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Nick rested his hand on his baton as he cautiously ainst the wall now, her torn, stained dress splattered with blood A jagged cut marred her lower lip, and already a purplish bruise was seeping across her jaw

He couldn’t readily recall how many times he’d been here, howhis wife It was a bad situation, this ot laid off at the ht down beers he couldn’t afford and getting mad By the ti way ho, and when he pulled his broken-down pickup into his driveway, he was ready to do soe The only one around was his wife

Nick touched Sally’s shoulder

She ed “Don’t—”

“Sally, it’s me Nick Delacroix ”

She slowly opened her eyes, and when she did, he saw the bottoht a shaking, bruised hand to her face and tried to push the blood-matted hair from her face Tears welled in her blackened eyes and streaked down her battered cheeks “Oh, NickDid the Robertses call you guys again?” She edged away fro to look nor, really Chuckie just had a bad day, is all The paper co for any employees”

Nick sighed “You can’t keep doing this, Sally One of these days he’s going to kill you ”

She tried to smile It was a wobbly, unbalanced failure, and it tore at Nick’s heart As always, Sally made him think of his mother, and all the excuses she’d ets a little frustrated, is all ”

“I’ to take Chuck in this time, Sally I want you to make a complaint ”

Chuck lurched fro into the bed “She won’t do that toby it It’s just that she makes me so damned mad sometiot hoht, Nick?”

Sally glanced worriedly at her husband “I’m sorry, Chuckie I didn’t expect you home s’early ”

Defeat rounded Nick’s shoulders and washed through him in a cold wave “Let

toward her

She patted his forearm “I don’t need no help, Nick But thanks for comin’ by ”

Nick stood there, staring down at her She seeed cut of her cotton dress was too big for her; it hung off her narrow shoulders and lay liainst her body He knew as certainly as he knew his own name that one day he would answer one of these calls and Sally would be dead “Sally—”