Chapter 4
After being ushered to the waiting area, Pete sat down begrudgingly. Both security guards stationed themselves just outside of the treatment room doors to where Jenny was being treated. It seemed that they had been commissioned to observe Pete and whatever he did.
Pete glanced at his watch, realizing that he was fumbling his keys from restlessness. He got up and strolled over to the pair of guards and asked, "Hey Jerry, would you mind moving my car for me? I don't want to be gone when Dr. Lang gives me the OK to see Jenny." The one guard looked to the other as if to ask if that was fine to do.
"Sure. What kind of car is it?"
"It's the blue Mustang at the Emergency entrance. Thanks." Pete handed the man his keys, then proceeded to pace the hallway while keeping his eye on the treatment door.
When turning around by the admission desk, a nurse asked, "Sir, would you like a cup of coffee?" The exhaustion must have shown in his face. Pete was so distracted that he didn't even hear the woman's question and never responded.
Then finally it happened. The doctor stepped out and called to Pete. "Officer Malloy. Your wife is asking for you."
Pete entered the treatment room and saw Jenny laying on a gurney. She was now redressed in a hospital gown and had an IV line hooked up to her left arm. Julie, the nurse he met earlier, was by her side and in the back corner of the room stood a uniformed Los Angeles Police Officer. Pete didn't recognize him since he was from a different division than his own. As he came closer, he could hear Jenny crying.
"Jenny. I'm here. Are you OK?" Pete looked down into her tear-filled eyes, wanting to help in some way.
As soon as she heard him, she tried to sit up. "Pete. Where have you been?"
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "I'm sorry, Babe. I had to fill out some hospital forms." He felt her quivering and taking ragged breaths as she tried to stop crying.
"I'm sorry … Pete."
"For what?"
"I don't mean to be a big baby."
"You have nothing to be sorry about." Jenny began to relax in his strong arms. She felt safe with Pete close.
She glanced up at him, not caring who else heard her. "I must be quite a sight."
"You are beautiful as always." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, being careful not to touch the sutured area toward the back of her head.
It was pretty obvious to Nurse Julie and the officer standing nearby that these two were very close and the suspected abuse was unfounded.
The doctor walked back into the room. "Jenny, Officer Malloy, I have some good news regarding the x-rays. The films look good. I can't find any fractures or any signs of cranial bleeding. I would like to observe you here for a few hours, but if you don't have worsening headaches or dizziness, you can be discharged by this time tomorrow. I'll need to see you back in a week or so to have those stitches removed."
Pete spoke up, "I'll have her back here in a week."
Dr. Lang patted Jenny's leg; "We will get you set up in a private room so you can get some rest. I'll come check on you in a couple hours from now. And if you are experiencing some pain, let Nurse Julie know and she can get you some more medication."
"Ok. Thank you, doctor." Jenny replied.
Over the next hour, the hospital staff got Jenny situated in a new room. Pete followed along and didn't leave her sight. The officer waited patiently for the opportunity to interview Jenny after she got settled in the private room. He knew that the conversation could be extremely emotional, as it is in any assault cases.
"Let's get started. I'm Officer Russell Wilson with the Foothills Division. I need to get your statements. Can I get both your names?"
Jenny reluctantly gave her full name, "Jennifer Lynn Malloy. "
"Can I call you Jenny?" The officer was jotting down everything in his note pad.
"Yes."
"I'm Peter Joseph Malloy. Badge number 744 with Central Division"
"Can I have your home address?"
Pete rattled off their rural route address in the forest preserve.
"OK. Can you tell me what happened, Jenny?" She looked to Pete for assurances that it was going to be alright. He reached over and took her hand as he stood on the opposite side of the bed from the fellow officer.
"I'm right here. We can do this together. You need to tell him the truth about what happened."
Then her story began. "Last night, I heard a knock at the door around four in the morning. Pete is a Los Angeles Police Officer and was working the AM shift. When I woke from the noise, I thought maybe something happened with Pete because he wasn't due to be home until 8:00 AM. So I got up and answered the door. I was shocked to see my father standing there." Jenny gazed down and paused from her story as she reflected on seeing her father again. "Six years ago, my father was in prison for vehicular manslaughter. My mother was killed while he was driving drunk. I have wanted nothing to do with him ever since, but that hasn't stopped him from showing up. Last night was no different. Somehow he found out where I lived. When I opened the door and realized it was him, I told him to go away." Jenny hesitated then stated, "He pushed his way in."
The officer questioned, "Did you think to call the police?"
"No. We live so far out of the city it would take too long for anyone to get there. Besides, if I picked up the phone he probably would have hit me."
Pete had a sick feeling in his gut as he heard Jenny share what happened in detail for the first time.
"Had your father struck you before?" The officer questioned.
Jenny looked away. "Yes."
Officer Wilson asked, "So what happened next?"
"My father tried to act like he cared and asked me what was going on in my life. I told him it was none of his business anymore. He helped himself to a beer from the fridge then wandered through the cabin as he asked me questions about my job. Then he finally got around to asking for money like he always does. I guess he got himself into trouble with some debt from the wrong kind of people. I told him I didn't have anything to give him. He went back to the fridge and took out another beer. As he drank more, he got more demanding. I pulled out the fifty dollars from my purse and tossed it at him. I told him to take it and leave. He just laughed. He downed another beer then went looking through my bedroom drawers for hidden cash. That's when he saw the picture."
Jenny stopped talking. She reached up to rub her eye and was actually wiping away a tear.
"Are you alright?" Pete squeezed her hand.
Russell spoke up, "Just take your time, Jenny. Whenever you're ready."
"My father found our picture. He didn't know that I had gotten married. He was not in the least bit happy about me marrying a cop. Pete was in his dress uniform for the ceremony and that was the picture he saw." After another long pause, Jenny continued. "He started spouting off about how stupid I was to get mixed up with a cop. As he continued drinking, he kept getting louder. He refused to leave, and when I tried to stop him from getting in the refrigerator again, he shoved me. That was the last thing I remember."
Officer Wilson looked to Malloy for the rest of the story. "So you found her and brought her here?"
Pete hesitated for a moment. He was filled with a newfound fury for this man, his father-in-law. "Uh … yes. I arrived at our place about eight this morning. Jenny was unconscious on the kitchen floor. I didn't find anyone else there, just some empty beer cans littered about the place."
She remembered again her father's reaction to her being married. Then it hit her. She couldn't feel it. "It's gone! He took it!"
Pete looked at Jenny. "What is it?"
"My ring. My wedding and engagement ring is gone!" Pete released her hand just enough to see she was right.
The officer asked, "I will need a list of what was stolen."
"I wasn't at the cabin long enough to see what was taken," Malloy shared.
"I would like to call in the detectives to come out to your place to take a few pictures and make a list of anything stolen. It would be really helpful to have a detailed description of your father or an old picture."
Jenny sat quietly after hearing the officer's question. Pete then spoke up, "I can meet someone at the cabin and I try to find a picture."
"Mrs. Malloy, I need you to sign the report." He handed her a pen and the pad. She quickly signed it and then rolled onto her side and appeared to shut down emotionally. Officer Wilson stated to Pete. "I'll leave you two alone, but I'll have someone from the station contact you here about setting up a time to meet at your address. Oh yes, what is your father-in-law's name?"
"It's George Lee Walker. You'll have a warrant out for his arrest today?"
"Will do."
Pete reached out and shook Wilson's hand. The officer gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to Pete before he left.
With the two finally alone, Pete stroked along Jenny's shoulder and down her arm. He could tell she was upset, but he wasn't sure what to do. "Babe. Are you OK?" She didn't say a thing, but continued to hug tightly to a pillow with her face buried in it. "Jenny. You did the right thing reporting him." She still remained quiet. "I'm going to make a couple calls then I'll be right back. You just rest."
Pete was a bit reluctant to leave her, but knew he needed to check back in at the station. His father in-law was still out on the streets, and he had to do whatever was necessary to catch him.
First he called Jim for some help. "Hey Jim. I'm sorry if I woke you up."
"No problem. Jean and I are taking turns catching up on some sleep with Jimmy's schedule being out of whack with the chicken pox."
"Oh … yeah, I forgot about that."
"What's wrong Pete? You don't sound right."
"It's Jenny. She got hurt. We're at Methodist Hospital now."
"Oh man. What happened Pete? Is she OK?"
"Her father showed up last night. He was drinking and roughed her up. I found her this morning unconscious. Physically she is doing OK, but she's scared. "
"What can I do?"
"I have to keep her safe. Uh… I don't want her alone, but I have to go back to the cabin to meet a detective and check up on Sadie."
"Jean or I can come sit with her."
"I would really appreciate that."
"Jenny can come stay with us when she gets out of the hospital if you don't want her home alone."
"Thanks for the offer, Jim. I'm not sure how she'll accept the idea, but I don't want her at the cabin again. It's just too remote and her father now knows where she lives."
"Have you talked to Mac yet?"
"Well, … actually I had to call him to prove to the doctor that I was working last night. They suspected that I abused Jenny. I need to call Mac back to fill him in on what happened."
"Pete. How are you doing?"
He shook his head in frustration. "Jim. I'm messed up. On one hand, I feel so helpless when it comes to making Jenny feel safe. On the other hand, I'm angry! I would love to knock her father into the next state. Jenny doesn't know the hospital suspected me. That would only have made her feel worse. She really struggled with reporting her father as it is."
"Pete, has he hurt her before?"
Malloy paused for a moment since he didn't want to divulge what he had learned in confidence from his wife. "I can't say much, but yes, he has."
"Pete. You need to be cautious. The situation could become even more dangerous."
"I will."
"I'll get changed and head to the hospital. See you soon." Jim hung up the phone and went to find Jean. He quickly shared with her the news about Jenny and Pete.
"Oh the poor thing. I would like to go with you."
"No. You stay with Jimmy for now. I'm sure she would rather see you, but her father is still out there and it's not safe. I'll call you from the hospital. I told Pete she is welcome to come here when she's released. Maybe by then she'll open up to you about her past."
"Ok. But if something changes, I'm sure I could get mom to come over to watch Jimmy. Be safe Jim."
"I promise I will." Jim gave Jean a kiss before racing out the door.
Back at the hospital, Pete tried calling Sergeant MacDonald, but he wasn't available. He just left him a message then went back in to sit with Jenny.
Pete walked around to the far side of the bed. Jenny was still curled up on her side with her face partially hidden under the pillow. The blinds were drawn and the room was fairly dark even with noontime approaching. Pete whispered to Jenny, "How are you doing, Babe?" She didn't respond and he wondered if she had just dozed off. He was exhausted himself. He took a seat beside the bed and thought he'd close his eyes for just a minute.
The door cracked open… the shadow of a large man approached the bed. Pete glanced up and there stood the man he had never met, but he recognized him from pictures his wife had. Pete jumped up, "What are you doing here! Didn't you do enough damage already?"
"She said you carried the money in the family. I figured you owe me."
"What do mean by that?"
"You're sleeping with my daughter, right?"
Hearing a statement like that from Jenny's father just made him sick. "She's my wife. And I'm not letting you near her ever again!"
"You think you can stop me? You're full of shit, Cop!" The man reached down and grabbed the bedcover and ripped it away. "Let's go, Jenny!"
Pete shoved the man back. "You're under arrest for assault!"
"I don't think so. You and who else are going to stop me." He threw a punch that solidly connected to Pete's chin. Pete staggered back then he made a quick resurgence. He tackled Walker and found himself looking into the eyes of the man that hurt his wife.
An image of Jenny's head wound popped into his mind. He could visualize the bruises that formed down her arms. The man was twice her size and he yanked her around like a doll then shoved her into the counter. Pete laid into the man. He had the man pinned to the floor. He couldn't hold back anymore. Pete threw one punch, then a second and a third … blood dripped from the man's nose and mouth …
A large hand tapped his shoulder then a voice spoke up, "Hey Pete."
Malloy's head and body jerked up as he was startled awake. "What?"
"It's me. Mac. Sorry I surprised you." MacDonald still in his uniform stood next to Pete's bedside chair.
Still a bit dazed, Pete shook his head to clear it. He rubbed over his weary eyes and took a deep breath. He quickly peeked at Jenny and she appeared to be sleeping still. "Let's go out in the hallway to talk. I don't want to wake her."
The two men stepped outside her room where the conversation could continue. Pete stated, "I called the station a little while ago and you weren't there."
"After your first call, I got concerned and decided to come over here."
"Aren't you off the clock yet?"
"Yes, but, I thought your situation might warrant being in an official capacity."
"Thanks for coming Mac."
So Pete proceeded to tell Mac the whole story. He let him know that they already gave a statement to an officer in the Foothills Division. He still needed to meet with the detectives at his place. Mac asked about Jenny's condition. Pete shared the doctor's evaluation, but he was more concerned with her emotional state.
Mac wanted to get back to the station to see if he could uncover some information on George Walker that might speed up his capture. "Do you need anything from me?"
"Not yet. Jim is coming to stay with Jenny while I go out to the cabin."
"Well, just let me know."
Just as MacDonald walked away, Nurse Julie came down the hallway. "Officer Malloy, you have a call at the nurse's station."
Pete asked Nurse Julie, "Can you stay with my wife until I get back?"
"Sure thing. I was needing to get her vitals again."
Pete answered the phone and it was someone from the police department. He needed to leave shortly to meet the detectives. As he hung up, the elevator opened and Jim stepped off.
In a tired breath, Pete said, "Good to see you, Jim. You just missed Mac. He is heading back to the station."
Jim patted his friends' shoulder for some reassurance. "How are you holding up?"
"Lets just say it has already been a long day."
The two friends walked to Jenny's hospital door. "I'll keep a close eye on her. Take all the time you need."
"Thanks for being here. If I'm held up I'll give you a call." Pete carefully opened the door into the darkened room. He saw the nurse scribbling on Jenny's chart near the foot of the bed. "I just want to let her know I'm leaving for a short time." Pete clarified to Jim. As he walked around the bed he asked Nurse Julie, "Is she doing OK?"
"All of her vitals are stable. She is going to need some time and extra TLC. Try not to worry too much, Officer Malloy." She finished her notes on her chart and was about to walk out.
"Julie, this is my partner, Jim Reed." The two politely shook hands with Pete's introduction. "He is going to stay with Jenny while I meet with the detectives at our place."
"Officer Reed, please call me if you or Jenny need anything."
"Thank you. I will." The nurse then hustled out the door.
Pete moved close to the head of the hospital bed and leaned in near Jenny's face. He whispered in her ear, "Beautiful, Jim's here." He paused to see if she was awake and heard him.
"He is?" She softly questioned.
"Yes. He is going to stay with you until I'm back." He could see the immediate worry in her eyes and before she could ask, he explained. "I have to meet the detectives and check on Sadie."
Jenny's concern quickly switched to that of her dog. "Yes, you can't leave her at the cabin too long."
Pete tried to reassure Jenny. "I'll take care of her. Don't you worry." He gave her a tender kiss and headed out.
Jim approached the side of her bed. He didn't want Jenny to feel forced to talk about what happened. "Jenny, I'm here if you need anything." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before he walked over by the window and slipped into a chair. Jim strategically placed himself where he could watch the door and Jenny. She was relieved to not answer any more questions for the time being.
