A police barricade blocked the road ahead. Hannah spotted the red strobes of emergency vehicles parked in front of the Midway Motel and her stomach tied itself into a noose. Afraid that something terrible had happened to Tom, she jumped out of the truck and sprinted past the row of hissing flares.
"Hey, Lady, stop!" The sheriff, standing guard, was too fat and too slow to do anything except shoot her in the back or radio to the officers ahead. Fortunately, he chose the latter.
Police chief 'Big Willie' Morris marched out to meet her at the double yellow, no passing stripe. "Agnes Grundlemire?"
The sound of her real name stilled her feet and chilled her heart. The noose tightened. Truth had finally caught up. She wanted to deny it, but the lie wouldn't come. Instead, she scanned the confusion ahead, searching for a glimpse of Tom.
Chief Willie grabbed her firmly by the elbow and forced her back the way she came. "Where were you tonight, Agnes?"
"Don't call me that. I go by Hannah, now."
Chief Willie stopped and spun her, face to face. "Okay, Hannah, where were you?"
"At the mall." She tried to twist away. "Let go!"
"The mall? Everything closed at 9 o'clock."
His smug look of triumph and his iron grip made her angry. Retaliation seemed like the best defense. She stopped struggling and returned his glare. "I met someone."
"I bet you did. What was his name, and how much did you charge him for a blow job?"
Cops were all alike. They just loved to rub her nose in her arrest record. Contempt for his self-righteous attitude bubbled to the surface. Well, tonight Hannah had payback. She'd rubbed her nose in his wife's pussy, and now she wanted to rub his nose in his disgrace. "I met a woman. Her name was Annie, a very cute pregnant lady, who needed my help. I spent the evening at her place."
Anger spread across his shadowy face and then melted into suspicion. "Shut the fuck up," he said, snapping handcuffs onto her wrists. He yelled over her shoulder, "Hank, put her in my car, and watch her." Then he spun on his heels and stalked back toward the motel, while flipping open a cell phone.
Hannah yelled at Chief Willie's back, "Where's Tom!"
He turned halfway, and indifferently answered, "He's dead!"
"Wha...? WHAT!"
Fat Hank yanked the chain between the handcuffs and pulled her like a bitch on a leash. "Come on. Let's go."
All the strength drained from her body. She stumbled and fell to her knees. The flabby, wheezing officer tugged on her arms, trying to make her stand. Her skin broke out in a cold sweat and she retched until there was nothing left. When some strength returned, enough to stagger back to the car, Hannah curled up on the backseat and fell into a bottomless despair. The bond she'd made with Tom suddenly vanished, along with any hope of redemption. She had no future.
Voices mumbled outside. Eventually, the front door opened, someone got in and drove off. The only sounds were squawks from the police radio and the rumble of the V8 engine. Hanna remained curled up, her wet cheek slippery against the vinyl.
A few minutes later, they stopped. The driver got out and opened the back door. Big Willie's flatfoot tone, growled, "Get out."
Hannah looked around and began to tremble. "Why are we here?"
"Shut up." Willie dragged her in the front door, through the dark living room, and down the hall. His head jerked in a double take, and they halted at the open door of the spare bedroom. Reaching in, he flicked on the light. The bedcovers were still rumpled from Annie and Hannah's recent tryst.
Willie forced her into the room. "Sit... right there," he said, pointing at the corner.
Hannah squatted and watched, while he methodically searched the quilt, his face just inches from the surface.
When he found what he wanted, Willie strode over and placed his open palm under her nose. "Explain this."
The tangle of red and black hairs, evidence of climactic proportions, didn't require an explanation as far as Hannah was concerned. "You figure it out, Sherlock."
"Get up." When she stood, he grabbed her by the wrist and sniffed her fingers. Hannah hadn't washed her hands. The grimace on his face said, 'I smell pussy.'
"Honey, what's going on?" Sleepy Annie waddled naked into the room. When she spied Hannah, her eyes grew large, caution stiffened her spine, and her hands protectively cradled her belly.
