12. Brooke #3
And this was why I was sitting at my desk, and Daniel was doing the home visit.
I rubbed my temples and reached for my coffee. I took a sip, and it was cold. Of course, it was. I stood and carried the mug to the break room. I dumped it into the sink before pouring myself a fresh cup.
“Good morning.”
I glanced behind me and found Gloria standing in the doorway with a warm smile. “Looks like you’ve had a long morning.”
“You could say that.”
“Something with Dylan?”
“Yes, but you know I can’t talk about it.”
“Yes. I know. I also know that Lisa and Daniel are good at what they do.”
“So, you know they have taken over the case.”
“Yes.” She winced. “Everybody knows.”
I let out an embarrassed groan. “Of course they do.”
“I know it’s hard, but things will work out.”
“But what if they don’t?” I held up my hand and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I can’t talk about this right now.”
“It’s okay. I’m here if you need me.”
I nodded, then carried my coffee back to my desk. By lunchtime, I’d given up on trying to be productive. I took out my phone and looked through my messages to Brayden, hoping they might help distract me. They did, but not in the way I’d hoped.
Just seeing his name made me think about Ryan and the look on his face when I pulled out of the driveway. My stomach sank as I slipped my phone back into my purse.
I was just starting to collect myself when I heard the front door open. I looked up just in time to see Lisa walk into the office, and Daniel was right behind her. In a blink, I was on my feet and rushing toward them. “Well? What happened?”
“We met with the police. A detective went to Jimmy’s school and was able to pull him from class.” Lisa continued toward her office as she told me, “The situation is every bit as complicated as Dylan described.”
“So, there was a gun?”
“Yes,” Daniel answered. “It was Jimmy’s father’s, and he admitted to the officer that he’d shown it to Dylan and threatened him with it.”
Lisa sat down at her desk before continuing, “The officers have been to the house and have confiscated the weapon, and needless to say, the father wasn’t happy about having to turn it over.”
“I’m sure he wasn’t but thank goodness he did. Otherwise, who knows what Jimmy might’ve done.”
“Yeah, but he told the officer that he never intended to threaten anybody,” Daniel added. “He said Dylan teared up, and he panicked… He didn’t want Dylan to get him into trouble, so he tried to scare him. He tried several times to make it up to him, but it only seemed to scare Dylan even more.”
“Do you believe that?”
“It’s hard to tell, but yes. I do.”
“I do, too,” Lisa agreed.
“And what about the abuse?” I asked. “Do you think his father has been hurting him?”
“He didn’t really open up about that, but I would say there is definite cause for concern. We will need to complete an immediate investigation on his behalf.”
“Now, we have two children that need help instead of one.”
Daniel’s words settled over me.
Two children.
Not a victim and a villain. Two kids who had been carrying burdens far too heavy for their shoulders.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done on this case.” Lisa offered me a tired smile. “I’m hoping you can give Daniel a hand.”
“Of course.”
“I want a home visit done by the end of the week.”
“You don’t think we should go there today?”
“I think we have time. The weapon has been confiscated, and after our meeting with Jimmy, they will be expecting us to visit the home. I think it’s best to give it a little time.”
“Understood.”
For the first time all day, I felt some of the weight lift from my chest.
Not all of it. There was still Ryan. I needed to have a long talk with him about things, and I also had to prepare for Anslee’s first real meeting with her father and everything that would come after.
That was a lot, but somewhere across town, a little boy had finally opened up and told the truth. And now, he and his family were safe. That alone was enough to keep me going for another day. I was about to go over the notes Daniel had given me when my cell buzzed with a message.
I glanced down at the screen, and butterflies filled my stomach when I saw it was a message from Brayden.
Brayden:
Hey.
We’re on our way back.
Should be home later tonight.
Me:
Wow. That was a quick trip.
Brayden:
Handled what needed to be handled.
Me:
Good. Any thoughts on when you’d like to get together?
Brayden:
How does tomorrow afternoon sound?
Me:
That would be great.
I’m usually home by five-thirty. Unless you’d like to meet
somewhere else?
Brayden:
Your place is fine with me.
I’ll touch base later.
Me:
Okay. Have a safe trip home.
I waited a moment, hoping for another message, but no such luck. The butterflies remained, and that had me feeling guilty in a way I hadn’t expected. I figured it was my subconscious letting me know that I was teetering on the edge and needed to be careful.
I didn’t want to hurt Ryan any more than I already had.
I just wasn’t sure there was a way to hold on to the life I’d built without letting go of the one I’d never truly left behind.