made it sound as if h e’d had nothing to do with the decision to ship his only child off to a facility guarded by razor wire and steel bars.
Caren picked up on it as well, straightening, one hand possessively on her husban d’s thigh. “We had, of course, discussed it,” she said. “Options to deal with BreeAnna. But Robert wasn’t there when things came to a crisis.” She sighed, enjoying her role as martyr. “I had to make the call myself.”
“You took BreeAnna to ReNew?” Jenna joined in. “Could you walk us through the admission process?”
Caren squirmed. Robert answered for her—he did that a lot, Morgan had noticed. “ReNew has an emergency transport team that will pick up the child. Caren called them.”
“She was so out of control. Sh e’d never have gone on her own. I was worried that sh e’d hurt me—or herself.” The last came as an afterthought.
“How did that work?” Jenna asked.
“I called them, agreed to the extra fees—”
“Forty-five hundred,” her husband grumbled. “For a twenty-minute ride.”
Caren ignored him. “They told me where to meet them. I told BreeAnna we were going to a movie, but before we got there I pulled into the parking lot where the ReNew van was waiting. They had her out of the car and into the van before I had a chance to turn the car off and unbuckle my seat belt.”
“She had no idea what was happening?” Andre voiced Morga n’s own thought. Sh e’d helped her father grab fish that way, knew the panic and terror that kind of blitz attack produced. For the first time, Morgan understood a piece of what Bree had gone through.
Caren shook her head. “They said it was better that way. So she couldn’t try to run away or do something. Said by law, they aren’t allowed to chase any juvenile who runs—for their own protection—and we couldn’t risk that, could we?”
“Yet she was calm enough to get in the car and want to go to a movie with you?” Morgan asked, ignoring Jenn a’s glare commanding her to leave things alone.
“Thanks to Care n’s quick thinking,” Robert put in. “She gave BreeAnna a Valium, calmed her down before things could escalate.”
“Walk us through what the men did.” Jenna moved the discussion back to tactics. “Did they restrain her? Search her?”
“First, they put a hood over her head—to disorient her, I guess,” Caren answered. For the first time a hint of regret entered her voice. “They yanked her out of the car, and she was screaming, trying to hit and kick.”
She swallowed and turned her head away to stare at the bar. “She called out—for you, Robert.” Her voice broke. “She kept yelling ‘Daddy, Daddy.’ They handcuffed her hands behind her back and did something with her ankles—I couldn’t see, it happened so fast—but then she was facedown on the pavement. Two men, one at her shoulders and one at her knees, picked her up and laid her in the van. They closed the doors, and after that I couldn’t hear her scream.”
Caren paused to try to take a drink, frowning when she found the glass empty, her hand trembling as she set the glass down. Andre moved forward to rescue the martini glass before it toppled over and set it on the bar, ignoring Care n’s silent plea for more.
Finally she continued, “I followed the men to ReNew, met the administrator, Mr. Chapman. By then it was after ten at night, so I didn’t meet anyone else. Oh, except the student leader, Deidre. She was so sweet and helpful. And Mr. Chapman was very kind, assured me BreeAnna was in good hands—even showed me her on a video monitor before I left. She was sound asleep, looked so peaceful.” She sniffed. “And I, I left her there. I thought they could help her.”
Her voice rose, then faded. Everyone was silent for a moment. Care n’s fingers curled into the muscles of Rober t’s thigh, but he didn’t move to touch or comfort her.
Morgan forced a mask of serenity, relaxing her hands before she could
Caren picked up on it as well, straightening, one hand possessively on her husban d’s thigh. “We had, of course, discussed it,” she said. “Options to deal with BreeAnna. But Robert wasn’t there when things came to a crisis.” She sighed, enjoying her role as martyr. “I had to make the call myself.”
“You took BreeAnna to ReNew?” Jenna joined in. “Could you walk us through the admission process?”
Caren squirmed. Robert answered for her—he did that a lot, Morgan had noticed. “ReNew has an emergency transport team that will pick up the child. Caren called them.”
“She was so out of control. Sh e’d never have gone on her own. I was worried that sh e’d hurt me—or herself.” The last came as an afterthought.
“How did that work?” Jenna asked.
“I called them, agreed to the extra fees—”
“Forty-five hundred,” her husband grumbled. “For a twenty-minute ride.”
Caren ignored him. “They told me where to meet them. I told BreeAnna we were going to a movie, but before we got there I pulled into the parking lot where the ReNew van was waiting. They had her out of the car and into the van before I had a chance to turn the car off and unbuckle my seat belt.”
“She had no idea what was happening?” Andre voiced Morga n’s own thought. Sh e’d helped her father grab fish that way, knew the panic and terror that kind of blitz attack produced. For the first time, Morgan understood a piece of what Bree had gone through.
Caren shook her head. “They said it was better that way. So she couldn’t try to run away or do something. Said by law, they aren’t allowed to chase any juvenile who runs—for their own protection—and we couldn’t risk that, could we?”
“Yet she was calm enough to get in the car and want to go to a movie with you?” Morgan asked, ignoring Jenn a’s glare commanding her to leave things alone.
“Thanks to Care n’s quick thinking,” Robert put in. “She gave BreeAnna a Valium, calmed her down before things could escalate.”
“Walk us through what the men did.” Jenna moved the discussion back to tactics. “Did they restrain her? Search her?”
“First, they put a hood over her head—to disorient her, I guess,” Caren answered. For the first time a hint of regret entered her voice. “They yanked her out of the car, and she was screaming, trying to hit and kick.”
She swallowed and turned her head away to stare at the bar. “She called out—for you, Robert.” Her voice broke. “She kept yelling ‘Daddy, Daddy.’ They handcuffed her hands behind her back and did something with her ankles—I couldn’t see, it happened so fast—but then she was facedown on the pavement. Two men, one at her shoulders and one at her knees, picked her up and laid her in the van. They closed the doors, and after that I couldn’t hear her scream.”
Caren paused to try to take a drink, frowning when she found the glass empty, her hand trembling as she set the glass down. Andre moved forward to rescue the martini glass before it toppled over and set it on the bar, ignoring Care n’s silent plea for more.
Finally she continued, “I followed the men to ReNew, met the administrator, Mr. Chapman. By then it was after ten at night, so I didn’t meet anyone else. Oh, except the student leader, Deidre. She was so sweet and helpful. And Mr. Chapman was very kind, assured me BreeAnna was in good hands—even showed me her on a video monitor before I left. She was sound asleep, looked so peaceful.” She sniffed. “And I, I left her there. I thought they could help her.”
Her voice rose, then faded. Everyone was silent for a moment. Care n’s fingers curled into the muscles of Rober t’s thigh, but he didn’t move to touch or comfort her.
Morgan forced a mask of serenity, relaxing her hands before she could
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