Couples
Chapter 59
Staring at her face in the mirror, Livvy's hoping to see something better than she saw an hour ago. She spent too much money on the new version of the anti-aging serum hawked by a preternaturally young-looking forty-ish supermodel. So far, no change. Even if her skin tightens and her pores shrink, it won't change her basic bone-structure. It won't change her life or what she did, either.
The knock on her door is jarring. She didn't order anything, and she seems to have discouraged all but the most determined urban missionaries. The face Livvy sees through the peephole as the woman holds up her badge triggers a flash of white-hot rage. Those bones are what the agents want, what the photographers want, what the editors want. But they belong to a cop! Why would a cop need them?
As Livvy's anger begins to ebb, terror takes its place. Why would a cop be coming to her door? After all this time, there's no way she could possibly … could she?"
"Ms. Valley," the woman calls mildly through the door. "My name is Detective Kate Beckett, and I'm canvassing for anyone who might know something about a crime that took place. Can I speak with you for a moment?"
Suddenly, Livvy remembers the robbery at the Slurp and Burp at the corner. She used a credit card to buy one of their frozen juice drinks the day it happened – so they'd have a record of her purchase. The cops probably think she might have seen the robber. She didn't, and it won't take long to tell that to the unfairly gifted detective and send her away. Livvy opens the door.
Kate smiles. "Can I come in?"
Livvy shrugs and waves Kate inside. "You're wasting your time talking to me, Detective. I don't know anything about the robbery."
Kate widens her eyes. "Do you think I'm here about a robbery, Ms. Valley? I'm a homicide detective. I'm investigating a murder – of Cliff Halsey."
Livvy's chest tightens, blocking air from her lungs. "I don't know anything about that," she insists.
Kate quizzically raises her eyebrows. "I would think you'd want to. Cliff was your brother, wasn't he?"
A chill creeps over Livvy's skin. "Half-brother. I didn't see him much."
"That's a shame," Kate replies, shaking her head. "Your mother told me you'd been very close. She said that as a child, Cliff practically worshipped you."
Livvy's looked convincingly into a camera thousands of times. She struggles for the physical control she needs to project honesty. "Things change, Detective. We all get older. Kids grow up and apart."
"And why did you and Cliff grow apart?" Kate inquires.
"We just did," Livvy insists.
"Because he made Stacy Monahan's stable, and you didn't?" Kate presses.
"What would you know about that?" Livvy throws back.
"I worked for her for a while," Kate admits. "She is obsessed with cheekbones, isn't she?"
Purple fury floods Livvy's face. "You bitch!" She lunges at Kate, her fingers curling into claws.
Kate easily sidesteps, taking a few scratches on one arm. Using a maneuver that's forced many larger sparring partners to the mat, Kate drops Livvy on the floor and cuffs her.
"You can't arrest me," Livvy screams.
"Of course I can," Kate informs her matter-of-factly. "You attacked a police officer. She points to her shallowly scored skin. "My DNA under your nails will provide proof of that. And a warrant to search this place may give us the evidence we need to prove who killed your brother."
E.C. Burrell has stepped before the microphones at a press conference more times than he can count. On most of those occasions, he enjoyed, even reveled in the attention. At this particular moment, attention is the last thing that he wants, but as long as he remains in the governorship, he'll get it.
It's bad enough that his wife is threatening to take him for everything he has in a divorce. She's known for years that he was getting some action on the side. She was willing to put up with a little infidelity as the price of marriage to a powerful man. But the stain of human trafficking on their family was more than she could bear. Right now, he's struggling to keep her from freezing assets he'll need to pay his legal team. He was hoping to get some help from Victor Barron, but any chance of that is gone. The billionaire has more problems than Burrell does, and Burrell has plenty.
E.C. clears his throat. "As many of you know, I stepped away from my gubernatorial duties and delegated them to the lieutenant governor when I was formally charged with a crime. I have yet to be convicted of any charges and expect that I will eventually be completely exonerated.
"However, this has been a wrenching time for my family and for those who have supported me through my political career. I have many breaches to repair and many relationships to strengthen. So I have made the decision to walk away from politics until such time as I can reenter the arena with a clean slate. As of four p.m. today, I am a private citizen. I will not grant interviews or allow any press access until every doubt about my honesty and qualifications to serve is behind me. I won't be taking questions. That's all."
"Well, you left the door open," Burrell's soon-to-be former chief of staff says as the pol leaves the podium.
Burrell sags. "But I'm going to have a hell of a job keeping the D. A.'s office, especially that damned Eli Douglas, from slamming it behind me."
Lily's tears and sniffles are long gone by the time Rick pulls into the parking lot of the Baby Barn and unstraps her from her safety seat. He keeps a grip on her hand as she bounces across the asphalt toward the line of brightly colored carts at the entrance. Rick loads her into a yellow and orange one designed to look like a giant caterpillar before wheeling her inside. "We could check out the mobile activity centers, or do you want a different push toy?" Rick asks, heading toward a large display of toddler-propelled vehicles.
"Oy," Lily repeats.
"That's not much help," Rick remarks. "Fortunately, this establishment allows you to make a more hands-on choice."
Lifting Lily from her perch, he places her in the midst of the nearby collection. The girl immediately gravitates toward the most brightly colored push toy, a blue, green, orange, and yellow toddler taxi. The large plaything also features a horn and a mock dashboard with soft push-buttons. After sounding the horn and trying all the buttons, Lily points into the small molded seat. "Gam-o-ee."
"You're right; Gamoee would fit in there," Rick agrees. "You want to give him rides?"
"Ide," Lily echoes.
Rick grabs a tear-off sheet allowing him to request the item from stock, wincing only slightly at the price. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he scans the consumer safety ratings and reviews. "Looks like you picked a winner. All right, we'll get someone to find one of these we can buy, and you can be Lily, taxi driver, or at least Lily taxi pusher. Ooh! That's kind of like a pedicab except that you push instead of pull."
"Pedicab," Lily repeats.
Rick groans. "Pedicab? Is that really going to be your first, certified, non-babble word?"
"Pedicab," Lily repeats one more time, with Rick barely catching it on his cellphone's video.
Rick sighs. "Pedicab is a unique start." He brings up Kate's icon. "Let's see what Mama says."