Page 66 of Beau

Beau grabbed his hat and coat before leaving the office. Outside, the sun was shining but it was still freezing cold. He drove to the detention center and entered the building, informing the woman behind the glass that he was there to see Simpson. She unlocked a door for him, leading him to an interrogation room.

A few minutes later, Donnie walked in and glared at Beau. Beau fought back the urge to laugh.

“Have a seat, Donnie,” he said as he watched the kid roughly pull out a chair and plop down.

Beau took a seat across from Donnie and observed as the teenager folded his arms and refused to look at him.

“I found the horse.” Donnie’s head snapped up. “You’re lucky she was still alive because if it had been any later, she might not have made it.”

Donnie shrugged. “I did my part, but you still left me in here. You promised to get me out if the horse was okay. I’ve been here for two weeks!”

Beau shook his head, denying Donnie’s accusation. “That’s not what I said.”

“Yes, you did,” Donnie insisted.

“What I actually said was that we could discuss making a deal if the horse was still alive and healthy.” Beau leaned forward; his eyes fixed on Donnie. “But the truth is, that horse wouldn’t have survived much longer. It was suffering and would have died in a few days if wolves didn’t get to it first. What you did was animal cruelty,” he growled.

“I didn’t know,” Donnie’s voice trembled with emotion.

“I don’t know how to handle this situation. Even if you do community service for theft, there is still the charge of animal cruelty. And you also hit me.”

“I was angry.”

“You need to learn to control your anger and stop acting like a little punk,” Beau scolded. “I can’t understand why you thought stealing a horse was a good idea. It’s not a harmless prank; it’s a federal offense.Do you understand that? If I let you stay here, you’ll remain until you’re eighteen and then go straight to prison. Horse rustling is a serious crime.” Beau sighed, shaking his head. “The problem is, if I keep you here, I worry that once you’re released, you’ll commit even worse offenses. But if I give you community service for the theft, you might think it’s a minor punishment and continue with your reckless behavior.”

“I won’t! I promise! I’ve learned my lesson!” Donnie pleaded desperately. “I hate being in here.”

“It’s not meant to be a picnic,” Beau retorted sharply. “Fine, I’ll allow you to do community service for the theft. I’ll drop the charges of animal cruelty and assault on me. But let me make one thing clear: if you mess up even once, I will send you back here without a second thought. Do we have an understanding?”

“Yes,” Donnie replied.

“Don’t you dare mess up, Donnie. If you do, you’re on your own. If you thought two weeks were bad, try being here for years.” Beau stood up. “I’ll inform the authorities and you can probably leave tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Can’t I leave now?”

“No. There’s paperwork to be completed, and one more night in here won’t hurt you.” Beau opened the door but turned back to Donnie before leaving. “I never want to see you again.”

“Yeah, same here,” Donnie muttered under his breath, but Beau heard him and chuckled.

“At least we agree on something for once. Good luck, Donnie. Make better choices.”

“I will.” Donnie stood up and extended his hand for Beau to shake, which he did. “Thank you, Agent McCallister.”

Beau nodded in acknowledgment. “Stay out of trouble.”

He exited the room and spoke with the person in charge, instructing them to arrange for Donnie to serve community service based on his recommendation. Then he drove back to the office to finish his work for the day.

Chapter Nine

At the end of the day, Beau decided to have dinner at the diner before driving home. He was tired, but he needed to eat, and he sure didn’t feel like making anything. It had been a long damn day, but the good thing was, tomorrow was Friday and once he finished work, he’d be spending the weekend with Brenna.

She was to come to his house tomorrow after she got off from work, and he couldn’t wait to see her. He knew he was falling in love with her, and he hoped she felt the same about him, but they hadn’t discussed it. And if he had to be honest, it scared the hell out of him that she didn’t love him.

He entered the diner, took a seat at the counter, and nodded at people who waved or called out to him. Jim Barton sat beside him and saluted him with his cup. Beau grinned.

“How are you doing, Mr. Barton?”

“I’m good, Beau. I did some plowing again today, so now I’m going to get warm, have a good meal, then head home. How’s it going with you?”

---