and tried to focus on what he needed to do next, not on the fact that along with everything else that had happened that day, he’d just committed a carjacking.
12
When Detective Rios arrived on the scene, there were already two squad cars, three ambulances and a cluster of parking enforcement vehicles outside the yellow tape perimeter. He parked next to Detective Simmons’s SUV and got out.
On the other side of the street, just inside the perimeter, were four parking enforcement officers gathered in a huddle. They’d heard the call on their radio and came to check on their fellow officer. One of them was talking in an excited manner and jerked his thumb over at a parked car near another parking cart.
The front window was completely smashed in. Several bloody handprints were on the hood and dashboard. Pieces of broken glass reflected light like tiny green diamonds sprayed with blood. The passenger side window looked kicked-in as well.
Usually when he saw a smashed-in window and that much blood, it was on a crumpled car in the middle of the highway. It looked out of place parked in a quiet neighborhood between two other cars. Other than a dent in the driver’s side door, the body looked intact.
Rios looked over at the nearest ambulance and spotted his partner. She was talking to a young woman in a stretcher. Paramedics were cleaning up injuries and taping up her hands in preparation for the trip to the hospital. Underneath the bruises and gashes on her face, she looked like she was probably an attractive girl. Who could do a thing like that to a young girl? The answer, he unfortunately knew, was lots of people.
He walked over to his partner. Simmons was still dressed in the pants suit she’d worn to court earlier that day. Dark hair, athletic and in her early forties, she was in better shape than most of the men in the department, himself included. Rios still worked out but was beginning to get the cop gut that came from spending more time taking kids to soccer practice than keeping in shape.
Rios waited behind Simmons as she talked to the girl. He knew not to interrupt that part of the investigation. She was good at getting people to relax and talk.
“ So what happened?” Simmons asked in her most matter-of-fact tone. She preferred to let people talk in their own terms before drilling down for the particulars. Some cops started off with a check box kind of interrogation, which was aimed more at filling out an incident report than figuring out what was going on.
Rachel looked up from her arm where a paramedic was cleaning blood out of wounds on her knuckles. She was still in shock and not reacting to the stinging sensation. “My boyfriend ... I mean my ex ... he showed up and I ... I answered the door ....” Rachel paused and stared into space for a moment.
“ What happened after you opened the door, Rachel?” asked Simmons.
“ He ... I don’t know ... it just happened, you know. I don’t even think I said hello. And then it was just ... I was on the ground trying to kick ... I think to keep him off me.” She looked at Simmons as if she could explain what took place.
“ So you’re on the ground.” Simmons looked at the metal clipboard in her hands. “So you’re on the top of the stairs by your apartment. Then what?”
“ We were running.”
Simmons looked at the notes. “Mitch? Mitch was chasing you?”
“ Um, I think so.”
“ So where was your current boyfriend at the time?”
“ Rick? Where is Rick?” Rachel tried to sit up but the paramedic gently held her down.
“ He’s being treated right now. He’s going to be fine.” Simmons noticed Rios behind her and handed him the clipboard behind her back. “Can you remember where Rick was when you opened the door?”
“ Treated? He was taking a shower. Why is Rick being treated? Did Mitch hurt him, too?”
Simmons pursed her lips. Rios had noticed it was her tell for when she was trying to make sense of something.
12
When Detective Rios arrived on the scene, there were already two squad cars, three ambulances and a cluster of parking enforcement vehicles outside the yellow tape perimeter. He parked next to Detective Simmons’s SUV and got out.
On the other side of the street, just inside the perimeter, were four parking enforcement officers gathered in a huddle. They’d heard the call on their radio and came to check on their fellow officer. One of them was talking in an excited manner and jerked his thumb over at a parked car near another parking cart.
The front window was completely smashed in. Several bloody handprints were on the hood and dashboard. Pieces of broken glass reflected light like tiny green diamonds sprayed with blood. The passenger side window looked kicked-in as well.
Usually when he saw a smashed-in window and that much blood, it was on a crumpled car in the middle of the highway. It looked out of place parked in a quiet neighborhood between two other cars. Other than a dent in the driver’s side door, the body looked intact.
Rios looked over at the nearest ambulance and spotted his partner. She was talking to a young woman in a stretcher. Paramedics were cleaning up injuries and taping up her hands in preparation for the trip to the hospital. Underneath the bruises and gashes on her face, she looked like she was probably an attractive girl. Who could do a thing like that to a young girl? The answer, he unfortunately knew, was lots of people.
He walked over to his partner. Simmons was still dressed in the pants suit she’d worn to court earlier that day. Dark hair, athletic and in her early forties, she was in better shape than most of the men in the department, himself included. Rios still worked out but was beginning to get the cop gut that came from spending more time taking kids to soccer practice than keeping in shape.
Rios waited behind Simmons as she talked to the girl. He knew not to interrupt that part of the investigation. She was good at getting people to relax and talk.
“ So what happened?” Simmons asked in her most matter-of-fact tone. She preferred to let people talk in their own terms before drilling down for the particulars. Some cops started off with a check box kind of interrogation, which was aimed more at filling out an incident report than figuring out what was going on.
Rachel looked up from her arm where a paramedic was cleaning blood out of wounds on her knuckles. She was still in shock and not reacting to the stinging sensation. “My boyfriend ... I mean my ex ... he showed up and I ... I answered the door ....” Rachel paused and stared into space for a moment.
“ What happened after you opened the door, Rachel?” asked Simmons.
“ He ... I don’t know ... it just happened, you know. I don’t even think I said hello. And then it was just ... I was on the ground trying to kick ... I think to keep him off me.” She looked at Simmons as if she could explain what took place.
“ So you’re on the ground.” Simmons looked at the metal clipboard in her hands. “So you’re on the top of the stairs by your apartment. Then what?”
“ We were running.”
Simmons looked at the notes. “Mitch? Mitch was chasing you?”
“ Um, I think so.”
“ So where was your current boyfriend at the time?”
“ Rick? Where is Rick?” Rachel tried to sit up but the paramedic gently held her down.
“ He’s being treated right now. He’s going to be fine.” Simmons noticed Rios behind her and handed him the clipboard behind her back. “Can you remember where Rick was when you opened the door?”
“ Treated? He was taking a shower. Why is Rick being treated? Did Mitch hurt him, too?”
Simmons pursed her lips. Rios had noticed it was her tell for when she was trying to make sense of something.
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