Nobody in that diner was prepared for the terrifying truth that was about to shatter this town forever...
Brad turned his head toward his mother, his forehead furrowed in deep irritation and confusion. The authority he had so carefully built up in front of the diner patrons was suddenly slipping through his fingers.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Brad growled under his breath, stepping back slightly but keeping his chest puffed out. “Stay out of this. This stranger blew into town acting like he owns the place. He disrespected my badge in front of everyone. I’m putting him in his place.”
“Shut up! Just shut your mouth!” Margaret cried out, stumbling forward on shaking legs. Tears were already streaming down her pale, wrinkled cheeks. She looked smaller, frailer than anyone had ever seen her.
Brad scowled, embarrassed by his mother’s frantic emotional scene. Wanting to finish what he started and show the room who was in charge, he reached out again, shoving Marcus’s shoulder aggressively. “Get up, old man!”
SLAP!
The sharp sound echoed through the diner like a gunshot.
The entire room gasped. Margaret stood directly in front of her son, her right hand still raised, her body trembling with rage and panic. She had just slapped her thirty-year-old deputy son hard across the cheek in front of every resident in the building.
Brad stumbled back, his hand clutching his red cheek, his eyes wide with utter shock. “Mom... did you just hit me? Are you losing your mind? I am the Deputy Sheriff of this county!”
“I don’t care if you’re the President of the United States!” Margaret sobbed hysterically, grabbing Brad’s arm and desperately pulling him away from Marcus. “If you touch that man again, you will destroy what little is left of your life! Do you hear me? You lose everything today!”
Marcus slowly stood up from the stool. Standing at six-foot-two, his posture was commanding, his presence heavy with authority that made Brad’s badge look like a plastic toy. He smoothed the lapels of his navy suit, adjusted his silk tie, and lifted the gold-sealed Manila folder from his briefcase.