TikTok. A 90-second video posted by Chad Prentice. Timestamp 3:15 that afternoon. Location Willow Ridge Community Pool. Preston Holloway was pushing a phone camera into my son's face at the shallow end, screaming, "Look at Widower Jr.
You going to cry to daddy?" Behind him Chad and Tanner were laughing. My son was trying to walk away with his rolled up towel. Chad reached over and yanked the towel out of Cooper's hand. Cooper's voice when he finally spoke was small.
"They wouldn't stop, Dad. I tried to leave." I sat down on his bed. I put a hand on his shoulder. I didn't say a word for a full minute because if I opened my mouth in that first minute, I would have said something that ended my career.
Then I said, "Buddy, are you hurt?" "No, just my towel." "Did any adults see?" "The lifeguard was looking at his phone. I don't think he saw."
"Do you have anyone at school you can talk to about this? A counselor?" Cooper shook his head. "I have you." I nodded.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do. We're going to have dinner. I'm going to read to you like when you were little if you want. And after that I'm going to go handle something. It's going to look like nothing to anyone watching.
Trust me." He nodded. We ate spaghetti. I read three chapters of The Hobbit out loud. When Cooper was asleep, I put on jeans, a plain gray sweatshirt, and running shoes.
No badge, no sidearm. I drove to the community pool. Preston, Chad, Tanner, and Bryson were in the hot tub. Four cans of Modelo on the deck. A Bluetooth speaker was playing EDM at a volume that was probably violating the community noise ordinance Vivian had personally drafted.
I walked to the edge of the hot tub. I didn't say anything. Preston looked up first. He smirked. "The widower's here.
What, coming to swim your feelings out?" I sat down on the concrete edge. Didn't take off my shoes. I sat close enough that our knees would have touched if the wall of the tub hadn't been between us. I spoke quietly.
Only Preston could hear. "Preston, you just added felony harassment of a minor to your file. That's two more counts." He blinked. "The— you talking about, boomer?"
"You'll find out." Chad leaned across the tub. "You threatening him, old man?" I turned to Chad, held eye contact. "Chad Prentice, born March 14th, 2003.