Teenage groupie 23

I sat in the police interrogation room, which was a dingy room located in the rear of the Police station for juvenile suspects like myself, going through the events of that day over and over in my head. I sat by the large black table, with a cup of stale coffee dropped in front of me, a dirty white handkerchief in my hand given to me by a female officer to wipe my face, because I hadn’t stopped crying and a soul full of anguish and turmoil. There were no windows; the walls had bleak gray- coat paint and the steel double door opened only from the outside.

The detective sat with me and narrated the intricate details of the case and how they had pursued me relentlessly for two months.

“You’re a hard girl to track, Nikki?” Shaft remarked, warming up now that I was safely in his custody.

“Then how did you find me then?” I eyed him with contempt.

He shook his head, impressed with himself. “Some department store had reported you to the local police a month ago, a minor misdemeanor, disturbing the peace”. He pushed his chair closer; I could smell his stale breath nauseating me to the piths of my stomach. “But the girl had given such a vivid description of your face, with a lot of emphasis on your red hair. My men ran a police scanner and bam! There you were. They co-operated, pointing out that you had been left in the custody of one Nicholas Carter that day. We tracked him down, not too difficult you know, and with him, there you were. Hard girl to track.” He beamed proudly, revealing a gap-toothed smile.

I rolled my eyes in disgust. Damn! I can’t believe a minor altercation at that designer store could be the one clue that would give me away. The little things we overlook in life always succeed in haunting us.

“Actually, I just want to verify something from you?” He continued, leaning closer in his chair.

I cast him a death glance.

“How could a woman as frail as your mother succeed in bludgeoning your father to death all by her helpless self?”

My mouth flew open and I stared at him, aghast. I thought mama had hit him just once on the back. I was there, I saw it, it wasn’t bludgeoning, and it was more of an accident.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to answer. Your friend’s lawyer’s been on the phone warning me with threats since you got here. But tell me, just tell me, how did you and your mother succeed in killing your father?” He taunted, sitting back in his chair to survey my face for any remorseful signs.

Which lawyer? I don’t have a lawyer, could it be Lance? No too good, it could be Nick? Nick sent his lawyer after me? Where, how, how did they know where I was taken?

I cleared my throat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?” I pretended.

“Yeah, you do. Hell, I know what he did to you and your sister Stef…”

My eyes lit up when he mentioned Stef’s name, had they found her too? “Stef, do you know where she is, have you gotten in touch with her?”

“Yeah, she’s in Vegas. She’s a topless showgirl, pretty good one too,” he said eyeing my breasts as if they could be clones of Stef’s. “She denied everything though. She said she left the house years before this happened, and her alibi checked out. So since if it’s not her, it’s you then. The small, fiery, quick tempered one.”

I rolled my eyes and began, “My father did…”

He cut in abruptly. “I know what he did. The neighbors had a lot to say about it. They also didn’t report your father missing for days. Your mother went into some sort of shock several days after sitting alone with his dead body. We had to break into the house to get her. She hasn’t spoken since. Funny thing is the blows to your father’s body, there was no way any one within the perimeter couldn’t have heard them, they must have been deafening, loud, perverse, but they all denied hearing any noise coming from your trailer, they all refused to comment. That sounds a bit weird to me.”

By now, I was shaking in fear. Mama had bludgeoned father to death that day. Where in the world did she get the energy? She could hardly walk to the bathroom unaided, let alone handle the baseball bat like she did. Blood filled my head as I imagined the rage that might have overcome mama as she delivered those blows to father. And she sat with his decomposing body in the house for days, how did she manage that?

“Where is mama now?” I uttered, fearing for my future and the response that might just come from it.

“She’s in the psychiatric clinic? She has no idea how, or what happened? I’ll take you to see her?” Shaft’s voice held some emotion as he described my mother’s condition. “But what I want to know is, was she acting alone, Nikki? Or were you in some way involved in this?”

Before I could answer, the doors flung open, and a refined older man in a light gray Armani suit and a brief case tucked under his arm barged into the room like he belonged there.

“Common, Nikki, I’ve heard enough of this nonsense, and I am sure so have you, let’s go.” The man beckoned to me authoritatively. “You have no right to question this young lady, she is in trauma. An appalled victim of abuse, thus rendering her statement highly incompetent and completely inadmissible.” The lawyer waved some papers in front of Shaft’s face as if he were too blind to stop to read them. The next thing I knew a heated argument erupted between the two men each one firing tempestuous words at the other.

Armani suit said: “She doesn’t have violent tendencies, no history, no records whatsoever.”

Shaft replied, “She does, the boutique said she caused quite a stir that day. She totally wrecked the place. That could be filed under civic disobedience.”

Armani shook his head profusely, “She’s a minor, who was intimidated, pushed to the corner, and she was harassed. That’s nothing; it’s nothing. Not even enough to constitute a misdemeanor. Isn’t this a bit out your league, Mister? Totally out of your jurisdiction. What happened to Georgia police?”

Shaft obviously bitter, replied, “Don’t act hot to me mister, the other arresting officer is from Georgia. And the neighbors saw her running away from the scene of the crime the same day the murder occurred. That gives us motive and places her in the area.”

“Nothing, circumstantial evidence, I tell you. Call us when you have a case. The mother was enraged, she killed the man for raping her daughters; take it up with her psych evaluation see how far that gets you. I’m getting my client outta here.”

The argument continued. And it lasted quite some time too, each one trying to raise his voice above the others. I just stood there and stared at the drama, dumbfounded that this fracas could possibly be on my account. Was I guilty?

“Common, Nikki, this men have nothing on you? Nothing!” Armani beckoned me to get up from the seat. He turned to the detective, “My client will be keeping in touch, and I’ll try not to press charges for false arrest.” The lawyer spat, hurling me up from the seat with a stiff grip on my arm. I sprang up and our bodies stood neck to neck, as my arm brushed up to the smooth cotton fabric from his suit, confirming that it was indeed an Armani.

Shaft stopped us at the door. “Nikki, I’ll be keeping tabs on you.” His warn fell on deaf ears as Shaft pushed me further away from him.

“Yeah, whatever. She’s a minor, she’s apt to commit a misdemeanor now and again, but that’s not murder one…so keep your hands away from her.” The lawyer practically pushed me out the door; I had to hold my step so as not to fall on my face.

On the way down the corridor, he whispered to me, “I’m from Nick.” He winked and smiled, calming my fears. Thank God for Nick, I swore inside.

Outside the huge police doors, the breeze came rushing for my head, gentle and swift, calming and easy. I felt a sudden sense of relief, as it blew away the heavy aching and wooziness the police interrogation had brought to me. It had been a nightmarish day. Oh my God! Nightmares, now I knew why I was having those nightmares, because of mama, they were her means of warning me of the impending police trauma. No wonder! My mind was connecting with hers and I didn’t even know it. I ran my hands through my hair, roughing them up, lifted up my eyes and watched the sun set. I was glad the day was over.

Nick stepped out of the limo and walked halfway up the staircase, his smile beckoning me. I half ran to meet him and then I jumped up and hugged him so tight that I almost strangled him.

“It’s okay. It’s all over,” Nick soothed. “You are with us now.” He patted me gently on the back.

I pulled from the hug and questioned him with my eyes, “Lance?”

“He...ehm…gave your things to his bodyguard to drop by our suite. They say he left with the other fellows soon after.” I buried my head in his chest, avoiding the tears that stung me. I was dreading that answer. “But...I got something you’ll get a kick out of,” he cheered. He held my hand tight, leading me to the limousine, then knocked on its window. The windows rolled down, and AJ, in dark glasses and an inconspicuous face cap stuck out his head.

“What is it, Nicholas?” AJ’s husky voice growled, “Did you get Nikki?” He looked up and his eyes met my forlorn face. On seeing them, he stepped out of the limousine immediately and gave me a drowning hug that seemed to send my fears and worries away. I couldn’t fight the tears anymore they fell freely onto his chest.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he comforted as I cried bitterly in his arms. “Told you love hurts, didn’t I?”

I held on for as long as I could until I slowly passed out.

 Part 24...