Chain Reaction 2.93: Poetic Justice

     I follow this Tony guy to the desert area of town, near the Landgraab estate. He pulls over off the road that runs a ways behind it. Using a flashlight, he takes me to random spot in the middle of the woods. The entire time, I'm wishing I had my gun on me. I'm an idiot. My kids are going to be orphans because their father is a dingbat.
     "Here," he says and brushes aside some pine straw and leaves. A hinge creaks when he pulls open a trap door.
     "You've got to be kidding me. That's a lot more obvious than I thought it would be, and I thought you said the entrance was in his house."
     Even in the dark, I can feel the look he gives me like I'm missing more than a few brain cells. "There's a back exit, of course. In the house, it's undetectable, but do you honestly think you're going to just stroll right into the house? No one thinks to look for this hatch." He motions for me to walk down the stairs that lead into a tunnel of sorts.
     "Huh. You first."
     I see his shadow shrug. "Fair enough."
     Moving down the tunnel, I can hear what sounds like a news broadcast coming from a behind a door up ahead. When we get to it, Tony opens the door.
     Malcolm says his name in surprise when he walks into the room. The TV shuts off. Then, he sees me.

     He glares at Tony. "You dirty rotten double-crossing son of a b*tch. You just couldn't let it go, could you?"
     "I met someone who claims to know you. He says the two of you have some unfinished business, and I happened to agree with him."
     That's enough of them having a conversation. "You sonofab*tch! You killed my wife! As*hole!" I start shoving him backwards, passing Tony and pushing Malcolm into a kitchenette. Tony does nothing to stop me. However, when Malcolm circles around, he moves to block the exit.

     Seeing Tony has blocked his escape, Malcolm turns around. "Much like yourself, she was snooping around where she didn't belong. There were sensitive issues she saw, and I couldn't have her going to the press with it and blowing everything out of proportion."
     "So you kill her?!" I'm about ready to kill him.
     "As an example. You don't mess with Malcolm Landgraab and get away with it. Even now, I have boys on the inside working on clearing my name. This will blow over."
     "I'll kill you first!"

     I attack. Malcolm doesn't stand a chance, the little weakling. He's always had other people to fight his battles, but not today. I pound his face in as I think about my darling Claire getting shot in the back by this coward. He's robbed me of my happiness. He's taken my children's mother from them.
     And now he expects to get away with it?!

     Malcolm's head still in a chokehold, I look over at Tony. He intently watches the fight, his jaw clenched. He WANTS me to kill him. Suddenly, I understand a bit of why I was brought here. Tony wants me to kill Malcolm in a move of poetic justice. I've no doubt he himself could kill him, but in his mind, it's sweeter if I do it.
     I stop punching. Malcolm tries to cough, dripping blood on the floor. His flimsy little girl hands try to pull off my arm from his throat, but I barely notice as my mind whirls.
     But that's not true justice. That would only make ME a criminal. Yes, Malcolm would be dead, which would be great, but my children would lose their father when I have to go on the run.
     I clear my throat. "Malcolm Landgraab, I'm placing you under arrest for the murder of Claire Dishman Taylor..." I keep talking as I pin him to the floor. I don't have any cuffs, so I ask Tony for his tie. He doesn't look happy, but he hands it to me.
     Out into the night air again, I let Tony go.

     Everyone in the precinct office gasps when I walk in with a bloodied-up Malcolm. Vindictively, I book him, throw him into a cell, and slam the door closed.
     "Rot in there, you wife-killing mother plumber." I make a motion with my hands like I'm brushing off dirt. Then, looking at my hands, I realize I really do need to wash them.

     The next day, when I arrive at work, Finn comes running up to me.
     "The chief asked me to bring you to his office the second you came in."
     "Fine." I can't read his expression, but when we get to the office, the chief isn't here. It doesn't take but a minute for him to walk in, though.
      And he does not look happy.

      "TAYLOR!" he yells, and I admit to jumping a little. "Did I or did I not order you to stay off the Landgraab hunt?" He pauses. "Well?!"
      "I had a tipoff."
      "Then you give it to Foster." He points to Finn. "You don't go off and do whatever the plum you want."
      I get mad. "Look, I brought him in! We caught him. Isn't that what really matters?"
      "Right now, what matters to me is that I have officers that know how to follow orders!"
      "He killed my wife!" I scream.
      "And you should've handed the tipoff to Foster instead of going rogue AGAIN! Now, Landgraab is claiming brutality for how you bloodied him up! Don't you think there are REASONS that you're not put on cases that you're too emotionally involved in?! What if you'd killed him?!"
     "But I didn't!"
     "You're missing the point entirely, Taylor! I can't abide this loose cannon behavior anymore. You're fired!"
     All the air leaves my lungs. I love being a police officer. Now, that's gone.
     Finn speaks for the first time, "Sir..." His tone implies he thinks the chief is being too harsh.
     "Can it, Foster. Taylor is out. You'd do well to take a lesson from this." Chief Parker looks at me with a glare. "Get out of my office. Turn in your gun and your badge, and leave."