The Burden of Love: Something in Common
by tarskeewee08
"What
do you mean you know him?" Evangeline asked frowning.
"Yes…how
do you know Ryan O'Reilly?" Detective Grey asked curious.
"A cold case from years ago" John said then turned to Evangeline touching her hand " Let's go!"
"What?" she asked confused "Wait I have some information on Cletus"
John stood up and grabbed her arm. "We need to talk and you shouldn't share anything about Cletus case with the department until you investigate it further you know that" he said forcing her to come with him.
Detective Grey rose from his seat. "Wait a minute this is my investigation and if she knows something I want to know it"
Evangeline pulled away from him "John what is wrong with you…We need to get this guy!" she snapped
John moved into her space "I need you to trust me right now. Walk out of this door and keep your mouth shut. I can explain it to you once we are out of the station"
Evangeline searched his eyes and saw the desperate urgency in them. She looked over at the Detective that was fuming and glaring at them. "Okay…" she said turning to leave. John turned to follow but Grey grabbed his arm. "Who side are you on? You work for us now!" he hissed
John snatched his arm away. "I suggest you bring in O'Reilly for questioning. I will meet with you later to discuss this I don't want Evangeline involved. Oh and don't ever touch me like that again…"
Grey
frowned and stepped back. "I get it you want my case!"
John
rolled his eyes and stormed out. Evangeline was waiting on him
confused as Barnaby came out of his office "John we got some things
for you to sink your teeth into."
"It'll have to wait" John snapped grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the bullpen. Barnaby watched them leave angrily. He glanced over at Grey who was standing outside of his office. "Grey get in here now!" he snapped walking back in.
Evangeline sat across from John watching him drive. It was 20 degrees outside but he was in the car sweating. "Okay start talking" she said staring at him.
John looked at her and then shook his head sadly "First you tell me everything Cletus told you and don't leave anything out"
Evangeline recounted Cletus's bizarre story of watching cops for O'Reilly and then discovering the body of Officer Thomas. John drove in silence giving no response and it increasingly agitated her. "John tell me what is going on. Why didn't you want me to tell the detective what I knew….this could exonerate Cletus."
"It
won't help him yet" John said shaking his head.
"Why?"
"Because
Ryan O'Reilly is the man that killed my father. He's the reason I
came to Chicago and I think Barnaby is protecting him."
Evangeline frowned and watched his face. How could this be possible? "Are you sure it's the same man John?"
John turned the next corner and found an Office Park to pull the car into so they could stop and talk. Putting the car in park he turned and looked at her. "I haven't put it altogether but Charlotte stumbled on something and was killed for it. Cletus is being used to cover it up and all roads lead to Barnaby"
"Well we got him on the navigation system that should be enough to get a warrant to search his place" Evangeline said confidently.
He looked at her beautiful face seeing the hope in her eyes. "No sweetie, if the DNA evidence was tampered with its Barnaby, which means he is tipping O'Reilly off. By the time we get into his place there will be no traces of Charlotte and we won't have anything."
"Don't
say that! We can't just give up!" she shouted at him her face
crumbling.
He touched her face tenderly "You know me…I never
give up"
Evangeline pressed her cheek into his hand and closed
her eyes. "What do we do now?"
"I need to get inside of
Barnaby's squad….find out what cops are on the take for him and
which ones I can trust. I think Grey may be one of them but I'm not
sure."
"No I have to help!" Evangeline said aching at
the thought of him going in deep with corrupt cops.
"I won't
let you get hurt"
"Don't treat me like a china doll….I
can handle myself' she said defensively.
John smiled at her "Fine, why don't you go see Cletus grandmother. Find out how she knew about O'Reilly, you said Cletus was surprised when you mentioned her"
Evangeline nodded "He was….I don't think he revealed any of it to her. But she was definitely the person that tipped Charlotte off"
John put the car in reverse. "I will head back to the station and you pick me up when you are done for the day."
"John…"
Looking over at her he
raised an eyebrow "Yes"
"Their hurting him, please find a
way to protect him….those cops are beating him and I couldn't
take it if something happens to him too. Charlotte gave her life
trying to save him."
"I promise I'll make sure he's okay" he said hitting the break throwing the car back into park. Reaching for her face he pulled her swiftly to him and kissed her. She blinked surprised and started to pull back but relaxed and allowed his tongue in her mouth. Closing her eyes to the sweetness of his kiss she grabbed the back of his head and met his kiss with just as much intensity.
When he'd taken as much of her as he could handle he pulled away and looked in her face "I know we're in a strange place now, but I love you so very much and I would give my life to protect you."
Evangeline smiled "I know John
and I believe you. Thank you for helping me"
"Helping you
helps me. Like I said to you in my dreams….we're two sides of the
same coin. Time, distance and pain have all tried to separate us, but
we remained attached to each other through it all"
Evangeline frowned "Your dreams?"
He let go of her face and blushed "I'll tell you about them sometime." He said softly. Evangeline nodded and sat back as he headed to the station. She just couldn't get over the fact that the man that killed her beloved friend could be the same man that killed his father. How strange life is. All of the burdens and tragedies that haunt us can only be resolved through love.
Looking over at him she smiled lightly. And oh how she loved him. He was back in her life and he was different, she was his priority. With each day she saw it, and felt it. For them it was a new experience, something neither could have anticipated. Even knowing that now she was so very weary of trusting in it. The kiss was sweet, and she saw the heated stares he gave her.
In the night he had gazed over her body and she knew what she wanted. It's what he always wanted when she was near him. Sex for him wasn't just physical; it was the one place where he allowed himself to be as expressive as possible with his love and desires. Which is why it killed her that he slept with Natalie.
That may be unreasonable and she definitely knew that to have anything with him she would need to get passed it, but her heart wouldn't let go of it. How could she give herself to him after he'd walked away from her and took that woman to bed? Her eyes teared and John looked over at her.
"You thinking of Charlotte?"
Evangeline looked
over at him sadly "Yea…I'm thinking of Char" she said
lying.
John nodded "It will get easier with time Van, the pain never goes away but you learn to live with it"
Evangeline looked away and wiped her tears. What about their pain? Will their pain ever go away? Can they ever get back what they'd lost to his demons and her fears? Watching the snow covered trees pass them by as they came back up the street to the station she sighed. Right now the focus was getting this O'Reilly character, she wouldn't entertain anything else but that.
John parked the car and touched her hand. "I'll be waiting on you. Call me if anything out of the ordinary happens."
She nodded and reached over to hug him. He hugged her back and bumped foreheads with her. "We will make him pay and we'll do it together"
With that said he got out
of the car. She looked out the front window to see him run out in
front of her car popping his collar on his leather jacket and
sticking his hands in his pockets. He paused and looked inside at her
winking. She smiled lightly back and watched him run across the
street into the station. Once he disappeared she let go of her tears.
Crying for them both this time, she was exhausted by all the emotions
racing through her. Most of all she wanted him back, she wanted to be
his again so desperately.
Yet the truth was the betrayal of him
loving another woman after loving her was too much on her heart. She
was just too scared.
This was the first time she had alone since Charlotte died and she took it to grieve reflecting on her and lost love. Sliding over to the driver's seat she pulled away from the curb and drove to Cletus grandmother's place determined to at least avenge Charlotte's death and worry about her heart later.
John walked down the hall and saw Barnaby behind his closed door on his phone. He turned and went to Detective Grey's office. Grey looked up at him and frowned when he approached. "What do you want?"
John closed the door. "To talk"
"Oh so now
you want to talk since your girlfriend is out of here" he said
bitterly.
"Do you really have the time to pout? Especially with
this case weighing on you." John asked shaking his head.
Detective
Grey sat back in his chair. "We have O'Reilly in lock up"
John's eyes lit up "You what?"
"And Barnaby gave me
specific orders….you aren't to be anywhere near this case! He
says it's personal for you, which explains a lot!"
John glared at him "I'm the new Lt. of this department and you work for me! I'll be involved in this case…"
"The
Superintendent said no and we both work for him!" Grey snapped.
John rose from his chair. "Well we will see about that"
walking out of Grey's office he slammed the door behind him.
Barnaby looked up to see John blow into his office slamming his door. Sitting back he narrowed his eyes on him. "What the hell is wrong with you storming into my office like that?"
"Why did you tell one of my detectives to keep me out of the loop of his case?" John asked glaring at him.
"Son, are you mad? You haven't put in a full day of work in this station since I offered you the job. This ain't LPD, we have protocols we adhere to!"
"Bullshit!" John hissed clenching his fist.
Barnaby looked him up and down. "This is all about your vendetta against O'Reilly and I told you that you want be using my department for it!" he shouted pounding his fist on the table.
John tried to calm himself. Swallowing he let go of his murderous rage at the man who could be the reason his fathers dead and tried to play this the right way. "Listen, I appreciate what you've done. I mean getting me a job here and tolerating my tantrums is way above the call of friendship"
"You are my best friend's son. I loved Thomas, John I would do anything to help him and you" Barnaby said his face softening.
John nodded working hard to contain himself. "Yes….but you know I've been through a lot over the years and I need desperately to feel useful."
Barnaby watched him and John went to take a seat in the chair across from his desk. "That's why I want in on every case in this department including O'Reilly, under your leadership I won't loose my way and I'll report everything to you. I just need this closure."
Barnaby rubbed his jaw and John knew he was sizing him up. Waiting out the tension in the air he tried to play down his need for revenge. Barnaby sighed "I am keeping you on a short leash, but you do have a point. You can't gain the respect of your men if I undermine you. Go ahead Lt. but remember I will be watching."
John stood up and extended his hand. Barnaby accepted it glad that the tension between them was gone. John shook his smiling slyly "I promise you Barnaby, you made the right decision"
Evangeline was on the west side of Chicago to the Jane Adams projects, the roughest projects on that side of town. She drove through the desolate projects passing groups of thugs huddled near garbage cans with make shift fires keeping warm as they sold their poison to the suburbians that dared to venture into this side of town.
A thug leaned over and looked in her car and Evangeline slid her hand over to the lock button makiking sure her doors were locked. She kept going and he threw his cup at the car cursing at her. She looked in the rearview mirror to see him grab himself gyrating after her as his friends burst into laughter.
Rolling her eyes she kept driving until she got to Cletus grandmothers building. She wasn't intimidated by this place and frequented it quite often with Char, but today she was so heart sick she dreaded getting out of the car.
Evangeline stepped out into the cold holding onto the front of her trench as the wind blew her hair into her face. A young woman in a black bubbled jacket pushed a baby in a umbrella stroller down the side walk. Evangeline eyes met with hers, the girl popped her gum and kept going. Evangeline frowned that she had the baby out in this weather but was at least grateful the kid was dressed warm.
Walking around her car to the sidewalk a 84 Cutlass Supreme with spinning wheels slowed down playing some vile hip hop song. "Damn, hoe where you headed!" the driver called out. Evangeline didn't bother to acknowledge it and kept going. She entered the door which hung on barely by the top hinge and pushed inside. The smell of piss and mildew assaulted her as he she headed up the stairs avoiding the graffiti stained walls going toward the third floor. She could hear music blaring in one apartment and a baby screaming in another.
Coming on the landing to third floor she found a man passed out apparently drunk and reeking of the gutter he dwelled in. Covering her nose with her gloved hand she stepped over him and walked toward Ms. Jones place. Knocking she looked around and could see the despair that would force young Cletus to try to hustle a way out of this hell hole.
Marbel Jones a 72 year old silver head petite woman opened the door with the chain on it. Evangeline smiled into her face "Hi Marbel it's me"
Closing the door she heard her free the chain and waited as the old women pulled it open. Marbel grabbed Evangeline's hand and pulled her inside. She went immediately into her arms. "Oh baby I'm so very sorry. Oh lord have mercy I'm so very sorry"
Evangeline
hugged her back and blinked off her tears "Thanks Marbel….thanks"
"Come right in" she said double bolting the door
and putting the chain on it. Evangeline walked into the comfy home
taking off her trench.
That's the thing about urban living….outside you saw the hell but as a people living in poverty, extra care was taken to make inside comfortable. Her house smelled of baked bread and her sofas had crocheted doilies on the back and arms of it. The walls were lined with pictures of her children most lost to Chicago violence. Cletus dad was Vice Lord and is serving two consecutive life sentences for Murder and Rape. Marbel had suffered a lot but loosing Cletus would be the final blow.
The 35 inch TV up against the wall in the living room was playing One Life to Live and Evangeline could see she was sitting down to her lunch.
Walking inside she sat on the soft tan sofa and watched Marbel shuffle inside wiping her hands on her purple house dress. "I saw on the news what happened to that sweet baby and I just want to say that I feel horribly."
Evangeline nodded
"Marbel you spoke to her that day didn't you?"
She nodded "I
did I called her to tell her that I had a strange visit"
Evangeline looked at her "What kind of visit?"
Marbel
chewed on her bottom lip "Baby do you want something to drink?"
"No mam I'm fine…..what kind of visit did you have?"
"A
man came said he was Cletus boss and he needed to get some things"
"Boss?" Evangeline asked
"Yes….he said his name was
Ryan O'Reilly and he gave me a card. He told me that Cletus had
some things including that car he was driving around here….I asked
that boy where he get that car and he said he had a job doing
deliveries so I believed the man"
"Where's the card?"
"I gave it to Charlotte baby….she said she was going to see
him."
Evangeline looked around. "You let him in Cletus
room?"
"I did"
"What did he take?"
"A black bag
and some kind of notebook"
Evangeline shook her head sadly. Marbel looked at her "How is my baby? I know you got a lot going on with Charlotte's death but she believed in Cletus. Will you help him now?"
Evangeline nodded and reached over to touch her
hand. "Can I check Cletus room?"
Marbel nodded "Sure thing
baby and I'm going to fix you some lunch, you don't look
good"
Evangeline smiled and rose going down the hall to the bedroom. She pushed open the door and the walls were lined with pictures of cars with DUB as the header for most. There were also big pictures of Tupac and Biggie Smalls. She walked over to his dresser and saw cigars for making blunts and the remnants of marijuana seeds which meant Cletus was smoking weed again.
Sucking her teeth she went through the draws finding little. Going to the closet she checked and saw nothing. Ready to give up she looked up to see a shoe box. Reaching for it she took it over to the twin bed and sat down. Inside were photographs of different officers on Polaroid's. She pulled out a paper with officer's names and times to follow. Evangeline didn't understand what she had, but she knew it was important.
Rising she rushed back out into the living room.
"Marbel I have to go."
"Wait baby I got something for you
to eat"
Evangeline saw the loneliness on her face then looked
at her watch. She had time and she knew what grief and sadness can do
to you. Marbel needed what John was providing for her. A friend.
"Sure thing…lets eat" she said smiling and sitting down.
John came down the hall with Grey on his heels debriefing him. Turning the corner he barely heard a word the man said. His heart was pumping at the expectation of seeing him again.
The man that killed his father.
Turning the knob he opened the door and his eyes locked with the monster that haunted his dreams. John smiled and stepped inside.
