Cries in the Night (3 page)

“Sure, I’ll take you in, but he needs to stay out here.” Rusty called over one of the other firefighters. “Jackson, would you hang with my friend Daniel for a few minutes?”

Jackson, a middle-aged black firefighter who had just finished shutting off the hydrant and screwing the cap back on, nodded and knelt down next to Danny. “Hey buddy. My name is Jackson. Do you mind keeping me company while they go get some of your clothes?”

Danny nodded, solemn again. He stayed, but his gaze moved back to Julie.

“Don’t let anyone take him away, okay?” she asked Jackson.

“Gotcha,” Jackson confirmed.

After giving Danny a reassuring pat on the head, she turned to follow Rusty.

“Don’t forget my cap,” Danny called after her.

“I won’t,” she called back.

“Watch your step,” Rusty cautioned. He had taken a flashlight out of his utility belt and turned it on, illuminating a wide arc of destruction.

Apparently, the electricity was off and the spotlights didn’t penetrate past the front door. The dark house took on a sinister spook-house sort of feeling as they stepped over the threshold and into the smoldering interior.

“The fire didn’t make it to this part of the house, but the back two bedrooms are pretty much gone,” he added as they made their way around pieces of furniture that had been knocked over or tossed out of the way.

“Any idea what caused it?” She followed directly behind him, keeping her hand on his back because nothing could be seen outside the beam of his light.

“Looks like an iron on the carpet. But the investigators will find out for sure.”

They picked their way along the soggy carpet of the hallway. Even though the flames hadn’t made it into the hallway, the sheetrock was damp and there was a heavy, acrid smell that burned her lungs. When they arrived at Danny’s room, she hurried to collect his jacket and a few items of clothing, including his Little League baseball cap that was sitting on his chest of drawers. She also scooped up the stuffed monkey that held an obvious position of importance on his pillow and stuffed it all into his Cars backpack.

“We need to get out of here,” Rusty reminded her.

“I have one more thing,” she told him. “Did you happen to notice a laundry room?”

“Not in this part of the house. Maybe off the kitchen?” He led the way back down the hall and across the small living room to the kitchen. Sure enough, in the mud room that led outside was a small stackable washer and dryer that had probably been one of Gloria’s prized possessions. But Julie had eyes only for the box of Snuggle dryer sheets on the shelf next to it.

“Really?” Rusty asked when he saw her pick it up.

She didn’t answer, but pulled out the sheets until she reached the bottom of the box. Nestled there, just as Danny had told her was the emergency cell phone she had given Gloria the last time Julie had been called out to this house. It was something she often gave to victims of domestic abuse because their controlling spouse or partner often refused to let them have any contact with the outside world. She was glad to see that Gloria had listened to her recommendation to hide the phone in a safe place where Carlos wouldn’t find it because Gloria clearly hadn’t paid any attention to Julie’s other advice to not let him back in her life. Julie held up the phone so Rusty could see it, then followed him out the back door and to the driveway.

Once back outside, she took deep, cleansing breathes of the crisp cold air. “I don’t know how you guys do it,” she admitted to Rusty.

He flashed her a grin, his teeth looking incredibly white against his soot-blackened face. “Are you kidding? I’d do this even if they didn’t pay me. But don’t tell anyone.”

Julie flipped open the phone, turned it on and watched as it booted up. “Hey thanks,” she told him.

“No problem.” His expression sobered. “You do good work, you know. They need someone like you to help them after all this.” He motioned around them at the devastation. Yes, they had saved most of the house, but the smoke and the water had ruined much of what the flames hadn’t consumed. These people had lost a lot, if not everything, and they would need all the help they could get.

“Hey Wilson. We’re ready to roll,” the captain called and gave Julie a wave of acknowledgment.

They walked back to where Danny and Jackson waited. Rusty reached down and lifted his heavy helmet off of the boy’s head. “Thank you for taking care of my helmet for me. It looks good on you, but I’m going to need it in case I have to go to another fire tonight.”

“Sure,” Danny said with pride at having accomplished something so apparently important.

“Maybe you can get your mom to bring you by the fire station sometime when she feels better,” Rusty suggested. “I’ll give you a tour and let you sit in a fire truck.”

“Really? Wow, okay,” Danny agreed.

Rusty looked back at Julie. “And I’ll see
you
around.”

“Yeah, we seem to hang out at the same places.” She smiled. “Thanks again.” She nodded her head toward Danny, indicating that his kindness toward the little boy hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Rusty dismissed it with a shrug, but he gave her another grin as he put his helmet back on and headed toward the waiting fire truck.

“Julie, we’re finished, too,” the police officer who had been standing nearby talking to the captain told her.

“We can sit in my car and wait for his grandmother,” she suggested, but the officer shook his head.

“I can’t leave you here. It’s still a hot scene.”

Julie glanced around, suddenly nervous. “You mean he’s not in custody?” she asked while being careful to keep the conversation as neutral as possible.

“He was gone when we arrived, but you can bet he’ll come back.”

She shivered, not just because of the cold that was penetrating her heavy sweater. She had never actually met Carlos, but she had seen his handiwork on at least three occasions. “Let me make a quick call to Danny’s grandmother so she can be on her way.” She went to the Contacts’ list. There were only two numbers in it. Gloria’s mother and Julie’s cell phone. Even though she had encouraged Gloria to call her if Carlos came back, it was now clear that that hadn’t happened. She clicked on the word
“Mom”
and put the phone to her ear.

It rang five times before a sleepy voice answered,
“Hello.”

Julie turned away so Danny couldn’t hear the conversation as she gave Gloria’s mother a quick summary of the evening’s events. “I’m taking Danny to the police station. We’ll wait for you there.” She gave the woman the address, and after getting her confirmation, Julie hung up.

“Okay, Danny, we’re going to get to ride in a police car. Have you ever done that before?”

He shook his head, but there was a spark of excitement in his eyes.

“First, I’m going to trade you coats,” she told him. She released his parka from his backpack where she had clipped it and handed it to him. He took off her coat, and they exchanged. She welcomed the warmth as she slipped her arms into
the sleeves and buttoned it up. Danny had a little trouble with his zipper, so she helped him get it started, then reached into the backpack and pulled out his cap. The first genuine smile of the night spread across his face as he put it on and tugged it into position. She didn’t even need a voiced “thanks” because his expression said it all.

The police officer unlocked the doors of his cruiser and opened the back door for them. Julie glanced back at her white Kia that was parked down the street. She knew it was city policy that she couldn’t carry civilians in her personal vehicle and she had promised not to leave Danny’s side until his grandmother arrived. That left her no choice but to ride with him in the patrol car to the station. She would worry about getting a ride back to pick it up later. Since Danny’s grandmother lived in Fort Collins, it would take her several hours to get dressed and drive to the station.

The spotlights that had illuminated the scene switched off as the fire trucks prepared to leave. With only the red and blue emergency lights still flashing, the night seemed darker and the shadows deeper. Julie glanced around. She had the uncomfortable feeling that Carlos was there, out of sight, but watching as she took his son away from him, hopefully forever. She shivered again and silently urged Danny to hurry up. She wanted to be inside the safety of the cruiser.

As soon as he was inside, she climbed in after him and tried not to notice the telltale smell of urine and vomit that usually clung in the air of the back seats of all the patrol cars. It had been a long day and was turning out to be a long night. But she, like Rusty, loved her job and would rather be here than any place she’d ever been. Only she knew how desperate she was to never go back.

CHAPTER TWO

By the time Danny’s grandmother arrived, it was almost seven a.m. Julie carried the sleeping child to the grandmother’s car and settled him in the backseat. He was so exhausted, he didn’t wake even when she buckled him into the car seat and tucked a blanket around him. She handed the grandmother Danny’s backpack and made sure his cap was zipped safely inside.

“I’m so sorry it took me so long,” the grandmother said. “The roads are icy, and I didn’t want to slide off into a ditch.”

“I don’t blame you for taking it slow. We stopped at McDonald’s and Danny ate some chicken nuggets,” Julie told her. “Then he conked out. I’m sure it was a traumatic day for him. Who knows when it all started.”

His grandmother shook her head. “I’ve told Gloria to leave that worthless piece of shit, but she won’t listen to her mother.”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t listen to me either.”

Gloria’s mother’s anger faded as she asked, “Did she lose the baby?”

Julie shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to anyone from the hospital since they took her away. I’m going to drop by to see her later today.”

“It’s Denver General, right?”

“Yes,” Julie confirmed.

“I’ll swing by there on my way home. Maybe they’ll let me talk to her.”

“She needs to have a safe place to go,” Julie said gently. “I’m sure Carlos will come looking for her at your place, and you shouldn’t try to confront him. He’s going to be furious. And we both know he likes to hit women.”

“I have to admit, I’m afraid of him.”

“You should be. He’s dangerous and he’s desperate. That’s a lethal combination. I wish I could tell you that a protection order would keep you safe, but you and I both know it won’t. Do you have a friend or a relative that Carlos doesn’t know where Gloria can hide out? At least until they can find and arrest him.”

The grandmother nodded. “There is an aunt …”

Julie held up her hand. “No, don’t tell me. Don’t tell anyone. Just get her there and keep your mouth shut. And don’t let her bail him out … again.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to keep her away from him.” She gave Julie an awkward hug. “And thank you.”

Julie smiled and shrugged off the gratitude. She watched until the grandmother’s car turned out of the parking lot and headed toward Speer Blvd. Her shoulders drooped. She hoped this was the last time she had to rescue Gloria and Danny, but statistics weren’t in her favor. Gloria could be the poster girl for someone caught in the abused wife syndrome. One minute he was beating her senseless and the next he was bringing her flowers and begging for forgiveness. Sadly, Gloria was more likely to take him back than she was to kick him out.

Julie had seen it all too often in the last five years. Ever since she had taken over as the head of the Victim’s Advocate Department, she had seen so much tragedy. Her duties included showing up whenever there was a death or an accident or a domestic dispute. Any kind of an incident that left someone vulnerable and needing a friendly face and a calm, logical voice. Emotions were always high. The police were there to deal with the actual event, not to offer comfort. Julie or one of her volunteers were there to help the victim ease to the next step in their acceptance and healing process, as well as tell them where to find legal advice when necessary.

She wasn’t there to see the victims recover and heal. She was there only when things were at their worst. Julie rarely saw happy endings.

That didn’t bother her as much as being called out to the same address again and again, especially for a domestic or child abuse case. That meant she had failed in her earlier attempt to help the victims escape from their dangerous situation. It was almost a sign of success when she didn’t hear from them again.

Julie shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her. She turned to go back inside and see if she could talk one of the cops into taking her back to her car. A horn honked behind her, and she jumped.

“Hey, need a lift?” a cheerful voice called out.

She whirled around and saw Rusty, smiling at her out the open window of his red Explorer. “What are you doing here?”

“Just got off work and figured I’d swing by and give you a ride back to your car.”

“How did you know I was still here?” she asked, then waved her hand to stop his answer. “Never mind. It’s the brotherhood thing, isn’t it?” Cops and firefighters were notorious for how quickly news spread. “I’m sure I can get a ride from someone …”