Chapter 95

Remy made it back to the station and went straight to interrogation room number one where Frank was being held. Before opening the door, he straightened his shoulders and put a scowl on his face. He opened the door to Frank sitting cuffed to the table. Just as he was entering, a female voice stopped him in his tracks and he turned around shutting the door.

"Detective Boudreau, a word." The woman demanded.

"Madam Mayor. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Don't play coy with me detective. What the hell happened out at the farmhouse?"

"I don't know what exactly happened, I only know what I saw when I got there towards the end of the fight."

"Well, what do you know?"

"When I got there Frank had an unconscious Olivia held up in front of him with a gun to her head. He was trying to get Detective Mallet to allow Rafael Spencer-Rivera to help him drive off with her. Rafe refused and it got pretty heated. Temporary police chief Mallet was trying to talk him down but he wasn't having the best of luck. I'm not sure exactly what happened next, it was like everything was on fast forward. Rafe was talking to Frank and then Olivia head butt him and had him pinned to the ground via her heel in his testicles with Frank's gun pointed at his chest. She handed Mallet the gun and he and I arrested Frank. We had officer Brian bring him to interrogation while Mallet waited on forensics and I went to meet Natalia at the hospital. I just got here and haven't had a chance to get Franks statement."

"I want him Mirandized before you say a damn thing in there. Do you hear me? This one is done strictly by the book. I will not have him walk away from this on a technicality."

"I believe office Brian did that on the scene."

"I don't give a flying fuck. You do it again before you utter a single syllable. That man has made Olivia and her family's life hell for the past year and I don't want a single stone left unturned. He will pay for this."

"Yes ma'am. I'll do it all by the book."

"Good. Now, go question him quickly and then get medical down here. From what I saw he looks to have a broken nose."

Just as Remy was turning to enter the interrogation room, Natalia came storming in. Her heels clicking similar to Olivia's as she marched up to Remy. "Where the hell is he?"

"Whoa, Natalia calm down."

"Don't you tell me to calm down. My wife is still unconscious and I need answers. I need to know what he did to her. Now you let me see him right now Remy or so help me god."

Doris had stepped into observation when she heard the distraught woman. She strutted over to her and tried to calm her. "Natalia!" She bellowed. "You have got to calm down. We can't let you see him right now."

"The hell you can't Doris. My wife, your friend, is not waking up. She may never wake up. That bastard is going to tell me what he did to MY WIFE so I can help her. Please Doris, just let me talk to him." She had started out yelling but it died down to merely a whisper as she pleaded for help and tears leaked from her eyes.

Doris wrapped her arms around her best friend's wife and tried to sooth her. "She's going to wake up. This is Olivia freakin Spencer-Rivera we're talking about here. She's not going to let a man like Frank Cooper keep her down."

"You don't understand Doris. Rick took her for a CT scan, it showed a severe concussion but she should be able to wake up and she's not. He's trying to hide it but I can tell Rick's worried. Rafe can't say anything more than sorry. Rick says he's in some sort of emotional shock. My family is falling apart and I don't know how to help them. What if he gave her something they can't detect? I have to know Doris. I can't lose her."

Doris held the frightened woman tighter and rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay. We'll get the answers we need, but not by sending you in there Natalia. We have to do this properly. We can't give his lawyers anything to use to get him out of this. Let Remy go do his job, you can come watch with me if you want. Okay?" Natalia nodded as Doris led her to the observation room and Remy went into interrogation to question Frank.

"Alright Mr. Cooper. You have…"

"Quit with the formalities Remy." Frank spat at him.

"You have the right to remain silent…"

"I know my damn rights Boudreau, just get on with it."

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have read to you?"

"Yes, now get on with this and get me a damn doctor. My fucking nose is killing me."

"With these rights in mind do you wish to speak to me?"

"Just ask me what you wanna know."

"Why were you at the farmhouse today?"

"I was waiting to speak with Olivia. I just wanted to talk to her. I knew she wouldn't let me in so I snuck in while no one was home."

"So, you just wanted to talk?"

"Yes, talk. That's all."

"Are you admitting to an act of home invasion?"

"Yeah but it's not like it sounds. I know where Natalia keeps the spare key so I used it to get in. Like I said, I just wanted to talk and I knew there was no way Olivia would let me in the house. I needed to clear some things up with her."

"So then how did it escalade to the point of you holding a gun to her head while she was unconscious?"

"Look man, I was trying to talk to her and that bitch attacked me."

"She attacked you?"

"Yes. I was trying to talk to her about my rebuilding my friendship with both her and Natalia. She went fucking nuts screaming that she would kill me if I came anywhere near her or Natalia. She tried to punch me so I hit back."

"Tell me exactly where you were in the house when she came home."

"I was in the living room on the couch."

"You were in the living room? And yet Rafael Spencer-Rivera had no clue you were there?"

Before either man could say more, Mallet opened the door and came inside. "That's bull shit and you know it."

"Whoa, detective Mallet. Can I have a word with you, outside?" Remy said, as he stood and ushered Mallet out the door. "What the hell man? He was talking."

"Yeah he was talking, nothing but lies."

"How do you know that man? We weren't there."

"When I got there Rafe was frantic. He heard a noise upstairs and thought Olivia had an episode with her heart and passed out. He had no clue Frank was in the house. It's not possible that either of them was aware he was in there."

"So, what do you think, should we get Rafe's statement before we question him further?"

Before Mallet could answer, Doris stepped out of observation. "That's not possible right now."

"What? Why? Rafe was okay when he left the house." Mallet questioned.

"According to Natalia, he's in some sort of shock. Olivia hasn't woken up yet and apparently the only words he can say right now are 'I'm sorry' and 'I should have protected her.' There's no way he can give a statement right now. We're gonna have to get what we can out of Cooper tonight and then question him again after Olivia's awake and we speak to both her and Rafael."

Mallet nodded. "Alright, well, I was first on scene so I think I should be in there."

"I agree. You and Detective Boudreau should question him together and see what we can get. Then get medical to take a look at his nose and lock him in holding until we can question him further."

Mallet and Remy both nodded and reentered the interrogation room. Mallet sat in front of Frank while Remy stayed standing. "Alright Frank, let's try this again." Mallet began. "We know Rafael Spencer-Rivera was unaware you were in the house, which means, you weren't waiting on the couch, so, let's try this again. Tell us what happened."

Frank stayed silent so Mallet tried again. "Frank, I'm giving you the chance to tell your side of the story. I highly recommend you take it."

Frank thought for a moment before deciding he was going to stick with the 'Olivia attacked me first' scenario and see if he could lessen his time. He knew there was too much against him to keep him completely out of jail, but he was going to try and take Olivia down with him. "Alright, no, I wasn't in the living room. I was upstairs when I heard her come in. I thought she was alone. I was waiting in the master bedroom so I would have a better chance of her talking to me. I'll admit, I startled her, but then she just attacked me. She got a hold of my gun and was threatening to shoot. I was able to hit her and get the gun back. She kept trying to attack me so I hit her with the butt of my gun in the temple. I didn't mean to knock her out, I just wanted her to stop coming at me and let me talk."

"Why was the dresser blocking the door?"

"When I heard the sirens I kind of freaked out okay. I was violating the restraining order by being there and I guess I lost it. I wasn't in my right state of mind. I think I had a mental break. You saw the rest of what happened."

Mallet had called for an update on Olivia's condition on his way to the hospital. He didn't want to give away too much because Frank was talking without a lawyer present, but he did want more answers. "Can you explain to me how she ended up with four broken ribs if you only hit her in the temple?"

"I don't know man. I guess while we were struggling I must have hit her a few times. I'm not sure."

"You never kicked her?"

"No man. I'm not coward enough to kick a woman."

"I only ask because the injuries she obtained couldn't have been caused by a fist. The most likely scenario is she was kicked several times. Probably by someone wearing steel toe boots, similar to the ones you're currently wearing."

"Look Mallet, I said I didn't kick her and I didn't."

"Okay. I believe you man; however, I am going to have to take your boots into evidence. They will be compared to the marks left on Olivia Spencer-Rivera to see if they match."

Frank knew he was caught in his lie. "I think I'll be invoking my Miranda rights now. Get me my lawyer."

"Alright Mr. Cooper. We'll get medical to take a look at your nose. Please remove your boots for me and we'll get you into holding."

"I know how this works Mallet. Just get the fuck out of here."

Without another word, Mallet stood and walked out. Leaving Remy to finish with Frank. Doris and Natalia met him outside the room. "Well, I can say for certain that was all crap." Doris told him.

"Maybe."

"What do you mean maybe?" Natalia asked.

"Olivia may have attacked him first. I mean, we all know Olivia."

Natalia lurched forward but Doris stopped her. "Do you really believe that Mallet? He doesn't have a mark him other than the broken nose. Why would he be waiting in her room if it weren't to ambush her?" Doris asked.

"Look, I'm not saying I believe him, but we don't know what happened in that room before I arrived. The only ones that do are Frank and Olivia. Since he's quit talking, all we can do now is wait for Olivia to wake up so we can talk to her. Until then, we wait."

"That's it. We just wait. My wife may never wake up. Than what?" Natalia spat at him.

"Look Natalia, I know this is hard, but there's nothing more we can do tonight. Forensics is finishing up at your house. Once we have all the evidence, and Olivia wakes up, we can do more. But there's nothing we can do tonight. Why don't you go back to the hospital? That's where you need to be. Let me take care of things here. Okay?"

"Fine, but I want answers first thing tomorrow. Do you understand me? Either you get him to talk, or I will." With that, she spun on her heel and marched out of the station.

Doris turned to Mallet with an almost smile. "That woman might seem innocent, but I can tell you this, you don't mess with her family. You better figure out a way to get her some answers by tomorrow or you will have one fiery Latina on your hands." She turned and walked out. Headed to the hospital to check on her friend.

On her way to the hospital, Doris called Phillip, as much as she knew Olivia would hate it, she also knew he would make sure she had round the clock security, if for no other reason, then to keep Emma safe.

Phillip was just headed to bed when his phone started buzzing. "Phillip Spaulding."

"Phillip? It's Doris Wolfe."

"Well hello mayor Wolfe. What can I do for you?"

"It's Olivia, there was an incident this evening at the farmhouse."

"What kind of incident? Is she okay?"

"From what I've been told it's pretty bad. I'm headed to the hospital now."

"Well, what the hell happened? Is it her heart?"

"You know, I think her heart would almost be better then what actually happened."

"What happened Doris?"

"Look, I can't tell you much, it's an ongoing investigation, but Frank Cooper attacked her at the farmhouse. She's at Cedars. Apparently she's still unconscious."

"What the hell is wrong with that guy? I'm on my way."

"Wait Phillip."

"What?"

"I hate to ask, and you know Olivia would kill me, but could you maybe have a couple of your security guys come down to the hospital, just to keep watch on her, Natalia, and the kids. I know Emma is with you and you have no obligation to the rest of her family, but we don't know if Frank roped anyone else into this little game of his."

"Of course. I just got Em and Payton down for the night. Let me talk with Beth and my security team and I'll be down there within the hour."

"Thanks Phillip. I know once Olivia gets over being pissed, she'll really appreciate it."

They disconnected the call and Doris made her way to Cedars and to Dr. Rick. "Dr. Bauer." She called out.

Hearing his name, Rick spun around from where he was headed. "Madam Mayor. How can I help you?"

"How's Olivia doing?"

"You know I can't tell you."

"Come on Rick. You know she'd be okay with it. It's not like she's conscious to tell me herself."

"Yes, but her family is. You'll have to ask them." He turned to leave and she grabbed his arm.

"Look, I know you aren't supposed to tell me, and I get that, but I'm trying to get the man that did this to her. She's my best friend and let me tell ya, I don't have a lot of those. Rafe can't utter more than a few words, Ava's trying to keep it together, and Natalia is going out of her mind. I can't ask one of them to relay this again. They need time. So please, just tell me, how she is."

Rick took Doris by the arm and led her to an empty room. "Okay, I'm gonna tell you, but this conversation never happened. You already know she has a head wound where the gun made contact with her temple, and she has several broken ribs and some bruising on her back. But, when I took her for a CT scan, I found another head wound on the back of her skull. I'm assuming she hit her head on something when she fell. She has a severe concussion. She seems to be showing some rather rare signs."

"Like what?"

"Well, most patients will wake up after an hour or so. It's been more than two hours and she's showing no signs of waking. She seems to be riding the line between passing out from the concussion and slipping into a coma. Until she wakes up and I can give a proper assessment, I won't know how bad the damage is. With any luck, she's just completely drained and she'll wake up by morning. Unless something further happens, all we can do is wait."

"And how about Rafael Spencer-Rivera? How is he doing? Natalia said he's in some sort of shock."

"Yes. He's in a state of emotional shock. We moved a bed into Olivia's room for him. Ava is laying with him. All we can do is talk to him and wait for him to come out of it. Ava said he did for a few minutes when we took Olivia for her CT scan and he saw Natalia so distraught, but, Once Olivia didn't wake up and Natalia took off, Rafe fell back into it. I'm on my way to check on them. You're welcome to come see them for a few minutes, but that's it. I can only allow the family to stay."

"Thanks. I can only stay for a minute anyways. I'm waiting on Phillip to get here with some damn security for that poor family."

Rick nodded and the two exited the room and made their way to Olivia's room. When they entered, they could see Ava sitting on Rafe's bed talking quietly to him and Natalia sitting in a chair next to Olivia's bed clinging to her hand. Rick went to Rafe's bed first to give Doris a moment with Olivia.

Doris walked to the side of the bed opposite Natalia and picked up Olivia's free hand. She bent close to her ear and whispered so no one else could hear. "Now, you listen here Spencer, it's time for you to open those damn pretty green eyes of yours. I don't have a lot of friends, really, I think you're the only one I've got. So, you wake the fuck up and come back to me, to Natalia. That woman would do anything for you, now you do this for her, you wake up." She kissed her friends cheek and stood, hoping for some sort of reaction.

Olivia's eyes fluttered but didn't open. The fingers on both her hands twitched just barely, and then she was out cold again. It may have been small, but for Natalia it was everything. "What did you say to her?"

"Does it matter? It didn't help." Doris replied, sounding dejected.

"Yes it did."

"What? She's still out."

"Yes, but her eyes fluttered and she moved her fingers. Whatever you said made her try."

Rick had heard Natalia and turned towards Olivia's bed. "What just happened?"

"She moved her fingers and her eyelids moved a little, like maybe she was trying to open them."

Rick moved in front of Doris and lifted one of Olivia's eyelids, shining a flashlight in her eye. He could see her eye moving back and forth but could tell she wasn't really seeing. It was a good sign though. Natalia was right. She was trying to wake up. "You're absolutely right Natalia. She's trying to come back to us. I think it's best if we just let her rest and hopefully in a few hours she'll come out of this."

"Thank you Dr. Rick. How's Rafe?"

"I think it's just gonna take some time. He's responding, but barely. I'm hoping that once Olivia wakes up he'll come out of it. From what he's saying, I think it's safe to assume he's blaming himself for what happened to Olivia. Once she's awake I firmly believe he'll be okay. We'll keep him here with Olivia for now. Ava's welcome to stay where she's at and keep talking to him. It's the best thing for him really. Just keep reminding him that it's not his fault and keep talking to him. You should really try and get some sleep. You'll be no use to either of them if you pass out from exhaustion."

"Thanks Rick. I'll try."

"I'll send in a nurse to change over her IV. Have someone page me if there is any change in either of them. Mayor Wolfe, two minutes and then I have to ask you to leave."

"I'm going, I'm going. Just give me a minute to talk with Natalia and then I'll wait in the waiting room."

Rick smiled at her as he exited the room and sent a nurse in. Doris waited for the nurse to finish before she spoke. "Natalia, I called Phillip."

"Oh my god thank you. I didn't even think to call him."

"It's okay, Emma doesn't need to know any of this anyways, but I asked him to send over a couple of his security guards."

"Do you really think that's necessary? I mean, Frank's in jail."

"Yes, but we don't know if he is working with anyone, or who he might use his phone call to talk to. I would think he would call Buzz, but, you never know. I just want to make sure you and your family are safe. Phillip felt the same way. He should be here shorty. I'll have him come talk to you when he gets here."

"Thank you Doris. Really. For everything."

"Of course." Doris walked to Olivia's side again. She bent down and placed a kiss to her friends cheek. Lingering for a few moments before she pulled back and left without looking at anyone. This kiss was for the love of her best friend. It was for hold on and I swear I'll nail that bastard to the wall.