Witness Protection

by Morgan, Paris

  “Oh, no. Is everything okay, dear?” Her voice came through the phone loud enough that I could hear. “You’ve never had someone pick Sally up before,” the concern in her voice was evident.

  “Um, I’ve had a slight accident and had to get stitches. I’m okay, but they’re giving me some painkillers so I won’t be able to drive.” Megan’s quick lie sounded so plausible and didn’t blame Mike at all.

  “You just take care of yourself. I’ll send some papers home with Sally so you can add Allie Foster to the list in case you don’t feel well enough tomorrow either.” Ms. Judy seemed to believe what Megan had told her.

  “Thank you so much. You’re so thoughtful and I do hope I’m better tomorrow, but it’s better to error on the safe side, right?” Megan held back a groan.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll have Sally ready for her when she gets here. Now, you go get some rest. Bye.”

  She dropped the phone into the cup holder and closed her eyes in relief.

  “We’re almost there. We’ve got you covered.” I promised hoping that it was true and that we could keep them both safe.

  Chapter 3

  Allie

  The doors of the ER opened and several people raced out and opened Megan’s door before I could even put the car into park.

  “How far apart are her contractions?” One of the attendants asked as they helped her out of the car and into a wheelchair.

  “Um…I think you have the wrong person. She’s not pregnant, she has a concussion.”

  “Oh, well. We’ll get her inside and see what her injuries are, but I’ll need you to move so any other emergencies can stop here.”

  While I didn’t want to leave Megan, I knew that I would need to park the car at some point so that I didn’t block the ambulance drive.

  After I had parked, I hurried inside and they directed me to the curtained bed where they’d put Megan. Thank goodness, she was coherent enough to answer that I could come back with her.

  “Where are you hurt? What is your name ma’am?” They were trying to throw a barrage of questions at her as I stood quietly to the side out of their way.

  In the process of trying to find out what was wrong, Megan passed out and the doctors immediately turned toward me for answers.

  “What happened? Was she in an accident?”

  “No, her husband beat her up early this morning. I found her and brought her here. I think her arm is hurt and I’m pretty sure she has a concussion. I couldn’t see if she had any other injuries, but I’m pretty sure that she does.”

  Someone pushed a clipboard with hospital forms at me and I looked at it confused as to how I was supposed to answer anything on them. A box that stood out was, ‘who can know you’re in the hospital?’ and I quickly checked the box so that Mike couldn’t find her as easily.

  “We won’t know until we get her into an x-ray machine, but it’s very possible. You say her husband did this to her?”

  Yes,” I stood to the side hoping that they could handle whatever they found. “He went into a rage and didn’t stop hitting her until she passed out. Then he left her there unconscious while he showered and went to work. He works for the sheriff’s office and can’t find out that she’s here.”

  The doctor grimaced as my words registered, “We’ll have to file a police report, but we can call the city police on their office line instead of using 9-1-1. It will keep dispatch from having the information going out to all officers in both areas. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her.”

  A nurse turned to me as they wheeled Megan out for x-rays and possibly a CAT scan. “Since she approved you to come back we can take you to the family area while you wait. Are you family?”

  “Not biological.” I smiled, “I’m supposed to pick her daughter up so I guess temporary guardian, maybe?”

  “Well, technically, we can’t tell you much. If you’re the one filling out the paperwork, you might want to put your name in the emergency contact spot. It will put you on the list so when we update in the system…well, you get the idea.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink. “We’ll see what the doctor can or will tell you when he’s got the scans back.” She gave my arm a gentle pat as she pointed toward the waiting area.

  I glanced at the clock as I took a seat with the clip board and was surprised to see that it was only one in the afternoon. With all that had happened, it was hard to believe it had only been an hour. It seemed much later. Time had seemed to slow down the moment I’d pulled up at Megan’s house.

  With the nurse’s advice echoing in my brain, I finished filling out the paperwork from the information in Megan’s purse and returned it to the nurse’s station.

  “Here’s the information for Megan Butts. I was wondering if there is a local women’s shelter that I could contact about her situation?” I laid the clipboard in front of her, “Oh, do you know the name of a good lawyer?”

  “Yes, I would recommend Mark Greenley.” She pulled out a phone book and looked up the number before writing it on a slip of paper. “The shelter’s number is on the bulletin board over by the vending machines.”

  “Thank you,” I kept the pen from the clipboard and hurried over to write down the number.

  Realizing that there wasn’t a private place to make the calls, I looked around before deciding that going outside was the only way to get a little privacy.

  “Um, I’m going to step outside to make a few calls. Will this sticker get me back inside?” I questioned the same nurse as I returned her pen.

  “Certainly. The garden area is empty and you can use it if you’d like.”

  Following her directions, I dialed the shelter first.

  “You’ve reached the Umbrella Shelter. How may I help you?”

  After giving her most of the details quickly, she promised to send someone over to help Megan figure out her options.

  “We can have someone pick them up and bring them to the shelter, but it’s better if she’s talked to the police first and files a protection order.” The woman offered.

  “At the moment, she’s not able to go anywhere as they are doing x-rays and scans to see how bad she is. I was just wanting to make sure what her options are for when they release her.”

  “You’re a good friend to stick around while they take care of her. I’ll have someone come over in a few hours and we can do an assessment to see what options she’ll need. She should be safe in the hospital with their security. They will keep her husband out.”

  “Thank you. I feel a little better knowing they’ll help keep him out.” I gave her my cell phone number so they could call me when they were headed to the hospital.

  Releasing the worry, I’d been holding onto, I dialed the lawyer.

  “Mark Greenley’s office. How may I help you?”

  Startled, I wasn’t sure exactly what to tell the receptionist.

  “Um, I have a friend, who is in the hospital and is going to need some legal counsel regarding the safety and custody of her daughter. I’m not sure if she’s wanting a divorce, but I know that she needs to have some help so he can’t hurt them again. Does Mr. Greenley take these types of cases?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m guessing it’s a fairly urgent situation?” She determined efficiently.

  “It is and needs to be kept very quiet because the father is in law enforcement. She’s in getting scans right now and I’m not sure when she’ll be available.” I didn’t want to run errands until after he’d been by.

  “I’ll let him know and more than likely, he’ll come straight over. This is something he won’t want to wait on. Who should he ask for?”

  “Oh, I’m Allie Foster.” I gave her my number as I noticed some police officers through the garden door. “Her name is Megan Butts, but I have to go because the police have arrived.”

  “Certainly, Allie. He’ll be there soon.”

  I hung up and hurried to the nurse’s station, arriving just as the nurse mentioned my name.

  “Ah, here’s the friend that
brought her in.” The nurse motioned to me as I stopped a few feet from the officers.

  “Ms. Foster?” The short, slightly overweight policeman questioned in a gruff tone. “I’m Officer Long and this is Officer Grayson. Can we ask you to step into the waiting room to answer some questions until Mrs. Butts is available?”

  “Certainly.” My mind flashed back to the last time I’d been questioned by the police. It had been the last normal day I’d had before my life changed.

  “Were you there at the time of the incident?” Officer Grayson waved toward the chairs for me to take a seat.

  “Uh, no, I wasn’t.” I chose one of the seats furthest from the door. “I was taking her the stuff she’d ordered and we were planning to have lunch together.”

  Both officers stood over me in such an intimidating manner that I’d forgotten what I was doing.

  “Ma’am, can you tell us what happened and why your friend is in the hospital?” She asked gently.

  “Yeah, um…I drove up, but I didn’t notice the door until I was almost on the porch. It was hanging off to the side as if someone had kicked it in. I called out to her and heard a moan.” I looked up at them nervously because I should have notified the police the moment I’d seen the door.

  “Look, I know this is hard to do, but it will help your friend out okay? We need to know as much as possible what happened.” Officer Grayson prodded.

  “Sure, I think it had to be around 7-7:15 because Megan said that her daughter Sally had just gotten on the bus when it happened. I got there around 11, so I’m not sure how long she was on the floor unconscious before I arrived. I could just see the aftermath of a huge fight. No one else was there so I went in to find her lying in the bathroom with a gash on her forehead and a broken arm.” I explained trying not to leave out any details that might be important.

  “Did you touch anything on the way inside?” Officer Grayson held a pen ready to take down anything she wanted to remember.

  “Yes, and no. I tried not to, but once Megan told me what happened and that she wanted to leave, I took pictures and collected things from their bedrooms so that she and her daughter wouldn’t have to go back there for a few days.”

  “So you didn’t see who hurt her and you messed around with the crime scene?” Officer Long scoffed at my stupidity.

  “Well, I didn’t need to see it happen. I can see the results and there is no way she could have beat herself up like that. What if he’d come back because I didn’t help her out?”

  “Who are we talking about?” Officer Grayson ignored her partner’s question.

  “It was her husband Mike.” I shook my head in frustration, “I thought you knew that. Um, he went into a rage and assaulted her before leaving her unconscious. She crawled to the bathroom, but I’m pretty sure she has a concussion.”

  “So in other words, we’re just supposed to take your word that a highly commended member of our police force, Mike Butts, did this to her? Since you weren’t there, it could have been a random burglary?” He shook his finger at me, eyes full of accusation and doubt.

  “Sir,” I stood up and took a calming breath to help keep me from assaulting a police officer. “I’ve been polite and was simply helping out my friend. I certainly didn’t beat her up and just because you’re acquainted with her husband doesn’t mean he didn’t do this to her.”

  I inhaled and exhaled again before continuing. “I’m sorry you don’t believe me, but that’s not an excuse to make up things or not take my statement. Do I need to call your supervisor so they can handle this situation appropriately? My friend needs protection in a safe environment with her daughter so they don’t have to worry about being attacked again.”

  Officer Grayson stepped forward halting anything Officer Long might have said.

  “Leave her alone, Long. She didn’t have anything to do with it and you know it.” She gave him a well-deserved glare. “I’m the ranking officer here, and I’ll make sure we manage not to overlook anything you tell us. Now, can you think of anything else we need to know?”

  Confused at what had just transpired, I began to walk through it again from the beginning until I arrived at the hospital doors.

  “All I know for certain is that a huge fight had taken place and my friend was lying hurt on the bathroom floor with a head wound and possible internal injuries.” I shrugged not knowing what else she needed that I hadn’t already told her.

  “So, based on what you saw and what the victim told you, her husband did this to her?” Officer Grayson clarified to cover all the bases.

  “When I first suggested that she leave, she was more fearful of not being there when he came home. She didn’t want to make him madder than he already is. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to find a reason for her to leave if she wasn’t ready.” I was thankful that Officer Grayson was taking this all seriously unlike Officer Long who continued to roll his eyes that Mike was involved in a domestic situation.

  “Sally, her daughter is what changed her mind because there was no way for her to care for her in her current condition. Megan knows the example she’s setting by staying wouldn’t help Sally in the future.”

  “Where is her daughter now?” Officer Long blurted out the question. “Is she at school?”

  I didn’t really want to answer him, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t find out on his own. “Yes, I’m supposed to go and pick her up when school gets out. Will that be a problem?”

  “Of course it will since you’re not related to her and only have the permission of an incoherent woman.” He smiled cunningly, certain that he’d managed to find a way to hurt me.

  “Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Megan called the school and authorized me to pick her up. The secretary, Judy is expecting me. We also have a lawyer coming to help her take the correct legal steps needed to keep them safe.” I couldn’t help feeling a sense of satisfaction at the look on his face.

  “I have all the pictures I took of the damage. I can send them to you as I’ve already sent them to my email so they don’t get misplaced.” I pulled her phone from my purse, “Here’s her phone. It was smashed on the table. I wasn’t sure if we could get the sim card to work in case she needed numbers off of it.”

  Officer Long smirked as he took the phone from my hand, “This is a police matter. You shouldn’t have touched anything in that home. You should have called us immediately. Now, that the crime scene has been contaminated, it won’t help your case if we find out that you’ve planted evidence to frame a sheriff’s deputy.”

  “Excuse me, but the local police department was call and not the sheriff’s office. Megan was extremely worried that her husband, with whom you are acquainted, would find out that she was in the hospital before she could get to safety. Her well-being and the possibility of evidence being misplaced or covered up was something I was not going to take a chance on.” By the time I’d finished my tirade, I was out of my seat with my finger was only inches from his face.

  Officer Grayson snickered, and I quickly lowered my hand hoping that he wouldn’t consider what I’d done a threat and arrest me.

  “I’m not saying you’ll hide anything, but just because he’s a fellow law enforcement officer, I won’t be intimidated.” Drawing in a deep breath, I gained a little more confidence in the fact that no one was getting out their cuffs. “Where do you want me to send the photos I’ve taken?”

  “Here’s my card with all the information.” Officer Grayson held out a business card. “We’ll head over to the Butt residence and take a look around. There will not be any attempts to call the sheriff’s office, and anyone found doing so will be charged with aiding and abetting,” She fixed Officer Long with a pointed warning look. “May we look at the pictures?” She held out a hand for my phone.

  “Sure,” I hurried to unlock the screen and pull up the photos.

  “Wow!” She murmured as she flicked through the slides before handing it to Officer Long to look at. “He left her in bad shape.
I’m pretty sure even you can agree that she didn’t do this to herself.”

  He didn’t appear happy to be proven wrong and closed his notebook with a snap.

  “Just because he’s a member of law enforcement, doesn’t give him the right to commit violence against his spouse. Our job is to protect those in our community. I will be speaking with the DA to find out what kind of charges we use once we’ve seen the house and talked to Mrs. Butts.” Officer Grayson waited until her partner was out of earshot before turning back to me and lowering her voice.

  “If you need anything at all, please call me at this number.” She handed me another card with her personal cell number written on the back. “Even if I’m not working, I’ll make sure that I respond to your call. As the only female on this town’s police force, I can assure you there won’t be much sympathy for Mrs. Butt’s situation. I’m afraid both of you could be in danger if I’m not present to help defuse the situation. ‘Accidents’ can happen in stressful situations.”

  I held out a hand to take the card, “Thank you, Officer Grayson. As soon as she’s awake and talking, I’ll text you and let you know what the doctors say about her condition.”

  With a glance toward the hallway, I lowered my voice, “I don’t envy you the car ride to their house though.”

  Officer Grayson simply grinned in agreement as she left to deal with her cranky partner.

  I went to check with the nurse to see who things were progressing with Megan.

  “It should be another hour or so before we get all the tests done. She’s regained consciousness for short amounts of time, so that’s a good sign unless there is a major complication.” The nurse updated cheerfully.

  “I’ve got to run some errands before I pick up her daughter from school. I should be back around three, but if anything changes you can call me at this number.” I used one of the notepads on the desk before handing it to the nurse, who attached it to the chart.

  “She should be okay for the next hour or so, but it’s always good to have just in case.” She smiled reassuringly at me, which was nice because I was a bundle of nerves.