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The crowd outside the coffee shop had been able to keep me away from Dennis long enough for the bastard to get away, which pissed me off a lot more than the fact that I was the only man standing when the police arrived. A part of me had wanted to kill him, beat at him until his blood filled the gutters and his face was unrecognizable. I had never felt that much rage in my life, and although I was still riding an adrenaline high, it scared me.
Jeremy took my statement, making me promise over and over again that I’d pass by the hospital and get my hand checked. It throbbed, but the pain still hadn’t hit. I constantly flexed and relaxed my fist, making sure nothing was broken. A part of me just wanted the assurance that if I saw Dennis again, I’d still be able to use the hand to finish what I had started.
“Okay, so we’re letting you go with a slap on the wrist,” Jeremy said, slumping into his chair and signing his name at the bottom of the statement I had just given. “Consider yourself lucky.”
“Seriously?” I scoffed. “You do know I’ll probably kill him if I see him again, right?”
“I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that,” Jeremy scolded, shooting me a frustrated glare. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”
“You want to do something for me? Find that son of a bitch and arrest him.”
“We’re trying,” Jeremy said.
“Mansfield’s a small town, Jeremy,” I sighed. “How many places could he be hiding in?”
“Have you forgotten what the woods look like?” Jeremy asked, leaning back in his chair. “We used to get lost in there when we were kids, remember? He could park his car anywhere and just disappear for as long as he wants to.”
“This isn’t the fucking rainforest.”
“How about you let us do our job,” Jeremy said, “and stick to what you do best,
okay? No more fights, Andy, I’m serious. For now, we’re sending a cruiser to Bobby’s place to keep an eye out for Dennis. If he shows up anywhere near the place, we’ll take care of him.”
“Whatever,” I sighed. “Can I go?”
Jeremy nodded. I snatched my coat off his desk and stormed out of the station.
The sun had already begun to set, and I had to walk all the way back to the coffee shop where my car was parked. I slid my coat on, zipped it up and braced myself against the wind that had started to pick up. Autumn was coming in, and the weather would start to get colder at night. Which meant if Dennis really was hiding in the woods, he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.
The walk cleared my mind, and I began to calm down. My hand began to throb even more, and the pain set in quickly. I contemplated going to the hospital, but quickly dismissed the idea once I had reached my car and was sitting behind the wheel. I took out my phone and dialed Andrea. When she didn’t answer, I tried Bobby.
“Dammit, Andy, I’ve been trying to reach you,” Bobby said when he picked up.
“Yeah, I saw the missed calls,” I replied, turning the key in the ignition and leaning back in the seat, closing my eyes.
“Where are you?”
“At the coffee shop,” I said. “Had a nice chat with the good men in blue.”
“Jeremy?”
“Yeah.”
“He didn’t hit you with a fine, did he?”
“Of course not,” I scoffed. “But they sure as hell are treating this whole thing like it’s nothing.”
“They didn’t get Dennis?”
“No, the bastard skipped before they came,” I said. “Listen, Andrea’s not answering her phone.”
Bobby hesitated before saying, “She’s locked herself in her room. Won’t even talk to me.”
I shifted the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking space. “I’m on my way.”
“No, go home,” Bobby said. “She just needs some time. She’s in shock. By morning she’ll be fine again. I’m thinking of getting her out of Mansfield, maybe driving up to Maine, spend some time with my aunt until we get the divorce process underway.”
I clenched my teeth. The last thing I wanted was for Andrea to leave, but I had little say in the matter. Especially if she agreed with Bobby, which I felt she would after what had happened.
