Wrong Turn (11 page)

Jake had nothing to do but start another round of calls. He heard about a transvestite who was harassed in Alabama. The poor trannie’s birth name was Mackenzie Rogers but any similarity to the fugitive ended there. The deputies refused to call her Marie but bullied and insulted her for eleven hours before allowing her to return home. Predictably, they did not offer her a ride back in a squad car. When she hitched and accepted a ride from the wrong person, she was beaten and dumped on the side of the road.

Dozens of ex-wives pointed an accusatory finger at their former husbands – most of whom had never been in the state of Virginia, let alone anywhere near the house on DeWitt Street. They were questioned and released, their days ruined and, in some cases, their jobs imperiled. Many who were acquainted with those temporarily accused would never look at them the same again. Once those kinds of suspicions are expressed, you can’t completely take them back; the stain corrupts for a lifetime.

Jake wished that local law enforcement would be more circumspect in handling potential suspects; but was grateful that the description of Rogers made it clear that he was not Black or Hispanic. The harassment potential if the case involved a person of color would have spread like a virulent infection throughout the South and beyond. Still, despite the description, an officer in Detroit brought in a homeless black man. Fortunately, the patrolman was laughed out of the station house and the poor man was given a hot meal before being returned to his makeshift home under a bridge.

Everyone wanted to be the hero who nabbed Mack Rogers but too many went about the search with reckless, desperate abandon. Jake could only hope that Lucinda was having a more fruitful day.

B
ack at the Justice Center, Lucinda went straight to the room where Gloria waited for her return. The restless, pacing woman reminded the detective of corralled wild mustangs, high-stepping from one end of the fence to the other, anxious to break loose and head for the hills.

Gloria’s mass of wavy, dark auburn hair hung down below her shoulder blades. She tossed it about like a distressed mare as she bounced around the room. Lucinda realized that her first challenge would be getting the woman to calm down enough to sit still and have a cohesive conversation.

Lucinda opened her mouth, ready to issue a bland greeting to Gloria; but before she could utter a word, the woman lit into her. ‘How could you do this to me? Is my life that insignificant? I helped you put him into jail and now my life is on the line. When he finds me, I’ll just be collateral damage, nothing more!’

‘Ms Phillips, please, please sit down and let’s talk about what we need to do to keep you safe.’

‘Phillips,’ she spat. ‘Do not ever address me by that name again. I should have done this long ago but I’m doing it now. I called my attorney. I am legally reverting to my maiden name: Martinez, Gloria Martinez. I want that on my tombstone. Do not dare make me bear his name on my grave for all eternity. When he kills me, make sure that does not happen or I will never leave you in peace.’

‘Ms Martinez, please, we can’t talk while you’re ricocheting around the room like this. Please, have a seat,’ Lucinda pleaded as she slid into a chair. She patted the table at the space across from her. ‘Please, sit here.’

Gloria stopped at the spot and slapped both of her hands down on the surface. ‘You promised me!’

‘I promised you? I promised you what, Ms Martinez?’

‘You promised me that bastard would spend the rest of his life in prison. You promised me that I wouldn’t have to worry about him.’

‘Ms Martinez, I promised you we would arrest him and we did. I never pretended that I knew what the outcome would be at his trial or that he would never have any success on appeal. I can’t predict the courts and I have never pretended that I could.’

Gloria reared back and placed her hands on her hips. ‘Well, I didn’t mean you personally. I meant the lot of you,’ she said waving one hand around in a big circle.

‘I do not know what you’re talking about. No one in my presence ever made a promise that he would go to prison and stay there.’

‘OK, it wasn’t you. It was the prosecutor. He promised me. He swore if I testified I’d be safe because that damned congressman I called husband would never leave the prison alive.’

‘He shouldn’t have said that,’ Lucinda admitted.

‘And I was a fool to believe him. I should have known I couldn’t trust the district attorney when Chris walked free after trying to take my life. But no, like an idiot, I took him at his word. But he only said that, he only made that promise, because he knew I wouldn’t have testified if he hadn’t. I wouldn’t have taken that risk otherwise. And now, what am I supposed to do? Chris tried to kill me once over nothing but my life insurance. Now, the stakes are bigger. He will not allow me to live.’

‘Ms Martinez, the appellate court ruled that you should not have testified. Phillips has no reason to believe you would be called to the witness stand again. So you are not a threat to him now.’

‘Oh, you think so?’ Gloria said shaking her head. ‘He is a very intelligent man. He is a very ruthless man. He always sought revenge against his enemies. He would kill me just for spite.’

‘We are taking you into protective custody. We will not allow him to get near you.’

‘But he still has very powerful friends, wealthy friends. Look at what his buddy Karl Porter did, hiring that zoologist and filing an appeal claiming that it was a bat in the house that frightened Patty and made her fall. He claimed that he found traces of guano in the stairwell. I thought Karl was going to get Chris out of jail then. I breathed a sigh of relief when he was laughed out of the courtroom. But Karl hasn’t given up. He’s still looking for anything else he can find to get Chris off the hook. And now he is and he will have his revenge. With people like Karl to help him, he will find a way to eliminate me, no matter what you do.’

‘We are working with the FBI on this case now. Between us, you will have the best security possible. But the most important thing, at this point in time, is that we make you permanently safe. We need to strengthen the evidence surrounding Patty’s murder and we need to find something or someone to confirm your story.’

‘Why? So you can put me on the stand again? Right, like I’m still going to be alive when he comes into the courtroom again. He was hardly out of the prison before he was calling me. I’ve moved. Changed my phone number – it’s unlisted! And still within minutes, he found me. If you can’t protect me from that, how can you protect me from anything?’

‘I know you are afraid, Ms Martinez. I know you can’t trust any of us. But please, set aside your fear, set aside your misgivings and focus on helping us get Chris Phillips back behind bars where he belongs. You are the only survivor. His other two wives are counting on you.’

Anger flared Gloria’s nostrils and furrowed her brow. ‘You think I don’t care about Melinda and Patty? You think I don’t want justice for their deaths? You think I went up on to that witness stand for myself?’

‘No, I don’t. I know you were thinking of them and wanted to hold their killer responsible. We talked about that once, remember?’

‘You’re damned right. I did it for Melinda. I did it for Patty. I did it for . . .’ Gloria slapped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes darted from one side to another and then she hung her head.

‘Who else, Gloria?’ Lucinda asked. She suspected she already knew the answer – the unnamed victim in Patty’s trial – young Trevor Phillips, Melinda’s son.

Gloria shook her head hard, hair flying in every direction, then slumped into the chair looking defeated.

‘Are you thinking of Trevor?’

‘I will not talk about him,’ she said with another shake of her head. She kept her face turned away from Lucinda.

‘Ms Martinez . . .’

‘No!’ she said, turning towards her long enough for her eyes to catch Lucinda’s and then darting away at the first visual contact.

‘What are you hiding?’ Lucinda pushed. ‘What do you know about Trevor that you are not telling me?’

‘I will not cause that boy any more pain.’ Tears glistened on her eyelashes and travelled down one cheek.

‘What do you mean? What could you possibly do to him?’

‘I’ve already done enough. I thought we were close. But when he learned that I had his father arrested after he tried to end my life just as he ended Melinda’s, Trevor told me he hated me.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Lucinda commiserated.

‘I understand. He hurt so badly and he was so young. To believe his father pushed me meant he would have to suspect that his father had killed his mother, too. He couldn’t do it. Chris Phillips was the only parent he had left – he had to believe in his innocence.’

‘How old was Trevor at the time Phillips attempted to take your life?’

‘Six. He was only six years old. And such a sensitive child.’

‘That would mean he is now fifteen, right? Do you really think it is a good idea for him to spend the rest of his teens being raised by Chris Phillips?’

‘That won’t happen. Melinda’s parents have custody of Trevor.’

‘Phillips’ attorney filed this morning to have that ruling revoked. He will persist and, in all likelihood, succeed. He is, after all, the boy’s biological father.’

‘He can’t! Trevor’s doing so much better now. I don’t bother him but his grandparents keep me informed. The last two years have been good for him. That can’t be disrupted. And Chris knows . . . he knows what Trevor saw. He will destroy that boy.’

‘What does Trevor know, Gloria?’

‘Ohmigod,’ she sobbed. ‘I shouldn’t have said that. Omigod!’

‘Ms Martinez, I cannot protect Trevor unless you tell me why he needs protecting. Help me. Help me, help Trevor. What does Trevor know?’

Gloria choked on a sob and raised her tear-stained face to Lucinda’s. ‘He saw it. He saw his father push me. He saw the concrete blocks his father put on the landing. He was right there when I twisted my body toward the banister, hoping I could get far enough to the side to miss hitting the blocks. And when I thrust myself a bit too hard, he saw my body slam into the spindles and break them before crashing to the floor below just two steps above the landing. He saw it all.’

Lucinda was stunned. There had been an eyewitness. ‘You didn’t tell anyone about that?’

Gloria shook her head. ‘After I recovered from surgery, I asked if they spoke to him. They told me they did but that Trevor said he had been asleep and didn’t wake up until he heard the sirens from the ambulance.’

‘And that wasn’t true?’

‘No. No.’

‘How can you be so sure he saw his father push you?’

‘As I started to tumble, the last thing I saw was Trevor’s little face. His eyes wide. His mouth opened in a scream. I can never wipe that image from my mind.’

‘Why didn’t you tell the investigators or the prosecutor?’

‘He was such a little boy – such a sweet, little boy. He had to deny it to himself to survive. He couldn’t help it. I would not betray him – I didn’t think I needed to. When Chris was acquitted, I had my regrets but I knew no matter what I said then, Chris could not be tried again. I almost spoke up when Patty died.’

‘But you didn’t?’

‘He was only ten then, how could I?’

‘I’m going to have to speak to Trevor.’

‘No. You can’t. It will destroy him.’

‘If Trevor was there when his father pushed you down the stairs, he may well have repressed the memory of seeing Chris do the same thing to his own mother – or to Patty. He could be carrying around a festering burden of unacknowledged guilt for his silence. If he never confronts the truth, he will never conquer the burden he carries for what he knows.’

‘Ohmigod!’

‘I promise you, Ms Martinez, I will make sure Trevor gets professional help to cope with the situation. Melinda’s parents will be very supportive of him. They are good people, smart people – you know that. They will help us all help Trevor recover and build his life anew.’

‘You need to let him know I don’t blame him. I don’t hold him responsible in any way. I understand.’

‘I will. I promise. And, maybe, if Trevor is willing, we can bring the two of you back together again.’

At that, Gloria broke down completely, dropping her head to the table and cradling it in her folded arms as she cried out her anguish. She stretched out one arm and fumbled for Lucinda’s hand. When she found it, she squeezed it hard. Lucinda returned the gesture and left the room to make arrangements for Gloria’s care.

L
ucinda made a beeline for Captain Holland’s office. She needed his help and guidance with the placement of Gloria Martinez, the interview of Trevor Phillips, and the inappropriate documentation in the Sherman case. When she said his name, Holland raised his head and narrowed his eyes.

‘Did you find what you needed to get the DA to take steps to have Martha Sherman released from prison?’

‘Not exactly, sir. But, right now, I need to talk to you about a couple of other matters that I think can be wrapped up more easily – then I’ll get to Sherman, if that’s OK.’

‘Sit down, Pierce. I should have known you’d have more than one problem to complicate my day.’

‘First of all, sir, I have Gloria Martinez, Chris Phillips’ second wife, in an interrogation room. She is afraid that Phillips will come after her now that he’s been released from prison.’

‘Do you think she has grounds for her fear?’

‘I think her reaction is a bit extreme, but it’s not groundless. She’s received hang-up calls and at the end of one of them, the caller used a diminutive that only Phillips ever called her.’

‘Is it possibly a friend of the congressman who knew about it?’

‘Possibly,’ Lucinda conceded with a nod. ‘But I still believe there are strong grounds for taking her into protective custody.’

‘I don’t know, Pierce. Doesn’t seem as if the state would make the same mistake by calling her to the stand in the second trial.’

‘That could change, captain, now that there is a witness to the attempted murder.’

‘A witness? Now? And you find that credible?’