knows? Instead, I called the police, even though he told me not to.”
“Oh good. So did they find her at the quarry?”
“No, they checked out the quarry and found nothing. No footprints, no tire tracks, nothing.”
“Well this is one royal cluster-fuck,” Judge Hamilton said. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know. I hope things will blow over, that he’s had his fun and has tired of playing this game. If he was watching the quarry, he’d know that I called the police.”
“And you haven’t heard from him since?
“No. I hope that means this is over.”
“So do I. These are hard cases. We know some people are in terrible circumstances, but there’s very little we can do to help. Sure, sometimes we can put a band-aid on the problem, but that’s only a temporary fix, and we know things will explode eventually. The only way to truly fix the problem is to change the nature of people.”
“True. And I don’t have any brilliant solutions on how to do that,” Theia said, shaking her head.
The judge’s clerk appeared in the doorway. “Are you still meeting your wife for lunch?”
“Oh, damn!” the judge said, looking at his watch. “I’m late. Today’s my wife’s birthday.”
Theia smiled. “Then I’d better let you get to lunch. Please tell your wife ‘Happy Birthday’ for me.”
Theia made her way out of the building. Funny how today it was just an ordinary building, not a scary place where people could attack her. Life was back to normal, almost as if that day in court hadn’t happened.
Walking back to her car, Theia tilted her face up to enjoy the sunlight. She spent too much time indoors. After growing up on a bluff near a small Midwestern farm town, spending most of her days hiking and riding horses, she missed the fresh air and sunshine. She remembered long lazy days climbing fruit trees in the orchard and picking strawberries in the garden. One day she would have more time out in the sun, outside of office buildings and courthouses.
She threw her briefcase in the trunk and reached up to close the trunk lid. A car screeched to a stop behind her. A rough cloth sack was thrown over her head. Big fists pummeled her head and torso. A man’s voice snarled, “You called the fuckin cops, bitch!” He laid in several more punches. Then he was gone.
Theia heard a squeal of tires and wrestled the sack off her head. She looked around and blinked her eyes to clear her vision but his car was nowhere in sight. Her head felt fuzzy and she tasted something coppery in her mouth. Wiping her mouth with her hand, she saw a streak of blood. She called 911. A female police officer arrived, led Theia to a nearby park bench and sat down with her.
“Do you have a description of the car?”
“No, by the time I got the damn sack off my head, he was gone. He went that way,” Theia pointed down the street. “I heard the tires squeal as he sped off, after punching me.”
“Do you want me to call an ambulance?”
“No, I don’t think I need one.”
“Just a precaution, ma’am, in case you have cracked ribs, a punctured lung or internal injuries.”
“I’ve had broken ribs before,” Theia responded, shaking her head. “No, I’ll be fine. I can give you my statement now, if you like.”
“Would you rather do this another time?”
“No, let’s get this over with.” Theia told her everything she remembered from the moment she opened her trunk.
“Do you have any idea who did this?”
“Yes, I have a very good idea.” Theia told her about the Catalino case and gave her the name of the detective assigned to the case.
“You keep yourself safe, ma’am. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t ever be in a situation where you have your back turned. And since you have injuries, you shouldn’t be alone for a while. Do you want to call someone to drive you home?”
“No,” Theia said
“Oh good. So did they find her at the quarry?”
“No, they checked out the quarry and found nothing. No footprints, no tire tracks, nothing.”
“Well this is one royal cluster-fuck,” Judge Hamilton said. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know. I hope things will blow over, that he’s had his fun and has tired of playing this game. If he was watching the quarry, he’d know that I called the police.”
“And you haven’t heard from him since?
“No. I hope that means this is over.”
“So do I. These are hard cases. We know some people are in terrible circumstances, but there’s very little we can do to help. Sure, sometimes we can put a band-aid on the problem, but that’s only a temporary fix, and we know things will explode eventually. The only way to truly fix the problem is to change the nature of people.”
“True. And I don’t have any brilliant solutions on how to do that,” Theia said, shaking her head.
The judge’s clerk appeared in the doorway. “Are you still meeting your wife for lunch?”
“Oh, damn!” the judge said, looking at his watch. “I’m late. Today’s my wife’s birthday.”
Theia smiled. “Then I’d better let you get to lunch. Please tell your wife ‘Happy Birthday’ for me.”
Theia made her way out of the building. Funny how today it was just an ordinary building, not a scary place where people could attack her. Life was back to normal, almost as if that day in court hadn’t happened.
Walking back to her car, Theia tilted her face up to enjoy the sunlight. She spent too much time indoors. After growing up on a bluff near a small Midwestern farm town, spending most of her days hiking and riding horses, she missed the fresh air and sunshine. She remembered long lazy days climbing fruit trees in the orchard and picking strawberries in the garden. One day she would have more time out in the sun, outside of office buildings and courthouses.
She threw her briefcase in the trunk and reached up to close the trunk lid. A car screeched to a stop behind her. A rough cloth sack was thrown over her head. Big fists pummeled her head and torso. A man’s voice snarled, “You called the fuckin cops, bitch!” He laid in several more punches. Then he was gone.
Theia heard a squeal of tires and wrestled the sack off her head. She looked around and blinked her eyes to clear her vision but his car was nowhere in sight. Her head felt fuzzy and she tasted something coppery in her mouth. Wiping her mouth with her hand, she saw a streak of blood. She called 911. A female police officer arrived, led Theia to a nearby park bench and sat down with her.
“Do you have a description of the car?”
“No, by the time I got the damn sack off my head, he was gone. He went that way,” Theia pointed down the street. “I heard the tires squeal as he sped off, after punching me.”
“Do you want me to call an ambulance?”
“No, I don’t think I need one.”
“Just a precaution, ma’am, in case you have cracked ribs, a punctured lung or internal injuries.”
“I’ve had broken ribs before,” Theia responded, shaking her head. “No, I’ll be fine. I can give you my statement now, if you like.”
“Would you rather do this another time?”
“No, let’s get this over with.” Theia told her everything she remembered from the moment she opened her trunk.
“Do you have any idea who did this?”
“Yes, I have a very good idea.” Theia told her about the Catalino case and gave her the name of the detective assigned to the case.
“You keep yourself safe, ma’am. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t ever be in a situation where you have your back turned. And since you have injuries, you shouldn’t be alone for a while. Do you want to call someone to drive you home?”
“No,” Theia said
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