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Chapter 21
Caleb
I sit at my desk, looking at the picture the sonographer gave Aria yesterday. It’s a miracle. Every day I count my blessings that Aria got out of there alive. It isn’t worth thinking about what could have happened to her or this innocent child if she didn’t find that strength to run. You only have to look at the other victims to know what would have happened and that makes me feel physically sick every time that thought enters my head.
“Al has just been buzzed in. What do you want to do?”
I don’t take my eyes from the picture in front of me. “I’ll see him.”
I put the picture in my drawer and sit back in my seat. My feet tap under the desk. My knees are bobbing. My heart is pounding.
Please let him have some good news.
I hear Chris say, “He’s in his office.”
Clay leans against my filing cabinet, clearly in no hurry to move. I roll my eyes at him showing his authority around here.
“Hey. Do you have a few minutes?” asks Al.
He’s aged. He looks exhausted. He looks different to the man I worked with, and every day, I count my blessings that I got away from the CPD when I did.
“Sure.” I point to the seat in front of my desk and he sits down. “What’s going on?”
“It kills me to have to say this, but I thought it best you hear it from me, and whether you tell Aria or not… well, that’s your call.”
I sit forward. He has my undivided attention. “Spit it out, Al.”
“The police chief has transferred the case over to the Special Victims Unit. We have cases coming in daily, and we don’t have the man power to hold Aria’s case on our own.”
“You mean the funding is taking a hit, and because of all the dead ends, that case gets handed over to a unit that doesn’t cost as much.”
“SVU have been involved from day one. It just means that I’ll not be the one to contact for updates anymore.”
I laugh. “Not that we’ve had many of those. How do you sleep at night? A murderer is out there at large. He’s raped, killed, and abused women of all ages. He got Aria pregnant. She can’t even leave this compound without being terrified that he’s going to strike again.”
“It isn’t my call, Caleb. I want to be working the case. I even fucking ran with the idea that it could have been someone connected to Jakob, but I’m guessing you ran with that theory as soon as it was brought up.”
“You bet your ass we did. He has no siblings. Mother and father seem above board. His file is squeaky clean. It hasn’t got him off our radar, Al. The more walls we reach we just fucking bang off it and try to find another route. Chris, Mike, and Amber are working around the clock still. I made a promise to Aria and her parents that I’d find this bastard. I don’t break my promises.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Caleb. I wish I could do more.” He holds out his hand across the desk, and I look at it like it’s about to bite me. I stand up and put my hands in my pockets.
“I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry that our friendship has been compromised because of the statement I’m going to release to the press.”
“What?” Clay and Al say in unison.
I push Clay gently out of the way of my filing cabinet. I take out an empty file.
“Don’t be stupid, Caleb. This isn’t going to help anyone.”
“No. It isn’t going to help CPD is what you really mean. Aria has been here for nearly eight weeks. You guys haven’t even been to her parents’ house after they’ve called you a dozen times. Now you cut the man power. Off the record Al, you can’t tell me that you’re happy about any of this.”
“I’m only following orders.”
“You don’t need to say it, because I fucking know you! This report will hit the desk of Armand Rosalie first thing in the morning. It will have a detailed statement from Aria, her parents, Sophia’s parents, and us. I don’t believe we have anything left to say here. Goodbye, Al.”
Al nods. He walks to my door and looks back at me and Clay. “I wish I could do more, Caleb.”
“Wishing and doing are two very different things.”
