View Park, page 13
She reached for him. “Just please tell me no one was hurt.”
“No matter what,” he urged, “believe me when I tell you everything is gonna be okay.”
Inside, Leigh was stopped in her tracks. A tornado had come through Hope Clinic. Windows were smashed, graffiti was everywhere, most of the furniture was either destroyed or missing, and the floor looked tarnished by fire or chemicals. Leigh was speechless as her hands went to her imploding chest.
Richard grabbed her tightly in his arms to keep her from falling. He spoke to her in whispers. “It’s all cosmetic, Leigh. We have insurance, remember that?”
Leigh nodded, trying to remember what the insurance man had told them about the rates rising if they had substantial claims because of the neighborhood. “What does it look like in back?”
“It’s the same.”
Leigh was feeling dizzy. First Haley, then Carter and now this. “Who did this?”
“We don’t know yet,” he said. “They think it was a bunch of crack addicts or gang members. They broke in the back door. No one saw anything, but we’ve gotten to know these people pretty well. Someone will come around. You know how it is here. They don’t trust the police.”
“What difference does it make? They can’t fix this.”
“We’ll fix it.” Richard’s brows centered in frustration. “I’m so damn sorry this happened to you—today of all days.”
“I want to see what’s back there.” She headed for the back before an officer held his hand up to her.
“This is a crime scene, ma’am. We’re gonna have to ask you all to leave here.”
“My clinic,” Leigh said, “is now a crime scene.”
“Come on.” Richard was leading Leigh out of the clinic. “I’ll take care of this. I know you want to be at the hospital.”
“What about Alicia?”
“I haven’t been able to reach her yet, but I’ll call her and she’ll help me.”
“We’ll all do it,” Leigh said.
“Not necessary. We need better locks, and bars around the windows. We’ll just call the construction people back. They’ll work fast like they did last time.”
“They can’t even go in there, Richard! It’s a crime scene.”
“I’ll call the insurance man today and take care of this.”
“They’re gonna raise our rates,” she complained. “They were already too high because of the area. We can’t afford this.”
Richard touched her cheek gently, wiping a tear away. “I won’t deny that it’s a setback, but that’s all it is.”
Leigh laughed bitterly. “Just a setback?”
“What else can I say? At least no one was here.”
“You’re right.” Leigh knew he was doing everything he could to hide that he was just as angry and worried as she. He was trying to be strong for her and that made her want to love him.
“Go be with your parents,” he said.
“My parents.” She felt a wave of nausea sweep over her. “They’re gonna love this.”
“Please, Mom!” Carter waved Janet’s fussing hands away as she tried to prop the pillows on his living room sofa around him.
Janet wished he was coming back to the mansion, but he refused. Now back at his place, he wouldn’t even go to bed. “I know what I’m doing.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my head.” He held up his hand to stop her from touching him.
“You’re lucky as hell, you know that?” Steven stood at the edge of the room, watching them. He hated feeling scared and he had been scared to death when the police came to the house last night.
“Steven.” Janet refused to let her husband turn this into an argument.
“You shouldn’t have gone there,” Steven said. “You should have just called the police.”
Carter was amazed at how this man found a way to make everything he did wrong. “Thanks for the advice, Dad. I’ll keep that in mind next time I try to—”
“Don’t get smart with me!”
“Steven.” Janet turned, her tone warning. “Carter is a hero. He saved that young woman’s life.”
Steven grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “The press is going to be all over us for this. They’ll blame it on us no matter what happens with that Craig person.”
“Have I embarrassed you, Dad?” Carter’s words were laced with sarcasm.
Steven ignored his wife’s searing eyes. “The police are suspicious of you. You’re smart enough to pick up on that, aren’t you?”
Janet sat next to her son, her heart saying a prayer at the sight of his bandaged hand. It could have been so much worse. “We’ve talked to Chief Jackson. I’m sure it’s going to be okay.”
“I told them who did this,” Carter snapped.
“Carter.” Janet placed her hand on his chest, leaning toward him. “You are a hero, you know this, right?”
He smiled at his mother, always eager to make up for the disapproving father. “I think I was just really lucky.”
“We’ll have to invite her for dinner,” she said. “She was worth you risking your life for, so I would like to meet her.”
“Have you both gone crazy?” Steven asked, believing his ears were playing tricks on him. “This woman hasn’t just put our chain stores in jeopardy. She can take down Chase Beauty now. Not to mention Carter’s freedom.”
“This isn’t her fault,” Carter claimed. “Her crazy partner did this.”
“She does business with psychos,” Steven said. “That is her fault. Dammit, Carter. You said you had this taken care of!”
“Enough,” Janet announced. “Whatever has happened before, everything has changed. Steven, you will do whatever you have to in order to fix the salon venture and protect the company. Carter will do whatever it takes to make sure this woman doesn’t suspect we’re behind any of this.”
“The police will figure out the truth,” Carter said.
“I’m going to talk to Chief Jackson again,” Steven offered.
“Don’t push him,” Carter said. “It’ll look like—”
“Did I ask you for advice?” Steven asked. “You’ve done enough already.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I wish I could have died for you. That would have been better, wouldn’t it?”
Steven glared down at his son, feeling guilty. He knew he was at fault in all of this. They held a stare, only broken by Janet’s cell phone ringing.
“That’s probably Haley,” he muttered. “We have to go now. She’s being taken to the station for a lineup.”
“Don’t let me stop you.” Carter grabbed an issue of Black Enterprise, trying to calm himself down. He could feel his father’s eyes on him.
“Carter,” Steven said. “Look, I’m sorry. I—”
“It doesn’t matter.” Carter didn’t look up. “Just go.”
“What?” Janet, still on the phone, stood up in a panic as she looked at Steven. “Was she hurt? No, okay. Thanks, we’ll be right over.”
She hung up and took a deep breath wondering if her heart could take any more of this. “That was Maya. She said Leigh came home in tears. The clinic was robbed and vandalized overnight. She’s devastated.”
Steven looked at his watch as he let out a litany of curse words. “You go to the station with Haley and I’ll go home to Leigh.”
Janet leaned forward, kissing Carter’s forehead. “I’ll be back tonight with some dinner.” She turned to Steven as she stood up. “I have to go to the bathroom first.”
Steven watched her leave, knowing what she was going to do. He wondered how many she had already taken since last night. Right now, he had to deal with Leigh and somehow get back to the office without another one of his children bringing the sky down on them.
Carter waited for them to leave before dialing the hospital and asking for Avery’s room. She picked up with voices in the background.
“Avery, It’s Carter.”
“Carter?”
Avery’s stomach tightened at the sound of his voice. She looked at her family, circled around her, and Alex leaning against the wall. Silence spread across the room at the sound of his name. She looked at her mother, Nikki, who shook her head in the way she had when Avery was a five-year-old about to do something dangerous to herself.
“Avery, I wanted to finish what I was going to tell you last night.”
Avery swallowed, finding this harder than she’d expected. “Carter, I don’t want to talk to you. Don’t call me again.”
“Avery, wait—” He heard the click and then the dial tone. He thought of everything Alex might be telling her, fueled more out of jealousy than fact. He wasn’t going to let this happen. He had to make Avery understand for more reasons than he was ready to admit to right now.
Haley sat in the interrogation room trying to fight back tears. She was exhausted from all the emotions she was feeling. It had all begun when another officer, instead of Sean, showed up to take her to the station in the morning. She didn’t give a damn what had happened to Sean’s sister. He had promised to be there for her and he wasn’t.
Things only got worse when her mother showed up at the station, her eyes glazed over. Her father’s decision to be with Leigh instead of her made Haley bitter and angry. She knew he loved Leigh more than her, but how could he choose her at this time of all times? A stupid break-in. Who gave a damn about the break-in of an empty clinic in the ghetto? She was gonna make him pay for this. She had made a career out of knowing her father’s hot buttons and she was going to push away.
Her mother’s reaction to her anger was cold and scolding, accusing her of thinking only of herself, and she was right. Haley didn’t care about anyone but herself because nobody else seemed to.
Then there was the lineup, but Haley shivered at the thought of it and refused to dredge it back up. Although the officers assured her he would be nowhere near her, she knew Rudio was going to kill her like he had Jason. She didn’t trust anyone.
When Sean entered the room, she expected to deck him and was certain this time she wouldn’t miss, but she didn’t even try. She ran to him, hugging him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her.
“It was horrible.”
“I’m sorry, Haley.” Her sobs were reaching deep inside of him. “I wish I could have been here.”
Haley leaned back, looking at him. “I ruined everything, didn’t I?”
He shook his head trying to hide his concern. “It was a long shot from the beginning.”
“Why did they have everyone in there look like him?”
He grinned. “That’s the point. To increase the certainty.”
“Or increase the confusion.”
“It has to be undeniable in court.”
“I tried, Sean. I did. I just wasn’t sure and his lawyer was so mean. She kept nagging at the officer who was trying to help me.”
Sean tried to get past the confusion of this moment. Here he was holding Haley in his arms, rushing as fast as he could to be there for her. At the same time, he was supposed to believe her brother tried to kill Avery. It was all a little incestuous for his taste, but he couldn’t stay away.
They both turned to Janet when she entered the room. Sean saw the undeniable look of distaste on Janet’s face at the sight of them together and it was undeniable to him that it didn’t matter anymore.
“I would like to take my daughter home now,” Janet said. “I’ve cleared it with the other officer.”
“Sean, will you come with me?” Haley asked.
“No, he can’t,” Janet asserted. “He’s got work to do.”
Sean reluctantly let Haley go. “She’s right. We’ve got to figure out what to do about Rudio now that we’ve got to let him go.”
“No, you can’t,” she pleaded. “He’s going to kill me. I know it.”
“He will not,” Janet said. “Detective, don’t you have the blood evidence?”
“The ID of the boat only proves you saw that boat. He’s got an alibi for now that we weren’t able to crack. Jorge Nesco was on that boat all the time. There’s no way to prove he was murdered, especially without a body.”
“Then you find a body,” Janet said. “Haley, let’s go.”
“I can’t go out there.” Haley could hardly breathe. “He’s out there and he’s going to kill me.”
Sean gripped Haley’s shoulders, looking straight into her eyes with an urgency felt around the room. “Haley, believe me when I tell you this. I will not let him hurt you, ever.”
Haley smiled, leaning into him. She had to believe him, and she did.
Steven handed the cup of hot tea to Leigh at the kitchen table and sat next to her, grateful she was calming down. It hurt him to the core to see tears falling from the eyes of the daughter who would always be a baby girl in pink dresses and unruly curls no matter what age she was. He was her daddy and it was his job to make sure she never cried.
“I’m sorry you’re hurting, but now you understand that we were right.”
“Is that all you’re concerned about?” she asked.
“All I’ve ever been concerned about was your safety. That place is dangerous. No one was there last night, but how can you guarantee that the next time? You’re talking about servicing children whose parents are likely drug addicts. Those people are trying to survive not be educated.”
Richard stood at the edge of the kitchen, and Steven, not trusting much of anyone these days, gave him a cautious look. “Who in the hell are you?”
“I can come back,” he said awkwardly.
Leigh placed a hand tenderly over her father’s. “Daddy, this is Richard Powell. He’s one of the doctors I was telling you about. He’s been dealing with the insurance people.”
“Did they drop you?” Steven asked.
“Not exactly.” Richard sat in the chair Leigh directed him to. “But it isn’t good.”
“Just give it to me straight,” Leigh said.
“The good news is they will replace the furniture and pay for the repairs. That means a delay, because it will only happen after the police investigation confirms that none of us are to blame.”
“Who are these people?” Steven asked. “I’ll call them and take care of this.”
“Wait, Daddy.” Leigh found it somewhat ironic that he wanted to get involved now. “How long do you think this will take?”
Richard shrugged. “Not sure, but there’s more.”
Richard explained that because the policy was only two weeks old, a full investigation by the company would accompany the police investigation. Even if the cause was cleared, they would only be reimbursed for the damages. The worst was that they were raising the rates on the clinic, effective next month, with a new down payment due in thirty days. If they wanted to stay insured, they would have to give proof that a professional security company had been hired to install a system and have it in place before the new equipment would arrive. The cost was going to be astronomical.
Leigh was letting it all sink in, ignoring whatever it was her father was advising her of and promising to get done before storming off.
“You want me to be honest?” Richard asked. “You want me to tell you whether or not we have the money for this? The answer is no.”
“I can try to do more fund-raising and Alicia is still working on those grants. She’s certain one of them will come through within the next six months.”
“We won’t last three more months unless we get more money.”
Leigh’s face fell into her hands. Her parents had warned her of this, but she was positive doing the right thing would have its own rewards.
Richard leaned in, putting his arms around her. “You’re overwhelmed, baby, but you’re stronger than this.”
“We made a commitment to that community,” she said.
“What we need now is the money to pay for the repairs, repainting and replacing the furniture. We have almost half of that. We need to raise enough to get the other half and we might be able to hold on until the insurance company reimburses us and the grants come in.”
Leigh wasn’t going to put off the reality of the situation. Richard’s suggestion was a best case scenario and they both knew better. There was nothing else left.
“I’m going to fix this, Richard.”
“There is no I, Leigh. We’re in this together.”
She reached up, gently touching his cheek. “I know what I can do for my part.”
Richard frowned, seeming uncertain. “Talk to me, Leigh.”
“I’ll call you when it’s done. Just let me do this, Richard. It’ll make everything better for all of us. I promise.” Leigh mustered her resolve. “Let me show you out.”
Avery let out a groan as she labored to sit on the sofa. Even four days after the explosion, her body was still sore. Still, she was happy to be home after spending her recovery at her parents’ house, being smothered by her mother. Nikki Jackson, the peacemaker, was a twenty-first-century hippie artist with brownish blonde corn-rows that traveled her back and endless holistic healings for every ailment. After three days of having her aura cleansed, Avery just wanted it all to end. Unfortunately, her mother had set camp at her own apartment and Avery couldn’t get a second to relax.
“You want some juice?” Nikki stood over Avery trying to hide her concern. All things considered, her daughter had been taking this all too lightly.
“You gonna stay for dinner?” Avery asked.
“I’m staying until you get better,” Nikki said. “I have Jorga watching the gallery for me. Don’t worry.”
A local artist whose paintings were famous in Los Angeles and Orange County, Nikki’s successful art gallery was five years old. Avery found it an inspiration for a woman who married her high school sweetheart one month after graduating, was a stay-at-home mom raising three kids, to choose at the age of forty to start such a large venture. Even with an active gallery to run, Nikki had taken it upon herself to help all the girls who had worked at Essentials move to Essentials II or work at the art gallery.
“You got a call while you were sleeping,” Nikki said. She could see from Avery’s expression she thought it was Carter, who had been calling nonstop. “It was Taylor. She wanted to talk to you.”
