Page 105 of Always You
My heartbeat palpitates uncontrollably. My hands shake.
“What can I help you with?” My voice falters.
“Have a seat, Ms. Amaro.” He gestures to the sofa. “I wanted to check up on you and make sure you’re doing okay. Also, I wanted to let you know my father retired and handed me all his cold case files. Most times, we backtrack when asking around as to this matter. Many are too afraid to speak, but as time goes by, they come forward. We are very fortunate your neighbor came forward when I questioned her myself. She then called the station for an officer to obtain her statement.”
Biting my lip nervously, I soak his words in. “I’m doing okay, thank you for checking in,” I say, earnestly, as Mr. Handsome shoves his hands in his pocket.
“My father never gave up, Mila. I thought it was worth mentioning. We now have concrete evidence that she was the one who started the fire, but Rachel has been less than cooperative with us when it comes to finding out why she committed the crime. She’s asked for her son Dominic before she will provide a statement in the interrogation room, so we are just waiting for him.”
I felt my breath catch in my throat, a mix of shock and relief washing over me. I feel like I can breathe easier with a weight lifted off my shoulders. I was still in disbelief that she had been planning to kill me, and the thought of losing my father in such a violent way sent chills through me. What could have driven her to this?
She was employed by my father. It can't be solely because Dominic and I dated. But it could be because she warned me to keep my distance from her son. Something's not right.
Ugh. My head throbs thinking about this. She’s a lunatic.
“Oh, God. I’m so relieved after all these years we can finally have closure. Thank you for coming here and letting me know. This is great news. Thank you for reopening the case.”
Detective Johnson hands me his card as he pulls out of his dress shirt pocket. “If you need anything, day or night, give me a call, even just to talk. I’m a good listener.” He smirks.
What a flirt.
“Thank you, I appreciate your help.”
I haven’t yet spoken to Nana or Uncle Roger about Rachel killing my father. Or about her attempting to kill me. Nana would freak out. This is not a matter to be discussed over the phone. This felt like something I had to do in person, so I booked a flight. My father was the youngest, Uncle Roger, the oldest. Dante and I sit waiting for our flight to New York.
Sophie decided to stay behind and run the studio while I’m gone. We hand our boarding passes to the lady at the gate as we make our way to our seats. Staring out the window, I ponder reminiscing about the day I had packed up in Manhattan to move back to San Diego seven months ago.
Never would I have thought my life would turn into an enormous mess. From finding Dominic to finding the person responsible for my father’s death. In the end, Dante reunited with his father. That’s what matters, right? We buckle our seat belts for the five-hour flight.
thirty-four
DOMINIC
Beads of sweat trickle down behind my neck, my emotions are all over the place: anger, betrayal, sadness. My hand grips the handle to the double doors, we walk into what awaits us at the detention facility where my mother is being kept until they move her to Donovan Correctional Facility. Mark and Santiago sit in the waiting area while I check in at the front desk. A petite older woman greets me with a warm smile.
“Hello, how can I help you?”
“Hello, I’m here to see Rachel Delgado; Officer Liam Rodriguez knows I’m coming.”
“Okay, I just need to see your ID.”
I hand my ID over with a shaky hand.
“Okay, sweetheart, take a seat. I’ll let the officer know you’re here so he can take you back.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Scooting a chair next to my brothers, we wait until Liam collects me and takes me to speak to my mother. She specifically asked to talk to me before she spoke to anyone. I’m so fucking nervous to see her. Mainly, I’m angry at her, disgusted with her. I still can’t believe she went to Mila’s and attempted to kill her. I couldn’t even look at her when they took her away when Liam called me. I could hear the sirens from his cop car. All I heard was your mom’s at Mila’s with a gun. The air was knocked out of me. My lungs collapsed taking my breath away. I jumped in my truck speeding to get to her, praying she was alive. I’ve never experienced fear like I did that day. It was all my fault for not getting it all taken care of the day Liam told me. I’d let out a sigh of relief when I noticed she was unscathed. It killed me she wouldn’t look at me. As long as she was safe,alive is what mattered.
Liam sits me in a small room that could be the interrogation room. A small table with two chairs.
“Take a deep breath, Dom, I’ll be outside waiting if you need anything. Just tap on the door.”
I nod, wordlessly. My mouth is dry as the desert.
The door swings open, an officer shuffles in, my mother walks with chains wrapped around her waist and her ankles. He unlocks the chain and handcuffs on her wrist. My mom’s round brown eyes meet mine pleadingly. Her shoulders hunch forward. My mother has always been a beautiful woman with short brown hair, and big brown eyes. My eyes downcast, fisting my hands until my knuckles turn white, my jaw-clenching with fury.
“Dominic, honey, thank you for coming. I’m so sorry, Dominic.”
