"Hey, Tom, you find something else?" The Sheriff asked as he entered the morgue again.

Tom Wilkins had the charred remains of Terry Hanson still lying on the metal table in the middle of the room. Jeff still couldn't look at it so he kept his eyes trained on Tom.

"I fished out your slug. It was no small job, let me tell you." Tom held out the small plastic container housing the the bullet.

"Caliber?" Jeff took the bullet.

"It's a .45." Tom put his hands in pockets. "Common police caliber."

"I was just thinking that too. I've got a .45 on my hip right now." Jeff sighed. "Is there any way that the bullet was lodged in his skull before the accident? You know, like service men with shrapnel embedded in their heads?"

"Well… there have been cases where people have survived shots to the brain and even in some extreme cases removing the bullet would have caused more damage so they just lived with the bullet, but…" He shook his head, "if you come over here and look at the skull."

Jeff begrudgingly followed the coroner over to the body.

Tom picked up the skull with gloved hands, "at the temperature at which the body was burned it damages bones. When bone gets heated it shrinks and checkers but you can see that the bullet entered the skull right between the eyes."

"God."

"Whoever shot this man was no stranger to firearms. This is sharp shooter quality. Anyway, if it's a cop's gun it'll come up in IBIS."

Jeff held it up in front of his face and shook it. "Honestly? I'm kinda hoping it doesn't."


"So, I was thinking," Stacy said, putting her hands up and blocking Sharon's right hook, "if you're so happily married why do you spend your Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays here?"

Sharon ducked a punch and landed a blow to Stacy's collarbone. "I never said I was happily married."

Sharon swung wide, leaving her stomach exposed and Stacy delivered an upper cut to Sharon's ribs. Her ribs ached and her body begged her to stop but there was something therapeutic about her weekly jousts with Stacy.

Sharon stumbled a little but never lost her stride. Stacy admired that about her, no matter how many times she was hit, Sharon never gave up first and she absolutely never went down.

Sharon drew back and concentrated her might into one punch and caught Stacy in the temple. Stacy's vision blackened for a moment and she tottered, not wanting to go down just yet.

"You okay?" Sharon asked, stepping forward.

Stacy lunged, catching Sharon around the waist and they both fell to the floor. Sharon looked up at her, stunned before they both broke down into laughter.

"I pinned you." Stacy said breathlessly.

Sharon laughed again, "you cheated."

"Yeah, well, you have to cheat every now and then." Stacy purred.

Sharon lay on her back, Stacy's warm body covering hers. Their eyes were locked on each other until Sharon was aware that people were starting to look at them. "So, are you going to let me up?"

Stacy shrugged, "I guess." She put her hands on either side of Sharon's head and pushed herself up. Once on her feet she held out a gloved hand to Sharon.

Sharon took the hand and stood up.

"You done for the night or do you want to do one more?" Stacy wiped her hand across her brow, wiping away the sweat.

Sharon looked at the clock and thought about the question for a moment. Her body was taxed and aching but if she was 100% with herself the last place she wanted to go was home. She pursed her lips before nodding, "let's do one more."


When Sharon let herself into the house she was relieved not to find Terry waiting up for her. She went to the laundry room and put gym clothes and towels directly into the washer and turned it on.

Once in her bedroom she stripped out of her clothes and dropped them into the hamper before slipping into the bathroom. She turned on the water and let it warm up as she washed her face in the sink. She looked up into her reflection, made hazy by the growing steam.

Sharon got into the shower and let the water run down her curves and soak her hair.

The shower curtain pulled back and she let out a yelp. She squinted through the steam and still could only see the outline of the person without her glasses.

"Are you cheating on me?"

"Oh jesus, Terry. You scared the shit out of me." Sharon laid a hand over her heart. "It's past midnight, what are you thinking?"

"Are you cheating on me, Sharon?"

"No. i I'm not." She scowled.

"Then what the fuck were you doing all night?" He demanded.

"I was at the gym." Sharon sneered, "like every Friday night."

"Until midnight?"

"It's a 24-hour gym… my trainer's on swing shift." She shivered. "Would you mind closing the curtain? You're letting all the warmth out."

"You look me in the eye and tell me you're not cheating."

"I just told you." Sharon snapped, grabbing the shower curtain from his grasp, "I am /inoti cheating on you."

"This time."

"Yeah, /ithis timei." Sharon narrowed her eyes. "You know what I did and with who and how long. How long are you going to punish me? Why are you being so bi-polar about this? Can't you just go see a shrink and stop pitching fits at me every time we're alone?"

Terry scoffed.

"Because I gotta say, with you acting like this it really doesn't make me want to come home to you."

"You took vows: to love, honor and cherish."

"I love you! I cherish you!"

"But you don't honor me?"

"What does that even mean?"

"It means don't fuck other people when you're married."

"/iJesus Christi, Terry!" Sharon yelled in frustration, feeling tears prick her eyes. "What do you want me to do? You don't believe me, you don't trust me, what can I /idoi?"

"I don't know." He said, letting go of the shower curtain and letting it fall closed.

She sank down in the shower and put her face in her hands, unable to stop sobbing. When the water ran cold she got up.

She wrapped a towel around herself and walked into the bathroom. Her eyes were red and puffy, somewhat hidden behind her glasses. Terry laid on the bed on his side, facing away. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom.

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked softly. "Do you want me to move out?"

"And go where? And do what?"

"I don't know but we can't keep doing this. You're torturing yourself, you're torturing /imei and I don't want to be here." She took off her glasses and wiped at her eyes again.

"If you left… when would you even see the kids?"

Sharon shrugged, "I don't know… we'd figure something out…"

"Why don't…" he sighed, "why don't we try to figure out how to be together again?"

"I'd like that." She said softly.

"Are you coming to bed?"

"I just have to dry my hair." Sharon retreated back into the bathroom. She shut the door and got her hairdryer out of the closet.

She stood in front the mirror for a few long moments, wondering exactly when she'd become this person but she wasn't anyone she found very likeable.

Back in the bedroom Terry had already gotten under the covers and Sharon pulled on a set of pyjamas and climbed in on her side. Terry shifted closer, wrapped an arm around her and kissed her shoulder.


"I'm out of food." Gavin announced, closing the refrigerator. "You're probably starving. Do you want to come with me?"

"I'd just like to lie down actually. My ankle is bothering me."

"Of course," he picked up his keys, "okay, any food allergies or dietary restrictions?"

Sharon shook her head, "no, I'm not picky."

"Alright, spaghetti and red sauce it is. I'm not very culinary… that was my boyfriend's department, I'm afraid."

"My husband does most… um, did most of the cooking…" Sharon sighed, "you know, people always talk in the present tense even after the person is dead… I always kind of thought I'd be more aware than that."

"You've been through a lot." Gavin said sincerely, "I can't even imagine the stress you're under."

"To be perfctly candid," Sharon sank down onto the couch. "I feel a lot of relief."

It was eerily easy to be around Sharon. She shared so little about herself and she was as much a stranger to him as the cashier at his favorite Chinese restaurant but he felt an inexplicable connection with Sharon.

Sharon laid down on the couch, letting her eyes fall shut. It was quiet in Kennesaw, Georgia and she longed for the busy sounds of her New Orleans home. Despite the incessant quiet she easily fell asleep.


"Nice to have you home on a Saturday for once." Terry wrapped his arms around Sharon's waist and pulled her close.

She smiled, "oh hello."

He nuzzled her neck and sighed happily. "I'm going to make French toast."

"My favorite…" She purred.

He kissed her cheek and released her, walking towards the kitchen. She followed and grabbed the coffee pot and filled a mug while he set about making breakfast.

Dylan came down and did a double take when he saw Sharon. "Mom… what are you still doing here?"

"Just spending time with my family." She smiled.

"Do you wanna go wake the munchkins?" Terry asked.

"My pleasure." Sharon stood and as she passed Dylan she kissed his cheek. Dylan protested and scowled at his mother. "I love you, deal with it." She smiled.


She gasped awake when she heard the knock on the door. Heart pounding she pushed herself up off the couch and rubbed her tired eyes. Her brain started to turn off again, out of exhaustion before there was another knock, louder this time.

"Fair Oaks PD, please open the door."

She stood up and winced when she put her full weight down on her ankle. It had turned out not to be sprained but it still hurt like hell.

Sharon opened the door and stood face to face with Sheriff Jeff Bearden. "Hello, Captain."

"Hello, Sheriff." She let go of the door and sighed softly.

"You know why we're here?"

Wordlessly she turned around and offered him her wrists behind her back. Jeff secured the cuffs on her wrist. "Sharon Raydor, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney one will be provided to you. Have you heard and understood these rights as I have explained them?"

"I understand."