The First Responder

Chapter 30


After the brunch debacle, I gave Tanya the rest of the day off. The Sheriff took off with his favourite grandson, and my husband disappeared. He claimed he had 'thangs' to take care of at his old place. I knew it was BS because I know him and I understand he needs space and time alone with his thoughts.

The company had long gone, it was only us girls who remained at the cottage. Ma was in the kitchen and she shooed me out to take care of the twins. Everyone seemed to have retreated to digest the revelations which occurred earlier in the day.

I was just as shocked as the rest of them to learn that Philip had been in cohorts with Karen. It seems she had received two wire transfers from an offshore LLC account the first occurred, exactly one year after the accident and the second one happened on the night before she ran. In addition, Tanya placed him among the strange men who frequented the condo on occasion, she recognized him from the news coverage of the congresswoman's son. Philip had been at the condo shortly after our wedding. On that day, he and Karen were seen having some kind of animated conversation in the parking lot.

Then there was the investigation report revealing Karen's multiple aliases. She was born Valeria Flores in Washington, DC and had grown up bouncing from one foster family to the next, by the time she was a teenager, she had been in and out of the juvenile detention system. She was a con artist with multiple aliases who drifted across the country. She was Camila or Camie Lopez from Miami, Florida, Rosa Sanchez from Houston, Texas, and prior to marrying my brother in Nevada, she was Karen Ramirez formerly of the Bronx, New York.

Interestingly enough, the people Abraham spoke to in Las Vegas, confirmed they provided the same information to some detective almost three years before. Obviously, whoever worked at my father's behest collected this information which would have been shortly after Mark turned up married and they were featured in the tabloids, which confirmed my earlier suspicions that my father had looked into her background. Karen herself claimed my father offered to cut her a cheque, which was even more evidence to support my theory. Unfortunately, the earlier report was nowhere to be found. It was not at the office, nor was it at the house and it was highly unlikely that my father would have kept it at home because my mother also knew the combination to the safe. Plus, Ezekiel claimed my father confided in him so he wouldn't have to share things about my brother with her. My father tried to shield her which meant, the report was kept in the safe at the office, but Philip found it first. And Valeria had been in contact with the office, by that I mean, Philip to claim what would have been Mark's inheritance, had I died in the accident, Marc-André would have been the sole heir to the Jones fortune and there was no way in hell Philip would have released control of the firm. He would have paid her a pittance of the firm's value and took over the firm himself given that he held her freedom in his hands. The payment after the fact, when he was no longer a part of the firm was puzzling. But I could only surmise it was a last-ditch effort to hurt me, a revenge shot of sorts since he lost his son and I booted him out the only job he's ever held. In Philip's twisted mind, I was probably to blame for all of it, so I should lose my brother's son too. But for the accident, I almost did.

The day after the storm, the Sheriff conducted a preliminary search for Karen Jones in various databases but found nothing. However, after Rick instructed Abraham to contact the Sheriff and share the information he collected, by the time all of her aliases were verified, the file was two inches thick. The current charges of reckless endangerment of a minor, one count of assault for administering a noxious substance and one count for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence we're added to a laundry list of others. She had been convicted for credit card fraud in Florida, DUI and felony fraud in Texas. She was also wanted in New York for questioning in an extortion scam. Her victims were all male and married, one of whom ended his life, but correspondence on his phone led back to her issuing threats to release sensitive photos if he failed to pay. She was also a person of interest in another DUI in Nevada, where she vanished... but not really, she simply became someone else.

The Nevada accident occurred four years earlier and it left the victim a paraplegic. There were outstanding bench warrants in New York and Nevada under her various aliases, together, the three ADA's, and Atlanta's Chief of Police, it was agreed to defer to the State of Nevada where the more serious offence occurred; it also had a longer sentencing, where if convicted, she could face from two to twenty years without parole for a DUI resulting in serious bodily injury or death.

After everything was laid bare, I wish I could say that I was surprised, but I wasn't. There was something off with Karen or Valeria from day one. We never did hit it off and I really tried for my brother's sake, but we were like oil and water. I had her number but she had my brother wrapped around her little finger.

In retrospect, it was easy to see how they came to be a couple because Mark saw things through a different lens, he was outgoing and social to a fault. He was always adopting strays. I was the pragmatist, my father's daughter to the very end. Valeria knew this from the start, so the best way of keeping her secrets buried was to drive a wedge between the siblings. Mark had already chosen her over his family, at least for a period of time, but something changed somewhere along the way because he went through with the divorce. Did she turn on him in the end? I found myself wondering just how much of her history my brother actually knew. He and I had been known to rebel against our parents from time to time, but it was nothing close to the level of deception Valeria was capable of.

I knew she was shady, but I had no clue as to how much she was really hiding. Mark was a loving soul and he always saw the good in a person, but I found it hard to believe there was ever a shred of light in the depths of Valeria's dark soul. I, on the other hand, I guess you might say that I'm jaded because I know what folks were capable of every day, while I may not practice in criminal law, what I do exposes me to enough in my pursuit of justice for those who have been wronged.

The Jones name gave Valeria anonymity until the money dried up and she was forced to turn back to her old ways, hence the revolving door of men whom she met online, some of who frequented the condo. She would become whoever they needed her to be and then proceeded to exact a premium for her silence. The woman was unconscionable.

When all was said and done, Valeria would be extradited to Nevada as soon as the doctors deemed she was fit to travel.

We had temporary custody of Marc-André and Aaron would start the process for us to formally adopt him.

...

"Michonne, dear will you call Richard, dad is on his way back with his lil' deputy. Supper will be ready in thirty minutes," Ma called out from the kitchen.

I was curled up in our bed watching some flick on Netflix, but not really paying much attention to it because my heart was heavy. I looked at my watch and it was minutes to six. The sheriff and Marc-André had been gone for almost three hours and so was Rick. But he hadn't texted me.

I was not okay, so nor was he. But I had to respect his space for now. Ma knew that too, but she still asked me to call him because in the Grimes household it was law, we ate as a family.

It was a little cool outdoors after the showers, so I grabbed one of his sweaters and pulled it over my head. It still had his scent. I took a few minutes to inhale his scent; at times like this, silly little things like this center me.

After I ducked into the nursery to make sure the girls were okay, they were sleeping peacefully. I then hurried out the front door almost knocking Shane to the ground in my haste.

...

He was back because his vehicle was next to mine. I didn't have to wander far. I found him in the shed. His knuckles we're bloodied and raw with lacerations. He looked as though he had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Since meeting this man and marrying him, I knew there were only two people who evoked such a response in him; one of whom was no longer of this world and the other was in a hospital room over an hour away.

Closing the door behind me, I remained where I stood. His body was angled away from the door looking at something in front of him. He didn't turn right away.

"Ma said supper will be ready in twenty minutes." I knew he heard me but he remained silent.

"By the way, Shane's here, I almost knocked him over as I came out to find you."

"I'm not lost and I don't wanna see Shane," he answered broodingly.

"Au contraire, I think he's exactly what the doctor ordered," I replied to his back. "You need this. We have been so wrapped up in our own lives for the past six weeks with the moves, the babies, and the storm... You've been shouldering more than your fair share."

"Michonne, it's my job to protect and care for my family. I'm not complaining. Shane doesn't get that," he replied a little harsher than necessary.

"Maybe so, but the two of you may have more in common now than you might think. Give him a chance… he needs to blow off some steam and from the looks of things ... I would say so do you."

"I'm right where I'm needed."

I raised my brow at his last remark. "Is that so?" I asked looking around the shed where we were surrounded by yard furniture, nick-nacks, and what seems to be a newly installed punching bag.

I turned slowly to face my wife. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you… I needed space to think." I replied back at Michonne who remained standing just inside the doorway. The distance between us was growing. I know we needed to talk, but I wasn't quite ready for that because I haven't figured out just who the hell I am. Michonne still stood there but who did she see?

"Fair enough, but please stop beating yourself up over this. We're not so different, you and I. I am just as flawed as you are… the only difference is, I've been dealing with Valeria for a lot longer than you have, so it might come off like I have my shit together, but I'm no different than you are."

Finally, his steps closed the distance between us. Embracing me he kissed my forehead and rests his forehead against mine.

"She fucked with the wrong family this time."

He answered in an ominous tone which confirmed that Valeria was at the root cause of whatever happened in the city. She had pushed him to the brink and he was on the edge of losing his shit.

"I'm still with you; now let's go and see about that hand of yours," she replied, and took my good hand in hers as she opened the door and I followed her outside.

...

"Can you fucking believe that shit?"

"It all depends, Shane," I replied only half-listening to my best friend belly ache about him and Andrea's latest fight. Meanwhile, the bartender placed another drink before me and retrieved the empty glass.

"I asked her to marry me and she flat out said no."

"No offense, Shane, but your girl never struck me as the marrying kind and need I remind you, that you ain't never been faithful to anyone you ever dated before."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You wanna watch how you talk about the mother of my child."

There was a delayed reaction because I was only humouring Michonne by babysitting Shane. She claimed it was what I needed. I was savouring the rich smooth gold liquid as it slid down the back of my throat in slow motion when my brain processed the last part of what he said. It caused a violent reaction when some of the single malt trickled down my windpipe, and I choked. In the midst of a coughing fit, I slammed the glass down onto the bar top.

"You a'right, fella?" asked the bar-keep who wasn't Martinez or any of the other familiar faces we were accustomed to.

Everythang was different, the music, the staff, and fuck even Shane too, he was never this whiney or clingy over a girl. Whenever a girl he slept with more than once began reading things into what it may mean for them he'd sleep with two more. Hell, he'd even pick up another girl in front of the poor misguided creature just to make sure the message was delivered loud and clear. I must be hearing thangs because I could have sworn Shane just said he was gonna be a father.

"Did you just say what I think you did?" I asked him, not recognizing the man sitting next to me.

Shane shook his head, yes. He had that deer in the headlights look to him. I don't think I've ever seen the expression he wore on his face before. It was a foreign look on him because the Shane I knew was fearless, but the man sitting next to me was actually terrified.

After signalling the bartender for another round, we raised our glasses to family, "Congratulations, man. Welcome to my world… yours is soon to be replaced by sleepless nights and constant worry… the latter I hear is for life."

"Easy for you to say, I have no idea what the hell she's gonna do 'bout it."

"She turned down your proposal, but that doesn't mean she won't keep the baby"

"Dunno, man. It's not that easy."

"What do you mean? Did you two break up?"

"She said I was too immature… she can't be doing this… whatever the fuck that means? Gurl was hormonal makin' no damn sense whatsoever, then she just walked out on me and told me not to follow her. What the fuck am I to do?"

"I don't know, man… maybe it's a thang they do… don't you remember, Michonne ran off too? When I turned up a few weeks later, we found out about the twins and our son."

"Yeah, but you got her to say yes. How did you do that?"

"I didn't, she gave me a way out. She told me it's a lot to ask for two people who just met… remember we barely knew each other, but I was already in love with her while she was playing catch up with her feelings. Hell, you two have been in a relationship longer than we were when we found out about our three kids. You know one another… The question is, whether you're willing to man up?"

'Duh fuck that's supposed to mean? I told you I asked her to marry me and she shut me down."

"Are you asking her because you knocked her up and you feel that's what you should do or do you love her and want to start a family, you know being all in? She already told you that she wants a man… that's serious... not some fuck boy shit."

"Fuck you! I ain't never slept with just one woman before she came along... you know that."

"Yeah, but you ain't asking me to marry you either… does she know that?" I asked, curious to know his answer.

Shane scratched his head.

"Another thing too, Michonne knows… she said we had more in common than I know."

"Yeah, I figured that when she told me she spent the night at your folks, ain't much those two won't tell one another," Shane added looking defeated.

"'Bout that wife of yours… y'all been fightin' or somethang'?"

"What makes you say that?"

He points to my bandaged left hand.

"When a man hits thangs it's to avoid hittin' something else. Plus, when I arrived at your place earlier… Michonne damn near knocked me down the way she flew out of the house. And we all know you were hiding in the shed."

"First of all, Michonne and I, we are good…"

"Why do I sense a but somewhere in there?"

"I was stupid… I damn near ended my career because I let my emotions get the better of me."

"Say, what now?"

"Shane, I never wished harm on anyone before... my entire life I have always strived to do the right thang… but that night plays on a loop in my head."

"Bro, if you're talking about wanting to kill that skank ass bitch who took my nephew, say no more… the thought crossed my mind a few times too. We saw the crash on the news. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you... there at the scene knowing he was in that fuckin car suspended there an' fuckin' helpless and you had no control." He added and signalled the bartender. "'Bout Michonne, what's up with you two?"

The bartender came over and took one look at us and asked for our car keys. Once we surrendered them, he left us the bottle and went about his business tending to customers who were starting to gather on the other side of the bar.

A heavy silence hung between us for a few minutes when suddenly, Shane took another drink, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and proclaimed, "You're a better man than me because the bitch would have been dead. She would have gone straight to the fucking morgue from the crash site."

Shane's declaration did not surprise me. He was always the bull in the China shop type. I, on the other hand, was generally slow to anger, but once I achieved that level of frustration, I had to let go of it in some form or another. My wife's cut me off until I can process my shit so I'm left me with no other choice. Hence the punching bag.

"Are you going to tell her why you've been avoiding her? I'm sure she'll understand… ain't nobody would blame you for that. Me and the crew, we saw you on television, when you held your boy in your arms and every last one of us felt the same way. We didn't need to voice it… so, you tell me, are we all monsters too?"

"Shane, I was right there, but it wasn't me… in the hospital room standing over her. There was a cop right outside the door too, but I didn't care and I knew exactly what to do too."

"Yeah, but you didn't do it, did you?"

"But was it me or was it what the uniform represents, I can't figure it out. If I was in civilian clothes, would I have gone through with it? How the fuck do I tell my wife that? At least with Spencer, I knew where that anger came from. Karen pissed me off plenty, but to be standing over her wanting to harm her... it scared the shit of out me."

"As I said before, we all empathize with you, brother, so if you're a monster, then we're your hoard."

I knew I could always count on Shane to have my back but confessing this shit to Michonne even if she claimed to have similar moments, I'm almost certain she has never actually being seconds away from doing what I contemplated doing and with that, I poured myself another drink.

...

Where the fuck am I? The cobwebs in my head were thick and the scent of coffee and eggs were particularly strong. With my eyes still closed I pat myself down. I was still fully clothed which was a good thang. I couldn't have fucked up as I feared. I wasn't in our bed but I was in bed. The where was still to be determined and it was fairly dark in the room, so I couldn't glean a clue as to my whereabouts.

There was a knock at the door and the door flew open followed by the lights. My eyes opened to find my wife standing in the doorway. I was in my childhood room. Elodie and Colette could be heard screaming next door. I could see my mother's figure as she passed by and heard my father's voice next door.

How the fuck did I get here? Last night was a blur. My head felt twice its normal size. The stench of alcohol was too much, it made me gag.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, there was no judgment in her eyes. She offered me a glass of water and the two pills in the palm of her hand.

"I've had better days," I answered as I sat on the side of the bed with my hands outstretched to accept the offering. It was my intent to make it to the bathroom before facing the music. I went overboard last night. The way I feel I can only surmise what happened. Two words: my crew came to mind but there were holes in my memory.

"I brought you a change of clothing and ma left a toothbrush in the bathroom for you. Andrea delivered you here then she took Shane home. She said to thank you because whatever you said to him, you got through."

I didn't know just how much Shane spilled in his drunken state, so I figured it was as good a time as any to come clean. "I'm sorry. I pushed you away. It was wrong. I don't know what made me go there when I knew Marc-André was already safe…"

"I know."

I looked at her searching for an inkling as to just how much she knew but she gave nothing away.

"Aaron told me you left him and Tanya with Marc-André for a spell." She sat down next to me and placed her hand on my forearm. "I put the pieces together myself. Babe, I'm still here… with you," she added in a reassuring manner.

"I know that's not who you are, but had you done it... I'd still be here because I love you and I know you were only protecting your family."

It never occurred to me that she would seek answers from Aaron, but he had no idea of my obligations or my whereabouts that night. Michonne never ceased to amaze me and she could tell that I was surprised that it wasn't Shane's drunken babble which ratted me out. She simply wanted me to come clean on my own.

"I love you," I added leaning in for a kiss.

"I love you too, but let's hold off on the kissing till you've cleaned up.

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