INK: Abstraction (32 page)

“Eli, we need to
leave, now.” My tone is urgent.

“What?” He
looks down at me, bewildered.

“I’m
telling you there’s something off. Is there a back door?”
I tug at his hand. “Get me out of here now.”

He’s confused for
a minute, but the seriousness in my eyes reaches him. “Okay,
this way.” He takes off down a side hallway toward the fire
exit, still holding my hand.

Behind us we hear
someone winded yelling, “Filson, I got it.”

I look at Eli. I don’t
know what that was, but betting that has something to do with me.
“Miss Baynes.” Filson calls to me. “Miss Baynes,
you’re going to have to come with me.”

Eli and both ignore his
calls and continue to the fire exit. Eli pushes the door open and we
take off across the parking lot to his car. As we’re running,
Eli looks down at me. “This isn’t exactly what I had in
mind for our wedding day.”

“Well the way
things have been going lately, maybe you should have.” I look
up at him and smile. “Hey, can we use this thing anywhere?”

“The marriage
license?” He squints his eyes trying to figure out what I'm
getting at.

“Yeah, the
marriage license.” Duh.

“Anywhere in this
county.” I think he gets it now.

“To a notary!”
I yell like a battle cry.

“Then a Bonnie
and Clyde honeymoon?” He laughs. “You know this may not
be the best idea we’ve ever had.” He’s more serious
and the laughing has turned nervous.

“What do you want
to do?” I ask, slowing my pace since I’m already winded.

He picks me up into his
arms. “I’m going to marry you, that’s what we’re
going to do.”

He rounds the corner of
the building and stops short. There are three cops standing next to
his car. He ducks back behind the building and looks down at me with
a hopeless look. “Keep running?”

“No.” I
slide down and seal my mouth over his in a passionate kiss. I pull
back, reveling in his moisture on my lips. “Get me out so we
can be married by morning.” I wink at him and offer a wicked
grin.

He rests his forehead
on mine. “I’ll call Jason, we’ll get you out. Don’t
say a word. I’ll be right there.”

Filson reaches us with
two uniformed police officers behind him. He grabs me and twists my
arm behind my back and slams a cuff on my wrist. I know he would use
more force if Eli wasn’t standing here. “Miss Baynes, why
the wild goose chase? We just wanted to talk.”

“Filson, why the
handcuffs? I thought you just wanted to talk.” He pushes me up
against the wall to guide my other arm behind my back.

He leans in close
enough that I can smell the whiskey and BO on him. He says it low so
only I can hear, “Because I’ve heard you like it this
way.”

He tugs me back from
the wall and hands me over to the two uniforms. “Make sure Miss
Baynes is made to feel welcome. It’s going to be a long day.”

Eli is fuming and I
know he’s having a hard time controlling himself. He’s
already started making phone calls. I see Dad and Miranda come out of
the front of the building with McNab and Carl. I look back over my
shoulder to McNab. The sadness in his eyes lays on me heavy like wool
and sticks with me while they push me into the police car.

Eli

The
drive from the courthouse to the police station is only ten minutes,
but it felt like an eternity. Now I’m standing here waiting to
get in to see her. Filson appears from the back area. “Hey
Walker,” he calls me over.

“Filson, I need
to get back there to see her,” I tell him, trying not to sound
too frantic. I know they’re going to push the envelope since
she’s not smart enough to keep her mouth shut about the Glass
issue.

“Yeah, I’m
sorry Walker, only her attorney is allowed back.” He plasters a
mock smile on his face that I’d like to shove up his ass.

“Cut the shit
Filson, let me see her.”

“No can do.”
He turns and walks toward the door, stopping at the desk where the
guard on duty buzzes in visitors. “Call me when her attorney
gets here and we’ll be up to get him as soon as we can.”
He looks back over his shoulder as if to imply it’s going to be
a long wait.

Harry rushes in the
front door, talking on the phone. “This is bullshit and you
know it. How could you let this go through?” He pauses,
listening. “That’s nice Todd, so your own department is
keeping
you
in the dark now?” More silence on his end.
“Listen, get your ass down here and help her. You know she
didn’t do this.” Harry hangs up the phone and looks at me
with heavy disapproval. Okay, it’s more like raging anger. I’m
pretty sure if Harry could get away with it, he’d have my nuts
on his nightstand.

“Harry, do you
have any idea what this is about?” I ask, hoping to forgo the
pissed off father routine for trying to elope with his daughter.

He sits in one of the
chairs in the waiting area blowing out a labored breath. He looks
like he’s aged since I saw him thirty minutes ago. “Sit
down, Eli.”

Shit, this isn’t
good. “What is it?”

“They, ah, they
found Aiden.” He says it simply, but I can hear the quiver in
his voice.

“Good, but that
doesn’t explain why they arrested her.” I’m
confused and completely lost. This should get her off the hook. Harry
doesn’t answer. “Harry, if they found him—”
It hits me. I’m pushed back in my chair from the gravity of
this revelation. “Shit.” A myriad of emotions floods my
being running the gambit between relief, anger and sorrow.

Harry confirms with a
simple nod. “Apparently his truck was covered in his blood and
Shayleigh’s. They were working on the warrant when you two got
to the courthouse.”

“That must be
what Sharron was trying to tell me.” I run my fingers through
my hair, full of a mixture of feelings I can barely verbalize.

Carl and McNab enter
the lobby of the police station followed by Jason. I give everyone a
nod and stand to meet Jason. Carl and McNab sit by Harry. Jason
glares at me, walking to the front desk.

I get up and button my
jacket and follow him. “Thanks for getting here so quickly.”

Jason doesn’t
look at me, it’s apparent that he’s pretty pissed off.
“Attorney Eddins for Shay Baynes.”

The female officer at
the desk cringes and looks up apologetically. “I’m sorry
sir, she hasn’t been processed yet, so you can’t see
her.”

“Can you tell me
how much longer it will be until I can get back to see her?” he
asks.

“No, we’ve
got quite the backlog right now. It could be as much as twelve to
twenty-four hours.” The words are hard for her to say, but she
obviously doesn’t have a choice.

Jason leans on the
counter, making note of the officer’s name. “Officer
Olander, you do realize that my client has the right to council?”

“Yes sir, as soon
as she has been processed you will be allowed to see her.” She
can no longer look him in the eye.

Harry approaches the
counter. “Charlise.”

She smiles
apologetically. “Hello Commissioner Baynes.”

“Oh, I’m
not a commissioner anymore, you can call me Harry. I’d really
like to get back there to see my little girl.” His tone is
smooth and persuasive.

“Commissioner,
I’m afraid she can’t have any visitors until they have
processed her.”

“Surely you can
buzz me back.” He smiles.

“I’m really
sorry sir, but I have specific instructions to not let anyone
including you back to see her.” She lowers her eyes again. “I’m
so sorry.”

“Can you let me
back to talk to Brewer please?” He’s grasping at straws.

“I’ll let
him know you’d like to see him.” She picks up the phone.

“Commissioner
Brewer? Commissioner, er, um, Harry Baynes would like to see you.”
She pauses for a moment. “Okay sir, I’ll let him know.”
She hangs up the phone. “He’ll be out in a few minutes;
you can have a seat while you wait.” She tries to smile.

Harry motions for us to
follow him to the seating area. “Now listen you two, let me do
the talking. He’s not going to respond to your legal bullying.”

“That’s an
interesting choice of words,” Jason chides.

“Well, he doesn’t
need to have you whining about her civil rights. We have two dead
cops and another cop that she’s trying to throw under the bus.
We have to be delicate.” He inhales a breath and rubs his left
arm.

“Whoa, wait a
minute. Two dead cops? When did this happen?” Apparently I
missed something.

Harry looks at Carl,
perplexed. “Did you not fill him in?”

Carl rubs the stubble
on his head, frustrated with himself. “I didn’t have a
chance yesterday, and this morning, well, you were there.”

“What happened?”
I sit forward in the chair.

“Pitch and Quag
were called to a warehouse over off of Malabar Road. There were two
cops in there that were splayed out Specter style.” Carl
grimaces at the memory of the scene.

“There were a few
variations, more of what we’ve seen lately. Instead of the
eyes, the hearts were removed and something put in their places.”
Harry adds, “I thought you knew, Eli.”

“I hadn’t
heard any of this either, for that matter we weren’t even
offered the opportunity for Shay to turn herself in with this
warrant,” Jason says, shaking his head. “We still don’t
know what the actual charges are and I fully expect we’re going
to get stonewalled for…” he looks at his watch, “at
least another twenty-two hours.” After taking a thoughtful
breath Jason hops up on his soap box.

“You know, Eli,
knowing the disgusting abuse of power that the DA and police exercise
around here, you'd think you would have done a better job keeping her
out of jail.” He stands, picking up his briefcase. “I’m
going to head back to the office and get the investigators briefed
and the team ready for the arraignment.”

“Jason, we can’t
leave her in there for twenty-four hours. She’s not going to be
able to handle it. She’s in rough shape. Can’t we file a
motion?” I ask.

“I’ll get
the research; she’s certainly been through enough over the
course of the last few weeks that we might be able to get an
exception.” He looks at his watch again. “I gotta go.
Keep in touch and call me as soon as they are ready to let us back
in.”

I stand and shake his
hand; he pulls me into a hug. “I know this is tough, Eli, but I
need you to hold it together. If you pull another stunt like you did
today your bar card is as good as gone. Don’t throw away your
career, you’re a good lawyer, you should know better.”
His disapproval is mixed with regret. He knows none of this is
looking good.

“I know, things
are just—”

Jason finishes my
thought before pushing the door open to leave, “Fucked up.”

“Yeah.” I
pull my lips to the side. “That’s an understatement.”

Jason continues out the
door. “Keep it together Eli, she needs you to be strong right
now.”

McNab has been
uncharacteristically quiet. “So what’s your take on all
of this?”

“I think it was a
bitch move forcing her to marry you.” There it is, he came
right out and said it.

“What’s it
to you?”

“I care about
her, and the position you put her in because of your assumptions was
unfair and unkind,” he says simply.

Harry perks up. “What
are you talking about?”

“This whole
rushing to the altar was Eli’s mind fuck trying to nail her
down because he’s scared.” McNab cuts me a hard look and
I’d like to put his balls in a vice. “He played on her
fear and made her beg.” He stands and walks over to the window
as if he needed to get away from a bad smell.

“Is this true,
Eli? Was this marriage a manipulation on your part?” Harry
squints hard into me, trying to find the truth in my eyes.

I’m at a loss,
because essentially it is. There’s nothing else that possibly
could have been. It doesn’t matter that I love her and want to
spend the rest of my life with her, I want to make her happy, and she
wasn’t happy begging for me to stay on her knees in the
driveway. The problem is when we’re together I live in fear of
Aiden’s next appearance. I guess I don’t have to worry
about that anymore. To prepare for Harry’s onslaught of
disapproval I inhale a deep breath. “Yes Harry, it’s all
true. I’m a son of a bitch and forced her hand.”

Harry looks away from
me as though he’s disgusted. The shame of what I did sits in
the pit of my stomach like bad milk. “Eli, I’m
disappointed. I always thought that you would consider what my little
girl needed, take her feelings to heart. With what she’s been
through...” He pauses, rubbing his arm again. This is the
second time I’ve seen him do this.

“Harry, are you
okay?” I ask with true concern.

“No Eli, I’m
not okay.” He leans back in the chair and all the color drains
from his face. “None of this is okay.”

My concern is growing
when I see beads of sweat forming on his forehead, “Harry, I
think you need to see a doctor.”

“Eli, I’m
staying here for my little girl. She needs me. It would seem I'm the
only one she can rely on.” He protests. “I’m fine.”

Miranda actually shows
concern for Harry, and McNab makes his way back to the sitting area.
“Harry, I think Eli’s right. You should see a doctor.”

McNab looks at me with
deep fear in his eyes, as though there is something I can do to make
him listen. I go back to the front desk. “Charlise, please get
an ambulance. I think Harry’s having a heart attack.”

The care shows in
Charlise’s eyes. “Oh God.” She picks up the phone
and calls the fire department. “I need an ambulance now,
there’s an officer down.”

I look at her knowingly
and reach over the desk and touch her hand to show my sincerity.
“Thank you.”