Custom Love by Chantal Fernando

Chapter Four

Decker arches a brow as he sees me walk back into the police station. “What now?”

“Ah, come on, don’t be like that. You didn’t miss me?” I ask, batting my lashes at him.

“Nope. Not even a little bit,” he replies with a straight face. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to say hi...and I also have a few questions about the case. Who was the first officer that responded?” I ask.

“Officer Peters. Why?”

“I’m just doing my job and covering all my bases,” I say, shrugging. “Is Peters in today?” I have heard of Officer Peters before. He’s an older gentleman and has been on the force for a long time. He’s not as nice to deal with as Decker or Banks, and he has a reputation for being a hard-ass, the kind of man who likes things to go his way.

“No, he’s not,” Decker says, studying me a little too closely. “And he would have followed the correct protocol, Nadia. Everything would be on the case files. What are you getting at with all the questioning?”

“Were you there?”

“No—”

“Then how do you know for sure what happened?” I ask. “Crazier things have happened around here than someone getting arrested for a murder they might not have committed. I just want to make sure, double-check even, that nothing was missed. Surely that’s not a crime?”

So much for keeping everything close to my chest.

Decker looks at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. “Okay, I’ll bite. Let’s just say, hypothetically, for whatever reason this guy was falsely accused. Don’t you think the jury would have picked up on that? They found him guilty for a reason.”

I lean closer to him. “And what if that reason was convenience? Look, I don’t know what is going on, but something isn’t right. You ever had a gut feeling and know that you had to roll with it, no matter what the repercussions might be? That’s where I’m at right now. I don’t know the answers, but if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.”

His jaw tenses and then he sighs. “Fucking hell. Look, whatever help you need, I’ll give it to you, but be prepared for the fact he might just have done it, okay? Sometimes, no matter how much we don’t want to believe that someone is capable of something like that, they are.”

“I’m not sure they have the right man. I think the jury was given a bunch of evidence that made it look as if Damon could’ve done it, but I don’t think there was enough for beyond a reasonable doubt. I just want to make sure the jury was right, that’s all.”

“Here we go,” he mutters under his breath, and he’s right. If they got the wrong man and we try to expose it, it’s going to make everyone look stupid, the police included.

“Oh, and I forgot to tell you this—I went to see Damon, thinking he’d be begging me to help him. But he told me to drop it.”

Decker looks like I have grown two heads. “Uh, isn’t that a sign he did it?”

I clap my hands in excitement. I miss working with someone on cases like this. “That’s what I originally thought, but it was what he didn’t say that caught my attention.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“I asked him point-blank if he killed Ariel, and he never said he did it. He just said to drop it. Got real mad, too.”

Decker just shakes his head at me, and I realize I’ve lost him.

“Look, you’re right. There is a chance that Damon did indeed do this. I know it and I’m not blind to that. But that means there is also a chance he didn’t do it, too. I’m not saying this is a conspiracy or that the police did anything wrong. All I’m saying is that there is a chance there is more to the story. That’s all.”

Decker runs hands through his hair and sighs. “You’re a real ball buster, you know that?”

“Let’s not make it obvious—just have an extra look, listen a little more and see if anything feels off,” I say, glancing around to make sure no one else can hear us. “And if he did it, then all is how it’s meant to be and Damon can stay locked up. Maybe I’ve lost my mind a little. It was due to happen at some point.”

His lip twitches. “So either an innocent man is locked up, or you are crazy.”

“In conclusion, yes.”

“My bet is on the latter,” he mutters.

“Prove it.”

He offers me his hand, and I pump it and then leave. With Decker on my side, being my eyes and ears on the force, it’s going to make this whole thing that much easier.

Or so I think.

When Trade texts me an invite to AJ’s eighth birthday party next week, I can’t help but smile. I send back a reply saying that I’d love to come. On my lunch break I browse toys at the shops, looking for a gift for him. I end getting him some Legos, a Power Rangers sword and a kid’s cookbook so he can find his own go-to meal. I also spot some really cute outfits that I end up grabbing for Quinn.

I find Marisol sitting in her car outside of my office when I return. She opens the door and gets out of her car when she sees me. “I know I don’t have an appointment, I’m sorry. I just wanted to know if you have any updates for me,” she says, handing me a bouquet of sunflowers. “And these are for you, to say thank you. I know this is a lot to take on.”

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to,” I reply, taking the flowers and smiling. “Come on in. I’ll make you coffee.”

I put the flowers on my desk and turn on my coffee machine while she takes a seat. “So I’ve viewed the evidence, and I’ve even gone to the place where they found Ariel, near his property. So far I haven’t found anything that I can use, but I’m still looking. If I’m being honest, I don’t think after a year I’ll find any new evidence.”

I don’t have to give her any false hope or tell her that for some reason I too believe Damon, in case I’m wrong and there’s nothing to find. But I don’t want her to think I’m not taking this case seriously either.

She nods solemnly. “Thank you. I know you will find something that will help him.”

So much for not wanting her to have any false hope.

“Auntie, when I spoke to Damon he was adamant that I not look into this case. He told me to drop it and he didn’t want me working on this case.”

“He just doesn’t want to bother you. My Damon is a good boy.”

I go to grab us coffees, realizing that I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place here. “We’ll see.”

“I’ve been trying to contact Taylor since Damon was locked away, but she won’t answer my calls. Do you think that that is suspicious? Or maybe she is just upset over him going to prison...”

“Wait, who is Taylor?” I ask, pulling out my notepad and grabbing a pen.

“She was Damon’s girlfriend. I mean, they were awful together, and on and off, but I haven’t seen or heard from her since he went away,” she explains, blowing on the mug in her hands.

I blink. “Was Taylor his girlfriend when the murder took place?”

She nodded.

“Auntie, I told you, no lies. No withholding information. This is the type of stuff I need to know. No detail is too small, all right? Now, what’s her full name? And do you have her address?” I ask.

“Taylor Rodgers,” she says. “I don’t know her exact address, but she lives in the Grove area. I think she lives alone—I remember Damon saying that she had her own place. She is twenty-five years old.”

Marisol also mentions that Taylor works at a popular clothing store. Guess I’m going clothes shopping tomorrow. I write all the details down so I don’t forget anything.

“Okay, is there anything else?” I ask, finally taking a sip of my coffee.

She tilts her head to the side as she thinks. “I never liked her. She was no good for my boy. She always wanted him to spend money on her, buy her things. I bet she had something to do with him being in prison.”

Internally, I roll my eyes. Marisol isn’t the first mother to not like her only son’s girlfriend. “Okay. If only being unlikable was against the law.”

“It should be.” She finishes her coffee.

“Are you sure there is nothing else you’re withholding? Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“No, I’ve told you everything.”

I type in Taylor Rodgers’s name into the computer to see if she has a record. Surprise, surprise, she does. History of drugs. Been arrested twice—once for possession and once for assault of an officer. Resisted arrest twice.

I look at her mugshot. It’s a shame—she’s a pretty girl, but they always say the devil has a pretty face.

What has Damon gotten himself into?

I mean, other than a murder conviction.