I blink, bouncing Ross in my arms absentmindedly. Not exactly the question I was expecting, but honestly, it’s better than a hard no, that’s for sure.
“Like what?”
“Such as forms identifying that you were living together,” she tells me brusquely. “You mentioned that you cohabitated with him for several years. Do you have the address of the place you lived in? Any paperwork relating to your stay there?”
“I have the address, but I don’t think he put me on any of the paperwork,” I reply apologetically, quickly reeling off what I can remember. “Why?”
“Because we have further information regarding a potential case against him,” she replied. “As delivered by his parents.”
My stomach flips. No way can I have heard that right. Given everything Thom told me when we were together, it seemed like his mother would do everything she could to keep her reputation spotless, and any trouble he got into, she would do her best to keep under wraps. And Martin, no matter what happened between us, is his father. It’s hard to believe that he would choose anyone over his son.
But then I look down at the little boy in my arms, and something clicks. That’s exactly it. He hasn’t chosen anyone over his son. He has done the right thing and he did it for Ross, for Matty, for me. He saw what Thom did to me, how he came at me like he was owed something, and it must have clicked for him that he was never going to be able to convince him to stop.
“I see,” I reply, swallowing hard, doing my best to keep my voice neutral. “Maybe I could come down to the station and see what I can corroborate?”
“We’ll send a car. Are you free now?”
“Uh, yes,” I reply, glancing at my watch. Sofia is coming over this evening to watch some trashy reality TV finale with me; I know she won’t mind covering the twins for me, if she knows it has to do with taking Thom down for good. “How long will it be…?”
I finish up with the twins and put them to bed, and by the time Sofia arrives, I’m dressed in the smartest clothes I can muster, hoping that I pass as someone who deserves to be listened to.
“Damn, where are you going, a job interview?” Sofia exclaims as soon as she opens the door. “I know you take this show seriously, but?—”
“I’m actually going to the police station,” I explain as I pull her into a quick hug. “Can you watch the twins for me? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“The police station?”
“Don’t worry,” I assure her when I notice the freaked-out expression on her face. “It’s good news. At least, I think so. I’ll fill you in when I’m back.”
“Go get ’em, tiger,” she replies, giving my arm a supportive squeeze.
Outside, I hear a car pull up on the sidewalk, and look down to see an off-duty police vehicle waiting for me. Inhaling deeply, I hold my head high and make my way to the elevator. I want to exude complete confidence, no matter how much shakiness is threatening my insides right now. If this is what I think it is, then I need to leap on the chance to do the right thing, and put this to rest for good.
This visit to the police station is like night and day compared to my first. I’m greeted by the officer I spoke to on the phone, and she offers me a coffee and hustles me through to a private room where she fusses over me, making sure I’m comfortable and settled before she launches into everything that she’s brought me here for.
And there’s so much, I can hardly take it all in. She goes over all the information that’s been delivered by Martin and Thom’s mother, a history that goes beyond even what I could have imagined for him. Truth be told, I should have known that he wouldn’t stop his abuse at the front door of our apartment, but I had been so consumed with just surviving it that I had hardly imagined what he was doing when I wasn’t around.
By the looks of it, he was intent on terrorizing the entire city, not just me. There are endless stories about bar fights, punch-ups with people who were unfortunate enough to look at him the wrong way, previous girls that he was interested in who’d had to deal with his overtly creepy attention. Most of that had stopped when I got together with him, at least, and there’s something close to relief in knowing that I spared other women at least some of his cruelty.
And I’m able to corroborate most of it with my memories of the time we were living together. The specific nights that he stayed out late are burned into my mind, because I spent so many of them awake, pacing the floor, terrified that if I dared fall asleep, he would shake me awake to scream at me for my laziness. He did a decent of covering up his bruises from me, or perhaps I had just been looking at him through the lens of such terror that I hadn’t noticed anything other than the fact that he was finally home.
Everything was covered up over the years—dropped charges by the people he had attacked, cases that were scrapped before they went anywhere, CCTV that had vanished before it could even be recalled by the police. It’s hard to believe that Martin would have let him get away with so much, but God knows, none of us are perfect. The fact that he’s doing what needs to be done now after he saw the hell his son put me through means more to me than I think I will ever be able to put into words.
But I know I have to try.
It’s late into the night by the time that we’re finished; Karen offers to let me come back tomorrow, but I insist on getting it all done now. It feels like an exorcism, in a way, a chance to get all of this mess out of my head for good and leave it here in this room where it belongs. By the time we’re done, she extends her hand to shake mine.
“Thanks for your time,” she tells me warmly. “If there’s anything else we need, we’ll be sure to be in touch.”
“Anything,” I promise her. “Please, don’t hesitate. You have my number. And I’ll come down to the station whenever you need me.”
She walks me to the door and sees me to a car which drives me back across the city and home again. I lean my head against the window and look out at the city streets beyond, and it strikes me, for the first time in a long time, that I’m not looking for him. For Thom’s face staring out at me from the crowd. For so long, it’s been his face in my nightmares, the memory of him and his cruelty that has plagued me, the torment of knowing that he must be somewhere close by and that he could swing down and strike at any moment.
But now? Now, he’s the one who should be scared. He’s the one with hell waiting to rain down on him. And I know it may not be the most mature approach in the world, but I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes that the people he has relied on to keep him safe for so long are well and truly done with him.
“Thank you,” I tell the driver, who nods at me in the mirror when he drops me off. I head into the apartment building and take the stairs two at a time, feeling oddly energized despite the fact it’s past midnight. Like I could do every step twice over and still have energy to play with the twins all night.
I slip the key into the lock as quietly as I can and sneak into the apartment, determined not to wake anyone. Sofia is asleep on the couch, the show we were going to watch together playing on low as she lies with her head back and her mouth open. I grin, and grab a blanket from the edge of the seat and drape it over her. I’ll wake her in the morning and tell her everything, but for now, she needs her rest.
