Читать книгу Revenge Of Innocents - Nancy Taylor Rosenberg - Страница 13

Wednesday, October 13—5:20 P.M.

When Carolyn walked into her office, she found Brad Preston sitting at her desk. “I’m trying to parcel out Veronica’s cases,” he said. “We got slammed again today. I’m sorry, Carolyn, but we can’t let you take vacation leave right now. I even went to Wheeler to see if there was some way we could cover it. I told him it was your honeymoon, but he said you’d have to cancel it. Wheeler wants you to continue working with the task force, so that means we’re short two people.”

Carolyn stared at her in-box. The files were stacked so high, there was a second stack beside it. Brad started to get up. “Stay there,” she told him, dropping down in a chair in front of her desk. “There may not be a task force.” She explained what had transpired at the police department, that the coroner might rule that Veronica’s death had been a suicide. “Do you know if Stuart Greenly is around?”

“Yeah,” Brad said. “I saw him maybe five minutes ago. Are you going to talk to him?”

“Yes,” Carolyn said, pushing herself to her feet.

“Wait,” he said, loosening the knot on his tie. “Don’t mention my name. I don’t want him to walk out on us. We can’t afford to lose another investigator. And don’t you want to talk to him here?”

“No,” she said. “If I call him into my office, it will seem too official. I thought he might be a suspect, but now I don’t know what to believe. If he was having an affair with Veronica, he may know more about her state of mind than anyone else.”

The majority of the probation officers had already left for the day. With the new work-at-home program, even during peak hours desks sat empty. Carolyn entered Stuart Greenly’s cubical. He was talking on the phone and laughing. If he’d been Veronica’s lover, her death didn’t appear to have upset him. His dark hair was fashionably cut. He dressed like a college professor. Today he was wearing brown slacks and a Brooks Brothers shirt with a button-down collar. An expensive-looking sport jacket was draped over the back of his chair.

Carolyn had heard that Greenly had a large trust fund, and had taken a job as a probation officer after he’d flunked the bar exam six times. Working beneath his abilities must bolster his confidence. He occasionally came across as arrogant, but the probation officers in the unit seemed to like him. She waited until he completed his call, then cleared her throat to get his attention.

“Carolyn,” he said, falling serious. “This thing with Veronica is awful. People are calling me, telling me the job is too dangerous. You two were good friends, so I—”

She cut him off. “Why don’t we go somewhere private where we can talk, Stuart?”

“This is pretty damn private,” he told her. “I’m probably the only one still working. Remember that on my next performance review, will you? Preston was tough, but you’re downright brutal.”

“Was that a personal call you were on when I came in?”

“Hey,” he said, smiling, “you got me. One of my friends wanted to buy me dinner, but I passed. Only someone really dedicated would turn down a free meal, especially with the kind of money the county pays us.”

“We’ll talk in an interview room,” Carolyn told him. “I don’t think you’d even want the janitors to eavesdrop on this conversation.”

“Wow,” he exclaimed, “you certainly know how to get a guy’s attention.”

On the right side of the floor was a row of rooms. Probation officers used them to interview defendants and victims, dictate reports to the word-processing pool, or as a place to retreat when the noise level inside the unit became too distracting.

They entered the room nearest Greenly’s office. Carolyn closed the door behind her. Greenly took a seat at a small table. She remained standing.

“What’s going on?” Greenly asked, rubbing his chin.

“Were you having an affair with Veronica?”

“No,” he said. “Why would you think such a thing? Tessa and I have a great marriage. You even came to our wedding. Besides, Veronica is…was…well, she was older. I don’t want to say anything out of line here, but she was also a little whacko. Did she tell you something was going on between us? She must have been infatuated with me. Now that I think about it, she did act odd when I was around.”

In most instances, Carolyn would soften her subjects with small talk, waiting for them to relax before she began interrogating them. Today, she didn’t have the energy. “Don’t lie to me, Stuart,” she said. “We know you were sleeping with her. Would you rather be questioned by the police, or do you want to tell me the truth?”

He stood and shoved his chair back to the table. “I don’t have to put up with this kind of crap,” he shouted. “You’re out of your mind if you think I had anything to do with Veronica’s death. Why would I want to have sex with a fat cow like her? Tessa was on the cover of dozens of magazines. Even if she wasn’t gorgeous, I love her and have no reason to cheat on her.”

Except that you’re a man, Carolyn thought, remembering what Brad had told her. “Someone saw you, Stuart. They saw you having sex with Veronica in the backseat of her Ford Explorer. It was the day the power went off in the building.”

“Who saw me? Whoever it was, they were mistaken. The day of the storm, I went home to check on Tessa. We live close and she’s terrified of lightning. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her.” He stared Carolyn straight in the eye without blinking. “Can I get back to work now? I’d like to get out of this hellhole before midnight. Preston assigned me ten new cases today. Four of them were Veronica’s. The filing deadline is the end of next week, and as far as I can tell, she hasn’t even looked at them.” He paused and then continued ranting, “I told Preston I’d work around the clock to get them done. I go out of my way to be helpful and this is the way I get treated. I don’t need this lousy job. If you want, I’ll turn in my resignation right now.”

“No, please,” Carolyn said, backtracking. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have come down so hard on you. If you were involved with Veronica, I was hoping you could shed some light into what was going on with her. You said she was whacko. What are you referring to?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, relaxing. “She seemed out of it recently. She asked me questions about things she should have known. Shit, Veronica was my training officer. I never thought she would be asking me how to compute a sentence. Then one day last week, I was leaving to interview a guy at the jail, and Veronica told me to forget it, that I could make up his statement and no one would know the difference. At first, I thought she was joking, but then I realized she was serious.”

God, Carolyn thought, it was worse than she thought. “Thanks, Stuart,” she said, stepping aside so he could leave. “Do me a favor. If you think of anyone who might have been involved with her, please let me know.”

“No problem,” he said. “I shouldn’t have called her a fat cow. I was annoyed, okay? I don’t like to be accused of something I didn’t do. The truth is, I liked Veronica. She was a nice person. Do the police have any leads as to who killed her?”

“A few,” she said. “I’ll keep you posted.”

Once Greenly left, Carolyn closed the door and sat down at the table, staring at the white-painted wall in front of her. Veronica’s mental state must have been steadily deteriorating. Carolyn had been so caught up in her new position and her upcoming wedding, she’d failed to see that her friend was in trouble.

Veronica’s image materialized again, standing on her front porch with her most prized possession, the beautiful doll her grandmother had given her. She remembered the fresh scent of her shampoo, her toothy grin, the blue shorts outfit she’d been wearing. It was strange, she thought. It wasn’t Veronica as an adult who was haunting her. It was the child. Maybe there was some meaning there, hidden deep in her subconscious. That day so long ago, she had touched something forbidden. Whenever she and Veronica had a fight, they’d both cry and make their parents miserable until they made up. Even as a child, Veronica had been a better person. She was always the first one to say she was sorry.

Carolyn returned to her office and called Marcus, telling him she wouldn’t be home in time for dinner. He told her not to worry about it, as Rebecca had ordered in a pizza, and he was trying to catch up with some work from the office. “I love you,” she told him, experiencing a rush of emotion.

“Not as much as I love you,” Marcus said. “Do whatever you have to do, honey. I gave it some thought today. You’re right about postponing the wedding. I had my secretary start calling people.”

“What about our honeymoon? You said we were going to lose money if we canceled it. Brad told me they can’t get by without me because of what happened to Veronica. He even took it to Cameron Wheeler, the head of the agency. Wheeler wants me to work on the task force investigating Veronica’s death.”

“I bought trip insurance,” Marcus said. “I was just trying to make certain you wanted to call off the wedding. After a tragedy like this, I didn’t think you should make any rash decisions. Everything will be fine. Remember to eat, and I’m not talking about candy bars. I know you’re a chocolate junkie.”

“You’re beginning to sound like my mother,” Carolyn joked. He’d already figured out most of her idiosyncrasies. When they went out to dinner, and someone mentioned having a dessert, she would push her food around on the plate until the waiter took it away, saving her appetite. “I’m a hopeless case. Mother gave up on me years ago.”

“I don’t give up,” Marcus said. “You might as well get used to it.”

When Carolyn hung up, she felt an infusion of energy and strength. Simply hearing his voice helped chase away the demons. She placed her computer notebook and a stack of case files inside her briefcase, locked up the office, and headed to her car in the parking lot.

As the chilly night air engulfed her, her thoughts returned to Veronica. She and Drew had been high school sweethearts. Like all couples, they’d had their share of problems over the years, but there was never any doubt that they loved each other. And even if Jude was difficult, Stacy, Peter, and Michael loved and depended on their mother. How could a person kill herself when she was surrounded by love? Mental illness maybe, but Veronica hadn’t been that far gone. She might have been overwhelmed enough to take shortcuts in her work, yet there was no indication that she’d been paranoid or delusional.

Carolyn experienced an eerie sensation. She stared up at the windows of the jail. Ever since they’d built the complex, she’d hated it. Housing inmates in such close proximity to the people who prosecuted and punished them was a recipe for disaster. She saw the outline of the prisoners’ bodies. Depending on where she parked, they could make out what kind of car she was driving, and during the day, even read the license plate.

Because she’d returned from the PD when the courts were in session, the only available parking spot was in a back corner of the lot, next to a row of tall palm trees. She heard a sound behind her, but when she turned around she didn’t see anything. A strong wind had kicked in, whipping her hair into her face. What she’d heard had to be blowing leaves and other debris.

Carolyn could barely see her car it was so dark. She caught a glimpse of her red Infiniti and started walking toward it when a hard pointed object jabbed her in the back. At first she thought it was a branch that had fallen off one of the trees. A second later, she realized it was the barrel of a gun.

A deep voice said, “Don’t move or turn around.”

She ran a few feet, then got tangled up in her feet and fell. What appeared to be a man’s shoe came down on the right side of her face.

Carolyn’s hands were free, but she couldn’t move her head. All she could see was the man’s shadow on the pavement, but she could tell the majority of his weight was on his left leg. If she could hit him hard enough at the back of his knee, he would topple and she might be able to escape.

As she began to raise her arm, he stomped on it. “Help!” she screamed now that he’d moved his foot off her face. “Police! Call the—”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Carolyn’s purse was no longer on her arm. She had no idea how far away it had landed. She patted the ground with her hand, desperate to find her gun.

“I told you not to move, bitch!”

There was something distinctive about his voice. Did she know him? Was it an accent? It sounded muffled, as if he was speaking through a handkerchief or scarf. Then again, there was something about his voice that seemed mechanical, like an automated voice or someone talking to you over a speakerphone.

“I warned you to stay out of this. Now I have to kill you.”

The noise from the gunshot was deafening.

Carolyn waited for the bullet to sear its way into her flesh. Nothing happened.

“Where’d he go?” a voice called out from a distance.

Feet slapped against the pavement. The sounds got louder, then stopped. Brad’s face loomed over her. He knelt down on one knee, gasping as he tried to catch his breath. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m not sure,” Carolyn said, the panic returning. What if the bullet had severed her spine? That could be why she didn’t feel anything. “Did he shoot me?”

“We have to get out of here,” Brad said, yanking her to her feet. “He may still be around. Stay down.”

They bent over at the waist and weaved in and out between the cars until they came to Brad’s black Viper. Except for the custom paint on the exterior, the car looked as if it had been driven off the showroom floor. Brad had modified it for the racetrack, however, but occasionally drove it to work. Fixing cars up and selling them was one of the ways he supplemented his income. He hit the button on the key fob and unlocked the doors, then shoved Carolyn inside. As soon as he fired up the big engine, he tossed his cell phone to her.

“Call 911. The suspect didn’t return my fire, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t armed. Tell them to have two or three units roll code. They can find the spot if they look for your red Infiniti.”

Carolyn made the call, then disconnected. “My purse. I have to go back for my purse. He can find my address, and my gun is in there.”

“Only an idiot would stop to pick up your purse.” Brad stomped on the accelerator and sped out of the parking lot. He raced down a side street, then took a sharp right into an alley. “Call the PD back and have someone meet us over here. If Mary Stevens or Hank is on duty, get one or both of them to respond. Whoever attacked you must be the bastard who killed Veronica.”

Carolyn’s face and arm were throbbing. The strange feeling she’d experienced after she’d heard the gunshot must have been numbness. Either that or raw fear. She looked around, but she hadn’t been paying attention. She didn’t have time to put on her seat belt, and she’d been jostled around inside Brad’s speeding car. “Where we are?”

“We’re in the alley behind S. Hill Road.” He stopped the car and turned off the ignition. “The house numbers are on the trash cans. Shit, I can’t read them. Wait, I’ve got it. It looks like 954. Tell them I’m driving a black Viper with a yellow racing stripe. They can’t miss it.” Once she completed the second call, he asked her, “Did you get a good look at the guy?”

“Not with his shoe in my face,” Carolyn told him, messaging her arm. “Promise me you won’t say anything to Marcus. He was pressuring me to quit my job even before Veronica was murdered.”

“Now you know why I’m single,” Brad said. “Tell him he can’t have you all to himself. We need you. You better make sure you know what you’re getting into, Carolyn. This guy sounds selfish.”

“Because he doesn’t want me to get hurt?” she argued. “That’s ridiculous. Marcus is one of the most generous men I’ve ever known.”

“Hey, just remember I warned you. Rich men have a tendency to be demanding. You’ve been on your own for a long time. I can’t picture you kissing up to any guy. Well, me maybe, but I’m not in the running.”

“God, am I going to have a bruise on my face?” She reached for the visor, thinking it had a mirror, then remembered that the Viper wasn’t a luxury car.

“Let me take a look at you.” He turned on the interior light, then placed his finger under her chin.

They were so close, Carolyn could feel his warm breath on her face. At one time, they had loved each other. He linked eyes with her, cleared his throat, and then turned away. “You’re going to feel like a train wreck tomorrow, but you’ll be fine. If there’s a bruise, you can cover it with makeup.”

“You saved my life.”

“Don’t humor me,” Brad told her. “As a marksman, I suck. I don’t think I could have hit the guy if he’d been standing a foot away wearing a neon target. I got terrible news from the doctor the other day.”

“My God, are you sick? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Carolyn put her hand on his shoulder. “Please, Brad, I’m your friend. You don’t have some kind of disease, God forbid.”

“I need glasses.”

Carolyn knew him well enough to know he wasn’t joking. “Do you realize how incredibly vain you sound? You’re forty years old. Since you don’t seem to realize it, youth doesn’t last a lifetime. A few years down the line, and you’ll need a lot more than glasses.”

His eyes expanded. “Not Viagra.”

Carolyn laughed. “You guys finally have something to be embarrassed about now. Women have been trying to be something we aren’t for years. We’ve worn push-up bras, false eyelashes, fake hair, and that was before women closed out their Christmas accounts and spent the money on plastic surgery. Why won’t you need Viagra, Brad? I want to hear this one.”

“I just won’t,” he said, a stubborn look on his face. “You’ve slept with me. Do you think a guy like me would ever need Viagra? I’m a machine, man. I’ll never lose it. My dad’s still going strong and he’s almost eighty. Men in my family don’t have those kinds of problems.”

“Someone just tried to kill me, and you’re worried about glasses and Viagra. Give me a break, Brad.”

They saw the headlights of a vehicle. “Call the PD and see if that’s them behind us,” he said. “We’re a sitting duck if it’s the guy who jumped you.”

Before Carolyn could punch in the numbers, Hank Sawyer pulled up alongside them in his unmarked unit, speaking to them through the open window. Even now that he’d slimmed down, he still sat in the car the way a heavy man would, spread out and slouched. After they told him what had transpired, she said, “His voice sounded strange, Hank.”

“In what way?”

“At first I thought I knew him. Now I’m not sure. His voice was muffled, as if he were trying to disguise it. I thought I heard some kind of accent.”

“From where?”

“I don’t know,” she said, feeling foolish that she couldn’t remember more. “I was scared, okay? You start counting seconds when someone says they’re going to kill you.”

Brad leaned over in front of her. “He booked as soon as I squeezed off a round. I don’t think the guy had a gun, or he would have returned my fire. He may have poked her with his finger or a stick. If he hadn’t mentioned the letter, I would have pegged him as a purse snatcher.”

Carolyn thought for a moment. “He didn’t actually mention the letter. He said, ‘I warned you to stay out of this. Now I have to kill you.’”

“That’s close enough,” Hank said. “It doesn’t mean he’s our killer, though, just the guy who sent you the letter.” He tossed a large black object through the open window. “One of the patrol units found your purse under a pickup in the parking lot. When are you going to start wearing your shoulder holster? Carrying your gun in your purse is worthless. You might as well not have one.”

“I’m a supervisor now,” Carolyn told him. “Unless someone goes on a shooting rampage in the office, I have no reason to protect myself.”

“Oh, I see,” Hank said, pissed. “Like you didn’t need a gun tonight. You could have shot him, Carolyn, and saved us from having to track him down. If you don’t start looking out for yourself, you’ll end up at the morgue with your friend.”

Carolyn put her hands over her ears. “Enough, for God’s sake!”

“Lay off, Hank,” Brad said. “She’s exhausted and emotional. I wouldn’t even have had my gun on me if I wasn’t taking it home to clean it.”

Hank told Carolyn to file a report with the patrol officer at the scene, then took off.

“He’s upset because he doesn’t want anything to happen to you,” Brad said as he drove her back to the parking lot.

When he stopped alongside the patrol unit, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for being there, Brad.”

“No problem.”

“By the way, why were you there?”

Brad laughed. “I forgot where I parked my car. Are you going straight home when you finish here?”

“Not yet,” Carolyn said. “Hank wants me to sniff out Drew, try to find out if he’s involved. I’m going to swing by the house, check out this young nanny he hired, and see if there’s any news regarding Jude.”

Brad shook his head in frustration. “You know why you’re always in trouble? Because you go looking for it. For all we know, Drew may be the one who attacked you tonight. Now you’re going to show up on his doorstep. How convenient. Jesus, Carolyn, go home. You can stop by Veronica’s tomorrow. I’ve never seen a woman push herself the way you do. Don’t you ever get any enjoyment out of life?”

“Whenever I can,” she said. “You risk your life all the time on the racetrack. At least I don’t do it for thrills.”

“If Drew kills you, don’t call me. I’m going out for drinks with my friends. I’d ask you to come along, but martyrs aren’t that popular.” He held up his cell phone. “I’m turning it off, see? You’re on your own.”

Carolyn chuckled. “How could I call you if I was dead?”

“You know what I meant. I saved your scrawny neck, and you’re making fun of me. If the guy had a gun, he could have shot me.”

“You’ll never grow up, Brad.”

“Whatever,” he said, burning rubber as he roared off across the parking lot.

A young patrol officer stepped up beside Carolyn. “I should cite that guy for speeding. He can’t drive like that on the street, let alone a parking lot.”

“Don’t waste your time.”

“Why? Because he’s your boss?”

“Because you’ll never catch him.”

“I’ve been in a pursuit with a Viper before,” he said. “They’re not that fast.”

Carolyn smiled. “You don’t know what’s under the hood of this one.”

Carolyn rang the doorbell for five minutes before someone finally answered. A young girl with long blond hair that covered the right side of her face peered out at her. She looked more like a child than an eighteen-year-old. “I’m a friend of the family,” Carolyn said. “You must be Crystal?”

“Drew isn’t here,” the girl said in a monotone. “He went to the grocery store. You’ll have to come back later.” She thought a moment, then added, “You should maybe call him. He told me he didn’t want to see anyone right now.”

“I’ll wait,” Carolyn said, stepping past her into the living room. Crystal was either learning impaired, or there was something else wrong with her. She didn’t make eye contact, and continued standing in the doorway after Carolyn was inside. When she dropped her arms to her side, her hands disappeared inside the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

The living room looked worse than it had the night before. Beer cans were still scattered across the coffee table, toys thrown everywhere, and there was a large purple stain on the carpet. Michael came running into the room crying. He attached himself to Carolyn’s leg. “My mommy went to heaven, and Daddy says Jude can’t live here anymore. Daddy got mad at me ’cause I spilled my grape juice.”

Carolyn scooped the four-year-old up in her arms. “It’s okay, sweetie. Don’t cry.” She turned around to look for Crystal. The girl was walking in the direction of the kitchen when she tripped on a toy fire engine. Instead of picking it up, she righted herself and continued walking. Some nanny, she thought. She looked as if she needed someone to look after her instead of the other way around. What in God’s name had Drew been thinking? “Is Jude here, Michael?”

“Yes,” he said, sniffling.

Carolyn sat down on the sofa and stroked Michael’s back until he climbed off her lap and went to play with a toy. The situation was tragic, but children were remarkably resilient. She saw a shadowy figure in the hallway. When she went over to see who it was, she realized it was Peter. He also looked as if he’d been crying. His chin was tucked against his chest. “Is Jude in her room?” she asked him.

Peter shrugged, refusing to answer. Carolyn continued down the hallway. She would have to talk to Drew about getting the kids into counseling right away.

Other than the room the boys shared, the doors were all shut. She opened the door to Jude’s room, then realized it was the bathroom. Veronica’s daughter was stepping out of the shower.

“Get the hell out of here!”

Carolyn gasped. Jude’s body was covered with purplish bruises. She grabbed a towel and covered herself.

“I’ll be out in a few minutes,” she said. “I thought you were one of the kids. If you can’t wait, use the bathroom in my dad’s room.”

Carolyn closed the door and locked it behind her. She reached over and pulled the towel away, trying to see how badly the girl was injured. “Who did this to you?”

“I fell, okay?” Jude told her, snatching the towel back. “Can I have some privacy, please? I don’t walk into your bathroom and stare at you when you’re naked. Are you a lesbian or something?”

“Please, honey, you need medical treatment. If you won’t tell me who did this to you, at least let me help you.”

“No one can help me,” Jude said, stepping into a pair of jeans and a black long sleeved T-shirt. “I have to be out of the house by the time my father gets back. Now will you leave me alone?”

“Where are you going to live?” Carolyn asked.

“On the street, I guess. What difference does it make? My mother’s dead. No one cares what I do, as long as I don’t do it here.”

“Stay with me,” Carolyn offered. “Please, Jude, I have more than enough room. I was at the hospital when you were born. Rebecca would be thrilled if you stayed with us. We’re living at my fiancé’s house in Santa Rosa and her friends are all in Ventura. Whatever your problems are, I’m certain we can work things out.”

Jude ran her tongue over her lips. “You got any cash on you?”

“I can’t just give you money,” Carolyn told her. “If you don’t come with me, I’ll have to notify the authorities.”

“I’m an adult. I haven’t broken the law. Why don’t you leave while you can? You don’t know anything about me. I’m a freaking loser. If you don’t believe me, ask my father.”

Carolyn pulled the girl into her arms. “You’re not a loser, sweetheart. I don’t know why your father is doing this, but I’m not leaving until you agree to come with me.”

Jude placed her hands on Carolyn’s shoulders, shaking as she sobbed. “I just want to die. I can’t take it anymore. He’ll find me wherever I go. I was sure he was going to kill me. I didn’t care. I wanted him to kill me.”

“Who?” Carolyn pleaded. “You have to tell me who hurt you. Was it your boyfriend? If you give me his name, I’ll have him arrested.”

“I can’t,” the girl said. “You don’t understand. He’ll get out. Then he’ll come after you, too.” She shoved Carolyn in the chest. “Go away. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Jude pushed past her, running down the hall to her room. Carolyn went to the front of the house and tried to reassure the other children. Someone was missing. She was so distraught, she couldn’t remember who. “Stacy,” she said, grabbing Peter by the shoulders. “Where is she?”

“She went with my dad,” the boy told her. “Where’s Jude going? She’s not going to heaven like my mom, is she?”

“No, honey,” Carolyn said, knowing she had to do something about the younger children immediately. She couldn’t remove them from the home without a court order. “I’m leaving now,” she told Peter. “Your father will be back really soon. Help Michael get ready for bed. I promise I’ll check on you in the morning.”

Carolyn left, waiting by her car until Jude came out the front door. Carrying a plastic garbage bag filled with her things, she took off down the street. Carolyn ran after her and tackled her, both of them tumbling into the damp grass. Twice in one night, she’d had to wrestle with someone. Brad had been right. She should have gone home.

Rolling Jude over onto her back, she snapped on a pair of handcuffs. This was not the way to cuff a prisoner, but she didn’t want to cause Jude anymore discomfort than necessary. “I’m sorry,” she said, leading her to the Infiniti and opening the passenger door. “I’ll take them off as soon as you calm down.”

“Bitch,” Jude snarled. “You have no right to do this to me. I could sue you for false arrest. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Carolyn reached over and fastened the girl’s seat belt, then hit the automatic door locks in case she tried to jump out of the car. Jude stared sullenly out the window while they drove.

“You’re wrong, Jude,” Carolyn told her, pulling into the parking lot of Community Memorial Hospital ten minutes later. “Under section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, you can be held for seventy-two hours if I believe you’re a danger to yourself or others. Right now, I’d say you’re a danger to yourself.”

“Fuck,” the girl said, “you’re going to have me locked up in a mental hospital? I thought you were my friend.”

“I am,” Carolyn told her. “And I promise nothing like that will happen if you cooperate. I want a doctor to look at you. As soon as they check you out, I’ll take you to my house. No one has to know where you are, understand? And I guarantee you no one will hurt you. Because of his work, my fiancé has bodyguards. They’re watching his house right now. You can stay in our guest room.” She paused and then added, “Do we have a deal?”

Jude held her hands out in front of her. “Take these damn things off. They’re hurting my wrists.”

“I’m not going to do that,” Carolyn said. “Not until you give me your word that you’ll stay with me. If you won’t do it for me, do it for your mother.”

“Fine,” Jude said, tears pooling in her eyes. “I’ll stay with you. Now you have to give me your word. Promise you won’t tell my father where I am.”

“I promise,” Carolyn told her, unlocking the handcuffs.