“Right. Well.” She takes the single chair off to the side of the couch. “I did something and I’m not proud of myself. Last week I was at the library and your girlfriend was there. I was spying on her, and I found out some things.”
“I already know Maggie isn’t her real name. She’s been hiding from an abusive ex-boyfriend,” I interrupt.
“So you know?”
“Yeah. I do.” I clasp my hands together and blow out a breath.
“I’m afraid that somethi
ng bad is going to happen and it’s all my fault.” Carly hangs her head down low.
“What do you mean? What did you do damn it?” I snap at her.
“At first, I wasn’t sure if it was her, but the more I studied the poster I knew it had to be her and why else would she have been looking at it. There was this tip line that said if anyone knew of her whereabouts—I thought if I got her out of the picture then you’d move on eventually with me. I’m not proud of what I did. I called the number then this guy showed up yesterday asking me questions. He was scary, and he threatened me. I told him where she works and where she lives. I didn’t want to, but he had a knife and said he’d cut my baby out of me if I told. I was so scared but, Calder, I couldn’t stay quiet. I’m sorry.”
“You better hope to God that he hasn’t gotten to her. I swear to you if something happens to Maggie. It’s on you!” I point my finger at her then leave without another word.
Fucking Carly. Why couldn’t she leave well enough alone? I get in my car and start to turn my siren on but if he’s there I don’t want to alert him. I end up behind the damn garbage pickup and it takes me ten minutes before I am able to go around them. As I come up on the turn for our apartments, I notice an unfamiliar car parked on the side of the road. I stop to check it out and it has Florida plates. Fucking hell. He’s already here. I should call for backup, but I need to handle this on my own. Maggie trusts me and it’s my place to keep her safe.
I park and exit my car pretending that nothing is wrong as I knock on the door. I can hear the fear and panic in her voice. That bastard is in there with her, but I can’t tip him off. When she tells me to go, I do, but not before I unlock my apartment door and leave it ajar. I leave but I only to move my car out of view. I move quietly and efficiently to enter my apartment. Damn. The door connecting out apartments is closed. Putting an ear to the wall I attempt to listen, but I can’t make out anything that is being said. I need a better plan other than busting in with my gun drawn but it’s all I have. I grab the knob and twist, hoping the door doesn’t creak as it sometimes does as I push it open. Peering into the room I see Maggie sitting on the couch as he cuts the brick of cocaine and sniffs some up his nose off the edge of the blade. With him distracted I push the door all the way open and train my weapon on him. “Hands in the air.”
A dark laugh bubbles from his throat. Then unexpectedly he lunges at me with the knife and I have no choice but to fire my gun. The bullet strikes his chest and he is still laughing at me with a crazy look in his eyes as he staggers backward then slumps down against the wall and slides to the floor. He takes a wheezing breath as Maggie stares at us with wide eyes and then he’s gone.
I grab my radio and call for backup. Maggie is in shock and in need of some coaching. “Let me do all the talking. He’s a crazy ex that you have been hiding from and he followed you here and broke into your apartment. Got it.” I grab her fake license off the table and stick it in my pocket.
She nods, and I take my Maglite and bust out her bedroom window as his point of entry. I’ve never lied in my life on the job, but this doesn’t look good for either of us. Me killing her ex-boyfriend while I am on duty and should be on patrol. It won’t be long before Big Jim arrives and possibly calls in the state police.
“Let’s go outside.” I corral her out the door.
“What about the money?”
“It’s evidence,” I tell her coolly.
“All of it?” she whispers.
“Baby, that’s blood money. We don’t want it.”
“I know…is he really dead?”
“Yeah. You okay?”
“I think so. Is it wrong for me to feel relieved?”
“No.” I hug her tighter. “I don’t know what I would have done if he had hurt you. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Carly told him where to find me.”
“‘Let’s leave that out of our story. The less complicated the easier it will be.”
“I trust you, Calder.”
“You need to give your real name when they question you. And tell them anything you know about his drug dealing.”
“Calder, I should tell you something. I wasn’t completely honest with you. When I ran from Chris. We had a nasty fight and I stabbed him with a kitchen knife. Then when he came at me again, I hit him in the head with a frying pan. He hit his head on the kitchen table and I thought he was dead. I thought I had killed him and Flip, that guy he worked for, he was on his way to collect and I panicked. I grabbed that bag and it had the money and drugs in it and I had no idea at first like I told you before.”
“It’s all right, baby. It’s all right.” I knew she hadn’t given me the full truth, but I can understand why she was scared to tell me what she thought she had done. Sirens wail in the distance and within minutes Big Jim and Little Jim are on the scene.
Little Jim takes Maggie/June to the station to give her statement, and I give mine to Big Jim. In the end I reacted the way I was trained to. The perp came at me first. I only acted in self-defense. With June’s cooperation our department worked with the Florida State Police to bring down Flip’s drug ring. He is currently serving thirty years. When he was picked up his prints matched those of an unsolved murder that was five years old. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced.