Chapter 6 #2
“There are too many inconsistencies for my liking,” Garrett finally said in that slow, determined way he had.
“For starters, he hit you. I’m not saying that as a man, or your friend, I’m saying that as a cop.
He could have just as easily run past you or hidden in the parlor until you went to call 911 or done any manner of things.
Hell, he could have broken a window and fled that way.
We both know the windows in those old houses aren’t for shit.
But he didn’t. He decided to come at you, decided to make it physical and lay hands on you.
That kind of assault is more often personal than anything else.
Then he stuck around for an hour, presumably looking for whatever he was there for in the first place while you were unconscious on the floor.
That’s not the behavior of a burglar who got scared by the homeowner.
When you put that together with the vandalism and the attempted entry at your back door…
” he let the sentence hang ominously. “We’re going to need to talk about your exes or anyone who has a grudge, in addition to cataloging anything valuable you have on site.
I’ll also need you to do a run through to see what he took,” he paused and looked her straight in the eye.
“So yeah, I want you staying with someone for the near future.”
His speech was long and heartfelt and Serena absorbed every word of it.
Until Lila’s quiet question about whether she’d been raped, she’d been brushing this off as a burglary gone wrong.
Positive that steady, careful Garrett Hanson was overthinking this.
Now she wasn’t sure of anything, and she didn’t like it.
She’d made a life being in control at all times, and now everything had been turned upside down and inside out.
“I don’t know what to think about this.” She looked around the hospital waiting room, thankful they were the only ones here while they were having this discussion.
Tongues would already be wagging all across town regarding the gaggle of emergency responders at the cafe.
“Can I go back to The Menagerie so I can do that thinking in a familiar place?”
Garrett nodded, “Sure. Use the back door, okay? We’ve already ruled that out as an entry point. He came and went through the front door. Also, I need to confirm who has keys.”
The fact he thought her assailant had failed at getting in the back door, so had moved to the front was unspoken and loud as a shout.
“Only me, Madeline and Gena,” Serena said. “I can’t think of anyone who’d want to do this. My ex would never, ever even consider something like this, and we both know that Madeline made friends, not enemies.”
Garrett nodded. “Keep thinking on it, okay?” The mic at his shoulder squawked and he gave a quick motion of apology and answered. It was the dispatcher, calling him back to the office soonest. “I have to head out, but I don’t want to leave without knowing you’re going to be okay.”
“I can take you home,” Walker offered, his voice gone sober. He turned to the man she hadn’t been introduced to yet. “Kujo, you're welcome to come along or you can head up to the ranch if you’d like. You’ve got the coordinates in your GPS, right?”
The man--what kind of name was Kujo?--nodded. “I know how to get there. I’ll see you in a while.” He dipped a nod in Serena’s direction and turned and walked away.
Walker turned back to her, his expression so earnest it started melting away her reservations before he spoke a word.
“I’m sorry if you think we were being high handed.
I know I’m speaking for both of us when I say that wasn’t our intent.
On that note, I really believe it’s best for you to come stay at the ranch, even only overnight while you consider your options and we make sure you don’t have any long-lasting medical implications. ”
Garrett interjected. “Do you have a girlfriend you could stay with? I don’t want you to think your only options are to go with Landry,” he said.
“But I do want you staying the night with someone, as I’m sure Doc Pearson said.
And I’d like to have one of my deputies sit surveillance at your place tonight to see if he comes back.
It’d be better if you considered closing tomorrow morning as well. ”
Dammit, everything the two men were saying was so reasonable that she felt silly for pushing back. But it was all moving a little too fast for her liking, even if it did make sense.
Regardless of where she stayed overnight, at least it wouldn’t be here at the hospital.
Serena thought about asking to stay with Gena and Carmen but knew they were already bursting at the seams with the three of them.
She’d been so consumed with recreating The Menagerie into what she’d had in her head that she hadn't really taken the time to acquaint herself with any other women in town. Hadn’t created a girl group other than Lila and Gena, who were also hella busy.
She’d dived into the work all day before going upstairs to sleep at night and started all over again the next day. Between the renovations and making the rounds with free coffee and pastries, she simply hadn’t had the time.
Despite every intention to the contrary she’d become her father. Sacrificing all for business. The apple apparently didn’t fall far from the tree.
“Let me think about it on the way to the house. That way I can grab some clothes while I look to see if anything is missing.”
Garrett nodded in agreement as they followed Kujo through the emergency room doors and into the spring morning. “Let me know if you find anything, and I’ll be there right away to document it.”
Even as she climbed into Walker’s big pickup, she knew what her decision was going to be. She was going to go to this ranch, at least until Garrett decided it was safe to return home.
[Jenn: I’m gonna want to brainstorm a scene where they went from friends to lovers, or where she felt super safe with him]