May 1990
When I took the oath to be an officer for Metropolis, Evergreen State, I not only pledged to assert myself into dangerous situations to deescalate any threats, but also to maintain integrity of my own moral character, a vow that I would protect others at all costs. This means that I am never off-duty. I am always observant and it is forever engrained in my brain to look for any signs of distress.
Grocery stores are no exception.
It was my day off, so I wanted to complete a list of errands I needed to accomplish before I started work again. Our work days always involve early mornings and late nights, so it was best to get all chores and errands done in one day. It was really gloomy outside, so I really didn't want to leave the house.
Holding a list in one hand and pushing the cart with the other, I was slowly going up and down the grocery store isles. Tom usually does the grocery shopping, but he was caught up with a case so I promised that I would do it this time. He always gets in and out so fast because he has memorized where everything goes, but I was struggling. Tom says that I need to do more of the shopping so I can force myself to know where everything is, but I always retaliate with how he should start cooking more and then he backs off.
I reached up and grabbed a box of our favorite cereal and my spidey-senses started tingling. My heart began beating faster, and my palms got clammy while the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight. I've quickly learned to always trust my instincts. I almost felt like someone was looming over my shoulder behind me. Very slowly, I put the cereal box into the cart's basket and carefully peered over my shoulder. I felt instant relief when I noticed that there was no one directly behind me, but I saw a woman standing at the end of the isle and her big brown eyes were intent on me.
Something felt... off.
She didn't look any older than eighteen. Her hair was covered by a dark headscarf, and her dark circles by her eyes were heavy against her caramel skin. She wore a pair of baggy jeans, cinched with a chunky black belt and an argyle sweater vest was over a black long sleeve shirt to combat the cold and rainy weather. Her arms were crossed but I could see her fiddling with her silver necklace. She was in slight disarray, and her fearful eyes didn't leave mine.
Finally, her lip quivered and she tiptoed down the isle until she was right beside me. She kept looking over her shoulder anxiously, and she had an expression of alarm on her face. I could see sweat building over her dark eyebrows and her upper lip, despite the cool air of the store. She grabbed my elbow and in a small, quivering voice she begged, "please, help me."
Her words brought a chill down my spine. A million different scenarios flew through my head about why this teenager would need help from a stranger, but all I saw looking back at me was pure panic, and defeat.
I nodded softly to express my understanding for her fear. I lowered my voice and asked, "are you safe?"
She looked back over her shoulder again in a paranoid fashion, as if she was afraid that someone behind her could hear her speak. Her deep brown eyes met with mine again and she sniffed. She whispered even softer, "I don't think so."
I think my heart had physically stopped beating for a moment. Thinking quickly on my feet, I knew that I had to get her to a safe location so we could talk. She obviously didn't feel safe in this isle, so I figured that my car would be the best place for us to go. Based on her looking over her shoulder, I knew it was safe to assume that there was someone nearby that she didn't want to see.
The first thing I did was shimmy off my raincoat and I gave it to the girl to put on. When she flipped the hood up, I hoped that it was enough to mask her identity until we could get her in my car. She wrapped herself tightly in my raincoat, and it seemed to act as a security blanket for her. I left the shopping cart, and we navigated ourselves to the back of the store so we could slip out to the parking lot in the most discreet way possible.
Rain was pouring down on us in buckets, so I wanted to get to my car as fast as we could. After just standing outside for a few seconds, my brown halter top and jeans were already drenched. Not an ideal shirt for a rainy day as it exposed my shoulders and my back my the cold elements. Raindrops were pouring against my face as I jammed my key into the lock and promptly opened it while my eyes were squinting through the heavy rain. She slipped into my car, and when I ran to the drivers side I thought I heard the noise of something popping behind me. I stood up straight and whipped my head towards the busy parking lot and didn't see anyone except someone standing beside his pick-up truck. Wet strands of hair were sticking to my cheek and lips, but I ignored it. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was watching us. Raindrops were collecting on my eyelashes, making it difficult to see. I wiped the rain from my forehead before I swung into the drivers seat and locked the doors.
As soon as we were safe in my car, she took her hood off and said, "thank you. Oh, thank you."
The rain was rhythmically splattering on the windshield and the roof of my car. I took a breath and used my hand to wipe the wet strands of hair off my face. If I squeezed my hair, I know that water would have poured out of it. I used my wet sleeve to wipe any rain from my forehead before I turned to her and asked, "what's going on?"
"My ex-boyfriend, Danny, he was in that store. I got so scared. I—I had to get out of there. I'm sorry." She sounded like she was about to cry.
"Take a breath," I told her. When she did, I asked, "he's an ex-boyfriend?"
"Yeah. He was... insane. I'm so sorry, I didn't know what else to do."
"It's okay, I'm a cop. Just start from the beginning."
"Okay, um... we met in middle school and he never let me break up with him. He never let me leave. I... he got me pregnant when I was in eighth grade. He threatened to kill me if I lost the pregnancy. I was granted a restraining order about two years ago, but I still see him all the time. He's been following me. I'm so tired of being afraid for my life, and my sons life."
The fact that she was granted a restraining order, which is very difficult to get, just shows how dangerous of a man he is. The poor girl broke down crying. I have never been very good at comforting people, but I patted her back gently and asked, "what's your name?"
"Maariyah Hafeez."
"Maariyah, I'm Mickey. I'm going to help you, I promise."
She gave me a sullen smile and said, "I've been going to the cops for years. They won't do anything."
"I will help you," I promised again.
She looked at me and her large eyes welled with both tears, and for the first time, hope. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"What's his name?" I asked her.
"Danny Kelly."
I repeated the name a few times in my head so it would stick. Little did I know that this would be a name I would never forget.
"Danny was slowly controlling me and taking my independence without me even knowing until I felt like there was no way out. I didn't have another option. For years, he always said that the only way out is through death. If I die, just know it's not an accident even if it looks like one," she told me.
I could see the pure pain and panic on her young face. She must be at the end of her rope if she came up to a random stranger at the supermarket. She really needs help, and I was determined to help her.
I heard the sound of a truck revving, so we both looked out the window and I caught a glimpse of the guy who was staring at me before. He sped off, leaving behind black tire marks on the slick asphalt.
"I think that was him," Maariyah trembled.
I agreed, but I didn't want her to know that I was having the same thought. I dried my key off on my pant leg and started up my car. "I'll take you to M.P.D. and I'll talk to my captain. We will make sure that he never comes near you or your son again."
She let out a small breath and said, "that would be amazing. You don't know how much that means to me. Thank you so much."
I turned the radio up just a notch to fill the silence of the car and I began our drive to Metro's main police department. It wasn't that far, so I didn't have a lot of time to learn more about her situation and there was no delicate way to ask.
"I know that this has been going on for years and that this is hard for you, but what else can you tell me about Danny? I really want to help you and it'll make it easier if I know as much as possible."
"Danny was nice as first. He held the door open for me, he cracked funny jokes, and talked about how he wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. As a thirteen year old, those words sound amazing. My parents didn't approve, but he made me feel wanted and loved so I didn't care... but then it started with little things. Like... not letting me see my other friends, or if I did bad on a test he would tell me I was stupid. Nothing too bad but it stung."
I nodded as she told her story to show that I was actively listening.
"Then I got pregnant in junior high. I wore hoodies every day, not only because I wanted to try to mask my bump but I was also hiding the bruises Danny gave me. He always threatened to kick Zain—Zain is my son—to kick him out of me. Sometimes... I'm not sure if he was pretending or joking but he would bring his foot close to my stomach. And I was so young... having him almost killed me."
"That's horrible."
"After I had Zain, things were good again for a while. Zain's crying usually set him off but then he would just leave the room so he was away from the noise... but it left me to take care of our baby by myself. When we would get into our fights, he would scream and scream and scream at me, so in response I would threaten to leave him. Every time, he would threaten to kill me, himself, as well as Zain. I was too terrified to leave him."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"When I got the restraining order against him, he was expelled from our high school, and he now has to attend an alternate high school on the outskirts of town to obey the restraining order. I haven't let him see Zain ever since, but that's his new angle. He keeps trying to get in touch with me so he can see Zain again. He will never leave us alone."
I felt sick to my stomach over her story. There are so many cases of domestic violence that we encounter so often that we generally cannot do anything about since the victim does not speak up. It's a terrible system that creates a never ending cycle of pain, injustice, and fear. I was so proud of Maariyah for gaining the courage to speak up and getting the help she deserved.
I parked in the parking lot of the police department and Maariyah and I raced inside to avoid the rain. I walked up to the front desk with my squeaky shoes and asked to speak to Captain Briody. The receptionist paged for him, so while we waited I walked back to Maariyah.
"I'm going to have you tell everything you can to Captain Briody. He's my bosses boss," I told her.
"But I've tried going to the cops before, and they couldn't do anything." She looked down at her shoes with a sniff.
"Because you didn't have me to advocate for you," I said, "I will ensure that we will do everything we can to get that man away from you."
Briody came out and into the lobby of the department. He greeted me by saying, "Gregg. What a pleasant surprise."
"Good morning, Captain. This is Maariyah, and she has a domestic violence issue to report."
Briody looked at me strange, which I was certain he was going to do. This wasn't something he typically worked on anymore, but if I'm asking him, he must know that it's a pressing matter.
I continued, "it's urgent. She really needs to speak to you."
Briody's wise eyes looked into mine and I saw the trust that we have built for each other over the years. He gave in and said, "all right. Come on with me to my office, Maariyah."
I stopped her before she could walk down the hallway. I pulled out my business card and handed it to her. I don't give this card out very often, because it has not only the number to the chapel but it has my home phone number on it too. I said, "if you ever need anything—night or day—call me. Okay?"
She took the card and looked down at it for a moment. When she looked back up at me, she said, "thank you," and she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I hugged her back, and she squeezed just a little tighter. I didn't let go until she did. I'm not much of a hugger, but I've learned to always let go last. You never know how long they need it.
When we parted, Briody began to escort her down the hallway. He lagged behind so I could give him a quick run down of the situation, and he finally understood why I wanted her to talk to him rather a normal officer. I also told him that someone was going to need to escort her back to the store so she could get her car back, and he promised that he would drive her himself.
Once I knew that Maariyah was getting the help that she needed, I still couldn't get rid of that weird feeling in my gut that there was more that we could do to help her. In this line of work, I have learned time and time again to always listen to my gut.
Instead of going back to the store and picking up where I left off, I went straight to the chapel instead. It was the middle of the day, but Tom was sitting at his desk. He was really close to his bust yesterday, so he probably finished it this morning and is onto the paperwork now.
When the door closed, his head shot up and in my direction. His natural expression was replaced with a little contagious smile when he saw me. He wore a blue plaid button-up over a gray t-shirt, and his raincoat was over his chair. "Look what the cat dragged in."
"I know, I know. Your lives just got better," I joked.
"Well, you are welcome to join us. We were just discussing our deepest, darkest fears," he said with a slight dip in his chin and he made his eyes humorously wide.
"Put me down for fire and salsa music." I shivered. "And elevators."
He chuckled and asked, "what are you doing here, beautiful?"
I headed over to his desk with a little grin. Tom stood up and kissed my cheek. No matter how many times he does it, I still get butterflies. I said, "I really need to talk to Fuller. Is he here?"
Tom gestured behind him and said, "yeah, he's in his office. Anything wrong?"
I felt Tom's hand grab mine, and our fingers linked together as I said, "nothing is wrong... but I have a case I want us to look into."
His thick eyebrows shot up. "I'm intrigued."
The office door creaked open which distracted me. I looked back at Tom and said, "I'll tell you tonight."
"All right," he smiled down at me.
I had to stop myself from giving Tom a routine goodbye-kiss. However, with Fuller in the squad-room, I knew I couldn't without receiving a disapproving look. I stepped away from Tom, and our fingers reluctantly slipped from one another. I walked up to Fuller and said, "I really need to talk to you."
"What is this in reference to?" He asked. His hands were full of papers, he did not look keen to listen to what I had to say.
"Maariyah Hafeez."
Fuller squinted at me as he tried to think of how he knew that name, but it was clear he was coming up blank. But, I think he heard the urgency in my voice. He said, "my office. I'll be right there."
I passed him to go into his office, and I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. My leg was crossed and my foot was bouncing as I waited for him. When the door opened again, my back cracked as I turned back to face him.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"I was stopped in a store today because a girl was terrified for her life. There's a kid she has a restraining order against who keeps following her."
"Uh-huh?" He did not look impressed.
"I took her to Briody because she just looked so scared. She told me that he had threatened not only her life, but his own life and the life of their son on multiple occasions."
"Briody should be able to help her." He tried to dismiss me, but I needed him to understand that there was more to this than what I was even aware of.
"When I left, I couldn't get rid of this terrible feeling that it won't be enough. Sir, she's just a kid. She goes to high school in the city."
Fuller looked at me, like he was fighting against himself with listening to me. It was clear he didn't want to argue, but I was starting to persuade him. His expression was solemn when he said, "we can't save them all."
"I know. But I can save this one."
Fuller sighed with his head hanging down in thought. He stayed like this for a few seconds before his eyes met mine again. He knows I'm too stubborn to let this go. Finally, he asked, "what high school does he attend?"
"Marshall High School," I answered. Fuller asking me questions gave me hope that he was going to approve of me investigating this case.
Even if he didn't, I was going to anyway.
"That's the alternate high school, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"And does she go there too?" He asked.
"No. She goes to Rainier High School."
Fuller blew air out from his cheeks, then he said, "okay, I'll make the call today. I'll have Tom go to Marshall and keep an eye on him, and I want you to go to Rainier to keep her safe until we can get this under control."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
I stood up and left him to his papers. I felt significantly better knowing that I would be able to keep a close eye on her, but I still felt that weird knot in the pit of my stomach. I brushed it away when I walked up to Tom to say goodbye.
"Everything okay?" He asked, standing up from his chair again.
I nodded and said, "yeah. And, I got you a new assignment."
"With you?" He smirked a bit.
"Sorta."
"What is it?" He asked sincerely. His eyes were searching mine, seemingly hopeful that he would get an idea before I could inform him.
I gave him a brief run down of the situation. He listened intently, and nodded along as he listened to me struggle to hold back on my rant that would be saved for when we got home from work.
"I'm sorry... I'm not being overbearing, am I? Like, I'm not overreacting?" I asked while fiddling with one of my rings.
"Absolutely not. Because of you, she is finally gonna feel safe again," he said.
I blew air out between my lips and I used my hand to push my hair back and out of my face. "I hope so."
"I'm so proud of you." He pulled me in and kissed my forehead. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yeah. Love you."
"I love you too."
I left the chapel, and the rest of my afternoon was spent trying to dig up as much as I could about Danny and his criminal record. He had been expelled from Rainier High, and suspended on numerous accounts. He was sent to a juvenile detention center for a few months, and has been on house arrest twice. This doesn't even include his numerous traffic violations and speeding tickets. I also dug into Maariyah's criminal past, and it doesn't exist. She hasn't so much as gotten detention, let alone gotten in trouble with the law.
I took over the entire living room with papers, newspaper clippings, arrest records, and school records. I had everything laid out on the floor in a fashion that only would look organized in my eyes. When Tom came home, he didn't ask any questions. Instead, he made us corndogs for dinner and sat down cross-legged beside me and offered to help so he could be in the loop for when he starts the case in the morning. He's so sweet.
The next morning, I went straight to Maariyah's school and Fuller ensured that I would receive the same exact schedule as her. I tried to blend in during homeroom, but she recognized me almost immediately. I put my finger up to my lips so she wouldn't say anything, and it wasn't until the bell rang and we were walking together in the hallway I could tell her that I was assigned to protect her. We decided that if anyone asked, I was her best friend visiting from Oregon.
In my short amount of time going to school with Maariyah, I found her to be extremely funny, outgoing, smart, and absolutely lovely. She loved to show me polaroids of her beautiful son, who recently turned four. She clearly was such a loving, and devoted mom. Zain is lucky to grow up with a wonderful mama like her.
Almost every day after school, I went with Maariyah to pick up Zain from daycare and I got to spend time with the both of them. One Thursday afternoon, we had plans to pick up Zain and get ice cream so I asked Maariyah if Tom could meet us there, and she was more than happy to have him tag along.
We drove separately but I met them on the corner of the street so we could walk to the ice cream parlor together. She came up to me, walking with Zain attached to her hand. He was giggling, and I smiled at them.
"Thanks for waiting for us," Maariyah said.
"Of course."
Zain lifted his hand up towards me, so I took it and the three of us walked down the sidewalk towards the establishment. Maariyah told me that her and Zain came here all the time because this ice cream shop makes sweets that adhere to all dietary restrictions, and has delicious halal ice cream with acceptable ingredients. I had never been to this ice cream parlor before, so I was very excited to try it.
We walked into the parlor and Tom was already there. He was standing back with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and he was gazing intently at the menu. When the door opened, his head turned to us and he immediately smiled warmly.
Since we were both on this case, we stayed professional with our greeting. I smiled at him and said, "hey, Tom. This is Maariyah. Maariyah, this is my partner, Tom."
Tom gave her his handsome, knee dropping smile and he put his hand on his heart in a polite greeting. He said, "it's so nice to finally meet you, Maariyah."
I noticed Maariyah blush softly and she said, "you as well."
"Mickey won't stop talking about you two."
"Good things, I hope."
"All good things," he said. He looked in my direction and lifted his eyebrows up with his lips. His eyes gazed down to Zain who was still latched to our hands and he asked, "who is this dashing young man?"
"I'm Zain," Zain said with his small voice.
Tom squatted down in front of Zain to get to his eye level. He said, "hi, Zain. I'm Tom."
"Hi," Zain smiled bashfully.
Tom grinned back toothily. "Hi. You look just like your mom. Wanna get some ice cream, big man?"
"Yeah!" Zain said enthusiastically.
His hand slipped from mine and Tom grabbed a hold of it. He stood up and walked with Zain to the counter and read him the ice cream flavors. "What kind do you like? They've got chocolate fudge brownie, strawberry cheesecake, chunky monkey, salted caramel..."
I silently watched them walk together to the counter, and Tom picked Zain up so he could see all the flavors he could choose from. He made Zain laugh, and it made my heart flutter. Tom gets along with kids so well, I just know that he is going to be an amazing father someday.
Maariyah snapped me back when she asked, "he sure likes kids, huh?"
"What?" I asked. When I registered what she had asked, I said, "oh, yeah, he really does."
"Does he have any kids?" She asked.
I chuckled and joked, "none that I'm aware of."
Maariyah laughed and said, "I don't know what it is... but I can just tell that he was meant to be a father. He's got that... energy about him."
When I watched Tom interact with Zain, I easily could tell that she was right. He always made jokes about never having kids, but I don't think he would feel satisfied with life if he never had kids. It's probably not a priority for a while, but I know it's on his radar.
"You said that he's your partner?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"How long have you known him?" She asked while adjusting her silver bracelet that matched her silver rings.
"Oh... like... three years," I guessed.
Maariyah had a white sweater tucked into a pink plaid skirt, so she straightened it out and she asked, "so, he's a cop too?"
"Yeah."
"He seems really nice."
My gazed was still on Tom and I absentmindedly smiled at him. My eyes fill with love whenever I look at him. I agreed, "yeah, he's amazing."
After Maariyah and I decided on our flavors, Tom paid for all our cones and we sat at a table in the shop which played upbeat music that paralleled the rare sunny day.
Once everyone was situated, Maariyah said, "Tom?"
Tom looked up at her with his eyebrows raised after mindlessly devouring his caramel ice cream cone. Some ice cream stuck to the tip of his nose and he used his tongue to lick some of it off his lip. "Mmhm?"
Maariyah's lips tilted in a soft smile at his subtle goofiness and she asked, "how did you get into this line of work?"
I handed Tom a napkin which he used to wipe his nose and mouth. He gave me a little appreciative nod, then he answered, "my dad was a cop, so I just wanted to follow in his footsteps."
Maariyah turned to me and asked, "what about you?"
"I want to fix the system from the inside out. I was given a second chance, so I want to give that to others," I responded.
"Oh, that's interesting. I've always found undercover work to be super fascinating. I have to know what your favorite cases have been," she said enthusiastically.
"Oh." Tom's eyebrows raised slightly and we both looked at each other at the same time. It was like the gears in our brain wouldn't turn unless we were looking into each other's eyes.
"Well, there's the one in Star City where—" I started.
"Where I left you in a cell?" Tom finished while fighting a smile at the memory.
"—you left me—yes, there."
Tom snickered and said, "I thought that was hilarious."
I pointed at him and stifled my laugh to say, "it was not funny."
Tom faced Maariyah and said deadpan, "it was pretty funny."
I turned to Maariyah and said, "no, Maariyah, I got booked over in Star City for burglary and since I didn't have my badge, I trustingly and foolishly called Tom to come identify me and prove that I was a cop. He drove that hour in the middle of the night to come down to the station just to say—"
"I've never seen this girl before in my life," Tom eagerly revealed before I could.
"Then he drove home and he left me there," I finished.
"You left her there?!" Maariyah asked with an intrigued sense of wonder. At that moment, Zain sneezed so Maariyah took a moment to use a napkin to wipe his nose and ice cream covered face. Then, she laughed and said, "I'm sorry, but that is so funny,"
"See? I told you." Tom grinned and nudged me with his shoulder. "It's amusing."
"No, no, you know what was amusing? When you and Doug were blazed out of your minds over at Rydell High," I reminded him.
It took Tom a moment to remember but when he did, his tongue froze mid-lick on his ice cream and he made a sour face. After his tongue retracted back into his mouth, he painfully recalled the memory and said, "oh, god."
"Get this, Tom and our coworker Doug ate these weed brownies that some janitors were passing out throughout the school when they were undercover to look for marijuana. I had to pick them up and take them to our precinct," I told her.
"You're joking," Maariyah said and took a bite out of her cone.
"I wish she was," Tom grimaced.
"What did you say? That you felt like a rainbow?" I asked. My face felt hot from trying so hard not to laugh.
Tom let out an embarrassed laugh and he blushed. He ran his fingers through his hair and he said, "let's move on."
"Okay, okay. What about... Henry Clay High School? When that one kid was peeing everywhere," I said.
"A kid peed everywhere?" She asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, some kid was literally peeing into instruments, hallways, teachers desks... pencil sharpeners, soap dispensers..."
"Salad bars," Tom added.
"The salad bar," I confirmed.
"Wrestling mats," he continued.
"Wrestling mats," I confirmed.
"Everywhere."
"Everywhere."
"Ew," Zain winced humorously.
Maariyah laughed and said, "that's gross."
"Very gross," Tom said in Zain's direction.
"Very gross," I repeated.
Tom's head swung towards me and I eyed him teasingly for a moment before my lips tilted up in a smile. Whenever I look into his eyes, I remember how in love I am with him. He fought his smile and went back to his ice cream.
Maariyah asked, "you guys have been through a lot together, huh?"
Tom's eyes met mine again, and we shared a loving expression. The good, the bad, and the ugly memories of the years we have shared together seemed to flash through my brain. All the times that Tom made me laugh, made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the world, and everything we have been through. All the cases we have solved together, and all the moments we have together live inside my heart forever. And there are so many more wonderful memories to be made with him.
Our eyes didn't break apart until Maariyah spoke up by moving on to the next question. "How did you guys get into that line of work?"
"We both already knew people in the industry," Tom answered. He plopped the nub of his ice cream cone in his mouth and asked, "why?"
"After high school, I really want to get into the field to help domestic violence and family violence victims. It's a cause that's very important to me and I know I can really help others. I just don't really know where to start," she stated.
Tom sat up a little straighter and said, "you know, I'd have to talk to our boss first, but I'm sure that we can get you a job at our precinct just so you can get your foot in the door. Like a... like a... what's the word?"
"An internship?" I suggested.
He snapped his fingers and said, "yeah, like an internship. I mean, if you're interested."
Maariyah's face brightened and she asked, "really?"
Tom smiled at her while wiping his sticky hands off with a napkin. "Really."
"Oh, that would be amazing. Thank you so much."
"Not a problem."
He dug into his pocket and asked me if I had a pen. I grabbed one from my purse, which he took, and he handed the pen and a scrap of paper from his pocket to Maariyah and asked her to write down her number so he can give her a call after he talks to Fuller. She was really excited, and couldn't stop beaming for the rest of the afternoon.
That charming Thursday afternoon was full of jokes, laughter, ice cream, and it created a bond between us all. It was obvious that Zain loved his mom, and she adored her son. I wanted to do everything in my power to keep this happy family together without having to live with unimaginable fear.
When we said goodbye, Tom crouched down to give Zain a hug while I hugged Maariyah and said in her ear, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay."
Then, I went down to ruff up Zain's hair which made him giggle. I gave him a hug while Tom pulled Maariyah into a goodbye hug. She seemed to relax in the safety of his arms and her eyes fell closed. He rubbed his hand up and down her back softly, and didn't let go until she did. She invited Tom to join us for anything anytime before we parted ways. Tom later stated that he adored how close I was with that adorable little family.
The next night, the team convinced Tom and I to join them for a Friday night of bar hopping around town. There was an event that all the bars downtown were hosting so the streets were literally crawling with people on their hands and knees. Tom and I haven't really been taking them up on their offers lately since we generally don't enjoy late nights, but they guilted us into it.
Tom will go out with the guys a lot more than I do. I never really mind, because I don't really like going out in the first place. I am confident enough in myself and our relationship to not be the kind of girlfriend who will get upset or mad whenever my boyfriend wants to go out with his friends. If the guys can't get a cab, he will call and ask if I can pick them up. I always do, because I'd rather get them home safely with me than make them walk.
Despite being up way past my bedtime, Tom and I actually had a blast hanging out with our coworkers without simultaneously having to deal with work. Booker came too, he always goes out with us. Everyone let loose with drinks, shots, and laughter. Booker and Tom actually got along great tonight, you'd think they were lifelong buddies. We ate dinner, played pool, hopped around to different bars around downtown Metropolis, and a couple of them were crawling by the end of the night.
Even though the day was warm, it got chilly by nightfall. I had worn a pale blue satin slip dress, since Judy said she was going to be dressing up so I had to too. Tom gave me his brown leather jacket when I told him that I was getting cold.
Everyone took turns paying at every bar we went to. No one let me pay since I wasn't drinking, even though I was ordering food like burgers and onion rings. I ended up confiscating Booker's cash because he decided to give all of his money to one of the restaurants. At one of the last bars we went to, Booker ordered everyone a round of shots, and Tom told him that he was a bad influence, which Booker took as a compliment. Tom grew up in a pretty strict household, and now he has the freedom to do what he wanted. He can usually control himself, but I also try to push him to have fun and enjoy himself once in a while.
We all had walked out of a bar and we congregated at the entrance to figure out where to go next. I had noticed a sway in Tom's step so I reached out for his arm to steady him. It was almost one in the morning, so I finally called it quits for myself. Tom had slung his heavy arm around my shoulders as we said goodnight to Ioki, Doug, Booker, and Judy, but they weren't quite done drinking and checking out the bars around town. They tried to convince us to stay, but it was just too late for me. I'm a grandmother in that way. I tried to persuade Tom to stay and keep having fun with everyone and I promised that I would pick him up in a couple of hours, but he was dead set on wanting to come home with me.
I cracked a couple of the windows in the Mustang to allow some fresh air to flow through as I drove us home that night. Since it was a Friday night and the bars were having that big joint event, the streets were completely packed so it took a while for us to slowly drive through downtown without risk of hitting an intoxicated jaywalking pedestrian.
In front of our apartment door, I put my key into the lock but Tom distracted me by hugging me from behind and kissing my neck. I giggled and my shoulder scrunched to my ear as I swung the door open. Goosebumps traveled down my body at his touch.
"You smell delicious... I just want to eat you," he mumbled against my skin.
With his arms still wrapped around me, we took big steps together all the way into the kitchen and tossed my purse on the kitchen counter. He was making it hard to stay coordinated. I heard the door close behind us, and I placed my hand on Tom's arm that was hugging around my chest.
I tilted my head to the side as Tom nibbled my ear. I closed my eyes and asked with a joyful smile, "did you have fun tonight?"
"Yes, miss-ma'am. Did you?" He asked in a slow, sultry voice.
"I did. And I like seeing you in a good mood."
I've noticed that it's difficult to get Tom to crack a smile whenever he's on a case. He always tries so hard to make sure that I'm laughing and happy so I don't succumb to the tremendous pressure that being an undercover cop truly is. I'm not a fun-type of person, but he deserves that too, so I had to give him at least one fun, wild night out.
I felt the warmth of air push out of his nose and onto my skin from his little laugh, but goosebumps still rose to the surface. He said with a slight tipsy slur, "I'm always in a good mood when I'm with you."
I smiled and simply let him hold me. We swayed back and forth together, and I smelled his heavenly cologne. I hope we do more things like this because I honestly did have a lot of fun, and I know that Tom did too.
Tom was in such a touchy, bubbly, giddy, goofy, giggly mood. He planted another kiss on my neck, then one more on my cheek. Then, he grabbed my hand and spun me around to face him. I let out a little squeal and he silenced me by hooking his finger under my chin to lift my lips up to his. With his other hand, he cupped my ass and pulled me closer so I was against him.
"I fucking love you so much," he said.
"I love you more."
"Oh, I don't think so."
I closed my eyes and put my hands on his chest. I could subtly taste the beer that lingered on his lips and tongue, but I didn't mind it. At this point, my heart was at his command; to keep, to have, and to hold. All I desire is to make him happy, and to forever love him for the rest of my days.
Tom pulled back and he fell to his knees. He put his hands on my hips. I put my hands behind my back and gazed down at him. He looked up at me with his chin against my stomach, and adoration in his eyes.
"Marry me," he begged. His big brown puppy dog eyes were making me weak.
"Oh my god, get up," I giggled. I swear his heart is above his head sometimes.
"I'm not kidding." He smiled up at me with a dreamy look on his handsome face. "My life began the moment that we met. Marry me."
"Stand up," I said as I laughed.
I grabbed his hands and lifted them up, making him follow. He stood up and he cupped my face with his hand. All he did was just look at me for a few seconds. His thumb rubbed against my warm cheek tenderly. His deep brown eyes wrinkled when he smiled and he said, "God, I must've done something right, because how did I get so lucky to have you in my life?"
His lips gently pushed against mine and my eyelids fell closed with pleasure. He gave me the kiss of life. It didn't take long for us to find the couch, and I giggled when we fell into it. I sat on the couch, and he dropped to his knees. He carefully took off my shoes, one by one, and tossed them over his head where they clattered to the hard wood floor. I giggled as he got me on my back, and he crawled over me while giving me more kisses along my warm, smiling face. He had loosened his blue tie around his neck, so it was dragging on my stomach when he was hovering over me.
"Let's go into our room," he said in a low, breathy growl. "Or right here, I don't care."
"Right here."
He relaxed down carefully so he was laying on top of me. He was so safe and warm, like a blanket. I ran my hands through his hair while he nibbled on my ear as he suggested playfully, "let's celebrate the end of this long, long, long week."
"We celebrate the end of every long day, Mr. Hanson," I pointed out playfully.
"Mr. Hanson?" He repeated offendedly. "It's officer to you."
I chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry, Officer Hanson."
I felt Tom smile against my jaw and he said in a soft, sultry voice, "we will make this extra-special. I just want you all to myself tonight."
His lips came back down to mine and his free hand traveled down my torso, chills were chasing his magnetic touch. Every time I get a taste of him, I just want a little more. He fumbled with my shirt and pulled it up and off my body and tossed it away. His soothing fingers on my body were gentle, but he kept his strength by his wish to make this a hot and wilder night. Every move he made was absolute magic. It didn't take much for him to drive me wild.
Tom got a fistful of my hair, and he got my body trembling like it should. I think his ring got tangled in the strands, but that just got me hotter. He pulled my head back just a little, just enough to expose my neck and get him to look at me like a wild animal. I really hoped that this amazing night would never end.
As if it was muscle memory, Tom distracted me with his tongue while using his free hand to caress my face and make his way down my torso, and hiked up the skirt of my slip dress. He smelled of bold Irish whiskey, a splash of vanilla, and a hint of coffee. It was so heavenly.
He cupped my breast with his hand, just enough to give him a handful. He rolled me over to my stomach and entered me from behind. He brought his lips down to my ear and said, "Michelle, I want to take you in every position I have imagined you in tonight."
Tom slipped out and began to reposition me. He was taking control of the night, and I was more than ready to let him. My brain cannot comprehend how out of any girl in the world he could have, he wants me. He wants me. I still think he's the most attractive man in the world, and that will never change. I taunted him with my lips, leaving him wanting more of me. I'm painfully afraid that I will be a bore to him or I'll never be enough for him.
Just as Tom's tongue was fighting against mine, our landline began to ring. Both of us froze and his head picked up enough to gaze at the phone dopily. A bead of sweat was slowly going down his temple. Then, he came back down and said promptly, "let's ignore it."
"We can't ignore it. What if it's important?"
"It's the middle of the night. Whoever it is knows that we should be asleep," he said. His appealing voice was all I wanted to hear, but the trill of the phone interrupted it.
"Exactly, it's the middle of the night. No one would call unless it was important." I put my hand on his shoulder to keep him from trying to distract me with his soft, pillowy lips.
Tom sighed and finally gave in. He reached above my head to pick up the receiver mid-ring and he pressed it to his ear. He cleared his throat to get rid of his bedroom voice and said, "hello?"
I couldn't hear the other end, but Tom's face quickly turned sour in sobriety. His dark eyebrows were hunched over his eyes, and his lips were puckered in confusion. Then, he carefully crawled off of me and I sat up, halting my breath in an attempt to listen to the other side. He sat down on the arm of the couch and put his hand on his knee with an expression of deep thought on his face.
"Who is it?" I whispered.
Tom looked up at me and his lips parted in confusion. He leaned down to me and I put my ear beside his so we could listen to the phone call together. It didn't take long for my face to copy his. We heard some light murmurs between two people, like someone was pleading. Then there was a muffled blood curdling scream, followed by deafening silence and the ominous dial tone. It made the hair in the back of my neck stand on end.
"Who—what was that?" I asked.
"I don't know," Tom said softly and he turned to hang up the phone.
"Did they say anything to you?" I asked as I stood up and repositioned the spaghetti straps that slipped off my shoulders. My heart rate was climbing and I could feel my palms sweating from that spine-chilling scream.
"No. All I heard was like someone rummaging around. I'm not quite sure." He rubbed his eye.
That familiar feeling of the knot curling up in my stomach returned as my mind was racing about every possible scenario that it could be. Who would be calling us in the middle of the night? Why was there a scream? Who screamed?
Tom could sense my panic, so he stood up and placed both of his comforting hands on my shaking shoulders. His kind, gentle eyes grounded me before he reassured me by saying, "hey, hey, it's okay. I am sure it's nothing."
"How can that be nothing?" I asked.
"It was probably just a prank call."
"Last time I thought something was a prank call, a man held a gun to my head when I was in a towel," I pointed out while gesturing to my head.
"I am here to protect you now. That will never happened again. I promise you."
"What if it was Maariyah?" I asked, since I gave her my home number. Now that the thought that it could have been her was in my head, I couldn't shake it out.
"You will see her on Monday," he stated.
I looked away from him and didn't say anything. I knew he was right, I was being paranoid for no reason. I could smell the beer on his breath from our night out, so I tried to focus on that rather than let my mind run amuck with everything the phone call could be. I am so used to jumping to the worst possible scenario, I tend to overlook the basics.
But... I'm usually right.
"Come on, let's go to bed," he said.
"But, Tom—"
"Mickey." He closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his tired face. When he looked at me again, he said, "I promise, everything is okay. Let's go to bed. You'll feel better tomorrow."
"I don't know if I can sleep," I mumbled.
"Then we can talk about anything you want until the morning. Will you just lay down with me, please?" He asked.
Tom took my hand and began his leisurely walk to bed. My feet were firmly planted like stone, but then I let his influence guide me to our bedroom. I pulled the dress off over my head and changed into my pajamas instead. We shared a pillow, and he wrapped his arm around me, where it would stay for the entire night.
Tom pulled me in and I felt his warm lips on my neck. His hand cupped my breast while his lips explored my skin. His touch was magic, but my mind was elsewhere.
"Maybe we should just get some sleep tonight?" My voice trembled just a bit. I wanted to talk about the phone call, but I knew he didn't.
His voice was a murmur with his lips against my skin. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."
Tom kissed my shoulder and then said, "okay. Just one more kiss, then I promise I will say my last good night." I felt him prop himself on his elbow behind me, waiting for me to roll over and surrender my lips to him once again.
He made me smile a little, and I rolled my head towards him. He gave me one last kiss for the night, and for a moment all my worries disappeared. I whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed me again.
No matter how many times we do it, I always feel myself begging for more. But tonight, once I was curled up on my side with Tom's arm pulling me close to him, my lustful feelings were replaced with anxious worry. Tom found my hand and he slipped his fingers through mine. I heard his breathing become deeper and more relaxed, so I listened to him for a few minutes to try to relax myself.
"Tom?" I whispered in case he was asleep.
He softly ran his thumb across my hand to show that he heard me.
I was looking at the ceiling, but my eyes drifted to my teethmarks that were embedded into the wood of our headboard. Another deep set could have been added to our collection tonight if it wasn't for my imaginative mind.
"Never mind. Go to sleep," I replied.
I couldn't stop thinking about the call, and I tried to pick out the separate voices through what was haunting in my memory. There was definitely a woman's voice, and another that was deeper but I couldn't pinpoint it.
Tom is right, it's probably just some prank call.
Once Monday came, my paranoia and anxiousness increased with every passing minute that Maariyah did not walk through the door to homeroom. When the bell rang, my stomach was in knots and my palms were sweating with anxiety. I felt sick to my stomach, but I was trying desperately not to jump to any dire conclusions.
I didn't see Maariyah show up at all before lunchtime. But one by one Maariyah's friends were being summoned to the principal's office. When it was my turn, the principal was asking me if I knew anything about her disappearance.
Disappearance?!
He couldn't tell me much, only that her parents were concerned and since we were friends, they were curious if I knew anything about if she mentioned anything about running away, or if she was suicidal. I gave them as little information as possible, because I knew I had to get out of there and talk to Briody as soon as I could.
As soon as they let me go, I drove as fast as I could to headquarters. The precinct was bustling with officers and officials, I assumed it was all for Maariyah.
I found Briody making a statement to a group of officers, but he stopped when he saw me. I saw his face tighten and a wave of dread casted over his eyes. He excused himself and he pulled me aside.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked in a harsh whisper.
He sighed and said, "Maariyah was last seen on Friday afternoon."
My eyebrows raised and my eyes widened. I could not believe what I was hearing. "Are you kidding me?"
"Last time her parents saw her was Friday morning. They called us after the daycare called them because Maariyah didn't pick Zain up that afternoon."
"Why am I just now hearing about this?" I asked.
"Did you see her on Friday?" He asked, ignoring my question.
"Yeah, she was at school," I said. Last I spoke with her, she told me that she had plans of picking up Zain and taking him to the park. She asked if I wanted to join, but I declined because I had some work to do at the chapel. I told her that I would love to go with them the following week, and she seemed excited about that.
"Did she leave early?"
"No, she was there all day with me."
"Did she ever express to you that she wanted to run away?"
"Absolutely not. I know her, and she would never do that. And even if she did, there's no way she would have left Zain. That boy is her life."
Briody sighed and rubbed the back of his thick neck. "Yeah, we thought that too. But her home was broken into, trashed, and all of Zain's toys, books, and clothes were all taken."
"Why would she break into her own home?" I asked. It was obviously not her.
"That's what we've been trying to figure out."
"You said that she's been missing since Friday?" I asked.
"Yeah. We had to wait the full 48-hours before we could classify her as a missing person so there was nothing we could do. We also hoped that she would attend classes today, but since she wasn't present, we are going to search for her."
I was livid. If I was a cartoon, I would have steam blowing out of my red ears. I wanted to sprout off about how the system was garbage and she should have been helped years ago. The lack of resources provided for her and the likelihood of discrimination is what failed her. I bit my tongue for the time being, because ranting wouldn't help now. Right now, all that matters is that we find Maariyah.
Research has indicated that the first twenty-four hours are crucial. If missing people are not found in the first twenty-four hours, the chances of finding them alive are extremely low. Maariyah should have been reported as missing immediately. The lack of urgency was baffling. I can't help but think what outcome there would have been if she was white. I'm sure she would be safe at home at this moment because she would have been looked for immediately. I can't change the system from the outside, I have to work from the inside so I can't lose my job.
"What else did you guys find out?" I asked. I snapped my hair-tie against my wrist to keep myself from blowing up.
Briody peered over his shoulder and lowered his voice, "we found her car parked at the bus station over in Star City, but her wallet was tucked underneath the seat."
"Have you guys looked into Danny Kelly?"
He nodded. "We have, and he's come up clean. His fingerprints weren't found in the car or the wallet, and when we brought him in for questioning he had an alibi."
"What's his alibi?"
"He was camping with his brother this weekend. They went to Idaho."
"Uh-huh," I grunted. I didn't believe a second of it. "You and I both know that she didn't run away."
"All signs are pointing towards that," he said.
"But you and I both know that she didn't run away. Time has been wasted. I should not have to convince you or anyone on your team to do their job."
"She's an adult, she can do whatever she wants. Or it's an accidental death and we can't find her body."
"Accidental death." I looked away and scoffed.
Briody sighed. He's knows it, and I know it. Danny had something to do with it, but without proof there wasn't anything we could do. "Without a confession, there's not much we can do without a body. She's considered missing until we find her."
Everyone is considered missing until a body is found. No body, no crime. I refused to believe that she was dead, I was determined to find her. I won't give up. Zain needs his mom.
Briody went back to making his public statement, and I went straight to Fuller with my new information. After I delivered this update, he advised that I join Tom at Marshall High School. Tom reported that Danny had been attending class, except that he was late today.
I made another appearance as Mickey McQuaid to blend in with the kids at this alternate high school. I was just acting as background since Tom had been investigating him longer. Danny had soulless eyes, and an expressionless face. Even if my eyes were closed I could feel his presence because the energy in the room would shift.
A few days after I started to attend Marshall High, there were no updates on Maariyah. There were no sightings of her, no communication, and nothing new that could help us find her. I know the Metropolis Police Department was trying to think of a way they could bring Danny in for questioning again, without the chance of him running off since he was considered a flight risk. I think he did it, but I just can't prove it.
During passing period, I was walking in the hallway when Danny grabbed me and he pulled me into an empty classroom. The door closed softly behind us and he had me pinned between his arms with my back to the classroom wall.
He had his hands on either side of my head and his face was so close to mine, I tried to hold my breath so I wouldn't smell anything foul. He bared his crooked teeth while he said, "I know that you're a fucking cop. I saw you with Maariyah."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied back, calmly.
"I know why you're here. You're here to get to me. I know that. If you say anything, I will end your fucking life, her fucking life, his fucking life, and everyone's fucking life."
He was breathing on my face like an angry bull. I lifted my eyebrow up at his confession. "So you know where she is?"
Danny quickly realized his mistake and took his anger out by slamming his hand against the wall beside my head. Like a toddler throwing a tantrum, he shouted, "I didn't fucking say that!"
My eyes widened at him, and I had to demonstrate complete self control and not engage in his crude behavior. But he was honestly terrifying. He looked like he wanted to rip my esophagus out of my throat with his teeth. I was looking into the eyes of a cold blooded murderer.
One thing I know about murderers, is that they think they have the right to take away someone's life. It's an advantage. Maariyah was a strong girl, she had every right and probably could have killed Danny to protect herself but I know she was probably caught off guard. She never would have died without a fight.
In an instant, his voice calmed and softened. "A son needs his dad, you know? My boy... I didn't see my boy for two years."
"That must be hard," I said to try to sympathize with him. But there was no sympathizing with that monster.
"With Maariyah missing... I found out that her parents are getting custody over my own son. They're taking him away from me. I can't live without my kid. I'd be a better parent than Maariyah ever was."
Was?
The door to the dark classroom opened and Tom walked in. He didn't waste a moment to react to the image of witnessing a wanted man pinning his girlfriend up to a wall.
I swear I saw his eyes turn black as he marched up to us and he grabbed Danny by his hair and his jacket. He pulled him off of me while I called out, "Tom! It's okay!"
"Geez, man, watch the hair!" Danny shouted while Tom dragged him to the other side of the classroom where there was a door that led to the back of the school. Tom flawlessly kicked the door open without loosening his grip and he shoved Danny outside.
"Tom!"
Danny lost his footing and he slipped on the wet grass. Tom kept his ice cold stare as he marched up to Danny again and he demanded in a firm voice, "never lay a hand on another woman again."
"What the—geez, man. Take it easy," Danny said as he got up on his feet but Tom was so close, he was practically looming over him.
"Where is Maariyah, Danny?" I asked him calmly yet firmly as I walked over to the guys but I stayed behind Tom. I tried not to let my voice shake at the confirmation that my friend was no longer alive and she will never be able to come home to her son.
"Even if I knew, I wouldn't say. You could be tapped." His eyes glimpsed down at my shirt then back up to my eyes. If Tom never came into that room, I am certain that he would have tried to rip my shirt off of me to search for a wire.
I usually don't reveal myself, but since he recognized me from the store it was better to admit that he was right so I can create a false sense of trust. And by now, he knows that Tom is also a cop. This may be our only option.
I stepped in front of Tom and said coolly, "you know that I'm a cop. What if I told you that I can get you to be with your son? You can prove that you're a competent father for him."
"What?" That seemed to grab his attention. He wiped the grass off his jeans and finally looked at me.
"Yeah, what?" Tom's eyes grew large.
"I can arrange a meeting. You can have a supervised visit with your son."
"You can?" His voice softened, but I didn't let that manipulate me. He is still a monster, but I fully believed that if I could get him to be in the same room with his son for even a minute, he will confess and tell us what really happened to Maariyah. The only people who know what happened to Maariyah, is Maariyah and Danny. Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead, because dead men tell no tales.
"You can?!" Tom repeated.
"I promise."
Danny shook the dirt off his hands while he chuckled emptily. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and he said, "okay, cop, I wanna see him tomorrow. Can you do that?"
Behind me, Tom firmly replied, "no."
I ignored him so I nodded and said, "yes."
"Good. My house at noon," Danny said.
"Okay, we will see you then." I turned around and walked past Tom to head back into the school, and he followed right behind me. I squeezed my neck muscles to try to ease the tension that conversation infused into my muscles. We slipped into the hallway as kids were rushing past us to get to their next class before the bell rang.
Tom and I decided to meet back at the chapel since we drove separately, and he beat me there. By the time I got into the chapel, Tom and Fuller were already ready for our meeting in his office.
As soon as I walked in and closed the door, I spun around to the guys and said, "I think we should bring Zain and Danny together."
"You're planning on giving this guy Zain?" Tom's eyes were dark and angry and his jaw hardened. I noticed a vein in his forehead protrude as he attempted to hide his irritation. He was not happy about my idea in the slightest.
I scoffed, "absolutely not. I hope that just seeing Zain and having that false sense of security will get him to confess."
Tom exhaled softly and looked to Fuller. Fuller tapped his chin and asked, "where will you guys be?"
"Tom and I will take Zain up to Danny's door and let Danny have a supervised visit. Zain will either guilt him to confess, or we can use Zain as leverage to get him to confess. But we can't let him know, because he could run to Canada."
Fuller's eyebrows came up and he thought my plan over for a moment. Then he asked, "you sure this will work?"
"I'm positive. Worst case scenario is that he doesn't tell us and we take Zain back to his grandparents house." I glanced over at Tom, and his expression softened a bit. Knowing that the worst thing that could happen is that Danny clams up gave him the confidence to carry out this plan. I finished with, "as long as there is hope, there's a chance."
Fuller nodded. "I'm approving it. You said we have to be in place by noon, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Great, I'll make some calls."
Tom stood up and he opened the door for me to leave Fuller's office. We began walking to our desks when he asked, "are you absolutely sure that this will work?"
"I know it will," I said confidently. "I'd never put Zain in any position where he might get hurt."
Tom sighed and finally said, "okay, I trust you."
I let out a little exhale and didn't let the fearsome thoughts break into my mind. Honestly, a lot could go wrong with this but the pros outweigh the cons.
______________________________
By morning, everything was arranged. Sneaker cars were planted all around the neighborhood and Tom and I picked Zain up from his grandmas house to take him to see Danny. His grandparents were hesitant, but very understanding of our plan. They gave him a big hug, and told him that they were going to make his favorite dinner for when he got home.
Zain looked so much like Maariyah. They both had dark brown eyes, and he had thick, curly brown hair. Everyone just wanted to know where Maariyah was, and Danny was the only one with that information. We hoped that Zain would be enough to guilt him to confess.
Tom and I walked hand in hand with Zain up to the door to Danny's house. He got emancipated a year before, so now he lives in a small townhouse alone.
Zain squeezed my hand softly and asked in a small voice, "where are we?"
"We are going to visit a man who might know where your mom is," I stated and knocked on the door.
"Oh. Please don't leave me," he said.
I looked down at him and squatted down to his eye level. I looked him in his big, innocent brown eyes and said, "I won't leave you, ever. I promise."
Zain smiled softly at me, and then the door opened. My head snapped to Danny who stood over us and I slowly stood back up without breaking eye contact. Danny was quick to grab a hold of Zain's arm. He hasn't seen him in nearly two years, and didn't even bother to introduce himself to his own kid. Danny looked me dead in the eyes, with a look of emptiness that brought chills down my spine. He pulled Zain into the house then he slammed the door in our faces.
Tom and I looked at each other in disbelief before we started knocking on the front door frantically. It happened so fast, neither of us had a chance to even try to stop him.
"Danny! Open this door!" I shouted. I was knocking so hard, my knuckles were starting to bruise.
"Danny!" Tom screamed out as he jiggled the locked door handle.
Both of our voices silenced when we heard Zain crying through the door. I could physically feel my heart in my throat when he began to scream. It was high pitched and obviously full of terror.
"Tommy! Mickey! Help me! Mama! Please, come get me! Please, help me! Mickey!"
I immediately reached for my gun that was safe in my belt. I had planned to shoot the lock so we could rush into the house and save Zain, but Tom stopped me when he put his hand over my own.
"What?" I asked. I had my aim perfect to the lock, and all I had to do was pull the trigger.
Tom's face was scrunched with concern. He sniffed the air and then he asked, "do you smell that?"
I brought my gun down as my nose twitched in an attempt to catch a whiff of anything that smelled out of the ordinary. I didn't notice it before, but I started to smell the putrid stench of gasoline and petrol.
Realization crossed my face and my eyes met with Tom's. We could still hear Zain sobbing from inside the house, and it broke my heart that I couldn't get into the house to save him. I glanced past Tom and noticed a window that I might be able to get through if it's unlocked.
"The window!" I exclaimed and began making my way towards it.
Tom grabbed my arm to stop me and he said, "no! It's too dangerous."
"I have to get Zain!" I argued.
I stubbornly ripped my arm away from Tom's clutch. I was racing against time, and there wasn't much time left. I bolted to the window and I pressed my palms against the glass. It began to slide up, and I caught a glimpse of Danny near the back of the house. He was standing, but he looked like an ominous shadow. His head slowly turned towards me, and I could feel my heart beating in my ears. I saw a flame flicker by his hand, and I let out a gasp.
Tom's voice shouted, "look out!"
Tom wrapped his arms around me and he pulled me away from the house. In that moment, the house exploded and quickly became engulfed in flames. The intense explosion shattered all the windows and blew the heavy front door clear across the lawn.
Tom and I screamed and we fell to the ground since our feet got tangled up with one another, trying to get as far away from the explosion as possible. Smoke filled the air, and my skin felt extremely hot from the nearby fire. I saw pieces of rubble flying threw the air so I tucked my face to the ground, and Tom covered me with his body to protect me.
My breathing was quick and heavy. I could barely fathom what had just happened. Once Tom released me from our embrace, I pushed myself up and looked to the house where I saw that the fire had completely engulfed the entire structure. All I could hear were the roar of the flames, and Zain's cries were forever silenced.
"Oh—oh my god," I gasped and covered my shaking hand to my mouth. Tom immediately turned me away from the house and pulled me into a hug. I couldn't even cry, I was in complete and utter shock.
Tom pet my hair softly as he soothed me by saying, "it's okay. It's okay. It's okay."
Sirens filled the air, and soon a fire truck came barreling down the street. Tom and I stood back as the firefighters put out the fire. He had his arms around me, and I felt numb. Tom kept making sure I was alright. Physically, I was fine except some glass had embedded itself into my arms and shoulder that I did not feel. But I was not okay. Who would be okay after something like this? And since we were on this case, we would have been called to see the bodies anyway so we couldn't leave if we wanted to.
My life was saved that afternoon. Tom saved my life. If he wasn't there, I would have shot that lock and turned into pink mist. Or, I would have crawled through that window only to get blown to bits and swallowed by the flames within moments. With the guilt of not being able to save Zain, I didn't feel like I deserved to be saved myself. I felt like I should have died in that house with them, trying to bring him home.
What would have happened if I had answered that phone? If she didn't hang up? Would she still be alive? I felt like I could have prevented this. They would all be alive. I could have gone straight to Fuller and we would have been able to track where that call was coming from. If only I would have known...
"It's all my fault... its all my fault... it's all my fault..." I began to hyperventilate. My chest was heaving and I was feeling light headed. I looked down at my hands, and they were trembling. I never would have brought Zain if I thought there was a chance that he would never make it out.
"No, no, it's not. It's not your fault. It's not your fault." Tom put his arms around me and he held me close to him tightly to calm me down.
"Why didn't you let me go?!" I sobbed out against his chest. "Why—why didn't you let me get him?!"
I was enraged. I wasn't mad at Tom, I was mad at Danny. I was angry with myself. I was furious over the horrific situation. I think Tom knew this, so he didn't say anything. I didn't mean to project my anger onto him, but I did. I was shaking in his arms, but soon I settled down and just let him hold me.
By the time it was safe for us to enter the charred remains of the home, bright yellow caution tape surrounded the property. We had informed Fuller of the tragic situation, and I could hear the sorrow in his voice. No one knows what to say about a beautiful boy who was brutally murdered.
I usually don't feel sick or get upset after seeing human remains, since it's part of the job. Granted, I don't see them very often because our suspects usually go to jail. But when I entered the home, my stomach knotted up when I saw a bloodied hatchet beside Danny's remains. My eyes gravitated towards little Zain's body, and my eyes filled with tears.
Zain had significant chopping injuries to the back of his head and neck. It almost looked like the wounds were deep enough to decapitate him. His skull was deformed from the blunt instrument. Blood had seeped down his back and stuck to his brown hair, and it pooled around him. I never knew so much blood could fit in such a little body. Chunks in his skull were gone, providing a window into his brain. His flesh was charred, it was impossible to tell that this was the same boy who was just gripping my hand in fear... and trust... just a few hours earlier.
I inhaled sharply and turned away. I looked up at the sky through a hole in the ceiling and focused on my breathing. I put my hands on my hips and swayed back and forth to come to terms with this tragic end for such a wonderful little boy.
"We can leave. It's okay," Tom said to me softly. His hand settled on my shirt and he rubbed my back gently.
"No." I shook my head and blinked my tears away. I could still hear Zain calling out for me, for Tom, and his mother. He was so scared. I sniffed and said, "I'm fine. I'm okay."
"Okay," Tom said softly.
My voice broke as I said, "I'm really struggling. I don't think I am strong enough to be here."
"It's okay, we can go," he said softly.
"Not just here, but Jump Street too. I am not strong enough." I crossed my arms over my chest and wiped a rogue tear from my cheek.
Tom walked up to me and linked his fingers through mine. "Hey. You are so strong, Mick. You are the strongest person I know."
I smiled back in appreciation, because I knew that if I said another word I would certainly cry. Tom guided us out of the house, and he walked me straight to the car so I wouldn't look back.
I had never been so angry in my life. This man executed something so pointless and permanent, sometimes I am brutally reminded of how horrible some people are. What made him so sure that he had the right to take their lives? It was undeniable that he killed Maariyah. Otherwise, why else would be brutally kill himself and his son? Innocent people would not do that.
Our investigation into the fire confirmed that this explosion was deliberately planned. Danny had attacked Zain with a hatchet while he was still alive, before he became overwhelmed by the smoke and fumes. He had the spread gasoline throughout the house, on himself, and on Zain. Then, he lit the match. Both of them died from smoke inhalation. Meaning that Zain felt every single painful blow from the sharp hatchet, every ounce of fear, and every thought about why we weren't coming in to save him. Maariyah's body wasn't found in the rubble. We still have no idea where she is.
I later found out that the day before the incident, Danny had withdrawn all the money from his bank account and gave it to his sister. We also found that according to records, he had donated all of Zain's toys, books, and clothes that he stole from his home to local charities. He did this a day before he killed his own son.
With no body, we will never know what truly happened to Maariyah. Since Danny was a construction worker, I can only assume that he secretly cremated her body on one of his many job sites. She will forever be considered missing, and closure will never come to her family. I genuinely believe that Tom and I heard her death on the phone that frightful Friday night. She was calling me, because she trusted me. She needed me because I was the only one willing to help her. And I failed her.
This can't be our world. How is this reality? Her lack of help was probably racially charged. This has happened too many times, and will continue to happen for decades to come. There must be lights that are burning brighter... somewhere. Birds that are flying higher in a sky that is more blue. Where there are strong winds of promise that blow away our doubt and fear. Where there is a tremendous sense of peace and understanding amongst everyone. I can only dream of a better land where we can all walk together, where there is a warmer sun that shines hope on the faces of everyone. I don't know why that sun won't appear... Probably because we are lost in a cloud with too much rain. We are all trapped in a trouble world. However, as long as we have the strength to dream, we can fly.
Deep in my heart, there is a trembling question about the future. But I am sure that answers are going to come to us soon. Because out there in the dark, there is a candle that is beckoning us to this land of harmoney and love. While I can think, while I can talk, while I can stand, while I can walk, and while I can still dream, I will stand up for those who do not have a voice.
Maariyah didn't deserve this. She was a very nice girl, with kind eyes and a genuine personality I only caught glimpses of. She was a great parent, and it was easy to see by how Zain was such a great kid. I can still feel him hold my hand, I can hear his little laugh, and I will forever be entranced with his precious and kind soul.
I was heartbroken that I couldn't save Zain. He was right in the palm of my hand, and he slipped through my fingers. I felt like I handed him to his killer, and I will forever feel responsible for it. I will never make a mistake like this again. But I know that Maariyah was waiting for him on the other side, taking his little hand, and they walked together on the road paved in gold to spend the rest of eternity on the other side of the rainbow. Where it is always summer, where they will never get cold, where they will never get hungry, and where they will never get old and gray. She was his protector until the end.
Maariyah will live within me for the rest of my days. Maybe I'll see their shadows wandering off somewhere out of the corner of my eye. I know that we will never find her and be able to bring her home, but I hope that she has found peace. I will advocate for men and women who are victims of domestic violence in her memory until the day I die.
This chapter was inspired by the tragic case of Susan Powell! I decided to use her case as inspiration for this chapter because she rightfully deserves to have her story told and to be remembered as the wonderful woman she was. She deserves justice ❤️
moonlightxsecret_