Chapter 3 - The Police Arrive
Police cars entered the driveway within minutes.
Trevor changed before the officers reached the door.
His shoulders relaxed.
His voice softened.
He appeared concerned rather than aggressive.
“My wife had an accident,” he told them. “Her father misunderstood the situation.”
Officer Lena Ortiz looked at Rebecca.
“Can I speak with you alone?”
Trevor interrupted.
“She needs medical care.”
“That is why an ambulance is coming,” Lena said. “Now step away.”
A second officer escorted Trevor toward the kitchen.
Richard carried Emma while Rebecca sat on the sofa.
Lena crouched beside her.
“Did your husband cause these injuries?”
Rebecca looked toward the kitchen.
Trevor could not hear her.
But fear had trained her to feel watched even when he was not in the room.
“Yes.”
“Has this happened before?”
Rebecca’s hand moved toward her stomach.
“Yes.”
“How often?”
She could not count.
Lena photographed the bruises and scratches.
A paramedic examined Rebecca’s abdomen.
The baby’s heartbeat was present but elevated.
“We need to take you to the hospital.”
Trevor tried to follow.
Rebecca panicked.
“No.”
Lena blocked him.
“Mr. Hayes, you are not accompanying her.”
“This is my wife.”
“She requested that you stay away.”
Trevor looked at Rebecca.
The hatred in his eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Then he began crying.
“Rebecca, please. Tell them this was an accident.”
She had seen those tears before.
They always came after the violence.
This time, she looked away.
An officer placed Trevor under arrest for domestic assault.
As he was led outside, he twisted toward her.
“You think your father can protect you forever?”
Richard held Emma tighter.
“No,” he said. “But the truth might.”
Trevor smiled strangely.
May you like
Then he spoke one sentence that turned Rebecca’s blood cold.
“Ask her father why he really came today.”
