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“Well look at us,” he said as I approached. “Just a couple of kids, ditching class on a Friday afternoon.”
“I wish,” I said, squinting up at him. “That sounds like way more fun.”
I slid into the car as he opened the door for me. The seat was low, and I tugged at my skirt as it threatened to ride up.
“Are you hungry?” he asked when we were on our way.
“No, I’d rather just get this over with,” I said.
“How are you feeling?”
“All right.”
“You don’t sound all right.” He frowned over his shoulder at me. “Did you take anything?”
“Oh no, it’s other stuff. I’m not really in much pain,” I said. I’d been fending off a dull headache all morning, but it was the least of my concerns.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.” I waved my hand.
“Tell me,” he prodded, unaffected by my brush off, another tactic that often worked with Bill.
I hadn’t told anyone so far. I sighed into my seat and looked out the window. I could tell him, that was the problem. I could tell him, knowing he was strong enough to shoulder some of the pain. “A family friend passed away last night. I found out this morning.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes focused on the road.
“It was cancer,” I said to the moving landscape.
“Were you very close?”
I bit back tears as I stared ahead. It had been so long since I’d let myself go in front of someone, even Bill. At times he goaded me, trying to get me to cry because it worried him. It wouldn’t be fair to him if I did in front of David. My voice hitched when I said, “Yes. She’s been around when my mother hasn’t.”
“You’re upset. It’s okay.”
I looked over at him as the tingling in my nose receded. “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
“I mean that it’s okay to cry. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Just because I’m not crying doesn’t mean I’m not upset,” I said gently.
“I know,” he said. “I know how brave you are. I’m sorry that we have to do this today.”
“Thanks.” To my amusement, he flinched slightly when I touched his arm. “You’ve been very brave, too.”
He looked at me uneasily over his arm and said, “I’m not going to cry if that’s what you’re getting at.”
It felt nice to laugh. “No, of course not. You saved the day, what do you have to cry about?”
~
Cooper greeted us in the waiting room. “The good news is that Alvarez number two is in custody for violating his parole. He not only had a gun on him, but a healthy amount of coke too. Dumbass. Since he’s a felon, he’s going to get it even worse.” He looked from me to David. “I still need a statement for the D.A.’s office, which you guys can do individually or together, but between us, he’ll probably take a plea bargain.”
For the first time, I wondered if I should have Bill present, but something about Cooper made me feel safe. And I knew enough from Bill that a statement was pretty straightforward, as long as I wasn’t guilty of anything.
“I’m ready,” I decided.
“I’d like to do it together,” David said.
“That’s up to Miss Germaine,” Cooper said and they both turned their attention to me. I agreed. We followed Cooper into his office, where he poured us each a glass of water. He held up a tape recorder, letting us know the statement would be on the record.
“Witnesses Olivia Germaine and Lucas Dylan, incident involving Mark B. Alvarez on May seventeenth,” he said into the recorder. May seventeenth? It was almost my birthday, and I’d completely forgotten. I supposed that everyone else had too, since nobody had mentioned it.
“All right, Miss Germaine,” he began.
“Olivia, please,” I said.
“All right, Olivia. Can you give me a general recount of what happened?”
“I left my office on Adams around ten o’clock last night. I noticed a male figure watching me from across the street. When I realized it might be Mark Alvarez, I turned and ran in the opposite direction.”
“How do you know who Mark Alvarez is?”
“He has threatened me before.”
Cooper raised his eyebrows at both of us. “Did you file a report?”
“No, my husband didn’t think it was necessary.”
David’s chair creaked as he shifted.
“Tell me about that encounter.”
“I was walking home in the evening about a month ago.” I stopped to calculate. “Yes, about a month ago, and he stopped me outside my apartment building. Told me he’d been looking for Bill – my husband – and that he’d know what it was about. Bill was the prosecutor in a case against Mark’s brother Lou over a year ago.”
Cooper nodded. “Sounds like retaliation. Bill Germaine? I’m not familiar.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s Bill Wilson.”
“Oh right, I know Bill.” He looked between the two of us. I realized then why organized crime had stuck out to me the night before. Bill’s case had relied heavily on gang and organized crime specialists. It was likely that he’d worked closely with the CPD during the trial. David’s and my being together the night before wouldn’t look good, no matter the truth.
“He assaulted her that night,” David stated.
“Is that so?” Cooper asked.
“Well,” I gulped. “He grabbed me – I’m not sure if that’s considered assault.”
“Of course it is,” David asserted.
“Okay, continue please,” Cooper said, furiously writing.
“I ran. I was heading toward the train. I’m not really sure what I was thinking, it happened so fast. When I felt him gaining on me, I knew I’d run out of time. I turned into an alley instead, but when he caught me, I discovered it was actually David behind me.”
“I was driving home and almost hit her with my car when she ran across the street. I ran after her and when I caught her, I could see that she was panicked.” He shifted noisily and ran a hand through his relaxed hair, lowering his voice slightly. “I left the alley to look for whatever was chasing her.”
“Had you two met before?”
“Yes, we have a mutual friend.”
“Right after David left, Mark appeared from the other end of the alley. He must’ve guessed I would exit there.” I paused when David shifted again in his chair. It almost seemed more difficult for him than for me.
“Go on,” Cooper said, not looking up from his notes. “Be specific.”
“He immediately pushed me to the ground, and then into the wall when I tried to get up. That’s when I hit my head. I finally managed to get to my feet and tried to hit him.” David snorted. “I told him I wasn’t afraid of him, and,” I stopped, feeling mildly embarrassed. “And spit on him.”
“What?” David exclaimed, jumping from his seat. “What were you thinking?” he bellowed.
“Calm down, David,” Cooper threatened. “You never know how you’ll react in a situation like that.”
“He wouldn’t let go of me,” I justified.
“Where was he holding you?” Cooper asked.
“When I tried to hit him, he caught my arm,” I said, taking an extra long sip of water so I could hide my face.
“No shit,” David cried. I spit out my water and started coughing violently. “What did you think would happen?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I croaked while wiping my mouth.
“It means you’re no match for first, a man, and second, a criminal.”
“I’ll kick you out if you keep this up, David,” Cooper warned. “Just ignore him, Olivia.”
I shot a distinct scowl at David before turning back to Cooper. “That’s when he hit me. He was mad that I’d spit on him.”
“I can’t listen to this. He’s scum, Coop. Why was he even out in the first place? Scum.” David sat back down and ran his hand over his face, pulling at
his chin.
“Yes, I noticed the bruise,” Cooper said, ignoring David. “Then what?” he urged.
I wavered, looking over at David. “Are you sure you want to stay?” I asked him. “You seem upset.”
He only pursed his lips and inhaled loudly through his nose.
“Um,” I continued, turning my attention back to Cooper. “I think he said that Bill fucked them over and that he would suffer for it. That it was Bill’s fault Lou was convicted. That they’re in the same gang.”
“He said gang?”
