My Best Friends Wedding

Investigation:Pain

"Ok Mr. Good let's..."

"Before we get started my client needs to be read his rights."

"Didn't you read him his rights when he was taken into custody at the scene? Or even when he was brought in here the first time?"

I recognized the voice and looked up slowly

"Daniel?"

"Hi Jon."

"So you're in on all of this too huh? You always were a follower."

"Look I know you and Maddy think everyone here is being run by Rick, but that's not the case. I'm sorry about my partner not reading you your rights."

He read me my rights and I just sat there studying him. I couldn't trust him at all. He was no different than everyone else here.

"Look Jon. Maddy told us what happened. We need your side."

"This Good Cop; Bad Cop game won't work on me you know. Maddy may have fallen for it but I'm not."

"This isn't a game."

"You're damn right it's not. You assholes are running around protecting that piece of shit and looking the other way at what he was doing. I know you saw what he did to her. If I hadn't stepped in he would've killed her. You know that right?"

"I know....look..."

"Why are you guys protecting him? You have the evidence. Look at what he did to her. What he did to my daughter. Why aren't you arresting him and charging him? Because his boss calls the shots around here? I was protecting her. He wasn't going to let her leave. I wasn't going to leave her there..."

"I understand that. I know there's a lot of emotions going on. But you have to understand that you can't just go around beating people like that..."

"Excuse me!? Do you even hear yourself? Does he get a free pass? Look I'm not denying that I did it. I did. I beat his ass and I'd do it again if I could. He should not have ever laid his hands on her. Ever. He should not have terrorized my 4 year old daughter."

"Jon...stop...listen to me. Listen. Hear me out. He doesn't get a free pass. There has been talk, rumors, anonymous calls for a while. It just hasn't been made public. We've been trying to get an investigation started but haven't been able to really. I know why you did what you did. But you and Rick were both wrong. You know that right?"

"I know. I didn't try to kill him. I know I beat him up pretty badly, but you weren't there. You have no idea. It...it was Maddy...I couldn't just leave her there like that."

He sighed and sat back in his chair. I didn't know what he was looking for. Deep down he knew I was right but he was insisting this continued. All that said to me was that he wasn't getting what he wanted to help the DA get their golden boy off.

"Jon, please. Can you just answer some questions?"

"Yeah. Fine. Whatever."

"Tell me what led up to yesterday."

"I came back into town to see Maddy. I'd gotten divorced. I missed her and I really needed to talk. I showed up at her old job not knowing she'd quit. I found out from her co-worker and where she lived. I pulled up to the house and saw a small child sitting on the front porch alone. I sat to talk to her. From inside a heard a scream so I rushed in. I found Maddy visibly upset in the kitchen. When I asked if she was alright he told me she burned her hand on accident, introduced himself and then went down the hall. When I went over to her I saw the bruises on her arm. She tried to deny it and kicked me out. We met  up a few times over the next few weeks. Kind of reconciled a bit...slept together...admitted our feelings. She wanted to leave but kept telling me She couldn't. She would keep telling me I didn't understand, that he'd never let her go. She even tried to lie and convince me that she loved him, but it was so obvious she didn't. Then she stopped calling. Stopped answering texts. Her best friend told me she basically disappeared. I didn't know he'd taken and destroyed her phone or that the violence was worse. I went to the house to confront her and talk but she wasn't there. Her friend was at the house too, concerned for her as well. He told me she was at a political rally downtown. So I got in the car and while in traffic I see Carly. She was barefoot, in pajamas, alone and on the corner of a busy intersection. She was terrified but was able to get out that he'd hurt Madison. I got her in the car and went to the rally. She rushed over as soon as he let her. He pretended to be relieved I'd found Carly. He agreed to let Maddy take her back to the house and let me give them a ride, but he pulled Maddy aside and said something to her. She turned white as a ghost and got silent. When we went back to her house she flipped out and told me I had to leave. I finally got her calmed down and convinced her to leave. She couldn't stay like that and when I saw her back I knew we had to go. Maddy freaked out when she heard the garage door. I picked up Carly and we started to leave. He came in and tried to stop us. When he lunged towards Maddy I put Carly down and sent her away. It didn't have to be a fight but he came after her again and I couldn't let it go so we started fighting. Maddy tried to jump in but he pushed her hard and she fell back. I lost it after that and just couldn't stop. But Maddy came over and pulled me away and told me she was alright. We took her things and left."