Bye Bye Baby

34

They put me in a holding cell downstairs. Not because of what was in my desk, but because I kicked the shit out of Sergeant Dutton.

I'd sprinted to his office, flung open the door and laid into him. He couldn't run away. There wasn't enough room. I pinned him to the wall and flung punch after punch at his fucking moustache.

They'd taken me down here to calm down.

I'd had some time to think. I don't how long because they took my watch. Felt like a couple of hours since the door closed. I thought at least Erica would have come down to see me, but no, nobody came. It was just me and a shitty toilet and a bed.

I sat on the thin rectangle of foam in its blue, wipe-clean plastic cover and rubbed my bruised knuckles. I tried to figure out why Dutton had framed me. All this because he blamed me for his wife leaving him?

I looked up when I heard a key in the lock. After a second or two, the door opened.

"Erica," I said. "Get me out of here."

"How could you do this?" She stepped right up to me. "Holly's gutted. And your kids, how do you think it's going to be for them now?"

I didn't believe I was hearing this. "Erica, what the hell are you talking about?" I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Get the fuck off me!" She raised her fist.

"What's wrong?" I put my hands in the air as if she was holding a gun. "It's Dutton. He set me up."

"I always thought you were a piece of shit, you know that?"

"Listen to me," I said.

"Fuck you." She turned around, slammed the door shut behind her.

I walked over to the door and leaned my head against it. I stayed there for quite a while.