Hi, this is Kimberly Grace and I want to thank all my readers/listeners for continuing to follow my story, A Cop’s Crossroads with Love. Now it’s time for me to give you fair warning—after this section (Part 6), the rest of this story will only be accessible to my paid subscribers. I genuinely hope you have enjoyed hearing my story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I pray you will continue to follow Cassidy and Jacob as more twists and turns are revealed in their story. Now, let’s continue with Part 6…
Jacob leaned against the side of his work truck. He had been pacing for the past five minutes and was a bit beside himself with what he should do. His crew was already working on replacing the roof despite not having Carlos and Rosalina’s help. Jacob had insisted that he jump in to help as well, but Diego, Pedro, and Antonio physically blocked him from coming up the ladder. They wanted their boss to support Rosalina and help her in any way he could. As hardheaded as he could be, Jacob obliged their request, knowing how much they deeply cared for both Carlos and Rosalina. They were not just coworkers. They were like family and family supports each other during tough times.
Yet, it was agonizing for him to have nothing to do but wait. Jacob leaned his head back and placed his hands behind his head as a makeshift pillow. He closed his eyes and remembered how cross Chief Braxton had appeared while talking with Cassidy a little while ago. Although he could not hear what he had said to her, he watched her body language carefully. Cassidy stood with her head bent downward while she wrapped her arms across her chest protectively. She appeared to be nodding and shaking a bit. Oh, how Jacob wished he could wake up the strong, smart Cassidy hiding inside of her. The one who was always respectful but would stand her ground.
When she had turned around from what looked like an awful and degrading diatribe, Jacob tried to lock eyes with her, but she never looked his way. Her face was sullen and downcast. Jacob watched her walk slowly, as if every step took massive effort. He watched her join Rosalina and another man, whom Jacob presumed was the interpreter, as the trio climbed into a police van to talk. Jacob had asked if he could be Rosalina’s interpreter, but the police officers laughed at him for quite some while until they realized that he had been serious. Then they matter-of-factly explained to him that it would be inappropriate for her boss to play a neutral role in the case. He knew they were right, but still, Jacob desperately wanted to be by Rosalina’s side to help her during this scary time. And by Cassidy’s.
That thought stirred up the longing feelings Jacob had experienced while he had comforted her after her nightmare. He missed her like a boat stranded on the shore, desperate to feel the lapping, cool waves against its hull again. Jacob was shipwrecked and powerless to do anything about it. He shook his head, knowing that Cassidy would think he was crazy for even contemplating dating right now. There were many more pressing matters at hand, like finding Carlos. A lot about this situation did not add up right. All Jacob could do was hope and pray that Rosalina would be able to provide Cassidy with some valuable information that would help shift the matter to a happy outcome. As helpless as he felt, Jacob knew there was still one thing he could do to help everyone and he was about to do it.
Kneeling down in the grass, Jacob bowed his head low and pressed his palms together firmly. The best way that he could help was to begin interceding on Rosalina and Cassidy’s behalf. His lips moved silently as he lifted them up to the Father, praising Him first for his steadfast faithfulness. Jacob prayed for wisdom and confidence over Cassidy while also lifting Rosalina up to be brave, forthcoming, and cooperative. He had just finished saying his prayers for them and was about to begin praying specifically for Carlos when a man came up to him and spoke out so loudly, it startled him and nearly caused him to fall backwards.
“What are you doing? That’s an interesting way to take a nap.”
Jacob opened one eye and was surprised to see Detective Bill Landry looming in front of him. He had a smirk on his face that lit up like a billboard, advertising his number one status to all passersby. Jacob had learned from Cassidy that Bill had moved to the area only a month ago from the city. It was quite apparent that Bill thought very highly of himself, as he proudly displayed his oversized, shiny detective badge with built-in reflective bling like a gaudy trophy. Jacob held his breath, hoping it was just a one-off comment and that Detective Landry would soon be on his way. However, that was not the case, as he continued to stand right in front of him. Without request, Jacob got up while Bill watched him with an intensity that made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
“I was praying.”
“Oh, is that what you call it? Because your eyes were definitely closed. Anyway, we need to have a little chat.”
Jacob wanted to respond to his napping comment because clearly Detective Landry had never witnessed someone praying before, but there was no use trying to interrupt him now. He had already moved on and trying to backtrack the conversation would be like a fish trying to swim upstream.
“As I was saying, it would be best to terminate Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez from your roofing team. One’s a fugitive on the lam and the other is definitely an accomplice of some sort. It’s sad, really, but it’s a textbook case. I’ve seen it a dozen times over the course of my illustrious career.”
Jacob was dumbfounded at first. He could not believe the gall of this guy. Why was he speaking as if Carlos and Rosalina were already convicted? What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
“Excuse me? I may not have all the facts about what is going on here, but I know one thing for certain. Carlos and Rosalina are good people. This has to be a big misunderstanding.”
Detective Landry grinned at Jacob, not in a friendly way but in a manner that stated dominance and control. He took out a cigarette and lit a match to light it. He took a big drag on his cig to draw out the suspense even longer and then finally puffed it out directly into Jacob’s face. Jacob coughed and felt his eyes water from the dirty cloud of toxic air. Stepping back a few steps, Jacob disliked the man even more. He was about to walk away as he could no longer see this conversation bearing any good fruit, when Detective Landry’s chilling words sliced the cool, spring air with pompous intent.
“You might want to check your tools and supplies. Count them two or three times to make sure everything is all there.”
Jacob clenched his fists and felt his jaw tighten. He turned around and tried to appear unfazed by Detective Landry’s arrogant assumptions about his friend.
“I know they're all there, but do tell Detective Landry, what makes you so confident that you can talk about someone with such brazen accusations? Carlos is not a thief.”
To Jacob’s surprise, Detective Landry started laughing. Then he took two steps forward to close the gap between them. He lowered his voice and said, “This case is done and over before it began. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, as you seem like a nice guy, but there is undeniable proof that wanted fugitive Carlos Ramirez is a thief. Not a very sneaky thief, though. There is irrefutable video evidence catching him in the act. He stole a $50,000 painting. I don’t blame the guy. He had a clear motive, what with his growing debt and all. Anyway, don’t say I didn’t warn ya. It’s up to you if you want to keep company with the likes of thieves and criminals.”
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With that, Detective Landry strode away laughing before Jacob could even open his mouth to reply. He did not trust him and therefore, Jacob refused to believe any of the malarkey he just told him. Moving back toward the other side of the van, Jacob was about to resume praying, even more fervently now after his unpleasant talk with Detective Landry, when he noticed Cassidy and Rosalina had exited the police van. Both women appeared to be exhausted and the worried look on their faces caused Jacob’s heart to beat faster.
Cassidy was moving rather quickly and appeared to be avoiding eye contact with Jacob. She had just passed him, so he reached out his hand to stop her. She looked down at the ground at first, but then she timidly met his gaze. He saw a swirl of emotions jockeying for control. She looked conflicted, hurt, and sad. Jacob longed to soothe the raging sea swirling inside her, but this time he sensed he had better not embrace her. She spoke first, her voice raspy and thick with emotion.
“Jacob, I’m sorry, but I can’t see you anymore.”
“What? Why? I thought we were a team. I can help you find Carlos.”
“If you want to help me, then stay away from me. And if you do find Carlos…tell him to turn himself in. That’s how you can really help me.”
Without another word, Cassidy hurried away to join her fellow police officers, Detective Landry, and Chief Braxton to discuss her talk with Mrs. Ramirez. Jacob watched her go and wished she would turn back, just once, to check on him. However, she did not. Not long after, Jacob caught a familiar whiff of something that smelled like oranges. Without looking, he knew Rosalina had joined him. He turned toward her and opened his arms for a hug. Rosalina fell into them willingly and heaved a heavy sigh. She was as tough as they come, but Jacob knew this ordeal was her breaking point. He spoke to her in Spanish.
“Are you okay, Rosa?”
“Si. Yes. I trust the lady cop. I do not trust the detective.”
Jacob quite agreed, yet he felt his stomach turning in knots. He did not want to pry as the Ramirez family was typically quite private, but at this point, he had to know everything. His heart ached that Cassidy no longer wanted to even talk to him and he would do everything within his power to fix this. All of it.
“Rosalina, what happened?”
She shifted her weight from side to side, creating a gentle rocking motion. A rhythmic swaying to soothe her stress and fears. Rosalina rummaged inside her purse until she produced a small, yellow and red polka dot handkerchief that she used to dab her eyes. She cleared her throat a few times before garnering the strength to tell Jacob the tale.
“After you left this morning, we began working on the house. Everything was normal. Until our landlord showed up. He appeared to be very angry. I watched Carlos speak with him. I could not hear what was being said, but they were both shouting at the end. Carlos came over to me and told me we were being evicted.”
“Evicted?! Why?”
“We had fallen behind on our rent for the past couple of months. You know it’s been hard since Mama’s diagnosis and treatments. Our landlord agreed to allow Mama to live with us, but he doubled our rent. When we couldn’t pay, Carlos asked if he could do some maintenance around the apartments to cut down on our debt. Our landlord agreed. He wanted Carlos to start by painting his house nearby first, though.”
“Detective Landry told me that he stole a $50,000 painting. I don’t believe Carlos would do that.”
“No, he wouldn’t. That I am sure.”
“How do you know?”
Rosalina’s gentle swaying came to an abrupt stop. She looked at Jacob with such fragile hope that he was sure the next smallest gust of wind would break her into a million pieces.
“The last thing he told me this morning was that he is innocent. He wanted me to tell you that.”
“Okay…but Rosa? If he’s innocent, why did he run away?”
With that last sentence, Rosalina burst into tears and started sobbing uncontrollably. Jacob wrapped her tighter in his arms to try and console her. Although he didn’t know how to comfort her as he was now unsure about everything. Had he been too trusting of Carlos and missed the signs? This nightmare seemed so surreal and he wished he could wake up from it. The only saving grace in this mess was his faith in God, so he did the only thing he could think to do.
Jacob whispered quietly, “Oh Lord, help us.”
To be continued…
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