Page 62 of Dozer

Mom looked at our hands, and I let go of Dozer’s hand and lifted mine so she could see my ring. “We’re on our way to get it sized when we leave here.”

“Silver, or white gold?”

“Titanium,” Dozer said, and I looked at him in surprise. I’d wondered the same thing, but every time I thought to ask, something else was said and I forgot. It’s a good thing it was just a tiny bit big because titanium has to be creatively resized.

“Your mother’s birthday is six weeks out,” said my dad. “If you’ll give me your number so we can text, I’d like to make sure you and Mr. Stevens get an invitation to attend her party.”

“We’d love to attend,” Dozer said, and he pulled a card from his pocket. Brain handed him a pen, and Master turned the card over and wrote a number on it. “My information is on the front, Daisy’s number is on the back.”

Master has business cards? How had I never known this?

Dad looked at the card, then at Dozer, and finally to me. “I find myself dissatisfied with this meeting, but I’ll echo the sentiment it was good to see you. You look healthy, and I’m relieved about that, at least.”

“Her nails are a home job, and it’s been months since her hair’s seen a professional,” said my mother. “All is not as good as she’d have us believe.”

I’d polished my nails myself, and I’d been trimming my hair. Most people wouldn’t know, but mothers know all, right? Or maybe she was just guessing, but she was right so I wasn’t going to try to pretend otherwise. Maybe having to be so honest with Dozer was wearing off on me.

“It’s more a matter of priorities, Mom. I doubt anyone else realizes I’m doing my own hair and nails. Look, the truth is, I didn’t like Dozer at first. I’d have gladly hit him over the head with a baseball bat, or maybe even sank a knife into his chest if I thought I could get away with it during the first six or so hours I knew him, but he’s grown on me, and I hope he grows on the two of you. He’s honest, and he has a strong moral code. He makes me try to be better because he is.”

“He’s a biker, darling girl,” my father said.

“He is, and it means I don’t just have him in my corner, I have all of his people, too.”

“He dropped out of high school and got his GED,” my mother said, as if it should be enough to indict him for murder orsomething equally bad. “And stop biting your lip. When’s the last time you saw a dentist? Are you wearing your retainer? If you aren’t careful, your teeth are going to need braces again.”

I hadn’t known he got his GED, but I wasn’t sure it mattered so I just stared at my mom without responding to anything she said. Probably best not to admit the last dentist visit was before I ran away, or that I had no clue where my retainer might be but it was likely still at their house.

“Ask him something you feel is likely on the LSATs,” Brain told them. “Not a tax question or a corporation question, but something in the criminal code.”

My parents both looked at him, and then back to Dozer, and my dad said, “Explain the difference between the Model Penal Code and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and how they relate to state and federal criminal laws in the United States.”

“Apples and oranges,” Dozer told them, “each with its own rules and guidelines. The MPC is a proposed set of criminal laws states can adopt and modify to fit their needs, but it isn’t legally binding. It’s been around since the fifties and sixties in the hopes of standardizing criminal laws across the country. It’s been influential, though probably not as much as originally hoped for. The UCMJ is federal law that only applies to members of our military. In terms of how they relate to state and federal criminal laws, the Model Penal Code is primarily a guide for states to use when drafting their own criminal codes, while the Uniform Code of Military Justice is a federal law that applies specifically to military personnel. Both systems can and have influenced state and federal laws, but neither specifically applies to the average citizen.”

“Trick question, but he nailed it,” Brain told them. “Dozer, under what conditions can a member of law enforcement enter a domicile without a warrant?”

“Exigent circumstances. If they hear someone calling for help, hear gunshots, there’s a fire. Basically, anything that points to someone’s immediate safety, or a provable risk of evidence in a crime being destroyed. Also, if an officer is chasing a fleeing suspect, they can basically follow wherever he or she goes. When a suspect is arrested, the officers can conduct a search of the immediate area. Same with impounding a vehicle — they can search said vehicle. Well-being checks, when someone requests them with a seemingly legitimate reason, allow entry into the home. And finally, if any occupant of a domicile gives consent for the officer to enter, it becomes legal for them to do so, and anything they see becomes fair game, though they need further consent for a search before they can open drawers, cabinets, and closets.”

“He who represents himself gets exactly what he pays for,” my dad told Brain, rather than Dozer.

“Which is why he has two attorneys sitting at the table with him,” Zeke said. “I’m his primary attorney, but we’ve called another expert in to help deal with this matter. One of the great things about representing these two men is I rarely have to step in and fix their fuckups. They can hold their own until I arrive.”

“From where I sit,” our other attorney said, “Both of you have realized Mr. Stevens is now responsible for any decisions made if you have her declared incompetent, and you’ve realized backdating that to have the marriage annulled isn’t going to work, even with your connections, because she’s taken this into the court of public opinion. You hoped to find another hole to dig into, and failing that, you hoped to throw enough money around to make the problem go away. I would suggest you consider the fact your daughter means more to this man than the millions you’ve offered him, and then perhaps you’ll give their union the benefit of the doubt. Parents are supposed to want their children to be happy and fulfilled, yes?”

Dad stared at the attorney a few seconds and then shifted his gaze to Dozer. “I see two men who’ve learned the criminal code because they and their club engage in criminal activities, and learning the rules in any game is an important step towards winning said game.” He looked to Brain. “Your parents wanted you to go into the law, and you refused, but you sit here telling me you’ve learned what they wanted you to know anyway? But without the degree? Without the ability to actually use what you’ve learned? How was that smart?” He looked to Dozer. “It’s true I see intelligence, but again, it’s the shrewdness of a criminal. With that being said, the two of you are clearly good at it, as you’ve avoided being found guilty during the few times you’ve been arrested. That isn’t to say you were innocent, of course, only that there wasn’t enough evidence to find you guilty.”

Finally, he looked to me. “We want you in our life, and we’d like to be part of yours. Neither of us can afford to be seen associating with criminals, but with the physical miles between us, I believe we can get away with seeing each other a few times a year, and communicating more frequently. Can we set up a once-a-week phone call? Sunday afternoon would work well for us, but if another day is better for you, let’s figure that out before we say our goodbyes.”

“We’re often out of town on the weekends,” Dozer said. “Monday night or Tuesday night would probably work better, and I’d suggest setting a time for both days, so if someone can’t be available on Monday, it’s automatically shifted to the following day.”

“It bothers me that you so frequently answer for her,” Dad told Dozer, and he looked back to me. “Monday night at eight? We’re both in the same time zone, so that simplifies things a bit.”

I nodded. “And if one of us can’t, it gets moved to Tuesday night at eight.”

Chapter 48

Dozer

Daisy made a short video in downtown Chattanooga, with lots of people around, saying good things about her parents, and told me what editing programs she needed on her phone. I installed them, she edited the video, and then sent it to both of her parents to get their okay on it before she uploaded it.

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