Chapter 7 - The Arrest of DerekThe arrest took place outside an auto-body shop on the industrial outskirts of town.
Jack insisted on riding along in Detective Raymond’s unmarked cruiser. He didn't want violence; he wanted certainty. When the cruiser pulled in behind the battered red Toyota, Derek was leaning against the fender, smoking a cigarette, wearing grease-stained overalls.
As Raymond and his partner stepped out with their shields displayed, Derek’s face drained of color. He dropped his cigarette, instinctively looking around for an escape route, but his eyes caught Jack stepping out of the passenger seat.
Derek froze. His jaw dropped. “J-Jack? You’re... you’re supposed to be in a ditch in Anbar.”
“You shouldn't believe everything my mother tells you, Derek,” Jack said calmly, walking forward until he stood just three paces away. “Especially when she’s paying you five thousand dollars of my combat pay to play courier.”
“I didn't know she was going to hurt Clara!” Derek stammered, holding his hands up before the detectives could even unholster their restraints. “I swear to God, Jack! Aunt Evelyn just told me Clara was planning to run off with your money, that she needed to shock her into reality so she’d sign the estate over to protect you! She told me it was a family intervention!”
“An intervention with a counterfeit casualty dossier and an assault?” Raymond snapped, clicking the cuffs around Derek’s wrists. “Save it for the magistrate, son. You’re being charged with conspiracy to commit grand larceny, criminal impersonation of a military official, and accessory to domestic violence.”
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As Derek was led toward the patrol car, he turned back, weeping openly. “Jack! Please! I was broke! I lost my job! She said nobody would ever find out!”
Jack turned away, staring at the gray industrial skyline. “You sold out my wife and my unborn child for five thousand dollars, Derek. The uniform on my back means something to me. Clearly, family meant nothing to you.”
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