Striker continued, ‘that was when Mandy’s depression really deepened. I must have picked her up a half-dozen times when she’d run off. And every time, I took her back to her father and told her she had to keep taking her meds. It was a never-ending cycle.’
Felicia shook her head. ‘So?’
‘So, what I didn’t know at the time was that Mandy’s father was abusing her. Sexually. Which was one of the reasons for her growing depression, why she kept taking off all the time.’ He shook his head as he relived the moments. ‘Every time I picked her up, I was taking her right back to the monster. I’ll never forgive myself for that.’
‘She never told you?’
‘No, but I should have seen it. There had to be some signs. There had to be something . I was so preoccupied with Amanda’s depression problems at the time, I never saw it . . .’
‘It was a bad time for you, Jacob.’
‘Bad for her, too.’ He pushed the keyboard away and rubbed his eyes. ‘Either way, Mandy’s father was caught, but by that point in time the damage had been done. Mandy was put under government care for a bit, but you know how it is. She bounced around a lot, and to be honest, I lost track. If it weren’t for the problems we were having with Amanda, I would have taken the kid in . . . Ah fuck, I should have taken her in!’
Felicia reached out and touched his arm. ‘You can’t save the world, Jacob.’
‘She was one girl.’ He looked back at all the reports and felt sick to his stomach. ‘Anyway, she had no siblings. And only one cousin, a guy named James John Gill. You’d know him better as Jimmy J.’
‘Jimmy J? – You mean Gonzo ?’
‘The one and only.’
Felicia thought it over. ‘Didn’t he die over six months ago? In that meth lab explosion on Blenheim?’
Striker nodded. ‘Damn near obliterated himself.’ He thought it over for a while, then added, ‘They never did recover all the money.’
‘Because it was blown to shreds.’
‘Was it?’ he asked. That was probably the case, but there were no absolutes in this world. Definitely not in the business of policing. He took a moment to write this down in his notebook, then picked up his half-full coffee cup and rolled it back and forth in his hands. He was just about to return to reading the computer screen when Felicia made a hmm sound.
‘What you got?’ he asked.
‘Maybe something, maybe nothing. Listen. There was a driving complaint. Brand-new SUV, a Beamer—’
‘Probably an X5.’
‘Sure, whatever.’ Felicia was terrible with makes and models. ‘Anyway, the complaint came in just five minutes after you went over the air requesting a canine unit. This guy was really flying. Doing nearly a hundred, according to the complainant. And he blew right through a stop sign. Almost caused an accident. Never even stopped.’
Striker thought this over. ‘Where?’
‘Vernon Drive and East Hastings Street.’
‘That’s not far from Mandy’s place,’ Striker noted. ‘Just a few blocks east and north.’
Felicia nodded. ‘It’s real close. Vehicle was racing north, then made a hard left turn on Franklin. That’s when the complainant lost sight.’
‘Any details?’
She read on. ‘The vehicle was dark, maybe black, with shiny chrome mags.’
‘That’s standard dress, right from the factory. Any plate?’
Felicia just shook her head. ‘Not even a partial.’
Striker thought this over and dumped out his cold coffee. He sat up in the chair and smiled.
‘No plate yet ,’ he said. He stood up and grabbed his notebook.
‘Where are you going?’ Felicia asked.
‘Put on your coat,’ he said. ‘We’re going to Vernon and Hastings. I’ve been there before. That intersection has a Chevron on the southeast corner.’ Striker’s smile widened. ‘They got video .’
Fourteen
The Chevron gas station located on the corner of East Hastings Street and Vernon Drive was a magnet for trouble. Had been ever since Striker joined the VPD.
Felicia shook her head. ‘So?’
‘So, what I didn’t know at the time was that Mandy’s father was abusing her. Sexually. Which was one of the reasons for her growing depression, why she kept taking off all the time.’ He shook his head as he relived the moments. ‘Every time I picked her up, I was taking her right back to the monster. I’ll never forgive myself for that.’
‘She never told you?’
‘No, but I should have seen it. There had to be some signs. There had to be something . I was so preoccupied with Amanda’s depression problems at the time, I never saw it . . .’
‘It was a bad time for you, Jacob.’
‘Bad for her, too.’ He pushed the keyboard away and rubbed his eyes. ‘Either way, Mandy’s father was caught, but by that point in time the damage had been done. Mandy was put under government care for a bit, but you know how it is. She bounced around a lot, and to be honest, I lost track. If it weren’t for the problems we were having with Amanda, I would have taken the kid in . . . Ah fuck, I should have taken her in!’
Felicia reached out and touched his arm. ‘You can’t save the world, Jacob.’
‘She was one girl.’ He looked back at all the reports and felt sick to his stomach. ‘Anyway, she had no siblings. And only one cousin, a guy named James John Gill. You’d know him better as Jimmy J.’
‘Jimmy J? – You mean Gonzo ?’
‘The one and only.’
Felicia thought it over. ‘Didn’t he die over six months ago? In that meth lab explosion on Blenheim?’
Striker nodded. ‘Damn near obliterated himself.’ He thought it over for a while, then added, ‘They never did recover all the money.’
‘Because it was blown to shreds.’
‘Was it?’ he asked. That was probably the case, but there were no absolutes in this world. Definitely not in the business of policing. He took a moment to write this down in his notebook, then picked up his half-full coffee cup and rolled it back and forth in his hands. He was just about to return to reading the computer screen when Felicia made a hmm sound.
‘What you got?’ he asked.
‘Maybe something, maybe nothing. Listen. There was a driving complaint. Brand-new SUV, a Beamer—’
‘Probably an X5.’
‘Sure, whatever.’ Felicia was terrible with makes and models. ‘Anyway, the complaint came in just five minutes after you went over the air requesting a canine unit. This guy was really flying. Doing nearly a hundred, according to the complainant. And he blew right through a stop sign. Almost caused an accident. Never even stopped.’
Striker thought this over. ‘Where?’
‘Vernon Drive and East Hastings Street.’
‘That’s not far from Mandy’s place,’ Striker noted. ‘Just a few blocks east and north.’
Felicia nodded. ‘It’s real close. Vehicle was racing north, then made a hard left turn on Franklin. That’s when the complainant lost sight.’
‘Any details?’
She read on. ‘The vehicle was dark, maybe black, with shiny chrome mags.’
‘That’s standard dress, right from the factory. Any plate?’
Felicia just shook her head. ‘Not even a partial.’
Striker thought this over and dumped out his cold coffee. He sat up in the chair and smiled.
‘No plate yet ,’ he said. He stood up and grabbed his notebook.
‘Where are you going?’ Felicia asked.
‘Put on your coat,’ he said. ‘We’re going to Vernon and Hastings. I’ve been there before. That intersection has a Chevron on the southeast corner.’ Striker’s smile widened. ‘They got video .’
Fourteen
The Chevron gas station located on the corner of East Hastings Street and Vernon Drive was a magnet for trouble. Had been ever since Striker joined the VPD.
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