Max
I’d hadmy fair share of encounters with the police in the years since I’d worked at the hospital and volunteered at the center. Most of the time, I’d just carried on with my work and let them do theirs while I treated the patient. Both our professions carried a sense of duty to the community and that came with a shared respect for each other.
I thought the officers that turned up at my apartment were joking when they told me they had to take me to the station. I even joked, asking them if I was being arrested for crimes against suitable movie picking.
When they uttered the words kidnapping and minor, I nearly fell to my knees. Who would have made such an accusation? Who even knew Lucy was with me? There was only one possible answer to those questions: My parents.
I knew better than to argue with two armed police officers, so I hoped that going of my own accord and without resistance would help my defense.
When Isaac walked through the door and wrongly assumed something had happened to Lucy, I wanted to take him in my arms so badly and reassure him that Lucy was okay. The tension in one of the officers was unmistakable, so I had no choice but to tell him what was happening without the opportunity to soften the blowin any way.
From then on, I was on autopilot. I made sure Isaac called Peter and was then taken to the police station. I tried not to think about Lucy and how she would feel when she found out what was happening. How had today gone so wrong?
The officers didn’t read me my rights since I wasn’t actuallybeing arrested, but they still advised me to not say anything until I was in the presence of my lawyer.
When we arrived at the station, the officers made me fill in some forms and then asked me to wait in a room devoid of any furniture apart from a table and chairs that were bolted to the floor. Before they closed the door behind them, they informed me that a detective would come in to see me shortly.
Two hours later there was no detective, and I was becoming more and more anxious because I didn‘t understand what was going onandhad no idea what was happening beyond the walls of the station.
Would Lucy be home already? Did she know there was a strong possibility that our dad was looking for her? I just wanted to wrap her in a safe bubble and give her the love and family she’d lost when she lost her mom. Lucy had smiled her way into my heart. There was no way I could consider a life where she wasn’t in it, and I was prettysure Isaac felt the same.
I paced the length of the room, focusing on how many steps it took to go from one wall to the other, and wondered how many times I’d have to follow the same steps back and forth before I could see the floor wearing out.
How many people had already done the same? How many guilty people had sat in the room pleading innocence? How many innocent people had sat in the room and had to plead guilty so they could getthe best deal?
The constant worry and pacing were making me overheat. I’d long ago placed my coat on the chair and then taken off my warm sweater, but even in a T-shirt, I was sweating. Then I worried that if I was all sweaty, the detective would probably think I was lying or guilty.
The turn of the lock on the door made me jump.
The detective that joined me in the room was nothing like what I expected. He was a short, stocky, and old man. He walked like something had injured him at some pointin his career.
In any other situation, I would have considered the man non-threatening, but his gaze alone pinned me down as guilty of all charges even if I hadn’t been charged yet.
“Mr. Moretti. Please take a seat.”
My stomach dropped when he called me by my old name, and I knew this wasn’t going to go down well. I sat on the chair opposite his, wanting to correct my name but not daring to challenge the man.
“Can you confirm your name and address?”
My details were on the forms I’d filled in earlier. How did he know my old name?
“Detective, shouldn’t I have my lawyer with me for this? I haven’t—”He cut me off with his hand.
“Mr. Moretti, I only want to ask you a few questions. There is no need for a lawyer to be present until you are charged.”
I balled my hands into fists under the table. I’d given him my legal name, and he still insisted on calling me by the wrong one.
“Can I have somewater, please?” I needed to calm down before I did something that would get me in more trouble.
“In a moment. Mr. Moretti. Can you tell me the nature of your relationship with Mr. Isaac Pereira?”
“What?”
“What is the nature—?”
“I heard the question, Detective. What does that have to do with me being here? What exactly am I about to be charged with? Surely I have rights.” My head was pounding, and I was losing my patience.
“If you don’t answer the question, Mr. Moretti, you will be charged with obstructing an active investigation.”
