Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
My hands stilled on my keys as a text buzzed from my old friend, Janet.
Janet: Hey, Beth! What r u up to tonight?
Me: On my way home
Janet: Come out with us
Me: No, thanks. Not tonight
Janet: But it’s my birthday
Wow . I was such a shit friend. I laid my head on the steering wheel. Janet had been my friend since grade school. We weren’t close anymore, but that, in part, was my fault. She ran with a fast crowd, while I preferred spending my nights watching Netflix.
Me: Happy Birthday!
Janet: You’re coming out.
Me: Can I take a rain check? I have nothing to wear.
Janet: I’m coming over with clothes for you
I groaned and stared unseeing at the parking lot. When was the last time I had gotten drunk? Maybe a night out would cure how shitty I felt .
Me: Nothing revealing
My phone rang, as I walked in the door.
“Hey, Em.”
“What’s wrong?” At my hesitation, Emily continued, “I can hear it in your voice.”
I released my frustration in a pent-up breath. “Couldn’t be better. Tonight I had dinner with my folks. And then I got sucked into going out with Janet.”
“What? Why?”
“Today’s her birthday. She texted me and guilted me into birthday drinks, and I caved.” A long paused filled the line.
“It’s not Janet’s birthday. Her birthday is in December.”
I worked to unlock my apartment door. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” One of Emily’s gifts was remembering this kind of stuff. She had to be right.
I leaned my head against my front door, closing my eyes against the smooth wood. “That brat. She totally conned me.”
“Are you sure you want to go out with her?”
I paused. “Why? What do you know?”
“It’s probably nothing, but I’ve heard that she’s been wrapped up in some bad stuff lately.”
“Really? Where have I been?”
“Be careful, okay?”
“I’m not going to stay out that late. I’ll go for a couple drinks and be home before midnight.”
“Will you text me when you get home?”
“You’re sweet, but you don’t need to worry.”
“I’ll worry if you don’t. Besides, I’m up twice a night with Theo.”
I stopped walking. “Really?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Why? ”
“He gets hungry.”
“It scares me how little I know about kids. Are you sure you picked the right person to be his godmother?”
“He only needs love from you.”
“Well, he’s got it.”
“Remember to text.”
“I promise. It’s going to be a really tame night. No antics.”
I could almost hear the world laughing at me.
“Turn around,” the cop demanded, ice in his tone.
Oh fuck.
Fucking fuck.
I turned around but not fast enough for him. He shoved hard against me, causing me to topple against the metal table. I cried out as he jerked my arms back, twisting my left elbow.
“Please.” I gasped in pain.
“Shut up.”
The pressure on my wrists increased while he removed the handcuffs. I exhaled as they came off. He yanked hard on my shoulder, hauling me back to my feet.
“Sit down.”
Stunned, I staggered to the cold metal chair beside the table. He exited the room, shutting the door behind him without sparing me a second glance. Pain vibrated down my arm, and panic laced its way across my chest.
Holding my injured arm against my body, I took stock of the interrogation room. The brick walls were painted puke-beige. Other than the one-way window across from me, the room was eerily windowless. A plain clock ticked loudly in the silence.
12:47 AM.
There was nothing to look at but my reflection in the mirror. My hair was wild. My dark lipstick looked too stark against my pale skin. In the harsh fluorescent light, my heavy eye make-up made me look cheap.
I’m drunk. This isn’t happening to me.
The door opened, and a woman marched in. I studied her warily. Her blonde hair was pulled tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a white blouse and a pair of jeans. The plain wedding band on her left hand was the only jewelry she wore, and if I had to guess her age, I’d say thirty-something.
Wordlessly, she pulled out the seat across from me. The metal of the chair scraped against the cement floor, like nails on a chalkboard.
When she spoke, her accent was a faint European accent I couldn’t place. “My name is Detective Christensen, and I work in tandem with the narcotics unit of the New York Police Department.”
I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. Narcotics? Oh, this was bad. Very bad.
She picked up her pen. “Why don’t we start with your name?”
I chewed on my lip, trying to remember what people said in the movies.
Her eyes narrowed. “Look. Don’t get cute with me. We found enough cocaine in your purse to put you away, but I’m going to let you in on a secret. We don’t care about a small time fish like you.”
Not my cocaine. Not my drugs. I took a deep breath and remained silent.
“We need to know where you got the drugs and you can walk out of here with a sworn statement.”
This was a nightmare.
She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “We can do this one of two ways. You can cooperate and walk out of here in less than two hours, or we can arrest and process you. Then, we’ll put you in a cell until your first of many court appearances. So, why don’t you stop wasting my time and do this the easy way?”
My father was going to kill me.
“I’m going to exercise my right to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer,” I blurted out .
She shook her head in disgust. “You want me to arrest you? Is that what you want me to do?”
I remained silent. My legs were practically shaking from fear, but I had to stick to my plan.
“Look.” She leaned forward and softened her tone. “You really don’t want to go that route. I get that you want to be a tough girl, but if you don’t cooperate with us, you’re leading yourself into a world of hurt.”
“I’m going to remain silent.” My voice wavered. “I know I get one phone call.”
“A pretty young thing like you,” her eyes flickered over me, “You have no clue what will happen to you in prison. When you’re first led to your prison cell? All the inmates chant ‘fresh meat, fresh meat.’”
That sounded worse than awful.
She paused. “You won’t last a week in prison.”
I was pretty sure she was right, but even if I wanted to talk, I didn’t know what to say. When I had dropped my purse in the bathroom of the club, there hadn’t been drugs in my purse. “I’m going to remain silent. Let me talk to my lawyer.”
She shook her head but stood up. “Fine. Follow me.” She led me down the hallway and stopped in front of a small room that held a phone on the wall. No chair. No furniture. “You can make your call here. This is a private line. Whatever you say during your call cannot be used against you in the court of law.”
I stood there, unsure.
She rolled her eyes. “So…make your phone call.”
I walked over to the phone and picked up the filthy, sticky receiver. I didn’t have a lawyer. Without my cell phone, I only knew one phone number by heart. I took a deep breath and dialed. The phone rang five times as I eyed a piece of paper taped above the phone, noting the precinct number and address.
“Hello?” Emily sounded way too awake for the middle of the night.
“Emily?” My voice shook .
“Beth? What’s wrong?”
I took a deep breath and glanced behind me. The detective stood outside the room, texting on her phone.
“I’m in trouble. I think I’m about to get arrested.”
“Where are you? What’s going on?”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know who to call.”
“Hang on a second.” I could hear her talking to Jackson.
His voice came on, “Beth?”
“Hey, Jackson.”
“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“No.”
“Do you know what they are going to charge you with?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to process that this was actually happening to me. “Drug possession.”
He was all business. “Do you know where you are?”
I read him the address and waited as he spoke with Emily.
“Beth, we’re going to make some calls, okay? Emily has a great lawyer she’s already on the phone with.”
“Thanks.” My voice wobbled.
“I’m sorry we can’t be there right now, but I’m going to take care of this for you.”
“Okay.” I swallowed. “I’m really, really sorry.”
“Don’t say a word. Hang tight, and we’ll get you out of there.”
I stood there for a long moment after he hung up. I turned around and walked back to the detective.
She eyeballed me. “Let me guess. You’ve been instructed not to speak or do anything.”
I gave her a small, apologetic look.
She shook her head. “Okay. Let’s get you back to interrogation.” She led me back down the hall, into the same room from earlier. “Wait here.” She placed her palm on my shoulder and shoved me into the room before shutting the door behind me.
I sat back down. My left arm throbbed with pain. I wanted to drop my face in my hands and weep, but I wasn’t sure who was watching through the mirror, so I crossed my legs and schooled my expression to nothing.
This was a nightmare of epic proportions. I really didn’t want to think about how bad this was. I was starting to sober up, and the soberer I became, the more I realized how truly fucked I was.
My father was running for mayor.
If they found out who I was, if they actually arrested me, I would singlehandedly ruin everything for my father.