“You killed her, you son of a bitch!” Steven was struggling against Tim’s partner’s hold, trying to get at Chad even with his hands still cuffed behind his back.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, you crazy asshole,” Chad shouted back.
“You screwed her and now she’s dead because of you!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chad held the bridge of his nose, trying to stem the bleeding.
“Jaelynn, you bastard! She was killed because of you. They told me! They told me it was because you were sleeping with her.” Steven’s voice broke, a sob tearing through him at the end.
“I never slept with Jaelynn,” Chad said. He looked at Bree. “Sweetie, I swear there was never anything going on.”
Steven turned toward Bree. “I hired a P.I. I have pictures.”
“Is that why you moved away?” Bree asked
“I told her we either sold the house and left or I filed for divorce. But she kept seeing him. I filed a month ago.”
“Bree, it wasn’t anything. You know it didn’t mean anything,” Chad said.
“You carried on an affair with a married woman for how many months and it didn’t mean anything? A lot of things don’t mean anything to you, do they?” Acid dripped from Bree’s voice.
“Bree…”
“Why don’t you come over here with me so I can get your statement about what happened,” Tim said. He pulled Chad none too gently toward the police car.
“I loved her. I still love her.” Steven sat heavily on the ground, his legs splayed out in front of him, torso hunched forward, as if he no longer had the strength to hold himself together. He shoulders shook as he sobbed quietly.
Bree handed her drink to Denise and stepped toward Steven. Jase moved to follow her, but Denise stopped him with a cold coffee against his arm.
“She’s got this.”
Bree sat close to Steven on the ground, pulling her knees up and wrapping her hands around them. She leaned her head back and said something to Tim’s partner who stood over them. He shook his head at whatever Bree said. She placed a hand on his raised knee and he collapsed his head on her shoulder, his body shaking as he cried.
She sat and talked quietly to Steven until Tim returned to talk to his partner. Bree looked at Tim, then whispered in Steven’s ear. He nodded a few times and wiped his face on his shoulder. Bree stood and helped Steven to his feet. Tim’s partner took his elbow, walked him to the cruiser, and helped him into the back seat.
Jase and Denise joined Tim and Bree. “…didn’t want an ambulance,” he heard Tim say.
“Doesn’t surprise me. I don’t think he has health insurance,” Bree explained.
“Chad or Steven?” Denise asked.
“Chad,” Bree replied.
“He also wants to press charges against Steven for assault, so we have to take him in. Hopefully, the judge will go easy on him. Extenuating circumstances and all that,” Tim continued.
“I hope he doesn’t get in too much trouble.”
“We ran a background check,” Tim said.
“On Steven?” Bree asked.
“No, Chad.”
“Oh. Shit. What don’t I know?”
Tim hesitated.
Bree closed her eyes and shook her head. “Just tell me.”
