She spent years trying to put him behind bars, but now that she has the
handcuffs, she can’t remember if she wants to lock him up or lock him down.
Writer’s Prompt
The office smelled like stale coffee and the kind of cheap perfume that lingers after a bad decision. Lori Withers leaned back, her heels on a desk that had seen more heartbreak than a country song. Across from her sat the file. The file.
She’d spent three years tracking the “Bayview Bandit,” only to find out the masked menace was none other than Arthur “Artie” Penhaligon—her ex-boyfriend and the man who still held the record for “Most Forgotten Anniversaries.”
“Gotcha, you beautiful idiot,” Lori whispered.
The evidence was airtight. Artie hadn’t just stolen the Duchess’s diamonds; he’d left a trail of artisanal sourdough crumbs leading straight to his hideout. It was a slam dunk. Twenty years in the Big House. Hard time for a soft man.
Then the door creaked open. There he was, handcuffed and looking like a kicked puppy in a bespoke suit.
“Lori,” he croaked. “I only did it to buy you that island you wanted. The one with the goats?”
Lori felt a familiar, annoying flutter in her chest. She remembered the way he used to make grilled cheese with the crusts cut off, and how he’d hold her hand during scary movies—even though he was the one screaming.
She looked at the arrest warrant. Then she looked at Artie’s pouty lower lip. If she shredded the primary affidavit, he’d walk. They could flee to the tropics, live off goat milk, and dodge Interpol forever. If she signed it, he’d be wearing orange for the next two decades.
Her pen hovered over the paper. The ink was dry, but her resolve was wetter than a sidewalk in a rainstorm.
“Artie,” she sighed, “is the island beachfront?”
Story Completion Challenge
Lori is caught between justice and a very charming criminal. Does she sign the warrant and watch him haul rocks, or does she grab her passport and run? How does Lori Withers close this case?