The Choice (10 page)

“That’s absolute bullshit, what the hell are you doing?” Bitterness cracked Sam’s voice.

“I’m not saying this to hurt you. I watched her on the side too, and so was someone on her team. Too many times drugs, guns and even evidence went missing from a few of their big busts. They knew someone on the team was dirty.”

“She wasn’t dirty. Not Elise.” The fierceness with which Sam eyeballed Jesse had Marcie taking a step back. She wondered if Sam would hurt Jesse. But then he shook his head and ground his teeth before looking away.

“Don’t you remember after Della killed her, all those rumors popped up that you and Elise were on the take? And Della, I talked to her. That poor woman was so racked up with grief. She swore to me; she knew Elise was dirty and that she used her connection to Mama Reine to seduce Leon into the dirty world of drugs. She said Elise was the broker, and Elise killed Leon because he wanted out.

“Leon was just a scared kid selling Lance Silver’s drugs, Elise was not…” Sam knocked Jesse’s hands away when he tried to touch him. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore Jesse. I want to know what’s going on with Derek. Why’s he pushing my connection?”

“Because he believes like I do, Elise was a dirty cop. Except, he won’t believe you knew nothing about what she was doing; you were married to her. It’s called guilt by association.”

“Sam, you made a hobby out of studying people telling lies, and how they tick. The NOPD homicide department knew this about you. And yet, you couldn’t see what Elise was doing. I think deep down you did, but you’d never admit it. Didn’t you ever question where she got her money? Those fancy clothes she bought, the sports car, all on a cop’s salary. Come on. You had to know she was up to something. She had money stashed somewhere. She would have kept her own accounts, and I bet anything you still don’t know where they are.”

Marcie stood off to the side and breathed softly. She tried to make herself nonexistent. More than anything, she believed at this moment she’d become an albatross around this amazing man’s neck. Sam, who took her in, stood by her, and he still hadn’t turned his back. Why?

“Come on, Sam. You want to fix it. You look at this whole circumstantial mess through Derek’s eyes. And if you’re honest, you’ll see it ain’t all that far of a stretch.” Jesse held his large fisted dark hand up. “One, mystery girl carries a backpack that’s stolen, but the security footage shows Reggie and dark kid are waiting for her.” Jesse raises a finger. “Two, they expected her. Three, Reggie’s been under investigation for a while, which I just found out, for his suspected role in transporting drugs. Four, you happen to be right behind mystery girl, right after your own case crashes around you, and a knapsack full of marijuana’s discovered in your locker. Five,  you’ve taken Marcie in, a virtual stranger, like long lost kin. And we know she transported something.” Jesse held his outstretched hand high to make his point. “Add to all of this Elise’s sketchy past of being a dirty cop; a dirty cop you were married to at the time.” Jesse dropped his hand and took a step back. “This may not play out well for you my friend.”

Jessie shed his dark rumpled sports coat and tossed it through the open window of his sedan. Sweat stained the underarms of his blue dress shirt. His dark glasses obscured his telltale eyes, constantly showing query Marcie thought.

“What’s Derek saying now?”

“That you may be involved with whatever went down at the airport with mystery girl—that you’re part of a smuggling ring bringing marijuana down from up north—and Reggie’s working for you. And the Elise thing, Derek’s reopened the file.”

Goose bumps chilled Marcie’s warm skin. This was her fault, what was happening to Sam, even though started by another woman, a destructive, dishonest woman. But was she any better? She couldn’t do this to Sam. It wasn’t right.

Sam paced back and forth. Gravel crunched beneath his feet as he ran his hand up and over the back of his head, refusing to look her way. Marcie sensed a pile of pretty heavy shit heaping up from a dark past, his and hers, filled with secrets and lies. What a mess.

“You thought about calling your boss? If you’re not under investigation, you get him to back you up. Help get this heat off you.”

“Not yet. You said you got something for me.”

Jesse shook his head. “You amaze me. That ego of yours makes you think you’re untouchable. You refuse to ask for help. Why do you always have to do things the hard way?” Jesse didn’t wait for a response. He reached in the open passenger window of the front seat and pulled out a manila envelope. He waved the tan envelope like an alluring red blanket in the air. “Look, these are just facts.” Jesse faced Marcie with a shadow of speculation. “You sure you want to read this in front of her. I bet my bottom dollar whatever she’s neck deep in, you want no part of.”

Don’t push. She heard it. She knew it. But she didn’t listen. “I have a right to know so both of you, please don’t treat me like some mindless ditz. And Jesse, I know you're concerned for Sam, I am too. But don’t ever speak through me like that again.”

“Whoa Marcie, back off. Jesse’s put his butt on the line for whatever shenanigans you’re involved in. And whatever trouble it is, my generosity’s been rewarded by being dragged right in the middle of it. So cool your mouth, girl.” He snapped, driving the knife a little deeper in her heart.

“Let’s all get a grip, okay?” Jesse’s radio buzzed with static. “Shit.” He gave the police scanner a hasty look, before stepping toward the car.

Sam pulled a few papers from the envelope. He walked while he read and then stopped cold about twenty feet away. Turning to Marcie his sharp eyes filled with accusation.

To be viewed, with such contempt, shredded her heart a little more.
What did I do?
Would Sam finally turn his back and walk away?

Tension appeared to vibrate across his wide shoulders. “Who are you?”

Her stomach twisted.
What was in the file?
“Sam, you know as much I do. I don’t know. Please don’t look at me like that.”

Jesse stepped forward, maybe to block the potential explosion he expected from Sam.

Sam ignored Jesse. He waved the papers in the air and firmed his stance. “It appears you produced a passport at check in under the name Lisa Francis. The birth date matches no records we can find. Is this an error?” Sam shrugged. “We can’t check because the passport’s no longer in your possession. So let’s say it was lifted along with the knapsack. And the question of the day is, what was in the knapsack Marcie, Lisa Francis or whatever your name is?”

“I’m supposed to bring you both in. Derek wants to talk to you and Marcie.”

Heaviness surrounded her. Everything at stake began to snowball into something, completely beyond her control.

Sam stuffed the papers back in the large envelope. “Does Derek know about the passport, and the name on it?”

“He does now, Sam. He too finds it weird she remembers a first name Marcie, but this passport, we know it’s a forgery. There’s no way I can hide that kind of information.” Jesse offered a helpless shrug and turned his head away to face the noisy traffic. He shook his head before facing Sam again. “You know the political game Derek likes to play. Right now, he’s making it sound as if you’re on the run with Marcie. He’s spiking it up, making himself look the martyr. He’s spouting off now with if he’d known about the passport from the get go, he’d have taken Marcie then and planted your ass in a holding cell.”

“Shit, what next?” Sam wiped a rough palm across his forehead and walked in a wide circle.

“Well actually Sam, it gets better.”

Sam froze.

“Derek’s alluding to a connection between the missing drugs on your island adventure with the Feds, the marijuana found stashed in your locker, mystery girl’s mishap at New Orleans airport and her missing backpack. All because of your connection to Elise, the ATF and NOPD’s suspicion she was on the take. He’s tying a whole shitload of circumstantial crap against you. He’s building a case that maybe Elise wasn’t investigating any northern smuggling ring on her own, but you and she were actually part of it before she was killed. You and I know fools have been put away on less.”

“I’m not working for Lance Silver; I was set up. That marijuana was planted in my locker. I’m not under investigation. You talk to my boss; he’ll tell you.” Sam loomed in front of Jesse, and this time Marcie did step back.

“I don’t need to talk to your boss to know the truth. But you need to know this, Derek’s going to spin his own tale on this and bypass the Feds. This is a different jurisdiction. Read between the lines my friend. Call your boss. Get him to pull you in. You need his help. He can make it go away. You know the Feds down here have always proven their ability to take down dirty cops in New Orleans. The tale Derek’s spinning, they’ll see it as it is. Corrupt and bad policing by a politically motivated captain who’s good at making an innocent man look guilty.” His frustrated words spewed. Any fool could see the common sense Jesse tried desperately to hammer into Sam.

Sam hurried to his car and pulled open the door. “You haven’t seen us Jesse; I’ll call you later.”

“Fuck Sam. You’re digging yourself in deeper. Cut her loose. You’re putting me in a tough spot. You know as well as I how serious this is. The drugs, especially this airport stuff, ever since 911 airport security’s jammed up tight. Didn’t you notice today, airport security’s at level orange? Come on, Sam. The possibility of a false passport and questions about what she transported. This is bad. You know this. This could get ugly, real quick. Use your head and think.”

Sam slammed his door shut and stalked toward Jesse. “That’s exactly what I’m doing, and you know why. I got way too many eyes on me, all this speculation and a whole lot of questionable crap. No, I need handle this my way.”

The potential of this snowballing into a nightmare was unavoidable. Jesse plainly cared deeply. Marcie could see how he fought to convince Sam to make a clean break and walk away. And he was right. He should leave her.

“This is my fault, Sam. I don’t understand any of this. Or why you’ve been dragged into the middle of it. You were there for me and took me in. I’m grateful for it. I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should just go with Jesse. At least then, your name will be cleared. You don’t deserve to be treated this way.” Her voice shook and her eyes burned, and she wept deep inside needing to give him this out. At the same time, she prayed he wouldn’t take it. When had she begun to need him so?

“Don’t play the martyr. That’s exactly what you don’t do down here. You can’t remember anything. Or do you suddenly remember? Which is it?” He crossed his solid arms, confronting her, attitude and all.

“No, Sam I don’t. I wish I did. Then maybe we’d have our answers.”

“Careful what you wish for Marcie, you may not want to know.”

He had her there. She stuck out her jaw over the sting of his words. He was a crack shot, and he’d hit his mark.

Jesse’s police scanner sizzled to life when a voice demanded his whereabouts. All three heads focused in on the dispatcher’s lilt as if she were a viper ready to strike.

“Tell them you haven’t seen me. That I blew you off.” Sam took another step toward Jesse. His white shirt clung to his damp back showing off his well-sculpted muscles. “I know I’m asking a lot, but we go way back, and you know I’m not involved in this. You and I both know nothing in this investigation is being done by the book.” Jesse ground his teeth, beads of sweat popped out above his brow. He reached in the open window and switched off the radio.

“Get going now. I haven’t seen ya. Just don’t forget a lot of these guys down here believe there’s something more. Remember, Sam. You’re the one who left.” His nostrils flared before he climbed in his sedan and fired it up.

Sam leaned in Jesse’s open window. “One more thing. Find out where all this heat’s coming from and why now?”

“The heat’s coming Sam, so’s the time to clear the past. You’ve put it off too long There’s one of your answers. You should have stayed and shown them you weren’t on the take. You made yourself look guilty when you took off and joined the Feds. To anyone who doesn’t know you, that’s how he sees it. You’re guilty; you run.”

A storm brewed amid the lingering dust trailing Jesse’s sedan. Sam pulled onto the highway but went in the opposite direction. Toward the storm and heavy grey clouds rumbling in the distant sky.

Sam needed another shower. He’d yet to acclimatize to being home. Each time he stepped outside, sweat glazed every inch of him. To make it worse, Jesse’s last words opened the congealed wound that hadn’t quite healed. Sam had to admit Jesse was right. To anyone else, his leaving town would appear as if he’d run, but that’s not why he left. Now every censure he’d brushed off whispered through his mind. Those icy stares at his back, each caustic hint anytime an investigation went sour. Did Sam slip up?

What made it worse were the friends of friends and distant acquaintances within the NOPD. Even the Feds, who believed they knew the truth. But, in fact, each had been led on by nothing more than mere gossip, circumstantial evidence, and the fact Sam made an excellent scapegoat. All because he refused to stay after Elise died and clear his name.

“Sam, what was Jesse talking about?”

Trapped in his head, he stared through the dusty windshield, and for a moment, Sam forgot where he was. Tired and disillusioned. he didn’t want to answer so he ignored her and kept driving. Except after a few minutes, his conscience cut through his pity party. This wasn’t her fault. What a coward, unable to face her mirage of innocence that looked him square in the eye.