See No Evil

“I just didn’t think Emily would get hurt.”

Cami waved off the concern. “She’ll be fine. She didn’t kill him, they’ll let her go. Now, we had a plan. I want to finish it.”

Robbie entered then, clearly stoned. Cami fumed. “You’re doing drugs again.”

Robbie shrugged, slumped on the floor up against the door. “Whatever.”

“You promised.” Cami despised drugs. Like some people hated gays and some people hated Christians; Cami hated drugs with an unusual fervor. When Robbie joined them ten months ago, right before they took care of the teacher, the rule was no drugs. Robbie had been fairly sober since.

“What happened?” Faye asked him as she knelt next to him.

He looked at her with glassy eyes. It wasn’t just drugs she saw in them. It was pain. “What happened?” she asked again. When Cami tried to interrupt, Faye put up her hand.

She reached over and lifted up his shirt. Fresh bruises covered his chest. “Oh Robbie, you need to go to the hospital.”

“Hell no.” Robbie brushed off her hand. “I got three fucking months left. Three months and I get my money. I’m not doing shit until I get the money and then I’m going to kill him and disappear. Fucking bastard.” He sniffed, rubbed his nose, and winced.

Skip helped him up. “I’ll take care of him.”

Cami was unmoved by Robbie’s pain. “No drugs. That was the rule. You’ll get no second chance.”

“What are you going to do? Suck me dry and cut off my dick, too?”

Cami reddened and pointed at Skip. “Talk to him. Straighten him out. This is bigger than all of us. Don’t you see? This is justice. This is payback for everyone who can’t fight for themselves. Straighten Robbie out or he’s gone. Disappeared.”

Skip glared at Cami, but nodded. He took Robbie into the bathroom.

“His old man really walloped him,” Faye said, walking over to Cami.

Cami frowned. “Drugs are like drinking. Loose lips. You know that saying? It’s like military or something. Loose lips sink ships. We can’t let Robbie destroy everything we’ve been planning for over a year. I won’t have it.”

What she really meant is he wouldn’t have it, but Faye didn’t correct Cami. They never talked about him. Cami didn’t even know that Faye knew about him. The less Cami knew about that the better.

“Robbie won’t screw us,” Faye assured her, though even she had her doubts.

She’d had early doubts about bringing in Skip, but he’d turned out to be immensely valuable. Cami could get him to do anything-anything-and Faye loved watching her in action. But at the beginning, when they first talked about this, it had just been the two of them. Cami and Faye.

“We’re going through with this.” Cami sat down heavily on her bed. “As soon as we know when. No backing out. It’s the final act, the one we’ve been waiting for. And if Robbie and Skip are problems, you know what we have to do.”

She did. “You know I’m there.”

Cami smiled, touched her cheek. “I know. You understand better than anyone. I never have to explain anything to you.” She reached over Faye and into her nightstand. “I have a treat for you.”

Cami handed Faye a vibrator and a video. “Take them home. You’ll know what to do.”

Faye took them, both nervous and excited. She wanted to view the video before she shared it with him.

She started to leave when Cami spoke.

“It’s only because of you that Robbie’s made it this far, Faye. He’s your responsibility. If he screws up again, you’re going to have to take care of him.”

Faye stared into Cami’s dead eyes. She wondered if they mirrored her own.

“I will.”

Julia didn’t want to be in her office. She should have taken the day, the week, off to take care of Emily. But she had a trial starting a week from Monday, a rape, and she needed to prepare. Talk to the victim, ready her for the stand. Talk to the detective. The witnesses. Julia had turned down a plea offer-six months, ridiculous for a forcible rape-and had to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Melanie Ruiz had said no and Juan Fuentes attacked. She had doctors’ reports, a witness, and the victim had bruise marks around her neck.

Fuentes told police that Melanie liked it rough.

The best thing right now was to focus on her job. Try to keep her mind off Emily. Putting Fuentes in prison for five-to-seven would satisfy her need for justice.

Besides, being in the office gave her an excuse to keep her ears open. Pick up any details about Victor’s murder.

She worked on her opening statement, but her mind was far from the case. She prided herself on always knowing what to do and when to do it, but right now she was so lost and she had no one to turn to, no one to talk with.

What few friends Julia had over the years had all left the San Diego area. They barely kept in touch via e- mail. Matt, her brother, had truly been her best friend, and he was dead. Maybe that’s why she’d thrown herself into her job, her career.

But when she needed someone, anyone, to talk to, there was no one.

She’d never felt so alone except the day Matt died and she’d lived. But for the grace of God, Emily would have perished with Matt.

“Where’s Em?” Julia asked when she opened her door to Matt that stormy Saturday night.

“She begged me to drop her at the movie theater with Jayne.” He stepped in and shrugged off his wet jacket. Julia hung it in the closet.

“You left two ten-year-olds alone at the theater?”

“I walked them in, and the movie lets out at nine thirty-five. I’ll be back long before.” He smiled, though it was a sad expression. She was about to ask her brother what was troubling him when he asked, “Do you have a minute?”

“Of course.”

Matt followed Julia into the kitchen.

Julia poured her brother some tea from the pot she had just made for herself. “Have you given any more thought to what we talked about?”

He sighed. “I’ve thought of nothing else. I just don’t know anything anymore, Jules.”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“Do you know how many of Emily’s friends have divorced parents? All but one.”

“So she’ll be in good company.”

He didn’t laugh. “Crystal wasn’t always like this.”

Julia disagreed, but didn’t say anything.

“Or was I just so blind I couldn’t see?” He was trying to convince himself.

“I don’t know, Matt. I guess she had her moments. And I really thought Crystal loved you.” For about five minutes, thought Julia, but she didn’t add that.

“She did. I just don’t know what happened.”

They sat in silence sipping tea. “You and Em could come live with me for a while. Until things settle down.”

“I appreciate that. Em adores you.”

“You know I love her.”

“I have something for you to sign. Guardianship papers. If anything ever happens to me, I want you to be her guardian.”

Julia’s eyes welled. “Don’t talk that way.”

“Seriously. You love my daughter unconditionally. That’s what kids need.”

“Something we never had.”

“We turned out okay.”