“In all ways,” Dix said. “It confuses the hell out of them. They’re confused about boundar-ies and what a family is and what love means and about sex and sexuality and about where they stand in the swingers’ universe.”
“So I guess you disapprove,” Jesse said.
“You bet your ass I disapprove,” Dix said. “Tell me about Jenn.”
52
CHASE CLARK was tanned, and in health-club, Stair-Master shape. His blond hair was slicked straight back. He had a prominent nose, and the skin on his face was taut and smooth. He wore tinted aviator glasses, a pink polo shirt, and a bright green sweater over his shoulders, the sleeves tied loosely around his neck. The rest of him was olive Dockers and tan boat shoes. Kim Clark had on a white dress with a black pattern, a white belt, and white heels of modest height. Jesse stood when Molly brought them into the squad room and closed the door.
“Mr. Clark,” Jesse said. “Jesse Stone. I assume you’ve met Officer Crane.”
“I have,” Chase said, and smiled a big, bright white smile that spoke of careful dentistry.
“Hope we aren’t in any trouble.”
“Not that I know of,” Jesse said. “How are you, Mrs. Clark?”
“Fine.”
She looks like June Cleaver,Jesse thought. Everyone sat.
“First, let me be clear,” Jesse said. “Your membership in the Paradise Free Swingers violates no law.”
Chase looked at his wife as if he was startled, but he didn’t say anything to her. Instead, he spoke to Jesse.
“What makes you think we belong to anything?” he said.
“Police work is boring to describe,” Jesse said. “Let me simply insist that you do, and that it’ll go much quicker in here if we all agree on that.”
Chase looked again at his wife.
“Did Kim tell you?” he said.
“Police work is boring to describe,” Jesse said.
“Well, say we do, and say you are the standard bluenose that thinks it’s horrid but wishes they could do it. So what?”
“As I said, it’s in violation of no statute that I know of,” Jesse said.
“So what are we doing here?”
“I wish to talk about your daughter and your son,” Jesse said.
“What have they done?”
“Nothing yet,” Jesse said.
“What the hell does that mean?” Chase said. “Kim, have you been blabbing to this guy?”
Kim shook her head. She seemed stiff with tension.
“If they continue to live in the home you are providing,” Jesse said, “they’ll do something.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The swinging lifestyle, coupled with the occasional physical abuse, is ruining the lives of your children,” Jesse said. “That might come under the heading of child endangerment. We might be able to find a way to take custody from you.”
Chase sat back, breathing heavily.
“Who’s . . . been . . . talking to you?” he said.
“Did you know your son still wets the bed?”
Chase glanced again at his wife. She had her head down, looking at the tabletop.
“Wets the bed?” he said.
“Yep.”
“You been talking to someone? Kim tell you this crap? That’s just like something she’d say.”
Kim stared at the tabletop.
Jesse nodded faintly, and took in a long breath of air.
“Your daughter came in and asked me for help,” Jesse said.
Kim looked up at Jesse.
“Missy?”
“Missy,” Jesse said.
“She’s spoiled,” Chase said. “Kim spoils her rotten, the little bitch has no idea how soft she has it.”
“Are you saying that none of this is true?” Jesse said. “Or are you saying that it is true but no one should have told me?”
“I’m saying it’s not your business,” Chase said. “It’s family business.”
“And I’m saying if it fails to provide a proper environment for the children, it becomes my business.”
“What are you, Mr. Fucking Guidance Counselor?”
“I am the chief of police of this town,” Jesse said. “And there is only a certain amount of guff I will put up with from you.”
“We’re being persecuted for being sexually creative,” Chase said.
“Your wife hates it,” Jesse said. “She does it because she’s afraid of you.”
“She tell you that?” Chase said.
“Police work is boring to describe,” Jesse said.
“Don’t keep saying that,” Chase said.
“Next time I’ll have Molly say it,” Jesse said.
“Her? The lady cop? What’s she doing here anyway?”
“It’s her case,” Jesse said.
“Case? What case.”
“You know what I’m doing here?” Molly said. “I’m sitting here trying not to puke listening to you.”
“She can’t talk to me that way.”
“Can, did, probably will again,” Jesse said. “Here’s the deal. I don’t care about your sex life. You can have carnal knowledge of a scallop trawler for all I care, or several at a time. But if you do not provide a stable and supportive environment for your children, then I will find a way to make you.”
“That’s a threat,” Chase said. “You goddamned threatened me. I’m gonna get a lawyer.
You’re persecuting us for being sexually open.”
“And,” Jesse said, “if you lay a hand on any member of your family, I will have you down here in a cell faster than you can say ‘wife-swap.’ ”
“You can’t do that,” Chase said.
Jesse stood and put his hands on the tabletop and leaned in over Chase.
“I’m the fucking chief of police here,” Jesse said. “I can do whatever I fucking want to, and I fucking will.”
Chase opened his mouth and closed it. He wanted to lean back from Jesse, but he didn’t want to look scared. He sat stiffly.
“Get out of here,” Jesse said.
“You can’t send us home like this,” Kim said. “He’ll hurt us.”
“You should think about leaving him and taking the kids,” Jesse said. “If you’d like, I’ll send Officer Crane and another officer with you while you do that.”
“Leave?” Chase said. “And go where, bitch? And live on what?”
“You want to leave?” Jesse said.
Kim looked at her husband and then at Jesse and back at her husband. She shook her head.
“No,” she said.
Jesse nodded.
“Okay,” he said, and jerked his thumb at the door.
The Clarks stood and went out. Neither of them would look at Jesse.
When they were gone, Molly said, “I better take a ride up there. He’ll hurt them.”
“Maybe not,” Jesse said. He gestured for her to come with him and they walked to his office and looked out the window at the parking area on the apron of the fire station driveway.
“The Clarks’ car, the Lexus SUV?” Jesse said.
“One they came in,” Molly said. “Who’s that leaning on it?”
“No idea,” Jesse said.
“Isn’t that Sunny’s friend, the big guy, Spike, that bought the Gray Gull?”
“Might be,” Jesse said.
“It is,” Molly said.
Jesse smiled and shrugged.
The Clarks approached the car and stopped. Chase spoke to Spike. Spike nodded. Kim stood motionless by the passenger door, her hand on the handle. Chase said something else to Spike, and Spike turned and put his face close to Chase’s. Chase flinched visibly and tried to move away from Spike toward the driver’s side. For a man of his dimensions, Spike moved very quickly. He took hold of Chase’s shirt front suddenly and lifted him off the ground and set him on the hood of the Lexus. Chase tried to look toward the police station. With his left hand, Spike held Chase’s face steady and leaned over and appeared to whisper in Chase’s ear.
Chase flapped his hands aimlessly, as if he were treading water. Then Spike let him go and stepped back. Chase scrambled off the hood of the car and opened his door, and got in.
Spike bowed slightly and held the passenger door open for Kim. Then he closed the door and stepped back. Chase turned the car as fast as he could, and Spike pointed at him until Chase drove away.