Love Child

27- The Sky

And now I'm free
That was my friend Pipi
Such a whore, I said to myself
Like me, such a whore like me
-Dan Taulapapa Mcmullin, The Sky

"Do you recognize this man?"

The vice detective shows me a picture of Marcus.

"Don't answer that," My lawyer says quickly.

"If your client doesn't have anything to hide, then she wouldn't mind answering the question," The detective says with an irritated scowl on his old, wrinkled face. "If you don't answer, Miss Gordon, we'll go see if your brother recognizes the man in this picture."

The lawyer notices that I tense up at the mention of my brother but she holds a hand up to me as if to say 'calm down' and then the gives the detective a challenging look. "As Mr. Gordon's attorney, I have the right to refuse an interview. You're not interviewing him."

"Then, we'll have no choice but to call child protective services," The detective threatens. "If we don't think that Eleanor is acting in his best interest. And right now, I'm not so sure that she is."

"CPS?" I speak up, feeling the blood drain from my face. "No, I have legal custody of him."

"Yes, you do. They're just trying to scare you by bringing CPS into this but if they do come, they will just be here to make sure Casey's best interest is in mind. They aren't taking him away," She explains to me in a calm voice. She's very good at her job, I've noticed. When I called Jill to tell her that I'd gotten arrested, she told me not to say anything and to wait for the lawyer. So, I've been sitting in this cold interrogation room for a while with this irritated old detective, not saying anything.

"You do know that when you go down for this, your brother will go back into foster care, don't you?" The detective realizes that he's stricken a nerve in me by talking about my brother and I can tell that he's going to milk it but I'm going to do my best not to let it get to me. "But if you cooperate, I'm sure we can work out an easier sentencing."

"You don't have proof that my client is guilty of anything that you're alleging," The lawyer, I think that her name is Miranda but I've been so anxious and panicked that I can't remember. I'm barely breathing right now, trying to keep calm. They apparently have Casey here, so that probably means that Micah and Josie are here too. Unless Micha left, and I guess Josie's dad probably came to pick her up.

"We have a few witnesses," He confirms, looking at me instead of Miranda. I keep steady eye contact because I'm convinced that if I curl up into a ball and start screaming like I really want to, it'll be pretty obvious that I'm guilty.

"I've seen your witness list. It's all hearsay at best. You don't have a case here," Miranda informs the man. It amazes me how she goes from a soothing voice, like a mother, to an 'I mean business, don't fuck with me' tone of voice within the blink of an eye. I need to talk to Micah, or at least find out what's going through his mind. Maybe, if I can just explain myself to him... maybe he can understand.

Miranda has already explained to me that I'm not being charged with anything officially, but they can hold me for twenty-four hours before they have to either release me or charge me. If they charge me, there's a very real possibility that I'll lose custody of Casey. Just as I was getting a grip on a solid life plan, it's immediately starting to slip out of my hands again.

Casey is probably going to hate me after this, not to mention Micah. Josie's dad probably won't let me talk to her anymore if he finds out what's going on. I'm going to lose everybody—whether I get charged or not.

"We have an entire day to find the evidence that we need. I'm confident that something will turn up," The detective assures both of us. "The high end hookers always think that they're untouchable but they always crack. You're not any better than the whores on the street."