“My father attacked me because my fiancé refused to leave me for my sister.”
The sentence sounded impossible when spoken aloud.
Yet every word was true.
While they prepared me for the CT scan, a police officer entered the room. He introduced himself as Detective Aaron Beckett.
He was in his early forties, with tired eyes and a voice that made no promises.
“Ms. Davis, I understand you’re in pain. I’ll keep this brief.”
“My family planned it.”
Wyatt glanced at me.
Detective Beckett pulled a chair closer.
“What makes you believe that?”
“They kept saying I wouldn’t move. My sister said they had asked nicely. My father told Wyatt he had to marry Melanie. And then—”
My voice cracked.
“There was an old man inside the house.”
“What old man?”
“I don’t know. I saw him behind the curtain when the ambulance took me away.”
Detective Beckett wrote it down.
“Had you ever seen him before?”
“No.”
“Did he appear to be in danger?”
“I don’t know. He looked frightened.”
The detective nodded.
“We’ll check the residence.”
A second officer appeared at the doorway and motioned to him.
Detective Beckett stepped outside, but the door did not fully close.
I heard the officer say, “We’ve got witnesses.”
“How many?”
“Six so far.”
Wyatt’s head lifted.
The officer continued.
“An electrician saw the father holding the brick. Two delivery drivers were across the street. A mail carrier heard the argument. A neighbor recorded part of it from her porch. Landscaper says the family had been digging behind the garage all afternoon.”
Digging?
I looked at Wyatt.
He had heard it too.
Detective Beckett returned to the room with a different expression.
“Ms. Davis, several people have provided statements supporting your account.”
“Did you arrest them?”
“Your father is in custody. Your mother and sister are being questioned.”
“And the old man?”
“We haven’t found him yet.”
The words sent a chill through me.
“Then look harder.”
“We will.”
Before he could say more, an orderly arrived to take me for imaging.
The scan showed three fractures around my left eye, a broken cheekbone, and a deep laceration that required surgery.
But the ophthalmologist brought the first small mercy of the night.
“My preliminary examination suggests your eye itself is intact,” he said. “The swelling and bleeding are affecting your vision, but I believe there is a strong chance it will return.”
