supported between the detective and the female officer as they led her toward an office.
“Remember all the fun we had?” Benny called over his shoulder, doing the awkward inmate shuffle ahead of the enormous policeman. “Hey, dude, that hurts!” Benny complained. His voice faded as he was pushed around a corner.
“I’m so sorry, Brook. That should have never happened.” Randi patted her on the shoulder. She helped her into a chair just as Brook’s legs collapsed. Randi turned to the policewoman. “Bring a glass of water, please.”
“Brook,” Randi said, catching Brook’s eye. “I’m really sorry. There’s no excuse for what just happened. It was simply bad timing, lack of coordination, or something like that. But, heads will roll over this, I guarantee you.”
“Never mind,” Brook managed, a catch in her voice. The officer returned with the water. She whispered in Randi’s ear before handing the cup to Brook. Randi nodded at the officer and then gave Brook a look of concern.
“I’m okay, really. I just need a minute.” Brook drank deeply from the cup.
Randi waited for Brook to compose herself, then continued. “We arrested Mr. Benson on an attempted carjacking, so he’s toast. But, if you can handle it, we still need to do the lineup.”
Steely resolve asserted itself and Brook's face grew taut as long-buried anger overtook her fear. “I can handle it.' Her voice trembled only slightly. “In fact, I
“Yes. I did,” Randi said, shaking her head. “He just substantiated your story in front of three witnesses. Not the brightest bulb in the box, is he?”
Brook managed a small mirthless laugh.
“Do feel ready to make the identification now?”
Brook rose to her feet. “Lead the way.”
She made it through the identification process, trembling the whole time, grim but satisfied when it was over. When she left the police station, she took a deep breath of crisp spring air and squinted into the sunlit sky. She wished this was all over and done with. She just wanted to get on with her life, to put this all behind her.
Randi called her later to tell her Benny had given the others up rather than go down alone. They had issued warrants for Gina, Pete, and Jase, Randi advised her, and it was only a matter of time before they would be apprehended. “He also gave us the name of their contact, the guy who set up the jobs, a man by the name of Anton D’Macio. Have you ever heard this name before?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Brook replied. “It doesn’t sound familiar.”
“I didn’t think so, but it never hurts to ask. Anyway, D’Macio has already flown the coop.' Randi's disappointment was obvious. “When we got to his apartment, it was cleaned out, and it looked like it was done in a hurry. We’re not sure how, but we believe he was tipped off. We’ve been trying to break this carjacking ring for several years. This was the first name we’d gotten and we were optimistic that we would finally make some headway in our case. We suspect D’Macio was the middleman and now he’s gone. Probably out of the country by now.
“We’re pretty sure the ringleader is someone of importance, but, again, we have no information as to who he might be. If we could have nabbed D’Macio, he might have rolled over. But, no dice. Oh, and a heads up to you: the press has wind of this now. They’ll be looking for you. With you in a motel, they’ll have a harder time tracking you. Eventually, they'll find you. But for now, just keep your head low and you should be okay.”
Brook thanked her and hung up. She then placed a call to Clark.
“Brook, thank god. I was hoping you’d have a change of heart, honey. Please tell me you’re calling to say we can start over.”
“You warned him.” Her voice was clipped.
“Who?” Clark asked, feigning innocence. “Warned who?”
“Don’t play stupid, Clark. It’s too late for that. You warned D’Macio.”
“Of course I did. He’s the only one who can link me to this whole thing.” He was using that ultra-reasonable tone that Brook despised. “I did it out of a sense of self-preservation.”
“Whatever. I didn’t call for that anyway,” Brook said wearily. “I just want to make sure you won’t fight the divorce.”
“Divorce? “
“Yes, divorce. I filed first thing this morning.”
“Whoa, now. You don’t intend to go through with that, do you? You'd better just take a little time to cool off; wait until you've had a chance to get your head straight. You need me, Brook. Even if you won’t admit it. For one thing, how will you support yourself?”
“How will you handle prison, Clark?” Her voice was firm. “Or would you like to work out a settlement?”
“You wouldn’t!” he gasped. “You’re my wife. I’ve told you how sorry I am. And I’ve told you, you were never, ever supposed to be hurt. You wouldn’t really send me to prison, would you?”
“It depends on how much grief you give me over this divorce. I just want it over with as soon as possible.”
“I guess there's nothing I can do about it. You've got me backed into a corner, over the proverbial barrel. You’ll probably take everything I’ve worked so hard for. All gone, just like that.” Clark didn’t try to hide his bitterness. “I never pegged you for a gold-digger; but I never figured you’d spread your legs for some stranger either. Hell, I guess it was more than just one, wasn't it? How many were there, Brook? Remind me again, exactly how many men did you do?'
Every word was a blow to Brook. Outrage, anger, and hurt rose in her like bile. She gripped the phone hard, trying to speak around the painful lump in her throat. 'You bastard. I never realized until this moment how cruel you are.'
'
'Clark, I can't think of anything I want more at this moment than to never be associated with you again.' Brook gritted her teeth. 'What do you say we steer clear of the personal assaults for now? Let's just deal with the practical side of things.'
There was a pause, during which Brook could hear Clark breathing into the phone.”
“Fine. Well,
“I need only enough to get by on until I get a job. Trust me, I don’t want any of your things,” Brook said. “All I want is to be free of you. That’s it. If you want to keep your freedom; then give me mine. Otherwise, you will lose it all, everything.”
She ended the call without waiting for his response.
Chapter 55
Denise noticed the change in Lance’s posture, observed the sorrow in his expression. She shook her head before approaching the counter. She didn’t know what had happened to him, but Emily said she had seen him outside the convenience store with a pretty blond lady a few days earlier. Something must have gone wrong. She had no idea what, but his appearance spoke volumes. Denise was curious, but she would never violate his privacy with nosy questions.
“I sold another sculpture, Lance,” Denise said. He said nothing, simply accepted the cash. “Hey, how about a chocolate almond cookie? Betsy just brought ‘em in; they’re fresh. These things sell out in one day, you know; they’re so delicious.”
He shook his head.
“It’s on the house.”
“No thanks.” Lance tucked the money in his backpack and turned to leave. “You don’t have any of those prepaid cell phones, do you?”
“No, we don’t carry those. You might try at the hardware store.”
Denise watched him go, her warm brown eyes sympathetic. He looked like his heart was broken, she thought as she bit into one of Betsy’s cookies, barely tasting it as she watched his truck pull from the parking lot.
