Hour 18, 11:08pm
Third Pov
When Charlie Swan walked into the station and laid eyes on his ex-wife, his vision was clouded by anger. It took every inch of him not to do something he would regret. Renee looked exactly as she did which little sign of aging.
Her blue eyes reflected a certain sadness, a look of pity. He saw just a few worry lines in her forehead but when she relaxed, they were virtually gone. It was as if all she had done in the past eighteen years was flourish. Flourish while her daughter slowly deteriorated at the hands of a sick man.
When he approached the two-way mirror he hit the comm button, Renee's familiar voice flooding his ears.
She was speaking to Jane and Garrett, the detectives on Bella's case.
"Mrs. Dwyer, as we mentioned, your daughter as accused your husband of abuse and rape. These are not light charges. She was covered in several, dark, bruises and the initial exam she was given showed trauma," as Garrett spoke, Renee shook her head slowly. Almost sadly.
"Detective, my daughter, is very troubled. This isn't the first time she's pulled a stunt like this. She's my daughter and I try very hard to protect her. But she's tried to harm herself and others before. She's been institutionalized four times in the last two years. We tried to get her help, to see a therapist, and she got violent. She lies and she is very convincing. The first time, she hurt herself. Badly. She inflicted her own wounds and accused my husband of hurting her," Renee sniffled at the point, her eyes watery.
She was convincing; that hadn't changed. She was always good at hiding the truth. But Charlie knew better. He had seen Bella, the bruises. Heard her screams from her sleep. None of that had been faked.
"The bruises on her body are far too extensive to have been self-inflicted. Is there any reason you believe that should would lie about that? If it wasn't Phil, who else could it have been?" Jane inquired, leaning back in her seat.
Renee took in a deep breath and then promptly dissolved into tears, "I'm sorry. Uh, Bella, she had this boyfriend. We didn't approve. He was an older man. And he..he hurt her. She came home one day with a black eye and she was crying. She said she'd gone to the police and that Phil had hurt her. And hours later, she told me it was a lie. That her boyfriend told her to say that or he would hurt her. Phil loves her so much, like his own child. It devastated him when she accused him of that. And that started everything."
"I'm sorry, everything?" Garrett leaned in.
"Yes. See, she was only fifteen when she began seeing him and he was almost twenty. And then once day she told me Phil hurt her and showed me the bruises. I took her to the hospital immediately and they told me that, because of the angle, they were self-inflicted. The bruises were far too small to have been his fists. And Phil hadn't even been home. He was gone on a trip. So I made the decision to have her committed for three months. I was worried about her health. She got much better afterwards and of course... It all fell apart," she cleaned her tears, her eyes red and her cheeks puffy.
She looked completely heartbroken and any person, unaware of the situation, would have believed her. To Charlie, it appeared as if she'd been crafting this story for years. Painting her daughter as a sick girl with a fragile mind.
"Is there any reason you would think of that she would actively try to accuse your husband? If he never laid a hand on her, then why would she be so adamant on hurting him, his reputation, his life?" Jane asked, leaning forward.
Renee took in a deep, shaky breath, "Attention. I was so young when I had her and I was very selfish. I took her away from a father and a brother she didn't know. And I guess she resented Phil. And these accusations, it would put her in a spotlight. Most of her accusations would always be in a public place; a restaurant, mall, school. And everyone would flock to her to make sure she was okay. And when the accusations were proved false, everyone would leave and she would become depressed and try to hurt herself. She cried wolf so often that when this boyfriend of hers truly hurt her, I didn't believe her."
The tears were streaming down her face and she was shaking with sobs. Charlie's throat was tightening up but it wasn't out of pity for her. It was for Bella. She had tried so many times to tell someone, anyone, and Phil was so manipulative he had everyone believing she was faking it all.
"Were charges pressed?" Garrett set her pen down, staring down Renee.
"I'm sorry?" she sniffed.
"Through all of these accusations, whether it be at your husband or this boyfriend of hers. Did anyone press charges?"
Renee looked a bit stumped for a moment and Charlie fought his smile.
"Of course. The first couple times. She filed the first one on her own, as I said, when she was fifteen and when we learned it was a lie she dropped them. And the man was arrested but eventually released. There wasn't enough evidence. And I think, because he got away, she kept trying to pin it on someone. She needed the attention, okay? She craved it and never goes a day without it. She hurt herself a couple days ago. This is not the first time. She's tried to kill herself three times. Bella is a sick girl and she needs help," Renee looked at them both, her eyes holding pity and hopelessness. "Is there anything else you need from me? This day has been very tiring."
"Yes. Do not leave town. You are apart of the ongoing investigation. And we are aware that your husband followed you here. I'm sure you weren't aware of it but he is the main suspect in this case. So, as of now, you are no longer allowed within two hundred feet of Bella. Violate this and you will be arrested. Thank you for your time," Garrett stood with Jane and walked out, nodding at Charlie.
"We're going to look into everything she said, Chief. If she lied about anything, we'll find it," Garrett told him as he left.
When Renee stepped out of the room, her tears had stopped flowing. And when she saw Charlie, she sighed.
"You don't know her Charlie. She's a lot to handle," she shook her head.
"You lost your right to speak to me when you ran off and took my daughter with you," he snapped harshly and left, walking of the station and into the dark night.
When he got to his car, he beat on the steering wheel, anger boiling inside him. Who did she think she was? He knew she was good liar but how had he never noticed this? That she was this twisted? That she was capable of hating a child she gave birth to?
He growled and started the car, shaking his head.
He had failed Bella eighteen years ago when Renee ran off and he didn't search for her. And he even though he hadn't known about her, he still failed. But he wouldn't anymore. Charlie was going to fight for his daughter and he would do anything he could to help her get back the life that had been taken from her when she was so young.
And he wouldn't stop until Renee and Phil were rotting behind bars.
Sorry about the late update! I was trying to figure out how to even start this chapter. But here it is! What did you think of Renee? Now you have some insight into Bella's life. What do you think?
Review and let me know!
