32
Bella sat in silence as Sam and Mike drove away from the house, down the street, turning left, right, left, left, and then stopping in front of the Forks Police Department. The two had watched her during the entire trip, though neither spoke. She was glad, because she needed the time to get her story straight. Still, while they might not have spoken to her, they watched her. Closely, intensely, like he clearly had been since she walked out of his house, left him to stew in his own misery.
They pulled up in front where dozens of news crews and reports were gathered. Bella wasn't stupid. They could have taken her around back, taken her inside privately, discreetly, but they were making a point now. Trying to make a power move. She wouldn't give them anything, though.
Sam climbed out first, then Mike. Sam opened the back door to the squad car and grabbed her arm, dragging her from the backseat. She could feel his nails digging into her arm, even though the long-sleeve shirt, and before she could tell him to get his hands off her, Mike on her other side, gripping her other arm. Together, the two men manhandled her through the throng reporters and camera men, who threw out questions like, "why'd you kill your father?" "Did he rape you?" "Did you really cut his penis off?"
Bella didn't utter a sound, though, playing Carlisle's words inside her head over and over and over and over. Stay silent, he's calling Garrett. But could Garrett get her out of this? Would it matter that her father had kidnapped her? Touched her? Tried to rape her? She wasn't confident, so she didn't say anything as Sam and Mike dragged her into the building, forced her to give them her finger prints, forced her to let them take her mugshot before placing the handcuffs back on her wrists and locking her inside a small, cold interrogation room. Her heart was racing, her chest hurt, and all she could think about was Alice screaming for her as they took her away.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting inside the small, freezing room when the door opened again and Sam and Mike came in with another man, this one taller than both, gangly looking with dark hair and eyes. He shifted his attention from the two police men to her before he walked over and pulled out the chair across from her, sitting down.
"May I call you Bella?"
She didn't reply.
He smiled. "My name is Tyler Crowley, young lady. I'm the district attorney, and as I understand, you've confessed to killing Charlie Swan and Alistair Swan."
Still, she didn't say a word.
"Your silence isn't going to help you, Bella."
Again, she just sat there, staring at him.
He leaned back in his chair before placing his hand on the table. "How'd you do it?"
Bella, still, refused to speak.
Tyler smiled. "You're attorney should be here soon, Bella. In the meantime, can I get you a drink? A soda? Maybe some water?" And when she just sat there, he said, "How about something to eat? We have donuts. You know how police officers and donuts go together like, well, police officers and donuts."
Behind him, she saw Sam and Mike roll their eyes, still she refused to react.
"Very well," he said, standing up and leaning against the table. "A bit of advice, young lady: don't let this be your sword to fall on. There are other ways to win this battle."
Tyler gave her another look before he turned and motioned for Sam and Mike to leave the room first. He paused in the doorway before looking back at her, winking, and leaving her alone. Bella blew out a heavy breath as she struggled to keep from crying.
—TNSPD—
Bella knew she'd been inside the small cold room for over an hour when the door opened again and this time Garrett hurried in. He closed the door behind him, but put his hand up to stop her from speaking for a moment. After a second, he tossed his brief case onto the table, and dragged his fingers through his hair.
"What the hell are you doing, Bella?" he asked.
"The right thing," she said, and when he opened his mouth to argue with her, she said, "I'm fighting for myself, Garrett."
Sighing, he pulled the chair out and sat across from her. "You're being an idiot, but I get it."
"Do you?" she asked. "Because I don't think you do."
"Then tell me."
Bella bit the inside of her lip. "He was watching us, me and Alice, in Port Angeles. She'd . . . She'd, you know, touched me, and went to the restroom to wash her hands, when he grabbed me. I screamed, Garrett, for help, but nobody came to my rescue this time. He carried me away, and locked me in the trunk of his car."
Garrett shifted his eyes behind him, making it clear they were listening through the two-way mirror. "And then what happened?"
"When we got to the cabin, he . . . he touched me," she whimpered, looking down at her crotch. "Down there, and took me to the bedroom, where Alistair was waiting. He told Charlie to cut my clothes off, and he did as he was told. Then he . . . he turned me onto my stomach and ran his hands along my backside, and I felt him behind me," she cried, wishing her hands weren't bound behind her so she could wrap her arms around herself, keep from screaming. "I managed to get fight them off, though, and I ran away. I found a shot gun, and . . . and I . . . I killed them."
Garrett tilted his head to the side. "And then what happened?"
"I left them there to die, and walked back into town."
"Naked?"
She nodded. "I stayed in the shadows until I got home."
Giving her a look first, Garrett stood up and walked out of the room, coming back a moment later with Tyler. "You heard her."
"Come on, man, you know she's full of shit," Tyler scoffed, folding his arms in front of her. "How'd she overcome two men, who weighed almost twice what she does?"
"Adrenaline," Bella said, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't like being raped, especially by my father."
Tyler frowned. "Why are you covering for them, Bella?"
"I don't know what you're taking about," she quipped, leaning against the back of her chair. "I killed them in self-defense. They kidnapped me and attempted to sexually assault me. Again. I fought back, and killed them both."
Tyler threw Garrett a look before he shook his head. "I can't plead her out, Garrett. You know I can't."
"You can," he said. "But you're choosing not to." Garrett pointed at Bella. "She acted in self-defense, and you'd rather make a name for yourself than see that justice is done, Tyler."
Tyler shook his head again. "I'm sorry. I'm taking this all the way."
And without another word, Tyler left them alone. Garrett started to speak, but Sam and Mike came back in and grabbed her arms, yanking her out of the chair.
"Where are you taking her?" he asked. "As her attorney, I need to know where you are taking my client."
"We're taking her to county lockup. She'll see the judge in the next forty-eight hours. You know the drill, Mitchell."
Garrett threw Bella a look before he moved out of the way, and allowed them to manhandle her out of the room. As they dragged her across the station, she saw Carlisle and Emmett standing next to Alice, all three of them watching her with wide, fearful eyes, and she wanted nothing more than for them save her again. But it was her turn to do the saving. At least, that's what she was telling herself.
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