15. Dawson

Dawson eyed Bobby Wilson from across the small courtroom. Blackwater didn't have a formal courthouse like in TV shows. Judge Gentry's chambers were set up as needed in the town municipal building. Her stand was a fold-out table with a rolling chair beside her for the witness. The jury sat in metal chairs against one wall, and rows of pop-up chairs made up the rest of the seating.

Half of the people in the room waited for their own hearing, while the other half were ready to see justice served to the Wilsons.

Lauren sat beside Jade with her hands clasped in her lap and hadn't looked up since she arrived an hour ago.

And Bobby Wilson? He was staring a hole through the innocent woman he'd almost killed in cold blood. His greasy dark hair stuck to his forehead, and his fat nose scrunched every few seconds, twitching with his irritation.

Dawson knew evil existed. He saw the devil's work every day, but even after eleven years on the Blackwater Police force, he still couldn't understand it. The things people did were so twisted and dark that he couldn't piece the messed-up puzzle together.

Lauren was innocent in all this. She'd been leaving work at the library when Bobby and Zach Wilson took her, holding her against her will and beating her when she hadn't given them the information they wanted.

Dawson swallowed the acid rising up his throat. He'd been involved in his share of fights, in high school and on the clock, but he could say with all honesty that every move he made was in defense of himself or someone else.

On days like today, he wanted to change that. The Wilsons deserved more punishment than Dawson's well-aimed punches could inflict.

Asa elbowed Dawson in the side and whispered, "Get it together. You look like you want to murder someone."

Dawson turned his attention to front of the room and forced a deep breath. The judge better knock this one out of the park.

Judge Gentry entered, and everyone stood. As soon as she took her seat, everyone in the room did the same. She went through the case list, detailing the timeline she expected while asking any representation if they had any ideas about how long their case should take.

Dawson half listened to some of the cases. He was the investigating officer in some, but they were minor compared to the one everyone around was waiting for with bated breath.

The wild card in the room was Zach Wilson. Dawson remembered the night Lauren had been abducted like it was yesterday, and he'd questioned Zach enough to know there was more to the story than he was disclosing. There was a chance–a slight one–that Zach could become an informant.

If Zach flipped, this whole trial could go a different direction. Alliances were thin, and betrayal was a death sentence for one or both of the brothers. Zach had been adamant that he wouldn't rat on Bobby, but Dawson wasn't ready to give up. There were half a dozen felonies they could attach to Bobby if they had a shred of supporting evidence.

The trial was long. Voir Dire, striking a jury, and opening remarks took all morning. Dawson, Asa, and Detective Morrow had lunch at Saul's Grill, but Dawson had little to nothing to say. Cases hardly ever got him down, but this one was hanging on. Lauren could have been killed right in front of him. Asa almost died. He had more than a little skin in the game.

The trial resumed after lunch, and Judge Gentry was known for running an efficient courtroom. She didn't spare a second for trivial things and stayed focused on moving the case along.

Bobby and Zach both pled guilty to a grocery list of misdemeanors and felonies. It was enough to send both of them away for a while.

Why didn't it feel like a win?

The other Wilson brother was still MIA, Bobby and Zach were sentenced to ten years with a possibility of parole, and something told Dawson Lauren wasn't any safer with only two out of three brothers behind bars. Her cousin, who provoked the Wilson's retaliation, was still out there without a care in the world that his kin had taken the fall for him.

Justice was served, but cynicism clouded Dawson's mood today. After dozens of conversations with Zach in the last few months, Dawson had reason to believe the guy's bark was worse than his bite. Zach had a hard look, but looks could be deceiving, and Dawson had a hunch that Zach was capable of coming back from the dark side.

Officer Guthrie led Bobby Wilson toward the exit, while Officer Freeman did the same to Zach.

Unable to resist, Dawson made a comment as Zach passed by. "You could have made a difference."

Zach lifted his head, finding Lauren in an instant amongst the crowd. "Nah. That's not how this works."

Dawson crossed his arms over his chest. This guy didn't get it. "How does this work? The setup is you do the crime, you do the time, but we offered you a way out. It was the right thing to do, but you didn't take it."

Zach shook his head. "This road was paved for me."

"Yeah, and anything else would have been a little bit of a struggle. I'd hoped you were better," Asa said.

Zach scoffed. "Sorry to disappoint you, Pop. Better luck next time."

Dawson exhaled a deep breath. Was it stupid to hope Zach would have a change of heart? Once an outlaw, always an outlaw?

No. Dawson had been there when Zach pushed that gun away from Lauren. He hadn't wanted to hurt her or even Asa by accident.

Stepping out of the way, Dawson said, "See you on the other side."

Zach didn't spare him a second glance as Jennifer led him from the chambers. Lauren's quiet sobs were the only sound in the room as she walked out with Jade.

Asa slapped a hand on Dawson's shoulder. "Another time."

"He'll be up for parole in five years," Dawson said. "The jail is crowded as it is."

"When did you become such a downer? Two criminals–guilty criminals–are behind bars for attempted murder. That sounds like a win," Asa said.

Dawson rubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah. I just had a feeling Zach would have a change of heart."

Asa clicked his tongue behind his teeth. "Not today. You ready to get outta here?"

"Yeah, I need to head to the farm." He pulled his phone out of his chest pocket to text Olivia.

Dawson: You at the farm?

Chicken Tender: Yes. I'll take care of the goats today.

Not on his watch. He needed to see Olivia after the long day, and some goat snuggles would do him good too.

Dawson: I'm heading over.

Chicken Tender: No! I've got it.

Dawson stopped walking as he read the message. Pressing the button, he called her instead. Something was up.

"Hey, I can take care of the goats today," Olivia said in greeting.

What was up with her? "I need to see them. And you. It's been a long day."

There was scuffling on Olivia's end of the line. "Um. Okay."

Dawson lowered his voice to ask, "Are you in pain? Do I need to bring you something?"

"No. I'm fine. Promise," she said hastily.

Something was up, and he wouldn't be satisfied with a quick brush-off. At least until he'd seen her with his own two eyes. "I'll be right there."