Wrecked

Chapter 2

I glanced over at my attorney, he nodded indicating I could acknowledge Detective Franklin's greeting.
"Yes it has," was all I could reply.
She narrowed her eyes and sized me up. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair under her gaze.
"How's the pregnancy?" she asked, as if we were old friends.
Once again, Mr. Weinstein nodded that I could answer.
"Good," I said. "Not sure how the stress of all of this is going to affect it though."
"Hmm," she murmured as if contemplating the situation. "What brought you back to Tulsa?"
Mr. Weinstein nodded again.
"Taylor and I are having a baby," I answered. "We just bought a house together."
"Taylor as in Taylor Hanson?" she asked reviewing a case file. My case file from 15 years ago.
"That'd be him," I answered.
"Well, good for you two," she smiled. "Wouldn't have thought you two would've lasted this long."
"Well, we did," I said sharply. It wasn't technically a lie, since we were back together now, but regardless that wasn't any of her business and it was starting to annoy me the direction this line of questioning was going.
"I meant no disrespect," she looked up at me thoughtfully. "I just think it's nice you were able to work it out. However, this puts me in a bit of a pickle regarding Mr. Hanson, if he's known where you've been all this time -"
"He hasn't," I replied quickly. "We just found each other again a few months ago, well six months ago."
"I see," I got the feeling she didn't believe me.
"Where is this going, Linda?" Mr. Weinstein asked. They were on a first name basis so I knew this wasn't their first encounter.
"Just trying to get to the truth here, Alan," she replied. "A lot happened that night that we don't know about."
"Then perhaps you should be asking about that night then?" he pointed out.
"Perhaps you're right," she narrowed her eyes and reviewed the case file again. "So Ms. Lincoln, why don't you tell us what happened that night?"
Mr. Weinstein nodded but his expression implied to proceed cautiously.
So I told her what happened the night I escaped to New York. I omitted Taylor and Ike's role in the situation. I told her it was self defense, I kneed him in the crotch then hit him with something to knock him out.
"And then what happened?"
"I ran," I said. "I grabbed my bag from the backseat and took off again."
"Mr. Andrews said he saw you getting into a dark colored pickup truck?"
"I hitched a ride," I lied.
"And the person didn't think it was odd you were hitchhiking right next to a pulled over car where an adult male was lying knocked out on the ground?"
"They didn't ask," I shrugged. "And I wasn't gonna bring it up."
"What did you hit Mr. Andrews with?"
"Just something I found in the backseat," I said. "I don't remember what it was. It happened so fast."
"Where did you go when you ran off?"
"New York," I answered.
"New York?" she questioned, jotting something down. "Mighty expensive city you picked to run off to? How did you afford it?"
"I didn't steal it!"
"Mr. Andrews claims you stole his wallet that contained hundreds of dollars in cash?" she looked at me curiously. I couldn't tell if she believed anything I said or not.
"I didn't," I answered. "I took some money from him when I ran away from his house and ended up in Tulsa, but I earned my own money at the diner and -"
I stopped myself, I didn't want to say Taylor gave me the money, that would lead to more questions about him.
"And?"
"I think you got everything you needed Linda," Mr. Weinstein said.
"I still need to know where she got the money?"
"I just hitched rides," I lied. "When I got to New York I met my friend Jen and her parents let me stay with her. I didn't have any extra money other than what I earned at the diner."
"Satisfied?" my attorney asked her.
"No," she said. "But it'll do for now."
"When can I go home?" I asked.
She glanced at the clock, which was showing it was now past noon. "Depending on when they do your arraignment and if you can make bail, it could be as soon as this evening or as late as tomorrow evening."
My eyes widened in shock, "I might have to stay the night?"
Detective Franklin shrugged before walking out of the room.
"Try not to worry about that," Mr. Weinstein told me.
"I can't stay here," I cried.
"Just relax," he said. "We'll pull some strings, you'll be out later this afternoon."
Another officer, younger than the two who arrested me, entered the room.
"I'm sorry Ms. Lincoln," he said. "But we need this room now, so I'll be taking you to the holding cell.
I wanted to cry as once again my hands were being cuffed in front of me.
"Is this necessary?" I asked.
"It's procedure ma'am," he stated simply.
I just nodded in response.
I said my goodbyes to my lawyer and allowed the young officer to lead me out of the interrogation room.
As we were walking down the hall, an older man barreled out of an interview room and walked right into me shoving me to one side of the hall.
"Watch where you're going!" The young officer stated before turning to me. "Are you okay ma'am?"
But I couldn't speak. I just stared at the man who had ran into me. He looked much older now, the lines on his face more defined and his hair was almost completely grey, but it was definitely him. The man of my nightmares. My stepfather didn't immediately recognize me. I wasn't that 16 year old naive girl anymore. I know I too looked older and with the pregnancy weight it would be hard to see me as that same child who had left his house all those years ago.
He must've seen the fear on my face though because it suddenly came to him.
"Why little miss Amelia," his lips curled as he spoke and I cringed at the way he said my name. He eyed me up and down. "Well look at that, you went and got yourself knocked up. Am I going to have a granddaughter?"
I clenched my fists, subconsciously knowing it would do me no good since they were handcuffed in front of me. I swallowed hard before I finally spoke, "You are nothing to this baby."
"We'll see about that," he smirked. "Gonna be hard to raise the little one when you're in prison."
"Keep on moving, Mister," the young officer said before I could respond. He pointed the opposite way in which we were headed. "The exit is that way."
"I was just leaving officer," Mitch offered him a smile, before turning back to me. "I'll see you soon, Miss Amelia."
When he turned the corner of the hallway, I retched and leaned over, vomiting what little food was left in my stomach.
"I'm sorry," I softly cried to the officer.
"It's okay ma'am. Well get it cleaned up."
He told someone on his two way radio communicator and it crackled back as someone responded that they'd get someone on it.
"Are you okay?" he asked me.
I shook my head, "No. I need to go home."
I could see he took pity on me but there was nothing he could do.
"Let's get you to the holding cell," he said. "So you can lay down and get some rest."
I just nodded and allowed him to lead me down the hall, praying that they called me this afternoon for my arraignment so I could go home to my own bed and to Taylor.