Free Breach of Duty (9780061739637) by Judith A. Jance

him.”
    â€œHe’s what—thirteen?”
    â€œFourteen,” Sue answered. “Just turned. His birthday was last week.”
    â€œAnd Chris?”
    â€œEight. He’ll be nine in May.”
    â€œAnd you moved out of the house right after Chris was born?”
    Sue nodded. “When we left the hospital, I only went home long enough to pack up and leave. I took the kids and went straight from the hospital right into a temporary shelter.”
    In the time Sue Danielson and I had worked together, I’d never had any quarrel with her courage under fire. I realized now, however, that nothing the street had required of her could have demanded any more raw courage than leaving a marriage with two children—a six-year-old and a newborn—especially considering Sue’s parents and the rest of her family were almost a continent away from Seattle in Ohio.
    â€œThat must be about the same time you left the Communications Center,” I observed.
    Sue nodded. “A representative from the EEOC came through the department and told the brass that they needed more female trainees. A recruiter from Seattle PD came to the Com Center and talked to us about the idea of an upgrade and transfer. I didn’t see myself as a women’s libber, but I figured if I was going to be raising a family on my own, I needed to be earning a man’s wages. I jumped at the chance.”
    The waitress dropped off our check. It would have been easy for me to pay for lunch each time, but Sue Danielson’s pride demanded that she pay her own way. That meant today’s meal was on her. I made no objection as she brought a much-folded twenty out of her purse and laid the money on top of the bill.
    â€œYou still haven’t answered my question,” she said, once we were back in the Caprice with the engine running.
    â€œI know,” I said. “I’m thinking. Before you let the boys go, talk to Tared. Ask him straight out if he remembers any of what went on between you and Richie before you divorced. He may remember or he may not. Regardless, go ahead and tell him what happened. Don’t make a big deal of it. Just be matter of fact. That way he’ll be prepared.”
    â€œBut…” Sue objected.
    â€œNo, wait. Let me finish. If he does remember, he may have put a little kid spin on it that has absolutely nothing to do with reality. And if he doesn’t remember, he needs to be warned. Tell him that time has passed and you’re hoping Richie has grown up. But if he hasn’t, and the kids do go on the trip, Jared may have to be the one who’s a grownup. He’ll need to know how to call for help if he needs to.”
    â€œBut how…?”
    â€œBefore the kids leave town, go by one of those cellular telephone places. Get one of those little ‘go phones’ so he can call you or 911 if there’s any kind of a problem. You don’t have to say it’s because his dad might beat the crap out of him and his brother. Tell him it’s for him to use to call you if there’s some kind of emergency.”
    â€œWhat if there is no emergency?” Sue asked. “What if Jared uses the phone to run up a big bill talking to one of his buddies?”
    â€œThat’s simple,” I told her. “Tell Jared that if he does that, he won’t have to worry about his dad beating him up because you’ll kill him.”
    Sue laughed then, and so did I. “Sounds like good advice,” she said. “So how about getting our minds back on the job and going to see Mildred George?”
    â€œHow about it,” I agreed. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
    When we pulled up again at Olson’s Truck Rental there were two vehicles parked out front. One was a beat-up old pickup with an inch-thick layer of dried muck on it. The other was a ten-year-old Buick station wagon, one of the old-fashioned woody variety. Years of sitting outside