Against her husband's wishes and without his support, Janelle called a criminal defense attorney for advice on getting a different probation officer.
A date for the following month was set to meet in court until which time Boris increased his already frequent visits. Janelle ignored the door when Steven wasn't around to answer it.
“I told you this would happen,” Steven told her.
“I don't need to hear anymore I-told-you-sos. Sometimes a person has to fight for what's right. His coming around more often only shows the courts the severity of his obsession with me.”
“But the more you resist, the more you make him obsessed with you.”
“Oh, that's right,” Janelle said, eyes going black as midnight, “this is my fault. I asked to be practically stalked by this guy. He couldn't possibly be corrupt in any way. Those in law enforcement are perfect little Gods.”
“I didn't say that,” Steven said.
“No, but you might as well. If some guy rammed you on the road and you knew it was their fault, would you fight back or would you just let them get away with it?”
Steven chose his words carefully. “There's a time to fight and there's a time to just deal with shit just like the rest of us.”
“I don't think the rest of the world has to deal with this shit but just like it's your call to decide what to do about what happens to you, it's my right to decide in my case. He's treating me like a celebrity or some murderer. Not someone who was thrown on probation for unfounded crap people think may have happened.”
“Well, I'm just saying.”
“Yeah, and I'm just saying too.”
“If you don't like my opinion on things, leave.”
“I'm not going to leave!” Janelle shouted. “Why would I leave my home and hit the streets to go wherever simply because you won't support me as my husband? You're either for me or against me. I think you should decide which one it is and then maybe you should be the one to leave. Yes, I'm sure I'll lose in court because they protect their own and those in law enforcement but I'm not going to take this lying down either and let the guy walk all over me. At least it will be on record that he's a problem if he gives anyone else trouble as well. I may be the first but it's hard to believe I’ll be the last.”
“Okay, I'll support you but just so you know, we could lose a lot of money,” Steven said hoping that would dissuade his wife who was obsessed with money.
“What? Why would we lose a lot of money?”
Steven shrugged. “Just saying.”
“We don't pay anything for this. They either give me a different PO or they don't. But we don't pay anything regardless of their decision. I told you that already.”
With stubborn determination, Janelle left the room only to feel that familiar sense of dread seep into her bones when the doorbell rang just a second later.
But it was Byron. She forgot that he was coming over that day to pick up some clothes on which she had sewn the buttons for him.
They ended up discussing all kinds of things from her probation officer to the baby.
“Do you miss him?” Byron asked.
“Of course I do.”
“I bet you don't miss all the noise, though.”
No, I can't say I miss that much. I think children sense when their mothers aren’t always in the best of health and they find it unsettling.”
“Yeah, but you've always had a foreboding aura to you,” Byron added.
Janelle chuckled as if it was a joke or a compliment. Then she said, “I still wonder to this day how the fuck they found me.”
“Oh, yeah. I was talking about that with someone, and we wonder if maybe they lifted your fingerprints from his diaper.”
A light went on behind Janelle's stormy eyes. “Oh my God. We didn't even think of that.”
Both Janelle and Byron looked at Steven and both wondered the same thing.
Had Steven really not thought of that but didn’t tell her, not caring if anyone came to question her about the baby?
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