“No. I was off duty, so I called it in. A few of my deputies came out to arrest him and bring him down to the department for processing.”
The prosecutor nodded, then looked at the judge. “Nothing further, your honor.”
The judge turned to the defense table. “Your witness.”
The prick representing Tony rose to his feet, hands stuffed in his pockets as he approached the well of the court, that centralarea between the judge’s bench and the attorneys’ tables, attention on me.
“Are yousuremy client intended to harm his wife? Are you positive you didn’t just walk in on some sort of…foreplay?”
That’show they wanted to play this? Fucking disgusting.
“I’m positive this wasn’t some sort offoreplay.” I spat the word.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’ve been a cop for over twenty years. And married for nearly ten. I think I know the difference between assault andforeplay.”
Fuck this guy, making me bring my marriage into open court.
“Different people have different tastes, right?”
“Yes,” I gritted out, “but as I stated before, Mr. Walter had wounds on his hands and forearms, and skin scrapings were taken from under Mrs. Walter’s nails. She was fighting back. Fighting for herlife.”
The defense attorney raised his hands in surrender, recognizing I wouldn’t budge on this point. “Nothing further, your honor.”
I sighed in relief, though I would’ve gotten deep satisfaction out of wiping the floor with him had he tried to further press the issue.
“You may step down, Sheriff.”
“Thank you, your honor.”
Several hours later,I was at my desk in my office at the department, buried under a mountain of month-endreports, when my personal phone buzzed. My wife’s name appeared on the screen.
“Hi, baby,” I said.
“Hi,” Sutton replied, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I forgot Lily has a dentist appointment in Boise today after dance, and Noah needs to be picked up from hockey practice. I’m not sure I’ll make it back in time.”
“It’s not a favor if you need me to pick up our son, sunny.”
Sutton had grown up in a house where her parents were firm in their gender roles. My in-laws were nice people, but their views of husbandly and wifely duties were grossly outdated.
“I just know how busy you are.”
“I’m never too busy for my family, sunny. You know that.”
“Thanks, baby,” she said. “See you at dinner then.”
“See you later. Drive safe. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
There wasn’tanything cuter in the world than my pipsqueak of a son—okay, he was only seven, but still—on a pair of ice skates. I stood at the glass watching him and his little teammates run drills, though most of them did a lot more falling than skating as they slalomed through the tiny orange cones.
Noah made me proud, though. I mean, I would’ve been proud of him regardless, but he was the only kid out there that didn’t fall once.
