“Tabby, please come with me and Jonah. He’s with the FBI…” I gestured to Jonah who was standing not two feet behind me monitoring our conversation.
“Hey, Tabitha, I’m Jonah…”
“You’re with the FBI?”
He nodded.
“Fuck! What the fuck, Si. You setting me up?”
I jerked my head back. “Tabby, you came here to see me. Why would I set you up?”
She plunged her fingers into her hair and looked around. “Shit. Shit. Gotta go.”
I grabbed her wrist. “No, you need to come with me to the back room so we can talk. Call Mom. Get her here to help you. Honey, you’re high as a kite and you’re not making any sense. You look like you haven’t eaten in a month, sister. Come on.” I tried to get her to come with me, but she ripped her arm away.
“Si, Mom and the girls don’t need me in their lives. I fuck everything up. I gotta go! I’ll keep an eye on you, sister, but I gotta go!”
Feeling completely hopeless, I reached for her and she shoved me hard enough that I fell backward into Jonah who broke my fall.
Then as quick as she came, she disappeared into the crowd.
“Go after her!” I cried out.
He shook his head. “Baby, she’s smoke. Gone. Wiry woman like that can disappear in broad daylight especially if she doesn’t want to be found. And she doesn’t seem to want to be found or receive any help right now.”
I spun around and put my face against his chest. “She’s using again. Probably selling too. She looks bad.”
“We’ll figure it out. Talk to your sisters and mother. See what we can do about nailing her down and getting her into a program.”
I nodded. “She’s already been through two of them. We thought this last one worked. She’s been clean for two years since she left the six-month program.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know your sister, honey, but for now, all you can do is pray and bring the other women into it.”
“Yeah, I gotta finish my shift.” My shoulders dropped as the weight of Tabby using again truly hit me.
Mom was going to be devastated. Though I doubted she’d be surprised.
“Oh, my poor little chick.” Mama Kerri paced the open space in the center of the rented apartment in Sonia’s building while ringing her hands.
My heart hurt at the sight. The constant worry, concern, and fear that a young girl she raised, loved like her very own, and accepted into her life as her daughter had once again gone down the wrong path.
Jonah had left us, went out in the hallway to get an update from Ryan on the case. I knew he was eager for the autopsy results on Helen in the hopes that it would enlighten the team on new leads. Even though he wasn’t officially on the case, they kept him fully updated in the event that he could shed some light on anything new.
For the past six months Jonah and Ryan had been chasing the Backseat Strangler across Illinois. The recent deaths of Katrina, my apartment manager, and Helen were the first they believed the Strangler had personally chosen. The rest seemed to be based on convenience. Wrong place, wrong time. Just like me. Originally. Now it’s as though the killer had escalated focusing on first Katrina by killing her in my apartment and then Helen. She specifically was a message screaming loud and clear that the killer was biding his time. He apparently didn’t like loose ends and I feared he’d kill more people Jonah or I knew before he was done.
“Fuckin’ Tabby,” Charlie ranted on a huff. “There any liquor in this place? I need a drink.” She stomped off into the kitchen, her red ponytail swinging along with her.
“Charlie,” Mama chastised, and Charlie gave a murmured, “Sorry,” as she entered the swinging door to the kitchen.
The room was unusual and seemed to be focused on entertaining in the combined living and dining space with a clear opening in the center and near the patio. There were three matching white leather sofas forming a U-shape in front of the fireplace, which had a flat screen TV hung above it. I imagined it could hold a good thirty people comfortably. More if you opened the sliding doors to the wide patio where people could mingle inside and out.
“I’m not sure what we can do at this point,” Sonia stated on a sigh, her eyes glued to her phone. Her hair was a stunning shade of spun gold. One side was pressed behind her ear, the other side skimming her cheek in a pretty natural wave. She wore a sexy as hell red suit with black piping. I loved her in red. It upped her powerful politician vibe times a thousand.
“Kick some skinny girl ass, is what’s going to happen if I get my hands on her.” Blessing crossed her legs and pursed her lips, all sass and spitfire, ready to bring the smack down on Tabitha.
Mama Kerri glared at Blessing and she clamped her mouth shut and looked to me.
“I’m with Blessing. That girl needs a kick in the pants. Big time. You guys should have seen her. It was awful. Repeating herself. Looking thin and sickly. It was almost as bad as when she was eighteen and had gotten in with that rave crowd.” I frowned remembering that time as being awful.
Mama Kerri shook as though she were cold, then pressed her hand to her forehead. “Please Lord, take care of my girl or bring her home to me and I’ll do it. Just keep her safe.”
“Si. I agree. We need to find her, show her how much we love and need her in our lives. Help her to choose us over the drugs.” Liliana wiped a tear from her eye.
Jonah entered the room from behind us, his face a mask of severity, jaw locked, dark gaze zeroed in on mine.
Last night after my shift I was barely functioning when Jonah took me home. I had gone straight to his bathroom and brushed my teeth. From there I yanked off my top, my bra, and my jeans, and hit the bed face first in nothing but my panties. Jonah had promptly covered me up and did whatever it is guys do to close up a house at night before sleeping. I didn’t even feel him enter the bed, nor did I feel him leave it this morning when I woke. He’d been broody and serious all morning, even when driving us across town to Sonia’s building where everyone was staying.
Genesis had taken a few days off work at the Department of Health and Human Services where she was a social worker who placed displaced and orphaned children into foster homes. Rory was sitting on her knees coloring in a Disney Frozen coloring book quietly at the glass square coffee table. For three years old, she did a damn fine job too.
“There are a couple new programs for drug addictions that I’ve researched. They have impressive success rates. Though these ones are not only expensive, they are out of state, request no visitation from outside sources including family, and are deeply immersive. Tabitha would have to agree to it and sign herself into it. For serious cases like hers, they recommend a full year at their facility but no less than six months. We have to keep in mind, she’s already been through two before. She may not be willing. And that’s if we can find her first.” Genesis frowned. Her hair was pulled back in a long French braid that fell almost to her bum. I had some serious hair envy because hers was the deepest espresso color, silky, shiny, and perfectly flat.
“Well, I don’t know what to say other than I’ll pay for the program this time. Mama Kerri paid for the first and Sonia paid for the second. I’ve got wads of cash in the bank and not a lot of time or desire to spend it. Besides, my agent just scored me a new bathing suit gig in the Mykonos that will pay off my condo downtown.”