Chapter 3 - The Statement
The living room was quiet except for the hum of the old refrigerator in the adjacent kitchen and the rustle of Officer Reeves’s notepad.
Officer Reeves sat on the edge of the wooden coffee table, his dark navy uniform crisp, his body camera recording every angle of the room. He leaned forward, keeping his posture non-threatening as he looked at Ethan.
"Ethan," Reeves said softly, his voice striking a careful balance between professional duty and gentle empathy. "My name is Officer Mark Reeves. I need you to take a deep breath and tell me what happened this morning—and what happened to your arm."
Ethan looked up from his cup of tea. He glanced at Elias, who stood like a silent sentinel beside the sofa, his broad hand resting lightly on the back of the couch near Ethan’s shoulder.
"It... it started three weeks ago," Ethan whispered, his voice cracking. "After my dad died... Miranda started getting angry about everything. If I didn't clean the kitchen fast enough, if I didn't get straight A's..."
"Take your time, son," Reeves noted, his pen moving smoothly across the notepad.
"Last night," Ethan continued, tears welling in his eyes again, "she came into my room because I forgot to turn off the porch light. She grabbed me out of bed by my arm. She slammed me against the door frame. She told me if I ever told my grandfather... she'd make sure I was sent to a state group home where nobody would ever come see me."
Elias’s fist tightened so hard against the back of the sofa that the wood creaked under his grip.
Officer Reeves stood up slowly. He looked at the second officer standing near the doorway. "Call Child Protective Services. Request an immediate emergency protective order and an on-site medical evaluation team."
Outside on the porch, Miranda could be heard pacing, her high heels clicking loudly against the wooden deck boards as she spoke frantically into her cell phone.
"You don't understand who I am!" Miranda’s voice echoed through the screen door. "My late husband was Richard Carter! Our family owns Carter Development! I will have your badge for this!"
Officer Reeves walked to the front door, opened it, and stepped onto the porch, shutting the screen door behind him.
"Mrs. Carter," Reeves said, his voice dropping into a stern, legal authority. "You are currently the subject of an active criminal investigation for felony child abuse and domestic battery. You need to turn around, place your hands behind your back, and step down to the cruiser."
Miranda’s phone slipped from her hand, bouncing off the wooden porch floor.
May you like
"You can't be serious!" she yelled, her voice pitching higher into panic. "It was a discipline issue! He was being disobedient! I am his mother!"
"You are his stepmother, ma'am," Elias’s voice sounded through the screen door as he stepped up to the glass. "And as of seven o'clock this morning, your authority over this boy is finished."
