24.4 The Unexpected

At last, summer arrived in Willow Creek. The bright sun and warm temperatures eased through the city with light and variable winds. Soon, Mary could break out the swimwear and do laps again. Those hibernation pounds were coming off one way or another.

The phone rang, and a warm smile radiated across her face. Only one person called around that time. “Mr. Keller!”

Reed chuckled. “Hello, Mary Jones. You just getting home?”

She grinned. “I think you know that.”

“You got me. Ok, I’ll cut to the chase then. We’re going out. I want you in a little black dress. And, let that hair down too.”

Mary giggled. “Do you have any other requests, sir? Care to specify how high my heels should be? What about the length of my skirt?”

“HA! If I didn’t know about better, I’d think you were sassing me, Ms. Jones.”

“Not sure what gave you that idea.”

“Right. I’ll be over in an hour.”

Reed added so much flavor to her bland life. Apart from hanging out with Asia occasionally, she didn’t have many extracurricular activities. She worked and cleaned the house. Mary felt rather useless at times and did things she didn’t need to do just to keep busy like wake up at the crack of dawn to make breakfast for her more than capable daughter. Reed took her to fancy restaurants, art galleries, and every ballroom and lounge in the area. The man loved to dance–all kinds of dances. It was his all-time favorite thing to do. Now, his favorite dance partner was back, and the passion returned with a vengeance.

Punctuality had always been a strong, positive trait, and he arrived as expected. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly as he drank in her appearance. 

“Is my ensemble to your liking, Mr. Keller?”

Before Reed, too much time passed since she flirted with anyone. She forgot how fun it was.

“You are a vision, that’s for sure.” He grinned. “Let’s get out of here before I get other ideas.”

They took a step toward the door, and Mary’s phone rang. Reed stood in front of her. Phoenix and Asia were at work. No one else called her. A chill flew down her spine at first sight of the caller ID

“What’s wrong?” Reed asked. “Who is it?”

“It’s…Eliza.”

Why on earth would Eliza Pancakes be calling? And, so late! They had no further business. Mary wished her well at their last encounter and presumed that chapter of her life was closed. Did Eliza have more to say? More to apologize for? Did she want friendship?

“Are you gonna answer?”

Her chest rose and fell with the quick breath she pulled in. Thinking about it wouldn’t get her any closer to answer. She had a handsome man to dine and dance with and did not want to keep him waiting. “Good evening, Eliza.”

A clearing throat vibrated her eardrum. “Hello. Good evening.”

Eliza didn’t sound well. The tenor of her voice resembled the nervousness of last week.

“Is everything all right?”

Eliza cleared her throat again. “I … It doesn’t matter how I feel.”

Once more, she cleared her throat. Whatever she called for had to be quite serious. Mary got that sinking feeling. “That sounds rather ominous. I don’t want to be rude, but I was just on my way out. Is this an urgent matter?”

“Yes. I’m afraid so. You need to come to the police station right away.”

Mary’s eyebrows almost touched her hairline. “The police station?”

“Yes. I’m very sorry to ruin your evening, but I’m afraid this cannot wait.”

“What is this about?”

“I will explain everything when you’re here.”

“Ok. Uhh … Ok. Ok. I’m on my way.”

Mary stared at the phone completely perplexed about what just happened. What business did she have at the police station? Had she unintentionally gotten involved in a crime? Did she need to identify someone? Watcher forbid anyone in her circle had gotten into trouble.

“What’s this about a police station?” Reed asked.

His voice startled her and sped up her breaths exponentially. Whatever happened, it was terrible; she could feel it.

“Whoa, now. Take a minute. Breathe.”

“What’s happened?”

“I–I don’t know! She said I needed to go to the police station right away!”

His eyes widened too. “Wow. Ok. Well, let’s go see what the problem is then.”

When they arrived at the station, it was almost 9:30. How long had Eliza waited to call? Without a greeting, she ushered them into her office. Few employees were left as Mary presumed, but Eliza closed the blinds for as much privacy as possible. Despite being ignorant of the news, Mary appreciated her discretion.

A beautiful family portrait hung over the guest chairs. Next to it was a nice houseplant that looked like she placed there it to make the office more homey. But, there was only so much Eliza could do without making it look like something out of Simsational Magazine. Law Enforcement was serious business. Style was not appropriate.

Finally, Eliza sat behind the desk. A cleared throat signaled her attempt to get started, she but eyed Reed warily and hesitated. “This is a delicate family matter. Perhaps you want to speak in private?”

Mary’s jaw dropped at the mention of family. Her first reaction was to get upset about Eliza’s decision to withhold the information for so long, but the reason became so clear. The police station never closed. Most of the employees had left; she was protecting her. From what, though? Eliza wouldn’t continue without addressing the privacy question. Mary trusted only two people in the world with her private information. Of the two, Reed had a front-row seat for every ugly detail of her life. “He is my family!”

Eliza’s head jerked back and eyes shot open, but she recovered quickly. “Very well.” She cleared her throat. “I do not wish to prolong your anxiety, so I’ll get right to it.”

Mary was on the literal edge of her seat. Reed held her hand.

“Tim was brought in this afternoon.”

Reed’s arm around her waist was supposed to bring comfort, but all it did was remind her this was not a dream. A thousand questions swirled around her head, but none made it to her mouth. Her precious, baby boy? Arrested? What on earth had the world come to? Surely it was some kind of mistake!

“What are the charges?” Reed asked.

Mary appreciated the interference. Her voice had not returned.

“I’m sorry,” Eliza said. “We have not been introduced.”

“Of course.” He stood. “Where are my manners? I’m Reed Keller. It’s an honor to meet you, Chief Pancakes.”

“Likewise.” She cleared her throat and sat. “Mr. Keller, while I appreciate your role here, I do believe it’s only right for his father to be here as well.”

Mary looked up and found two pairs of eyes staring back at her. For a brief moment, she was far away in a world where life made sense and did not hurt.

“Mary?” She jumped at the sound of his voice. “You should call John.”

John! His only son had been arrested. Where was he?

Reed handed her the phone. “Mary…”

Mary shook herself out of the fog. John was at home. She needed to call him. “Right. I’m just going to … I’ll be back.”

“Perhaps you’ll want to step into the restroom,” Eliza blurted as Mary prepared to exit the office. “It’s the most private place besides the interrogation room.”

Had Eliza shown that level of kindness and concern from the start, perhaps they would be friends. “Thank you. Where is it?”

Mary half expected a grimy mess, but she was delighted to find that it was clean.

“Mary?” John answered.

She grabbed some tissue to dry her eyes. “Hello, John.”

“Are you crying?”

Downplaying or hiding her true feelings used to be her default, but not anymore. “Yes.”

“What’s happened? Is Phoenix ok?”

She tried to conceal a few sobs, but it was no use. “It’s Tim!”

“Oh dear Watcher. Is he–is he alive?”

“He’s been arrested!”

The dam broke. All the suppressed sobs came rolling out.

“Arrested? Whatever for? Where are you?”

“Eliza called. I’m at the police station. Come quickly, John!”

“I’ll be right there.”

Mary took a few minutes to get herself together before joining the others. Eliza apologized preemptively for ruining her evening, but Mary never imagined her entire world would crash that night.

“John is on his way,” she said, taking a seat.

Reed grabbed her hand again. “Are you ok?”

Why did everyone insist on asking that question in crisis? It was not appropriate and downright annoying. “My son has been arrested! How do you think I am?”

“I’m sorry. That was foolish of me.”

Eliza cleared her throat. “Could I get either of you some coffee?”

“Thank you, but no.”

“None for me,” Reed said.

Eliza nodded. “If you would excuse me, I’d like a cup.”

Mary nodded wearily, and Eliza disappeared. She rubbed her temples and tried to make sense of everything. “My poor son!”

Reed tried to squeeze her arm, but she brushed it away.

“He’s behaved strangely ever since moving out! But, he’s always been strange. I never expected he’d get into trouble!”

“It’s probably just a misunderstanding.”

“But she was so cryptic on the phone! Why not say ‘we’ve arrested your son as a precaution?’ This is bad. I know it is! How could this happen?”

Both their heads spun toward the door as the sound of it opening hit their ears. Before she could greet John, he glared at Reed with darkening eyes.

“What’s he doing here?”

The aggression took her by surprise. “John!” She hurried to him. “You know we’re together!”

“You brought your rich boyfriend to bail out our son? You think I can’t take care of my children?”

She gasped. “I have never–“

“You have some nerve bringing him here! This is family business! Of all the people who should understand discretion, it should be you!”

“And you,” he said pointing at Reed. “You sit there so smug. Have some self-respect and see yourself out!”

“John!”

“I can’t believe you, Mary. Every time I think you can’t stoop any lower, you do something like this!”

“Ok, I’m gonna have to stop you right there,” Reed said. “Say what you want about me, but I won’t have you talking about my lady. That’s what you’re not gonna do.”

John snorted. “Your lady is anything but.”

Three times in Mary’s life, she wanted to physically harm someone: the first time John got caught cheating, the second time, and right then. Fire spread from her toes all the way to the split ends of her golden locks. The weight of her balled fists made them sway, preparing to strike. The trio’s emotions were at their peak, so it was possible John didn’t mean what he said. Besides, there was truth in what he said. What kind of person leaves a perfectly good relationship to be someone she knew would be trouble? Who allowed another man to kiss her more than once?

John continued. “I knew you were screwing while we were married. Heh, I bet you couldn’t wait for us to get divorced. Funny though. I didn’t think you would go for sloppy seconds being an honorable man and all. Where did that get you? You could have had her all this time if you would have given her what she wanted from the start. No wonder she came looking for me. Ever think of that?”

As hard as she wanted to punch John in the face, Mary was more concerned about Reed. His Adam’s apple pulsed and jaw stiffened. He never lost his composure before, but if he did, she wouldn’t blame him.

His eyes stayed on the floor as he straightened his cuffs. “You’re testing my gangsta, John.” He stepped closer and folded his arms across his chest. Was it for intimidation or to keep himself in check? The fire in his eyes made them look like blue lasers ready to zap John into oblivion.

Mary’s heart raced. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to throw a punch in the Chief of Police’s office. “Reed…”

“I’m good, Mary. I’m not gonna let this small man wind me up. Why?” He stepped even closer to John, accelerating Mary’s breaths. “Because I knew way back in school you would be the best thing that happened to me. But, you know what? You were the best thing that happened to him too, and he knows it.”

“See?” Reed backed away. “You know I’m right, John Meyers. You messed up. Unlike you, I recognize a precious gem when I see one.”

Everything was so confusing. She still hurt from Tim being in trouble, but her concern grew for the other two men in her life throwing stones at each other. John’s words were like a freshly sharped chef’s knife to the heart. Reed’s words were the gauze that kept her from bleeding out. She had never been cherished before. No one ever fought for her. This man loved her more than she ever dreamed someone could love.

Eliza cleared her throat. “Now that you’re both here, let’s get to it.” She pulled out some papers from the folder on the desk and flipped through them. “Tim was arrested on six counts of grand larceny and suspicion of money laundering. Bail is set at §100,000.”

Mary gasped and clutched invisible pearls.

“Watcher,” John yelled. “We don’t have that kind of money!”

If Mary weren’t so shocked and upset, she would have thrown John’s own words back at him, asking if he wished her rich boyfriend would bail their son out now. Apart from being too upset, it was petty. She couldn’t behave like him.

Eliza cleared her throat quite a few times and fidgeted with her ring. She also had trouble making eye contact. “There are options.”

“We’re listening,” John said.

She cleared her throat again and sat up straight. “Option one: Pay the bail, and he goes home to await trial. Option two: Don’t pay the bail, and he stays here to await trial. Option three …” She cleared her throat and fiddled with her ring again. “Option three … I make it all go away.”

“Eliza!”

“That’s great,” John shouted. “Of course we want it to go away.”

“No,” Mary said.

All eyes were on her. Reed grabbed her hand.

“No? What do you mean ‘no?’ You want our son to rot in jail? This is probably one big misunderstanding anyway. You know Tim! He couldn’t find his way down a one-way street! You think he would steal?”

“Don’t insult the Chief of Police, John,” Reed said.

“YOU stay out of this! Mary! You can’t be serious.”

“I did this, John. It’s my fault he’s this way.”

“Mary … Don’t,” Reed said.

“What way?” John asked. “He’s innocent until proven guilty!”

“I coddled him. I fed him with gold spoons. He never wanted for anything. I didn’t prepare him well. And when he left, I didn’t try hard enough to connect with him. And … Now, someone else influenced him. The way I should have influenced him!”

“This isn’t your fault, Mary,” Eliza said. “I see wayward children and their parents all the time. Sometimes, children simply choose a different path.”

“Can we see him?” she asked.

“Of course.”

She and John followed the Chief through the police room and down a long, dimly light hallway with flickering hanging lights. None of this could have been real. The Police Station wasn’t the last place she thought she’d end up; it wasn’t even on the list.

An angry teenager held a number on her chest as an officer took a photo. The child was someone’s baby girl. How did she get into that predicament? What makes children choose crime over every well-taught lesson they ever received?

Down another hallway was a large holding cell filled with people dressed in orange jumpsuits. The men called out to Mary, appreciating her wasted outfit. A few women yelled nasty things to John as well.

Finally, Eliza stopped in front of a small cell at the end of the hall. At least Tim had a little privacy.

“I’ll be just down the hall,” Eliza said.

Mary nodded.

Tears rolled down Mary’s cheek again at the sight of her firstborn. “Timmy?”

“Mommy?”

“What happened, Tim?” John asked.

Tim jumped up and ran to the door. “Mommy! You’re getting me outta here?”

More tears welled up. “No, my son.”

His jaw dropped. “But … Mommy!”

“You need to take responsibility for your actions.”

John sighed. “Are you sure it has to be this way? Look at him. He’s scared! He doesn’t need to be in here with these criminals.”

She looked at him square in the eyes. “Our son is a criminal, John.”

Tim called for her as she walked away. “Mommy! Wait! I’m sorry! Uncle Tony has been missing, and I did’t have any help! Mommy! Please don’t leave me here! Mommy!!”

John caught up to her with his best rendition of comfort, but she pulled away. “Things could have been so different!” Her heart couldn’t take anymore pain, and she ran away crying.