“Have your lawyer contact Denise.”
She lowered her eyes.
“I know.”
Derek glared at me.
“This isn’t over.”
“Have your lawyer contact Denise,” I told Linda.
Then I closed the door.
I didn’t go to the shop. I let the police handle it.
A few days later, Detective Cole called about a pawnshop on Westfield Avenue. He asked for serial numbers so he could check a lead involving the missing electronics.
Mason still had the console’s packaging in his closet. I photographed its serial number and emailed it over.
By the following week, the detective confirmed that pawnshop records connected Derek to the television and console.
I didn’t go to the shop. I let the police handle it.
That evening, Linda called me. Her voice sounded different. Quieter.
“Has Derek been paying child support?”
“Can I ask you something without him listening?”
“Yes.”
“Has Derek been paying child support?”
“Only one partial payment.”
