Chapter 8 - Echoes in the Driveway
The crunch of gravel on the driveway pulled me out of my thoughts.
I looked up to see a sleek, unmarked state police cruiser slowing to a stop near the garage. Detective Vance stepped out, carrying a thick manila envelope under his arm. He walked over, leaning against the fender of my truck with a faint smile.
"Thought you'd want to see this, Chief," Vance said, handing me the envelope.
I opened it. Inside was a certified copy of the final, expedited divorce decree, signed by a judge who had expedited the paperwork in record time. Michael’s rights had been completely terminated, and all of Jessica’s financial claims against Emily had been permanently nullified.
"It's over," Vance said quietly. "They're locked tight. No bail deals, no backroom pardons. The state attorney general is making an example out of them."
I slipped the papers back into the envelope and nodded slowly. "Good."
"You know, Chief," Vance added, eyeing my old wrench with a knowing grin, "you could always come back. The department could use a man who knows how to spot a lie through a cracked door."
I looked down at my grease-stained hands, then toward the kitchen window where Emily was sitting at the table, laughing softly as she drank tea with a neighbor who had stopped by to check on her.
"No, Marcus," I said, tightening a bolt on the truck's engine with a satisfying click. "My working days are done. I've got a daughter to help rebuild her life, and an old truck that always needs fixing."
May you like
Vance chuckled, saluted me with two fingers, and walked back to his cruiser.
As the car rolled down the gravel drive, I tossed the wrench into the toolbox, wiped my hands on a rag, and walked inside to make breakfast. The storm had passed, and the sun was shining right where it belonged.
