A tad put off by her request, China replied, “Look, far be it from me to be the logical one, but don’t you think you may want to start with renewing your protection order?”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Because that has helped so many people in the past. Come on, China. Where is this mystical voice of reason coming from?”
“I’m just saying, maybe you want to look at other options.”
“I told you before, he doesn’t have the address to the lake house. He’s never been there. I get a protection order renewed, he knows right where to find me!”
“I still don’t understand why you need to put your address on a protection order,” China said with disdain.
“Well, China, because if you try and prosecute someone for being somewhere they aren’t supposed to be, they actually have to know where exactly they aren’t allowed to go.” She sighed in disgust.
“Oh, I’m sorry Miss Attorney Lady. Forgive me for my ignorance.” She rolled her eyes again and topped off her wine glass.
Elizabeth immediately felt bad for her ridicule. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Yes, you did. Whatever.” Slumping into the tub a little further to massage her neck, China flung her bangs out of her eyes and quickly changed the subject. “Have you heard anything from Martinez?”
“Radio silence. Not that I blame him. I acted like such a spazz last night. So embarrassing,” she said shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
“I almost forgot! You never did get to fill me in on all that. What happened?”
As her friend recounted her dream and the events that followed, China’s eyes grew wide with concern. “Damn, Liz!”
“Exactly! I mean, we ended up having a nice evening but it was still a little awkward, for me anyway. Ya know? I – I just don’t know. It felt so good waking up to him but then after he left, my mind began to race and I pictured the worst.”
“You know, I once heard that when women get hurt, it actually leaves a scar on their brain. Not on the heart, but on the brain.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows inched closer together out of confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“No, wait! I’m not kidding! When we get hurt it leaves a ring on our brain, like trees that grow rings as they age.”
“Where on earth did you read that?”
In a matter-of-fact tone she said, “I didn’t read it, I heard it on the radio.”
Elizabeth couldn’t contain her laughter this time.
“Liz, I swear to you!”
“That is the most absurd thing I think I’ve heard in a while.”
“No, think about it; look at how it affects us when we get hurt as opposed to most men. We’re like devastated after a break up and they seem to move on with the speed and agility of a freaking super hero. On to the next conquest,” she screamed as she laughed at her own words.
Looking to the star lit sky for a moment, Elizabeth gave it a thought. “I think there are some men out there who would disagree with you.”
“Okay, maybe. Still, my point is you have scars on your brain, Liz. Your brain, your heart, whatever. Scars fade with time. But don’t fool yourself into believing every man you encounter is going to treat you like Steve Robinson did. You can’t let Martinez pay for something someone else did to you. That’s not his burden to carry.”
She looked into China’s brown eyes, knowing she was right.
“Just call the man.”
Martinez walked into the bureau bright and early. He was clean-shaven and rested, looking more handsome than rugged. Shawn was sitting at his desk. Upon making eye contact, Martinez sat at his station without saying a word. Deciding to break the ice, Shawn spoke first. “So, what are you doing here on a Saturday morning? I thought the chief only worked me like a dog,” he said with a sideways grin.
Looking up from over his computer screen, Martinez looked back down in silence.
Shawn was growing frustrated. He threw his hands up in the air before landing them on his thighs. “Look, man, I can’t say I’m sorry enough. I don’t know what happened, Martinez. Seriously. Chief’s been all over my shit about this damn heroin epidemic and I was rushing around that morning...”
Pulling away from his computer, Martinez pushed his chair back from his desk and sat with a cautioned look on his face, ready to hear out his colleague.
The lines in Shawn’s face were remorseful. “I swear, I’m sorry.”
Shaking his head, Martinez caved. “Look, this isn’t all on you. You were right, I should have handled it myself.”
“Naw, I told you I had your back. I should’ve come through.” Pointing his finger at him he promised, “But I’m gonna make it up to you!”
Smiling, Martinez said, “Alright, you up for a little good cop bad cop?”
He laced his fingers, cupping his hands in his lap as his eyebrows shook devilishly. “That’s what’s up.”
Excited, he stood from his seat and walked around to Shawn’s space, leaning his buttocks against the desk. “Okay, so, Brandon DeFranco?”
Shawn nodded his head and rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, that one,” he said shaking his head with a disgusted look on his face. “We pulled his wife’s body from the lake yesterday morning.”
His eyes were wide with intensity. “Whaaaat? Get the hell outta here?”
“So far, he has a strong alibi. It seems pretty solid. Claims he was with a co-worker, a sexy co-worker at that, Samantha Brown. She’s coming down this morning to ‘confirm’ his story that she was with him at her house.”
“Okay, I’m with ya...”
“Well, the thing is, it’s just not washing for me. He was just arrested a few nights ago and the wife got a TPO, kicked him out of his own house, right? So, the day before we find her, he claims she sent him a text at 8:30 PM saying
