A Legal Trap Ch. 10

March 12th, 8:06 PM

Fuck! My phone ringing and the vibration startled me awake and I jumped to a sitting position on the edge of the couch, almost slipping off the leather cushions. I fumbled with the phone to get it right side up so I could read the number - I didn't recognize it and there was no caller ID available. T-Mobile wasn't saying "Scam Likely ".

I had to think, who knows my number? The Carson's, Amber, then I wondered if it could be the FBI or Phoenix Police. It was certainly a Phoenix number and as the phone began to ring for the third time I answered.

"Hello..." Silence. I waited five seconds as I could hear breathing on the line, "Hello?" Then I could hear what sounded like muffled sobs, a woman possibly, crying. "Hey, hey... Take a breath. Who is this? Amber?" I was trying to sound calm, but could feel my chest tightening, I felt panicky.

"My," a sob and something said I couldn't make out. Then, "Arresting him. How can," more hard breathing mixed with crying, a few words I still couldn't make out again, "Is that true?"

It was Amber, oh shit! "Amber, look, you need to relax, calm down. I, I can't understand some of what you are saying. Start from the top, slowly." Oh fuck! Did she find out David Lafleur was being arrested tonight?

There was a long pause and I could hear her breathing slowing, "My... I heard them say David was being arrested, is that true?"

No, not me, don't ask me about this! Damn it! "I, look, he's broken the law Amber. If he's innocent a good lawyer will have him out of trouble in no time." Great, give her hope the pedophile is actually innocent given all I'd seen of their interactions.

"I approached him. I'm the," more sobbing.

"If that's true, his lawyers will use that Amber, but I think we both know that's not true..."

"That's bullshit! This is a fucking," silence, then in a quieter restrained tone, "It's a fucking setup. This is my parents and Uncle Jacob trying to ruin my..."

The last part of her sentence was lost to the whispered tone she was using. Was she trying to hide that she was talking to me?

"Okay, well it's out of our hands now. If he's arrested then it's for the courts to decide." I was trying to remain calm, but I was feeling very anxious, wishing my purse was handy and I could pop a Xanax.

Nearly thirty seconds of silence before she spoke, "Why are you helping them?"

"I'm not helping them Amber, I'm here only to help you."

"No, you know... You know fucking... God damn you bitch!"

Her voice was straining and I could feel the anger in the words as she spoke, "I know a lot and I know not being true to yourself is a big mistake. I've been down this road Amber, it sucks, you have to believe that. People will use you if you let..."

"Yeah, well fucking everyone uses everyone. Don't fucking preach that shit to me!"

She'd cut me off and I was having trouble feeling like I could stand up to her, "Mmuh, that's true. What's also true is you knew that you were different and you were brave enough to make that shift to trying to be the real you," I wasn't sure what I was trying to say, but let the words flow, "Then... I don't know what happened. You lost friends maybe, got bullied, whatever, and instead of fighting for yourself you took the first comforting hand extended to you. That hand was all the bullshit fetish crap you thought was gonna save you from all the 'Boo hoo - whoa is me...' bullshit thrown at you. Well listen up, you got fucked by a piece of shit loser, who got you to expose that shit on the internet for a couple bucks. And for what, twenty seconds of feel good and some cash? I'm not preaching Amber, I'm telling you all this shit coming down, it's all on you. All you because you gave up being who you knew you were inside." I was shaking slightly and stood, as I did the door to the bedroom opened and Paul was looking at me concerned. I turned away. Fuck!

"That's not true. I'm going... We're going to have more money than you ever will know... I..."

"I doubt that," I could feel Paul staring at me, "You'll be used until there's nothing left worth using and then discarded." I lowered my voice, slowed down the cadence, "That life you think is so easy, it's not, and one day you'll wake up in a hospital not remembering how you got there, a couple broken ribs and a fucked up face. Yeah, some kind of wonderful life that'll be. Or you'll be dead. You wanna be a big girl, a woman? Give this shit up before it gets you killed! This isn't a video game or some Facebook-love-fest. This is you being used pure and simple."

"You don't kno..."

I barked, "The fuck I don't!"

"Yeah, well... David loves me and...," she sounded desperate to have some kind of win from our exchange.

"If he loved you, he wouldn't be using you. No, love, real love looks very different Amber. You have no further to look than your parents." I hoped they had a solid relationship or I'd just screwed my whole point.

"Davi..."

I wasn't done and interrupted her, "No, David is a user, a fucking thirty year old fuck who stole from you something you will never, never get back." I was heated and Paul standing behind me was not helping. I was glad he couldn't hear both sides of this conversation.

I turned to face him, motioned him to sit. After he had I went into the bedroom - closing the door behind me. Amber droned on about David loving her and I wanted so bad to just beat the piss out of her. I found my purse, opened the Xanex bottle, and dumped the pills on the counter. I picked one up, turned the sink on, and sucked in a mouthful of foul tasting water from my hand to swallow it.

When Amber paused I asked, "Who were you talking with in the chat room last night?"

"I wasn't..."

"Don't lie... I know you were talking to someone named FlowerGirl last night. I know about next week. What the hell are you thinking?" When she didn't answer right away I tried to soften my tone, but I wasn't confident I sounded anything but confrontational, "Was that David or someone else?"

"It was some..."

There was another voice in the room, a man, "What the hell are you doing in... Who is that on the phone?"

"Dad... It's not what you...," Amber yelled in protest.

There was a thunking noise, then, "Hello! Who the is this, " a man's voice yelled into the phone.

"Mr. Carson, this is Elizabeth Gallagher, I work with Jacob. I, I gave Amber my number the other night and, I, I told her to call me if she wanted to talk..." I have no doubt I didn't sound confident in any of that, but he was so angry I could barely form a sentence.

"Elizabeth? OK, well, we don't want Amber talking to people right now, so. Ah, Thanks for speaking with her. Please, I'm sorry about the..."

"No, I totally understand Mr. Carson. Thank you."

The line went dead and I took my first breath since he took the phone from Amber. Oh my God! There was a ringing in my ears and I felt light headed. I backed up and plopped my ass onto the toilet seat, then buried my face in my hands. Breath... Nothing is going to happen, nothing is...

March 12th, 8:29 PM

"You okay? Didn't hear you yelling, thought I'd check on ya."

I tried to sit up straight, but put my face back in my hands, "Think so." That was a lie.

"Trouble with your," I heard Paul putting my Xanax back in the bottle, "Alprazolam?"

Nice, he knew how to say the prescriptions real name, "Yeah, little bit..."

"You and Amber have another heart to heart?"

"You could say that. Then again maybe I was just being a bitch. I really don't know what to think right now."

Paul chuckled, "Sounds like you gave her a good thrashing. I think she probably needed that, rather than being coddled like I've seen Stephanie handling her."

I tried to laugh, but it sounded like I was very nervous for some reason. The ringing in my ears was beginning to really freak me out. I sensed Paul standing next to me, then I saw through my fingers him kneeling and placing his hands on my knees.

"You want to lay down?"

"No, I'm just gonna sit here. Might need to puke..."

"Anxiety?"

"Yeah, typical panic attack shit for me. This one's bad. Talk to me, need to get my head in a different space to help get over this."

"Sure, ah, well no email reply yet."

"It's not David. The chat room wasn't David."

"Amber tell you that?"

"Yeah, I think that's what she was saying before her dad blew a gasket on the phone."

"Oh, you got to talk to Gary? Given all the shit he's gone through, I imagine anything to do with Amber could tip him over. I can't imagine what this has been like for him. Amber say anything about next week?"

"We didn't get that far, not for lack of trying. Her dad kind of blew getting an answer to that question."

"We need them to parent Liz, they need to step up. I get the sense Stephanie is afraid to put her foot down for fear of having her run again. I could be totally wrong on that though."

"I can see where it might be difficult for them now, going forward. That kid frustrates me so much Paul," I tried to chuckle but it sounded hollow.

Paul's phone began ringing in the bedroom, "I'll be right back."

He patted my shoulder and left to get it. I heard him answer, it was Jacob, then he asked him to hold on.

A moment later he was back in the bathroom with me, "Okay, you're on speaker, Elizabeth is here."

"I just got off the phone with Landon. RCMP in Vancouver just finished a two hour standoff with David Lafleur. When they entered his apartment they found him deceased in his bedroom. He was shot in the head."

"Suicide?" Paul asked.

Oh my God! This isn't happening. I looked at Paul for some understanding of what we'd just heard; he just shrugged in return.

"No. No weapon recovered, they think he was killed sometime early this morning," Jacob continued.

My stomach dropped and began to roil. No, that can't be.

"Landon said to expect a call from the bureau and the Phoenix police in the next couple hours. They'll just want to know where you both were the last twenty-four hours. Nothing to worry about, just standard procedure. I've given them my information already; they will be contacting the Carson's shortly."

Were we suspects somehow? No, everyone is a suspect until ruled out. We'd been deep into trying to find Lafleur, only logical to exclude us from a list of people hunting him and maybe wanting to take out their own justice on him. Jacob didn't say murder though, but there being no weapon found, that has got to be foul play?

"So, the Carson's don't know yet?" Paul asked.

"Correct. Again, they are just checking people off the list, nothing to worry about; we know where everyone was the past twenty-four hours. Also, as of right now you are to stop all investigation into Lafleur, Amber, or anyone else, understood?"

"Sure Jacob..."

"Elizabeth?"

I was feeling sick, but managed, "Yes Mr. Wentz."

"Paul, connect with Tim at the bureau. He's expecting to meet with you tonight. Give him everything you've uncovered if he doesn't have that already. Elizabeth, you might as well tag along in case they want to interview you or you have anything that could help."

Paul was looking at me, but I must not have looked in any condition to speak, "Jacob, Elizabeth just finished talking to Amber not ten minutes ago. We're pretty sure she said the chat room transcript was not a conversation with David Lafleur. Our attempt at emailing what we thought was his email address ran into an unexpected reply. This could require the investigation into others I'm afraid, especially with Lafleur out of the picture."

"Damn it," Jacob sounded annoyed, "If what you're telling me is true means this isn't all going to go away quietly or quickly. Alright, make sure Tim knows all that and I'll call Landon back. I'm going to talk to Stephanie, I think it's time Amber was thoroughly pressured for details. Elizabeth, would you be available tomorrow to assist?"

I was waving Paul frantically to leave, while lifting the toilet seat. He got the message. I heard him saying, as he closed the door to the bathroom, that I would be available tomorrow. That's all I heard before I began retching into the toilet. The vomit burned my throat, so did the little that came out of my nose. It was a putrid red in color - not what I was expecting.

I started to see grey closing in around my periphery... Shit...

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