with the armed robbery, she felt like she couldn’t get away from all the negativity and crime. Curtis’s placement was the only high point in the last week and even that was tarnished. The dull ache in her chest and on the back of her head was a constant reminder.

On the way back to the car Nick noticed her mood and risked wrapping an arm around her waist. “You okay?”

“Not really.”

He nodded in understanding. “Anything I can do?”

Make it better, she thought. Make me feel alive. “I think I’m just tired.”

He leaned down to kiss her and warmth spread throughout her body. “I’ll drive you home.

Ari snuggled into the warmth of Nick’s wool coat. Okay, she thought. Maybe not everything about the last couple of weeks has been bad.

FOURTEEN

Nick accepted Ari’s invitation into her home that night. She didn’t push it—keeping it friendly, in the common areas. He helped her make dinner, including enough for Oliver when he finally straggled in around nine, beat from a long day of work.

“I know you make an okay salary, so I was wondering why you lived with Ari,” Nick said, taking the last bite of his dinner. “Now I know. That was amazing.”

Oliver rubbed his flat stomach. “She feeds me well.”

“Yeah, but Oliver kills spiders and mows the lawn,” Ari said.

“You two sound like you’ve been married for years.”