“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Well, I’m at work right now, Ken. I can’t deal with this shit. I get off at 5, and I’ll come get you then.”
“That’s too late. They said the latest you can post bail is 4.”
Rachel huffed. “Well, then, I guess you’ll just have to spend the night there.”
“Spend the night? Seriously?”
“Yes, Ken. I can’t leave work until after 5. There’s nothing else I can do; I’ll come get you in the morning. Now, I told you we’re really busy right now, and I can’t talk. Okay? I’ve gotta go.”
“Okay, Rachel.” Ken shifted the phone in his hand. “I love you, Rach.”
“Ugh, luvu2.”
Click.
The last thing Ken heard before his wife hung up was a pained sigh.
Ken stood mute during his video arraignment. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf and bond was set at $20,000. He was escorted back to the precinct lockup to await transport to the county jail the following morning. The forlorn inmate spent the next few hours on the floor of a cramped cellblock that held more than a dozen men. Initially, Ken had sat on one of the benches, but a giant baldheaded dude with face tattoos shoved him off and copped his spot. Ken, who was literally half the guy’s size, wisely said nothing and hunched on the floor with his head down.
Just after the clock struck 5pm, the door rattled and the prisoners all looked up. The guard pointed at Ken. “You. Coolidge. Let’s go.”
Ken jumped to his feet and scurried toward the cell door, searching the guard’s eyes. “Um, I made bail? It’s after 4, though.”
“Just follow me.”
Ken tailed the turnkey through the hallway, rounding a corner and coming face-to-face with the familiar, hulking figure of Officer Trent Parks.
The cop nodded once. “Hey.”
“What … what’s going on?” Ken glanced around the room.
“Your wife called me.”
“Rachel? What do you mean she called you?”
“She asked me to get you out of jail, that’s what I mean.” Parks scoffed. “She says you don’t know when to keep your mouth shut — and judging from the way you acted the night she was attacked, that’s not hard to believe.”
Ken wiped his hands on his pants. “I … she … when … how … um, how did Rachel get your number?”
“I got HER number from the file and called her.” Parks fingered his holster. “About the case. This was a while ago. We, uh, needed get her witness statement cleared up. And we, um, went over her testimony … for the trial.”
That sounded like utter bullshit to Ken, and it reinforced his belief that Rachel had been fucking the officer who’d saved her from being raped. Ever since Ken had overheard his wife leaving a telephone message for Parks three months earlier, there had been way too many late nights … too many showers … too many evasive answers … too many excuses that didn’t make sense. Ken had long been convinced something was amiss, and an affair with the handsome cop seemed like the most plausible explanation.
The fact that Rachel hadn’t mentioned discussing her testimony with Officer Parks sealed it for Ken. He figured if she wasn’t screwing around, she wouldn’t have kept that from him, since he also was slated to be a witness in the trial. Unless, as Ken suspected, Parks’ story was bullshit, and he hadn’t called Rachel to talk about the case, but had instead phoned her for a different purpose. Ken already had good reason to be concerned after hearing Rachel leave that message for the cop while she’d pretended to be outside getting air. When the jealous husband got a chance to look Parks in the eye, he became convinced his hunch was correct.
Despite his growing anger at the realization that this flatfoot was most likely nailing his wife, the opinionated, unemployed barista had the good sense to keep his trap shut and avoid pissing off the benefactor who was about to spring him from jail.
“Officer Zachary says he’ll drop the charges if you apologize.” Parks stared down at Ken. “It’ll be like this never happened. I suggest you take the offer.”
Ken nodded. “Um, I will … uh, thanks. Um, thanks a lot.”
“No problem.” Parks crooked his finger. “Come with me.”
The two men exited the precinct building and walked through the parking lot toward a scout car, where the chubby officer who’d arrested Ken waited with folded arms.
Ken stood before Zachary shifting from foot to foot. “Um, I’m very sorry, Officer. I was just really frustrated that I got fired, and I want to apologize.”
The cop sniffed. “You were talking major shit back there, boy. You’re lucky Trent here put in the good word for you.”
“T-thanks,” Ken said. “I’m really sorry about that.”
Parks patted Ken’s shoulder. “Okay, we’ve got to go take care of the paperwork. This never happened; the charges will be dropped as soon as the assistant DA signs off on it — and he’s a buddy, so it’s a done deal. You’re all set. Go back inside and get your stuff, and then you can go. Tell Rachel I said hi.”
“I … I will. Thanks again.” Ken watched the two cops walk away.
In a surreal haze, Ken stumbled back into the station house and the desk sergeant returned his cellphone, belt, shoelaces, wedding ring and wallet. From there, Ken took an Uber back to the coffee shop to pick up his car before heading home. His scowling wife met him at the door.
“What the fuck, Ken? Jail? Jail, for chrissakes? And you lost your job? Are you kidding me with this bullshit?”
“Honey, I’m sorry, it wasn’t my fault. All I did was try to get past the cop, and I kind of nudged him out of the way, and he punched me right in the face. I’m suing those pig bastards.”
“You’re not suing anybody, you whiny, candy-ass sonofabitch.” Rachel bopped her husband upside the head. “What the hell’s wrong with you, Ken? Grow the fuck up, for chrissakes. Do you have any fucking idea how lucky you are that the cop dropped those charges? Trent says you could’ve gotten five years in prison.”
“Trent says!” Ken’s teeth flashed. “Trent says? What going on, Rachel? He didn’t go through all that shit to get me out of jail for nothing. Are you seeing him?”
Rachel sighed and looked away.
Ken glared. “Are you?”
“What if I was?”
“OMG, are you serious?”
“What?” Rachel threw up her hands. “When’s the last time you paid me any attention, Ken?”
Ken massaged his temples. “OMG … OMG … I can’t believe this.”
“Well, you haven’t touched me … it’s been months.”
Ken huffed. “Because I know you’re not into me. You’re not interested anymore.”
“I never said I’m not into you — I’m just not into you wearing panties.”
“Okay, here we go. Let’s have it, Rachel.”
“I already told you that’s not my thing, Ken.”
“So, why don’t you just divorce me, then, if you hate what I do so much?”
“Listen, you’re the one who hid it from me all these years, so don’t even try that shit. We could’ve done other things without the panties and shit, but you never even asked. You’ve been ignoring me.” Her lip curled. “And don’t tempt me by talking about getting a goddamn divorce, Ken, because I’ll go downtown first thing tomorrow and file the papers if that’s what you want.”
“N-no. No. That’s not what I want.” Ken stared at his shoes. “Look, I … I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry about all this, too, Ken. But …”
“But what?”
She drew a breath. “I’m not going to stop. Seeing him.”
Ken’s head popped up. “What the fuck, Rachel? Are you fucking serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. You have your panties … and whatever you do when you’re in the rec room. That’s fine. You have your thing and I’ll have mine.”
Ken’s eyes watered. “And, so … I’m supposed just stand by and let you fuck this guy?”
“Look … Ken … there are a lot of marriages like that. You do your thing and I’ll do my thing. I won’t do anything to embarrass you, don’t worry.”
“Embarrass me?” Ken waved his hands in the air. “You’re fucking another guy. That’s not embarrassing me?” He broke down sobbing.
Rachel stroked her husband’s hair. “Sorry, honey, I know this is hard. But it can work.”
“Work? How?”
“Honey, I still love you. That’s why I asked Trent to get you out of jail. I could’ve let you sit in there all night, and maybe go to prison for five years. But I didn’t, did I?”
“N-no.” Ken sniffled.
“I knew if I had Trent help you, you’d probably figure out what was going on. But it was worth the risk because I love you. Very much. I’d do anything to keep you out of jail.” Rachel fiddled with Ken’s earlobe. “Okay?”
Ken nodded, tears snaking down his face. His wife pecked him on the cheek and wiped her lips.
“See?” She smiled. “Everything always works out, doesn’t it? Now … I’m fucking starving. Feel like ordering a pizza?”
“To Serve and Protect,” Chapter 4
by c.w. cobblestone
Ken simmered from his vantage point outside the bathroom. His arms were folded, his brow was furrowed and a raincloud hung over his head.
Rachel stopped humming and eyed her husband through the mirror. “Did you want something?”
Ken huffed. “What? I can’t stand in my own hallway now?”
“Oh, come on, already.” Rachel shook her hair. “Are you seriously gonna start this again?”
“Well, gee, Rachel, forgive me if I’m not used to this yet. It’s not exactly fun watching my wife get ready to go out and fuck her boyfriend.”
“So, don’t watch me.” Rachel licked her baby finger and used it to smooth her mascara.
“Seriously?” Ken’s jaw dropped. “That’s your response?”
“Yeah, Ken, if it bothers you so much to watch me get ready, then don’t watch me. Don’t try to ruin my night just because you want to mope around and whine like a little candy-ass baby.”
“Come on, honey … this isn’t easy for me — okay?” Ken’s lip trembled.
“Okay, babe, I get it. This isn’t easy for anyone. But you can’t keep doing this.”
“Why … why can’t we just go back to how it was?”
Rachel stiffened. “You mean when you were lying to me? When instead of making love to me you were sneaking panties out of my drawer and stretching them out in the goddamn rec room?”
Ken pushed back his hair. “Come on, Rach, what the fuck? Are you gonna hold that against me for the rest of my life?”
“I’m not holding anything against you, Ken. You are who you are. And I didn’t know who you were when I married you. Because you lied. I thought you had a low sex drive — come to find out, you liked other things. You weren’t who you told me you were.”
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