Broken // Michael Clifford [Finished For Now]

Chapter Twenty One

*****

Previously:

"Excuse me miss, can I help you with something?" He asked me in a calm voice as I continued to fix my scarf, my head down.

"Erm, yeah." I replied, unsure of how to ask him what I wanted. I still hadn't looked up at him yet, too focused on my scarf.

"Alright, well I am Officer Dohn-" he stopped mid-sentence as I looked up at him for the first time since my entrance.

"Ma'am are you alright? Are you here to report an assault? Do you need any medical attention?" He suddenly asked me in a slow voice, a look of concern taking over his features.

"Umm, no I just had a question. Why?" I wondered, finding his sudden change in character odd.

"Ma'am you have an obvious bruise on your left cheek and your scarf has make-up stains on it. Stains that probably happened when the coverup you used to hide the bruises that I can also see on your shoulders got wet and rubbed off onto it." He deduced, shifting from concerned to serious in a matter of seconds.

I wasn't sure how to respond so I didn't. I couldn't believe that the rain outside had been my downfall. The thing that erased my makeup and revealed the results of my father's most recent abuse. I didn't want him to find out that I was here and if he knew I was I didn't want to think about the consequences. I had to think of an excuse, and fast. The longer I stood here dumbfounded, the harder it would be to convince them that no one hurt me, even when it was obvious that someone had.

"Miss, I need you to answer me." Demanded Officer Dohn.

******

Currently:

Diana's POV

"I-I just..." I stuttered, finding it hard to think with the pressure building under the situation.

"You just what? I need you to tell me what happened and who did this to you." Pleaded Officer Dohn, lowering down to my height so he could look into my eyes.

"I just fell." I said while averting my eyes from his so he couldn't see through my obvious lies.

He sighed, disappointment practically seeping from his pores. "Ma'am, whoever you're protecting it isn't worth it. We can help you get away from them; protect you from them." He promised.

The thing was I didn't want to be taken away from my father. He was the only family I had left. Yes, he shouldn't be doing what he was, but I wanted to try and change him for the better. It may look like I needed to be protected, but I didn't want to think that way. I wanted to be strong enough to get my dad and I both through this without any other help.

"I told you Officer Dohn, I fell."

He stood back up to his normal height while shaking his head at my stubbornness. "If you don't tell me what happened then I can't help you."

"That is the truth." I insisted.

"Fine." He complied. "Why did you come here then?" He said sternly, irritated with my unwillingness to cooperate with his minnie interrogation.

"I was wondering if you had any unclaimed belongings in a closed case." I said.

"What case?"

"It was over the summer. The suicide of Courtney Mathews." I clarified.

"And who are you?" He wondered.

"Her daughter, Diana Mathews. I was the one who witnessed it." I told him while staring down at my feet and closing my eyes to stop them from welling up with tears at the memory.