"We have a new charge to add to your rap sheet."
Todd looked up from the interrogation table, which he'd been staring at since he'd come into the room. Hank slapped the file down and sat down across from the perp.
"What is it?" Todd asked.
"Sexual assault. Possibly rape, if you confess."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"About eight months ago, you picked up a girl in your taxi. Young girl, about eighteen, coming home late from the library. Pretty. My guess is that you were high on red ice, saw her, and you felt the need to satisfy yourself with her."
"I have a daughter! Why the fuck would I rape a girl?"
"According to your medical records, you're on antidepressants. It's been proven that mixing those with red ice is linked to erratic and violent behavior. You must've been on both and your brain got fucked up as a result. You saw the girl as a way to get off and you took her."
"I didn't rape her."
"According to her, you did."
"Who the fuck is she?!"
"My daughter." Todd blinked, then bit his lip.
"Why'd she wait so long to tell you?"
"Well, my daughter isn't the kind of person to want to get anybody in trouble. However, she came home the other day for the first time in six months and she's eight months pregnant. She didn't want to tell us what happened to her until she saw your case file on the table and told me you were the father of her child."
"Holy shit." Todd sank down in his seat. "If I did do it, I don't remember."
"You don't remember raping my daughter?" Hank narrowed his eyes, prepared to slam Todd's head into the table.
"Look, red ice tends to mess with your memory, too. I don't remember half the shit I do when I'm on it."
"I'm inclined to believe her in that case. You don't have a leg to stand on. If it were up to me, you'd be castrated and tossed into the river for what you did."
"I'd prefer jail."
"Of course you would, but either way, you'll be registered as a sex offender." Todd frowned and crossed his arms.
"Whatever."
"You ruined my daughter's life, you bastard, and all you can say is 'whatever'?"
"The only proof you have is her word, and how reliable is that?"
"Are you calling my daughter a liar?"
"Look, I'm just saying that maybe she made a mistake."
"Unlikely. She's smart and rarely makes mistakes."
"Good for her, then, but the rest of us aren't that lucky."
"You—"
Before Hank could finish, Jeffrey entered the room.
"Hank, you have other cases. Let's hand this over to Perkins, okay?" the chief told the seasoned officer.
"But—"
"This case is personal to you. Let somebody else handle it."
"Goddammit…" Hank sighed and left the room.
"You didn't have to come, you know."
Markus looked up from the magazine he was reading. Kara was biting her lip and holding her belly, looking at him.
"I know, but Dad said you shouldn't be driving in your condition. I'd rather be by your side than wait in the car or go out with friends and leave you here by yourself."
"Anderson, Kara?" the nurse called. Kara stood up and Markus followed her into the room.
"Thanks for seeing us on such short notice," Kara told the nurse.
"No problem. And you must be the father?" She was looking at Markus.
"Oh, no! I'm her brother. Our father didn't want her to come alone."
"Ah. How sweet." She faced Kara. "Everything looks fine on your medical history. Is the father's available?"
"No. It's not," Kara replied, staring at the floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She clicked her pen. "Now, I'm required to ask you this next question: do you plan to keep the baby?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Good, good." She asked a few more questions before closing Kara's file. "Would you like to have an ultrasound done?"
"Yes, please. I want to see my baby."
"Fine, then. Drink plenty of water and we'll prep the equipment." She exited, leading Markus and Kara to the waiting room. Kara drank as much water as she'd been told to while Markus once again turned his attention to a magazine. Before long, they were called into an examining room. Kara laid down on the bed as she'd been told and they placed a cold gel on her belly before pressing the ultrasound scanner to it.
"By the looks of it, the baby is perfectly healthy," the technician told Kara. "Would you like to know the gender?"
"Yes, please."
"Congratulations, Miss Anderson. It's a girl." Kara smiled—the first real smile Markus had seen from her since her return home.
After she'd cleaned herself up, Kara and Markus paid for the visit and headed to the car with the ultrasound pictures Kara had insisted on getting. Kara seemed excited about her soon-to-be daughter's pictures, which Markus could understand. His sister had always been the most caring and motherly of the three of them, which was why he had no doubt that she would be a great mom. He worried more about how she was going to support the baby.
"So, any plans for how you're going to take care of the baby?" he asked.
"Alice."
"What?"
"Her name is Alice Rose."
"How are you going to support Alice?"
"I'll get a job. I have you, Connor, and Dad to help me out, too."
"That's true, but I have clubs and activities. Connor's hoping to get into the police academy, and Dad has his job."
"We'll figure it out." Kara's tone held a note of optimism that Markus had missed.
"Yeah, I guess we will."
"How did it go?" Connor asked as soon as his siblings came back from the hospital.
"It's a girl," Kara told him proudly. "I've already picked a name. Her name is Alice Rose."
"I like it. I think Alice will be a welcome addition."
"I hope so." Kara set an envelope on the counter. "These are the ultrasound images."
Connor opened the envelope and saw… a grainy image that vaguely looked like an infant. He figured that the doctor had known what to look for in order to determine the baby's gender. Still, this was his niece in the picture. From what Hank had mentioned to him, Kara was in the final weeks of her pregnancy, meaning Alice would be here soon.
"I'm going to take a nap," Kara said, heading upstairs.
"I promised North I'd meet up with her after Kara's appointment," Markus added, heading back outside. "Bye, Connor."
"Goodbye."
Connor was alone. He sighed and sat down on the couch, intending to turn on the TV. However, the phone rang, much like it had the day Kara had come home. Just like that day, he picked up the phone and accepted the call.
"Hello, Anderson residence," he said.
"Who is this?" a deep voice on the other end asked.
"This is Connor Anderson. May I ask who is calling?"
"My name is Luther."
"It's nice to meet you, Luther. Why are you calling?"
"I'm looking for Kara Anderson."
"Why are you looking for my sister?"
"Is she there?"
"Yes. Why are you looking for her?"
"I wanted to make sure she's okay."
"Are you the father of her child?"
"No, but… she hasn't mentioned anything about the past six months?"
"Nothing."
"I think your family deserves to know where she's been. Meet me at Marie's Café, and I'll tell you."
"I will. What time?"
"Around 4 works for me." Connor checked the clock. 3:26.
"I'll be there."
"Good. See you, Connor."
The next chapter should be up soon.
So long and thanks for all the fish!