Chapter 23
Today was the day I was going to close the case. Ryan was ready, and we had three uniformed officers who were going in with us.
“I’ve got the warrant!” Ryan arrived from the courthouse, holding the document triumphantly in the air.
I surged out of my seat, grabbing my hat. “Let’s go.”
Cheryl logged the time, and the five of us split up into two patrol cars. We were going to raid the hair salon. We had established significant evidence to conduct a search, and we were looking for anything criminal: drugs, guns, and cash. I couldn’t give Lindsey the heads-up—that would have been unprofessional. I just had to hope that we could get the entire staff locked down safely before conducting our search.
We turned our lights on as we cruised down the street, storming the mere five blocks more for a show of power than necessity. When executing any search, one of the most important things was to establish authority from the get-go. We had a couple of ways of doing that, but the most common was to go in wearing all our gear, carrying our guns. That usually did the trick and spooked any suspects into cooperation.
We parked in front of the salon, sirens blazing. The five of us climbed out onto the street, wearing uniforms and vests, armed with our search warrant. It was Wednesday, the day they seemed to conduct most of their nefarious activity. We had reason to believe the entire management was in attendance that day. It wasn’t often that Katrina, Lena, and the assistant manager were in the building at the same time, but once a month, we discovered, they had a team meeting. We had documented all of their comings and goings over the two months we had been watching them. Now that we knew their patterns, it was time to stop them before they hurt anyone else.
I swung the door open and stepped inside, followed by my team. Lindsey looked up from her customer, a smile hovering behind her eyes. Then she saw our play of power, and her jaw dropped open. Ava was there too, and the two women exchanged a frightened glance.
“What’s going on?” Lindsey asked.
I moved past her to the back office where I knew the managers were hiding. I pounded my fist against the wood, identifying myself as a police officer.
“Police! Open up!”
There was a scuffling noise from inside, followed by a clatter. I tried the doorknob and found it locked. I put my shoulder against the particleboard and pushed, opening the door with minimal force. A window leading to the back alley was open, and I just caught the back of the assistant manager as she slid down to the ground.
“They’re running!” I yelled back into the salon before climbing through the open window.
My feet hit the pavement outside, and I took off running. I could see the women ahead of me, bobbing up and down as they sped away from the scene of the crime. They split up, one running back toward the main street, one continuing down the back alley, another diving deep into the neighborhood behind the shops. I followed Katrina, who had veered into the neighborhood.
I chased her down sleepy streets, past crosswalks painted bright white for safety. She tried the handle of every car door she passed, slowing her progress. When she hit on one that opened, she yanked it free from the frame and kept running, putting up a barrier between us. I shifted around the open door and kept gaining on her.
She swerved left and then right, trying to throw me off. I chose a middle path, closing the distance until I could almost touch her. She panicked, climbing up someone’s sloping front lawn and hopping the fence into their backyard. I was about to follow when I heard the loud bark of a dog closing in on her.
She shrieked, stumbling back the way she came. When I reached the fence, she was clinging to it, desperate to climb over. A family canine was growling at her heels, its mouth full of her pant leg. I reached over the fence and gathered her to my chest, pulling her free. She sobbed, collapsing into my arms as I laid on the handcuffs and read her the Miranda rights.
The family came running from their front door, a mom, dad, and two kids. They stopped dead in their tracks, finding a policeman struggling with the neighborhood salon owner on their front lawn. All the fight had gone out of Katrina, and I didn’t have to warn her to be silent. She stood patiently, just thankful to be alive.
“What’s happening here?” the dad asked.
“Is that your dog?” I asked.
“It’s my dog,” one of the kids said.
“Your dog deserves a medal.” I winked. “They caught a bad guy today.”
“Really?” the kid shrieked.
“Yeah,” I laughed, walking my prisoner back down to the sidewalk. I said nothing on the entire march back to the salon. She didn’t give me any trouble, her head bowed so that her hair created a curtain in front of her eyes. She didn’t look at me or say anything. I took a glance at her torn pant leg and could see a little scratch running down into one shoe. We would have to get that looked at. She wasn’t limping, but I wanted to cross all my t’s for this case. It wouldn’t do to have her claim bodily injury in the pursuit of justice.
Back at the salon, the girls were lined up in the waiting area. Lindsey and Ava were huddled close, watching the officer who had been set to guard them. The two part-time girls were seated in chairs, holding hands. The manager and the assistant manager were in the back of one of the patrol cars, each one wearing a pair of cuffs. I deposited the owner in the other cop car, shutting the door and nodding to the officer on guard duty.
Lindsey looked up when I walked in the door but said nothing. Ava, too, watched with knowing eyes, savvy enough to keep her knowledge to herself. Ryan came up from the basement, holding a gallon-sized bag of white powder.
“There’s thirteen sacks of cash down there and another one of these.” Ryan indicated his find. “We got them.”
“Great,” I said. “Can you handle the evidence? I’ll talk to the girls?”
“You got it.” Ryan nodded. He glanced over at his ex and whispered, “I’d rather search a hundred basements than have a heart-to-heart with Ava right now.”
I grinned. We had won. Now all that was left was to pick up the pieces from the lives that the criminals had broken, starting with the four young women in the waiting area.
“My name is Detective Jason White,” I introduced myself for the benefit of the two part-time workers who didn’t know me. “This salon has been under investigation for money laundering and illegal drug distribution for six weeks. The owner, manager, and assistant manager have been caught on camera accepting drug shipments and providing sacks of cash in exchange. I won’t go into all the details.”
I was specifically speaking to the two new girls, though I could see Lindsey and Ava following along. “We’ll want to talk to each of you. As long as you’re innocent, we’re not going to charge you with conspiracy. But you need to tell us everything you know.”
“What’s going to happen to the salon?” one of the part-timers asked.
Lindsey turned to me with questioning eyes, and I saw her coworker’s concerns mirrored there. “It’ll be closed down for a bit while we conduct our full investigation,” I said.
“Does that mean we’re out of a job?” Ava asked.
“For the time being. Once the legal issues are resolved, the salon could open back up under new ownership.” I looked directly at Lindsey.
“I don’t have the money to buy this place,” she said softly.
“Okay.” I let it drop for the moment. “I’m really sorry.”
“Can I go home?” Ava asked.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “You can go. If Ryan or I have any questions, we’ll be in touch.” The girls stood up, gathered their things, and headed for the door. I stopped Lindsey as she moved with the herd. “Do you want a ride?” I whispered.
She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t meet my eyes either. “I thought you were supposed to pretend not to know me.”
“Come on, Lindsey,” I protested. “That was just professionalism.”
“It’s not professional to care about someone involved in a case?” she snapped.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “Next time you go to work for a drug kingpin, I’ll identify you as my girlfriend.”
She shook her head. “That’s not funny.”
“I know,” I agreed. My diversionary tactics hadn’t worked. Lindsey seemed unfocused, like she was preoccupied. I wanted to take her into the back room, sit her down, and have a deep, meaningful conversation. I wanted to take her back to the cabin and make love to her. Tomorrow morning, I would bring her breakfast in bed and not leave the room until she confessed.
But our cabin wasn’t safe anymore. Our den of love had been invaded not by an animal in human form. I had to tell her. Whatever was eating away at her would have to wait. Angie had caught up with me, and there was no telling what she would do. I was afraid the bulldozing of our home was only the beginning.
“Stick around for a bit, and we’ll go home together,” I urged.
“What am I gonna do for a couple hours?” She sighed.
“Here.” I pulled out my wallet and handed over a credit card. “Go grab Ava before she leaves and get some coffee at the diner. I’m sure she needs you right now.”
She looked at the card, thinking it over.
“Please,” I said. “It’s important. I don’t want you to go back to the cabin alone until I can talk to you.”
She inhaled, finally smiling. She took the card and walked out the door, flagging down Ava’s car before her friend drove away. I felt some tension wash out of my chest, knowing that Lindsey would be safe. I turned back to the policemen I worked with and began issuing orders.
Ipicked Lindsey up at the diner when I was all through. It had been a long but productive day. I slid into the booth beside my girlfriend, putting my head down on her shoulder.
“Aww,” Ava crooned from across the table.
Lindsey patted my head like a puppy. I slid an arm around her middle and squeezed. She removed my hand with a surprised squeak, placating me with a platonic kiss on the cheek. What was going on with her? I helped myself to leftovers from her plate before pulling her to her feet. I walked her to her car, promising to be right behind her as she sped off toward home.
Fifteen minutes later, we were both pulling up to the cabin. I had spent a good deal of time cleaning, and the interior looked presentable. I had flipped the slashed couch cushions, righted the love seat, and repotted Lindsey’s plant. We put new sheets and blankets on the beds, rescued what we could from the toilet and the sinks and picked up all the loose clothes. It seemed like Lindsey’s stuff had been targeted more than mine, for obvious reasons. I had to tell Lindsey the truth, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.
When we got inside, she looked around with aching eyes. The memory of the mess was still fresh in her mind, and the pain of infiltration haunted her. I grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed one over.
“My wife is in town,” I said without preamble.
Lindsey surprised me by nodding. “I think I might know who she is.”
“Really?” I tossed my beer cap on the kitchen island and took a sip.
“I was in the grocery store looking for cake ingredients, and there was this strange woman who came up to me out of nowhere. She said I shouldn’t bake you a cake because, quote, ‘men don’t appreciate that shit.’”
I nodded. That had probably been Angie.
“Then I saw her again in the salon,” Lindsey said.
“She came to your salon?” This was worse than I thought. Not only had Angie trashed my house, but she was stalking my girlfriend.
Lindsey nodded. “I thought there was something off about her. She kept staring at me.”
I walked over to the kitchen and set my beer down.
“She’s a brunette now, just so you know.” Lindsey followed me, not bothering to uncap her own drink. “I dyed her hair.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” I asked.
“I’m supposed to tell you about every strange customer I get?” she retorted.
“There are more?”
“No,” she said, clearly annoyed. “Do you think she’s the one who trashed our cabin?”
I nodded my confirmation. “I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday?”
“I didn’t want to upset you,” I said.
“Well it’s too late for that, because I’m upset,” she snapped. “Don’t call me out for keeping secrets when you do the same.”
I opened my mouth to apologize again, but she set her drink down, unopened, and pivoted toward her room. I watched her go, watched that lovely backside disappear down the hallway. We wouldn’t be sleeping together tonight. I heard the loud thump of her bedroom door swinging shut and sighed. Love was the spice of life, but things would certainly be easier without it. Instead of pushing the issue, I decided to give Lindsey her space. I finished off my beer, grabbed hers, and headed for my own room to watch TV.