She started pacing. “I wasn’t. I don’t know what has come over me. He’s turning me into a monster.”
“You need to calm down. We can fix this.” I tried to stay as level as possible, though inside I was just as freaked as she was.
“Really?” she asked, and I paused, watching the tears streaming down her face.
I patted the bed next to me. “It’s bad, but he’s the one who gave you an STD and hit you in front of an entire school. He provoked you.”
“Yeah…yeah, this is all his fault.” Her face was as red as an heirloom tomato ripe for the picking.
Suddenly, banging sounded on the door. “This is the police!” a gruff voice bellowed.
“Oh my goodness!” Dahlia jumped up. “What do I do?”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “You go with them. You say nothing. You let me work my magic and trust me.”
“Should I just confess?” she whimpered.
“You keep your mouth shut until I get a chance to figure out what is going on. Do you understand?”
She nodded. “What about Noah? I need to pick him up from school.”
“I’ll call Caroline and work something out.”
“Harry cannot pick him up while he is this mad. I don’t want him to take this out on our son.” Dahlia was sobbing.
“I promise, I will take care of all of this, but you have to answer that door right now.”
I walked Dahlia over and opened it for her.
“Dahlia Reynolds?” A senior officer walked into the room with his partner in tow.
“Yes.” She held her head up high as they started to put handcuffs on her.
“Dahlia Reynolds, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?” he bellowed as he walked her down the hall.
“Yes, I understand,” she muttered as she looked back at me.
Rhett rushed to my side. “What in the world?”
“Do you have coffee?” I batted my eyelashes at him as he nodded toward a dining room.
“Follow me.”
* * *
“Dahlia seemslike the calmest person in the world. I can’t believe she would deface her husband’s car like that.” Rhett sank into a seat across from me after filling mugs of coffee for the both of us.
I shrugged. “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”
“Touché.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked with an eyebrow raised while bringing his mug up to his lips.
I shifted farther back into my chair. “I definitely have my work cut out for me with this one, but I think she’s going to be fine.”
I didn’t know if I was saying it to convince him or myself. I was worried her husband was going to try to use this against her in the worst of ways.
“I hope so. Noah is a good kid. Messy divorces really take a toll on the kids.”