Nightingale

"So, this was visible in the video?" Gary asked as he smiled at the Deputy.

"Only for a split second at the very start of the video when the phone was being hidden up in the back window well. The car's headlights were still on, and they shone against a wall."

"Those colors are painted on the school gym too. This gate is locked. The school parking has no gates, and the lot is dark at night too." Spencer grumbled.

"It's dark when we drive through it on patrol," Juarez said, and Spencer nodded until he realized what that meant in terms of the school lot being a lousy spot to do what happened in the video. He frowned.

"The gate is still locked."

"Open it," Gary said.

"What?" Spencer asked.

"Get your bolt cutters and cut the lock," the sheriff ordered, and the man moved. He made quick work of the lock, then they locked up the cruisers and walked as a group into the large open parking lot.

"Keep your eyes open for signs of tire tracks—"

"Sheriff."

Juarez was pointing to a crack in the paving that had a wide clump of grass growing out of it. The grass in the center was crushed down like tires passed over it. Recently.

Gary nodded to Juarez, and they set off, looking for additional signs.

When they reached the loading bay area in the back, Danson held up his hand to point to the team colors painted on the wall by the big doors. Gary roughly matched the shape to the picture in his hand and nodded. It was a close enough match. They walked closer and looked at the ground.

"I have what could be blood," Spencer said begrudgingly.

"So we potentially have our crime scene. Where did she hide the car?" Gary asked and saw Danson looking away from the building. He followed the young man's eyes, and it became obvious where the car had to be.

"Sheriff. There are multiple spots where we have circular scrapes on the ground as if the wheels of the car were turned while the car was stationary," Juarez noted.

"She had to move the car, and she was probably a beginner," Gary theorized.

They followed the scrapes and realized she must've had a lot of trouble getting the car where she wanted it to go.

Finally, they ended up facing the gap in the fence.

"I have two tracks of acceleration. The car raced forward from here," Spencer said.

They all walked down to the fence and saw paint flecks on the safety fence.

"We're gonna have to call in divers and a tow truck," Gary said.

"On it!" Danson said as he pressed his cell to his ear, and Gary smiled at his enthusiasm.

Gary looked at the murky depths and shook his head. What a sad end for a man who failed to appreciate what he had.

"We can't get divers in from the city until tomorrow," Danson said.

Gary nodded, watching the water.

It didn't really matter. Malcolm wasn't going anywhere.

Chapter 19

Sam missed three days of school, and it wasn't a time she wanted to remember. They'd found her father, and once the coroner completed his autopsy, they'd immediately had the body cremated. Even the limited time in the toxic lake hadn't been kind, so this was the only way to deal with it. They'd had a small, private, and tearful ceremony for her to say goodbye to her father and for her mom to say goodbye to her husband. They spent the following day in their jammies and dressing gowns, drinking tea, sharing tears, and talking. A little bit about the past but mostly about the future. They both found it highly cathartic.

Sam finally returned to school on Friday to collect her homework for the classes she missed. As best she could, she ignored the stares, the sneers, and ugly comments from the people she once called her friends. It was still difficult to understand how cruel they could be, especially under the circumstances.

The teachers were sympathetic except for Mr. McConnell, who glared at her as she passed by his classroom. Maybe he was mad at Raphael for injuring so many of his players. She didn't ask. Besides, he didn't look so good. He needed a shave... and maybe a shower.

When she got to Mr. Dwight's class, he greeted her with a grim look then turned at the other students.

"Everyone work on questions six and seven, and I'll be right back." He picked up some papers, turned to Sam, and gestured to the door. She went back out into the hall and looked up at him nervously.

"I passed my calculus midterm, didn't I?" she asked.

He glanced at her. "Please join me in the principal's office." He headed off, and she had no choice but to rush after him. Once they reached the office of Mr. Jasper, the man looked up and waved them in. The principal gestured to a chair, and Sam sat as she watched the math teacher take the other chair and draw a deep breath.

"A claim has been made that you cheated on the midterm—"

"I did not—" she began, but the teacher held up his hand.

"You went from almost failing to a perfect score on the midterm."

Sam squealed in excitement and bounced on her chair. Then she noticed the grim looks on the two men had changed to exasperation. "What?"

"You achieved this miraculous turnaround in a week. The claim of cheating came from a teacher who spoke with your boyfriend, Victor—"

"EX-boyfriend!" Sam glared then sighed. "Look, I understand your skepticism, and I get that you have to investigate, but I can honestly say no cheating was involved. I just followed your advice."

Mr. Dwight's eyebrows went up. "My advice?"

Sam nodded. "You said I needed an expert to tutor me. I found one. I spent four, six-hour sessions in the evenings with him, and he took me step-by-step from the beginning to the most current lesson."

"Who was the tutor?" the principal asked.

"Raphael Graves," she said sadly. He wasn't taking visitors, and from what she heard from her Mom, he wasn't doing too well. She wanted to see him so badly if for no other reason than to apologize for the trouble she'd caused in his life.

"Raphael taught you calculus?" Mr. Dwight asked in surprise.

She nodded to the teacher. "You taught him, and for him, that worked fine, but for me, it just wasn't sinking in. But when Raphael went back over his notes with me and taught me how he learned from you, it just... clicked. He's not a patient or an even-tempered teacher, but he is a good one. I know how it works now!" she finished with a smile.

The teacher shared a look with the principal. "You understand I can't just take your word for it."

She nodded. "Do you have a test for me to do?"

He gave her a small smile and handed her the sheet of paper. Mr. Jasper cleared a corner of his desk, and she got to work. She read the questions carefully first and stopped on the third one. She looked at Mr. Dwight. "There's a method in the third question we haven't learned yet."

"Skip that one," he said with a little smile on his lips. Sam saw she'd passed his first test.

She read the fourth question, then began solving the first.

Ten minutes later, she set the pencil down and handed him the paper. His red pencil jumped from spot to spot through her work, then he looked to Mr. Jasper.

"Well?" the principal exclaimed.

"These questions weren't on the midterm, but they used the same principles. Ms. Harris got them all right. I believe the accusation of cheating was false. She should continue in the class, and we'll see how her grade level continues."

Sam's expression became bleak. "I need Raphael to help me." The math teacher looked a little uncomfortable. She hastened to clarify that. "No offense to your teaching. It obviously works for Raphael. I just get stuck occasionally, and he can get me past those moments."

"Is he willing to keep up the tutoring?" Mr. Jasper asked.

Sam turned a sad look at the man. "I don't know. He's... not talking... to anyone. Not since he lost his mom. He didn't want to tutor me, originally," she confessed. "He said Victor would make his life difficult if he found out. He said no."

"But you got him to do it." Mr. Dwight said.

She smiled slightly and nodded.

"You'll just have to do it again," the math teacher insisted.

"Has he lost his chance at the scholarship with all the scandal around him?" she asked nervously.

The principal shook his head. "Heaven's no! If anything, he's become an even more attractive candidate for the scholarship. He's an orphan and homeless now. He's blameless for all the other drama going on around him. I made certain the qualifying committee was crystal clear on that. He still needs to keep his grade level high, though."

Sam got an idea. "May I collect Raphael's homework for the week so I can take it to him?"

Mr. Jasper smiled widely. "Yes, that's an excellent idea. I'll send you to his teachers with one of the office staff. She hopped to her feet with a nod to the math teacher and principal and rushed out to get started.

Sam had a new purpose. She was going to ensure Raphael won that scholarship and completed his life plan. She owed him that much!

-=-

Suzanne leaned against the wall of the wardroom she'd moved Raphael to from the private room he'd been in. He needed to be around people now, and it was easier for the nurses to keep an eye on him. There had been some lingering effects of the blow to the back of the head, so Jim kept him in the hospital under observation. The doctor also got him attending physio for his knee. The damage wasn't permanent, but he'd be walking with a cane for a few months.

The handcuffs were gone. Gary had had a long talk with Raphael, and the young man had confessed to him that he'd been the vigilante. Not that he looked for the criminals to punish. According to Gary, he only responded with violence when attacked. The latest event had been after he'd run off so quickly from them at the library. He'd almost lost his life when he walked into a drug deal as it went down.

The problem now was, Raphael was shutting himself off from everyone. He'd stopped speaking and barely ate what they put in front of him. The young man was lost. She wasn't sure what she could do for him.

Hospital security caught a news reporter and her cameraman in the ward earlier that day. They'd discovered he was one of the few survivors and tried to interview him. They knew his name and the name of his mother. Even though he'd refused to speak to them, she had to admit Raphael was the perfect tragic figure for their story. She was worried about how they might capitalize on that. She'd have to watch the news tonight.

She caught motion in the corner of her eye as Sam marched right past her on a direct route to Raphael's bed. She almost moved to stop her but held back. Maybe Sam was just the medicine he needed. She slipped out of the room before Sam saw her there.

Her daughter didn't need her help with this. She only hoped he wasn't so lost he didn't see what was right in front of him.

-=-

Raph rested back against the pillows and felt his life slowing to a crawl. His drive to achieve, the plans he'd had, the promise he'd made... none of it mattered now. The person all that was for was dead. He... didn't have to try anymore.

He ate the food they put in front of him, but he had no appetite. He went with the doctor to work on his knee, which hurt, but he didn't care. Even that reporter and the camera her assistant stuck in his face didn't stir up more than a mild annoyance in him.

At some point, they were going to kick him out. He certainly couldn't afford the treatment he was getting, and once he was out... he had nowhere to go.

But it didn't matter.

His eyes caught motion to his left, and he saw Sam walking towards him. A shock went through his body, followed by a deep longing. Fuck, she was beautiful! He scowled as he didn't want to feel. It was safer being numb... or angry.

She must've seen his scowl because she slowed, but she didn't stop until she was standing next to his bed. Her expression showed she was nervous but determined.

"Hi, Raphael."

A shiver ran through him when she said his name, and he grit his teeth to deny it. He didn't want her to be here, but he didn't want her to leave. DAMMIT! He was getting all fucked up in the head again. Maybe he could scare her off. "Why are you here," he ground out.

Sam's expression showed she was becoming distressed, and that cut through him.

"I-I wanted... I need to tell you how sorry I am. About breaking my promise to you. About causing Victor to attack you—"

Raph snorted. He needed to clear up that misconception. Then she'd understand. Then she'd see him for what he really was. "Victor didn't attack me because of you. He found out I had sex with his mother."

Sam's eyes flew wide, and her hand went to her mouth in shock. "You—you raped her?"

"What?!? NO!" Raph barked, then bit his tongue as it was clear now that would've driven her away, and he wouldn't have to feel so fucking mixed up around her. Even now, he didn't want to take his eyes off of her. He forced himself to look down at the sheets before him and felt some calm return to his mind.

He couldn't defile his memories of Emily Manning. "She was treated like shit by Victor and her husband. Like she was nothing. She was an artist! She needed to escape that family to be an artist. She decided to do that the day I did their landscaping. She needed to feel... wanted, and I got caught up in the moment."

Raph risked looking at her once again, expecting to see disgust, anger, even hurt. He wasn't ready to see the longing in her eyes, and once more, he felt his world shifting on him. "You've said what you needed to say; you can leave. There's nothing left here. It's all in ruins," he forced out of his tight throat.

Her eyes became desperate. "No! That's not true! I spoke with the principal. Your scholarship is still yours... if you keep your grades up!"

His eyes locked on hers. She didn't understand. He'd set her straight, then she'd leave him be.

"She's dead. The whole fucking reason I was busting my ass for so long was to keep my promise to her, BUT MOM IS DEAD!" he finished in a roar, then his breath caught in his chest as the pain and loneliness came rushing back.

"Keep the promise!" Sam exclaimed.

Raph looked at Sam like she'd lost her mind. "I just said—"

"Your promise isn't complete! You have to finish high school and go to medical school. You have to achieve your goals! She'd want you to!" Sam insisted.

Raph blinked at the beautiful woman before him and slowly shook his head. "It—it's too hard. It's too hard to do without her. Just—I'd see her every day wasting away in that shithole and know why I was doing it, and I could endure it because of her. Now she's gone, and I'm alone—"

"NO!" Sam yelled, and Raph's eyes snapped to her face. "You're not alone! You have me, and I need you!"

Raph's heart jumped in his chest, but he brutally forced it down. "You don't—"

"I need you! Everyone at school has turned on me. I see the anger and hostility you deal with every day as it's being directed at me now. I'm amazed at your ability to endure it," she said softly.

Raph felt his rage struggling to get loose at the thought of those bastards hurting Sam. Again, he forced his emotions back under control.

She must've seen his reaction in his eyes as she moved closer to the bed and reached out to take his left hand. Once more, his heart leapt in his chest, but this time he didn't have the will to force it down. He managed to keep his expression frozen with skepticism.

"I need you with me. I can't do this alone. I'm not as strong as you. I can't endure it without you." Sam's lashes were beginning to pool with tears.

Raph's body betrayed him, and a short gasp escaped as he saw her tears.

Then she was leaning over the bed, her hands holding his face as she kissed him, and he was lifted into heaven. Her mouth was so soft, and her kiss was so tender. His raw need for this closeness roared through him, and his fingers slid into the hair on the back of her head. She moaned into their kiss, and their mutual desire for each other flared as the kiss deepened. Her hands moved down and gripped the sheets over his chest as she sucked his tongue into her mouth.

With a supreme effort of will, Raph pulled back from the kiss. "no... you deserve better," he choked out.

Blue eyes looked into his fiercely. "I want you. I don't want anyone else! You think I'm smart! You're the first man who's ever told me that! The first one to see me and not write me off as a pretty little airhead."

"You're not pretty."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and you're brilliant, and you're from a completely different world than me. I'm barely above the bottom, and there are days... days when I'm lower. You don't deserve to be stuck—"

"STOP! Stop right there! You don't get to tell me what my heart deserves. You must still be recovering from that blow to the head if you think I'm going to stand here and let you throw away your potential. We both know how smart you are. We both know how strong your will is. You will do your homework with me, and we are going to complete our high school careers at the top of our class. I don't care what everyone else at school says or thinks about me if I have you by my side! I need you! Are you going to man up and stand by my side?"

Raph was struggling to keep the awestruck smile from his face. A passionate Sam was a beautiful sight to behold.

"What are you smiling about?" she huffed.

"You. Your view of life is so... innocent. Sweet but naïve as well. In case you haven't heard, I'm homeless. We had no insurance, home or life. There's no big payout from this tragedy. I didn't have much, but now what little I had is gone in the fire. All I have are the clothes I came in with. Bloody and torn. No way to clean them." Raph's heart stuttered to think of how little he had—his backpack!" He smiled faintly. "Actually, I have one other outfit to my name. The clothes you bought for me are in my backpack in my locker at work. But that's it."

Sam looked like she was going to say something inspirational, and he looked away. "You don't get it. Real life doesn't work like that. I'm not going to suddenly get a big check from some law firm and a sorry we killed your mom card. I'm poor. We barely made ends meet with two shitty paychecks coming in. We had a sweet deal on the subsidized rent. Only now do I understand why. Now, I have nowhere to live, and with only my part-time job, I can't afford to—"

"You can live with us!" Sam exclaimed. He looked at her in surprise and watched her eyes widen with excitement. He could see the wheels turning in her head. She was imagining how life was unfolding in magical and mysterious ways to make everything wonderful again. He shook his head.

"Sam! Stop! You have to stop and think! Your mom doesn't know me. Fuck! You don't know me! You can't let a stranger into your home! Especially one... like me," he finished quietly.

She was looking at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He glanced at her blue eyes and felt a jab of conscience tear through him. He couldn't bring her life down to his level. "I've... done things. Really bad things. When the rage gets loose." He didn't want—he couldn't talk to her about the things he'd done. That would be like pouring poison in her ears. He couldn't corrupt her innocence. He sighed. "It's something..." He looked away and tried to force a smile onto his face, but it just looked like a grimace. "...I'm good at."

He suddenly recalled the bouncer from the club his mom danced at, inviting him to speak to the owner about a job. He realized he did have a way he could make some extra money. He wasn't blind to what it would mean if he took the job. There was no way out of that life. He pulled his eyes back to Sam's worried gaze.