You Are On My Mind

Wait Up For Me

Danny held in his feelings as the Perp told the story of how he killed his wife. The Perp, John, continued with the story. "She flirted with him. How would you feel? Huh? Huh?"
Danny shrugged, "I'd be mad, but I wouldn't kill her. A flirt's a flirt. It's not like she was sleeping with the guy." He knew his reasoning wouldn't go through John's thick skull.
"But she betrayed our vows!"
"That doesn't give you the right to kill her," Kate Lansing, Danny's temporary partner, stated.
"She deserved it. She deserved every last bit of it."
The senior detective shook his head and stood up. He walked towards the door, only stopping when Kate called him.
"What're you doing?"
"Keeping my job." He opened the door and walked out, knowing that if he stayed any longer, he would rip the guy's head off.
Minutes later, Kate came to sit at her desk. "Wanna tell me what that was all about?"
"If I stayed in there another minute, I'd be behind bars. How can he kill his wife like that? And then brag about it? It boils my blood," Danny shook his head as he got out his phone. He opened his phone and went to his contacts. He needed to tell her he loved her..... Even if it was in the middle of the day. "Hey, baby. Listen, I just wan' you to know I've got some frustrations to get out. Wait up for me, 'kay? Love you." Danny hung up, just a little upset he got voicemail. He wanted to hear more than 'hi, it's Linda. Leave a message'. He wanted- he needed- to talk to her, to hear her voice.
Kate frowned, but grabbed a file. She wasn't sure what she had just heard was good or bad.
************
"I don't know. I just think you should check it out. It sounded pretty scratchy to me."
"Okay. Thanks for letting us know."

Linda was making lunch for herself the next day when the doorbell rang. She furrowed her brow as she turned the stove down to low. She walked to the door, peeking out the peep whole. "Who is it?" After her kidnapping, there was no way she'd let just anyone in the house.
"IAB."
"Can you hold up your ID please?" She looked through the hole, and saw the badge. She still wasn't going to let him in. "Can you give me a second?"
"Seriously? Just let me in."
"Just wait!" Linda pulled her phone out and dialed quickly. She waited till he answered, "hi. Is IAB investigating you again?...... okay, I just didn't want to let a random someone in the house..... his name? Uh..... Whittier..... okay, thank you. Love you..... love you more." She pocketed her cell and cautiously opened the door. "What's the matter?"
"I have a few questions to ask you. Take a seat."
Linda frowned but sat on the couch. Whittier sat on the chair across the ways. "Is something wrong?"
"When did your husband get home last night?"
"Uh..... ten, ten thirty. Why?"
"Did you talk to him earlier that day?"
"Yeah. We talked in the morning. Can't remember what about. Probably the kids. I got a voicemail from him, 'round lunch. I called him back and left a message."
"What did you say?"
"Basically that I was sorry he was having a bad day, and I'd wait up for him. We talked a lot when he got home..... well, mainly me. I talked."
"Then what?"
She shrugged, "Uh, we said good morning, took a shower, talked to the kids, and.... yeah. Till now, I haven't talked to him since this morning. Why?"
"What did he say to you last night? Before he came home."
"He said he needed to pound out his frustrations and he wanted me to wait for him."
"Did he hit you?"
"No way! Why on earth would you ask that?!"
"Because he needed to pound out his frustrations and he wanted you to wait. He hits you."
"You think—" Linda giggled, "he want—" she laughed that time. "He—" Linda Bowed her head and started laughing uncontrollably. She laughed for five minutes; she laughed till her face, and entire body, was flushed; she laughed till she almost peed herself.
"Ma'am." Whittier repeated throughout her laughing jag.
"Oh!" She sighed as she put her hand over her heart.
"Why is domestic abuse a laughing matter?"
"Because you think that's what it is!"
"Isn't it?"
"No!" She shook her head, breathless from the laughter.
"Well, What the hell does it mean?!"
"It means that he wants to forget the case. He wants to forget by having hot, rough, passionate, animalistic, instinctual sex. And I let him. I let him go at it however he wants..... I've got the evidence of you wanna see it."
"No, no. That's okay. I believe you."
*********
"So I heard a funny joke today," Linda told Danny as they laid together in bed. She turned to her side, propping her head up with her elbow. She waited till Danny looked at her, "IAB thinks, or rather, thought, that when you say you need to pound out your frustrations and you want me to wait? They think that that means you're gonna hit me."
Danny frowned, but then he smiled. He laid his head on his pillow and laughed out loud.