The Incident (Chase Barnes Series Book 1) Read Online Free

it.  And I’m not really sure if I ever want her to know the true horror of how Jake died.
                  I dedicated my back deck as my writing area when I was sure to be home alone.  The serene, natural ambiance of the trees and the occasional chirp of the birds in the distance provided me with a sense of clarity that allowed me time to gather my thoughts- even if it was for a short time.  The first time I sat to write was a Thursday, which I remember because it marked the two month anniversary of the incident.  I’ve only written in it five times because, to me, it’s enough to tell my story. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Five
     
    “Hey, babe.  How’d the meeting go?” Lindsey asked when she came through the front door.  I can count on one hand the amount of times Lindsey had called me ‘Babe’ in the last six months.
                  Does she hate me for what happened?  Does she not love me anymore?
                  I chalked it up to another sign of her hidden resentment towards me.  I’d been home, stewing in my own frustration since my meeting with Fitzgerald.  I wanted to call Lindsey and tell her all about it as soon as possible but I couldn’t.
                  See, Lindsey’s a teacher.  A special education teacher and apparently it’s frowned upon for a teacher to accept personal phone calls during class time.  Even if it is from her charming yet highly agitated husband.  We frequently text a few times during her lunch period but this news was not text- worthy.  I wasn’t sure how Lindsey would react since she seems to thrive on adding even her most asinine opinions and comments on any situation possible.  Most people like to add their two cents; Lindsey likes to add her dollar fifty.   
                  “Unbelievable,” I said flatly.
                  “That’s great!  Fitzgerald is going to let you have your job back?  When do you start?” Lindsey sounded so excited, clearly missing the tone of my voice.  The questions came so quickly that I couldn’t even squeeze in a frustrated breath.
                  “Not exactly,” I said.  I made her sit next to me on the couch and I told her about my conversation with Fitzgerald.
                  “Can they really do that?” Lindsey asked.
                  “I don’t know, but they did.”
                  “Well, you should file a grievance or something,” she said.
                  I wasn’t for grievances and wasn’t about to file one because of this.  “It is what it is,” I said. 
                  “What do you mean?  You love being a cop and you’re so good at it,” she said.
                  If she only knew.
                  “I know but grievances are just a bunch of bullshit anyway.  It’s a whole mess of paperwork that I or the guys on the other end never want to deal with and most of the grievances never even get heard anyway.  And the ones that do get heard usually go unnoticed for at least six months, which could mean another six months out of work with my thumb up my ass.”  I didn’t know if what I said about the delayed process of the grievances was true.  However, it was all I could think of that would appease Lindsey, calm her rant, and she would have the least knowledge of them.
                  I could see Lindsey’s wheels spinning as she pondered what I had just said.  She looked as if she was ready with a reply but I just told her to leave it alone and walked out of the room.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Six
     
    She followed me into the kitchen and I got to her before she could deliver a jab.
                  “Linds, I’m not going to file a grievance.  I