"Of course Detective, just let us visit with her first," Mr. Blake replied numbly. He placed his hand on the small of Karen's back and led her into the hospital room to see their daughter.
I decided to wait in the corridor until they finished checking in on her. Hearing the sobs coming from the room was excruciating. It pissed me off and broke my heart equally. Clenching my fists, realizing that putting them through the wall would not be very professional, I began to pace up and down the hallway. Things like this happened in the city, not in a small town like Hastings, Michigan. I should have been patrolling that area sooner, maybe I could have stopped it before it happened. The door opening behind me broke my concentration and brought me back to the matter at hand.
"Alright, Ethan, you can talk to her now but, please, try not to upset her, she is finally calm. We are going to wait here until you're done in case she needs us," he said, wrapping his arms tightly around his wife as he led her to the chair across the hall. Seeing the family go through this much pain ignited my anger towards the person that did this to her. I vowed to find that person and return the favor tenfold.
Walking into her room and seeing her broken took what was left of my heart and tore it into shreds. Her eyes had lost that hint of sparkle that she had during cheerleading. They were dull and lifeless as she stared at the television a nurse turned on for her. Speaking softly, so I didn't startle her, I introduced myself with the same ‘official' response I was trained to do.
"Hello, Kiera, my name is Ethan Parker. I'm a Detective with the Washington County Police, and I need to ask you some questions about your attack if it's okay with you," I paused waiting for her to allow me to continue, but mostly so I could remove the lingering anger from my voice.
When she slightly nodded, I continued, "Your parents are waiting just outside the door if you need them." My voice caught as I hesitated before going on, "We found you on the road just outside Hastings High School in the middle of the night. Can you tell me why you were there?"
Watching her reaction as I asked the questions, was not easy. Tears formed in her eyes as she turned away from me, trying to bury her face in the pillow. Her fists clenched the sheet tighter, pulling it up around her face. There was a hint of fear and embarrassment painted across her face before she covered it with the blanket, blocking my view. This was extremely hard for me, so I know it was even more painful for her, but I had to continue.
"You were badly hurt, and your clothes were torn to pieces. Do you remember anything about who assaulted you or what happened?" I asked, as I heard her begin to hyperventilate as I mentioned the attacker. Her hands were trembling as she grasped the blankets, pulling them off her face. Edging closer to the bed, I reached out, touching her hand trying to reassure her, but she jerked it away. She began shaking her head back and forth saying "No, no, no…. get away from me, leave me alone."
It took everything I had not to wrap my arms around her, but I recognized the terror in her eyes. Touching her now would only make her recede further into her mind, so I stepped back whispering, "It's okay, Kiera, you're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again." The nurses and her parents rushed into the room as the monitors alerted them to her distress. I had to get out of there before my exterior cracked and showed them all the feelings I was trying desperately to keep in check.
Turning to the parents after they rushed to her bedside, I asked Mr. Blake, "Can I talk to you outside?" I tried to wait patiently while they were in the room, but I felt trapped. I began pacing the floor, back and forth, attempting to get my emotions under control. I wanted to hunt down the bastard that did this and rip him apart. Several minutes passed as they calmed Kiera down. I hated seeing her this upset. She had been a bright and happy girl in high school before I graduated. Now she just looked defeated and afraid. Berating myself again, I wished I would have been patrolling the area before this had happened, maybe I could have stopped it. The real question was how could I keep something like this from happening again?
Mr. Blake gained my attention when he exited the room and shut the door. It had successfully cut off my inner struggle, stopping me from pacing a path into the floor. I had no choice but to inform him where the department stood on the case at this point.
"I can see that this is hard for her, but unless she can remember any details, we don't have anything to go on. The attacker left no evidence behind for us to find at the scene. It looked like she had been running through the woods from the cuts on her feet. We don't know what direction she came from in the woods. There weren't any fingerprints, bodily fluids or DNA found by the doctor during his initial exam while she was unconscious. Our only chance is if she can tell us what happened. I know she is in shock right now, but if she remembers anything, please call us immediately."
Handing him my business card with my personal number on the back I added, "I have been officially assigned to her case since I was the first on the scene." I froze under his scrutiny. I felt as though he could see through the mask I held firmly in place. "I promise to do everything I can to find the person who did this to her."
Taking the card, he finally looked away and I felt I could relax a little. Hearing his voice catch as he tried to find the words to say almost broke my resolve. "Thank you for everything you have done already, Ethan. I'll let you know if she remembers anything."
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