The Rules of Karma (Chapter 2)

          It seemed like it what a mere instant and Derrick was dressed, in his car, and speeding toward Atlanta. He didn't know what he was doing. This was the girl that embarrassed him in a nice restaurant, and here he was helping her; but he was a cop that was his job. He couldn't very well leave her out there, she said she had no one else to call. He couldn't turn away from a person in need especially someone that sounded as terrified as Kelly did.

Derrick wanted to ask if she knew who the two teens were that got shot or if she had anything to do with it, but she seemed too frightened to answer any of his questions just yet.

The news didn't have much information either. The story was still developing when he walked out, all he knew was that two teens were brutally shot; one of them was killed after she was pushed out a two story window and the other was shot and listed in critical condition at the local hospital. It didn't say who the people were. He just knew one thing, she owed him big.

Kelly gave Derrick directions as best she could to the convenient store a few blocks away from the apartment. She knew the owner and he was a nice young guy, he even used to flirt with her and Daina when ever they came in, so he let her come inside and hideout. She was still in a state of shock. The owner gave her a free bottle of water, and even let her use his phone.

Waiting for Derrick made her feel antsy. She paced back and forth in the small space behind the counter. She wondered if the people that shot Daina, would be looking for her too. The owner assured her he had a piece of "security" for anyone that came in to terrorize his store. That was all she could really find comfort in.

"Hey Kelly, you know someone in a dark colored Lexus?"

"No." Kelly replied, "Why?"

"There's someone parked out in the parking lot in a blue Lexus, right in front of the door."

Now Kelly was starting to get nervous. The owner instructed Kelly to go back in the stock room until he told her to come out again. Kelly did as she was told with no questions asked.

Derrick pulled up right in front of the store that Kelly said to meet her at. He looked around the parking lot. It was deserted. He wondered if he was in the right place. He decided to get out of the car and ask the store clerk if he knew where he was, or give him directions to where he was supposed to be.

Just as Derrick walked in the store a short middle-eastern man with a baseball bat jumped in his face.

"Who are you?" The short man asked

Derrick hated people in his face, but he thought how intimidating he must have been to such a short man. He remained calm and stated his business.

"I'm looking for the Quick Stop convenient store on Lincoln Street, I was just wondering if I was in the right place."

"Yes, this is the place. What do you want?"

"I'm looking for a girl by the name of Kelly Robinson.'

"And who are you? Her boyfriend?"

Derrick laughed at the idea, "No, I'm just a friend of hers'. She called me and told her to meet her here."

"A friend huh?"

Derrick wondered if his conversation with this man was a waste of time. He rolled his eyes and decided he had had enough. He would just go. Just as he turned around he heard a silky voice in his ear that gave him the chills.

"Sheriff?"

He turned around Kelly coming out from behind the counter. She wore a tight white t-shirt, with a pair of jeans that hugged her hips, her hair was still in the style he had seen it earlier but now it was blown all over the place and into her face. She was pale just like she had looked when he had first seen her. Her eyes were puffy and red like she had been crying. He felt sorry for the girl, he thought she needed a hug or something. Though he knew he wouldn't be the one that would do it after what happened earlier, he just gave a side smile back at her.

"Ms. Robinson, nice to see you again."

The tiny middle-eastern mad backed up when he realized that Kelly knew him. It was a good thing too, because Derrick didn't take well to people pulling bats on him. He escorted Kelly out into the car and even was a gentleman and opened passenger door for her.

The two said nothing for almost the whole ride. It felt awkward, so Derrick turned on the radio.

"So, where am I taking you?"

"I don't know." Kelly said softly.

"What do you mean, you don't know? You don't have any family out here?"

"No."

"Is there a friend that can take you in?"

"No."

"Can I drop you off at a hotel?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm good as dead anyway."

Derrick was getting fed up. "Not that I wouldn't love to sit here and drive around going nowhere, I have to go to work tomorrow. There has to be someplace I can drop you off."

"If I had somebody, do you think I would have called you?" Kelly was frustrated, she didn't know where to go, or who else to go to, but what did she expect. She thought he had been nice to pick her up after the scene she had made earlier in the restaurant. "Just let me out here."

"Kelly, what are you talking about? This is the interstate."

"Just let me out!" Kelly pulled the wheel toward her almost swerving into another vehicle on the road. Derrick quickly regained control of his car.

Now she had done it. This was the last straw. Now she was on her own. Derrick pulled the car over to the side of the road and pressed the lock release button to the passenger door.

Kelly stormed out of the car and Derrick just sped off. Kelly looked around confused trying to figure out what had just taken place. There was no one else to call. All she had was twenty dollars on her and that wasn't enough to get a hotel room. She was stranded in the middle of nowhere. She didn't blame Derrick for what he had done. Once again her mouth went before her brain did. She wondered what she had gotten herself into. Loneliness began to creep in again, and it brought her flashbacks to the moment she was brought to boot camp and had realized that she might not ever see Tee-or Evan's lying good for nothing ass again.

Just then the dark Lexus pulled up beside her and the passenger window rolled down. It was Derrick. He came back. Kelly's heart fluttered. She was so happy that he was willing to give her another chance.

"Get in!"

Kelly hopped in the front seat without a second thought and they drove off. Kelly couldn't even look up at him. She had felt so ashamed and so sorry about her temper. She was just going to be quiet and accept the ride wherever he was taking her.

"Look, you're going home with me. You're staying the night, and after that we'll come up with something." Derrick used his firm voice to lay down the ground rules.

Kelly nodded.

He would show this unruly adolescent who was the boss. Though tonight he didn't have the heart to put her out, if she irked him again, he wouldn't think twice to put her out on the streets. This was her last strike, he told himself, after that, she was on her own.

When they arrived at Derrick's one, bedroom, one bathroom house. Kelly couldn't say she was the least bit surprised. It was small and cozy. Actually, it seemed almost too small and cozy, like he was intentionally trying to make room for just himself. She knew it would be a stretch for him to even accommodate her, but she just acted as grateful as she could.

"Where is your bathroom?" Kelly asked politely. Kelly wasn't one to just automatically bathe in a foreign bathtub, but her body craved for a nice long bubble bath.

Derrick lead Kelly to the only bathroom in his house, which was adjoined to his room, after getting her a towel out of the linen closet. He even took the liberty of letting her borrow one of his large white cotton shirts and a pair of old sleep pants for when she got out.

Derrick then left Kelly alone to bathe and went into the living room to fix up his couch to be Kelly's bed for the night. When he was finished with that, he grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and channel surfed with low volume. He listened for small splashes to ensure him that she was still bathing, and every so often he could hear small a whimper that tugged at his heart.

Derrick didn't remember dozing off, but when he had woken up he didn't hear the splashes anymore, so he went into his bedroom and there she was passed out under the covers of his king-sized bed. It just made Derrick smile as he lifted the covers around her and brushed a stray bang from her angelic face.

"Just for tonight." Derrick whispered. He then walked out of the room closing the door behind him and lied on the pallet he had made for Kelly on the couch. He could hardly sleep on the couch because it was so uncomfortable. He also found himself, getting up through the night to check on Kelly. He wasn't sure if it was to see if she was still there or what. It just blew him away how peaceful and beautiful she looked.

Not that Derrick was at all attracted to her. (Right?) She was just so gorgeous especially while she was sleeping and not slapping him across the face.

Kelly slept in late that night. She just couldn't take herself out of Derrick's soft warm inviting bed and being lost in her dreams were better than having to face the cold reality again.

She dreamed that she was a well-paid lawyer and she just put Daina's killer away for a long time. She felt like everything was right with the world when the jury had entered in the verdict; Life, without parole.

When she batted her first eye open reality hit like the rush of the red sea and a flood of tears came pouring down her cheeks. Daina, her best friend – her only friend was loneliness seeped in again and Kelly felt the air get cool like a jail cell. She began to think about the snap decision she had made to call Derrick of all people. She wondered if he even wanted to help her. He made it clear that he had given her all the help he was going to give her already. Now she was really on her own.

She started game planning. She would tell Derrick to drop her off at a shelter close to the pizzeria, so she could work until she had enough money saved to get far away. Then again, she realized that she already had a lot saved to get away. If only she had gotten her ATM card from the apartment. She wondered if it was safe to go back. She would see if the Sheriff would go with her and protect her. She'd planned to use the fifteen hundred she had saved up to catch the first bus out of town and be out of Derrick's hair for good.

Kelly didn't want to be any more trouble for Derrick. She knew he didn't like her. She figured being there with him meant there was a matter of time before he tried to lock her up.

After she had her plan mapped out she got out of bed and searched the house for Derrick. He was no where to be found. She peaked out of the front room window to see if his car was outside. It wasn't. She remembered him saying something about having to get to work early, so she thought it was safe to assume he was at work.

She went into the kitchen to search Derrick's fridge for something to eat when she noticed a piece of yellow lined paper ripped from a legal pad on the kitchen table. As she walked up to the table she noticed there was some scribbling on it and when she got over it she realized that it was a note that read:

Kelly,

Went to work. There is nothing in the fridge so I will be back on my lunch break to bring you some lunch. Make your self at home.

Derrick

P.S. Not too much at home…

Kelly was lying down half asleep in Derrick's bed, since there wasn't much else to do, when she heard Derrick's car in the drive way. She didn't see a reason to get up and greet him at the door so she stayed in bed and waited until she heard the door close and a few minutes more to let him get settled in.

When she came out of the room, she heard him in the kitchen, where she began to smell wonderful aromas that made her stomach begin to growl. She had spent an entire day sleeping and watching the news. She hadn't realized until now that she hadn't eaten all day.

When she got to the kitchen Derrick was looking through the cabinets and drawers for plates and silverware. He was setting the table when he noticed Kelly come in. Kelly noticed the bag sitting in the middle of the table and wondered if those divine aromas were coming from the bag.

"Hey Kelly, you like Chinese food?" Derrick asked. He wasn't sure what Kelly liked, but he knew she was hungry, so he ordered up everything on the menu from his favorite Chinese restaurant except, "Thank you. Come again."

Kelly didn't say anything, she just sat at the table as Derrick set out the contents of the bag like a buffet across the table and let Kelly pick through what she wanted. He then sat down across from her and started preparing his own plate.

"So, I was talking to my detective friend Leroy today and he says that the same people that shot up that block party might have been the same people that shot your friends." Derrick said making small talk.

"So do they have any leads?" Kelly asked emptying a box of Lo Mein onto her plate.

"Actually, no," Said Derrick, "They have a few suspects but nothing solid."

"How many?" asked Kelly.

"Well truthfully." Derrick corrected himself, "Leroy says they only have one." Derrick looked at Kelly.

"Me?"

"Well, like Leroy says, they have nothing solid yet"

"Yet," Kellyemphasized.

"Well, for one thing, the lack of any concrete evidence and the fact that no witnesses are coming forth really puts a damper on things."

"What about Eddie? He was still alive, right?"

"That's just it Kelly, he 'was' alive. He was just pronounce dead not to long ago. I'm sorry."

Derrick could tell the news came as shock to Kelly. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Do you," Kelly got choked up for a moment, "Do you think I…"

"I don't know Kelly." Derrick admitted, "Either trouble is following you or you know something you aren't saying."

"Derrick, I don't know anything. At that block party I was chased, I just don't know by whom. I barely saw the guy's face."

"Why don't you go up to the station and just tell them al least that."

"I'm a suspect Derrick. They won't believe me. You don't even believe me."

"You have to know something Kelly. Those murders weren't random, they happened around you."

"I don't know anything." Kelly snapped.

"Kelly, look I can help you if you just come clean trust me."

"Trust you?" Kelly was beginning to get frustrated again, "How do I trust you when you can't even trust me, when I say I didn't do it."

"Kelly, I'm just trying to help."

"You could help me by believing me."

"I'll believe you when you tell me the truth."

Kelly got up from the table. ". Thanks for your kindness, but I need to go."

"But if you are telling the truth Kelly, you could be in danger."

"So which is it Derrick do you believe me or not." Kelly waited for Derrick's response, but Derrick said nothing. "I'm out of here."

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know, but any place is better then here. I'm leaving town."

"I can't let you do that Kelly."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a possible murder suspect Kelly. You can't just skip town."

"So what you're going to keep me here until, they can come take me into custody?"

"No. I'm taking you back to the station myself." Derrick got up from the table tried to grab Kelly but she ran into his room and locked the door.

Derrick stood in front of his bedroom door banging on it and cursing. Now this was the last straw. He went into the kitchen and found a butter knife to try and jimmy the lock, but it was no use. He sat in the front of the door and tried to think of his game plan on how he would get into the room, but he didn't know what to do.

Then he began to feel nature calling and only then did he realize that his only bathroom in the house, was in his bedroom. Derrick went outside to drain his fluids and came back inside to bang on his door once again.

Hours passed and Kelly was still in Derrick's room. She once again was piecing together what her temper had caused. Derrick had stopped banging on the door and yelling at her to open it for at least thirty minutes. She wondered it he had fallen asleep or just left. Kelly didn't know, but she wasn't going to open the door to find out either.

She didn't know how long she was going to hold herself hostage in Derrick's room, but Derrick was right, she had no where else to go.

Derrick had to go back on his patrol, because his lunch break was over. He was still angry that he couldn't even get his usual midday shower, he went back to work in his heavily sweaty police uniform.

It was in the middle of summer and Derrick sweated a whole lot, he even started to stink up his car. Then when his shift was over he made a stop by Melanie's. She was a child physiologist , maybe she could talk some sense into Kelly.