The next day, I wake up feeling shittier than ever. I’m too sober to run away from the pain. Now, nothing matters to me. I’m as blank as a man can be. In some odd way, this gives me defiant strength. I walk into the station, ready to bring this case to rest.

“Bring me to Craig,” I say. Adam glances up at me from his desk and smiles.

“You’re finally ready?” he asks me. “You look a hell of a lot better than yesterday.”

“I’m fine,” I say. “Just a bad day. You ever have one of those? Come on. You ready to get this over with?”

“I’ve been dying to,” he says, grabbing his keys. We storm out of the building so fast that even Freddie is bewildered.

“Freddie’s tried his tactics on him, but he’s not budging. The guy keeps claiming he can’t remember anything, like he’s got amnesia or something.”

“Bullshit,” I laugh. “He knows exactly where he is. The man doesn’t want to go to jail, but he’s going to end up there, regardless.”

“I figure you’re the one for the job, not Freddie. This is your area of expertise,” he says. “Let’s just hope he tells us who the third party is. That woman.”

Virginia. The woman who broke my soul. What am I going to do with her and the knowledge she gave me? The hard pill to swallow isn’t that she committed the crime. I can deal with that eventually. It just takes some time. No, the worst part is feeling how checked out I am. And it’s all because of her. After this case, I’ll surely quit the force. It’s my time. The woman I loved duped me. You can’t come back from something like that.

“Something tells me she’s long gone,” I say.

I think of her packing her things. I imagine her leaving town in a taxi. Maybe she’ll take a boat overseas somewhere. Maybe she’ll end up in Mexico by herself. Without me.

Fuck, we had so many plans. We were going to conquer the world. I really felt like we would. How can it all be over? The heavy blows come in waves of pain and misunderstanding. Confusion. It’s part of the grieving process. Sometimes I find myself denying that it ever happened. Other times, it’s just so fucking obvious. In the end, you don’t know what to believe. You just know that it’s not how it was anymore.

We pull into the hospital, walk through those blue doors, and come across Craig Richardson’s room. The doctor is standing in front of the door, blocking our access.

“Move aside, please,” Adam says. “We have a court order.”

“I won’t let you terrorize this man during the healing process,” the doctor says. “He deserves to get better.”

“Look,” I sigh. “I’ve had a really fucking hard couple of days. The least you can do is let us through.”

“Frankly, I don’t care about your last couple of days. I’m a doctor. I focus on health.”

I let him have his say. Sure. When he’s finished I say, “This man killed someone six years. He killed someone and then robbed two banks. He doesn’t get time to fucking heal. People like him don’t deserve time,” I say, fed up with all the bullshit.

“Excuse me?” he asks, confused.

“Move aside or you’re under arrest,” I say. When he doesn’t move, I push him aside.

“Calm down, Marshall,” Adam whispers.

“I don’t give a damn anymore, Adam,” I tell him honestly. Then, I face Craig. Can you believe it? The bastard actually has a smile on his face. Even with the tubes coming out of his nose, he’s smiling. “Craig Richardson. I’ve been waiting weeks to talk to you.”

“Marshall,” he whispers, out of breath. “We finally meet.”

“It’s a real pleasure,” I say.

“I want to speak to you alone,” he says. “I won’t talk if this man stays in the room with us. I don’t trust him.”

“He’s under strict orders to stay,” I say. Though, I wish he’d leave as well. “I’m sorry, but he’s gotta stay.”

“Then you get nothing from me,” he says. “I’m very weak. I think I’ll go to sleep for a while.”

“It’s fine,” Adam sighs. “I’ll wait outside. You got this?”

“Yeah,” I groan. “I got this.”

Adam exits the room and closes the door. “Make sure it’s shut,” Craig says. “We have some things to discuss, no doubt.”

The door is definitely shut and I doubt Adam can hear anything. I can see him sitting against an opposite wall outside. I get right to the point with this guy.

“Virginia,” I say.

He nods and smiles. “So, you already know?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I know too much.”

“You’re not going to turn her in, are you?” he asks with a concerned look on his face.

“Why do you want to protect her so badly?” I ask him. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t turn her in right now?”

“Well, for one, you withheld the information for quite a long time,” he says. “How’s that going to look to the feds in there?”

“I just found out. I’m not withholding shit,” I say.

“Oh, so your partner knows? That’s good. I was under the impression he was being kept in the dark,” he smiles.

“What’s your fucking point?” I ask, getting irritated.

“The point is, we’re all capable of making mistakes. Even you. Mister police man. Mister fucking hero,” he says.

“I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve never robbed a bank,” I say. “I don’t take from people. I try and do my best. That’s the difference between me and you.”

“And the difference between you and Virginia, I suppose?” he laughs, but it hurts him to strain his stomach.

“Me and Virginia are done,” I say. “For good.”

“Cute,” he says. “Anyway, it’s none of my business. I’m not out to turn her in. I know I’m going to prison for a very long time.”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “After this case, I’m done working for the force. You at least won on that front.”

“Justice, right?” he laughs. “I don’t really give a damn. It’s all so inconsequential.”

“What do you care about, Craig?” I ask.

“I cared about leaving this place. Now, I’m stuck here forever. Funny how that goes,” he says.

“You’ll admit to everything? The murder… everything?” I ask him.

“Why not? I have nothing to live for anymore. Might as well start living truthfully,” he says. When he can tell I’m not buying it, he adds, “Don’t worry. I’ll help your case, but I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Virginia.”

“Vi?” I frown. “Why? You think she cares about you?”

“You’re wrong about her, Marshall. Deep down, she’s a really good woman who got conned into a false narrative,” he says.

“She used me,” I look away. “She used me to get information out of the case. I know she did, dammit.”

“You know, she kept your relationship somewhat of a secret to us,” he admits. “We had to pry it out of her. I don’t think you know her intentions as well as you think. Goodbye, Marshall.”

“See you in court,” I mutter, walking out the door. When I turn to look at him one last time, he’s got his eyes closed and he’s breathing heavy.

“What happened in there?” Adam asks me right away.

“He’s going to play ball in court, that’s what happened,” I say. “Can we go home now?”

“You did it? It was that easy?” he looks astonished.

“Yeah, well, I’ve stopped giving a fuck ever since… well, ever since Vi left me. I guess it’s helped me in the long run.” I give a short smile.

He nods and thinks to himself for a minute. “And the woman who helped them? Who was she?”

“You try asking him. They won’t budge on that bit,” he says. “My guess? She’s far away from here now, sailing near the coast of Mexico.”

I think about Virginia, all alone. She’s probably on some boat somewhere, looking back at Texas. She’s no doubt remembering what we had. I can’t forget it either. She’s starting a new life now. Only, it’s without me.