A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 11

The police station was smaller than Sidney thought it would be. They drove through a secured door that led into a fenced-in area. Officer Barnes let her out into what was essentially an enclosed garage. Through the door, there were a handful of people working the intake area. Some wore police uniforms, while others wore medical scrubs. Barnes removed her cuffs and took her picture. Next, a female wearing scrubs took her into a separate room to search her, which wasn't hard since she wore a wetsuit. Surprisingly, this was not a strip search but a thorough pat-down search.

She returned to the booking room and sat at a small desk as the arresting officer took down her information. It felt strange to tell a stranger her entire life history. She thought about her apartment and her belongings. Sidney wondered if she would ever see all that again and quickly shamed herself for that selfish thought. She was fingerprinted at the desk using a touchpad, and then the officer told her to walk over to a grey solid door on the other side of the room.

Officer Barnes opened the door with a key and told Sidney to enter. Sidney saw that you could only turn to the left or right as there was no passage forward. Barnes directed her to turn right. For the first time, she saw three jail cells. Things started to feel real now for her. Tears started to well up inside her, and while the thought of being locked in a cell without being able to leave frightened her, she was ready to release this pent-up emotion.

"We're going back to the cell at the end," the officer told her. Sidney walked down the short hallway, noticing no one in any of the other cells. She stopped before the cell door as the officer inserted the key and opened the cell. "Step in, please." With only the slightest hesitation, Sidney obeyed. She thought, "These are my last seconds of freedom for the rest of my life." As soon as she was inside, the door closed loudly behind her.

"I heard why you're here, and while I disagree with what you did, he sounded like a real jerk. The detectives won't be here for about an hour or so. Enough time if you need to get it all out and compose yourself if you know what I mean. I don't think anyone will be here for a while, so you can get a little loud." She then handed Sidney a handkerchief, "Keep it." She gave Sidney a quick, sympathetic smile and then left.

As soon as the door to the cells closed, it happened. Sidney hadn't cried since she learned that Lawson had cheated on her. She began to sob uncontrollably. Questions raced through her mind. How did I let it come to this? Why did I hit him with that scuba tank? I thought it would put a knot on his head, not kill him. He fell and hit the deck chair, and then he died. Why didn't I call for help sooner? Why didn't I tell the truth to start with? I waited too long, and now they think I wanted him to die. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now, I will live the rest of my life in a cage. I was supposed to be a good person with a family. Now I'm a criminal. I ruined everything. All these thoughts flowed through her mind as the tears freely flowed.

The wait was more like two hours before a guard returned. "Miss Lewis," a male guard called, "I need you to come with me. Detective Taylor is ready to talk to you." Sidney got up and offered her hands to be cuffed again. "That won't be necessary, ma'am," he said as the door slid open. He led her into a small room with a single table and two chairs inside. "Have a seat there; he'll be with you shortly," and he left the room.

After a few minutes, the detective entered the room. "Miss Lewis, I'm Detective Roger Taylor of the Warrenton Police Department. You've had a busy day today; why don't you tell me about it."

"Where do you want me to start?" she sheepishly replied.

"Well, let's start with the last time you talked to the deceased. What was your exact relationship to him?"

"He was my fiancée. We've been dating for over two years."

"Okay. Was there any abuse? Did he ever beat you?"