Page 4 of Wrecked By You

While she was gone, I softly elbowed my brother. “Keep it together. You know protocol.”

McCrae gritted his teeth, and then his eyes flashed wider in understanding. Everything was caught on camera these days. All our conversations. “Of course, I know protocol. Protocol is checking out the situation. Protocol might be going and busting in the door and making sure she’s okay right now.”

Mr. Wilmington appeared at the door and threw it back, looking like he’d been sleeping. “Well, Police Chief Armstrong and his sidekick brother that I heard is up for sergeant. Is that right?” He studied McCrae.

McCrae didn’t respond.

I cleared my throat. “Mr. Wilmington, there’s been a call about some threats that were made. What do you have to say about that?”

He took a step back and put his arms up as if to surrender. “What?” His act was perfect. “Marge? Do you know about this?” He turned to his wife.

Mrs. Wilmington peeked out from behind him, looking frazzled and tired. “I think I was just doing that sleepwalking thing. I had a bad dream, and I thought I just called in my dreams. But I guess I didn’t.”

I coughed. “Ma’am, a dream is not something bad. That’s called a nightmare.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to correct her, but I did.

Everyone turned to look at me, including McCrae.

Mr. Wilmington broke into a false laugh. “Right. That’s right. Marge, I guess you had a nightmare. That’s what it was. A dream, as the police chief was saying, is somethinggood.Something like ourlife. Something like themarriagewe’ve had for almost forty years. Now, a nightmare is what you were talking about. Something that you would call the police and report.”

I could not take the way he was trying to act all innocent and the way he was correcting his wife. This situation in general was really ticking me off.

McCrae let out a low whistle with his teeth. It was the kind of whistle he used to let out right before we would fight someone on the playground. I’d become familiar with it as we’d been growing up, because I was always trying to keep my hotheaded brother out of trouble.

Mrs. Wilmington let out her own fake laugh. “Of course. I don’t know why I had that mixed up. I had anightmare. I’m so sorry for wasting police time and resources.” She looked back and forth between me and my brother, putting on a brave face. The message there was something akin toplease just let this lie, whatever it is.

McCrae shook his head and said, “I don’t think so.”

But before he could go down this path, I put a hand on his shoulder. “Officer Armstrong, I say we take it at face value. Clearly, Mrs. Wilmington had anightmare.” I said the last word with emphasis. I turned and glared at Mr. Wilmington and then at Mrs. Wilmington. “If no one here is willing to file a report against the other, then I guess all we have is what Mrs. Wilmington said: a misuse of police resources.”

McCrae looked confused, and then he winced and took a step back. “I guess that’s all we have.”

I moved my glare back to Mr. Wilmington. “Because if we had filed a report, we would be able to take the person the report was filed against down to the police station and talk further. Probably a talk this person would not like.” Empty threats were really all I had without a report. It made me feel annoyed, and I wanted to ram my fist through Mr. Wilmington’s face. But I was the police chief. I was the one responsible for keeping everyone together. Including myself, and especially my brother McCrae.

Mr. Wilmington gave me a snarl. “As you pointed out, Chief, there is no one filing a report here today. You best get on your way and not misuse anymore of those police resources you’re talking about.”

Mrs. Wilmington melted from view.

I longed to smash something, but I only nodded and lightly bumped McCrae’s shoulder with my own. “Let’s get moving.”

McCrae hesitated and didn’t move off the porch. I got to the bottom step, but I stiffened when I heard another low whistle come out of him.

The door creaked as it opened wider, and Mr. Wilmington moved out onto the porch. He pointed at me. “Did you hear that, Chief? You need to get going,pig.”

As fast as I could, I was up the steps and grabbing my brother’s arm before he could land a punch. In fact, the way I yanked him back and onto the steps caused him to stumble. I would never let anyone know that he’d almost punched the man in the face.

We got to his car, and I opened the driver’s side door and waited for him to climb inside.

McCrae glared up at me as he sat. “Really?”

I tapped my nose twice, signaling to him that the cameras were on and I couldn’t comment.

He grumbled something else and then shut the door.

I moved toward my cruiser, ignoring another stream of threats from Mr. Wilmington. I kept my face neutral as I settled into the driver’s seat and turned on my SUV. Sucking in a long breath, I followed McCrae down the driveway and back to the highway. I knew that it had been a close one just now. Close because my brother had almost lost his temper and done something stupid. I didn’t like to reprimand him for it, because sometimes I longed to lose my own temper and do something stupid to men like Mr. Wilmington.

As I headed back into my sleepy town, I realized I’d come to think of it asmytown. Especially two years ago, ironically right before my wife had left me and my two sons. I’d just been named police chief.

We drove back into the downtown area, passing a familiar sign that said, “Refuge Falls—A place to call home.”