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chapter 11: Caught in the Act

Officer Brodie started the trace the moment the call began. There were only a handful of hardwired payphones in greater New York City. By the time the kid on the other end began describing the hacking job and gave the names of Marq Lopez and Jude Alden, Brodie had already tracked the call to a single payphone in the industrial area of Jersey City. He thanked the informant for his information, assuring him that an officer would investigate his concerns, and hung up.

In minutes, Brodie was surfing the internet for the businesses nearby. There was a Mazda dealership half a block away, a UPS store on the other side. His lips curled into a knowing grin as the last business appeared on his screen: an army surplus store by the name of “Now or Never”. A place like that was assured to have at least two separate closed-circuit cameras from which to choose.

Information noted, Officer Brodie took several minutes to file a second, unrelated report about a bogus mugging downtown, and to delete the phone message from the system. He then turned to the computer history, removing his search, and adding the new, falsified information to the computer’s database. Done, he folded the hand-written report in half, tucking it into his inside pocket before returning to the phone lines.

He’d be off shift in four hours. Time enough to deal with the informant then.

: : : : : : : : : :

Indigo was furious in the aftermath of Jude’s discovery. She pulled away from Cal, her upper arms throbbing where he’d had her pinned against the wall.

“Let me go!” she shouted.

Jude was already at the end of the alley, shoulders hunched. She took two stumbling steps forward as Jude disappeared around the edge of the building.

“Jude!” she screamed. “Jude! WAIT!”

Cal moved in front of her.

“I want to get back together, Indigo,” he said calmly. “I’m ready this time. I don’t care about—”

“It’s too late!” she cried, stepping to the side, only to be blocked again. “Jude,” she called. “Just hold ON!”

Cal put a hand on her shoulder and she tore away.

“It’s not going to last with him,” Cal said. “Jude Alden’s a f*ck up. Plain and simple. I taught him. I know!”

“You think everyone’s a f*ck up!” she shrieked. “But the truth is, the f*ck up is you!”

Cal laughed away her words.

“Think about what you want from life, sweetheart!” he scoffed. “Jude won’t be around for the long run. I will.”

“You’re the only one who ever ran away!” she cried. “You’re the one who ended things, but you don’t get to decide if they start again!” She shoved against his chest, pushing him aside and storming down the alley.

“You’ll come back when you see what he is!” Cal shouted. “You just wait! He’s a screw up who thinks you’re just an easy lay!”

Indigo didn’t stop.

Two hours later, she was no longer drunk. Instead, she was panicked. Jude wasn’t answering his cell phone, and when she called the other number he had given her for the apartment, his roommate answered.

“Jude doesn’t live here anymore,” he said groggily, then hung up.

As O’Reilly’s closed, Indigo helped Shireese and Tanis break down the stage, returning the equipment to Tanis’s van. Shireese was in a sulk, ignoring her attempts at conversation. Indigo knew she deserved it, but it left her fuming.

“I’ve called Jude ten times,” she complained as Tanis and Shireese strapped down the speakers. “Texted him at least twice that many times. He’s not answering.”

Shireese glared at her.

“Would you answer if that’s what you walked in on?”

“It’s not that simple,” Indigo argued.

“Never is with you,” she retorted, then climbed into the passenger side of the van, slamming the door.

Tanis gave her an anxious smile.

“Do you need a ride home or anything?”

Indigo shook her head. The bars were closing, but she couldn’t go back to the apartment. Not yet. Shireese’s words cut deep, and her fears about Jude were a bitter poultice.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled. “Gonna walk around a bit.”

Tanis took a step toward the van, then stopped, glancing back over her shoulder.

“You got money for a cab?” she asked. “’Cause I can give you a ride somewhere, no problem.”

“I’m good for cash,” Indigo said with a nod, wrapping her arms around herself. “Thanks though.”

With no destination in mind, Indigo wandered, letting her anxiety work its way out through action, bits and pieces of years past filling her mind. Every darkened alley contained memories of her teen years, every faceless figure filled with the nightmare she’d spent years trying to escape.

Shireese had been working on the morning crew at The Vault when Indigo had first met her. Shireese cleaned the club in its empty, morning state, whereas Indigo was one of the evening staff, their roles defining their lives.

“You ever think about doing somethin’ else?” Shireese had asked her as she washed mirrors in the dressing room. “Just getting out of here, and doing… I dunno. Somethin’ better?”

“Better’n this money?” Indigo had drawled. “Don’t think so.”

“You could,” Shireese had insisted. “You’re smart, hon. You could go back to school, if you wanted.”

“A girl like me’s only got so many options,” Indigo had said with an angry laugh. “This place’s a hell of a lot better than the other places I’ve been.”

Indigo hadn’t known it then, but she’d been wrong. She just hadn’t met Luca Brin yet.

Indigo’s phone buzzed and she jerked in surprise, pulling it out of her pocket. Her fingers tightened as she caught sight of Jude’s name on the text message.

You still up?

She typed an answer, heart pounding.

Still awake. Haven’t gotten home yet. Walking. She held her breath as she added the rest. Can we talk?

Indigo chewed her lip, waiting for his answer.

Where are you?

A tremulous smile pulled at her lips, and she stopped on the snowy sidewalk.

Just passing the park near the bridge. Heading to the subway.

Jude’s answer was immediate.

Wait there. I’m coming.

She felt her chest ease for the first time since she’d looked up and saw Jude watching her and Cal kissing.

I’m sorry.

Indigo hit send before she could change her mind, then waited, counting the seconds.

Jude didn’t answer.

The lump in her throat returning, Indigo began to pace. She knew there was relative safety in the light of the streetlamps but she still found herself jumping at every noise. She didn’t trust that the night’s misfortunes were over. And Jude might be coming for her, but he was angry.

She was certain of that.

Twenty minutes later, she heard the roar of an engine. A red sportscar sped up, skidding to a stop on the icy street. Indigo peered in the window, catching sight of Jude, unsmiling, in the driver’s seat. She pulled open the door and climbed in.

“Nice ride,” she said cautiously, taking in the leather interior and chrome detailing. “I didn’t know you had a car.”

“I don’t,” Jude muttered, pulling away from the curb before she’d even tugged her seatbelt across her hips. “It’s Marq’s. I borrowed it.”

“Oh.”

She peeked at him as Jude slammed the car into gear, swerving through the darkened streets, brooding and silent. For a long while, neither spoke. Even the radio was turned off, the only sounds the thud of cracks in the pavement, the hiss of wind, and the random noises of the night-time city.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Indigo said.

Jude’s jaw tensed.

“Start by not kissing other guys,” he retorted. “That’d help.”

“He’s not just another guy. We were together for almost a year.”

Jude’s eyes jumped over, loathing twisting his features.

“He’s twice your age!”

“I know,” she said, wincing. “But I… I thought I loved him.”

“Woodrow’s a prof.” She could hear the accusation and disgust in his tone.

“I know that too.”

“Were you in his class?”

“No,” Indigo admitted, “though he was married when we were together. We screwed around, and things got messy… and... and he left me.” She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to stay even. If she could play the role for Cal, she could certainly play it for Jude. “Tonight I was upset, and Cal was there, asking to get back together, and he kissed me, and…” She took another peek at him. Jude was staring straight ahead, face tight, though a muscle in his jaw was jumping. “And I let him.”

Jude was quiet for a long time, his face expressionless, though the knuckles on his hands were white. In the hours before dawn, the sky was an inky black, the streets barren. When they reached the road leading to Indigo’s apartment, Jude slowed down, pulling into an empty spot near the front doors. He put the car into park, not moving.

“Are you gonna say something?” Indigo whispered.

He let out a weary sigh, rubbing his hand over his face. “Thank you for telling me, I guess,” Jude said.

For some reason, those words brought angry tears to her eyes. She glared at him, blinking them away.

“Stop it!” she hissed.

“Stop what?”

“Stop this! YOU!” she snapped. “Stop being so nice to me!”

Jude stared at her, annoyance deepening the lines of his face.

“That’s a f*cked up thing to say!”

“I… I can’t do this with you,” she said, reaching for the door handle. “I don’t get you!”

Jude was faster.

He caught hold of her fingers. He wasn’t hurting her, as Cal would have, but he didn’t let go either.

“No,” he said. “You don’t get to walk away!” He held her gaze, his expression hovering between fury and pain, the combination so inexplicably comforting she had to blink back tears. “I came back tonight, alright?” Jude growled. “That means something!”

Indigo slumped in her seat, fingers going limp in his.

“You should walk away, Jude, and never look back,” she said, her eyes on the empty street. “You’re too nice for a girl like me.”

He reached out, turning her chin so that she looked at him. His eyes glittered angrily, his mouth a slash.

“I’m more f*cked up than you are,” he said. “I promise you that!”

“No,” she said sadly. “You’re not.”

“Yes, Indigo,” he said, letting go of her wrist so he pull her nearer. “I really am.”

His mouth was only a breath away, his eyes heavy-lidded, but she put a hand against his chest, stopping him before he could kiss her. Shireese was right. This couldn’t go on forever.

“Come with me tomorrow,” Indigo said. “Help me film. And I’ll show you why you’re wrong.”

She’d give him some of the truth, and decide on the rest later.

: : : : : : : : : :

Officer Brodie’s shift ended just after dawn. He had breakfast with two of the other officers, as was his routine, then drove toward the suburbs while the sun rose, a golden disc in the sky. He veered west, following the gravelled side streets until he reached the Mazda dealership. There, he met up with the morning staff, flashing a badge and a smile as he requested to see their closed-circuit footage from the previous night.

They complied without question.

He was able to get the make and model of the car – an older Matrix – along with a rough description of the man driving. From there, Brodie headed across the road to “Now or Never,” following the same routine. Their cameras were much more helpful. In seconds, he had the complete license plate number and a print-out of a single frame, showing a young man standing inside the phone booth.

License number in hand, he walked out to the police cruiser, typing the plate into the registration database. Brodie now had a name – Elliot Baird – along with Elliot’s address. He searched for any police records. His face grew concerned at the lack of information. Elliot Justin Baird, age twenty-eight, had no priors. In fact, he didn’t even have any parking tickets. He was just a good kid trying to do the right thing. Guilt rising, Brodie took a slow breath, forcing himself to think of his own boys. Brodie might feel guilty for what he was about to do to this man, but not enough to risk his own children.

His final stop was at a small watch-repair shop downtown. As soon as he walked in, the man behind the counter put a “back in ten minutes” sign up on the door, pulling the mesh grate across the front of the store. Brodie dialled the private number, his eyes on the street. His boys would be getting up soon, and he wanted to be home in time to drop them off at school.

“Hello?” He didn’t recognize the voice, and was glad. Anonymity made it easier.

“This is Brodie,” he said. “I have some information for King.”