“How did you know about Dad?” I asked and Brad started to look uncomfortable. “Brad,” I prompted.
“Tina heard from somewhere and she called me,” Brad told me.
“Tina?” I asked softly knowing he meant Tina Blackstone, a woman I grew up with in that ‘burg. She was a girl I didn’t like and she grew up to be a woman I didn’t like. She had her eyes on Brad from the minute I brought him to town on a visit and we’d bumped into her at a party. Then again, she always had her eyes on every guy she encountered if they were good-looking. Brad struck up a friendship with her that he said was totally innocent but it always made me uncomfortable. I had no idea they still talked. We’d been out of Indiana for years. Why would he stay in contact with Tina?
“Tina?” the policeman asked Brad. “You mean Tina Blackstone?”
Brad’s back went straight and he looked at the policeman. “Yes, she’s a friend.”
“I bet,” the policeman muttered, obviously knowing all about Tina Blackstone and I knew then too.
Tina wasn’t just a friend and my ex wasn’t just a dick, he was a screaming asshole dick.
Tate brought the matter back to hand by asking the cop, “He tell you he was accosting Lauren in our room?”
“Nope, didn’t mention that,” the policeman replied.
“I was hardly accosting her,” Brad spat.
“Heard her shoutin’ in the hall,” Tate returned. “Got into the room and you had your hands on her, she was strugglin’ and shoutin’ for you to let her go. If that ain’t accostin’, what is it?”
“We were talking,” Brad declared.
“Bud, a woman’s strugglin’ in your arms and shouting ‘fuck you’, that ain’t talkin’,” Tate educated.
Brad gave up on Tate and looked at the cop. “He still put his hands on me, shoved me out of the room.”
“He strike you?” the cop asked.
“Not exactly,” Brad answered.
“Did he strike you?” the cop repeated.
“No,” Brad snapped.
“You get injured?” the policeman went on.
“No, but that doesn’t matter! He –”
“When I was a cop,” Tate cut in, “we frowned on folks givin’ false statements. Now that was in Colorado.” Tate crossed his arms on his chest and leveled his eyes on the cop. “You might do things different here in Indiana.”
The policeman looked at Tate. “You were a cop?”
“Jesus!” Brad shouted. “Stop acting like he’s some kind of God! This is a serious situation! I was assaulted!”
The cop turned to Brad and he must have looked at him in a particular way because Brad clamped his mouth shut. Then the cop turned to me.
“You wanna make a deal outta him harassin’ you?” he asked.
“This is insane!” Brad cried.
“No, I just want him to go away,” I said to the cop.
“I can do that,” the cop replied and turned to Brad.
“Are you serious?” Brad asked the cop.
“Deadly,” the cop replied. “Jackson’s right. I’m a cop in a small town but I got things to do. The IMPD got things to do. We don’t got time to run around doin’ errands for some guy who got his pride stung.”
“I –” Brad started but the cop leaned in.
“You’d be advised to keep your trap shut,” the policeman interrupted him. “They make a big deal outta this,” he jerked a thumb at Tate and me, “trust me, way it sounds, you’re not gonna come out on top.”
Brad glared at the policeman then he glared at Tate. His angry eyes swept through Caroline, Mack, back to the policeman and then rested on me.
“You said we could work it out,” he accused.
“Yeah, Brad, I said that over a year ago,” I reminded him.
“Bud, move on,” Tate advised. “And clue in, Laurie already has. You’re history.”
“Piss off,” Brad hissed.
Tate sighed.
Brad looked back to me and his eyes were squinty. “Be warned, Lauren, after this, you want back, you’ll have to work hard for me to take you.”
“Seriously?” Tate muttered.
“Jeez Brad!” Carrie cried, “How far up your own butt are you? Look at her! Look at him!” She motioned to Tate and me with her arm. “You don’t stand a chance. She’s so far out of your league she can’t even see you,” she turned to me, “and, Big Sister, you always were.”
“I’m uncertain why you’re even talking,” Brad snapped at Caroline. “You always had a mouth on you and it was always a mouth I did not like.”
“Would I get arrested, say, if I assaulted him now, right in front of you?” Mack asked the cop but his eyes were on Brad.
“Probably,” the policeman answered.
“Probably?” Brad shouted.
“That’s too bad,” Mack murmured.
Tate chuckled and Brad turned squinty eyes to him.
“This isn’t over Jackson,” he warned.
Tate stopped chuckling and informed Brad in a dangerous voice, “Friendly head’s up, I don’t respond well to threats.”
“All right,” the policeman got between the two of them, “let’s not make this into a situation where I gotta do paperwork.” He turned to Brad. “Best you go.”