Perfect Match (26 page)

“No, haven’t had a chance…haven’t even washed my hands.” She
cut her eyes at Korbit. “Still got beer bottle residue on them.” She held up
her dirty hands.

Korbit’s head dipped, and face flushed again.

Bryson said, “Please remain here for a few minutes, while
Detective Korbit and I get some things lined up.”

Once in Bryson’s office, Korbit said, “I’m telling you, she
is not an ordinary victim. She’s too calm and precise with her answers, and the
damage she did to those two guys is way over the top.” He blew out a puff of
air, while still adjusting his shirt and tie.

She took a seat at her desk, pulling some forms from a
drawer. “What exactly are you saying? I’m not getting it, Korbit.”

“The amount of damage she did to those three guys is way out
of proportion to her being bumped into a store front. We got a call back from
the hospital that the guy who got hit in the neck has had three pints of
blood.”

Bryson stared at him. “So you’re feeling sorry for those
poor little street thugs? Dear me.”

Getting tense, Korbit said, “All I’m saying is, she could be
in trouble with all the controversy recently swirling around the ‘stand your
ground’ statutes.”

“Damn it, Korbit! Did you listen to any of that recording?
The intent is very clear in the voices of her assailants. She called the police
immediately. She defended herself just like our crime tip sheet suggests.” She
gave him a hard look. “What did you expect her to do? Let her attackers do what
they wanted to do, and then if she’d even be alive crawl out of the alley
begging for help? Sorry Korbit, trying to make her out to be the bad guy won’t
work.”

She held his stare for a moment. “How would you have wanted
your two daughters to handle a situation like that?”

“Let’s just drop the discussion. I need to get out of police
work…go sell cotton candy at the carnival.”

“I like that idea for you.” Bryson grabbed her papers. “Come
on, we’ve got work to do.”

Bryson and Korbit drove Madison to the Cobalt Medical Center
ER. Beth followed in her SUV, since Madison would need a ride home, once the
ordeal ended, if it ever would. It was nearing 1:00 a.m.

The nurse took Madison back almost immediately. CMC had a
well-machined procedure and knew the importance of the evidence collected.
After they went down the hall, made a couple turns, the nurse said. “I need to
get some paper work. Stand here a couple minutes…don’t sit and pick up anything
else on your skirt.”

Madison stood off to the side in the hall. There were six
stretchers with patients, lining the hallway. Madison stepped a little closer
to one of the stretchers, partially hidden by a screen. She edged over to get a
closer look at the patient…big guy sprawled there, a low moan coming from him.
A tube ran from his nose, another tube snaked from a wad of bandage covering
his mouth and chin. A couple bags dangled from metal poles, tubing leading to
his arms. His eyes were half open.

Madison observed up and down the hall, all around, including
the ceiling for surveillance cameras. Seeing none, she edged her hand behind
the screen, popped him on his foot, sticking from under the sheet.

His eyes flew open. Madison gave him three seconds to
recognize her. She whispered, “Hey big guy, ready to rumble again?”

As she stepped three feet away, a series of loud guttural
groans of desperation sounded through his muffled mouth. He jerked at his
assortment of tubing and gadgetry, legs flailing as if trying to run. The
monitors were screaming bloody emergency with their blinking lights and beeps.

There was the rush of hospital staff coming to his aide. One
of the men said, “We gonna have to restrain this guy. He’s delirious.”

The nurse walked up with the paper work, and as they started
down the hall, Madison asked, “What’s going on with that patient?”

The nurse shook her head. “Oh, what a night! I think someone
said he and his buddy got in a fight with each other with beer bottles. Can you
believe that? People do the craziest things to each other. His buddy is still
in surgery. They’re both in bad shape, and had been drinking and drugging
according to their tests.”

They huffed on down the hall, the nurse commenting, “But one
of the doctors said ‘some woman on the street beat the two men with beer
bottles.’ Never know what you’ll run into on the street.”

“Frightful,” Madison said.

After the hospital examination, including X-rays, and photos
of the skin burn on her cheek from being shoved against the window glass and
two bruises on her buttocks, Madison was released by the hospital, and given
the okay by the detectives for Beth to drive her home.

As they were passing through downtown at 3:12 a.m. Beth
glanced at Madison and said, “You make quite a fashion statement with that
hoodie, jeans, and flip-flops.”

“And how do you like my see-through plastic zip-lock purse?”
Madison held up a plastic bag.

“I noticed they kept your shoulder bag...might gather
prints, hair, fibers and stuff.”

Madison leaned her head against the passenger head rest,
staring into the dark night.

Beth glanced at her. “How do you feel right now?”

“Angry as hell.”

“At the three guys?”

“No. D.R. Fallington.”

Beth did a retake. “What’s he got to do with all this?”

“Everything. If he’d been a decent CEO, I wouldn’t be
working 24/7 with damage control that his negligence caused, I would’ve never
appeared in the paper or TV, never had a date with Wilson, never left the
restaurant and had a run-in with these three criminals, and you wouldn’t be
driving me home at three a.m. in the morning.” She paused. “Did I leave
anything out?”

Beth let that settle a moment. “Do you like D.R.?

“What do you think?” snapped Madison.

“You know that non-answer isn’t going to fly by me, a
woman.” Beth chuckled.

“You’ve worked with him at a professional level. What do you
think of him?”

She cut a glance at Madison still staring at the night. “You
really want to know?”

Madison sat up, looking at her. “Now that you’ve got my
attention, yes.”

Beth sighed. “I was assigned by the firm to handle the
situation Hollis Redgrave was involved in. During that time I had a number of
meetings with D.R. He asked me out three times. I was hesitant. I was
border-line breaking the firm’s policy of keeping the law practice and social
interactions strictly separate, although just about everyone breaks all the
rules.

“Anyway, we had coffee once, early dinner once, and I went
with him to some damn new car show. He’s always interested in the latest car
models. We didn’t sleep together. He didn’t try and neither did I. He’s all the
typical things people say about him, arrogant, smart-ass, insulting, and all,
but there’s something about him that’s gentle…and different.

“I saw it twice at the car show. There was a crowd around
the new Corvettes. A mother was holding an infant in one arm, and a three
year-old girl by the hand. The girl was crying ‘mommy, I can’t see.’ D.R. asked
the mom if he could hold the little girl up so she could see. The mom said he
could, and said her husband should be back from the refreshment stand shortly.

“Madison we stood there at least fifteen minutes, and D.R.
carried on the most amazing conversation with that three year-old. Strangers
would have thought D.R. was the father. I couldn’t believe it. And when the
father came back, the little girl didn’t want to leave D.R.’s arms.”

Madison asked, “Are we talking about D.R. Fallington, the
most insulting, obnoxious man I’ve ever worked for?

“Puzzling isn’t it? But get this. We’re still at the car
show, right. We amble over to some limo-type vehicle that he wanted to check
out. On the way over, some little boy about four years-old had gotten lost from
his parents, and had dropped his ice cream cone. Major crisis, right? Tears
streaming down his face mixing with ice cream all over his mouth.

“D.R. kneels down on the dirty floor and starts talking to
the kid, gets him calmed down, then picks him up and we strike out across the
car show arena, just like a family of three. By the time we get to the
information desk, D.R. has the kid giggling, had learned the kid’s name, his
pets’ names, the teddy bear’s name, favorite toys, and we stopped by the
concession stand and all three of us got ice cream.”

Madison is looking with disbelief.

“You know, Madison, at that moment I think I got a brief
glimpse of what marriage with kids could be. It was surreal. I was enjoying the
interaction as much as D.R. The kid had dripped ice cream all down the front of
D.R.’s shirt and slacks. I thought he would be furious.

“When I asked him if he wanted to change clothes, he said,
‘no they’re just kids.’ After the third announcement over the PA system, the
parents came racing out of the crowd, wide-eyed and clutching for their kid.
The little boy hugged D.R.’s neck before going to his dad’s arms. D.R.
introduced us and gave them his card. He was very sociable. It’s like seeing a
different side of him.”

Madison put her head back again, folding her arms across her
chest. “Maybe he’s got split personality.”

Beth shook her head. “No, it’s not that. But there is
something that D.R. has not let others get close to or know about him. Notice
how he stays in such a narrow age range for dating?”

“Well the age thing automatically disqualifies me.” Madison
sighed deeply.

Beth came to a stop at a traffic light. “The town is really
asleep at this hour.” The light turned green. The car moved on. A cab whizzed
by in the opposite direction. “You like D.R., don’t you?”

Madison said, “I didn’t say that.”

Beth chuckled. “That evasive answer won’t work with me.
Somehow I pick up vibes from you.”

Madison laughed, “You’re hallucinating from this dark
night.”

Beth turned into Sun Glow Apartment Complex, pulling into a
space in front of Madison’s apartment. “Time will tell.” Beth was well aware of
the lower economic label the neighborhood carried. “You want me to walk you to
your door?”

Before Madison got out of the car, she said, “Oh, no, I have
the greatest neighbors. I’m safe here. Thanks again for your legal
representation, and the women’s chit-chat. We’ll have to do that again.”

“My pleasure. And you’re sure you want the DA to prosecute
to the fullest? I can manage to keep your name out of the media, maybe.”

“Go the full route, media, everything. I didn’t run on the
street, and I’m not running in the light of a courtroom. Tried that once and it
doesn’t work.”

Madison was out of the car, moving toward the stairs, when
Mrs. Swenson, came out on her porch, waving her cane. “Madison, where you been,
girl? I’ve been worried sick about you. And what kind of getup clothes you got
on? Did that man take your clothes off?”

Madison walked over to chat as she waved at Beth, pulling
away. “No, he didn’t. I’m fine.”

“Then why you dressed in that garb? You were dressed so
lady-like when you left with that man.” She eyed Madison, waiting for an
explanation.

“Well…after my date, I had to do some clean-up at the
office, so I left my good outfit. I was too tired to change.” Madison wasn’t
about to get into a windy session about her adventures tonight.

Mrs. Swenson was skeptical. She leaned on her cane. “Why
that woman bring you home? You ain’t dating women too, are you?”

Madison chuckled low. “Not yet, but I might.”

“Well, that be your business, if you do. You know me, I
ain’t gonna meddle.”

Madison laughed. “That woman was working with me tonight.
She’s a good friend.”

“Uh, huh.” She paused. “I better get back inside and watch
my TV, but…now, I don’t want you to think I’m scolding you or anything, but you
know it don’t look right you coming home at almost four in the morning. And
dressed like some slouchy teenager. I know you don’t want to give our
neighborhood a bad name.” She paused. “Now don’t you think bad of me because
I’m giving you a little advice. I don’t mean to be nosey.”

Madison was quick to give her a hug, reassuring her. “Mrs.
Swenson, you’re the best neighbor I’ve ever had, and you’re not nosey, when
you’re concerned about me. And I hope I don’t have to come home this late again
either.”

Mrs. Swenson stepped back, saying, “What happened to your
good smelling perfume? Lord help! You smell like some cleaning woman.”

“I had to use a strong cleaning solution…had lots of dirt to
get rid of. I can’t wait to take a good shower, and smell good again.” No need to
tell her that she took an antiseptic bath and shampoo at the hospital after her
examination by the doctor.

“Well, I’ll let you get cleaned up. Thanks for being such a
good neighbor to me and taking me to get my groceries each week.”

When Madison turned the deadbolt on her door, drank a big
glass of water, she sat on the edge of her sofa, going through her emotions,
and all that had happened. She smiled, laughed, felt anger again, laughed some
more, had a brief thought of D.R. Fallington.

 She stretched out on her sofa, weary and beginning to ache
in different areas on her body. Then she thought of her daughter. She cried
quietly for her, she cried for herself, and shed tears over questions she had
that didn’t have answers yet.

Sleep fell hard and quickly.

Friday

Madison awoke with a start, her hand groping air, as she
reached to shut off her alarm that was down the hall in her bedroom. It took
her a few seconds to realize she was still on her sofa, not in her bed. She
stumbled to her bedroom and shut off the clock radio, with bright red digital
numbers beaming 6:00 a.m., her regular time for getting up.

She sat on the edge of her bed, groggily formulating her
plan for the day that would at least get her to noon. She lifted her landline,
placing a call to Janice’s office voice mail, asking her to alert everyone to a
staff meeting at 9:30 a.m. and letting her know she’d be late this morning and
would explain later. She cradled her phone, reset her clock for another hour
and a half of sleep, and plopped back on top of her bed, still wearing the
clothes from the hospital.