Page 15 of Tequila Tuesdays

A driver-side door opened not long after the video started, and Jason stumbled out of his car. Shanda followed a few seconds later, clearly getting out on the passenger side.

Jason put his hands on top of his head and shouted what sounded like “Ah, fuck” over and over. He was medium build and still handsome even though he looked like he’d lived a hard life. He had lines on his face and looked gaunt and unhealthy.

Jason stumbled around and seemed dazed at first, then he limped over and looked at the passengers in the vehicle he’d T-boned. He backed away as other people rushed over to help. The clip ended there.

I knew a video couldn’t convey the smell of burning rubber, the sounds of screeching metal, or the feel or velocity of the impact. Or the aftermath.

Shanda sat in silence for several seconds, then slowly started shaking her head. “No.” She rocked back and forth. “No, no, no.”

Her reaction surprised me, and I looked closely at her. I’d expected her to bluster a little bit, then cave and blame Jason for making her lie. But she’d gone pale, and her hands were shaking. That fuckerhadthreatened her.

Rubbing my neck, I leaned forward. “It’s going to be okay. You’re scared.”

“You think?” she snapped and continued rocking.

It was good to see she had a little backbone. “What did he say to you?”

She turned her head away and her lip quivered.

“I know he made threats. Listen, you can blame me. I was the one who showed you the video and forced you to tell the truth. I told you that you’d both be facing felony obstruction of justice charges.”

She silently cried, and her nose and mascara started running. I pushed the tissue box I kept on the corner of my desk toward her. She needed to do something about the redness around her septum piercing.

“You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’ll do.” She blew her nose, then sniffed noisily. “He’s fucking scary, and crazy as shit.”

“Well, then tell me. I have a better chance of helping you if you’re honest with me. I need to know what kind of threat he made.”

She took a few breaths and wiped her nose, then got herself together. “I need to think about it.” She gnawed at her thumbnail again.

“All right. Let’s schedule another appointment for next Wednesday at noon. That’ll give you plenty of time to think it through.”

I pulled out a business card and wrote the date and time on the back, then slid it over to her.

“Okay.” She pocketed the card.

“Now we’re going for a little walk to get coffee and a bagel. And stopping by the pharmacy on the way there. My treat.” I pointed to her nose and ear. “Two of your piercings look infected, and you need to do something about it before your nose or ear swells up to the size of a lemon.”

Her eyes went wide, and her hand flew to her nose. “I’ve never heard of that.”

I stared at her. “I’ve seen it before and trust me, it’s not pretty.”

She cringed, then nodded reluctantly.

Shanda and I walked to a small pharmacy nearby and picked up some sterile saline solution and antibiotic ointment. Then we went to my favorite coffee shop called Paws for Coffee. They had great coffee and smoothies and a nice patio area out front that allowed dogs. Gary and I came here sometimes on the weekend.

“Use them a few times a day until the redness goes away,” I told her while we doctored our coffees and waited for our bagels. “The solution will clean out the piercings, and the ointment should treat any infections.”

“Okay. Why are you helping me?”

I shrugged and pointed at her nose. “Because it looks painful, and that could become serious. As for the coffee, that’s self-explanatory.” I took a sip and sighed blissfully.

We found a seat near the counter and waited in silence for our food. Shanda fidgeted next to me. I didn’t think she was high, just nervous.

She finally turned to me. “I have a baby sister. She’s almost two now. My mom’s an okay parent, well, at least she tries. But my stepdad… he’s friends with Jason.”

“Okay.” She was trying to tell me something.

“Jason knows I have a little sister.” She didn’t say anything else.

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