Witness To Death. Dave White
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she could decide what to do next, she looked out of her passenger window through the glass front of the bar across the sidewalk. The TVs had gone to the news, and on the screen was the face she thought she wouldn’t see again. John Brighton.
Ashley stared at the screen. The anchor looked directly into the camera as a small box over his right shoulder had a blurry picture of John, the words “Shootout in Jersey City” beneath them. She felt her ears burn as the rest of her body went cold. At the same time, the radio anchor announced breaking news.
Seemed everyone was getting the story at the same time.
“A bizarre scene in Hudson County, New Jersey today, as a man opened fire on the Jersey City harbor, leaving four dead along the water. The man then moved on to the Light Rail, leaving another dead. The cause of the battle is unknown, but an onlooker took a picture of a man getting off the train before he escaped on the Weehawken ferry. His photo is up on our AM 900 website. It is believed he was somehow involved, possibly even the shooter. If you see this man, call the authorities immediately. He is believed to be armed and dangerous. More on this story as it becomes available.”
He gave a brief descript of John for “those listening away from a computer.” Ashley had seen the shootout begin, only feet from her. Peter opened fire first, and then pushed John on to the Light Rail, leaving bodies behind them. Just after the train pulled away, an Arabic guy approached the scene and picked up the guns. Ashley called 911.
The cops arrived and began cordoning off the area only minutes later.
“In other New Jersey news, the corporation Ameritech suffered a break-in the—”
Ashley turned off the radio, and then grabbed her cell phone. She dialed John, but got no answer. He had his phone off. She tried Michelle next. The phone rang three times before she answered.
“Ashley, what’s going on? What happened tonight?”
Behind Michelle’s voice, there was a rumble of other people talking, music, and glasses clanking.
“Where are you? I can barely hear you,” Ashley said.
“I’m at a bar with some people from work. Frank had to work tonight,” she said, as if she didn’t quite believe it. “Hold on. I’m heading outside right now.”
You’d better hope he’s doing his job right now, Ashley thought.
She held the phone tight and watched the :04 on the dashboard clock flip to :05. Time was wasting. She had to figure out what to do. If they went after Peter, they’d probably come after her too. The roar behind Michelle’s voice dulled until Ashley couldn’t hear it at all.
“Michelle, I—”
“You broke up with John tonight,” Michelle said, her voice much clearer now.
“What? No. We had a fight. I didn’t break up with him.”
“He called me after it happened. Told me you ended it. Said he called Patrick too, and we both told him the same thing, get out and get a drink. But he didn’t.”
Of course he called you. Ashley felt her shoulders tighten and hated herself for it. Now wasn’t the time to be jealous.
“That’s not what happened,” she said.
“Okay, if you’re not broken up, what was the fight about?” Michelle asked.
Ashley thought about telling her the truth. Telling her everything.
Instead, she said, “John was just on the news. Did you see it in the bar?”
“No. They had the Nets on. Why was he—?”
“He was involved in some sort of shootout. People are dead. They think he did it.”
Michelle laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I’m serious.” I saw it all.
“Stop messing around. First you tell him you don’t want to see him, and now you’re going to tell me he’s wanted by the police?”
Ashley sighed. What had John told her? When she told John she didn’t want to see him, just hours earlier in the car outside his apartment, she meant tonight. And he knew it.
Why shouldn’t I do this? It’ll be good for both of them
It’s stupid and it’s none of your business. Don’t follow him tonight.
Do you know something? Is there someone else?
No.
Tell me why you don’t agree with me. Why is this wrong? You’ve been acting so weird lately. You haven’t been answering my calls.
Just don’t be stupid. I can’t take you when you’re like this.
Are you breaking up with me?
She had paused before answering. Looked at her steering wheel.
Are you?
I—
John got out of her car and went back into his apartment.
Her eyes had welled up when she screamed at him. Ashley needed him to believe her. And he didn’t listen. In fact, he did exactly the opposite of what she expected.
Usually, if they fought, he’d want to work it out. Stick around. This time he stormed off. She wished she hadn’t hesitated before answering the break-up question.
She followed him all the way to the docks. And she’d just gotten out of her car to confront him when the gunfire started. She thought if they went after Peter, they would be coming for her.
And now John was wanted for murder.
“Michelle, turn on the news.”
The roar of the bar came back. Michelle must have gone inside again. She was talking to someone, probably the bartender, asking for the channel to be changed. Michelle had to ask three times. Ashley looked back into the bar. Channel five was just getting to the story.
“Oh my God,” she heard Michelle say. Over the roar, she continued, “I’m going to get help. My father has connections with police forces everywhere.”
“I know,” Ashley said.
There was a pause, and then, “Of course you know. I’m sorry. It’s just… I can’t believe this. I’m going to try and find out what’s going on.”
“Okay.”
“Call me if you hear anything, Ash.”
Ashley bit the inside of her lip.
“Ashley?”
“Please call me back after you talk to your dad.”
“You got it. I can’t believe this.”
“Neither can I.” Ashley took a breath. Lie, she told herself. Get Michelle to think about reasons why John would be involved with this. Reasons that had nothing to do with Ashley’s life. “Maybe… Maybe he just lost it. After everything he’s been through, maybe tonight was too much.”
“I don’t believe it. He’s been seeing a psychiatrist. He’s been doing so well. He didn’t act like this when we broke up. We’re still friends. He let me set you two up.”
And he still stared at you whenever we all went out together, Ashley thought, shrugging to try and loosen the knot in her shoulders.
“Call me,” Michelle said. “As soon as you hear anything.”
“You too.”
Ashley snapped her cell shut and went back to staring. She wasn’t going to call Michelle. She wasn’t going to call anyone. She had to worry about protecting herself. But with what? Ashley closed her eyes and thought. There was a 24-hour Home Depot