“Let’s hear the girl.”
“Let’s talk terms first.” She placed herself between the chief and Cassandra. “This poor child is pregnant. One of your officers used that against her to persuade her to give false evidence. She needs the department’s help. I’ve promised her she’ll get it.”
His eyebrow ratcheted up. “You’re generous with my department’s money.”
“The department can pay her in other ways besides cash, and you know it. She’s got charges, and you’ve got some pull there. But cash is good, too. Better to pay for the truth than pay for a lie, isn’t that so, chief?” She eyed him, thinking of the way he’d handled Nick. “People do an awful lot of things for money.”
He gave her a grudging shrug. “Haven’t heard what she has to say.”
“Cassandra, come here, honey.” Suzanne beckoned the shivering girl forward.
The young woman came closer, several inches shorter than either of them and clearly more vulnerable. She took a shuddering breath and kept her arms crossed against the onslaught of the wind. “You’re gonna make sure my baby’s taken care of, right?” she asked Reickert.
“You know what you’re talking about, sweet thing?”
She only nodded, brown eyes wide and suddenly innocent. She shivered as if she would dissolve in the cold. Suzanne wanted to put her arm around the girl for support, but wasn’t sure she’d accept it. “My baby?” she insisted.
“The chief will do everything he can, Cassandra. I will too,” Suzanne promised.
Reickert moved so he stood between the young woman and the wind. Suzanne approved. “Give me your name, your address, and tell me what you know about this.”
The words came hesitantly at first, but then they tumbled loose faster, lighter by the minute, as the burden of the lie was lifted from her shoulders. Suzanne listened, praying Reickert would credit the girl with the truth of what she said. He’d have some money he could give her. He could also waive her charges and deal with a potential perjury situation over her testimony on the incident. He had to. He just had to.
“You’ll say this down at the station?” he asked gruffly. “Then testify against Washington? And any of the others?”
She nodded, still trembling. “That Lieutenant done nothing to me. He was a nice guy.”
Reickert coughed and eyed Suzanne. “Maybe those bozos in Internal Affairs need a little shaking up, too,” he added. He shook her hand. “Will you ladies come back downtown so we can put this on the record?”
Cassandra looked frightened. Suzanne took the risk this time, and put her arm around the girl’s shoulder. Cassandra didn’t pull away. “I’ll be there with you,” Suzanne promised.
As they reached the parking lot, Reickert asked, “Does Nick know?”
Suzanne shook her head. “We came straight from Cassandra’s house.”
“I think he ought to be told. You want to do it?”
“No, I don’t think I’d better. He’ll be angry I interfered. God knows I complain about him meddling in my life often enough.”
“Damn fool ought to be grateful,” Reickert muttered. “All right, I’ll notify him later this afternoon, after we get a full statement from the girl.” Reickert looked at Suzanne as though she’d given him the best Christmas present ever. “I knew in my heart it couldn’t be true. You’ve done one hell of a public service.”
“I had to do it,” she said, over and over, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Nick would get his life back, and that was worth whatever it cost.
****
Suzanne stayed with Cassandra Trujillo as she’d promised, through the sworn testimony Chief Reickert wanted on the record. He asked the questions himself, until he seemed satisfied he had what he needed. He gave the girl a hundred dollars out of a witness fund, then Suzanne took her to one of the pregnancy assistance agencies, to arrange some income and care for the girl while she was awaiting the birth of her child. Once she’d given her statement, the girl seemed reluctant to return to her small house, as much as she’d bragged about it before.
In her bright, cheerful office decorated with photos of mothers and children, the agency worker, Mrs. Johnson, said, “We have a house where some girls stay. Did you bring your things?” Cassandra shook her head. The woman patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We have someone who can take you over to pick up what you need.”
Suzanne smiled at the girl. “You’ve done the right thing. These women will help you prepare for the next step—becoming a mother.” When the girl’s worried face didn’t change, she added, “I expect Jojo and the others will be off the streets very soon.”
The girl shrugged. “Probably best I leave, too,” she said morosely. “Start over again in a new town.”
Suzanne nodded. “I’m sure Mrs. Johnson here can help you decide about that.” She dug in her purse for a business card. “I really appreciate what you’ve done. I hope you’ll stay in touch. Let me know about the baby?”
“Sure, whatever,” the girl said. At Mrs. Johnson’s urging, she turned and went into the back, taking the first steps toward a new life.
Suzanne stared after her, praying she hadn’t sacrificed Cassandra’s life to improve her own. Certainly the girl’s life could be different with a fresh start through the agency. Maybe she’d even stay off the street after the baby was born. Suzanne had no illusions about the life of a prostitute. If the girl was hooking that young, it was because she felt she had no other options. Suzanne had sent clients to this particular agency before, and knew they did good work. All she could do was hope Cassandra discovered a better life.
The clock on the wall chimed six o’clock. The afternoon had moved so fast. In the parking lot, Suzanne called home and Hope answered. Suzanne explained she was still downtown. “I’m leaving now, so I should be home in half an hour or so. Is everything okay?”
“Just fine, Mom.”
“If you girls are hungry, go ahead and make some mac and cheese or something.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
As she turned the key to start the car, Suzanne wondered whether Nick had heard the good news yet. Her adrenaline fading, chunks of reality began to fall into her mind.
What was I thinking to go to that neighborhood alone? What if the girl had a pimp there? Or a group of drug dealers? What if Jojo had come while I was still there?
She shuddered, thinking of the alternate outcomes. Good thing she hadn’t put too much thought into her decision—too many reasons she could have talked herself out of going to see Cassandra.
And only one to make herself go.
She smiled, an inner warmth filling her as she thought about Nick’s future, now rescued from dishonor. She couldn’t wait to see him again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Nick heard the doorbell and ruefully checked his worn sweats and stocking feet, not exactly dressed for company. He’d been hanging around the house most of that week, except for his regular run to take Suzanne’s girls to school in the morning. After school they had so many different activities, it had proven difficult to catch up with them. So he’d called them as agreed about five p.m., just to make sure they were both home.
The bell rang again, and he regretted the cluttered end table and other signs of disorderly housekeeping, but he clicked off the mindless talk show. He’d only had it on for noise, so he didn’t feel quite so alone. It was dark out. He picked up his pistol and held it in his hand, ready, just in case, as he pulled the door open.
On the doorstep under the light, he found Hank Ferguson, his pudgy face split ear to ear with a huge grin, a six-pack of beer in one hand and a white bag from Tony’s in the other. Totally unexpected, the appearance of his friend confused him.
“What’s up, Hank?” Nick asked.
“What’s up? You mean you haven’t heard?” Hank pushed past Nick into the house, and Nick caught a whiff of Italian spices. “What the hell happened in here?”
Nick followed him into the living room, where his former partner was surveying the disaster. Seeing it through someone else’s eyes really demonstrated how much he’d let it slip. “Oh, that. Haven’t had much need to take care of it, I guess.”
Hank eyed the gun. “Don’t think you need that, pal.”
“Huh? Oh, probably not.” Nick set the pistol on the counter and went back to the first question. “Heard what?”
Hank set his packages down and grabbed Nick by both shoulders. “You’re clear, man! Washington set you up, but Reickert shut down the investigation today. You’re back on as of eight a.m. tomorrow!”
Nick shook his head, wondering if this was another of the dreams he’d been having. It just seemed too miraculous. “Washington? Says who?”
“The girl came clean with Reickert, told him everything!” Hank was clearly amazed at Nick’s good fortune. “I thought for sure Suzanne would have called you.”
“Suzanne? Why?”
Hank froze. “Hey, these beers are getting warm. Want one?” he asked in a clear attempt at diversion.
No, no, something was up there. “Why Suzanne?” Nick demanded. “What did she do?” He moved around in front of Hank, who had just popped his can open. Foam rose through the hole, then settled back in.
“Maybe I’d better let her—”
“Too late. You already said it.”
If she went behind my back...
Hank took a step away. “Now, Nick, there’s no need to blow a gasket here. She asked me for—”
“
You
let her get involved in this? What the hell were you thinking? These people aren’t just playing around!” Nick rubbed his face with his hands, trying to keep his temper under control.
“She was going to try something anyway,” Hank said. “Wasn’t it better that I could help?”
“What did she ask you for?”
Hank took another step back.
“Stop that! I’m not going to hit you. I’m not going to hit
her
. I just can’t believe you’d do something while there was an investigation going on through Internal Affairs!” He glared at Hank, then took a breath and forced his face into a smile. He wanted Hank to come clean. “Now, what did she ask you for?”
“The girl’s name and address.”
“And you gave it to her?” Nick counted to ten, then changed his mind and took a beer. He drank about half the can, then looked back at his partner. “Did you know what she was going to do with it?”
Hank nodded, and took another pull from his can. “She said she’d go talk to her, see if she could find out the truth.”
Nick was torn between astonishment that Hank would jeopardize an ongoing investigation by stealing information from a police file, and awe that Suzanne would go to such an extent to try to rescue him. Were they all crazy? Speechless, he shuffled around the room, trying to make sense of what he’d heard.
But it worked,
a tiny voice repeated in the back of his mind. He ignored it.
Hank hung back till Nick relaxed and allowed a small smile. “It might have been crazy, son, but I had to let her try. If there was anything else I could have done to help her, I would have.” He chuckled. “You should have seen her, Nick. She came barreling into my office, all over me for not doing more. She demanded the information so she could take care of things, since we men couldn’t seem to handle the situation.” He shook his head. “She’s a real tiger, and she loves you an awful lot.”
Nick collapsed into his recliner. His head buzzing with the revelations which confronted him, he suddenly remembered there was a beer in his hand. He stared at it for a minute, then drank it and set the can down.
“So she got the girl to confess?”
“Reickert said you’d been completely cleared and that Washington, along with Malron and Vasquez, had been implicated in fabricating her original testimony. They’re gone.” Hank came closer and sat in the chair next to Nick’s. “Have you had anything to eat today? Man, if you’re going to drink beer like that, you’d better eat something.” He took sandwiches out of the bag and set one in Nick’s hand.
Gone? The Three Amigos, removed from his squad room?
A ripple of pure relief ran through him. He absentmindedly took a bite from the sandwich, then set it down on the table. He couldn’t believe it.
“Suzanne went, herself, to talk to this girl? What did she say?”
“How should I know? Whatever it was, it worked!” He bit happily into the other sandwich.
Nick knew the general area where the girl lived, since he’d filled out the papers when he first booked her for soliciting him. It was not the kind of place a female professional ought to be, even by daylight.
How could Suzanne take such a risk?
Then heard Hank’s words: “She loves you an awful lot.”
All along, Nick had felt he was fighting an uphill battle with Suzanne. Every time he got close, she always managed to set him apart again. He knew she was only protecting herself. No matter what he’d tried, he couldn’t seem to convince her he was not John Taylor and had no intention of hurting her. But this crazy stunt showed she had real feelings for him. The impact of this revelation overshadowed even the news of his miraculous exoneration.
“She loves me,” he said to Hank.
“No kidding.” He chuckled and went on with his dinner.
“I should call her.” As Nick stood up, he swayed a little, partly because he’d had a beer on an empty stomach, partly because he’d been presented with too much earth-shattering information at once. Hank immediately set him back down in the chair.
“Eat.” Hank gave him back the sandwich. “You can call her later. First, get hold of yourself.”
“But—”
“No buts. Eat.”
Nick complied without further argument, realizing it wouldn’t be of much use anyway. He went on with his thoughts about Suzanne and the wonder of his new understanding.
What would he say to her? How did you thank someone for restoring your dream, your life?
Hank finished eating and drank some more of his beer. “So you want to go out and celebrate?”
“Yes, I think I do.”
“You want I should call some of the guys?”
Nick smiled. “No, I think I’ll call Suzanne and take the opportunity to thank her for what she’s done.”
“What? You’re going out with the girls instead of us?” Hank half-whined, all-teasing.