Page 18 of Bringing Chelsea Home

Oh dear.Aware of their scrutiny, Elaine put her wine on the side table, eased off her shoes and combed her hair with her fingers, giving herself time to put together an answer. “Roxie Buchannon is another one of Big Daddy’s girls,” she began. “Not his sweetheart, but in his stable. He beat her Sunday night and was so afraid he would kill her, she came to the Wellness Clinic Monday morning and asked Sister Bernie to get her to safety while he was in Chattanooga.”

“I don’t remember that in the police report,” Griff said, his tone clipping off the words.

“I guess I was so upset about Bernie that I only told the police about Lulu,” Elaine retorted, hating how defensive she sounded. “It had just happened that morning anyway.”

“Have you helped other women beside Roxie and Lulu get out of town?” Patrick asked, coming to sit in a high-back chair.

Elaine nodded. “Through Operation Phoenix. But only two from Big Daddy.”

“What’s Operation Phoenix?” Curiosity glittered in Patrick’s dark eyes, but Griff’s silence only added to Elaine’s increasing uneasiness.

“It’s a privately funded organization that helps abused and exploited women escape to safety,” she explained. “They’re moved out of their communities by volunteer drivers to distant and safe locations to start new lives.”

“I think you need to tell us everything you haven’t told us.” Griff added, and Elaine winced at the accusation in his voice, knowing she should have told him this yesterday after being attacked at the church. She took a sip of wine and began.

“Five years ago, a nurse in Memphis called Bernie at The Wellness Clinic and asked if she could help find housing for a woman fleeing her abusive boyfriend,” Elaine said. “We learned she was with Operation Phoenix, or OP, as they call themselves. After determining they were a legitimate organization, Bernie said yes, and OP moved the woman to Knoxville and Bernie did the rest. We didn’t have any other calls from them until a year later and no one in our community asked for that kind of help.”

“And after then?” Patrick asked.

“A client Bernie and I shared decided to leave her abusive husband,” Elaine continued. “We put her in contact with OP and they agreed to help her. She was waiting for one of their drivers to pick her up at a fast-food place when her husband found her. He shot and killed her before shooting himself.”

“And about that time Chelsea vanished, and you hoped by getting more involved with OP, you might find her.” Griff guessed, his tone carefully neutral.

“Exactly,” Elaine said. “In the past four years, Bernie and I have helped move ten women most recently, Lulu and Roxie.”

“Is Families United involved in this?” Griff asked. “Sounds like something a family agency would do.”

“No,” Elaine admitted. “Monty Gibbons certainly doesn’t know. He’d fire me in a second if he did. I do it without the help or resources from Families United. And they aren’t involved with OP at all.”

Her phone buzzed from the side table, and she glanced at the screen. “Well, speak of the Devil,” she said, picking it up. “It’s Monty.” She hit the speaker button and said, “Hi, Monty What’s up?”

“What the hell is going on, Prescott?” Monty Gibbons roared. “You’re involved in a shooting? It’s all over the local news stations, so don’t lie and tell me you’re not!”

“What are you talking about?” Elaine gestured at Griff, who picked up the TV remote and turned it on. The screen filled with images of frightened, shouting people, reporters barking questions and squad cars arriving on one of Knoxville’s main streets.

And then there were Elaine and Griff, dashing for a black LTD and hurling themselves through the open back door and speeding away.

“I don’t know what you’re involved in, Prescott, but as of right now, you’re suspended without pay until the board of directors meets next week!” Monty shouted.

“You can’t do that, Monty.” Elaine was amazed at how calm she sounded. “I was just downtown when the shooting started.”

“I’ve always suspected you were up to something with some of those seedy clients of yours,” Monty sputtered. “For all I know you’ve been violating agency policy to protect them.”

“I’ve not violated any of Families United’s policies,” Elaine replied.Just pushed the envelope as far as I could.

“As for suspending you without pay, I checked with our lawyers and I certainly can,” Monty declared triumphantly. “I warned you, Prescott. The Windermere Agency doesn’t like bad publicity and one of our senior employees being involved in a stabbing and now a shooting is bad publicity. Don’t even think of coming into the office until you hear from me. You show up, I’ll have your ass arrested for trespassing.”

He ended the call before Elaine could argue and she tossed her phone onto an empty chair. “Well,” she said. “That’s that.”

“Anything else you’ve forgotten to tell us?” Griff asked, and there was no mistaking his sarcasm.

“I think I’ll go see about dinner.” Patrick turned off the TV and headed for the kitchen.

“Like what?” Elaine challenged.

“Like, ‘I’m sorry’ for not sharing information that might be vital to this case, perhaps?” Griff snapped. “And you were complaining about me keeping secrets?”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Elaine snapped, her own anger rising. “I guess having my best friend killed in my place and die in my arms and then someone attacking me at her memorial service and having to identify his body has made me forgetful. Bernie only told me about moving Roxie that morning, minutes before she was killed. I’m not even sure if Roxie reached her destination yet. Good enough for you?”

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