'Or maybe they just took pleasure in reminding you someone did it,' Jesse said.
'If you'd been there and seen the look on their faces, all three of them,' Brown said.
'But I wasn't,' Jesse said.
'And the DA wasn't. I can't get them indicted on what you've said.'
'So they'll get away with it,' Canton said, like a man confirming a long-held assumption.
'Maybe not,' Jesse said.
'We're kind of resourceful.'
'Well,' Canton said.
'I tell you one thing right now. I'm getting a gun. I'm not going to let the yahoos win.'
'See Molly at the desk,' Jesse said.
'She processes the gun stuff.'
'You'll approve it?'
'You have the constitutional right to keep and bear arms,' Jesse said.
'Christ,' Canton said, 'I never thought I'd need to.'
'Hopkins family got money?' Jesse said.
'I think so,' Brown said.
'Why?'
'Turns out the kid did it, you might have a civil suit against the family, or your insurance company might.'
'My God, I never thought of it,' Canton said.
'Should we talk :o our claims adjuster about it?'
'Might be wise to talk first with a lawyer,' Jesse said.
'You recommend anyone?'
'There's a woman in town,' Jesse said.
'Abby Taylor. Used to be town counsel. She can either help you or send you to somebody.'
'But what if you can't prove they did it?' Canton said.
'You can still sue,' Jesse said.
'Civil cases have different rules.'
'Could you write that lawyer's name down?' Brown said.
Jesse wrote Abby's name on a sheet of yellow paper, along with her phone number, which he knew quite well. Brown took the paper and folded it over and slipped it into his shirt pocket.
'So that's going to be it?' Canton said.
'Is what going to be it?' Jesse said.
'That's your little law enforcement gesture? Give us the name of a lawyer, tell us to sue?'
Jesse leaned back in his chair and looked at Canton for a moment.
'You're a gay man,' Jesse said.
'And you're mad as hell. And you're not used to straight cops working very hard to solve your problems. But maybe you should wait until I take a run at the thing, before you decide I'm an incompetent bigot.'
'That's fair enough,' Brown said.
'We can't assume he's a homophobe, Alex.'
'Maybe,' Canton said.
'But he's one of the few I've met that aren't.'
He stared hard at Jesse, a red flush of anger still brightening his face.
'I'm not so sure,' Jesse said.
'There might be a lot of cops who don't really much care what you do with a consenting adult.'
'You've never been gay,' Canton said.
'You have me there,' Jesse said.
'And you didn't come here to argue police tolerance with me. What I can do is tell you that everyone in this town is entitled to the protection of the police. And everyone will get it as long as I'm chief. Including you.'
'Alex, he has the right to prove his homophobia before we condemn him.'
'And he probably will,' Canton said.
'I'm going to apply for that gun permit. Don't think I won't.'
