Chapter 55

Jon left the room resolutely, looking back at the door to raise his hand in a goodbye wave. Dammit, but everything in him wanted to go back over and pull his son into a hug, but outside of the fact he’d probably find himself in handcuffs right next to Jay for flouting the ‘no touching’ rule, he was more worried that the kid would lash out - verbally at least - and the tiny bit of progress they’d made would be destroyed.

Detective Kellogg was waiting outside, and she studied his face as she spoke carefully.

“I’m going to question Mr Kelsall now.” She told him, seeing in his eyes that he knew what she was doing. What she was doing, of course, was taking a chance with her entire career. Questioning a suspect when she knew perfectly well he’d not been mirandized. Taking his statement - his confession, no doubt - when she knew it would never see a courtroom, once the rockstar’s lawyer got involved.

“Okay.” Jon said just as carefully, wanting to thank her but all too aware of the other cops around, not wanting to drop her in the shit any more than she was about to do herself. Hell, if they fired her over this, he’d employ her, if she wanted to work on the security side of the company. A woman would be far better armored against the wiles of persistent groupies anyway. “I need to head back to New York, but I’ll come back here later, if that’s allowed?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” She smiled. “Just……give me a call first? Here.” She handed him a card with her cell number. The implication was obvious - call me in case he’s been released already.

“Will do. Bye, Detective.”

He left her standing there, heading downstairs to find Richie still waiting. Quickly, he filled him in on the conversation with Jay, telling him he was headed back to the city. Unsurprisingly, Richie just nodded placidly, still sitting on the table.

“I’ll wait here for him.” He said. “Lawyer should be here soon, right?”

“Yeah. That lady detective is questioning Jay now, so I’m sure once that’s done……”

“Uh huh. Well, I’ll hang here until there’s any news.” He grinned. “And, yes, I’ll call you when there is any news, Kidd.”

“Thanks, bro.” Jon murmured, and Richie finally got off the table, moving to hug his friend.

“Good luck.” Richie said softly, squeezing Jon’s shoulders a little harder before stepping away and looking at him more closely. “And can I suggest you get something to eat, too?”

“What are you? My mom?”

“Fuck you. You look like shit, Jonny. Far as I know all you’ve had since Billie got hurt is coffee and booze.”

“I…….” Jon paused. Shit, he’s right. He hadn’t realised it, but it was true, and with that realisation came a sudden pang of hunger. “Yeah, okay. I’ll get something on the way back home.”

On the way downstairs, he’d called the limo company he used, and they’d made a fast arrangement with their sister company in Philly, promising the usual dark-tinted SUV would be waiting outside in ten minutes. Those minutes were gone, and Jon left Richie, heading out through the front of the police station…….and straight into the waiting jaws of the media sharks.

“Jon! Jon! Can you tell us what’s going on? Has Richie been arrested again? What are the charges?”

That was the clearest question he heard, and he ground his teeth together angrily. Dammit, but he’d not thought of that - the automatic assumption of the media that, since he’d gone in there with Richie but left alone, his wingman must be the one in trouble.

“No comment.” He growled repeatedly, then he made it to the sanctuary of the dark car, breathing a sigh of relief as the driver closed the door. “Shit!” Jon yanked his phone from a pocket, dialling Richie’s number.

“Jonny, you just left!”

“I know. Listen, bro, just a heads-up……..the press are camped outside, and because I left you in there…..”

“They’ve decided I been arrested again, huh?” Richie actually chuckled, then grew serious. “I’ll call mom, let her know it’s…….one of the Soul guys. I’ll let Heather know, too.”

Ending the call, Jon flipped the switch to speak to the driver, asking him to stop at the first drive-thru they came to, and by the time they hit the freeway he was munching on an outsized burger, his belly growling at the delicious smells as he ate. Sure, he loved sushi and all kinds of ‘nice’ foods, but sometimes the only thing a guy wanted was a juicy burger and a pile of fries. Not forgetting a good, creamy chocolate shake, of course.

With his hunger sated, Jon wiped the grease from his face and hands before picking up his cellphone again. This call could be rough. Leaning his head back on the seat, he dialled.

“Hello?” A sweet and familiar voice answered, and Jon felt an icy fist clench around his heart. Please, God, don’t let me lose her. None of them.

“Hey Stephy.”

“Dad? Where’d you go? Mom said you went to see Uncle Mookie - is he okay?”

“He’s fine, baby. Is mom there?”

“Uh huh. Hold on……..” She paused. “When are you coming home?”

“I’m on my way now.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll get mom. Bye dad.”

“Bye, baby.” Jon pinched the bridge of his nose as he waited, then he heard the phone being picked up again.

“Jon? Where are you?”

“I’m heading home, Dot.” He felt a flash of a smile as he remembered Jay saying about having ‘his own’ name for his girl, too. “I’ll be there soon. Can we……..I need to talk to the kids, Dot. I need to tell them about Jay, before they find out from the TV.”

“Why the sudden need to tell them now?”

Dot sounded suspicious. He couldn’t really blame her.

“You’re not with any of the kids now?”

“No - I’m in the bedroom. What’s going on, Jon?”

“The reason I came up to Philly…….” He decided to tell her it in the order that made sense, not the way he’d found out, in disjointed bits and pieces. “Someone found out about Jay, Dot. He was blackmailing Billie, and…….”

“Blackmailing her, not you?” Dot was surprised. “Does she have that kind of money?”

“She has some, yeah, but he didn’t want money. He wanted her…….wanted a toy.” The unmistakable disgust in his voice told Dot just what kind of ‘toy’ he meant. “Wanted her to do what he wanted, when he wanted…….and she did, at first. He came around again, though, and she told him to get lost…….so he beat and raped her. Raped and worse.”

“Bastard.” She murmured. Really, Dot didn’t have anything against this Billie, but even if she had……hell, no woman deserved rape. Or ‘worse’, whatever that meant.

“Yeah.” Jon sighed. “Anyway, quick version is that she was found, in a pretty bad way, and brought to hospital - that was when Richie called me, because he didn’t have a number for Jay.”

“Richie? Why was he involved?”

“He found her, Dot. They’ve gotten to be friends, and he went up to her room, to see her.” No point telling Dot he went to tell her I’d called. “He found her bleeding, and when she collapsed he got help.” He sighed. “So we got Jay up there, too. He found out about……about me……then a bit later the fucker who raped her showed up at the hospital. Luckily, the cops had arrived to speak to Billie, so they arrested him. Jay arrived, put two and two together and got himself arrested for attacking him.”

“And how’s….Billie?”

“I don’t know. Bad, I think. The doctor was with her when Jay’s girlfriend called to tell Richie he’d been arrested. That’s why I need to tell the kids now, Dot, because soon as the cops start questioning Fabian he’ll tell them about Jay, about me, and it’ll be on ET before you can blink. The closest thing I have to good news right now is that the cop who arrested Jay seems sympathetic - I think he’ll get off with this, because she’s deliberately not read him his rights before questioning him. So the lawyer will take about five minutes to get him out of there.”

“Fabian?” Dot asked, frowning as the name sank in. “Nick Fabian?”

“Yeah.”

“He was the one attacked her? The guy from the team?” Dot’s voice was getting angrier with every word. “The one who was coming on to Stephanie?”

“That’s him.” Jon said simply. There wasn’t anything else needed - Dot had been there when Jon first saw how he was being around their teenage daughter, and if he hadn’t warned Fabian off, she’d have done it herself. He looked out through the tinted window as the car slowed. “I’m home, Dot.”

“Okay.” She sighed. God, I hate this, but we need to do it. The kids do not deserve to find out from the TV. “I’ll get the kids together……..and…..Jon?”

“Yeah, Dot?”

“I may not like this - hell, I don’t like this - but I’ll back you in front of the children.”

“Thank you, Dot.” Jon closed his eyes in relief. Maybe this would be okay after all. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”