ôInteresting,ö said Dooley. ôI wonder what Lynnette didnÆt give Franco that he would have cheated on her. Enough potatoes during dinner, maybe, or a lack of attention?ö
ôIn my experience, Dooley, a woman can give a man everything he needs and more and he still might cheat on her.ö
ôSo are all men cheaters, Max, do you think?ö
ôI donÆt know, Dooley, but IÆm starting to lean toward that point of view.ö
What was obvious was that the hack of ValinaÆs site had revealed a seedy underbelly to our local community that was far more shocking than anyone might have assumed.
It didnÆt take us long to arrive at the street where the Says lived, and even as we got out of the car, we could already see a small group of neighbors having gathered on the front lawn, and could hear Mr. and Mrs. Say exchanging some particularly harsh words.
ôYouÆre a dirty rotten bastard, Franco Say!ö Lynnette was saying.
ôPlease let me explain, Lynnette!ö Franco said.
ôI donÆt want to hear it!ö
We hurriedly rounded the house, and found the feuding couple in the backyard, with a stocky neighbor merely dressed in cargo shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt watching on stoically.ôI found them in bed together,ö the man now announced. ôHim and my wife.ö
ôHow could you do this to me!ö Lynnette howled, then made to attack her husband. Chase held her back, and I saw that the cowering Franco had already sustained some injuries: he had a black eye, and several bloodied scratches on his face. Clearly weÆd gotten there just in time to prevent more serious damage to be sustained by either party.
Odelia led Lynnette away from her husband, and the woman broke down on a lounge chair next to the pool.ôRex found Franco in bed with Marcie,ö she explained, ôand called me. Looks like itÆs been going on for some time.ö
ôMarcie isàö
ôRexÆs wife.ö
ôIs he the one who gave Franco that black eye?ö
Lynnette nodded.ôHe should have given him two black eyes. And you know the worst part? HeÆs not even sorry! Said itÆs only natural for a man to have urges. Urges!ö
ôThere, there,ö said Odelia, patting the womanÆs arm. SheÆd squatted next to the lounge chair and now glanced over to where Chase was talking to her husband. Franco was pressing a piece of cloth to his bruised and scratched face, the neighbor still looking on with that same stoic expressionon his face, as if this was a regular thing for him.
ôWhat do you want to do, Lynnette?ö asked Odelia. ôDo you want to stay here oràö
ôOf course IÆm going to stay here! You are going to arrest him, arenÆt you? Lock him up?ö She darted a hopeful look in ChaseÆs direction.
ôAdultery is not a punishable offense,ö Odelia pointed out.
ôWell, it should be! That man deserves to be hung, drawn and quartered!ö
It took a while for the mess to be sorted out, but finally Franco agreed to go and stay with his brother, while Lynnette would stay on at the house. The coupleÆs kids were at school, so it was important that one of their parents was there when they arrived home.
Lynnette now burst into tears and Franco cried,ôIÆm sorry, Lynn! It was an accident!ö
ôOf course it was,ö said the neighbor, still leaning over the fence. ôHe accidentally fell into my bed and on top of my wife.ö
We watched Franco drive off, and then took leave ourselves. And we had just stepped into the car, when the radio crackled to life once more.
ôTen-forty-five,ö GranÆs irascible voice sounded. ôCome in, over.ö
ôWhat is it, Vesta?ö asked Chase, grabbing the receiver.
ôGot another one for you.ö
ôAnother what?ö
ôAnother ten-fifty-four!ö
Chase grinned.ôAnimal carcass on the road? Or livestock on the highway?ö
ôWhat are you talking about? Another couple threatening to kill each other. Carlotta and Dennis Brook over at the Brookwell Artery Club.ö
ôYou mean the archery club?ö
ôWhatever. I donÆt know if itÆs something in the water or what, but people are going nuts all over the place today.ö
ôWeÆll go and take a look,ö Chase acknowledged.
ôBetter get a move on. According to the guy who called it in she was threatening to shoot himùwith bow and arrow, if you please. Just like the Valina Fawn woman!ö
Chapter 21
As Vesta disconnected, she glanced over to Scarlett, who was watching a TikTok video of a dancing penguin.ôI donÆt know what this world is coming to,ö she grumbled. ôSecond domestic dispute of the day, and both of them members of my daughterÆs book club.ö
ôBad for your health, books,ö said Scarlett, without looking up.
ôSo how did I do?ö
ôWhat do you mean?ö
ôDid I show enough empathy, you reckon?ö
ôOh, sure,ö said Scarlett. ôThough maybe you shouldnÆt have told that first guy that the police canÆt be bothered with men cheating on their wives.ö
ôI didnÆt know she was trying to kill him, did I?ö
ôHoney, I think itÆs a safe bet that when they call 911 itÆs important. So next time you simply give them the benefit of the doubt, all right?ö
ôFine,ö she grouched. ôThis whole empathy business is a tough nut to crack.ö
ôHard to change a habit of a lifetime,ö Scarlett agreed. ôBut if anyone can do it, itÆs you.ö
ôGrrr,ö said Vesta. She wasnÆt fully convinced. In her view the world consisted of two kinds of people: the ones she liked and the ones she couldnÆt be bothered with. Unfortunately, and through no fault of her own, there were only a handful of the former, and a whole lot of the latter. It wasnÆt a judgment on her part, but simply the way the world worked. Some people would have called her a grinch, or even a misanthrope, but in actual fact she was simply a realist. Then again, it probably wasnÆt a bad idea to consider the notion that there were more good people out there than she had always thought.
A bold idea, but one she was willing to take into consideration. Especially now that she was the official Hampton Cove PD dispatcher. A job with responsibility and even, one might say, a certain authority. Almost like being a cop.
She perked up at this. WasnÆt being a cop like being the boss of all people? And being the boss, wasnÆt she entitled to the respect and the appreciation that came with the territory?
If that was true, she could probably afford to be a little nicer to people. After all, lions are known to be nice to any antelope crossing their path. Especially when theyÆve just started ripping it to shreds and snacking on its innards.
ôIÆm king of the world,ö she now murmured, earning herself a strange look from Scarlett, which she pointedly ignored. She could be nice. She grinned before herself, practicing her smile. It made her cheeks hurt for some reason. Probably because she was using muscles she hadnÆt practiced in years. Also, her dentures suddenly felt clickety.
ôWhy are you looking like a serial killer all of a sudden?ö asked Scarlett.
ôIÆm trying to be nice,ö said Vesta, grimacing even wider.
ôWell, donÆt,ö said Scarlett. ôYouÆre scaring me.ö
ôEveryoneÆs a critic,ö she grumbled.
[╩α≡≥ΦφΩα: img_2]
When we arrived at the Brookwell Archery Club, Mrs. Brook was standing perfectly poised with bow and arrow, the picture of the Olympic champion. Only she wasnÆt aiming at a target but at her husband, who stood, arms akimbo and sweating profusely, staring at his wife and either hoping sheÆd never discovered his infidelity, or wishing heÆd never been unfaithful in the first place.
ôCarlotta, please put down that bow,ö Chase called out.
Several club members stood watching the scene, some of them with their phones out, filming everything. Probably so they could later turn it into a funny TikTok movie.
ôHe needs to confess first!ö Carlotta said. ôAnd apologize for his appalling behavior!ö
ôLook, I admit I may have strayed from the straight and narrow!ö Dennis called out. ôBut only the one time!ö