Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN WHO KEPT SHARPENING
Daniel did not resist until the handcuffs closed around his wrists.
Then he pulled away so hard that the officer nearly lost his grip.
“This is a mistake.”
“I have friends at the sheriff’s office.”
“I work for the county.”
“You’re going to regret humiliating me.”
The officer pushed him against the wall.
“The only person humiliating you is you.”
Lorraine began shouting.
“My son is the victim.”
“She has been poisoning him against his own family.”
Officer Holloway turned toward her.
“Place your purse on the floor.”
Lorraine clutched it against her chest.
“No.”
“Place it on the floor.”
“I said no.”
The officer reached for the purse.
Lorraine tried to pull it away.
Two nurses backed against the wall as the strap snapped.
The contents spilled across the tile.
A wallet.
A rosary.
A packet of tissues.
A pair of leather gloves.
And a long metal sharpening file wrapped in a stained dish towel.
The hallway became silent.
Officer Holloway put on gloves and lifted the file.
Dark material clung to one edge.
Lorraine stared at it.
“That is for gardening.”
“In December?”
“We live in Texas.”
“That does not explain the stain.”
Daniel stopped arguing.
He looked at his mother.
For one second, something passed between them.
Not fear.
A warning.
Officer Holloway saw it too.
She placed the tool inside an evidence bag.
Then she ordered another officer to detain Lorraine.
Lorraine’s face twisted.
“You cannot do this.”
“I never touched her.”
“You can explain that downtown.”
As officers led them away, Daniel turned toward my room.
“Elena.”
I looked at him through the open doorway.
His face was red.
His eyes were cold.
“You know what happens if they find out everything.”
I did not know what he meant.
But Lorraine did.
She jerked toward him.
“Stop talking.”
The officer tightened his grip.
Daniel smiled at me.
Even in handcuffs, he wanted me frightened.
“You think losing the baby was the worst thing that could happen?”
Officer Holloway stepped between us.
“That is enough.”
Daniel continued looking at me until the elevator doors closed.
The hallway finally became quiet.
I thought I would feel relief.
Instead, his words settled inside me.
If they find out everything.
Officer Holloway returned to my bedside.
“Do you know what he meant?”
“No.”
She looked toward the evidence bag containing Lorraine’s metal file.
“We found blood on that tool.”
My hand moved to my empty stomach.
“Mine?”
“We do not know yet.”
May you like
She paused.
“But based on the condition of the stain, it may have been there before this morning.”
