Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 77
"So, Dr. Cullen, you're saying that you had no idea that your wife was thinking about killing herself?" asked the cynical looking detective sitting across from Edward in the sparsely furnished interrogation room.
It had been over a week since he found Carmen in the bathroom, but during that time, Edward hardly slept or had much to eat. His eyes were red and dull, and his general appearance was unkempt. He was sporting several days' worth of stubble and he couldn't remember when he had last changed his clothes.
He was beyond tired. Too tired to follow the chain of questioning he was being subjected to at the moment. Especially after the inquiries started to loop and repeat.
"Uhh... yes," Edward said uncertainly.
"'Yes' you knew your wife was thinking about hurting herself?" the detective, whose name kept eluding Edward - Rollings? Roland? - asked with the snide indifference that he kept in reserve to catch perpetrators at their lies.
"Huh? No, no, that's not what I meant," Edward protested with frustration. "I didn't know she was planning to... I've told you this already, twice... I mean, I knew she was depressed, but I didn't think she was going to... going to do something like this. I would have-"
"Why is it that you have your wife's friend's phone number programmed in your cell? Have you ever been inside Kate Tanner's apartment without your wife's presence?" the detective asked, cutting Edward off mid-statement and unapologetically steering the inquisition into a different direction.
Edward's vision blurred in anger.
Anger at the police for the unjust treatment he was receiving at their hand.
Anger at Carmen for leaving him in such a mess without even bothering to write a note.
Anger at his mother-in-law for lodging a frivolous complaint against him with the law enforcement which landed him in this interrogation room.
Elvira Moreno wasted little time after flying into the city before she started assigning blame as to who was responsible for her daughter's alleged suicide attempt and subsequent hospitalization. Her sensors had honed in on Edward almost right away and she hadn't relented since.
At first, Edward had reasoned that Elvira was blinded by grief and it wasn't unreasonable for her to want to hold someone accountable. After all, he had a pretty good idea how he himself might react if anything were to happen to Ella.
He had hoped that Elvira would eventually resign to the truth and get her priorities in order; that she would join him and the Cullens in channeling her sorrow through prayers and patience while they waited for Carmen's condition to improve.
That hope was soon squashed.
Elvira violently rejected the suggestion that Carmen could be struggling with depression or that she had attempted to take her own life. The perception she held of her daughter was one of strength and pride. Her daughter would never consider self harm; she would never swipe her friend's pills. Nor would she ever contemplate leaving her baby unattended in the house while she washed the said pills down.
Someone had to have done this to her, or drove her to it in the very least. And her son-in-law looked good to her for the job.
She didn't stop just at making open accusations, but she followed through by filing a police report and used all the influence her husband's office could garner to ensure that the police called Edward in to the local precinct for questioning.
Edward had been politely asked to "answer a few questions" over at the station, which, after three hours or so, had begun to resemble hard-hitting interrogation than mere inquiries.
However, even in his vulnerable and weakened state, there was only so far he could be pushed before he pushed back.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.
Major similarities between life and fiction ends here. The person I partially modeled Carmen on didn't survive the suicide attempt. Her chosen method of execution was far more brutal than Carmen's. The police problems that ensued was very much real. Although it was worse than what Edward had to go through.
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Sorry about the long AN. And I'm sorry about the delay in posting due to FF fail. I really appreciate your patience. (((HUGS)))