Cries in the Night (29 page)

“But we haven’t had pie,” his mother protested.

“Could I take mine to go? I hate to eat and run, but there’s someplace I need to be.”

Pat smiled with motherly understanding. “I’ll wrap up some leftovers.” She stood and went to the kitchen.

As usual because even as grown-ups the boys couldn’t wait, they had opened their presents before the meal. The rest of the day would be spent playing board or card games and watching football. Rusty wasn’t even tempted. He was determined to find Julie, wherever she was and share as much of the day as possible with her.

He said his goodbyes and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. Pat walked him to his car, carrying a larger cardboard box that had two plates heaped with food and protected by foil and half of a pumpkin pie. She placed it in the backseat while Rusty settled the kitten box in the front passenger seat. He turned and gave her a big hug.

“Go to your girl,” she encouraged.

Rusty’s grin was broad and excited. “I am, Mom. Thanks.”

As he drove away, he called Julie, but her phone went to voicemail. He figured she was on-scene, so he called the dispatcher office and asked the woman who answered if she would see if Julie was on a job.

“She arrived at a DV about an hour ago. We haven’t heard from her since,”
the dispatcher told him.

“Could you give me the address? I want to swing by and check on her.”

“It’s 238 W. Maple Ave.,”
the dispatcher told him without hesitation.
“Oh, wait, there’s been a second call from the same street. A shooting in progress. We’ve got two patrol cars on their way. Renfro, the cop on-scene at the first call is checking it out.”

For some reason a chill ran down his back. Something didn’t feel right. “Thanks.” He tossed his phone on the seat and pressed down on the accelerator. He recognized the address. It was the place that had burned the first night he and Julie had talked. It was also where that wife-beater Carlos lived. Every time Rusty and Julie had refined their suspect lists, Carlos had always been on it. The thought of him touching Julie ignited a fire in Rusty, and he drove as fast as safety allowed.

 

Julie’s worst nightmare had come true. “How did you find me?” she asked as she grasped her ponytail at the scalp to keep Ray from jerking her hair out. He didn’t relax his grip as he held her in front of him.

“It wasn’t easy. I’ll give you that. When I went to the hospital to pick you up so we could go to the funeral and you were gone, I went crazy. It’s taken me five years, but, by God, I found you.”

“How …?”

“I hired a private detective. Your trail was completely cold until a cop buddy thought he saw you on a call. My PI staked out your house, but we weren’t sure it was you ’cause he couldn’t find any photos or anything that tied you to who you really are. And you don’t look liked you used to. Then I saw you on the news, saving that firefighter.” Ray’s smile was more of a smirk. “It was easy after that.”

White hot anger flashed through her. So that was who had broken into her house the first time. “Did he kill my cat?”

Ray snorted. “I did. You know how much I fuckin’ hate cats.”

From deep within her an anger that had been created during their marriage and nurtured through the years welled up. With all the strength she could muster,
she balled up her fist and hit him square in his evil face. “That’s for Cat!” Blood spurted out of his nose and he roared in pain and anger.

“You crazy cunt!” he bellowed as his hands closed around her neck. “I should have killed you years ago … before I lost my job and used all my fuckin’ savings to track you down.”

He was strong and easily overpowered her … like so many times before. Back then, she hadn’t fought back, afraid of his anger and retribution. Now, he still terrified her, but she was determined to fight to the end. She clawed at his face, feeling globs of flesh coming off under her nails. She kicked and struggled, trying to land a knee or a foot in his groin. But as his hands tightened and the pressure of his thumb against her windpipe shut off her air, it became more of a challenge just to breathe. Darkness circled her line of vision, slowly closing in as she came closer to blacking out.

“Let her go!” Gloria shouted. Neither had noticed when she got up off the couch and picked up the baseball bat. She swung the aluminum bat and caught him firmly across his back.

Ray staggered and temporarily released his hold on Julie who fell limply to the floor.

“You’ll get your turn,” Ray yelled, whirling around and jerking the bat out of Gloria’s hands. He stood over Julie, his legs straddling her body and hoisted the bat overhead. “I loved you. I never meant to hurt you. You know that. You just made me so angry.”

She saw the insanity in his eyes. As if in slow motion, the bat began its arc downward. The image of Rusty’s sweet crooked grin and laughing blue eyes filled her senses. She had come so close to true happiness. A smile touched her lips and her eyes closed. She wanted her last memory to be of Rusty’s face and not Ray’s. Still gasping for breath, she tried to prepare for the last crushing blow that would take her life. Her only hope was that it would be quick.

There was a crash and she felt Ray’s body fall heavily next to her. Julie squinted through half-closed lids, wondering what new torture he had in store for her. But the sight of Ray lying flat on his back while Rusty battered him made her eyes fly open. She struggled to scoot away and Gloria ran over and cradled Julie in her arms. Their roles were reversed as the victim helped the comforter.

Ray recovered from the shock and started fighting back. The two men rolled and tumbled, locked in the most serious combat of their lives. Ray struggled to reach his boot. Julie knew that he had always kept a back-up weapon tucked in there for situations like this. Rusty was bigger and stronger, but Ray was fueled by
his fury and insanity. They exchanged blow after blow, as all the while Ray continued trying to reach his boot.

Julie’s lungs still burned, but she got to her knees. The baseball bat had fallen off to the side, and she scrambled to it just as Ray pulled a switchblade knife from his boot and snapped it open. She recognized the narrow, razor-sharp blade as his back-up weapon of choice. It was fast and deadly.

Rusty saw the blade and grabbed Ray’s wrist. But Ray had the leverage advantage. With the pointed blade dangerously close to Rusty’s chest, Julie struggled to her feet and lifted the bat over her head. It was tricky trying to wait for a clear shot as the men tumbled across the floor, but finally Ray rolled on top.

“This is for Emma!” Julie cried as she swung the bat down and connected with the back of Ray’s head.

He crumpled to the floor and Rusty pushed him away, then got to his knees. He rested there for a moment, breathing deeply. He wiped off a trickle of blood oozing from a cut over his left eye with the back of his hand. Julie dropped the bat and rushed over to him, kneeling beside him and putting her hands on his shoulders.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he managed to say between ragged breaths. He looked up at her and saw the bruises around her neck. His eyes narrowed. “He did that to you?”

She nodded.

“Is that Carlos?” Rusty asked.

Julie shook her head. “No, it’s Ray Drake.”

Rusty frowned. “Who the hell is Ray Drake? He wasn’t on any of the lists.”

“Ray was … 
is
my husband.” Julie’s voice was so soft Rusty had to strain to hear her.

He leaned back on his heels, his expression totally blank. “Well, that’s certainly not the answer I was expecting.”

“Let me explain …”

But she was interrupted when Renfro and another cop came bursting through the front door, their guns drawn. They quickly assessed the scene and Renfro’s face showed his embarrassment.

“There was no one down the street. Someone reported shots fired, but we didn’t find any evidence of that,” he admitted.

“Probably not, genius,” Rusty said as he stood and brushed himself off. “The guy on the floor likely called in a decoy to pull you off.”

“Shit!” Renfro muttered. He looked from Julie to Gloria. “I’m really sorry. I thought …”

“You’re lucky he didn’t kill both of them.” Rusty was in no mood to be generous. “What’s the world coming to when a firefighter has to do your job for you?”

Renfro knew it wasn’t an argument he could win. He holstered his gun and cuffed Ray who still hadn’t moved but was breathing and called in a request for an ambulance.

Gloria who had been watching the fight with wide eyes walked up to Renfro and tugged his sleeve. “Carlos is hiding in the utility closet in the basement,” she told him.

“What?” Renfro had clearly forgotten the original call.

“My husband is downstairs. I want to turn him in,” Gloria lifted her chin and met Renfro’s gaze.

Renfro and the other cop glanced at the closed door, pulled their guns out and ran down the basement stairs.

Julie recognized the significance of Gloria’s action. The two women exchanged knowing looks.

“I saw my future in you,” Gloria admitted, “and I can’t accept that. This time I’ll follow through. I can raise Danny and Isabelle on my own. They deserve a better life than this.”

The women hugged, bonded by their pasts. “If there’s anything I can do, let me know,” Julie offered. “I can get you a new identity and relocate you where your family will be safe. With Carlos’ history, he should be in jail for quite a while.”

“Thank you. You’ve always been there for me,” Gloria told her.

“I know what you’ve been going through,” Julie admitted. “I didn’t have anyone to turn to, so I ran away.” She shrugged. “As you can see, that didn’t turn out all that well.”

Gloria turned to Rusty. “And thank you, too. You risked your life for us.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what I do,” he said modestly.

“You’re a hero.”

“Not so much. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time.”

Julie knew it was more than luck. Rusty
was
a hero … and in spite of his reputation, a gentleman. He hadn’t spoken to her since she had admitted that she was married to Ray. His expression masked whatever emotions he was feeling. Or maybe he wasn’t feeling anything at all. Her heart plummeted to her toes at the possibility that he had just been doing his job and not risking his lift to protect her.

Then why had he showed up here, at this moment?

Danny came running in from outside and wrapped his arms around Gloria’s waist. She hugged him close, keeping his head turned as Renfro escorted a hand-
cuffed Carlos up the stairs, across the living room and out the front door. For a man who was such a bully, Carlos was surprisingly meek. Apparently, he felt powerful only when he was beating on women and children. He looked up only once to spear Gloria with a furious glare. To her credit, she lifted her chin and stared right back at him.

Ray was stirring as the ambulance arrived, and by the time they had him loaded, he was awake, but groggy.

Renfro took everyone’s statements, and after receiving their promises to stop by downtown later in the week, he left. The ambulance and the other cop had already gone, so almost as suddenly as it had all began, it was over.

As if on cue, the baby started crying and Gloria and Danny left the room to take care of her.

Julie and Rusty, all alone, finally faced each other.

“Rusty, I wanted to tell you … and I was going to …”

“After all we’ve been through, you didn’t trust me enough to share this?” Instead of sounding angry, his voice was wounded.

“I’d kept the secret for so long … and my life depended on it.”

“We spent hours going through your files, and you didn’t think it was important enough to mention to me that you had a husband who was hunting for you?”

“I honestly thought that he would have given up. Who does that?”

“A man who loves you … or hates you very much.”

“It was never love. It was always about control.”

“So why not go to the police and file charges against him?”

“He
was
a cop.”