Intimidation
Scarlett and June on the porch. “Good afternoon, miss. Did you call the police?” His subtle British accent was surprising, but it made him sound like a refined James Bond.
June spoke up, “I did, Constable. I live a few doors down, and I saw a commotion with some men who looked like trouble.”
“Could you elaborate on that for us? Have the men left?” The man swiveled his head around while his thumbs were hooked on his belt loops. Hardly on high alert.
The glare emanating from June spoke volumes, and Scarlett suppressed a chuckle at the woman’s bravery. Nothing fazed her.
“Of course they left. I’d have trimmed their hair with my lawnmower if they hadn’t, and we wouldn’t be sitting on the porch waiting for you. I’d be digging a hole in my garden.” June’s intensity startled both officers. Even Karma looked a bit concerned.
The pair of civil servants nodded and continued asking questions. Scarlett and June relayed their perception of events, though Scarlett neglected to mention that she had kicked the dog out of the house on purpose. She made it sound like the dog accidentally got outside, and she was unaware.
The situation had shed light on Justin’s determination, and for the first time, Scarlett understood his desire to stop the criminals himself, rather than relying on the police. It’s not that the police don’t want to stop the bad guys, but they’re forced to always play catch-up, reacting after a crime has taken place.
Well, Scarlett was not going to sit around and let those criminals push her around. No; she’d take a page from June’s book and stand up for herself and her family. If those guys came back, they’d be sorry—which they should be because they lived in Canada.
When Justin got the call from Scarlett about what happened at the house, he was a combination of furious and nauseous. For a moment, he was worried about what could have happened and the dangers the ladies in his life faced, but he felt confident Karma could handle herself.
He left work seconds later and headed straight home.
As he was rounding the corner onto their crescent, he spotted the police car out front. He also wondered why Karma had been outside by herself and considered himself lucky that she didn’t run away or get hurt. He added that question to his mental list of things to ask Scarlett.
The minivan was still parked in the middle of the driveway, so Justin stopped his truck in front of the old lady’s house a few doors down and walked home to find June, Scarlett, Karma, and two police officers inside their living room. June and Scarlett were seated on the sofa, and the two members of the OPP were standing on opposite sides of the room.
“Mr. Peterson, I presume?” the female constable, Michaels, asked.
“I am; Justin. Do you know a Pee-cult?”
The woman raised her eyebrow. “A what?”
“Not a what. A who. Pee-cult,” he enunciated.
“Do you mean Picault? René Picault?” the tall man asked with an accent that caught Justin by surprise.
Justin glanced at him, noticing his nametag. “Yeah, my buddy, René. We’ve met a few times. Is he working today, Lee… Lee-chester?”
The man’s eyes darted around the room, wondering if the short guy was addressing him, but realized a botched attempt at his last name from years of mispronunciation. Leicester clarified, “It’s pronounced Lester.”
“You guys really should get that looked into. Whoever makes your nametags is lousy at spelling. Say, you’re not Canadian, are you?”
“I am Canadian, Sir; I was just born elsewhere.”
“Do you need a cuppa tea or something, Lee-chester?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” the officer replied, blowing out his cheeks and crossing his arms.
Justin addressed his wife for the first time since entering the room three minutes earlier. “Are you okay, Sweet Cheeks? They didn’t hurt you?”
Scarlett was surprised and touched by Justin’s concern. She expected him to check on the dog first. “I’m fine. Just shaken up. They said next time I won’t be so lucky if you don’t stay out of their business.”
Justin was perplexed—which wasn’t new or unusual—because, as far as he knew, the bad guys had never seen him. The only way they could have made the connection was by Karma. “How did Karma get outside? I didn’t think they’d ever seen me, so that’s the only way they’d know… if they recognized Karm.”
Suddenly, the tissue in Scarlett’s hand appeared very interesting, and she avoided making eye contact with anyone. “I’m not sure how she got out.”
“Did she learn to open the door? I know she’s smart, but without thumbs, that would be hard for her.” Justin kneeled down on the ground beside his beloved canine and she promptly licked his face. “How did you get outside, girl?”
Scarlett glared at the dog with a renewed hatred because she was receiving Justin’s affection. So what if the dog saved her from being attacked in her home? She’d done nothing but upset their family dynamic since the moment she arrived, and Scarlett no longer felt any sympathy toward her for kicking her out.
“I’m going to have to check the fence in the back to see if she got out that way. I don’t want her escaping again. She’s my leading lady.”
Those words added more fuel to Scarlett’s fury and before she could extinguish it, she blurted out, “I let the damn dog out, Justin. I put her outside and hoped she’d run away because I’m sick of her. Sick of the attention you give her and how much Ollie loves her. I’m sick of her drool and hair all over the house. I’m angry that when I asked you to take me out, you took HER!”
Both police officers stood slack-jawed from their positions across the room. June was quietly sipping her tea, not batting an eye at the unfolding drama. Hearing her young neighbours bicker wasn’t uncommon.
Justin, on the other hand, who didn’t normally get rattled by much, was overcome by his own anger. “You put her outside? Alone?”
“I did. And I don’t feel bad about it. I’m a beautiful woman, Justin, and most men would be happy to have me as their wife, but not you. You’d rather have that dopey… ugh… whatever that thing is! So sue me if I’m jealous of the attention you give her.”
“Maybe I give her attention because she doesn’t spend her entire life telling me everything I do wrong, or how I can never make enough money to make her happy. Maybe I give her attention because she likes me.”
Constable Leicester cleared his throat in an effort to bring the couple’s attention back to the other individuals in the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, I’m sorry to interrupt, but there are more important matters to attend to here. Do you mind if I ask some more questions?”
“I’m sorry. Are you referring to me or the dog as Mrs. Peterson? Because I’m not so sure anymore.” Scarlett stomped off toward the kitchen, muttering obscenities under her breath.
“I wouldn’t marry my dog. That’s weird,” Justin shouted after his wife. He then settled his eyes on Leicester. “Right? That’s not a thing, is it?”
Leicester grumbled something to himself. “No, Sir. People don’t marry dogs.” He glanced over at his partner with pleading eyes.
“Mr. Peterson, if you don’t mind, we have plenty of work to do, so if we could just ask you a few questions, we’ll be on our way,” the woman stated.
“Shoot.” Justin’s eyes popped wide open, and he threw his hands up in the air. “No, wait, don’t shoot. I mean, ask the questions.”
“Put your arms down, Mr. Peterson. No one is going to shoot you.”
“Pee-cult said he was going to tase me for helping a guy, so I can’t be too sure.” He took a seat in a beige slipper chair set opposite the teal-coloured sofa, where June was still casually sipping her tea as if this was a normal afternoon of finger sandwiches and police interrogation. “Ask away, then.”
For the next thirty minutes, the officers grilled Justin about his interactions with the criminals, and again took note of anything he may remember from prior encounters. Scarlett returned to the room to give another play-by-play of what happened an hour earlier, and despite her shaking hands, her fury never diminished.
Justin begged the police to do something, explaining that intimidation was a crime. Those men threatened his family, and if it weren’t for Karma, there was no telling what they would have done. Sadly, the police were bound by the letter of the law and there was no arrestable crime. Since they didn’t even know the men’s names, a restraining order wasn’t possible. The Petersons were left to fend for themselves.
“I’m sorry we can’t be of more assistance, Mr. Peterson. I recommend keeping your eyes open for anything concerning and dial 911 if you feel threatened.” Leicester tipped his head toward the Petersons. “Cheerio.”
“Ah… and a Fruit Loop to you, good sir,” Justin replied with a curtsy, tugging his imaginary skirt.
Leicester and Michaels left, and it was time for Ollie to come home from school, so Justin and Karma walked down to meet him and the neighbourhood kids to make sure they got home safely.
Ollie came running across the school yard when he spotted Justin and Karma, elated to see his furry friend and dad. “What are you doing here?”
After rustling Ollie’s hair, Justin replied, “I wanted to come see my favourite son.”
The other kids walked home together as per usual, with Justin, Ollie, and Karma walking behind. Justin’s eyes were constantly scanning the area, looking for pickup trucks as Scarlett described the getaway vehicle, and for white vans just to be safe. Multiple vehicles weren’t something Justin had considered before, and it appeared the criminals might be harder to catch than he initially thought.
But nobody was going to show up in Suburban Watchdog territory, threaten them, and get away with it. Not when Karma was ready to handle things.