One of my favorite scenes from this short story. A concerned mother comes into the police station and speaks to Detective Kevin Abruzzo, Lisa’s ex. The mother confesses that she has been abused by her unstable daughter.
Detective Kevin Abruzzo was running late. He jumped up from his desk, strapped on his weapon and was about to leave, until the phone rang on his desk, the ancient annoying beeping sound heard in most police stations. It was the desk sergeant downstairs. Shit! Kevin looked down at his cell phone. Lisa texted him five minutes ago: -hi kev be at fat cat in 10 🙂
Kevin had to meet her. He was surprised that she even agreed. He couldn’t be held up. He grabbed the phone, knowing he had to do his job. Kevin was day 14 as a detective.
“Abruzzo,” he said, and listened as the sergeant filled him in. Kevin nodded reluctantly. “Send her up.”
He sat back down at his desk, disappointed. He texted Lisa quickly: -got held up be there shortly sorry-
He waited, looking for a reply back quickly, but didn’t get one. It worried him. He was praying he had a chance to fix things with Lisa, but was willing to accept it may never happen. Damage done. He looked around and realized he was the only detective on the floor. They were all out on calls, his colleagues, the more senior detectives. The lieutenant went home with an upset stomach. Kevin turned around and noticed a woman approaching his desk. She was older, moving slowly. He could see a terrible bruise on her face. He felt bad for her. She managed to smile at him even through her painful looking face. His heart went out to her. He got up and held out the chair at his desk for her.
“Thank you,” she said. Her voice sounded tired and her swollen lips made it look difficult for her to speak. He went back around and sat down behind the desk. They looked at each other.
“Sorry,” she said. “It hurts when I talk.”
“I’m sure,” Kevin said, glancing quickly down at his phone. Lisa still hadn’t replied to his last text. She’s mad. I can’t win.
“I’m Detective Abruzzo,” he said. “Have you been looked at?”
“I went to Weiss,” she said. “I’ll be okay….think it looks worse.”
“What happened?” Kevin said.
She hesitated, “I’m…I’m Virginia Rogers, my….my daughter did this.”
“I’m very sorry Mrs. Rogers.”
“Miss,” she said. “I kept his name, but I’m divorced. I may be old but you can call me Ginny.”
“Sure,” Kevin said.
Virginia looked around. “You’re alone. It seems quiet for a police station.”
“Right now,” Kevin said. “The other detectives are out on calls.”
“You’re very young,” she said. “Are you new?”
Is it that obvious?
“Young?” Kevin said. “I’m forty-two. Been a cop awhile, was just promoted to detective.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re still young,” Virginia said. “My daughter is thirty-eight. I had hopes she’d find a young man like you. She almost did.”
They had a moment of silence. Virginia looked away from him like she was embarrassed.
“Are you going to press charges?” Kevin said. “That’s an obvious assault.”
Virginia’s eyes bucked, “Oh no! She needs help….I don’t know where else to go.”
“You can press charges,” Kevin said.
“She can’t be locked up…she’s emotionally unstable.”
“Mrs, I mean Ginny, can you tell me what happened?”
She cut her eyes to the floor briefly, and then looked back up.
“Can you tell me?” Kevin said. “I know it’s difficult. Just take your time.”
“Are you going to lock her up?”
“I can’t do anything if you don’t press charges.”
“I can’t,” Virginia said.
“Okay,” Kevin said. “Just tell me why you came here. What would you like me to do?”
“It was a gun, a rifle,” Virginia said.
“Rifle?”
“Yes, a rifle….it was big.”
“She hit you with it,” Kevin said.
Her eyes became glassy. “The back of it….I think. I thought she was going to shoot me.”
“Has she been abusing you?”
“No, oh no please…this has never happened before.”
“Is the rifle hers?”
“It’s her father’s.”
“Does she own a firearm of any kind?”
“No, never.”
“Did her father give her the rifle?”
“No!” Virginia said. “She took it from him.”
Kevin became worried. “Is her father okay?”
“He’s fine. I didn’t know any of it until he called me. He said they’d gone deer hunting down in the county…he said it was missing. She’d been staying with him and never told me. She padlocked her door, I broke the lock and found the rifle.”
“So she stole his rifle?”
“Yes. She was so angry with me for breaking into her room…she…she hit me with it.”
Virginia could no longer fight the tears. She broke down crying. Kevin didn’t know what to do. He grabbed a tissue box on his desk and held it out to her. She didn’t take any. Kevin put the box down in front of her.
“Mrs…..Ginny. I’m very sorry all this happened.”
She finally grabbed some tissue and started wiping her eyes, wincing at the pain it caused. Kevin felt a vibration on his phone, but ignored it, instead he grabbed a note pad and pen from his desk.
“What is your daughter’s name?”
Virginia cleared her throat. “Karrie, with a K, Rogers.”
Kevin jotted it down. “What do you think is going on with your daughter?”
“She’s losing her mind,” Virginia said.
“She’s obviously a threat after what she did to you.”
“I never thought,” Virginia said. “But it’s my fault. I never taught her how to deal with men. I never really knew myself.”
“Is a man involved?” Kevin said. “Is there someone we should contact?”
“I don’t know anything,” Virginia said. “She never got over a break up from five years ago with Brand.”
“Brand?”
“Yes that’s his name. She thought he was going to marry her, but he broke up with her. She became very depressed, even started therapy, but she hasn’t been going to her doctor.”
Kevin jotted down more notes. “Ginny, is she still in contact with Brand?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You say he broke up with her five years ago?”
“Five years ago this month,” Virginia said.
“After she hit you, where did she go?”
“I don’t know. She stormed out of the house.”
“Did she take the rifle with her?”
“Yes,” Virginia said. “She did.”