Broken (The Raiford Chronicles #3 Book 1) Read online

  "Again?" asked Audrey. "How often has this happened, Neely?"

  "A few times, but I'm fine. I've just been tired."

  The older woman puckered her lips. "Are your breasts tender? Do you need to urinate a lot lately?"

  "Yeah. So?" Neely responded with her brow furrowed.

  "Neely, honey," Audrey continued, "I think you're pregnant."

  "You know that's not possible, Audrey, not with the damage from what happened to me. I can't have children. You know that."

  Kyle stepped into the doorway. "You…you can't…can't because of me. Oh, my God!" Kyle took off like a fox with its tail on fire.

  "Kyle, come back!" Neely called, trying to get up.

  "Lie down," commanded Raif.

  "Go get him, Courtney," begged Neely. "Please. He'll do something stupid. He can't handle the guilt. I never wanted him to know."

  Courtney followed Kyle in hot pursuit. Kyle had exited through the front door and left it wide open. Courtney flew out the entrance.

  "Courtney!" called Ray.

  "Daddy, we have to find Kyle. He just found out Neely can't have kids because of the assault. He's gonna do something crazy. Daddy, please!" Courtney yelled everything over her shoulder, but she never stopped moving. She noted none of the cars were gone. Kyle was on foot. Thinking of the deserted train trestle two miles through the woods, Courtney headed that direction.

  All the able-bodied adults in the house spread out around Raif's property. Courtney stayed her course. She was terrified as she followed her instincts. "Kyle!" she screamed as she hit the relative clearance at the end of an overgrown path where the bodies of Robert (Row-Bear) LaFontaine and his clerk, Dinah Horn, had been found beside the old rickety trestle. She hurdled the fence that separated Raif's property from the old train track. She fell flat as her foot caught a spike on the fence but jumped up quickly.

  "Go away, Courtney!" Kyle yelled back with one foot on the rail.

  "Kyle, don't be stupid!"

  "It's too late for that! I've already been stupid!" He shook long curly blond locks. "Look what I did to Neely! I'm more despicable than my father! I don't deserve to live! It's only fitting I should die in the same place he did."

  "Kyle, none of that matters! It's over! It's past!"

  "Neely can't have kids because of me!" He glanced over his shoulder. "That's now! That's forever!"

  "No, Kyle! I'm now!" Courtney was very close to Kyle. She spoke softly. "Kyle, look at me."

  Blue eyes brimming with tears, he turned slightly, but left his foot on the rail.

  "Kyle, we're now. We can be forever."

  "Why would you want to be with me? Pity? You have no idea how disgusting I really am."

  "You're not disgusting. You're wonderful."

  "Oh, Courtney, you don't know. Nobody knows."

  "Kyle, this is more than Neely. Tell me."

  "You'll leave me. Then, I might as well be dead." He inched his body higher onto the railing.

  "I won't leave you, Kyle. I love you."

  "You won't when you know."

  "Yes, I will."

  "I never told anybody what really happened the day I caught my dad with Lloyd." The lakes of tears cascaded down the boy's cheeks. "I couldn't tell my mom. It would've killed her."

  "Kyle, did they molest you?"

  "Not my dad, but he watched. He let it happen. It hurt so much, Courtney. Then, when I hurt Neely, it felt good to hurt somebody else, but only for a brief moment. Afterward, I felt so dirty, so nasty and repulsive. I never wanna hurt you, Courtney. I love you. You know everything about me."

  "And I still love you. If you don't wanna hurt me, come away from there. Please?" Courtney begged in tears.

  As Kyle leaned further to peer at the swamp, the old wooden rail cracked, and he toppled over.

  "Kyle!" Courtney screamed and dashed forward. She fell on her stomach and looked over the trestle. Kyle clung to the broken wood and hung precariously fifty feet above the swamp.

  "Courtney, get back!" Kyle yelled.

  The stubborn girl twisted one ankle in the old rope supports and locked her ankles around another piece of the railing. "Give me your hand," she commanded.

  Kyle grasped Courtney's wrist, and she held on with both hands, putting her shoulder into another piece of wood.

  "Don't let go," whispered Kyle.

  "Never."

  It seemed ages that they hung suspended in air before they heard a welcome voice call, "Kyle! Courtney!"

  "Parker!" Courtney returned.

  Parker Reynolds crashed through the undergrowth and took in the situation. He jumped the fence with ease. Loosening a piece of rope in the old trestle, Parker lay on his stomach beside his sister. He tied a secure knot around Kyle's wrist.

  Parker said with police authority, "Kyle, this might pull your shoulder out of place, but we've got to get you up. This old bridge can't hold the weight of three of us much longer. I'm gonna jerk you up. It'll hurt. Courtney, get out of here."

  "Not without Kyle."

  "Courtney!" snapped Parker. "I've got him. Now go!"

  Courtney ran to the safety of the dried brown weeds. Parker yanked the younger, smaller man up and dragged him to the side only seconds before the old ropes supporting the rotting trestle snapped, plunging the bridge into the swamp and jagged cypress stumps below.

  "Thank you," breathed Kyle softly. "Thank you, Parker. I'm sorry I've been such a pain in the ass."

  "It's all right," replied Parker, out of breath. "It's actually a miracle we're not all three in the swamp impaled on a stump."

  "Courtney!" said Kyle, afraid she had left.

  "I'm right here." Courtney reached across Parker and found Kyle's hand.

  Kyle winced. Parker said pragmatically, "Walk around to the other side and hold the other hand. That arm is broken. Sorry, man, but that was the only way to get you up fast enough."

  "I'll live. I want to live now. I could do headstands now."

  Parker chuckled, "I'd like to see you do a headstand with that arm."

  Courtney sat on the other side of Kyle and took that hand. "If you meant it, say it again," Kyle said to Courtney.

  "I love you, Kyle LaFontaine, no matter what."

  Kyle laughed softly. "Have I ever told you my first name? Kyle is my middle name."

  "No. Is it so dreadful you had to hide it?"

  "No. It's just that I was named for the only person my dad ever loved. It's Raiford—Raiford Kyle LaFontaine."

  Parker chuckled. "May we, please, take it to the house? Everybody's worried sick about you, Raiford Kyle, especially Neely. Uncle Raif is insisting that she go to the hospital and get checked out, and I know you need that arm set. Kyle, if you love my sister, let the past go. We all love you. Listen to me—I went to jail because I hit my foster father when he tried to rape me. I know the signs. If you ever wanna talk, it'll be between you and me, and, I guess, Courtney."

  "Thanks for everything," said Kyle.

  The trio stood and started back to the house. Parker sent a mass text, "Found them. Headed in."

  Back at the house, Raif had waited at Neely's insistence to go to the hospital. She would not go until she was certain Kyle was safe.

  "Kyle!" she exclaimed when he walked up. The boy took Neely's hand with his uninjured hand.

  Neely said, "I never wanted you to know."

  It seemed Kyle had grown up in a couple of hours as he replied. "Neely, secrets always come out. It's best to face reality and deal with it. I can never say, 'I'm sorry,' enough times."

  She nodded. "No more secrets. Are you all right?"

  "My shoulder is out of place. I've got to go to the hospital, too. Neely, after tonight, I believe in miracles. Maybe you should, too. Mine is standing over there waiting for me. I love her. I'll never do anything again that could hurt her. I'll see you at the hospital."

  Neely was quiet all the way to the emergency room. She kept thinking. Is it possible? How many people have told me to believe in
miracles? Will I be able to carry a child to term? She reached over and took Raif's hand.

  "What's the matter, baby?" he asked.

  "I'm believing in miracles. Raif, what if?"

  He kissed her hand. "I'll do that headstand I promised you."

  In the emergency room triage, a broken arm took precedence over fainting when the fainter seemed fine and was not experiencing chest pain. Kyle came out with his arm in a sling before Neely was ever seen. Deanna and Courtney were with him. From the expression on Deanna's face, it was clear Kyle had no more secrets from his mother. Nonetheless, Kyle insisted they wait to find out if Neely was all right.

  The ER was practically empty before Neely was finally called back. After a urine specimen and a blood sample, Neely and Raif waited again. Just before midnight, the attending physician came in.

  "Mrs. Gautier, you're just fine. From the tests and information, your ailment should be over somewhere around Father's Day, which would be quite appropriate since you're pregnant."

  "Are you sure?" asked Neely, putting her hand over her abdomen.

  "Absolutely. You're already three months along. You need to get in to see an obstetrician ASAP, especially since what you've told me makes you very high risk." He handed Neely a bottle of prenatal vitamins. "Start taking these and get an appointment before the New Year. Go home now and get some rest. Merry Christmas!"

  Neely looked at Raif a long moment before she flung her arms around him. "I got my miracle! I know God will let me have this baby. Do you know when this had to have happened? The day we got the girls. Raiford Gautier, I love you so much."

  "And I love you, my beautiful Queen Neely."

  She laughed, "Where's my headstand?"

  "I'll do it in the waiting room. That way if I break something, I'll be first in line to be seen."

  Raif and Neely walked out holding hands. "Well?" Kyle demanded.

  Raif held up a finger and promptly did a headstand.

  "Oh, my God!" shouted Courtney. "Really, Aunt Neely? Really?"

  "Yes. Tonight, I know miracles are real, too."

  Courtney laughed. "Maybe the real miracle is that Uncle Raif could actually do a headstand."

  "You little monster!" laughed Raif, giving Courtney a noogie.

  "No," disagreed Kyle. "That's my miracle. You've got yours in spades, Uncle Raif."

  Raif raised an eyebrow.

  "In a few years," finished Kyle.

  Raif said, "Well, it's Christmas, a celebration of a miracle birth. I'm happy to have another one. Is anyone here hungry besides me?"

  Everyone nodded. "All right," said Raif. "Waffle House—my treat."

  34

  Ring around the Rosy

  Neely made an appointment with her ob-gyn immediately. She felt confident using the same doctor Larkin used. Doctor Sullivan assured her that at this stage of her pregnancy everything appeared normal; however, because of her medical history, he performed the cervical cerclage in office. He frowned and asked about the perforation.

  She nodded. "Dr. Henri said it was repaired, but worried about implantation."

  "It's obvious this one took."

  "Does this make me higher risk?"

  "Possibly. I do think this might be your only child. I'm starting you on weekly visits, and"—He checked the calendar—"scheduling a sonogram for February 4th. We'll talk more about what to do after the baby later on."

  Saul Blackwell made another trip to Montel Desmond with Kyle in tow. Desmond scowled at the boy. "I told you not to lie to me."

  "I didn't," Kyle said, clenching his teeth. "I didn't want anyone to know about this."

  "Lie by omission."

  "You can't force me to do this." He looked at his stepfather. "He can't make me, can he?"

  Desmond leaned forward with his hands folded on his desk. "Kyle, give me your statement. I won't force you to testify about this if I don't have to. Even if all the other charges were ignored, a jury would castrate him for what Mr. Blackwell has related to me. And if you do have to testify about this, I think we can do it via video. But looking the man in the eye would help my case and your healing."

  "I'll give you my statement, but I won't testify. I just can't."

  Desmond took the boy's statement and reminded him that he could change his mind if he wanted to.

  Outside the courthouse, Kyle fell apart. For the first time since Deanna had married Saul, Kyle let the man embrace him. Saul whispered to the boy, "If I'd had any inkling something like that had happened to you, Mia Godchaux would not have gotten the chance to kill your father. I'd have done it myself."

  Kyle wept, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just don't think I can say that part in a courtroom."

  "It's okay. You're my son now, and I swear I'll do everything in my power to protect you. I love you, Kyle."

  Face buried in Saul's chest, words muffled against his shirt, Kyle mumbled, "I love you too, Dad."

  "Dad. I like the sound of that. Let's go home."

  Kyle nodded.

  Neely's sonogram was the day before the trial for Lloyd Palermo began. Viewing the screen, Dr. Sullivan announced that the little tyke was developing normally, but he was greatly concerned about the scarring to Neely's uterus. He said frankly, "Those scars are from the uterine repair. It's more extensive than I thought. I don't want you to try to deliver this baby, Neely. I'm afraid you might hemorrhage far too much. To be honest, it's a miracle that he ever implanted, and he will probably be the only one you can have, as I've already told you. I want to schedule a C-section. It'll be safer for both of you."

  "He?" asked Raif.

  "Yes, it's a boy. He has a strong heartbeat, and he looks perfectly normal. I'm not worried too much about the baby's development. I'm more worried about Neely. If we can get you to thirty weeks, and we have to take the baby, or if the cerclage breaks, he'll be fine. Of course, we're aiming for thirty-eight weeks. I don't want you to go into labor. I'm putting young Master Gautier down for June fourth, that's two weeks before his due date. Let's hope he doesn't get anxious."

  Raif and Neely left feeling a bit uneasy themselves. Raif was terrified of losing Neely. She took his hand. "We'll both be fine," she assured.

  He confessed, "I can't lose you, baby. There's only so much one person can handle. Losing you would be the last straw."

  "Don't worry, Raif. I'm gonna do exactly what Dr. Sullivan tells me. I wouldn't do anything to put myself or"—She rubbed her tummy—"Master Gautier at risk. Let's name him."

  "Now?"

  "Why not?"

  "All right. What did you have in mind?"

  "I know you want to name him after Ray. Don't deny it."

  "Yes." He nodded and glanced toward his wife. "I'd like part of his name to be Michael."

  "My father's name was Avery. I'd like that. So, which flows better—Michael Avery Gautier or Avery Michael Gautier?"

  "You decide."

  "Chicken. I see it in your eyes. You want to call him Michael. Then, that's it—Michael Avery Gautier." Neely laughed.

  "What's so funny?"

  "To think I said I was glad there was only one boy to throw a bachelor party for. Now, I guess in twenty-something years, you'll have to get him totally wasted, and I'll see you drunk for only the second time. I don't ever wanna see it before that."

  "I only went along with getting Patrick the lap dance because of what he did. I dragged him out when I realized how much he'd drunk." Raif laughed. "I've only ever been that drunk one other time—the day I met you."

  "And Ray instigated that, too."

  "Nope. That was my idea. I just had no clue it would lead me to you."

  "Well, I'm excited to tell the girls about their little brother. We'll be fine, Raif. I'll never leave you."

  The trial for Lloyd Palermo began. It was to be nationally televised.

  To the nation's amazement the defendant pled, "Not guilty." Ray and Raif, along with their family and friends left the courtroom in total disbelief.

  "Do you th
ink the jury will actually buy that?" asked Raif as the families tried to have a meal together.

  "How can they?" asked Kyle, pale as death. "Uncle Ray, is it too late to add a charge against him? Dad?" Kyle turned to Saul.

  Ray smiled that the boy was finally accepting Saul.

  "No," Saul said. "You have thirty years from the date you turn eighteen to file a charge. If you want to do that, we'll all support you, but I would suggest waiting to see what happens here. Kyle, you're already gonna have to testify about Neely. Do you really wanna add to your stress level? I remember what you said in Desmond's office."

  "If we don't add the charge now, it might look like another attempt at revenge," said Kyle. Courtney took his hand. "I can do this," he said. "The jury won't look so leniently on a child molester. That's what Desmond said."

  "I hate to say it, but he's right," concurred Ray.

  Across the way, Parker said, "Do it. That is burning evidence. I'm a little worried about the state's case. I tried to get them to hold off and find more concrete evidence." He shrugged. "But what do I know? I'm just a cop in Podunk."

  From near the other end of the table, Jenna whispered to Patrick. "'E should do it. That's the man that assaulted me, but I won't bring a charge because I don't want the United States knowin' I was a stripper." Patrick put a protective arm around his wife. "I don't wanna say anything to trivialize what Kyle endured. I only 'ad bruises." Patrick kissed her on the head.

  "I heard you, Jenna." Kyle nodded. "I can do it."

  The next day, federal prosecutors added a charge of rape of a child under twelve to the long list. The defense demanded a continuance, and the judge gave them until the following Monday and instructed the prosecution to hand over all discovery related to the new charge.

  On February 10th, the trial began in earnest. The prosecution was seeking the death penalty and began with the first degree murder charges. Most of the day was taken up with opening remarks and motions. The first actual witness was called on Tuesday morning. Witnesses were confined to separate rooms so that their testimonies would not be influenced by another's.

  First on the stand, the state's psychiatrist said Lloyd Palermo was not insane. "On the contrary, he is fully aware of right and wrong," the psychiatrist testified. "I believe the defendant to be a pathological liar who planned revenge against those he holds responsible for his mother's death. He exacted his revenge over a long period of time in a number of ways, culminating in the deaths of four law enforcement agents and the attempt on another."