Part Seven: 4 May 1993: Inspector Calls
Characters: Mr Matthews, Mrs Matthews, Darryl, Andy (22), Paige (16)
Andy looked at his computer screen and entered the name Prudence Halliwell into his search drive. It was his first week back in San Francisco since he had entered divorce proceedings with his wife. He sighed as he thought of his hasty Vegas wedding, both him and Susan had made the decision that the marriage would not work after only 19 months. He shook his head, what did the so-called experts say, 'marry in hast and repent in leisure'. But that was not the case either since the two of them had decided to stay friends.
He focused his eyes back on the computer screen as his high school girlfriend's name appeared. Noticing the phone number next to Prue's name, he quickly jotted it down on a piece of paper.
"Hey Trudeau, we have a sixteen-year old drunk." The voice of his partner yelled across the room.
Andy looked down at the phone number again before walking over to Police Officer Morris. He took one final look at the number before entering the room with his partner. Andy screwed the piece of note pad paper up in the ball of his hand, marry in hast repent at leisure.
"We got a name?" Andy asked.
Darryl glanced down at a printed piece of paper before looking back up at the girl who was resting her head on the table. "Matthews, Paige."
"Well we better call her parents, since she's a minor." Andy observed as he looked at the young girl and then back at the crumbled bit of paper in his hand.
"Already done. They should be here any minute," Darryl explained as he took a seat opposite the teenager.
Darryl looked closer at the dark-haired girl and sighed. She could only be a couple of years younger than his brother. He sent the girl almost a look of pity as she raised her head slightly to look at the two officers. She was going to suffer the hangover from hell in the morning and that was worse than any punishment they could give her. A night in the bathroom followed by the next day feeling so fragile that she would feel uncertain with every step she took.
Paige felt her mouth dry up and tried to focus from her mind that was spinning on the police officer sitting in front of her. With the start of a headache from being forced to focus her eyes on something, she croaked, "Can I have some water, please."
Darryl nodded at his partner, "Trudeau, go get the girl something to drink."
"Thank you," Paige replied in a voice that was barely audible.
Seconds later Andy came back into the room with both a plastic cup full of water and the teenager's parents. Seeing her parents entering the room, Paige slumped her head back onto the table. She was not ready for an argument yet.
"Oh Paige," the woman sighed as she entered the room.
Darryl waited for both Andy and the girl's parents to take their seats before glancing down at his new file on Miss P. Matthews. As Darryl looked up he saw a marked difference in the young adult's mother and father. Mr Matthews had his arms crossed with a worried but slightly annoyed look on his face, which made Darryl believe that he had seen this all before. Mrs Matthews however had a look on her face that was full of concern and had reached to rub the girl's back.
"Paige Matthews," Darryl started looking at the young girl who had glanced up at his face again, "We are going to give you an official warning."
Paige pulled the cup of water to her and took a sip, "What does that mean?"
"It means that we are not pressing charges for your drunken behaviour with your friends but will be keeping this warning on record," Darryl explained as much to the girl's parents as Paige herself.
"So I can go home now, then?"
"Yes, you can go home." Darryl told her, "But we'd like to remind you that next time we won't be as lenient with you, so we recommend that there is not a next time."
"What do you say?" Mr Matthews asked his daughter in a stern voice.
Paige looked up at her father and then back at the two police officers, "I'm sorry for taking up your time."
"And," Mr Matthews prompted.
"Thank you for your consideration."
Darryl looked at both the father and daughter before talking. "We just don't want to see you here again. You're free to go home."
"And Miss Matthews, it seems that you have two loving parents there. You're only sixteen and will not find your answers in a bottle of vodka," Andy told the girl as he waited on her to leave the room with her parents.
Characters: Mr Matthews, Mrs Matthews, Darryl, Andy (22), Paige (16)
Andy looked at his computer screen and entered the name Prudence Halliwell into his search drive. It was his first week back in San Francisco since he had entered divorce proceedings with his wife. He sighed as he thought of his hasty Vegas wedding, both him and Susan had made the decision that the marriage would not work after only 19 months. He shook his head, what did the so-called experts say, 'marry in hast and repent in leisure'. But that was not the case either since the two of them had decided to stay friends.
He focused his eyes back on the computer screen as his high school girlfriend's name appeared. Noticing the phone number next to Prue's name, he quickly jotted it down on a piece of paper.
"Hey Trudeau, we have a sixteen-year old drunk." The voice of his partner yelled across the room.
Andy looked down at the phone number again before walking over to Police Officer Morris. He took one final look at the number before entering the room with his partner. Andy screwed the piece of note pad paper up in the ball of his hand, marry in hast repent at leisure.
"We got a name?" Andy asked.
Darryl glanced down at a printed piece of paper before looking back up at the girl who was resting her head on the table. "Matthews, Paige."
"Well we better call her parents, since she's a minor." Andy observed as he looked at the young girl and then back at the crumbled bit of paper in his hand.
"Already done. They should be here any minute," Darryl explained as he took a seat opposite the teenager.
Darryl looked closer at the dark-haired girl and sighed. She could only be a couple of years younger than his brother. He sent the girl almost a look of pity as she raised her head slightly to look at the two officers. She was going to suffer the hangover from hell in the morning and that was worse than any punishment they could give her. A night in the bathroom followed by the next day feeling so fragile that she would feel uncertain with every step she took.
Paige felt her mouth dry up and tried to focus from her mind that was spinning on the police officer sitting in front of her. With the start of a headache from being forced to focus her eyes on something, she croaked, "Can I have some water, please."
Darryl nodded at his partner, "Trudeau, go get the girl something to drink."
"Thank you," Paige replied in a voice that was barely audible.
Seconds later Andy came back into the room with both a plastic cup full of water and the teenager's parents. Seeing her parents entering the room, Paige slumped her head back onto the table. She was not ready for an argument yet.
"Oh Paige," the woman sighed as she entered the room.
Darryl waited for both Andy and the girl's parents to take their seats before glancing down at his new file on Miss P. Matthews. As Darryl looked up he saw a marked difference in the young adult's mother and father. Mr Matthews had his arms crossed with a worried but slightly annoyed look on his face, which made Darryl believe that he had seen this all before. Mrs Matthews however had a look on her face that was full of concern and had reached to rub the girl's back.
"Paige Matthews," Darryl started looking at the young girl who had glanced up at his face again, "We are going to give you an official warning."
Paige pulled the cup of water to her and took a sip, "What does that mean?"
"It means that we are not pressing charges for your drunken behaviour with your friends but will be keeping this warning on record," Darryl explained as much to the girl's parents as Paige herself.
"So I can go home now, then?"
"Yes, you can go home." Darryl told her, "But we'd like to remind you that next time we won't be as lenient with you, so we recommend that there is not a next time."
"What do you say?" Mr Matthews asked his daughter in a stern voice.
Paige looked up at her father and then back at the two police officers, "I'm sorry for taking up your time."
"And," Mr Matthews prompted.
"Thank you for your consideration."
Darryl looked at both the father and daughter before talking. "We just don't want to see you here again. You're free to go home."
"And Miss Matthews, it seems that you have two loving parents there. You're only sixteen and will not find your answers in a bottle of vodka," Andy told the girl as he waited on her to leave the room with her parents.