Melody: A Novel Part 26

"No." He stood. Everyone looked at him. "No, Captain Jersey, this isn't going to happen this way. I'm not going to take a DNA test."

"Excuse me?" Arlen gaped.

Steven gulped. "You heard me, Arlen. I won't take a DNA test." "Steven, have you lost your d.a.m.n mind?"

"May seem like it, Bree, but I haven't. I'm innocent and I don't need to take a d.a.m.n test to prove that."

"Hold on." Parsons waved his hand. "Let me get this straight, Detective. You're innocent and that's why you won't take the test?" Steven nodded. "That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life."

"Steve, what in the h.e.l.l is this?" Jersey walked to the table. "Do you understand what you're doing? You're refusing to do the one thing that could free you!"

"Take the G.o.dd.a.m.n test, Steven!" Arlen yelled.

"No. I'm not taking a d.a.m.n test because I did nothing wrong! I got my pride! I've put years into this department and this is the way they pay me? I cannot believe that my word isn't good enough! I've been sworn to uphold the law, yet that same law hasn't listened to my pleas, demands or reason! I know it looks funny to not take the test. I want to prove my innocence more than anything but I will not take a DNA test! Not now and not ever!"

"Steve." Brianna scoffed.

Zachary shook her head. "Do you realize you're playing with the rest of your life, Detective?"

"Steven, I've always admired you for standing up for your beliefs, but this is not one of those times! You cannot be serious about what you're doing."

"I am, Bree. I gotta do what's right for me, no matter how it looks to all of you."

"I don't believe this." Arlen shook his head. "Steven, this is your life. Forget your d.a.m.n pride! If you keep going on like this, you won't have a life, career or future! Do you realize the pile of horse s.h.i.+t you've stepped into?"

"Steven, this is not the time to pull this hotshot-cop s.h.i.+t!" Brianna sighed. "Take the d.a.m.n test and worry about getting your point across later."

"No, Bree. I've done things their way since I've been in here."

Parsons scoffed. "Man, this is too easy."

Zachary raised an eyebrow. "So, you're actually refusing to take the test, even if it could free you? Detective, do you realize how guilty that makes you look?"

"Yeah, maybe. I don't care." Steven looked at his weary attorney. "I appreciate everyone who believes in me. But I'm not taking a DNA test. I know I'm innocent and I shouldn't have to do some test to prove it. It's not fair to me at all. I have rights and one of them is to refuse this test. I'm sorry, Arlen." Arlen stayed silent.

"Then you stay in jail." Parsons grinned. "You realize you're headed for a trial, Detective Kemp?"

"So be it." He shrugged.

"Steven?" Brianna waved her hands. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't care if this whole city thinks I'm a rapist, Bree. I can risk what others think of me, but I can't risk what I think of myself."

Arlen felt his forehead. "So you're giving up your future for self-respect?" he shrieked. "Take the test and take it today, Steven!"

"No."

"Then get yourself another attorney!"

"Okay, if that's the way you want it." Steven sighed. Arlen left.

"I don't understand you at all right now, Steven."

"Well, you got company then, Bree. There's a lot of things I don't understand right now, either."

Chapter Fourteen.

A Week Later "Melody, it's for you." Craig brought the portable phone to the couch. Melody hated being interrupted during the end of a cla.s.sic film. She sat Indian-style on the couch with a plate of steaming spaghetti on her lap. The clock struck six p.m. This Wednesday had been the first day off she'd had since working at Caper. She intended to enjoy it until at least midnight.

"Who is it?" she asked with a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Keith." Craig threw the phone on the couch. He headed to the bedroom area.

"Craig!" He turned around. "Why didn't you tell him I wasn't home? I don't want to talk to Keith. It's bad enough I gotta work with him."

"He says it's important. Something about Sarah." Craig left the room.

She grabbed up the phone. She hadn't seen her sister in a week. Being away from Sarah nearly killed her. She enjoyed staying at Craig's, but it didn't compare to living at home. She'd talked with Sarah on the phone every other day. It wasn't enough for either of them. Melody couldn't help feeling depressed each time she thought of how close they used to be.

She hated herself for giving Keith the power to break them up. She and Sarah were sisters. Melody had an obligation to that bond. She blamed Sarah for not choosing her over Keith. But had that been fair? Hadn't she been the one that allowed Keith to destroy her life with Sarah? Had it been right to let Keith run her away from her own home? So far, Keith had kept his distance at work. It wasn't enough.

Melody wanted him gone. Nothing would ever be the same unless Keith disappeared from both their lives.

"Keith?" she sighed.

"Hey, Mel, uh..." he exhaled. "I, uh...am I interrupting you?"

She sighed. "No," she lied. If it involved Sarah, it had to be important.

"How did you get Craig's number, anyway?"

"I saw it in the address book at your house one day." She sighed. Like she suspected, he had been spending even more time there since she left. "Melody, I...you gotta come over here quick."

"What's going on, Keith?" She set her spaghetti on the table. "You're breathing hard, panting and it's scaring me."

"It's Sarah. She's...Mel, she's not moving."

"What? What do you mean she's not moving?" She jumped from the couch.

"She's not moving! s.h.i.+t, I mean...we were talking and she started breathing funny." Melody covered her mouth. "Before I could call someone, she pa.s.sed out! I tried to revive her but she isn't moving."

"Is she breathing, Keith?" Melody panted.

"Uh, yes...I think she is."

"What do you mean you think? Go check!"

"She's breathing!" He huffed. "Oh G.o.d, Melody, you gotta come over here. I already called the ambulance."

"I'll be to our house in a few minutes." She started to hang up.

"No," Keith exhaled. "Uh, we're at my place. You gotta come to my place." He rambled off the address. He lived in a very upscale neighborhood. "You know where that is?"

"Yes."

"Good." He let out a relaxing sigh. "I have a feeling everything will fall into place once you get here." She wondered what in the h.e.l.l he meant by that. She didn't have time to think. She grabbed her purse and ran to the door. Craig stomped from the back room.

"Mel, what's wrong?"

"It's Sarah!" She threw on a jacket. "She's at Keith's. She's pa.s.sed out or something."

"What? Is she all right?"

"I don't know, uh...he already called the ambulance. Hopefully they'll make it before I get there." She opened the front door.

"You need me to come with you?"

"No, I'll call you if I need to." She slammed the door.

Keith lived in prestigious Madison Hills. Melody had no idea. She'd never bothered to find out where he lived before. Living in Madison Hills meant he had more money than she'd thought. You had to be above upper-middle cla.s.s just to rent in the area. She turned on the street to Keith's house. Lights s.h.i.+ned from security posts at every corner.

She couldn't get Sarah out of her head. Just when she thought things were looking up, she'd been thrown a loop. It never failed. What in the h.e.l.l had happened to Sarah? The woman hadn't had a cold in her life! Now she'd pa.s.sed out without explanation. Every frightening thought in the world pa.s.sed through Melody's mind.

Had Sarah contracted some disease?

She didn't regularly go to the doctor. Who knew? Had she developed some respiratory problem? Had her lungs collapsed? How serious could this be? Would doctors be able to help her? Melody slapped the stirring wheel. She had a knack for worrying herself into frenzy. Yet how could she help it? If she lost Sarah..."Oh G.o.d." She shut her eyes. Why did the worst thoughts always come at the hardest times?

Melody constantly got on Sarah about working so hard. Sometimes Sarah seemed so tired she could barely breathe. Melody wouldn't be surprised if she'd suffered from over-exhaustion. She prayed that it hadn't been anything more. Apparently, Sarah hadn't ever worried about her health. She never worried about anything, which made Melody worry about them both.

Keith lived in a huge two-story home on the far corner of his block. Melody knew Keith appreciated this location. No through streets meant he didn't endure noisy traffic. Melody caught a sign that forbid big vehicles to drive through after a certain hour. It seemed like the residents of Madison Hills had been gladly locked away into their own self-absorbed planet.

Melody didn't resent people with money. They just didn't make it easier for her to like them. She parked in Keith's wide driveway. She didn't see Sarah's car. She figured Keith brought her. Sarah complained about gas constantly. Melody figured she'd walk all the way over here if it meant saving a few dollars. Melody wondered how Sarah managed to live above her means being so cheap.

She stepped from her jeep. She stared at Keith's colossal, beige brick home. A garage that could probably house eight families sat over to the side. A pristine lawn suggested he had a gardener at least twice a week. Melody squinted down the street. The next house sat about a block down. The lawn looked the same as Keith's. It wasn't hard to figure out the perks of living in Madison Hills.

She stepped to the front door. Keith's sophisticated style extended from how he dressed to how he lived. Melody hadn't expected his place to be so remarkable even for an upscale neighborhood. She took a deep breath. Concentrating on Keith's beautiful home kept her mind off Sarah. Why hadn't the emergency vehicles made it yet? Melody lifted a fist to knock. She stopped.

Something felt strange about all of this. Why wasn't the ambulance here, yet? Melody's drive had been at least fifteen minutes. She'd never known an ambulance taking their time before. She thought about Sarah's car again. For some reason, the explanation of her coming with Keith seemed unreal. Melody felt a nagging chill. That d.a.m.n intuition. Yet, that intuition had saved her many times. But why now?

Something told her not to go into the house. But she had no choice! Sarah needed her. Should she listen to reason for Sarah's sake, or intuition for her own? Even nature seemed to contribute to her growing anxiety. She hadn't remembered it being so dark at six p.m. before. She couldn't remember the air being so still.

Her heart pounded. She didn't have time to think. Sarah needed her. Battling with her soul on the porch had been silly at best. She knocked on the door. No one answered. She called for Keith. No one answered. She peeked in the windows. The living room lights were off. What was going on here?

She leaned against the door. It easily swung open. She stepped inside. She'd never been in a room so still. She could taste the air. She called for Keith and Sarah. No one answered. Maybe they had taken Sarah to the hospital. That would be the logical thing to do. She chuckled for nearly scaring herself to death. But why had Keith's door been unlocked? Had he been in such a rush that he'd forgotten to lock it?

Melody turned to leave. The lights popped on. She stood in a fantastic living room that would put Martha Stewart's decorator to shame. Keith stood against the large bookshelf. He moved his hand from the light switch. Melody overlooked his serene behavior. If Sarah had been hurt, how could he be so calm?

"Keith, you scared me." She held her chest. "Where's Sarah?" He walked past her. He shut and locked the front door.

He leaned against the door with his arms crossed. "Jesus, Melody. I can't believe how f.u.c.kin' easy it was to get you here."

"What's going on?" She trembled. He cracked his knuckles. "Where's Sarah?"

"She's fine. I imagine she's at home resting after a hard day's work."

"What?" She sucked in her anger. Something told her this wasn't the right time to confront him. "I don't believe this. You set me up? You made me believe that Sarah was hurt so I'd come over here?" He nodded. "Why?"

"Well..." He stepped toward her. She moved back. "I enjoy playing with you, Mel. Didn't you know that?"

"G.o.dd.a.m.n you!"

He chuckled. "It amazes me how easy it is to fool you. You claim I won't manipulate things but I keep doing it, don't I? I got Sarah to believe me over you many times. I even got it where you moved out. I got it where you can't break us up, and I got you here tonight. Do you finally see how this is going, Melody? You can't win. I hope now you realize you'd better give it up."

"You sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What is the point of all this now? I've been gone for a week! If you loved Sarah so much, then why would you want to come between us?"

"I never did, Melody. But when you kept making things harder for me, I needed to eliminate the problem. And we all know that's you." He lowered his eyes to her skirt.

"What do you want from me, Keith?" She held her purse for protection.

"I only want to be your friend." He looked at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s underneath her white blouse. "That's all I've ever wanted. But you had to act like some little child and keep Sarah all for yourself!" He hit the wall. She shrieked. "I wanted to love you both, Melody. It could have been so beautiful. I know that you really want that, too."

"You stay away from me, Keith." She shook.

"I know you want that." He moved toward the couch. "You've always wanted that, haven't you? You wanted a taste of what Sarah had, didn't you?"

"No!" She ran to the door. He blocked her.

"You're tired of being in her footsteps, aren't you? You wanted to know why she always got everything! You resent her, just admit it!"

"No!" She held her head. "I love Sarah with all my heart!"

"Is that why you try to manipulate all of her relations.h.i.+ps, Melody? You couldn't get the point that I'm not going anywhere." He grabbed her.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

"I told you not to f.u.c.k with me, Melody. I meant it."

"Please, Keith!" she sobbed. "You're scaring me!"

He licked his lips. "I guess I never told you how beautiful you are when you're scared." He firmly held the back of her neck. He shoved her body against him. He moved his mouth to hers.