XIII.
No one replied to Roger’s command. The door wasn’t opened, and neither man heard any footsteps. Roger tried to turn the doorknob, and found that the door was locked.

“Stand back, Mikhail.” Mikhail did so. Roger then stepped back, and with one kick, knocked the door open. Mikhail could’ve sworn he saw a piece of metal or two fly away.

“Cover me. I’ll go into the living room.” Roger said. Roger crept down the hall to the living room. Mikhail stayed behind. Roger then faced the back wall of the living room, and saw Judy Jones sitting on a sofa with the .44 in her hand. Roger thought about drawing his gun, but instead ducked behind the wall in the kitchen. Judy fired once, and Roger saw the shot go through the living room wall, out the kitchen side, and into a cordless telephone, blowing it into a million pieces.

“Shit.” Roger muttered. If she comes in here, I need to be fast, he thought. Before Roger could do anything, he saw Mikhail fire a shot at Judy. Mikhail came out from behind the hall, and aimed his gun at Judy.

“Hands where I can see them! Don’t move!” Mikhail snapped. Roger then saw what Mikhail had done.

Mikhail had shot the .44 out of Judy’s hands. Roger saw part of the gun lying on the floor by a side window, and on the coffee table in front of the sofa he saw his copy of Gravity’s Rainbow.

“Good shot.” Roger whispered. He then drew his gun and kept it aimed at Judy.

“So, the cavalry arrives.” Judy said.

“That’s right. We know what you did. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

“I won’t lie to you. I killed them. All three of those fucks. I sent them all to Hell. Jack Percks, Eddie Jasper, Dan Helway, all dead. I couldn’t be happier about it. Damn drunk drivers.”

“This isn’t the way to stop drunk driving.” Roger said.

“Then what is? You cops sure didn’t do anything. You don’t even pull people over for it.”

“I’ve pulled over plenty of drunks in my time.”

“Me too.” Mikhail agreed.

“Then why did Dan, Eddie, and Jack evade you?”

“We can’t be everywhere, Judy. And the solution to drunk driving is hard to define, but it sure as hell isn’t this.”

“Do you even know what I’ve been through? Losing a husband and child?” Judy asked.

“Appeal to emotion. I know what you’ve been through. Doesn’t make what you did right.” What, Mikhail wondered again, is an appeal to emotion.

“Yes it does. It’s my responsibility as a mother and a wife to stop these assholes.”

“No,” Roger said, “it’s my responsibility to stop them as an officer of the law.”

Mikhail had his doubts again. He decided to speak up.

“Roger, she has a point. I still think the drunks could have killed someone.”

“They might have. But as I said, then we arrest them and charge them with manslaughter. You can’t convict someone of a crime they might do in the future.”

“Why not?”

“Because they didn’t do it. You can’t convict them of something they didn’t do. I might murder someone in the future. Does that mean I should be arrested now? Precognition doesn’t exist.”

“But what about the wife-beater?” Mikhail asked.

“Some people might deserve severe punishment,” Roger said, “but not necessarily death. And even if they do deserve to die, it’s not our call to make, as much as we’d like to believe otherwise.” Roger was surprised. Judy had a good argument, but Roger knew his duty.

“But shouldn’t the punishment fit the crime? If a drunk driver kills someone, shouldn’t they be killed?” Judy asked.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Judy, face it. What you’ve done is utterly reprehensible and not justifiable in any sense of the word.”

“Well, you have a decision to make then, men. Arrest me or not. I know the Russian guy sees where I’m coming from. I can’t control what the two of you think. But remember, you’ll have to live with your actions for the rest of your lives. Any drunk who kills someone that could himself have died because of me, their blood is on your hands. I’m sorry if the two of you think drunk driving can be justified, and have no sympathy for my loss. I can stop many more from having the same loss. It’s your call, men, but you will be judged for it one day.”

At this, there was a moment of silence. Roger looked at Mikhail, and Mikhail looked back. After a minute, Roger spoke.

“Judy Jones,” he said, “you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent…"