Sins of the mother (Chapter-12)

The air had turned cooler when Brooke walked out of the medical examiner’s office with Lukas beside her. It felt good on her skin after being in the claustrophobic and stuffy confines of the autopsy room. She’d driven from the station, and they sat in her car for a short time, silent, with Brooke waiting for Lukas to speak. Finally, when it became apparent he wasn’t going to, she said, “Are you okay?”

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I think maybe I’m starting to compartmentalize things, become numb. Maybe that happens when you see someone you know and care for brutalized the way Razzy was.”

“It’s a defense mechanism,” Brooke said. “Part of the job.”

“And now it’s about to get worse. I have to go tell Timmy.”

“Where is he now?”

“There’s a teacher at his school who’s a temporary foster care provider. He’s staying with her until the Department of Children’s Services can make more permanent arrangements. I reached out to DCS this morning since we haven’t been able to find any family. Razzy was all he had.”

“Are you sure you’re up to telling him?”

“No, but I have to.”

Several more seconds of silence followed. Brooke hated to press, but he was so closed off. She knew she’d want a friend with her if she were in his place. She glanced at him.

“Do you want to do it alone? Or could you use some backup?”

“I think I definitely need some backup. Would you mind?”

“Not at all. Are you ready?”

“Let’s go.”

***

Lukas directed Brooke to a house in a middle-class neighborhood located in the central part of town. The lawn was perfectly manicured, and the landscaping was beautiful, even in November. Lukas could feel Brooke’s eyes on him as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked at the piece of paper the address was written on and matched it to the house.

“Let’s do this,” he said.

“Do you want me to wait in the car?”

“No, come with me.”

Lukas picked up a bag from a sporting goods store that he’d brought with him from the station. He and Brooke walked up the long sidewalk toward the front porch, but before they could ring the doorbell, the door opened and a pleasant looking female who appeared to be in her forties came out to greet them.

“Hello,” she said. “May I help you?”

“I’m Detective Lukas Miller, and this is Detective Brooke Stevens. We’re here to talk to Timmy.”

Before the lady could reply, Lukas heard footsteps. The voice of a young boy cried out, “Coach! Hey! What’s up?”

Timmy looked exactly like his mother; except he had blond hair where his mother’s was auburn. He was a little undersized for ten years old, but Lukas had seen him compete with boys much bigger because of his athleticism.

“Wait a minute, Coach. I’ll be right back,” he said. He disappeared back into the house.

Mrs. Clay waited until Timmy was out of earshot and told them that he seemed to be doing well, but that he kept asking when his mother would be out of the hospital. Timmy returned less than a minute later holding a baseball and two gloves. “I want to show you how much harder I can throw, Coach.”

“I brought you a new glove,” Lukas said, pulling one out of the bag he’d carried from the car.

“Wow, cool. Thanks, Coach.”

“Okay, my man. Let’s go out in the yard so you can show me what you’ve got.”

“I’ll be pitching for you next year,” Timmy said, racing ahead of them onto the front lawn. Lukas jogged out after Timmy.

The next few minutes were filled with baseball talk and with Lukas praising Timmy for the hard work he’d obviously put in. They obviously care for each other, Brooke thought to herself. The crisp air was filled with the steady sounds of the ball smacking leather. After several throws, Lukas asked Timmy to come over to the steps and sit with him. Brooke stood in front of them a few feet away and listened.

“Timmy, remember when I started coaching you, how I told you sometimes we have to be strong and tough? Like the time you got hit by that fastball?”

The boy grimaced. “Sure, that hurt.”

“I know it did. And sometimes, baseball is like life. Sometimes in life we have to be strong and tough. I need to talk to you about something, and I’m going to need you be strong, okay?”

“Sure, Coach, I will.”

“It’s about your mom, Timmy.”

“Yeah, she’s in the hospital right now. That’s why I’m staying with Mrs. Clay.”

“Timmy, your mom was in the hospital. But now she’s gone to Heaven.”

Timmy searched Lukas’s face. “You mean she’s dead?” Brooke felt tears well up in her eyes. The boy was barely able to hold it together. His face went pale, and he was shaking.

“I’m so sorry, Timmy, she’s gone.” Timmy lunged at Lukas, throwing his arms around his neck. He began to sob uncontrollably. Brooke could see Lukas was struggling to maintain his composure, too. Lukas held the boy, comforting him.

The crying eventually stopped, but Timmy remained in Lukas’s arms, trembling, staring into nothing. He finally raised his head, looked at Lukas, and said, “I need to be strong, right Coach?”

“It’s okay to be sad, but yes, you’ll have to be strong. You’ll get to see her again. We’ll all join her one day. Your mom just left us earlier than we would have liked. But I know she would want you to be strong, just like she was. I’ll help get you through this. We’ll get through it together.”

“Will you still come visit me and take me to practice and the games like you did before?”

“Of course, I will. That’s what friends do, right?”

“Right.”

“Here’s a card with all my phone numbers on it. If you need anything, all you need to do is call. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Tell you what. I’m really busy right now, but hopefully this weekend I’ll have some free time. How about we go down to the field and work on that fastball of yours some more? How does that sound?”

“Yeah,” he said, wiping tears from his face.

“Good. Now let’s get you inside so Mrs. Clay won’t worry about you.”

Timmy nodded. He was halfway back up the stairs before turning. “Oh, and thanks again for the new glove.”

“You’re welcome, bud.”

Mrs. Clay had returned and opened the door. Brooke saw that her eyes were red, but she was holding it together for the sake of the boy. She ushered Timmy into the house and clutched the gloves and ball Lukas handed her.

“It’s going to be hard on the little guy,” she said to Lukas and Brooke. “I’m not sure where we go from here.”

“I know,” Lukas said. “If there’s anything at all you need, call me.” Lukas handed her his card. “Timmy already has all these numbers, but I want you to feel free to get in touch, too. Any time. Anything. I mean it.”

“I will. And thank you both.”

When they reached the car, Lukas spoke first.

“That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.”

“You did fine, Lukas. You did great.”

Lukas nodded slightly and retreated into silence for most of the drive back to the station.

Before they got back downtown, Brooke looked at her watch. “I need to get back over to Kingsport and talk to some of the hookers. I’d like to make contact with that other pimp, Draxton Little, but I’m not sure he’ll talk to me.”

“I’m going to go back to the scene at the mayor’s house to do another canvass. They didn’t turn up much last night. I feel like I have to keep at it.”

“Okay, I’ll catch up with you later. I’ll let you know what the chief’s got lined up on the task force.”

“Thanks for going with me,” Lukas said. “Thanks for being there when I needed somebody I could trust.”

“So, you trust me now?” she said.

“Isn’t that what partners are supposed to do?” he said.

Brooke nodded and smiled. She was pleased to see Lukas offer a warm smile of his own. “It is,” she said. “Trust is the most important thing.”