CHAPTER 25
Colin
All things considered, Colin decided he was okay with what he’d done. Though as the adrenaline drained from his system, leaving him feeling both exhausted and shaky, it was hard to ignore the fact that he was on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back, guarded by two glowering officers and most likely staring at a long prison term.
Maybe he should have pulled over for the officers who’d been following him.
And maybe he shouldn’t have come to a screeching halt behind the squad car that was already at the Sanchez place while those officers had been approaching the door. And maybe he shouldn’t have ignored them when they’d demanded that he stop his charge to the front door and simply let them handle it. If he’d made different decisions, the officers probably wouldn’t have drawn their weapons, nor would he have faced a situation in which he’d wondered whether they might actually fire them.
On the plus side, he hadn’t actually touched any of the officers after he’d kicked the door in, but none of them were in any mood to listen when he’d tried to tell them about the vacant house or the park, places that Lester may have run off to. All four were too pissed for that. They had him on speeding, reckless driving, and ignoring lawful directions, and they weren’t going to settle for writing a couple of tickets and be done with it. They’d placed him under arrest, which meant his deal was going to be revoked.
His lawyers would fight it; no question about that, but more than likely, the original judge would be informed. That judge—as evidenced by his decision in the first place—was fair and reasonable, but he’d also been crystal clear in his expectations, and the court would know about it. Add in the fact that Margolis would be arguing on the other side for permanent placement among the dangerous and violent, and the writing was on the wall.
Prison.
He wasn’t afraid of being locked up. As a general rule, he did well in places with rules and structure, even without freedom. He knew how to keep to himself and mind his own business and look the other way when necessary and keep his mouth shut, and after a while, the whole thing would likely become routine. He’d survive and eventually get released and he’d start over again. But…
Maria wouldn’t wait for him, and he wouldn’t be able to become a teacher.
He didn’t want to think about those things. Given the same situation, he’d do it all again. Maria’s stalker shows up with a gun? Had to try to save her. Simple as that. How could he have known that Lester would have been gone by the time he arrived?
Had they listened to him, Colin figured that the police could have found Lester already. But precious minutes had ticked by while they put on the handcuffs and read Colin his rights, and it wasn’t until the officers had calmed their nerves that they were finally able to listen first to Maria’s story, which came out in fits and starts, and then to Felix, who’d said that he didn’t intend to press charges for the broken door and splintered frame. Both Serena and Carmen were crying throughout. Way too late, he’d finally watched two of the four officers leave in one of the squad cars in search of Lester. After that, surprising him, Maria asked the remaining officers to call Detective Margolis when her pleas to have Colin released were met with indifference.
Colin closed his eyes, hoping that the detective would be otherwise occupied.
A moment later, one of the officers announced that Margolis was on his way.
Margolis was going to love this. No doubt he’d put on one of his self-satisfied smirks while he gave Colin the whole I warned you all along that this would be coming speech that he was surely already rehearsing as he made his way here.
But again, no regrets. Maria and her family were safe, and that was all that mattered. That, and stopping Lester from showing up again… Maria had told the officers that Lester had become enraged as soon as he’d heard the sirens. Until that point, however, Maria had been able to keep him calm by talking to him. Or, rather, by letting Lester voice whatever was going through his deranged brain and simply agreeing with him. But what about the next time? Would Lester be so easily placated? Or would he just grab her and take her someplace where the police wouldn’t find them?
The thought made him sick, and he wanted to kick himself for failing to check out the hospital himself. How had Lester gotten out? If he’d become delusional when the detective arrived this morning, why hadn’t he been restrained? Or did they even do that anymore?
And there was another thing that was bothering him: How had Lester known Maria would be here? Maybe he went by the office and then her condo and saw that she wasn’t around, but…
His thoughts were interrupted first by headlights, then by the sound of a slowing car. He heard it pull over and come to a stop, listening as a car door opened and closed with a thud a few seconds later.
Margolis.
“Do you ever get that feeling like Christmas has come early?” Margolis said, squatting down next to him. Approaching Maria, he’d done a double take at the sight of Colin on the ground in cuffs and practically skipped over to him instead. “Because I think it just came early for me.”
Colin said nothing. Anything he said would just get thrown back in his face.
“I mean, here I am, just heading out to get a quick bite not more than ten minutes away, and I get a call urgently requesting my presence over here. And who do I find but my old pal Colin? I must say that I haven’t seen you looking this good in a long time.” Colin noted the reflection of Margolis’s grin in his highly polished shoes. “What did you do? Get in an argument with your girlfriend here? Maybe pushed Mom or Dad when they tried to intervene? Or did you go after one of the officers after they showed up and tried to calm you down?” He spat out his toothpick, letting it fall dangerously close to Colin’s face in the grass. “You might as well drop the silent act and tell me. I’m going to find out in a minute anyway.”
Colin let out a breath. “Traffic violations,” he said.
Margolis cocked his head in surprise. “No kidding?” When Colin didn’t respond, the detective shook his head, smirking. “I gotta admit that I never saw that one coming. But hey—I’ll take it any way I can get it. So let me talk to your girlfriend over there—if you still call her your girlfriend, I mean. Even if you didn’t so much as lay a finger on her, she doesn’t strike me as the visit-prison-every-weekend-to-support-her-man type, and I’ve always been a pretty good judge of character.”
Colin watched him stand. When Margolis turned and started toward Maria, Colin cleared his throat.
“Can I get up now?”
Margolis looked over his shoulder for a couple of seconds, then shrugged. “I don’t know. Can you?”
Using his head to brace himself, Colin lifted his hips and shot his knees forward in a single flowing motion, landing on his feet.
Margolis waved off one of the officers, who had taken a step toward Colin. He smirked again. “With moves like that, I’m sure all the guys in prison will want to dance with you. But tell you what—why don’t you wait right there while I figure out what’s going on here.”
Margolis signaled to the two officers to approach and Colin watched as they conferred in low tones. One of them thumbed toward Maria a couple of times; the other nodded in Colin’s direction. By then, a number of the neighbors had come outside and were standing on their lawns or in the street, craning their necks for a better view. He wasn’t the only one who’d noticed: Margolis did as well, and after a brief discussion with the family, everyone except Colin began to head inside. Surprising Colin, Margolis motioned for him to join them.
In the living room, Maria again went through the story from the top, including a description of what Lester had been wearing, only this time in a more linear fashion. Her family stood behind her, looking more upset than she did, while the two officers who’d arrested Colin flanked the front door. Colin watched as Margolis took notes, Serena occasionally interjecting. It wasn’t until Maria was finished that Margolis asked his first question.
“Did he ever directly threaten you with the gun?” Margolis asked.
“He was holding it in his hand.”
“But he didn’t raise it? Or point it at you?”
“Why does that make a difference?” Maria demanded. “He showed up at the house with a gun. You need to arrest him.”
Margolis held up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m on your side. With his admission that he sent the roses to the office and had the drink delivered and now this, there’s not a doubt that you’d be able to get the Fifty-C. I can’t imagine that any judge would turn down the request, and I’ll put a call in to find out if I can get it expedited. I was asking because I was trying to determine whether he additionally violated any gun laws.”
“He’s mentally ill. That makes it illegal for him to own a firearm in this state.”
“Maybe.”
Maria’s eyes flashed. “He was in a psychiatric hospital this morning. Or so you told me.”
“I have no reason to believe that he wasn’t there, and trust me—I’ll make absolutely sure the detective was correct about that. But when I was talking about mental illness, I meant legally. To this point, I haven’t had access to his medical records, and in those instances when he was arrested, the cases were dismissed. I’m not sure his mental status has actually been adjudicated. There’s also a difference between entering a hospital voluntarily and being committed involuntarily.”
“You’re splitting hairs,” Maria said, her frustration becoming evident. “I told you how he was acting. He was talking to the phone, for God’s sake. He’s delusional and he threatened me with a gun!”
“Are you sure?”
“Did you listen to a single thing I said?”
Margolis stood straighter, defensiveness on display. “To be clear, nothing you said indicated that he raised the gun or compelled you to do anything. And when you retreated to your house, he ran in the opposite direction.”
For a second, Maria said nothing, but Colin noted a flash of uncertainty in her eyes.
“What about the fact that he slashed my tires and stole my phone?”
“He told you he slashed your tires?”
“No, but…” Maria looked up at him. “Why are you doing this? Making excuses for him. It’s like you’re looking for any reason not to arrest him.”
“On the contrary. I’m trying to find something that will stick. There’s no reason to arrest him if I can’t hold him.”
“He had a gun! Doesn’t that mean anything?”
“It would if he tried to conceal it. Or threatened you. But according to you, he didn’t do either.”
“That’s… insane.”
“That’s the law. Of course, if he doesn’t have a permit for the weapon, that’s something I can use. But that won’t be enough to hold him for long. Nor will the fact that he took your phone.”
“What about slashing my tires?”
“Did he admit to that?” Margolis asked again.
“No, but…”
Margolis sighed. “I know this is frustrating for you, but I really am trying to help you here. I’m looking for something that might give rise to an actual arrest, on charges serious enough to keep him locked away.”
“Okay, then. I was mistaken earlier. I remember now that he did aim the gun at me. Pointed it at me the whole time.”
Margolis lifted an eyebrow. “You’re changing your story?”
“I’m correcting it,” she said.
“All right.” He nodded. “But before we go that route, you should also realize that this entire situation may be more complex than you think.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not at liberty to say. It’s still early in the investigation. For now, all you really need to know is that I’m exploring a lot of different angles.”
Different angles? Colin thought.
Maria shot him a questioning look, then turned back to Margolis just as a knock sounded at the door. One of the officers who’d been searching for Lester poked his head in. Margolis excused himself and stepped outside for a minute, then returned to Maria and the family. The other two officers joined him inside, remaining near the door.
“The officers said they couldn’t find him. They went through the neighborhood a couple of times, talked with a few people who were out, and no one had seen him.”
Colin opened his mouth, then closed it again. Margolis noticed.
“Something to say?”
“I was wondering if they checked the park,” he said. “And the house on the next block that backs up to this one.”
Margolis stared at him. “Why?”
Colin told them what he’d learned, as well as his suspicions about the vacant house and Lester’s spying activities. He also mentioned where he suspected Lester had been parking his car. At Margolis’s prodding, Colin admitted he’d been visiting the neighborhood late at night and early in the morning, and had spent time researching license plates. Maria’s parents looked sick at the revelations; meanwhile, Margolis’s stony gaze never swerved from him.
“You’re just telling me this now? That you’ve been playing private investigator all this time?”
Colin nodded toward the officers. “I told the cops when they were arresting me where Lester might have gone. They didn’t want to listen.”
It was quiet for a moment. One of the officers shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“But he wasn’t running toward the park,” Serena ventured softly. “Or for the house.”
“Excuse me?” Margolis said.
“The park is a few streets over that way,” Serena said, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. “And unless he wanted to take the long way around the block, he wasn’t running toward the vacant house, either. He ran the other way, in the opposite direction.”
Margolis absorbed this before excusing himself to huddle with the officers, two of whom subsequently departed. About half an hour too late, Colin thought.
Margolis returned to Maria. “Assuming Lester drove here, and since there are no cars registered in his name, they’ll find out if any of the cars have been stolen or if we can link them to Lester in another way. Of course, Lester may have doubled back and taken the car or he may have simply run off, but the important thing for now is that I’m confident that you’re safe. Are you planning to return to your place?”
“She’ll be staying with us,” Felix announced. “Serena too.”
Margolis thumbed over his shoulder. “Your front door is broken.”
“I have some two-by-fours in the garage. I’ll brace it, and then tomorrow, I’ll have it repaired.”
“Do you have an alarm?”
“Yes,” he said. “But we don’t use it much.”
“Use it tonight, even though you’ll have to bypass the front door. And brace the door and keep the shades drawn as a precaution.”
“What about police protection?” Serena asked. “Having someone at the house?”
“I won’t be able to swing that,” Margolis answered. “Pick your reason: budget cuts, not enough manpower, limits on overtime, or even that the Fifty-C hasn’t been filed. But I’ll call the commander, and I’m pretty sure I can arrange for a patrol car to swing by every few hours.”
“What if Lester comes back?”
“I don’t think that’s likely.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because he’s afraid of the police, and for all he knows, there will be an officer here.”
“Unless he’s crazy and doesn’t care.”
“He ran off earlier,” Margolis said, but realizing how cavalier it probably sounded, he went on. “I know you’re frightened and upset, Ms. Sanchez. I get it. I’ll make sure a couple of the officers cruise the neighborhood for an hour or so. And who knows, maybe they’ll get lucky and pick him up. If they do, they’ll bring him in and I’ll stick him in the interrogation room and see what I can do. And tomorrow, either way, you file for the Fifty-C, and the next time he comes anywhere near you, he’ll be arrested. And that arrest will stick.”
Colin noted the conflicting emotions playing out across Maria’s features. She glanced at the officers near the door before drawing a long breath.
“May I talk to you alone?”
Margolis debated before finally nodding. He motioned for the other officers to leave and they quietly exited through the front door. At the same time, Serena and her parents wandered toward the kitchen, and once they were gone, Maria sighed.
“What about Colin?”
Margolis looked over at him. “What about him?”
“I was hoping you’d talk to the officer who arrested him. Maybe convince him to let Colin off with some speeding tickets or whatever. Instead of arresting him.”
Margolis’s expression verged on disbelief. “Why would I do that? From what they told me, he was doing sixty in a residential neighborhood. He nearly crashed head-on with someone a couple of blocks from here, and he refused to pull over.” He shook his head. “Then once he got here, he defied the officers’ instructions to stand down and instead made a volatile situation that much worse.”
“I was in danger. You would have done the same thing if you thought someone you loved might be harmed.”
“He should have just let the police handle it. Meanwhile, with the way he was driving, he was endangering other people’s lives.”
“Lester had a gun, for God’s sake!”
“Yet another reason to let the police handle it.”
“It’s not fair and you know it!” Maria cried, her composure cracking. “I mean, sending him to prison? For speeding?”
I did a lot more than that, Colin thought. The officers only saw me during the last two minutes of the drive.
“He made his choices,” Margolis said. “Don’t forget that the officers had to draw their weapons. You could have been hurt. Your family could have been hurt.”
“And once he knew I was safe, he deferred to them and submitted willingly. He didn’t raise his voice, didn’t resist at all. You really want to ruin the rest of his life? Because he was racing to my rescue?”
“It’s not my call.” Margolis shrugged.
“No. But I have the sense they’ll listen to you.” She put her hands on her hips, willing Margolis to meet her gaze. “I know that you don’t trust Colin, and that you believe he belongs in prison. And if he’d struggled with the officers or resisted arrest or done anything else stupid, I wouldn’t be asking you to intervene. But those things didn’t happen, and you don’t strike me as being unreasonable or needlessly vindictive.” She hesitated. “I’d like to think that my impressions of you are correct. Please…”
For an impossibly long moment, Margolis stared back at her, unmoving. Then, without a word, he started for the door.
Five minutes later, Colin was standing near the couch, absently rubbing his wrists where the cuffs had cut into them.
“Thanks for coming to my aid,” he said.
“You’re welcome.”
“I still can’t believe he listened to you.”
“I can. He knew it was the right thing to do. And the arresting officer wasn’t upset. After he heard the whole story, I don’t think his heart was in it, either.”
Colin gestured at the door. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll be glad to pay for it.”
“My dad doesn’t care. Honestly, he’s too angry at the thought that Lester has been spying on the family to worry about a door.”
“How about I help close it up for the night?”
When she nodded, he followed her to the garage, returning with the two-by-fours and a hammer and nails. Maria helped hold the boards in place, and when they were finally secure, she stepped toward Colin. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him for a long time before finally pulling back.
“What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to call my boss,” he said. “Let her know where I am and find out whether I’ve been fired. And then, I figure I’ll keep watch outside for the rest of the night. I want to be here if Lester shows up.”
She nodded. “What do you think Margolis meant when he said he was exploring different angles? Lester admitted to almost everything…”
Colin shrugged. “I have no idea. Something about Cassie’s boyfriend Mark, maybe? Since he’s gone off the grid?” Colin filled Maria in on the little that he’d learned earlier.
Behind them, Felix walked into the living room, accompanied by Carmen. Carmen handed a glass of ice water to Colin while Felix inspected the work Colin had done to brace the door.
“I’m sorry about that,” Colin said, slightly abashed. “I told Maria I’d pay for it.”
Felix nodded. “This is good work. Sturdy.” He took a step toward Colin, meeting his gaze, his expression softening. “I wanted to thank you for rushing here when you thought Maria was in trouble. And for calling the police.”
“You’re welcome.”
Carmen slipped back to his side as Felix went on. Behind them, Colin could just make out Serena in the kitchen, clearly listening in. “When we first met, I believe I may have misjudged you,” he said. “Maria told me she felt safe with you. Now, I can understand why.”
At his words, Maria slipped her hand into Colin’s.
“I heard you tell Maria that you’ll want to keep watch tonight. Outside. In case Lester comes back.”
“Yes.”
“I have a problem with that.”
Colin looked at him, saying nothing.
“You should be inside the house, not outside. As our guest.”
He felt Maria squeeze his hand, and despite everything, he couldn’t help smiling.
“Okay.”
Colin paced the living room, alternately peeking through the curtains on the front window and then doing the same through the kitchen windows.
No sign of Lester.
Margolis had been good to his word; a patrol car passed by the house four times, twice while the rest of the family was still awake and twice after everyone else had gone to bed. Maria had stayed awake the longest, sitting with Colin until a little after one. Before turning in, Felix had told Colin that he’d be up at four to take over the watch and allow Colin to get some sleep.
The time to himself felt like a blessing to Colin, allowing him to process everything that had happened that evening. He still had more questions than answers, since nothing made sense. If, for instance, Lester was delusional to the point that he believed that Maria was out to get him, then his fear should have kept him away from Maria, instead of drawing him to her repeatedly.
But hadn’t Lester essentially admitted he’d been stalking Maria all along?
And why had Margolis told Maria that he was exploring “different angles”?
Other questions plagued him, too—why had Lester admitted to sending the flowers and the drink, but not to slashing the tires? Had Lester actually driven, and if so, where did he get the car? If he’d left his car at the park but ran in the opposite direction, where was he going and why couldn’t the police find him? And, again, how had Lester known that Maria would be at the house when Maria herself had forgotten about her mom’s birthday?
The more he learned, the more confused he felt.
“You’re making me nervous,” Maria said. “And I’m sure you’ve worn a groove into the floor.”
Colin looked over and saw her in the hallway, dressed in her pajamas.
“Did I wake you?”
“No. I slept for a little while.”
“What time is it?”
“A little after three,” Maria said. She walked to the couch and patted the cushion beside her. When Colin sat, she leaned her head on his shoulder while he slipped his arm around her. “You should probably try to get some sleep.”
“I only have another hour until your dad is up.”
“I don’t think he’s sleeping. He’s probably tossing and turning like I did.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re here, but my parents are, too. Right before they went to bed, they apologized to me for the way they treated you earlier.”
“There was no reason to apologize. They’ve been very gracious. Especially about me kicking in their door.”
She shrugged. “To be honest, it was pretty impressive. Doors generally keep people out, but this one didn’t even slow you down. They feel better knowing that you’re here.”
He nodded. Moonlight spilled in through a crack in the drapes, washing the living room with a silvery glow. “I wanted to tell you that the way you dealt with Lester was amazing. Not everyone would have been able to stay calm in that situation.”
“I wasn’t calm. I was terrified. Every time I closed my eyes tonight, I kept seeing his face. And it was just so… weird. I kept getting the feeling that he was more afraid of me than I was of him, even though he was the one with the gun.”
“I don’t understand it, either.”
“I wish the police had found him. I hate knowing that he’s still out there… following and watching and planning and hiding. What good will a restraining order do if they can’t serve him? And what if he shows up again before they do? I thought about leaving town, but what if he follows me? Or tracks me somehow. I mean, even I didn’t know I was going to be here tonight, so how did he know? And how did he know I’d be at the bar?”
“I’ve been wondering about those things, too.”
“And? What am I supposed to do? I just want to feel… safe.”
“I have an idea. It might be a bit over the top, but…”
“What is it?”
He told her.