“Good morning, I didn’t know what you would want, so I got a little bit of everything. It’s fast food, it’s not much, but it was close by. I was thinking we could eat on the road,” Parker said as he juggled a tray with coffees in one hand, and two fast food bags in the other.
“Uhh, that's fine. Thank you.” I managed to murmur out. “A detective from the 49th precinct texted me.”
Placing the coffee and food on the table, he turned to me, with surprise on his face. “You don’t sound happy, so I assume they didn’t have good news.”
I unlocked my phone and handed it to him so he could see for himself.
“They’re saying he has an alibi. Again.”
“Shit,” he said, pulling out his phone. There were a few moments of silence until I heard Danny’s voice filtered through the speaker.
“Park, I was just about to call you.” A horn honked in the distance.
“Evelyn just got a text from Detective Hart. Protective custody was denied, and apparently, his alibi checked out.”
“Coño,” he spat out. “Listen, I started asking questions, and things started getting really weird around here. There are some older cops from my Tio’s time still here, and they’ve been very tight-lipped about the whole thing.”
Parker sat on the chair by the door while I sat on the bed. He was watching for my reaction as Danny spoke, but I had none. Charles knew what I said to Officer Grant, and he was able to provide an alibi. They didn’t know him as well as I did. At first, it drove me crazy that no one believed me, but then I remembered Charles and his games. He was precise and calculated. Where Celeste was loud and boisterous, Charles preferred to play it cool and observe. I underestimated him once. I wouldn’t be so foolish to do it again. It wouldn’t surprise me if he were the reason protective custody was denied, too.
“After asking a few questions around the station, the chief pulled me in and started inquiring about why I was asking about the case. I mentioned Evelyn’s house, and he told me that the incidents were unrelated. ‘Gibbons had an alibi, so he was cleared, case closed.’ That conversation set off alarm bells somewhere.”
“He has to have some type of crazy connections to get protective custody denied,” Parker replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I think things may go deeper than they seem.”
“Danny, do you know why protective custody was denied?” Knowing the reason was pointless, but I still wanted to know.I needed to know which criteria determined I wasn’t worth protecting.
The sound of a car door slamming came down the line. “They cited lack of imminent danger.”
A laugh bubbled out of me at the same time Parker let out a string of curses.
Clearing my throat, I shook my head at him, not able to articulate the irony of it all.
“Sorry, I’m just?—”
“You don’t have to explain.” Danny and Parker say at the same time, making me eager to escape the awkwardness of the moment.
“I can’t say much else where I am now, but if I know you, then we must be thinking along the same lines.” He sighed, “You should stay where you are. It’s not safe here, and I’m not sure who I can trust outside our circle.”
“Brother, be safe out there.”
“You too, man. I’ve got some vacation and personal days saved up. I’m going to be taking some time off to spend with my Tio. I’ll reach out to you when I can,” Parker’s phone beeped, signaling that Danny ended the call.
Parker and I stared at each other for a moment.
“I don’t want Danny to get hurt because of me.”
Parker stood, returned to the table for the coffee and food, and picked them up. “I’ve known Danny for almost a decade. He’s always been careful, and he’s smart. We’ll be doing weekly check-ins; keeping each other safe. Try not to worry.”
Try not to worry. Sounds easy enough.
Within 48 hours, my entire life had been turned upside down. I was homeless and on the run with a man I barely knew, and still coming to terms with the response from the police. Every fiber of my being wanted to believe that Parker would protect me, and this would all end with Charles behind bars, butthat seemed like the most unlikely scenario. After the past two years, I wasn’t used to depending on anyone for anything. I just had myself to account for.
My stomach twisted with fear and anxiety. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I desperately searched for a calmness that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I wasn’t surprised when it didn’t come.
Gathering my things, I followed Parker through the door.
Coming here with him was crazy, but I had no choice. Now other people’s lives were at risk. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to them because of me.
The restof the drive was short. In just under two hours, we pulled up to a grand estate. The neighborhood was full of mansions, with tall gates encasing large castle-like homes. Truthfully, I had never been anywhere farther than the five boroughs. We had lived in Pelham in an attempt to get out of The Bronx, but in the end, we couldn’t imagine living too far away from the place that raised us. So we left Boston Road for Boston Post Road, and that felt like a happy compromise.
