“Rebecca!” Madeleine cries, flinging herself into her stepmother’s waiting arms. “What are you doing here? Where is my dad?”
“What the hell?!” the detective sputters furiously. “You can’t just come barging in here, lady! We are in the middle of an interrogation!”
“I called your lawyer, Maddie. Do not say another word until she arrives, do you understand me?” Rebecca commands, glaring at the investigator over her stepdaughter’s trembling shoulders.
“Y-Yes,” Madeleine nods. “I-I-I want to speak to m-my attorney.”
The woman gasps, her eyes widening with outrage. “You have NO right-”
“Actually, she has every right, and if you’re not careful we will file a formal complaint about you with the Bridgeport Police Department AND take our case to the press. Ripping a healthy two-day-old infant out of her beleaguered mother’s arms, that kind of publicity doesn’t sound so good, now does it?”
“Fine,” the detective hisses. “But I’ll have you know, Mrs. Pridemore, I’m looking forward to putting both you and your slimy boyfriend behind bars for a long, long time to come.” And with that, the woman storms away, slamming the door behind her.
“Where is my dad?” Madeleine asks again, her voice hoarse with exhaustion.
“Don’t worry about him, dear. I'm here now, okay?”
“He’s not coming, is he?” she whispers as her eyes well up with tears.
Rebecca sighs and shakes her head. “You know how your dad can get, Maddie. He’s a difficult, stubborn, headstrong man, and this is not the first time you’ve wounded his pride with all this nonsense. However, I am a firm believer in innocent until proven guilty, but even more than that I know you, love. I know what you went through the last time you decided to get clean, and I saw the determination in your eyes when you vowed to stay that way. Your father just needs time, and he will come around. Until then, I will be right here beside you, helping you straighten this whole mess out.”
Rebecca pauses and hands Madeleine a tissue, a frown suddenly creasing the corners of her mouth. “What did she mean you and your boyfriend?”