Page 6 of The Presidents Shadow

Still nothing from Belinda. Then Maddy softly says, “Please.”

Belinda turns around. She’s crying. Suddenly she stands up and approaches Maddy. Maddy moves her finger very near the Panic button on the side of the small card table. She’s ready to push.

“You wanna learn something about me and my life, lady? Mom’s new boyfriend took a liking to me, you get it? It was pretty clear I had to put out or get out, and I went with the last one. Now I’m trying to make a decent kind of living—”

Her face colors in anger when she sees Maddy’s reaction. “No, not likethat! That’s exactly what I’m tryingnotto do… even though sometimes the customers get a different kind of idea about what services the girls have on offer.”

Belinda pulls at the neckline of her police-issued brown jumpsuit and points.

Her neck is covered in bruises in the shape of handprints. The skin on her chest and shoulders is riddled with open cuts and scratches.

“Sometimes I gotta make it real clear to them that the only thing I’ve got for sale is in my pockets, not my pants.”

Maddy is appalled, shocked into silence.

But before she can ask any more questions, her police cell phone rings.

Maddy looks at the caller name.

It’s her boss. R.J.

CHAPTER 8

“WHERE THE HELL are you?” R.J. shouts.

Maddy is still reeling from Belinda’s injuries, so she shouts right back at her boss.

“Where am I? Do you understand how time works? I’m with Belinda at the 19th Precinct. You sent me here, if you remember.”

“Listen. This assignment should take about five minutes. Just get some basic info. Name. Home address. The other stuff you can get online. Previous arrests. ER visits. Then get her version of the arrest. Keep it all brief.”

The lack of cooperation is coming at Maddy from two people now. Belinda and R.J.

“I’m doing my best here, R.J. Maybe if you listened…”

To Maddy’s surprise, Belinda is holding up her hands in the traditional “calm down” gesture. Is this a kind of breakthrough? Is Belinda suddenly cooperating?

But Maddy takes the advice. She tries to play nice with R.J.

“Listen, sir. This young woman needs medical attention. It looks pretty serious to me.”

“Yeah. They all need medical attention. Get what you came for and then get the hell out.”

Staying calm, Maddy says, “She has to see a doctor.”

R.J. doesn’t even ask what the medical problem us. The young woman could be bleeding out. Broken legs. Heart attack. OD. Whatever.

“Download the Medical Condition app. Fill out a request form. Send it to Police Health and be sure to cc me on it. They’ll see if it requires a PA exam.”

Maddy is back to full speed.

“But she needs to be seen now.”

“Damnit. Do what I tell you to do. Just do it. And do it fast. We need you back here.”

For what?Maddy thinks.Does someone’s dog need to be walked?

But she doesn’t get a chance to ask.

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