The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 25

The following day, Barnes walked into the station feeling more than a little sore from last night. As she entered Taylor's office, she felt stiff in all the wrong places. McClendon had yet to arrive, so she sat across from Taylor's desk to his right. She sat down and winced in pain.

Taylor regarded her with curiosity as she slowly sat down that morning. "I heard you had an interesting night. Those margaritas pack quite a punch, don't they?" He could tell by the look on her face she was not amused. "Yeah, I guess it wasn't the margaritas. Seriously, what were you thinking facing off with that guy last night?"

"I thought that's what we're supposed to do. Keep the peace and all."

"Yeah, but there are better ways to handle it."

"Tried, but the guy didn't give me much choice."

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms before speaking again. "Well, I would have probably done the same thing, for what it's worth. Just be smart with the cowgirl routine." Looking at her, he could tell she didn't feel well, but he felt confident she would make it. "So as soon as McClendon gets here," he stopped as McClendon walked into the room. "Speak of the devil, and he appears."

"Sorry, I'm late. My daughter threw up on my shirt, and I had to change," McClendon explained as he took his seat. He looked over at Barnes with a curious look. For her part, she rolled her eyes and looked away. McClendon looked back at Taylor with the same curious look.

"Don't ask," Taylor said. "Okay, people, we need to start running down some leads. We first need to interview Erin's bosses and coworkers. Then, we need to look at the security guards on duty the other day and see what they might know. Barnes, we need to know who Erin worked for in college and track him down. Maybe he can give us a client list or distribution information on her film career. If nothing else, see if any familiar names pop up."

"I'll go downstairs and ask Erin what the guy's name is and where we can find him. It's been so long, though there's no telling if he is still around," Barnes said. "How are we on moving her out of here?"

"Yeah, about that," Taylor began, "I don't think the DA is going for moving her. When I talked to him late yesterday, from the way he sounded, he didn't like the idea. Either she will be staying here or possibly released pending trial. It's all kind of up in the air right now." Taylor expected that Barnes would offer an objection, but to his surprise, she nodded and said nothing. "Alright then, let's go to work."

Barnes left Taylor's office and took the stairs to the lock-up. After a quick greeting to the officer on duty, she made her way to see Erin. As she approached, she could see Erin sitting quietly on her bed. Sitting next to her was the photograph Barnes brought from her house a few days ago. She seemed not to notice Barnes as she approached. She must have been lost in thought from her look as she seemed to stare off into nowhere in particular. "Erin," she said as she stood outside the cell door. The uttering of her name snapped her out of whatever was racing through her mind.

"Detective Barnes. Any word on my husband?"

"No, I haven't checked, but I promise I will. I do need to talk to you for a minute, though."

Erin said as she stood to walk over to Barnes. "Sure," she said with little enthusiasm in her voice. "How do you like the outfit they gave me? "Can't say orange is my color."

"It's just standard procedure," Barnes said, not knowing how to respond.

"I'm sorry, Detective. I was trying to show a little bit of humor. Guess it's not really funny, huh?" The look on Barnes' face startled Erin. "Is something wrong, Detective?"

"No, I just got into a fight with a drunk guy last night, and so I'm sore, that's all."

"My god, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a few bruises and scratches. That's all. You should see the other guy." Erin laughed at the comment. "No, really, you should see him. He's about three cells over from you."

"Speaking of that," Erin said, "how long will I be here? Mr. Brady told me he was arranging bail or something."

"Well, that's a complicated issue right now, and I'm probably not the one who needs to discuss it with you. Long story short, I don't think the DA will go for protective custody, so I don't know. Anyway, I need to ask you about the guy you worked for in college. I need to know his name and any contact information you may remember. We need to try to find him."

Erin closed her eyes and lowered her head. "That was a long time ago. His name, at least the one he gave me, was Marco Bolin. He's kind of a short guy with dark black hair. He liked to wear a black leather jacket and tight jeans. I don't have a phone number or email address for him anymore. I never thought I would have anything to do with him after college."

"Do you know where I might find him? Any previous addresses?"

"No, as I said, it was a long time ago, and I've tried my best to be done with that life."

"I understand, but anything you can tell us could help."

"Sorry, I destroyed everything I had that connected me to him. I remember the name of the studio was called Devious Dames Studios. Real high class, right? God, what was I thinking?"

"Hey, that's something to go on, at least. Look, I hate to dredge up your past, I really do, but believe it or not, there could be some clues that could lead us to whoever did this to you?"

"Detective, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Focus on keeping positive. I'll check on your husband as soon as I can."

Several minutes later, Barnes related her finding to Taylor. "McClendon, Bolin is all yours," he said. He could tell that Barnes was disappointed that Taylor did not give her that task. "Barnes, I know what you're thinking, but I need you with me. We're going to check out her office. If they haven't already, it won't be long before the media picks up on this story, so we must move quickly."

"Fine," was all she said.

"McClendon, let me know when you find out anything about the studio or Bolin. Barnes, you're with me."

Taylor and Barnes left McClendon to do his work. "So what's our first move?" she asked him as they approached Taylor's car.

"Well, we need to start at the top and work our way down. So, let's talk to Erin's bosses. If someone in that office tried to set up Erin, our presence would shake them up, maybe even make them do something stupid."