Page 54 of Special Agent Isabella

“Just shut the fuck up.” Disgusted, the cop roughly pushed him forward.

Paying no attention, Hewie continued his animosity. “And her bitch friend shot me. I want her arrested.” His raspy voice faded as they shoved him into the back of the squad car.

Bella, now free to move to Demi, took her friend in her arms and held on tight. “They’re taking your Alan to the hospital, baby. You go with him. I’ll stay here and watch over the place… me and Nora. It’ll be fine. You go.”

Demi squeezed back hard before wrenching away to follow the stretcher. Bella watched them help her into the ambulance to sit beside the bloodied, wounded man before the doors closed. With a slap against the back of the door, the cop in charge gave them the signal to pull out and then approached Bella. “You’ve been a busy lady tonight, Agent Mendez.” He signaled her to walk with him. “Is there a place where we can talk?”

Bella recognized Jim Balk from earlier, at the Governor’s mansion. “Yeah, this way.” Leading him inside the center, Bella walked toward Demi’s office, the area linked to her small bed & sitting room. Using the digital door lock with numbers that only a few of Demi’s friends and coworkers had, she walked to the closed door inside the office, opened it wide, and entered the bedroom.

Waving to Nora, she whispered, “It’s fine. I’ll be close if Abbie calls. I’ll leave the door like this, so I’ll hear her. Any chance for a couple of coffees, Nora? I’m sure Officer Balk would like one. I know I would.”

Coming forward to take Bella’s hands in her gentle grasp, Nora’s sad voice breaking, she said, “I watched out the window and saw what happened. I’m so sorry. Poor Demi. Her eyes have been shining since she met that man.” She sniffed her disgust and then wiped her face. “I’ll go and get a tray and bring it here for you.”

Feeling the excess weight from the continuous stress, Bella slumped into Demi’s chair and motioned the officer to the one across the desk. “What’s up, Jim?”

Officer Balk took off his hat and laid it on his knee. Then he ran his hand through his balding hair. Wearing the signs of a heavy drinker on the veiny skin of his cheeks, he sighed.

“First, I wanted to let you know that we found the truck we got the ID on from the drive-by shooting at the governor’s mansion earlier. It was abandoned outside of town in an empty lot behind an old warehouse. They must have stripped the thing then set it on fire.”

“Seems to be a custom with these freaks.”

“You could say that.”

“So, we got nothing.”

“Yep. Kinda looks that way.”

“You said the first thing, what’s the second, and do I want to hear it?”

“Probably not but you need to.” The older officer shook his head making her system tighten in preparation for the bad news. “Demi’s been doing a great job here with the kids, getting them off the streets. Our precinct has relied on her many times to take in the ones we find homeless and lost. This place has been a lifeline for so many, it makes me sick to have to tell you this.”

Feeling the doom in his voice and suffering dread from what she suspected would follow, she gilded herself to take the hit. “What’s up, Jim? What are you buttering me up for?”

“I heard the rumors that some very influential investors are after this whole section of Phoenix, especially this block. Suddenly, it’s become a preferred place, close to the city. Once it’s cleaned up, you know – all the riffraff gone – they intend to put up a bunch of apartment buildings. It’s difficult to get housing close to the downtown center, so now they’re after this area.”

“What? But that’s why this location was so perfect for Demi’s center. The kids can get here easily. It’s their refuge. Their one place to be protected from the cruel elements that we both know roam those streets at night.”

“You’re preaching to the choir, Bella. Our union tried to step in, and they warned us to knock it off. The city wants what they want, and they won’t let anyone get in their way. If Demi doesn’t agree to sell, they intend to sequester the property. She’s hooped. We all are.”

“Goddamnit. And… no doubt they’ll use this bullshit tonight as a reason to get their way.”

“Yeah, especially if the victim dies.”

“You think there’s a chance?”

“He didn’t look good. And the paramedics weren’t too happy.” Jim’s face darkened, the gloom settling in. “Things have gotten worse for those homeless folks living on the streets, Bella. We’ve all seen the deterioration over these last years. Plus, I’ve never known so many teens having mental disorders. We’re used to dealing with drug problems, sure, but this recent epidemic has taken things to a whole new level. They’re sick… I mean in their heads. They need treatment. Loneliness and depression have only added to earlier problems. It’s made dealing with these adolescents a much more dangerous job.”

“What do you mean? Explain.”

“It’s like they have no limitations. They perform ridiculously cruel acts and not just to others, but to themselves. Take Hewie for instance. I’ve known him for years, and he was mostly a happy-go-lucky idiot that got high and sat in a corner to enjoy the ride. Now, he’s a lunatic out to hurt others. And he’s not the only one. I can name a lot more just like him.”

“So, you’re saying it’s the same ones, but they’ve just gotten worse.”

“Hell, no. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be so worried. There’s those same fools, yeah, but also there’s a whole new bunch of them. All so sick and unhappy, that they’ve turned to drugs that make things twice as bad. Christ, I don’t know how to explain it. I just see it happening over and over.”

Having heard the grumbles and disgust from many of the uniforms already, she added, “Of course, it’s worse when the courts let them out after a slap on their wrists.”

“That’s downright disheartening.”

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