Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
On Sunday afternoon after church, Laura decided to go for a long run. She needed to get her mind off the events of the last week. Unfortunately, running made her think of James. Yet she persisted, finding solace in the physical exertion and allowing her stress to dissipate with each passing mile. As she came to a stop, a sense of accomplishment washed over her. Unknowingly, she had achieved a new personal best of five miles, a testament to her growing endurance. Perhaps, in time, she would be ready to take on the challenge of a ten-K race.
The triumph of her run was short-lived as she arrived home to a disheartening sight. A broken window in her front room shattered her peace, its shards of glass scattered across the floor. A brick lay amidst the debris, a note ominously tied around it.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she read the threatening words scrawled on the paper: Forget everything you know about John Smith and stay away from the police or the next time will be worse .
For a brief moment, shock rendered her motionless, but anger quickly surged within her. How dare someone invade her home and issue such brazen threats? Determined not to be intimidated, she discarded the broom she had initially reached for, realizing that the situation demanded immediate action. She needed to call the police.
She found Det. Stone’s number first and when the detective answered, Laura wasted no time in expressing her apologies for disturbing her on a day meant for rest and relaxation.
“That’s not important. You’d better call your attorney, I’ll inform Det. Cagney, and we’ll be there as quickly as possible with a crime scene tech. In the meantime, don’t clean anything up and stay away from your front windows.”
Thankful for Det. Stone's swift response, Laura knew she had more calls to make. Knowing her family would be angry if she didn’t tell them promptly, she called her father first. “Hi Dad, I’ve had a small accident and wanted to let you know about it right away.”
“What kind of accident?” Her father’s concern came over the phone line loud and clear.
“I got home from my run and found that someone had thrown a brick through my window,” Laura explained, striving to downplay the severity of the situation. “It’s no big deal. The police are on their way.”
A sharp intake of breath, a short pause, and then her father asked, “Does this have anything to do with the loan shark?” in a remarkably calm voice.
“Probably.” Laura sighed, knowing her father's protective instincts were kicking into high gear. “Dad, it’s really not a big deal. The police will take care of it. Please don’t worry.”
“How exactly are they going to take care of it ?” Dan demanded sarcastically. “Are they planning on camping out in your yard to be sure they don’t come back?”
She spoke through her teeth with forced restraint. “Dad, that’s ridiculous.” Blood rushed in her ears. “I’ll let you know what they say after they get here. In the meantime, please relax.”
Laura brought the conversation to an end and immediately dialed Suzie's number. The conversation with her sister mirrored the one she had just had with their father, until Suzie suggested she call James for help.
“You know I’m not going to do that.” Laura’s forehead scrunched, the pounding headache that started to form now like a battle ram against her skull.
“He could at least fix your window for you. I’m sure he would if you asked.” Suzie coaxed.
“Drop it, sis,” Laura insisted.
“Fine, be that way,” Suzie snapped, her voice beginning to tremble with the threat of tears. “But I’m going to say one more thing first. You act like doing all this yourself is proving something, that it means you’re strong.” Her voice began to rise even as it cracked. “Well, take it from someone who’s done all this by herself for a long time. Doing it by yourself doesn’t mean you’re strong. It just means you’re alone! And there’s nothing noble about that!”
Dead air in her ear.
Laura’s thumb hovered over the call back button, but she put the phone aside. Further discussion would only throw fuel on the fire.
“Sometimes it’s better to give people time,” she whispered to herself, alone in her broken home, and waited for the police.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Detectives Cagney and Stone arrived together followed a few minutes after by a crime scene tech.
Laura led the detectives into her front room, showing them the shattered window and the brick with the threatening note tied around it. Det. Cagney's expression tightened as he examined the scene. “This is what I meant about witness intimidation. They’re trying to scare you before you’ve made a formal statement.” He crossed his hands behind his back, drew in a breath and held it before slowly releasing it. “Please tell me you’re not going to back out now.”
“No way,” Laura replied. Her muscles tightened, and she ignored the skull-splitting headache. “I won’t let something this silly scare me off.”
Det. Stone chimed in, “Do you have anyone you could stay with for a while? What about your friend, Mr. Black?” Her voice deepened, and she edged forward into Laura’s personal space. “It would be a good idea to be somewhere Donatelli’s people won't now to look for you.”
Laura hesitated, her thoughts briefly drifting to James. “No, I can’t stay with family, because I don’t want to take any chances with them being hurt. James and I… it’s complicated right now. I don’t feel right calling him. I’ll be fine here, really.”
As they awaited the crime scene technician, Laura's fingerprints were taken to rule them out on the note. The technician assured her that she could clean up the broken glass, apologizing for adding to her mess. Det. Cagney excused himself to question the neighbors, hoping to gather any potential leads. Unfortunately, the occupants of the neighboring duplex were away on an extended vacation. Det. Stone remained by Laura's side, offering support. Obviously concerned about the exposed window, she asked if Laura had plywood to board it up.
“I’ll call my landlord,” Laura said and sighed. One more brick in the wall of her bad day.