in half before we got you breakfast. Who knows, you
may not want to ride in this anymore once you’ve had a spin.”
He
pulled the truck out of the parking deck and headed to a hotel where his friend
claimed they served a wonderful brunch.
The
hotel’s atmosphere was soothing and the brunch was served buffet style from
Italian vending carts under skylights. We both stocked up on a little of
everything and even fed things to each other. It was so comfortable that I
actually forgot my troubles for the time being.
When
our bellies were full and the coffee carafe empty, we knew it was time to drive
the short distance to the police station.
A
female officer greeted us before she escorted us to a corner desk in the back.
The nameplate on the desk had Detective Montrose stamped on it. He was pushing
through piles of paperwork while holding a doughnut in his hand. I smiled to
myself for the cliché he was portraying. It disappeared when he lifted his
tired eyes to meet mine.
“Can
I help you?” He asked as he bit into his doughnut.
“Yes,
I’m here to get a restraining order. Do you handle those?”
“Yeah,
I can handle that. I simply need more information before we get to the
paperwork. Have a seat.”
He
pointed to the two chairs opposite his desk as he shoved a stack of the papers
out of the way. Taking the last bite of his doughnut, he sorted through a
drawer for the sheets he needed.
“Sorry
about the food, but I missed breakfast and have been up most of the night.
Something has to absorb this coffee in my gut before it eats a hole straight
through me.”
He
wiped his hands on a crumbled napkin before finding his pencil under a stack of
folders.
“It’s
fine,” I said.
“Okay,
tell me what the situation is and we’ll see what we need to do. Don’t skip
anything valuable or pertinent if you can help it. It seems like the smallest
things can really make a big difference.”
His
hand was poised over his pad, ready to record the details. I started with
information about my relationship with Jason, including the change in demeanor
the past two weeks, and then went on to describe the evening I met Conrad. I
concentrated more on Jason’s extreme actions then on Conrad himself. Detective
Montrose nodded several times as his pencil raced across the paper. When I
finished talking about the previous night, he stared thoughtfully at me for a
moment.
“Okay,
have you got any other people who will come forward to make statements about
these incidents?”
“In
addition to Conrad, I’m sure my other friends will be more than happy to
accommodate. Will the statements be necessary to make my story credible?”
“It
would back up your side in case this guy claims you’re just a spiteful
ex-girlfriend. Normally, it’s the person without a new relationship that wants
to come in and start trouble for the person who scorned them,” he said with a
shrug.
“Well,
he hasn’t done anything serious. I met Conrad because of Jason’s actions, so Jason
sees us as being involved and threatened me to stay away from Conrad, more than
once.”
I
remembered Jason’s enraged words and shivered.
“He
did, did he? Well, that’s not going to happen, is it young man?” He smiled at
Conrad.
“No,
it’s not going to keep me away. I refuse to let him scare me off and I won’t
let him threaten her. I’ve seen what he’s capable of and I don’t trust him.”
“In
this job I have seen too many women let themselves get beat up by the men in
their lives. It’s about time someone stood up and did something different. Now
you can’t take the law into your own hands, although you do have to protect
yourself, Ms. Malone. Be aware of your surroundings. Sometimes all it takes is
five minutes to change your whole life. Now, I’ll give you some forms to fill
out for the restraining order. You can have your friends fill these other forms
out and drop them by for me to place in your file.”
He
handed a small stack of
may not want to ride in this anymore once you’ve had a spin.”
He
pulled the truck out of the parking deck and headed to a hotel where his friend
claimed they served a wonderful brunch.
The
hotel’s atmosphere was soothing and the brunch was served buffet style from
Italian vending carts under skylights. We both stocked up on a little of
everything and even fed things to each other. It was so comfortable that I
actually forgot my troubles for the time being.
When
our bellies were full and the coffee carafe empty, we knew it was time to drive
the short distance to the police station.
A
female officer greeted us before she escorted us to a corner desk in the back.
The nameplate on the desk had Detective Montrose stamped on it. He was pushing
through piles of paperwork while holding a doughnut in his hand. I smiled to
myself for the cliché he was portraying. It disappeared when he lifted his
tired eyes to meet mine.
“Can
I help you?” He asked as he bit into his doughnut.
“Yes,
I’m here to get a restraining order. Do you handle those?”
“Yeah,
I can handle that. I simply need more information before we get to the
paperwork. Have a seat.”
He
pointed to the two chairs opposite his desk as he shoved a stack of the papers
out of the way. Taking the last bite of his doughnut, he sorted through a
drawer for the sheets he needed.
“Sorry
about the food, but I missed breakfast and have been up most of the night.
Something has to absorb this coffee in my gut before it eats a hole straight
through me.”
He
wiped his hands on a crumbled napkin before finding his pencil under a stack of
folders.
“It’s
fine,” I said.
“Okay,
tell me what the situation is and we’ll see what we need to do. Don’t skip
anything valuable or pertinent if you can help it. It seems like the smallest
things can really make a big difference.”
His
hand was poised over his pad, ready to record the details. I started with
information about my relationship with Jason, including the change in demeanor
the past two weeks, and then went on to describe the evening I met Conrad. I
concentrated more on Jason’s extreme actions then on Conrad himself. Detective
Montrose nodded several times as his pencil raced across the paper. When I
finished talking about the previous night, he stared thoughtfully at me for a
moment.
“Okay,
have you got any other people who will come forward to make statements about
these incidents?”
“In
addition to Conrad, I’m sure my other friends will be more than happy to
accommodate. Will the statements be necessary to make my story credible?”
“It
would back up your side in case this guy claims you’re just a spiteful
ex-girlfriend. Normally, it’s the person without a new relationship that wants
to come in and start trouble for the person who scorned them,” he said with a
shrug.
“Well,
he hasn’t done anything serious. I met Conrad because of Jason’s actions, so Jason
sees us as being involved and threatened me to stay away from Conrad, more than
once.”
I
remembered Jason’s enraged words and shivered.
“He
did, did he? Well, that’s not going to happen, is it young man?” He smiled at
Conrad.
“No,
it’s not going to keep me away. I refuse to let him scare me off and I won’t
let him threaten her. I’ve seen what he’s capable of and I don’t trust him.”
“In
this job I have seen too many women let themselves get beat up by the men in
their lives. It’s about time someone stood up and did something different. Now
you can’t take the law into your own hands, although you do have to protect
yourself, Ms. Malone. Be aware of your surroundings. Sometimes all it takes is
five minutes to change your whole life. Now, I’ll give you some forms to fill
out for the restraining order. You can have your friends fill these other forms
out and drop them by for me to place in your file.”
He
handed a small stack of
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