I knelt beside my mother.
“Did anyone photograph your injuries?”
She slowly shook her head.
“Did anyone request medical treatment for you?”
“No.”
“Did anyone recover the baseball bat?”
Before she could answer…
The desk officer interrupted.
“Mrs. Vance informed us there wasn’t one.”
For the first time since I arrived…
Brooke’s carefully rehearsed performance slipped.
Only for a moment.
But it was enough.
I slowly stood.
Then looked directly at the officer.
“Remove those handcuffs from my mother.”
He hesitated.
“Ma’am… she’s under arrest.”
“Based on whose authority?”
The answer arrived before anyone had the chance to respond.
Captain Thomas Landry stepped out of his office.
His uniform looked hurriedly thrown on.
His expression was already defensive.
Brooke’s uncle.
“This is a domestic dispute,”
he snapped sharply.
“Don’t come in here waving your influence around.”
I offered him a polite smile.
“I haven’t mentioned my position.”
Silence settled across the room.
Captain Landry slowly turned toward the reception desk.
Only then did he realize…
Someone else already had.
