“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.
Molly looked at Jesse.
“You rigged that,” she said.
“No comment,” Jesse said.
“It’s illegal as hell,” Molly said.
“Undoubtedly,” Jesse said.
“And I’ll bet that Chase won’t lay a hand on his wife and kids,” Molly said.
“My bet,” Jesse said.
“Still, “Molly said. “You don’t mind, I’ll check on them.”
“We all will,” Jesse said.
“You think it’ll work?” Molly said.
“It’s a start,” Jesse said. “Maybe we can nurture it.”
53
SUIT AND Jesse were playing catch in the parking lot behind the station. Suit had a first baseman’s mitt, and Jesse had his old Rawlings fielder’s glove, with the round red R logo stitched on the base of the thumb. Jesse’s throws popped when they hit Suit’s glove.
“I thought you hurt your arm,” Suit said.
