"Okay. Time for your one phone call," said the officer, as the suspect in the shooting of Peter Talbot was led to a phone on the Sargent's desk. "A list of possible local attorney's is next to the phone in case you don't already have one, but don't try any funny stuff. You're in enough trouble already," advised the Sheriff's deputy as he stood nearby to make sure the suspect behaved.
"Hello, dad?" said the man, after someone answered the number he dialed.
"Yeah. Since you're calling this number you must be in trouble. Thought I told you to keep your head low until the heat's off of ya," his father reminded him.
"I'm in some hick burg called Moon Lake. I was just passing through, on my way to Uncle Roger's like you said to do, when I spotted this cool 66 Mustang and—"
"How bad?" his father wanted to know, cutting his son off in mid-sentence.
"Car's totaled and I'm under arrest for auto theft, armed robbery, and who knows what else. The guy who wouldn't surrender the car is going to survive, but it turns out he and his old man are some kind of local big shots down here, so I'm getting a lot of flak for just even looking at the dude crooked, let alone the rest of it," replied the suspect.
He could hear his father sigh loudly on the other end. "I know you're my youngest and not as smart as the rest, but one of these day you're going to do exactly WHAT I tell you HOW I tell you to do it. I just pray I live long enough to see it. When's your arraignment?"
"Sometime Saturday morning, I guess," said his son, taking a quick peek and seeing it was just after 3 AM there, according to the giant wall clock behind the Sargent's desk.
"Moon Lake you said? That in Washington or Oregon?" asked his father.
"Washington," replied his son, since Uncle Roger lived in Canada, while his father settled the allegations of him supposedly knocking up some high school girls.
"Okay. Plead not guilty to any and all charges, but otherwise keep your big mouth shut. I'll get my lawyer on the phone and round up a couple of the boys too if necessary, but one way or another, no son of mine is going to spend one second more in jail than he absolutely has to if I can help it."
"I knew I could count on you dad," said his son proudly.
"Don't get cocky with me," he warned, "because after I deal with your mess there, you'll still have to answer to me!"
"Yes sir," replied the suspect, before his father hung up the phone.
With that, 22 year old Daniel Parker couldn't help but smile as he was led to his cell, for nobody mistreated a child of Fredrick Parker, Senior; the notorious Pacific Coast mobster more commonly known as Freddy the Shark.
MEANWHILE...
Martin Stovall slept peacefully in his own bed, curled up and cuddling with his very pregnant wife Melissa.
She was expecting twins and due any day now. While they intentionally avoided any information as to the gender(s?) of their new arrivals, Martin couldn't wait until the babes were old enough to go swimming with their were-mer parents in the family's fresh water pool for (considering where they were right now) were-mers were born already possessing the abilities to see, breathe, hear, and speak underwater as well as they could on dry land. It was their scales and tail that wouldn't be displayed until their first transformation, which is when those who didn't know thought the were-mers gained those other abilities as well.
But despite not knowing whether they would be having two boys, two girls, or one of each, Martin dreamed of being a far better father to them than he was to his oldest daughter Julie, who was now in a special were-prison serving her 150 year sentence after being convicted on 2 counts of violating Statute 1-A.*
Yet even as Martin dreamed of happy times to come, something wasn't quite right.
A feeling amplified when his wife started to moan...
"MARTIN!" was the shrill shriek that woke him up.
He sat up in bed even as he felt something wet against his leg.
"My water broke! GET ME TO THE HOSPITAL!" demanded his wife, even as she clutched her swollen stomach and moaned in pain again.
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*Attempting to or successfully changing a normal human into a were against their will.—tmw.