Home Sweet Home Ch. 02

"Wait, Aberdeen?" Diana asked, and Tabitha nodded. "Fuck," she said, tapping a closed fist on her desk.

"Chief?" Gerald asked. Diana had never been this visibly frustrated in front of someone outside of the department.

"That's the woman who had the altercation with Riley Blake," Diana said, and Gerald understood now. Riley had been convinced to not file a lawsuit, but now the woman the police let roam around his house has a warrant. Pray he takes that in context should he learn about it.

"We're looking into her history, seeing if we can find where she took the child. Her last home of record is here, but I understand her parents are deceased," Tabitha said.

"Yes, they are. She had a separate issue with the current owner of her parent's house. It's resolved, but through considerable effort. Where she is now, I don't know," Diana said.

"Was the child with her?"

"Yes," Diana said, and opened her phone. Her and Riley had shared their numbers. "Let me call him and see if she stayed away."

The phone rang a few times until Riley picked up.

"Dee?" Riley asked.

"Unfortunately, I'm the Chief right now, calling on official duty," Diana said, and he laughed a little. "Sorry to call, but I need to do some due diligence. Dumb question. Do you know the whereabouts of Matilda Aberdeen? The woman from the event that shall not be mentioned."

Gerald and Tabitha couldn't hear the conversation, but they did hear Diana reply, "You gotta be shitting me."

--

Diana, along with two officers and Tabitha, arrived at Riley's home soon after their conversation. Riley stepped onto his porch as the cars pulled in and everyone exited the vehicles. Diana told everyone to standby for a moment and then ascended the stairs to meet him on the porch.

"What's going on?" Riley asked. She had told him she couldn't explain everything over the phone, and to expect a visit.

"This," Diana said, and extended the arrest warrant to him. Riley read enough, then handed it back.

"Did you guys know about this last week?" Riley asked.

"No. The warrant was shared between states this morning," Diana said. Thankfully, Riley understood that. "Is she home?"

"Yeah," Riley said. "Is Howie not her son?"

"He is, it's just, she lost her custody. We need to arrest her, and she needs to take Howie," she said, pointing over her shoulder to Tabitha.

"Fuck," Riley said, and sat on his porch swing.

"Is everything okay?" Tilly said from the door. Diana looked over at her and asked her to step outside. Tilly saw the police were not there for Riley, and a woman who appeared all too much like CPS standing next to a police vehicle. She slammed the door shut. The crack of a deadbolt echoed on the covered porch.

"Did you happen to step out with your keys?" Diana asked.

"Nope," Riley said, knowing full well what came next.

Diana apologized in advance for her officers kicking the door open. The living room and kitchen were empty, so the officers began to search the house for Tilly and Howie. It took several minutes, but she was found clutching her son for dear life in the closet of her bedroom. Tilly was not cooperative or calm. It took both officers to pry Howie away, now hysterical because his mother was hysterical.

The moment Howie was released from her grasp, the second officer pinned her against a wall to restrain her as his partner carried Howie. The boy was screaming and fighting the officer with everything he had. Kicking, punching, scratching, biting. Anything he could do was useless.

Howie came out first. When he saw Riley, he reached out to him for help. As much as he wanted to comfort him, he didn't want to make any promises, or speak platitudes like 'everything is going to be okay'. The child was placed into the back of a squad car, where he pounded on the window, smearing his tears and snot on the glass.

Tabitha sat with the boy in the back and the officer drove him away so he wouldn't see his mother being arrested and put into a separate car. Tilly was escorted out next, being dragged because all her energy had been exhausted. She looked at Riley for a moment, then looked away in shame. Riley couldn't watch but had to hear her being put in the car and read her rights through the window. He kept his head down until she was gone.

Diana sat on the porch next to Riley, taking off her cap and placing it on her lap.

"This just keeps getting better and better. We need to stop meeting like this," Diana said to inject some humor into the scenario. She regretted saying it the moment it passed her lips. There was no room for lightheartedness.

"Thanks for trying," Riley said, then turned his neck to look at her. Diana gave a sad smile and appreciated the fact he knew her intent even if it was ill placed. "How many red flags did I ignore?"

"I've seen fewer red flags at Berkley," Diana said. The joke landed this time, and Riley coughed out a chuckle.

"How's Whitney?" Riley asked.

"Most popular girl in school. She got an autograph and picture from Riley Blake. Why your books attract that demographic is beyond me." She had since read the first book and was a quarter of the way through the sequel.

"Wasn't my aim," Riley said. He stood up and walked to his door to evaluate the damage. "I need to start billing you guys. You're doing a number on my doors."

"Put it on my tab," Diana said. She stood up and put her cap back on.

In the short time she had known Riley, she found his personality difficult to gauge. He was fast to forgive people who wronged him. So much so, he offers the woman who broke into his house a lease instead of a summons. He dropped a lawsuit because she asked nicely, while still able to negotiate leniency for her officer who had a momentary lapse in judgement. A genuinely nice guy, but still able and willing to stand up for himself when the situation called for defense.

Diana didn't recall the last time she wanted to learn more about a man. He was a widower and a divorcee, so he would logically have some baggage. Still, she wanted to unpack it with him. She felt he was worth the effort. Something about him made a simple friendship inadequate to her ambitions.

"What are you going to do now?" Diana asked.

"Get my door fixed for starters," Riley said. He crouched down to the latch, touching the splintered wood, careful to avoid those splinters from stabbing into the skin of his fingers.

They both heard the crumple of footsteps approaching them and turned to see Alice walking up the driveway carrying a towel wrapped around a glass baking dish. Likely a type of dessert to welcome a new neighbor. Alice cautiously approached when she noticed the police were there as well.

"A break in?" Alice asked when she saw Riley who was no longer obscured when he stood up.

"Not quite," Riley said. Alice climbed to the porch and extended him the dish. "What's this?"

"My stepmom's neighborhood famous banana bread. They got in last night, and remembered they got a new neighbor. She had to make a few calls just to find aged bananas," she said as Riley took it from her. It smelled excellent. "Bad time?"

"Understatement of the century," Riley said, but thanked her regardless. He took a step inside the house and placed the bread on the table next to the door. "You wouldn't happen to know a carpenter?" He didn't figure a teenaged girl would, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"I do," Alice replied, and Riley was quiet for too long. Not the answer he expected. "My dad. He's a carpenter. A good one too. You know that desk in your office? He made it."

"Whoa," Riley said, looking over his shoulder into the house. "Really?"

"Mmhmm," Alice said, beaming with pride that she got to brag about her dad.

"I thought he owned a restaurant," Riley said.

"He does that too. Luigi's. Italian place just outside of town. He makes money, invests it, and makes more money. He's like King Midas. He could stick a finger up your ass, and you'd shit gold," Alice said, and Riley laughed. Diana tried to maintain her professionalism, but a laugh forced its way out like a punch to the stomach. "Want his number? He'll give you the neighbor discount."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Riley said, and copied her father's number into his phone. "Name? So I can find it later."

"William Hartman," Alice replied. Riley saved his number and put his phone into his pocket. "I'll let him know to expect a call."

"Thanks. Thank your mother for the bread too," Riley said. Alice didn't correct him by saying 'stepmother' because that was a formality to her. She was blessed with two great mothers. Alice departed back home, jumping off the second to last step of the porch in a display of youthful energy.

"My knees hurt watching that," Diana said with a giggle, then turned to Riley again. Riley silently stood on his porch, and Diana watched his face gradually sink into a mixture of frustration and sadness. "I need to go, and I know asking if you're okay is a dumb question."

"What's going to happen to her?" Riley asked.

"She'll likely have an extradition hearing in the next few days. They'll send her to Indiana where she'll be read the charges," Diana replied.

"Where will she be held while she's waiting?"

"County," Diana said.

"I need to make a few phone calls," Riley said, and called Michael who he now had saved in his favorites.

Diana wasn't sure how to feel about how much Riley had already helped Tilly. It seemed like he was preparing to do even more. Why? Diana sat on the porch and listened to Riley ask Michael if he knew a good child custody lawyer. He thanked him and hung up the phone.

"Why are you doing this?" Diana asked, and Riley pushed open his door and looked back at her. "Last week she was a stranger who broke into your home."

"I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for Howie," Riley said, and then walked through the doorway. Diana sighed, and walked to his door that could not close properly.

"Maybe the kid's better off. Some parents are worse," Diana said through the opening. Riley didn't reply, but she could hear him moving around. "Riley?"

"Tell that to the cigarettes burns on my back," Riley said. "My broken bones from accidents. The foster system put me back with the same shitty people over and over again. You want to know why I'm doing this?" Riley asked, and stepped back to the door. He opened it all the way to exit, and then shut it the best he could. "Because I was Howie. Only when they came for me, my mother didn't care. Why would she, she would have sold me for a dime bag. Even in that scenario, I was still better off with my mother. You just wouldn't understand."

"I was abused too. It was also facilitated by the person who should have protected me. I have dedicated my life to protecting people, so I understand that instinct. I legally adopted my baby sister when I was eighteen just so she didn't have the same experience I did. You want to whip out our scars and start measuring? Don't tell me I don't understand," Diana said while maintaining aggressive eye contact.

"Sorry...I just...fuck," Riley said, struggling to find the proper words. It had been a long time since he met someone who understood him in that way.

"You want to help them. Okay. I'll question your sanity, but not your motives. I like helping people too. Just don't let people take advantage of you," Diana said, and touched his arm. Riley patted her hand to say thanks and walked down the porch.

"Are you guys holding her until they move her to county?" Riley asked, and Diana nodded. "I need to talk to her."

--

Riley drove to the Ferry Grove police department to talk with Tilly. Lock up was four cells in the basement all divided by brick walls. Each cell had two beds and a toilet. The room was only manned when someone was locked up. Drunk and disorderly was the most common offense, followed by teenagers being held overnight as per the instructions of their upper-middle-class parents.

Diana gave a call to the basement to allow Riley to speak with her before she was transferred. When he arrived, Tilly was sitting with her head hanging toward her knees. The floor beneath her was moist from tears. Tilly heard footsteps, and Riley was the last person she expected when she looked up. Her eyes were so puffy, they looked ready to fall out of her head.

"How did you think that was going to end?" Riley asked. Tilly sniffed loudly and looked at her feet. "Did you honestly think no one was going to come after you?"

"I don't know what I was thinking," Tilly said to her shoelaces. "I just wanted my son back. That's it. That's all I ever wanted."

"Tell me about the drugs?" Riley asked.

"I'm clean," Tilly said.

"Because you were just released from prison," Riley said, and Tilly shook her head. "That lease you signed, stated you needed to disclose if you had prior convictions or served time. I can evict you on that alone."

"Is that why you're here?" Tilly asked.

"No. I want to help, but I need the truth from here on. No more bullshit or lies of omission. You didn't know your parents died because you were in prison. Why did no one notify you?" Riley asked.

"Because they wrote me out of their will until I straightened myself out. Probate had no reason to find me. The drugs were not mine," Tilly said.

"No, more, bullshit," Riley said slowly.

"They weren't. A friend of mine, ex-friend, borrowed my car and used it for drugs without telling me. He didn't unload all the drugs and I got pulled over for rolling a stop sign. The cop saw residue on the dash and called a dog," Tilly explained. Riley wasn't sure how much to believe.

"Why a guilty plea?" Riley asked.

"I'm not you. I can't afford a lawyer who could have told me the search was legally dubious. It's was either a decade, or a few months. I was drug tested before, during, and after. I was always clean; I'm not lying about that. Drugs killed my brother, so I'm not putting Howie anywhere near that," Tilly said, her volume increasing with each sentence until she was nearly shouting.

"I fucked up. I shouldn't have taken him. The idea of my son living with strangers, was so haunting to me, I just couldn't stand it," Tilly said. She stood up and walked to the bars of the cell. To look him in the eye as she said, "I'm not a drug addict, or a dealer, or anything like that. I ruined every advantage my parents gave me. Howie wasn't even born when I ran out of favors. When I took him, I didn't know where to go, so I went home. I just prayed they didn't care about us."

Riley wanted to believe her, even though he had a lot of reasons not to. His instincts told him to wipe his hands clean of this mess. He wanted to prove those instincts wrong, and that Tilly wasn't a lost cause. Tilly never appeared like she was trying to take advantage of him. She always appeared antagonistic to the help. The moment he felt that changing, he was done.

"I don't care how uncomfortable this makes you. Your pride, for the time being, doesn't exist. My lawyer is making calls to find you a good custody lawyer. If you want to see your son again, you need to do it on their terms first," Riley said, and Tilly slowly nodded.

"Assuming I don't just go straight to prison?" Tilly asked.

"Obviously assuming that," Riley said.

Officers arrived a moment later to transfer Tilly to county. Riley told her again as she walked past him to make no statements until a lawyer met with her.

--

Michael told Riley he would keep him informed on Tilly's status, but to stay out of it for the time being. Tilly's extradition hearing was scheduled in two days, and they would work from there to prevent her extradition, and turn it into an Illinois case if the courts agreed to a leniency plea, reducing felony kidnapping to a misdemeanor negligence charge. That would likely work, considering kidnapping would be a difficult charge for a jury to convict on once all circumstances were considered.

Riley called Alice's father William to schedule a meeting to get his door fixed. He said he could evaluate the damage tomorrow morning and give him an estimate. Will arrived the next morning as promised. After completing his morning run, he trotted over in shorts and a shirt soaked in sweat. The image of the carpenter, business owner, entrepreneur Riley had envisioned was not accurate to who arrived.

While not tall dark and handsome in the traditional sense, Will was remarkably talented at highlighting his best attributes. He wore clothing that accentuated his muscular frame. His plain face was improved by a neatly trimmed beard and goatee. His brown hair was starting to salt over, but he let it stay as is. Riley incorrectly assumed Will was older than him. He was in fact a year younger than Riley.

"Good news is, should be able to keep the same door. That saves you upwards a grand. The damage looks focused on the frame, latch, and catch. New jamb for sure. Top jamb looks fine, so does the threshold. Pretty straight forward fix. New jamb with weather seal, little over a hundred on materials. I'll do the labor for free," Will said after examining the damage for a few minutes.

"I expected worse. I'll take it," Riley said. Will stood up from the crouch, and the two shook hands. "Want a cup of coffee?"

"Whatever lubes the morning turd," Will replied, then said yes in plainer English. Riley poured the coffee and handed it to Will who completed it with creamer and one sugar. "Alice said you're an author."

"I am," Riley said. "Haven't always been. I was a tradesman once upon a time."

"Take it not carpentry."

"Welder," Riley replied. "I do usually prefer doing it myself, but I need speed on this one."

"I understand. I'm a welder too. Don't use it very often, but I have it. Gave me a few more jobs when I was struggling," Will said and looked around the house some. Riley could tell he had been a frequent guest of the Aberdeen family. "Eerie how little has changed in here."

"I just let my wife win the divorce. Didn't know I bought the house furnished, but it kind of worked out," Riley said. Riley had never been good at casual conversation, so he was struggling on how to continue.

"Any kids?" Will asked. At least one of them was an adult.

"No. Made the divorce painless. At least less painful," Riley said. "You got Alice and a few others?"

"Alice, and four others," Will replied. "I got five."

"Damn. When do you stop?" Riley asked with a small laugh.

"We're done. I got snipped last year," Will said, his eyes pointing to his groin.

"Did you know the Aberdeens well?" Riley asked, and Will seemed to find the transition odd. "It must be weird that I'm here at all. With their stuff."

"We were friends. As close as neighbors could be. Tilly babysat for us, all the time, and now Alice is returning the favor. We were business partners too. We owned the restaurant together. I miss them," Will said, taking a quiet moment to himself.

"I never did hear how they died," Riley said, and Will sighed.

"It was bizarre. Coop died from a heart attack at work. Lilly died in a car crash on her way to see him," Will explained, and Riley stood silently with his mouth agape. He couldn't write something that tragic. "Only a few years after they buried their son. Drugs got him in the end. We tried to find Tilly; we really did."

Riley decided not to tell them where she was before and at that moment. That was her business to share with them if she wanted to.

"Then she just, kind of pops back again. She didn't even know about her parents until she got here. You're the only nice thing to happen to this family in a long time," Will said, and Riley felt that in his stomach. He didn't want recognition, but it always felt good. "I saw police here yesterday and can't help but notice someone isn't here. Could you fill me in?"