{"id":413,"date":"2024-06-26T22:51:29","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T22:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/?page_id=413"},"modified":"2024-07-16T21:32:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T21:32:06","slug":"secrets-never-end-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/secrets-never-end-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Secrets Never End"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_section el_id=&#8221;booki-blo&#8221; woodmart_css_id=&#8221;666ce08fbeca7&#8243; responsive_spacing=&#8221;eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NjZjZTA4ZmJlY2E3Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfc2VjdGlvbiIsImRhdGEiOnsidGFibGV0Ijp7fSwibW9iaWxlIjp7fX19&#8243; mobile_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; tablet_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; woodmart_gradient_switch=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_box_shadow=&#8221;no&#8221; wd_z_index=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_disable_overflow=&#8221;0&#8243;][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Sample chapters from Secrets Never End,<br \/>\nBook Four in the Ro Delahanty Series&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:40|text_align:center|color:%23af2405&#8243; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1719442175870{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1718411046127{padding-top: 50px !important;}&#8221; woodmart_css_id=&#8221;666cdf1e1f431&#8243; responsive_spacing=&#8221;eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NjZjZGYxZTFmNDMxIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93IiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=&#8221; mobile_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; tablet_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; woodmart_gradient_switch=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_box_shadow=&#8221;no&#8221; wd_z_index=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_disable_overflow=&#8221;0&#8243; row_reverse_mobile=&#8221;0&#8243; row_reverse_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243;][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Chapter One&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:50|text_align:center|color:%23af2405&#8243; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1718411206520{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;10-16 \u2013 Domestic Disturbance&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:50|text_align:center|color:%23000000&#8243; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1719442188262{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]\t\t\t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"wd-text-block-css\" href=\"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-content\/themes\/woodmart\/css\/parts\/el-text-block.min.css?ver=7.4.3\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\" \/> \t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-667c9b0fad099\" class=\"wd-text-block wd-wpb reset-last-child wd-rs-667c9b0fad099 text-left wd-fontsize-custom vc_custom_1719442197921\">\n\t\t\t<p><em>Friday, June 16, 2006, just before 1 a.m.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-667de609aadeb\" class=\"wd-text-block wd-wpb reset-last-child wd-rs-667de609aadeb text-left wd-fontsize-custom vc_custom_1719526947693 boki-tex\">\n\t\t\t<p><strong>F<\/strong>ort Armstrong One-Nine.\u201d It was dispatcher Rex Haskell on the radio. Ro blinked several times and once again wiped an already tear-soaked uniform sleeve across her eyes, momentarily unsure about what to do. Her cop instinct knew exactly what was required, but the hurting part resented the intrusion on her pity party and wanted to ignore it.<br \/>\nFor three weeks after seeing Kate gunned down, Ro Delahanty had held it together, needing to be strong and supportive for Mike and for Tuck. But tonight, alone in Mr. Pete somewhere in the north part of Fort Armstrong County, the sorrow and anguish finally caught up with her and she\u2019d lost it. For half an hour sobbing and howling, with only a few cows in a nearby pasture to share her grief.<br \/>\nDamn it, can\u2019t you leave me alone for even a few minutes?<br \/>\n\u201cFort Armstrong One-Nine.\u201d There was now the slightest hint of insistence in Haskell\u2019s voice. Ro had never not responded to a dispatcher\u2019s first call.<br \/>\nAfter a second, with a still scratchy throat half-growl of impatience, Ro picked up the mic and responded, \u201cOne-Nine.\u201d She wanted to ignore Haskell, but it was simply not permissible for him to need to hail her a third time!<br \/>\n\u201cThere is a 10-16 call\u201d \u2212 domestic disturbance \u2013 \u201cat 10088 County K Road. A neighbor reported hearing shouting and screaming,\u201d he said in the professional, matter-of-fact tone dispatchers cultivate.<br \/>\nHolding the mic away from her face, Ro muttered, \u201cOh, shit.\u201d She knew the address, a trailer park on the outskirts of the small, unincorporated town of Manda. And was all too familiar with the circumstances of this particular \u201cdomestic disturbance\u201d call.<br \/>\nAlmost as if he sensed Ro\u2019s reluctance, Haskell added, \u201cYou are 10-60\u201d \u2013 in the vicinity. In other words, hers was the nearest unit.<br \/>\n\u201c10-04,\u201d Ro acknowledged, then paused to figure out her exact location to give Haskell an ETA. By a quirk of cop karma, her semi-aimless \u201cpatrolling\u201d so far tonight while preoccupied with her angst had resulted in being on County K, near to Manda \u2212 You are 10-60 \u2013 although she needed a reference point to tell how far.<br \/>\nSeveral hundred yards to her right was a traditional big barn with two silos. While there were hundreds of \u201cbarns\u201d around the county, only a few wooden ones remained, most having been abandoned in favor of metal pole buildings, let alone one the farmer kept freshly painted in red. Once a commonplace sight around the county, it was now a distinctive landmark.<br \/>\nShe was four miles east of Manda.<br \/>\n\u201cEn route, ETA five.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201c10-04.\u201d<br \/>\nThe 10-16 was one Ro responded to several times previously. Heather and Roy Sutherland lived in one of the trailers, along with the woman\u2019s pre-teen son, Billy Gaither.<br \/>\nRo was sure Sutherland was a wife beater. The trailers were close together, so it was easy for neighbors to hear when the couple argued, which was often. On previous calls, when Ro knocked on the trailer door, it was always Heather who answered, although Roy was usually visible scowling in the background. Ro could tell the woman had been crying and even had what later might turn into bruises on her arms and face. However, Heather always insisted that while they might have been a little noisy, nothing had happened.<br \/>\nIf a victim won\u2019t acknowledge abuse\u2026 If none of the neighbors would say they\u2019d seen abuse\u2026 If Deputy Delahanty witnessed no abuse\u2026 Well, there wasn\u2019t much a cop could do. This always rankled her strong protective instincts, to say nothing of tonight exacerbating the frustration this likely waste of time call was intruding on her sob fest. And yes, she was being selfish right now, but didn\u2019t care.<br \/>\nRo used her light bar, but left the siren silent, the road empty at this time of night.<br \/>\nThere were fifty trailers in the park on narrow twenty by sixty-foot lots, arranged around a U-shaped gravel drive. The Sutherland\u2019s trailer was near the back. As Ro slowed down the patrol car, her headlights illuminated the trailer\u2019s small front yard. Expecting to see a yard like most others in the park, littered with an assortment of junk, broken lawn chairs, rusted-out swings, discarded tools, but empty of people, what appeared in her headlights cracked open a volcano of wrath Ro knew lurked deep within, but always kept under rigid control because as a cop it was necessary.<br \/>\nShe discovered her fury streak in seventh grade when several bullies were roughing up her friend, Atti Mehra. Without a second\u2019s hesitation, Ro\u2019d attacked. Using makeshift judo moves literally improvised on the spot, she\u2019d put the three bigger boys on their butts and was about to mete out even more harsh retribution on them for preying on her friend when a school coach stepped in, breaking up the fight. Later, he shared with Mike and Kate how startled he\u2019d been by the rage he\u2019d seen in Ro\u2019s eyes.<br \/>\nRo spent several days on an in-school suspension and several weeks in after-school detentions for fighting. In follow-up conversations with her father, she learned one of the many things inherited from him, besides looks, height and red hair, was an Irish temper that could go out of control if not kept in check. At the coach\u2019s suggestion, Ro enrolled in Aikido-style judo classes to learn how to discipline and focus her latent anger, eventually earning a black belt.<br \/>\nBringing the patrol car to a stop, she snatched the mic from its dashboard bracket and with no preliminaries radioed, \u201c10-78\u201d \u2013 send back-up \u2013 \u201cOne-Nine location,\u201d then slammed the transmission into park, dropped the mic on the seat, threw open the driver\u2019s door and charged\u2026<br \/>\nHer headlights had illuminated Roy Sutherland in his front yard using a wide leather belt with the buckle end out to beat on a small boy, which Ro assumed was his stepson, Billy Gaither. The child was shirtless, curled up in a fetal position on the ground to protect himself. Even from twenty feet away, welts were obvious on his bare back, several bleeding from cuts inflicted by the buckle.<br \/>\nHeather Sutherland, who was much smaller than her husband, only five feet and a little over a hundred pounds, was trying to grab his arm, crying, and screaming, \u201cStop it! Stop it!\u201d<br \/>\nUsing a free left hand, Sutherland viciously backhanded the woman, knocking her to the ground.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1718411046127{padding-top: 50px !important;}&#8221; woodmart_css_id=&#8221;666cdf1e1f431&#8243; responsive_spacing=&#8221;eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NjZjZGYxZTFmNDMxIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93IiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=&#8221; mobile_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; tablet_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; woodmart_gradient_switch=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_box_shadow=&#8221;no&#8221; wd_z_index=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_disable_overflow=&#8221;0&#8243; row_reverse_mobile=&#8221;0&#8243; row_reverse_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243;][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Chapter Two&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:50|text_align:center|color:%23af2405&#8243; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1718412474420{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Ro\u2019s Fury&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:50|text_align:center|color:%23000000&#8243; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1719442227000{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;]\t\t<div id=\"wd-667c9b35635f3\" class=\"wd-text-block wd-wpb reset-last-child wd-rs-667c9b35635f3 text-left wd-fontsize-custom vc_custom_1719442234641\">\n\t\t\t<p><em>Friday, June 16, 2006, 1:50 a.m.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-667de62a03498\" class=\"wd-text-block wd-wpb reset-last-child wd-rs-667de62a03498 text-left wd-fontsize-custom vc_custom_1719526964716 boki-tex\">\n\t\t\t<p><strong>S<\/strong>utherland was shouting at the child what sounded like \u201cfaggy,\u201d but hearing a car crunch to a stop on the gravel lane, he turned, and with a nasty grin brandished the belt, challenging Ro, \u201cOh, here\u2019s my favorite pussy cop again! You want some of this, too?\u201d<br \/>\nRo had to close her left fist tightly to keep from drawing her Sig and shooting this bastard on the spot. To her, he was no better than a rabid dog needing to be put down. But that would be an execution. Even though she thought it was what ought to be done, she also knew it would not happen.<br \/>\nInterpreting the cop\u2019s hesitation as fear, Sutherland swung the belt in a wide arc at the left side of Ro\u2019s head. If the big buckle had connected, it would surely have split her skull and probably left her as a vegetable.<br \/>\nBut instead of drawing the powerful .357 handgun \u2013 now justified by the direct attack on a police officer \u2013 unnoticed by Sutherland, Ro used her right hand to withdraw an expandable baton from its pouch on her kit belt. She brought the deployed hardened steel instrument up and across to meet the down-arcing belt a few inches from the buckle. The force of the blow nearly tore the baton from Ro\u2019s hand. Instead, the belt\u2019s momentum wound itself around the baton several times. Ro quickly brought her other hand up, so was grasping both ends, then twisted it left over right, forcibly yanking the belt from Sutherland\u2019s grasp. She tossed both aside.<br \/>\nSutherland snarled, \u201cShit!\u201d<br \/>\nRo wanted to \u201cdance\u201d with this moron badly, play with him, deliver painful jabs and kicks to sensitive areas, slam him to the ground, teach him a lesson, but the cop part won out.<br \/>\n\u201cMr. Sutherland, I am placing you under arrest for assault. Drop to your knees and place your hands behind your head,\u201d she ordered, except a part of her secretly hoped he would not comply.<br \/>\nHe obliged by shouting, \u201cFuck you, bitch,\u201d and went on the offensive. He put his hands up in a classic karate ready position and charged, except Ro, who was good at spotting an opponent\u2019s tells, noticed he hadn\u2019t placed his feet correctly to have the proper balance for an attack. Either he was faking it or was rusty and had forgotten the basics.<br \/>\nMost of Ro\u2019s martial arts schooling was in Aikido judo, which emphasized throws and holds designed to subdue an opponent. She\u2019d also taken classes in the Israeli-inspired street-fighting style of Krav Maga, done training in the aggressiveness of karate but was especially drawn to the Wing Chun form of kung fu, with its focus on the entire body, on balance and centeredness.<br \/>\nRo stepped back with her right foot, placing it perpendicular to her left so it would help both for leverage and ease of pivoting as needed and positioned her hands palms out, almost as if intending to push Sutherland away. It was a defensive stance taught in Krav Maga to quickly deflect an aggressor\u2019s strikes.<br \/>\nAgain, misinterpreting the gesture as a sign Ro was afraid, Sutherland attacked, trying to throw a variety of punches at Ro\u2019s face, which were easily blocked.<br \/>\nBecoming desperate, Sutherland muttered, \u201cGod damn you,\u201d and attempted to change tactics by grabbing Ro\u2019s left wrist with his right hand, probably as preparation to pull her into a toss.<br \/>\nExcept it was the opening Ro had been looking for. She clamped her right hand across the top of his fingers, literally holding them in place on her wrist, then curled her left hand up and over his wrist and twisted it counterclockwise, forcing Sutherland into a crouching position to avoid having his wrist snapped. It was a painful submissive move called a Waterfall Wristlock.<br \/>\nWhile wristlocks were an effective way to neutralize an attacker, many law enforcement agencies banned them because if not executed correctly or if the prisoner struggled too much, the wrist could easily shatter. The Fort Armstrong County Sheriff\u2019s Department policy was wrist locks were permitted, but only in extreme situations. Ro knew she could defend this as an \u201cextreme situation.\u201d<br \/>\nHer plan had been to rotate Sutherland around, force him face down in the dirt, place a knee in his back to hold him in position, retrieve her handcuffs with her free hand, and put him in custody.<br \/>\nBut the unthinkable happened. Heather Sutherland scrambled over and started grabbing at Ro\u2019s arm, saying, \u201cLeave my husband alone! You\u2019re hurting him!\u201d<br \/>\nWhich confused her. The man had cruelly beaten her son and savagely smashed her across the face, yet the woman was now defending him.<br \/>\nBoy, you\u2019ve sure bought into the victim role, Ro thought.<br \/>\n\u201cDo not interfere!\u201d Ro ordered, pushing the woman away with her left forearm, but keeping the pressure on Sutherland\u2019s wrist with the right. \u201cYour husband is under arrest for assault.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou can\u2019t arrest me,\u201d Sutherland growled from his face-first position on the ground. \u201cI have a right to discipline my family.\u201d<br \/>\nRo knew the right pressure could break his wrist and desperately wanted to do it to teach him a lesson he\u2019d never forget, thinking, You do NOT beat on kids or women! That is NOT allowed, period. Not while I\u2019m around.<br \/>\n\u201cBeating your kid is not discipline, Mr. Sutherland, it\u2019s child abuse. And if I have anything to say about it, you\u2019re gonna spend a long time in jail for it.\u201d A part of Ro knew she had probably crossed a line; a cop wasn\u2019t supposed to be judge and jury.<br \/>\nBetween the wristlock and knee into Sutherland\u2019s back, it effectively pinned him to the ground, although he continued to squirm, trying to find an escape. Ro wanted to retrieve her handcuffs, but Heather Sutherland kept clawing at her, so she had to use her free hand to fend the woman off.<br \/>\nThe fracas drew a crowd of curious neighbors, even at two o\u2019clock in the morning. Ro thought, This is turning into a real shit show!<br \/>\nShe wanted to scream into Sutherland\u2019s ear, \u201cQuit your squirming, asshole!\u201d She wanted to shout at Mrs. Sutherland, \u201cBack off, you stupid bitch!\u201d<br \/>\nBut knew while male cops could get away with cursing out perps, female cops didn\u2019t have the same privilege, especially in front of witnesses. Which only added to her irritation at the insane situation.<br \/>\nWhat Ro did was shout at the spectators, \u201cAnyone got a cell phone? Call 9-1-1 for an ambulance! This young man,\u201d she jerked her head in the boy\u2019s direction, who was still curled in his protective position, whimpering, \u201cneeds medical attention.\u201d<br \/>\nA middle-aged woman fumbled in her jeans, then pulled out a phone.<br \/>\nThe three \u201ccombatants\u201d were at a stalemate. Ro couldn\u2019t release her hold on Sutherland\u2019s wrist to restrain Mrs. Sutherland, who kept clawing at her, more an annoyance than an actual threat, so all she could do is keep pushing the woman away.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1718411046127{padding-top: 50px !important;}&#8221; woodmart_css_id=&#8221;666cdf1e1f431&#8243; responsive_spacing=&#8221;eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NjZjZGYxZTFmNDMxIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93IiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=&#8221; mobile_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; tablet_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; woodmart_gradient_switch=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_box_shadow=&#8221;no&#8221; wd_z_index=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_disable_overflow=&#8221;0&#8243; row_reverse_mobile=&#8221;0&#8243; row_reverse_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243;][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Chapter Three&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:50|text_align:center|color:%23af2405&#8243; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1718412686382{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;You Could Lose Your Son&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h1|font_size:50|text_align:center|color:%23000000&#8243; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1719442263577{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;]\t\t<div id=\"wd-667c9b5a8fb96\" class=\"wd-text-block wd-wpb reset-last-child wd-rs-667c9b5a8fb96 text-left wd-fontsize-custom vc_custom_1719442275506\">\n\t\t\t<p><em>Friday, June 16, 2006, around 2:02 a.m.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-667de63817d4f\" class=\"wd-text-block wd-wpb reset-last-child wd-rs-667de63817d4f text-left wd-fontsize-custom vc_custom_1719526979550 boki-tex\">\n\t\t\t<p><strong>F<\/strong>ortunately, this is when Ro\u2019s backup, Corporal Rick Matero, Armstrong Two-Six, arrived. Climbing out of his patrol car, he glanced around, the briefest hint of a smile playing across his face at Ro\u2019s predicament. While he could see there was no obvious danger demanding his immediate intervention, the situation certainly was not under control.<br \/>\nRo and Matero were friends, so she didn\u2019t rankle at his barely disguised amusement, but did glare at him. \u201cHelp me get this\u2026,\u201d she said, almost adding \u201cscumbag,\u201d a typical cop pejorative, but changed it to a sarcastic, \u201cgentleman in handcuffs. He is under arrest for assault. Oh, and kindly read him his rights.\u201d<br \/>\nMatero pulled out his regulation metal handcuffs and not too gently clamped one on Sutherland\u2019s free left wrist, yanked it around to clamp the other cuff to his right wrist, taking over from Ro. \u201cSir, you are under arrest,\u201d he intoned, \u201cyou have the right to remain silent\u2026\u201d<br \/>\nWhen Ro could let go of Sutherland\u2019s wrist, she rose and grasped Heather Sutherland by the shoulders, holding her at arm\u2019s length. The woman was crying and pleading, \u201cPlease don\u2019t arrest my husband. He didn\u2019t mean it.\u201d<br \/>\nThat\u2019s not the way I saw it, Ro thought.<br \/>\nRo almost had to shout into the woman\u2019s face, \u201cMa\u2019am, listen to me! I do not have a choice now. I witnessed your husband beat your son with a belt. By law, I must report it as child abuse. I saw him strike you, I have to report that as domestic assault.\u201d<br \/>\nRo paused, giving the woman time to process what was being said. \u201cYou need to realize lots of state child protective people will want to talk to you, to your neighbors, and to me. If you don\u2019t pull yourself together, you could lose your son. Do you understand me? They could decide you\u2019re not a fit mother. Take him away from you!\u201d<br \/>\nRo knew it was bordering on the insensitive, but had to get through to the woman, make her focus. Indeed, Ro\u2019s harsh words were like a slap across the face. Heather Sutherland took in a long breath and stared at Ro with an expression halfway between fear and comprehension.<br \/>\n\u201cNo\u2026 No\u2026 They can\u2019t\u2026\u201d<br \/>\nRo now tried to soften her voice. \u201cMrs. Sutherland, I\u2019m not saying they will take your son away. I\u2019m simply trying to make you understand they could if you\u2019re not careful. Right now, you need to make Billy your priority; protect him.\u201d<br \/>\nHeather Sutherland blinked several times, finally comprehending what Ro was not saying aloud, \u201cYou have to choose between your son and your husband.\u201d<br \/>\nHeather Sutherland stared at Ro for a second, nodded and muttered softly, \u201cMy son\u2026\u201d The woman had made her choice.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>As is often the case, follow-up activities to an incident take three or four times more work than the actual event.<br \/>\nMatero loaded Sutherland in the back of his cruiser and transported him to the county jail to await going before a judge in the morning.<br \/>\nMeanwhile, waiting for the ambulance to come for Billy, Ro took down the names of the witnesses who\u2019d been watching for her incident report.<br \/>\nThe EMTs arrived, put temporary bandages on Billy\u2019s wounds, some of which looked like they would need stitches, and transported him to the hospital. His mother accompanied him in the ambulance.<br \/>\nRo followed in the patrol car, on the way asking dispatch to call the state\u2019s child protective service, knowing there would be a social worker at the hospital, likely within the hour.<br \/>\nOnce in the hospital\u2019s parking lot, she retrieved a disposable camera from the war bag in her trunk and, with the ER staff as witnesses, took a dozen pictures of Billy\u2019s wounds and Mrs. Sutherland\u2019s bruises. If Ro had anything to say about it, Roy Sutherland would not harm his wife or stepson again.<br \/>\nRo waited for the state representative to show up, then gave a preliminary verbal report of what had transpired. It was now up to the hospital staff and social worker to determine what would happen next for Billy and his mother.<br \/>\nIt was going on five-thirty; she\u2019d had nothing to eat, so took a half-hour break for breakfast in the just opening hospital cafeteria. Then it was to the deputy\u2019s ready room at the sheriff\u2019s department headquarters and its bank of computers to file an official incident report.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 2024 by David F. Ramacitti, writing as Dave Lager<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_section el_id=&#8221;booki-blo&#8221; woodmart_css_id=&#8221;666ce08fbeca7&#8243; responsive_spacing=&#8221;eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NjZjZTA4ZmJlY2E3Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfc2VjdGlvbiIsImRhdGEiOnsidGFibGV0Ijp7fSwibW9iaWxlIjp7fX19&#8243; mobile_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; tablet_bg_img_hidden=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_parallax=&#8221;0&#8243; woodmart_gradient_switch=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_box_shadow=&#8221;no&#8221; wd_z_index=&#8221;no&#8221; woodmart_disable_overflow=&#8221;0&#8243;][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Sample chapters from Secrets Never End, Book Four in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-413","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":447,"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/413\/revisions\/447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demolinks2.com\/david-ramacitti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}