Chapter 1 #2
Nellie finally made her excuses and the second she was out of the house, she called her mother. “Mom,” Nellie said, cutting off some rant about the flowers at some country club party. “Did you know Ingram was hitting Sue Ellen?”
Her mother scoffed. “Where did you hear such a ridiculous, vile rumor?”
“Mom, it’s not a rumor.”
Her mother sighed. She’d grown in social standing since Sue Ellen’s marriage.
And now that Mrs. Faust was sick, her mother was stepping into the queen-bee role.
“Ingram is such a nice, upstanding man. I’m sure this is a vicious rumor by that woman running against him for judge.
Speaking of Ingram, did you know he just gifted your father and me a full year’s membership to the club?
That’s fifteen thousand dollars! It wouldn’t hurt you to find a man like that. ”
Nellie wanted to vomit. No man like Ingram would ever touch her. “Thanks for clearing this up for me, Mom. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Nellie hung up, not wanting to hear another word.
She drove straight to Sue Ellen’s and parked in the driveway.
She popped her trunk and pulled out the tire iron.
She knocked and rang the bell, but no one answered.
“I’m coming in, Sue Ellen!” Nellie called out before pulling out the key Ingram didn’t know she had and unlocking the front door.
The house was immaculate. Nothing was out of place, which, having two children under seven, was near impossible. The sound of muffled sobbing drew Nellie up the sweeping staircase and into the primary bedroom. Her sister was curled up in a ball, crying into a fancy decorative pillow.
“Oh, Sue Ellen,” Nellie said softly to not scare her sister.
Sue Ellen lifted her head from the pillow and Nellie grimaced. Sue Ellen’s blonde hair was still in a perfect twist, but her blue eyes were red from crying and her makeup smeared all over her face. Her lip was red and not from her lipstick and a bruise was blooming under her foundation.
“James Avery told you, didn’t he?” Sue Ellen said, her voice completely flat. “Good. I wasn’t strong enough to do it. Nell, what do I do? He said he’ll kill me if I tell anyone.”
“Then he’ll have to kill me too. Pack yours and the kids’ things, including all your legal documents. Grab birth certificates, passports, your marriage license — everything you can get your hands on. I’m calling the sheriff’s office.”
Sue Ellen shook her head. “The deputies won’t do anything except call Ingram or Sheriff Faust.”
“I’ll handle it. Just start packing. You are never going to come back to this house again.”
Sue Ellen nodded, defeat written clearly on her face. “I wasn’t brave enough to tell you. I knew you’d help me, but I couldn’t find the strength to tell anyone. I tried once with Mom, but she told me I must have misunderstood the situation even as the bruises were on my face.”
“Well, I’m not Mom. We’re making a report, you’re leaving and moving in with me, and you’re filing for divorce and a restraining order.”
“I’m not strong enough, Nell. I just feel so beaten down at this point.”
“But I am. Let’s pack.”
Nellie filled her car and Sue Ellen’s minivan with everything they could pack, which was quite a substantial amount.
Nellie called the sheriff’s office, but used the neighbor’s address as Sue Ellen looked around the house once more.
It didn’t take long for the deputies to arrive.
Nellie pushed record on her phone and stuck it in her jean pocket with the camera clear to record everything.
Because Sue Ellen was right. This wasn’t going to do any good.
“Over here!” Nellie called out to the confused pair of deputies who were currently walking toward the neighbor’s house. “I called you.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re responding to a DV call.”
“Harry, I’ve known you since you were five years old.
You don’t need to call me ma’am. I called in using the neighbor’s address so that no one notified Ingram or Sheriff Faust before I had a chance to give my statement.
” Harry frowned and his partner was already pulling out his phone.
“Victor, don’t you dare call him until the report is taken.
” Victor froze as Nellie used the voice she used on students who were running in the halls.
It was a very small town. She’d known both of these men her whole life. But then again, they’d known Ingram too. They’d all gone to school together.
They didn’t look happy about it, but they followed her inside. Nellie watched them as they caught their first look at Sue Ellen. The two men exchanged a glance, and even though they’d been affected by her sister’s injuries, they’d had to get back to disbelieving her.
They only asked a few questions. They pushed back when Sue Ellen said it was Ingram who had done this and that this wasn’t the first time.
Finally, Harry closed his notebook, in which he hadn’t written anything.
“Sue Ellen,” he said as if she were a child.
“We all know this isn’t going anywhere. Just like when Ingram got pulled over for a DUI in high school.
If I file anything, the only person who will be punished will be you. ”
“How does that make you feel, Harry? Victor? You are supposed to protect people, yet you’re sending a clearly abused woman back to her abuser because you don’t want to piss off the Fausts?” Nellie asked.
“You know it won’t do any good, and I’ll be tossed back to speed traps,” Harry complained.
“Ingram has gotten powerful enough in his own right that he doesn’t need Daddy Mayor or Cousin Sheriff to clean up his messes anymore,” Victor added. “But he’ll use them both to punish us.”
“Just take the damn pictures of the injury and file the report. Do your damn jobs,” Nellie snapped at them.
Sue Ellen began to shake when Nellie raised her voice.
The two officers stared at her and then sighed.
They nodded and grudgingly took a single photo of Sue Ellen’s face.
The report would be short. It wouldn’t have details, but it would at least be in the public record until Ingram or his father found a way for it to disappear, which was exactly why Nellie was recording it.
The officers left and Sue Ellen looked ready to panic. They’ll have called Ingram before they even get into their car. “Do you have security cameras in the house?” Nellie asked.
Sue Ellen nodded. Nellie turned her video on again and recorded Sue Ellen opening the app, logging in, and then she put her phone on the table. “I can’t watch this.”
Nellie nodded as she recorded the images of Ingram in a rage over the fact that they were running low on creamer for his coffee. Nellie captured it all and then handed Sue Ellen her phone back after forwarding the video clips from the security app to her email for additional backup of evidence.
“Let’s go.”
Nellie watched her sister drive out of the garage and head toward her house. Nellie had already placed an order for security cameras. She just needed to swing by the store and pick them up. Then she’d meet her sister, unload her car enough to grab the kids, and lock themselves up for a battle.
“Johnny,” Nellie said into the phone as she drove toward the store. “I need an attorney to represent Sue Ellen in a divorce. Will you do it?”
Her friend since kindergarten and one of two private attorneys in town laughed. “Are you serious? You won’t find an attorney in a three-county area that will take this case. It’s career suicide. You know I love you and Sue Ellen, but Nell, I can’t.”
“Three-county area, huh? Okay then. Charleston it is.”
Nellie searched for family law attorneys as she waited for her security cameras to be delivered to her car once she pulled up to the store.
It took six calls, but she finally found one—Jonathan Maybury.
He was older and said it was perfect because he was retiring soon and didn’t care about some family in Holland Springs.
“I’ll have a motion for a protection order prepared within the hour.
Have your sister call me so we can have all the documents signed. ”
“Thank you, Mr. Maybury. I will.”
It wasn’t easy, but Sue Ellen told Mr. Maybury everything. The extra deadbolt also came in handy once Ingram learned about the call to the sheriff’s office. He pounded at Nellie’s door until Mr. Maybury appeared with a private investigator.
“Sir, I have video evidence of the police assisting you in a cover-up. I have a taped accounting of the abuse from witnesses and victims. I also have your home security footage that I bet you’ve already deleted.”
Nellie wanted to laugh from where she was standing, blocking the door with a cast iron skillet in her hand, ready to swing.
“You’re hereby served with divorce papers. Now, you play nice and leave Miss Sue Ellen alone or these videos will be turned over to the public. I believe the state attorney general and the governor would have something to say about a judge behaving like this.”
God love Mr. Maybury.
Ingram pursed his lips. “My lawyer will be in contact.”
Mr. Maybury smiled. “Good. I’ll be waiting.” After Ingram left, Mr. Maybury turned to Sue Ellen. “Six months and it’ll all be over.”