Should Have Looked Away Read online

  Chrissy gave him a look. ‘Hm.’ She put the sunglasses away. ‘Come on, guys. Let’s go down to the 2nd.’

  As they took the escalator down to the floor below, she stood in front holding Louise’s hand. Will let a couple of teenage girls go in front and followed them down. He followed as his wife and daughter headed straight for True Religion.

  Perhaps it was because she had actually bought something, albeit only a pair of sunglasses, that Chrissy’s enthusiasm for browsing was not as fervent here as on the floor above. ‘Nothing much here,’ she said over her shoulder to Will. ‘Let’s try downstairs.’

  On the ground floor, in spite of wandering through places such as Swarovski, TUMI, and La Maison du Chocolat, Chrissy had bought nothing.

  ‘Can we go over to the park for ice cream now?’ Louise asked excitedly.

  ‘Soon, honey,’ her mother replied. ‘I just need to get a few things in Whole Foods.’

  Will sighed resignedly, took his daughter’s hand and headed for the escalator.

  Then Louise began to jump up and down. ‘Daddy, I need to go pee pee!’

  ‘Now?’ Will asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Louise squeaked, a strained look on her face.

  Chrissy said, ‘Why don’t you take her to the restroom? There’s one up there on second. I’ll pick up a few things down there and meet you back here.’

  Will nodded. ‘Okay.’ He took his daughter’s hand and led her up the escalator, while Chrissy took the down escalator to the Whole Foods basement store.

  Will didn’t really like taking his daughter to the bathroom when they were out: obviously he couldn’t use the women’s, so had to take her into the men’s room. He often saw other fathers with their daughters, but somehow it was different to when he would take Jake into the men’s.

  The 2nd floor restrooms were just at the top of the escalators, next to New York Running Company. Will led her into the men’s, hoping that it would not be full of men standing at the urinals. He seemed to be in luck: just one was in use. Will quickly ushered his daughter into one of the stalls, pushing the door behind him. As he helped Louise with her clothes and sat her on the seat, he heard the man outside flush and leave.

  ‘Is it just a pee pee?’ he asked quietly, much relieved when she nodded.

  As he stood there while she peed, Will heard somebody come in, clearly in a hurry. From the sound of the footsteps, the figure ran over to the urinals, checked a couple of stall doors and ran towards the exit. Will frowned: what the…?

  Then he heard the restroom door burst open and two more men came in. ‘Got you now,’ a voice snarled. Quietly, Will pushed the door closed and slid the bolt across.

  ‘Where is it?’ the voice said again.

  ‘I don’t… I don’t…’ another voice said, pleadingly.

  ‘That’s bullshit, man,’ Then Will started to hear the sounds of a struggle. Somebody had fallen on the floor: through the gap under the stall door, Will could make out the shadow of somebody lying down.

  Then what sounded like somebody being kicked. ‘You pathetic…’ came the voice again, at the same time as cries of pain. Will grabbed his daughter, picked her up off the seat and, putting her hand over her mouth, sat down on the seat himself, her on his lap and his feet up against the door, off the floor.

  The kicking stopped, and Will could hear some movement. The shadows under the door flickered.

  ‘Hurry, man,’ said a third voice.

  ‘I’m not done with this motherfucker yet.’

  Will could hear more scuffling, some sliding on the floor, then a crash from the next stall. It sounded as if something had been thrown in. The next sound Will recognised: years ago he had witnessed a vagrant being beaten up by a two youths high on crack. These sounds were the same.

  ‘No, man; you’re killing him!’ the third voice cried out.

  ‘I… don’t… give… a… shit.’

  ‘Somebody’s gonna come in any minute now!’

  One more blow.

  ‘Does he have it?’

  ‘Give me a second, will you?’

  ‘Well?’

  ‘Can’t find…’

  ‘C’mon. Now.’

  Then Will heard the footsteps of two men running out. He sat on the seat for two full minutes, his heart pounding. He was shaking, still with his hand over Louise’s mouth. He could feel she had dribbled slightly over his leg.

  He waited another minute, closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Stood his daughter on the floor and sorted her clothing.

  Still shaking, he slowly opened the stall door and looked out.

  THREE

  The restroom was empty. On the linoleum floor, near the row of wash basins, Will could see black scuff marks, and red smears. The smears led from the basins to the next stall to Will’s.

  ‘Daddy, what -’ Louise started to say.

  Will reached back and put his hand on her forehead. ‘Shush. Just stay there for Daddy, baby.’

  With his arm still outstretched to his daughter, Will leaned round to the next stall. The door was ajar, so he gently pushed it open. He gasped as he looked inside. Sitting on the toilet, leaning back against the wall, was a man. Of swarthy appearance, and looking middle aged, the man’s legs were spread wide and his arms hung down loosely. Will could see his right hand was clutching at something. He was wearing a light brown suit with a matching tie over a white shirt. The tie was hanging loose, the knot around the third shirt button, or rather where the third button should be, as the top three buttons were missing.

  There were patches of blood on the shirt, and on the left arm and shoulder of the jacket. The man’s face was staring up at the corner of the stall, mouth slightly open. Both lips were swollen, and where the mouth was open, Will could see the teeth covered in blood. The man had bruising to one side of his face and over the eye, and two cuts that side of his face.

  At first Will thought the man was dead, and so jumped slightly when the man groaned and moved slightly on the seat.

  ‘Hold on, guy,’ Will said, not without panic in his voice.

  ‘Daddy…’ came Louise’s voice.

  ‘Okay,’ Will said softly. ‘Come with Daddy. Quickly, now.’

  He led Louise out of her stall, and ushered her past the man, shielding the view with his body. As he took her through the two restroom doors, and back into the mall, an elderly man tried to enter.

  ‘Best to use the other one,’ Will said. ‘Something’s happened in there.’

  Ignoring him, the elderly man pushed past Will. ‘Let me through, I’m not… Jesus, what’s been going on here?’

  Resting his hands on Louise’s shoulders, Will looked around, in case Chrissy had come up from the floor below. There was no sign of her. Will quickly thought through what to do next, and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

  Then he felt the elderly man’s hand on his arm. ‘Just a minute, fella. You’re not going anywhere.’

  Irritated, Will looked down at him. ‘What? I didn’t do that.’

  ‘How do I know that, hm?

  Will thrust his hands into the old man’s face. ‘Does it look as if I did that to him? With my five year old daughter watching?’

  The old man looked down at Louise. ‘Um… er, I… I’m going to call Security.’

  ‘You go do that,’ Will said. ‘I’m calling 911.’

  The old man muttered something under his breath, and began to wander off. He was holding a plastic shopping bag. He stopped at a couple of around the same age and was obviously telling them what he had seen. Will could see the woman putting her hand to her mouth, before they both hurried away. As Will dialled 911 and waited for the call to be answered, the man turned to him and called out, ‘I still need the bathroom!’

  Will shrugged and pointed in the direction of the restrooms the other side of the mall. ‘Ambulance,’ he said to the operator. As he told the operator what had happened, he saw Chrissy arrive at the top of the escalator. He gently nudged Louise, who
saw her mother and ran up to her. Will could see her tell her mother what had happened, and the shocked look on Chrissy’s face.

  Carrying two large Whole Foods bags, Chrissy walked over to Will as he ended his call.

  ‘Is this true?’ she asked him.

  Will nodded. ‘He’s in there.’

  ‘Dead?’ she mouthed.

  He shook his head. ‘I thought so at first, but he moved. He’s in a bad way, though.’

  ‘Who is he?’

  ‘No idea. Some guy, around forty, I guess.’

  ‘Did she...? Chrissy’s eyes flashed down to Louise.

  ‘No. She was in the stall with me, peeing. She heard, though.’

  ‘Oh, my God. Were you calling the police?’

  ‘I dialled 911 for an ambulance, but they said that a patrol car would come also.’ He glanced around. ‘There was this other guy - an old guy; said he was going to call Security.’

  ‘What did the police say?’

  ‘The operator said it’ll be around ten minutes. Asked me to wait at the scene.’

  ‘Did she take your name and address?’

  ‘He did, yes.’

  Chrissy looked down at Louise and smiled. ‘Right.’

  ‘I’m just going to check on him,’ Will said. ‘Make sure he’s...’

  ‘How many were there?’ Chrissy asked.

  ‘I think I heard two.’

  ‘Did you see them?’

  ‘No way. I was in the stall with Lou, door shut fast.’

  Chrissy took a deep breath and leaned down to kiss the top of her daughter’s head. ‘I’ll take her over to get some ice cream or something,’ she said quietly.

  ‘Take her over to the park. Or home. I don’t know how long I’ll be.’

  Chrissy thought a moment. ‘I might take her home.’

  Will looked over to her. ‘He was clutching something.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘In his hand. His right hand. He was clutching something.’

  ‘Clutching what?’

  ‘Don’t know. It looked like a card or something. Maybe that was what…’

  Chrissy shrugged.

  ‘I’m just going to take another look.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m going to see what he was holding.’

  ‘Will, you can’t.’

  ‘I won’t touch anything. I’m just curious, that’s all.’

  Chrissy put her arm around Louise. ‘Will, don’t get involved. You need to look away.’

  ‘I need to make sure he’s still… alive.’ Will mouthed the last word.

  Chrissy shook her head. ‘Well, we’re going to take the subway home. Call or text me when you’re done.’

  ‘Sure.’ Will kissed his wife and daughter, and walked back to the restroom. As he got to the door, Chrissy called out his name. He turned round.

  ‘Be careful,’ she mouthed. Will nodded and went inside.

  He peered inside the stall. He put his hand in front of the man’s mouth; he was still breathing. Will crouched down to check the man’s hand. Being careful not to touch anything, Will squinted as he tried to make out what he was clutching.

  At first sight, it seemed like a credit card, but Will could see it had none of the embossed detail bank cards have. It was white, with a thin light green border around it. Something was printed on the front of the card. Most of the script was obscured by the man’s index finger and thumb, but Will could make out the letters ONE in a serif font, in black.

  He heard voices outside, and took three steps back, out of the stall.

  The doors opened, and three figures entered. First was a large - well over six feet – black man in a blue shirt and a gold badge. He was obviously the security guard. He was followed by a shorter man and woman, both wearing a green uniform and holding a large plastic case. Clearly paramedics.

  ‘Step away from the scene, please, sir,’ the security guard said in a deep, rich voice. He ushered Will away from the stall, allowing one of the paramedics access. ‘Are you the man who found him?’ he asked.

  Will nodded. ‘I’ve called 911.’

  ‘So did I,’ the guard said. ‘The cops’ll be here soon.’

  ‘I was in one of the stalls with my daughter,’ Will said. ‘I heard it. It sounded like two other guys beating up on him. They left.’ He looked around. ‘Obviously,’ he added. ‘He was barely alive when they’d gone.’

  ‘You just stay here and tell the cops everything,’ responded the guard.

  The paramedic had stood up and backed out of the stall. He looked at his colleague and then at Will and the guard.

  ‘This man is dead.’

  FOUR

  The transit cop boarded at Times Square. Almost by way of reflex, Will sunk down in his seat halfway down the car. He stared out of the opposite window, seeing only the reflection of his side of the car as the train sped through the tunnel. Trying to look inconspicuous.

  It was now just after seven, and he was on his way home after spending three hours at the mall and in the company of the NYPD. At 6:40, the officer said he was free to go, and without delay Will headed for the subway. The officer had said he was no longer needed and thanked him for his assistance, so why was he twitchy about this cop getting on the train? It was quite a common occurrence, especially at this time of day. Maybe they had forgotten something; maybe they suspected him after all, in spite of what the other cop had said.

  His head firmly facing the opposite window, Will began to watch the officer out of the corner of his eye. He had boarded the train at the end set of doors and remained standing next to the doors. Out of the corner of his eye, Will could see him looking down the car.

  34th Street, then 28th. At each stop, Will silently pleaded with him to get off, without success.

  Pull yourself together, he thought. After all, the officer at the mall had said he was free to go.

  It was just after the paramedic had pronounced the man dead that the security guard said to Will, ‘We’d better wait for the police in my office.’ As he spoke, he put one of his huge hands on the top of Will’s arm. Will was at least a foot shorter than the guard and felt he had no choice but to comply. As they both left the restroom, Will saw two uniformed NYPD officers reach the top of the escalator.

  ‘Are you Mr Carter?’ one of the officers asked. ‘You made the 911 call?’

  ‘Yes, that’s right. Will Carter.’ Will had a sense of relief that the officer was addressing him directly, not letting the security guard control everything.

  ‘Have the paramedics arrived?’ the officer asked.

  Before Will could reply, the security guard said, ‘Yes, about five minutes ago. They’ve just pronounced the man dead.’

  The two police officers looked at each other. Will estimated that the first officer’s partner could not have been more than early twenties; the older man did all the talking.

  ‘That changes things,’ said the older one. He looked at Will. ‘You told the 911 operator that he had just been beaten up.’

  ‘He had when I saw him. He was still alive then.’

  ‘Okay. Well, now it’s a murder enquiry. I’m afraid, Mr Carter, you’ll need to wait until the Detective Squad arrives.’ He asked the security guard, ‘Have you an office where Mr Carter can wait?’

  ‘Yes, it’s on Level 3.’

  He turned to his younger colleague. ‘You take Mr Carter up there. I’ll check the scene and put in the call.’

  ‘Yessir,’ said the younger officer. ‘Shall we?’ he asked Will and the guard, and the three men headed for the up escalator. As they were riding up to the next level, Will looked down and saw the older officer outside the men’s room, on his radio.

  ‘How long do you think they’ll be? Will asked.

  ‘Sorry, sir; I can’t say,’ was the reply.

  Once on the top floor, the guard unlocked a teak coloured door, and held it open for Will and the police officer. The room was smaller than Will had expected, most of the floor space tak
en up by a large wooden desk, on which were a metal tray filled with paper and a computer monitor. A large red mug stood on the table as well. The guard hurried over to the large swivel chair behind the desk and sat down. There was one smaller chair in front of the desk, and the officer motioned Will to sit down. The officer sauntered over to the doorway when his radio crackled. He answered immediately and walked away from the door. Will could hear him talking, but could not make out what he was saying.

  After a few moments the officer returned. ‘I need to see your hands please, sir,’ he said to Will. Will remained seated, but held out both hands. The officer took hold of them, turned them over and checked the back of both hands. ‘Thank you, sir,’ the officer said as he released them.

  ‘Checking for cuts and bruises?’ Will asked. ‘I’ve already said I didn’t do it.’

  The officer said nothing; he left the room and Will could hear him on his radio once more. He returned momentarily. ‘The detectives are downstairs at the scene right now. I’m sure they’ll be up to talk to you soon.’

  ‘They will need me down there,’ said the security guard, standing up. ‘Have they taped off the scene?’

  The officer held out his hand. ‘Everything is under control, thank you sir. Please remain here also.’

  The guard flopped back into his chair, clearly disappointed that he had to remain with Will. He stabbed at his keyboard and began to check something on his monitor. Will could not help grinning slightly.

  For the next thirty minutes, the guard checked his screen, Will stared into space, and the officer paced around outside.

  Just as Will was suppressing a yawn, he heard voices outside. He sat up, turning round in his seat so he could see what was going on.

  The detectives had arrived.

  As they entered the office, Will saw that the leading detective was a woman and instinctively stood up.

  ‘You don’t need to stand up, sir,’ she said amusedly, but Will remained on his feet.

  She was about the same height as Will - five feet eight – and around the same age. Caucasian, she had auburn hair which was long, but tied tightly into a ponytail, giving her face a rather severe look. She wore very little make-up. She was wearing a pair of black jeans and matching ankle length boots, with a pale blue blouse under a short dark coat. The other detective looked younger than she did, but slightly older than the rookie officer. He was dressed in black trousers and a dark sweatshirt, sleeves rolled up. He had a Hispanic look about him.