Free After It's Over by Michelle Alstead

went back into the house.
    Mrs. Birch would be so upset. She loved her flowers almost as much as her kids. How can she be gone? What happened? I have to get inside.
    With the deputy’s departure, the front door was left unattended. Kade was careful not to draw attention to himself as he slipped inside. He bumped into another cop who hurried past him. She carried a clipboard and spoke into her radio. She shot Kade a look of annoyance as he collided with her, but said nothing. He walked into the front room adjacent to the entryway.
    The room looked normal; there was nothing out of place. An open bottle of Scotch sat next to the leather recliner where Paige’s father sat every night after work. The bottle was nearly empty.
    Mrs. Birch hated an untidy house. Should I throw it away? No, it’s a crime scene.
    The sound of tense voices down the hall caught his attention. Kade walked lightly on the white carpet dotted with tiny specks of red. He reached the end of the hall and pressed himself against a wall.
    “Did you know he was beating his wife?” a male voice said.
    He peered around the corner; two detectives stood outside Paige’s parents’ bedroom.
    The shorter of the two men, rubbed his forehead and nodded his head. “Everyone knew he beat her, but he was up for chief of police so no one said a word.”
    “I hear he flunked the psych exam and shouldn’t have been a cop in the first place.”
    “I heard that too. I talked to the wife once. She went to the Sergeant for help, and he told her to go to marriage counseling. I told her to forget that and get the hell out. The only thing to do with a man like that is run and don’t look back.”
    “He was a bastard for sure. Looks like the wife settled things in the end though. Who’s going to tell the kids?”
    “Dunno. Not me. I don’t want to be the one to tell them their mom snapped, killed their dad, and then ate a bullet. That job goes to the chaplain or maybe their priest.”
    Kade turned and ran as fast as he could out of the house. When he was safely in his truck, he reviewed what he’d just heard.
    None of this would have happened if someone had stopped Mr. Birch. If just one cop had held him responsible, then maybe they’d be alive. I would have held him responsible. I could be the kind of cop that stops stuff like this from happening altogether.
    ***
    Kade gave Marie a sideway glance; she was still asleep. Every couple of minutes she would mutter something he couldn’t understand and toss a little in her seat. He pondered her situation and how similar it was to Paige’s. Kade had asked Paige once why her mother didn’t leave. She said the reason was simple—no matter how bad things got, her mother didn’t believe in divorce. Mrs. Birch also insisted on keeping up the appearance of a normal family and forbade her children from talking about what went on at home. Mrs. Birch prided herself on being dignified and classy.
    If she’d lived, she would have told me to go to med school and stay out of the sewer that is police work. Maybe I should have listened.
    Marie reminded him of Mrs. Birch. They were both fragile and strong, classy and full of grace. They were also both stubborn beyond the telling of it. Frustrated, Kade pulled up outside the doctor’s office and slammed the gearshift into park. He gently touched Marie’s arm. She stirred and sat up.
    “Are we here?” she asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Will you help me out?”
    Kade nodded and reached for his door handle; he paused and looked intently at her.
    “If you want to leave him, I’ll help you.”
    Marie pursed her lips together and straightened her clothes. “Where would I go? My life is here. My friends and my home are here.”
    “It doesn’t matter where. It only matters that you’ll be alive…and free.”
    “Free? What’s that? I’ve lived in a gilded cage for so long I can’t imagine what it is to fly free.” Marie’s voice was wistful as she looked out the window. “Thank you,