I answered in a clipped tone. “Yeah. Fine. Okay. Later.”

I didn’t wait for her to say goodbye. I reached out and stabbed the off-hook switch on the telephone’s base with my finger, held it for a second, and then released it. A second later I heard the telltale click rattling in the earpiece as the call I had just been on was disconnected.

“Hello?” I said into the mouthpiece.

“Rowan,” a familiar voice floated into my ear. “How are you doing?”

I sighed, half from relief and half from frustration. It obviously wasn’t a hang-up, but it also wasn’t someone calling to tell me this had all been a terrible mistake either. Of course, logically I knew that wasn’t going to happen, but under stress we tend to create fantastic resolutions for situations simply in order to maintain hope, and that was but one of the happy endings bouncing around inside my skull at the moment.

“I’ve been better, Helen,” I replied, my tone flat.

“I know, Rowan. Benjamin just called and told me what happened.”

“I suppose he wants you to find out if I’m still mad at him,” I quipped.

I knew I shouldn’t be taking my anger with her brother, and the situation, out on her; but I just couldn’t help myself. The way I saw it, everyone in my path was a potential enemy at this point.

“Actually, Rowan, no, he does not. I believe he is fully expecting you to be angry with him for some time to come. He has resigned himself to that.”

“Very astute observation on his part,” I asserted. “Mainly because he’s right.”

“He was forced to make an extremely hard decision.”

“Well, I’ve got some bad news for him. He decided wrong. Felicity is innocent and he knows it.”

“I am speaking of his decision to handle the arrest rather than allow someone else from the department to do so.”

Apparently, Jackie had been correct. Still, it didn’t change the fact that he had led my wife out of the house in handcuffs.