Mazie Baby (29 page)

And so it begins. She sighed. “Come
on in.”

“Don’t be lame,” Ariel had demanded
earlier. “And don’t embarrass me.”

Mazie had countered with what every
parent in history had likely said. “But it’s my job to embarrass you.”

She knocked on Ariel’s bedroom
door. “Adam is here.”

Ariel swept the door open — a grand
entrance. She wore the best jeans Mazie could get at Goodwill, one of her own
best shirts, and black pumps. Her little girl, sharing her clothes and shoes.
She’d beg for time to turn back if she weren’t painfully aware of the shit
storm the past had in store for them.

“Hi, Adam.” Ariel’s cheeks pinked
at the sight of him.

“Hi, Clem. You look pretty.” He
held out the flowers.  “Real flowers, as promised.” His smile was disarming,
his teeth polished and straight.

Ariel accepted the flowers and put
them to her nose, inhaled with a dainty sniff. “Thank you.”

He tugged one rose free from the
bunch and turned to Mazie. “For you, Ms. Smyth.”

She smirked. He was a sly one. But
he didn’t fool her for one second. “Let me put them in water.” She took the
single rose from him and the bouquet from Ariel. “Wanna help me, bug?”

She set the flowers on the kitchen table,
held her daughter’s hands and leaned her forehead against Ariel’s temple. “Be
home by ten,” she whispered, “like we agreed. Be safe. And please, please,
honey.” She forced back tears. “Just a goodnight kiss, okay?”

Ariel rolled her eyes. “Mother,
seriously? Stop worrying.”

May as well ask her not to breathe.

Mazie watched them stroll down the
hall. He took her daughter’s hand before opening the door to the staircase and
guiding Ariel ahead of him. He turned back and nodded at Mazie.

Her gut lurched. She could follow
them. Keep an eye on him. Make sure he was the prince charming Ariel believed
him to be.

She stepped into the apartment clicked
the door shut, leaned her back against it, and sank to the floor. What was she
going to do, bubble-wrap Ariel and keep her under the bed until she was old
enough to know who to trust? Would she ever be that old? Hell, Mazie hadn’t
even figured it out yet.

~~~~~~~~

The cell phone vibrated against the
coffee table and jolted her awake. Her arm spasmed. The wine glass in her hand
jerked and sent dots of cabernet into the air and onto her jeans. The darkened
room was illuminated by the flickering glow of the television.

Mazie grabbed her phone and peered
at the screen through blurry eyes. Ten-thirty?

“Ariel?”

“Is this Mrs. Charlotte Smyth?” A
man’s voice, clipped and authoritative.

“Ms. Who is this?”

“Ma’am, this is Constable Elders of
the Cornwall Police.”

The room became fuzzy, her hands
numbed.

“Your daughter, Clementine, has
been arrested for assault.”

She shook her head. “What?
Assault?”

“Yes ma’am. She assaulted a teenage
boy.”

“Adam?”

“Yes.”

“Is she all right?”

“She’s fine, but we need you to
come to the station.” He reeled off the address. She scratched it out, her
hands trembling, her normally neat and upright cursive a jumbled mess of
incomprehensible loops.

She ended the call and dialled
Norman. “Clementine’s been arrested. Can I borrow your car?”

“I’m on my way. I’ll drive you.”

Mazie rushed into the brick and
concrete building and raced to a counter. “My daughter, she’s been arrested.
Where is my daughter?” She slapped the desk with an open palm.

Norman caught up with her and put a
hand on her shoulder. “It’s Clementine Smyth, with a Y.”

The officer at the desk gave them
directions and Mazie ran down the hall. Ariel sat on a chair against the wall,
one hand covering her face, her shoulders slouched. Mazie dropped to her knees at
Ariel’s feet.

Black mascara streaked across her
cheeks, her alabaster skin stark in comparison. “Mom, I’m so sorry.” She burst
into tears and threw her arms around Mazie’s neck.  

“It’s okay, bug. Everything is
going to be fine.”

Norman approached the cop standing
beside Ariel. “What is the charge, Officer?”

“Assault. She hit her boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Ariel
snapped.

The officer grinned. “Well whoever
he is, you did a damn fine job of it.”

Adam came around the corner, his
left eye swollen and bruised, his lip cut. He walked with his shoulders down,
hands in the front pocket of his jeans. A man who looked like an older, balding
version of him walked beside him, his hand on the scruff of Adam’s neck. The
boy glanced at Ariel as he neared. “Crazy bitch,” he said, loud enough for all
to hear.

Ariel stood and lunged at him. “Asshole!”

Mazie grabbed her and pulled her
away.

Ariel turned to the constable.
“Attempted rape, isn’t that what it’s called? Aren’t you gonna arrest him for
that?” She turned to Mazie. “It was self-defence, Mom. You were right. They’re
all pricks.”

“Clementine, hush. That’s not what
I said.”

Adam wiped his bloody lip with his
sleeve. “You’re just a fucking tease.”

His father swatted the back of his
head. “Shut your prissy mouth. You should be ashamed.”

Mazie nodded. “Thank you.”

“Not talking about your slut
daughter, lady. He let some girl beat the ever-loving crap out of him. Fucking
pussy.”

Mazie took a step toward him, her
heartbeat in her ears. “What did you say?”

The constable stepped between them.
“All right, enough of this bullshit.” He motioned to another officer. “Put Mr.
Langley and his father in another interview room.”

Mazie stroked Ariel’s hair and
watched the father and son retreat down the hall. She turned to the constable. “Can
I take her home now?”

“Not yet.” Constable Elders showed
them into a small room. A single table sat in the middle, four hard plastic
chairs circled it. “Have a seat, Mr. and Mrs, Smyth. I need to ask Clementine
some questions.”

“I’m not Clementine’s father,”
Norman said. He glanced at Mazie. “I’m her lawyer.”

The constable looked from Norman to
Mazie and back. “I see.” He moved the chairs so that he was on one side of the
table facing the three of them. “So, tell me what happened.”

Ariel glanced at Norman. He nodded.
“It’s okay, Clem. Tell him what happened.”

“We were at the movie. He kissed
me.” She blushed, her gaze focused on the table top. “It was nice, so I kissed
him back.” Her face drained of colour and she squirmed in her seat. “Then he
touched me. I said no. He tried again, and I pushed him away, told him to back
off.” Tears dripped down her cheeks. “He called me a tease. So I walked out.”

Mazie shouldn’t have let her go on
this damn date. She was too young. And neither of them were ready. She brushed
hair out of Ariel’s eyes. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“That’s what I was going to do when
I got outside. But he followed me and grabbed my arms, pulled me into the
parking lot, and pushed me up against a Dumpster.” Her shoulders quivered.
“Mom, he put his hand up my shirt and asked if I liked it.” She threw both
hands in the air. “I freaked. I just started punching.” She dropped her hands to
the table, rubbed her swollen knuckles. “Someone called the cops.” She looked
at Mazie. “He just took it. Why didn’t he try to stop me?”

“I don’t know, bug. Maybe he’s not
the hitting kind.”

Ariel snorted. “Yeah, just the date
rape kind.”

The constable scratched in his
notebook. “That’s not quite what Adam said happened. He left out the part about
him forcing himself on you.”

Norman cleared his throat. “Are you
saying you don’t believe her?”

“I’m just letting her know what he
said. Did anyone else witness what happened between you two?”

“No.”

“That’s a shame. I’d like to pop
the little bastard for sexual assault. I can press charges if you want. But I’m
afraid with his injuries and no other proof, it might not stick.”

Mazie whispered in Ariel’s ear.

She looked at her hands. “I won’t
press charges.”

Constable Elders eyed Mazie. “Are
you sure?”

Ariel nodded.

“If he bothers you at school, or at
all, you call me, understand?” He handed her a business card.

“I understand.”

He slid a clipboard across the
table to Mazie. “This is the Notice to Parent. Just a record of the offence and
acknowledgement of your understanding of her rights and responsibilities. Once
you sign it, I can release her into your custody.”

Mazie scanned the form, scratched
her Charlotte Smyth signature at the bottom. “Now can I take her home?”

“Yes ma’am.” He handed her another
slip of paper. Promise to Appear. “Just be sure your daughter doesn’t miss her
court date.” He held his hand out to Ariel and she shook it. “I know you’re
getting the crappy end of this deal, Clementine. But you did the right thing.
Always fight back.”

~~~~~~~~

Mazie slammed the phone down and swivelled
her chair. “Norman, can I borrow your car?” She snatched her purse from under
the desk and brushed past Dory.

“Sure.” He tossed her the keys.
“What’s up?”

“Clementine. Adam’s been making her
life hell this past week. I’m going to pick her up. Might look into moving schools.”

“Let me come with you. Maybe I can
have a chat with the little prick.”

She smiled. “No, please don’t. We
don’t need more trouble.” Or more attention. “I’ll get her to call Constable
Elders.” Would lying ever be difficult again?

She stepped out of the building,
pointed the key fob at Norman’s sedan parked on the curb halfway up the block,
and pressed the unlock button. The car chirped in response.

Across the street a police cruiser
sat, its engine idling. The cop in the passenger seat tracked her movements.
She fingered her scarf and glanced down the block. Another cruiser was parked
on her side of the street.

She hastened her pace but felt like
she was getting nowhere, her feet lumps of lead dragging through quicksand. She
hunched her shoulders and focused on Norman’s car. When she got within ten feet
of it, another cruiser approached from the front, flashed its lights and
whooped its siren, pulled in front of the car, and blocked her way. Footfalls
echoed behind her. She spun around to find four officers approaching, two with their
hands on the guns still holstered in their belts.

A young officer, a baby-faced boy
of a man, stopped a few feet from her. “Mazie Reynolds?”

She should be fleeing. Shaking.
Freaking out. But instead she felt nothing.

It was over. It was finally over.

Her shoulders slumped and she gave
the officer a blank stare. “Yes,” she said, her voice monotone. “That’s me.”

“Ma’am, we have to place you under
arrest for the murder of your husband, Cullen Reynolds.”

“What the hell is this?” Norman
jogged toward her, his nostrils flared.

Another officer blocked his path.
“Step back, sir.”

“I’m her lawyer.” Norman bobbed
around him. “Charlie, don’t say one word, you hear me? Not one damn word.”

“Sir, you can meet up with her at
the station. Officers from Calgary are waiting for her there.”

The baby-faced cop pulled out
handcuffs, turned her around, and clicked them onto her wrists.

“Must you cuff her?” Norman sounded
like he might burst into tears.

“Yes, sir.” The officer reeled off
her rights and asked if she understood. She nodded. He opened the cruiser door
and guided her in.

“What about my daughter?”

“Another unit picked her up from
school. She’ll be at the station. Child Protective Services in Calgary is
expecting her.”

“No.” Norman stepped forward. “I’ll
bring Clementine to Calgary.”

“Rachel.” Mazie could barely speak.

Norman squinted. “Her name is
Rachel?”

Mazie shook her head. “Rachel Simpson
is my neighbour. Place Ariel with Rachel. She’ll be happy there.”

“Ariel.” Norman nodded. “I’ll make
sure she’s safe.”

She smiled. “I know.”

“Not another word, Charlie. Not
until I’m in the room with you.”

“It’s Mazie. My name is Mazie.” It
was good to have it back.

~~~~~~~~

Norman stood by Mazie’s side during
her first court appearance. With each motion of his arm, each shrug of his
shoulders, his black barrister’s robe and waistcoat swished. He ran his fingers
under the white collar and wiped beads of sweat from his brow.