Beautifully Broken (26 page)

“Cali, do you need to take a minute to collect yourself?
Can I get you a cup of coffee?” He asked looking into her
eyes. There was something about him that comforted her.
It was like he had been through something bad in his life,
something that changed him. He didn’t judge her, he just
listened.

“Yes please, I would love a cup of coffee,” Cali said wiping
tears from her eyes.

 

Officer Kellie left the room and came back in a few minutes
with a cup of coffee, she handed it to Cali.

 

“Thank you,” Cali said.

“Can I ask you a question,” Officer Kellie asked in a soft
voice and Cali shook her head yes. “Why didn’t any of you
ever come forward, why let it go so far?” she asked with
sad eyes.

“I know it doesn’t make any sense but that’s how I was
raised, I didn’t know any different. He was my father and
we were all conditioned to make him happy, that was all we
knew. I was terrified of him and at the same time I loved
him, he was all I knew and even through all the torture
there was still some good times. The truth is we didn’t want
people to know what we had been through,” Cali said
looking at Officer Kellie. “John and Harold were best
friends; do you think John would have believed us? No
more questions please. Can I just tell you what happened
and then we can be done with this,” Cali blew her nose in
to the tissue.

“Yes that’s fine,” agent Quinn answered.

“When I found out I was pregnant I was so scared. I have
never been so terrified in my entire life. I was scared my
baby was going to be born deformed and I was scared of
what my father would do to me and to the baby. But he
was happier than I had ever seen him; he wanted to have
the baby. I didn’t want to have a baby, so I took some pills.
I know it sounds awful, but I couldn’t bring an innocent
child in to my horrible life. My father caught me and he
beat me so severely I thought I was going to die. I was
ready to give up on everything and then my dad told me
he wasn’t my father. The night my dad died, there was a
benefit dance at city hall. Everyone was there but us. I told
my dad I was going to the police; that I was going to tell
them everything he had done to us. He told me that night
he was going to kill me and that he had killed before. I
found strength in myself to fight, I ran as fast as I could
but he got to me. He was standing over me with a fire
poker in his hand. If he hadn’t told me that he wasn’t my
father I would have just let him kill me, but I had something
new to live for; to find out who I really was. It took
everything I had in me but I kicked him as hard as I could
and he fell on to the fire place pokers. He was bleeding
everywhere. I didn’t plan on killing him I just didn’t want to
die not knowing the truth. At that point I freaked out and I
ran. I was scared of what I did and what I had been
through and even more scared of all the things I didn’t
know,” Cali had tears pouring down her face and she took
another sip of her coffee. “So that’s what happened. That’s
my confession. I killed Harold Burns and if I didn’t he
would have killed me.” She cried out loud.

“Cali how much do you know now?” agent Quinn asked.

“You already know what I know. They took my stuff and
inside of my sketch book was a file folder with all the
information I was able to find,” Cali cried waving her
hands in the air.

“Officer Kellie can you get me that file please?” agent
Quinn asked very seriously.

 

Officer Kellie left the room and came back a few minutes
later with the file folder and the sketch book.

Quinn didn’t say anything to Cali he just looked through
her sketch book very intensely like he was feeling her
pain. He then picked up the file and read all the
information inside.
“How did you get this information?” he asked.

“I just turned myself in I am not turning anyone else in.
Besides I don’t even know who he is, just some guy. I
needed some information and he founded it for me,” Cali
muttered through clenched teeth, her eyes shooting at him
with pain.

“Now you know what I know, but you have some
information I still need,” Cali said looking at him. “A deal
is deal.”

“What do you want to know?” agent Quinn asked.

“What happened to me? Who am I? Are my real parents
still alive? Did they give me up? How did I end up with that
monster?” Cali cried.

Agent Quinn looked at Cali; he had tears in his eyes. She
could tell that this case meant a lot to him but she didn’t
know why? Agent Quinn opened his mouth to tell Cali the
truth.

Just then the door opened and a man walked into the
room. He was wearing a hat that partially covered his face.

“Cali, don’t say anything else.” The man said to her, he
had his back to her and he looked at the officers in the
room. “I am this girl’s lawyer and I would like a minute to
meet with my client in private,” said the man. At first Cali
didn’t know who he was or what to do. Officer Kellie and
agent Quinn left the room and Cali was alone with the man.
The man sat down in front of her, took off his hat and coat
and she gasped when she saw his face.

“Carl what are you doing here?” Cali asked. Her face was
as white as a ghost.

 

“Cali, I’m a lawyer and I’m here to help you,” Carl said
touching her hand to comfort her.

 

“What? You’re a lawyer but I thought you ran a computer
company?” Cali asked confused.

“I do, but I became a lawyer because I don’t trust anyone
so this way I know all my rights,” Carl said. “Anyway I am
here to help you.”

“I told James to let me go, Carl you don’t have to help me, I
am guilty and I don’t have the money to pay you,” Cali
whispered and looked away from him.

“I am here because I want to be, Cali you are not a
criminal you are a victim, you don’t deserve to go to jail.”
Carl said looking at her. “Yes James wanted to help you,
he was going to send another lawyer but I offered to come
and I don’t need any money, we will not be going to trial.”

“Thank you,” Cali said looking at him with fear in her eyes.
She was still not convinced that she was going to get off.

“Cali, you didn’t confess did you?” Carl asked with hope in
his eyes.
“Yes I did,” Cali said with a worried expression on her
face. “I’m sorry.”

“It ok, I need to find out what they are going for and see if
we can make some kind of deal with the DA.” Carl said.
“Based on the torture you went through I think we can get
you off. The only bad thing is that you ran because that
makes you a fugitive.” Carl had a puzzled look on his face
like he was thinking really hard.

After a few minutes agent Quinn walked back into the
room with a female lawyer. They both sat down across the
table from Carl and Cali.

“Hello I am Carl Vex,” he said putting his hand out,
shaking the female lawyer’s hand.

 

“Leah Langford,” she said.

 

“What is my client being charged with?” Carl asked in a
very serious voice.

“Manslaughter and because she ran she became a fugitive
from the law,” Leah Langford folder her hands and glared
at Carl like he was a bug she wanted to squash.

Leah was a very pretty lady. She had long, copper hair
and blue eyes. She was in her late thirties and she was
wearing a blue business suit.

“Manslaughter! It was justifiable homicide and there is no
way a jury will convict her after all that she has been
through. She ran, after finding out the man she thought
was her father and that had rape and tortured her for
seventeen years was not her father. She wasn’t capable of
making clear decisions at that time.” Carl said starring her
down like she had nothing.

“An insanity plea? Really, that’s what you’re going with?”
Leah asked with an angry look in her eyes like she knew
she would lose the case if they didn’t make a deal.

“It will work and you know it. You have nothing on my
client, she was a victim and it was self-defence,” Carl said
sitting back in the chair, folding his arms across his chest.
“Case closed”.

Chapter 27

Cali walked outside of the Envy police station with Carl by
her side. He worked his magic and she got off, but all the
girls were court ordered to see a therapist to help them
deal with what they had been through. Cali was feeling
relieved and overwhelmed. So much had happened in such
a short time and there was still so much to deal with. The
moment when she saw her sisters waiting for her, she was
happy to be free. Cali hugged each one of her sisters and
they all shared in a moment of relief and happiness.

“Carl these are my sisters. This is Natasha, Lila, Claudia
and Amanda. Girls this is my friend and Lawyer Carl,” Cali
said introducing them.

“Is this the same friend that bought you those fancy
clothes?” Claudia asked smiling.

“Oh no, that was not me, we really are just friends. I am a
happily married man, my brother James is her guy,” Carl
said smiling as he was showing off his wedding band.
“James?” All the girls asked at the same time looking at
Cali for answers, but they were interrupted when agent
Quinn walked over to them.

“Hello girls sorry to interrupt but I wanted to let all of you
know that we are trying to find out where your families are
and I will help you girls with anything I can,” agent Quinn
said shifting his body as he made eye contact with Cali.

“Thank you,” all the girls said at the same time.

“I will also help you girls with all the legal stuff to do with
your dad’s estate I will be here for whatever you need,”
Carl said.

“I really appreciate all of your help, I can’t thank you
enough,” Cali said giving Carl a hug. “Your family has
been so good to me.”

“James loves you and we do anything to help family” Carl
whispered in her ear and then he winked at her.

 

“So should we go home? We have a lot of things we have
to figure out.” Natasha asked as she looked at Cali.

 

“Yes we should, Carl do you have time to go through some
things with us now?

“Yes I am here to help,” Carl muttered as he was checking
his phone.
The girls all looked at agent Quinn who was still standing
there and they waved as they started to walk to their cars.

“Cali, would you come for a walk with me? I would I like to
talk to you privately please its important,” agent Quinn
asked.

“Yes of course,” Cali said and she turned and looked at
her sisters and Carl. “I’ll meet you all at the house in a
little bit.”

Cali walked down the street of her small town with agent
Quinn. People were staring, but she didn’t care. She was
free and she had nothing to be ashamed of anymore.

Cali and agent Quinn walked to the park that was just up
the street from the police station. The sun was out and the
sky was blue, it was a nice warm spring day.

“Cali why did you chose that name?” agent Quinn asked
with a curious look on his face.

“I don’t know I just remember hearing that name
somewhere and I liked it,” Cali said as they walked
through the park. “I never really felt like a Veronica.”

“It’s interesting to me that you picked that name, I know
you said you have no memories of you real parents or the
life you had before but Cali is your real name,” Quinn said
looking at her with big eyes.

“So, I really am a Cali?” She said smiling. It made her feel
good to know that somehow she had remembered her real
name. “Are you going to tell me what happened now and
who my parents are?”

“Yes I will tell you everything I know,” agent Quinn said
with sad eyes he hung his head down and took a deep
breath.

“I just need to know one thing before you start, I have so
much hope in my heart that my real parents still love me
and maybe one day I could have a relationship with them.
So I need to know, are they still alive?” Cali asked shaking.
She was so scared for the answer. She knew that she had
been kidnapped by Harold and Katie and she also knew
that they were capable of murder. Did they kill her parents
when they took her? Cali took a deep breath and she
braced herself for the sharp blow as she looked into agent
Quinn’s eyes.

“Yes, your parents are still alive and they have been
looking for you for 17 years, hoping all this time you
would still be alive,” Quinn breathed. “They want to meet
you.”

“How old was I when they took me?”

 

“Five years old,” he responded his voice cracked like it
caused him pain to think about it.

“I don’t understand why I don’t remember anything? You
think I would have missed my parents or had some
memories of them,” Cali said. “I feel so bad, the thought
scares me”.
“What are you scared of and what do feel bad for?” Agent
Quinn asked confused, his voice was soft and comforting.

“You said they have been looking for me all this time,
missing me and loving me and I didn’t even know they
existed,” Cali said with tears in her eyes. “In their minds I
am still that little girl they loved so much, but to me she
doesn’t exist. I am scared that they will hate the broken
person I am now.”

“They are so happy you are alive they expect you to be
broken after everything you have been through,” agent
Quinn said.

“I don’t want to cause them more pain,” Cali whispered.

“Cali it’s not going to be easy for anyone but you have a
second chance and most people don’t get that,” agent
Quinn said in such a soft voice. He had worked on so
many kidnapping cases and had seen so many children
die and family fall apart because of the aftershock. He had
never had a case before that after so many years they
found someone alive. He always thought when they finally
found her she would have been dead.

“Ok I think I am ready for the truth, will you tell me what
happened?” Cali asked as they sat down at a park bench.
He took a deep breath and sat down beside her.

“It was a Wednesday night and your parents went out for
dinner, they left you at home with a baby sitter. When they
came home the babysitter was pinned up against the wall
with knives in her hands. She was beat up pretty bad but
she was still alive. She told your parents that a man and a
woman took you, they told her you belonged to them and
that your parents would never see her again. They didn’t
take anything but you and they were smart; there were no
finger prints found. Jenna, the babysitter gave the cops a
description of the people but we couldn’t find them and we
didn’t have much to go on. Your parents didn’t know why
anyone would take their child. There was no ransom note
and they didn’t take any money. There were no other
cases like it at that time. Even after years every time there
was a dead body of a girl your dad was right there
dreading it was you, he always tried to find new things to
help solve the case.”