Chapter 4 - The StatementTwo hours later, two detectives in plain clothes stepped into my hospital room. Detective Miller, a tall man with tired eyes and a notebook in hand, gave me a sympathetic nod. Detective Ramos, a sharp-eyed woman standing beside him, looked at me with a mixture of professional detachment and quiet fury.
"Ms. Brooks? I'm Detective Miller, and this is Detective Ramos. We know this is a terrible time, but we need to ask you some questions about what happened this afternoon," Detective Miller said gently.
I stared at the white wall across from me, my voice steady, stripped of all emotion. "My mother punched me."
The room went dead silent.
"Excuse me?" Detective Ramos asked, leaning forward.
"My mother, Linda Brooks, demanded I hand over eighteen thousand dollars of my savings to my twin sister, Emily," I continued, reciting the facts like a ghost. "When I refused, she punched me in the stomach with all her strength. My water broke. I stumbled backward and fell into the pool. My father and my sister watched me sink. They laughed. They told me to float there."
Detective Ramos furiously scribbled down every word, her pen scratching against the paper like claws. "And the witnesses, Ms. Brooks? Anyone else see this?"
"There were dozens of guests at Emily’s baby shower," I said, turning my hollow eyes toward them. "And Clara—a woman who pulled me out—she saw me lying there while my family walked away."
Detective Miller closed his notebook with a sharp snap. "We've already spoken to Clara. She corroborated your statement regarding your rescue and your family's appalling behavior. We also have medical reports from Dr. Vance confirming the blunt force trauma consistent with a physical blow."
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He paused, leaning closer. "Ms. Brooks, we are issuing a warrant for Linda Brooks's arrest for aggravated assault and reckless endangerment resulting in great bodily harm. We're going to make sure justice is served."
"Justice?" I whispered, a humorless, chilling smile touching the corners of my lips. "No, Detective. Arresting her is just the opening act."
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