Chapter 3 - A Story Told Backward

At the police station, Naomi waited four hours beneath a clock that had stopped at 11:17.

The officer taking her statement, Officer Walsh, did not seem cruel. He seemed tired. Naomi found the distinction strangely painful. She described Vanessa's kick twice. He wrote down the part where Naomi slapped her and asked whether she intended to hurt Vanessa.

"I intended not to be kicked in the face," Naomi said.

"I'm asking about your state of mind."

"I was scared. I was angry. Those things can happen together."

"What about the full camera recording?" Naomi asked.

Walsh rubbed his eyes. "The hotel says the system failed during the incident."

"Convenient."

"I didn't say I believed it."

That was the first decent thing she'd heard all night.

Near sunrise, a lawyer in a thrift-store blazer walked into the interview room. "Maya Chen," she said. "Legal Aid sent me. Your sister called three times."

"Is she okay?"

"She's worried about you. That's different."

Maya had sharp eyes, sensible shoes, and the calm of someone who had seen powerful people panic when paperwork started moving. She explained that Vanessa had filed a complaint. Naomi would be released with a court date and instructions not to contact the Sterlings.

"They cut the video," Naomi said.

"Then we find what came before."

Outside, the morning wind off Lake Michigan went straight through Naomi's coat. A news van idled across the street. Isabel was waiting on the sidewalk, small inside Rosa's old red jacket, her asthma inhaler in one hand.

"They're saying Mom caused the fire again," Isabel whispered.

Naomi pulled her close. "I know."

"I watched the video. I knew you'd never hit somebody for nothing."

A black car rolled slowly beside them. The passenger window lowered. Daniel Sterling leaned forward, his tie undone, his face gray with fatigue.

"Naomi," he said. "If you want to know what happened at Riverside, stop looking at the fire report."

She froze.

May you like

Billionaire’s Wife Kicked a Waitress in Front of 300 Elites—One Slap Exp...

The billionaire’s wife tried to kick a waitress in the face in front of 300 wealthy guests. But seconds later, she whispered three...

My Mother Grabbed My Wife by the Hair Over Cold Soup—But What My Father...

My mother grabbed my wife by the hair over a bowl of cold soup. And the most shameful part? For one terrible second, I almost defe...

My Parents Kicked My 6-Year-Old Daughter and Me Out on Christmas—Then I...

My mother kicked my six-year-old daughter out of Christmas dinner, never realizing I was the only reason she still had a house to...

He glanced at a car turning behind his. "Look at the sprinkler invoices."

Then he drove away before she could ask a single question.