Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter nineteen of 'Into the Shadows.' This chapter has some Edward/Bella and Jacob/Leah. It introduces Phil and Renee as well. A reviewer asked why Charlie could not reach Jessica, Angela, and Mike's parents. The reason is they were busy at their respective activities. They probably did not have their cellphones on them. Stay tuned for chapter twenty.

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Chapter 19: Questioning/Crazy Renee

Walter wrote while Edward talked about his and Alice's discovery of Bella laying on her kitchen floor eleven minutes later. Edward was seated next to Bella on the bed. He still held her hand. Charlie and Alice stood near him. Walter erased a mark and replaced it with another. He stopped his writing to move his wrist around.

"Bella freaked out when I attempted to hold her. She calmed down after I took her into my arms," Edward said softly.

"Did any of you ever see any signs that Mike would do something like this?" Walter asked.

"Mike did show some jealousy whenever he saw Bella and me together. The rest of my family saw it too. He didn't like that we were dating," Edward explained with a heavy sigh.

"Mike has always had a thing for her. He usually kept his attention on her whenever we encountered him," Charlie commented.

"Other than that, there weren't any signs he'd hurt her," Alice said, licking her lips. "He was always nice to her. He was very careful not to treat Edward badly in front of her."

"He wanted to remain in her favor," Edward added.

Walter wrote down all the details he'd been given. He nodded in satisfaction and slipped his pen and notepad into his pocket. He rubbed his hands together very quickly.

"What you gave me should really help in the investigation," Walter said and placed his hands on his sides.

"I wish we could give you more," Alice said regretfully.

"Have you handled other rape cases?" Edward asked in curiosity.

"I handled several rape cases when I first started working as a detective in Jersey City," Walter answered and brought his foot up to straighten his sock. He put it back down. "The first case involved a serial rapist. He raped twelve women over a four-month period. He committed three assaults in one month alone."

Bella felt bile go into her throat. She forced it back down. "Oh, shit."

"Did you ever catch him?" Alice wondered.

"Yes, I did. He was charged with twelve counts of first-degree rape. He blamed the assaults on being sexually abused by his father. He thought the jury would buy it. He was shocked when he was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to forty years in prison with no chance of parole. He'll be an old man by the time he gets out," Walter explained. "I was proud of solving this case as it helped me to crack others."

Edward gasped in awe. "That's good."

Walter gave Edward a wink. Bella felt her boyfriend stroke the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Walter, do you think Mike will be found soon?" Charlie asked.

"To be honest, Charlie, I really don't know," Walter muttered in a grim voice. "I do hope so."

Alice tensed up quite a bit. "Since he raped Bella, who's to say he won't do it again?"

"You're right, Alice," Walter agreed. "Let's pray another girl doesn't fall victim to him."

"How do you think Detective Focker's questioning the others is going?" Bella wondered and swallowed hard.

"I'm sure it's going well. Your friends appeared to be really nice people," Walter answered and clasped his hands together.

"They are. They mean a great deal to me. They have let me down several times, but that's just part of life," Bella admitted.

"You should always expect the unexpected," Charlie said honestly.

Walter pointed his finger at his friend. "Ditto."

"At least it didn't take you too long to question us, Detective Fulton. Your partner will probably take longer because he has to question twelve people," Alice said.

Charlie stroked his mustache. "He could be finished before we know it."

Walter cleared his throat before snorting softly. He and the others listened to Bella talk about Emmett and Rosalie's observation of the cougar hunting the deer.

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Edward, Bella, Alice, and Walter listened to Charlie talk about a large fish he caught during the fishing trip eighteen minutes later. Charlie sat on the second bed. Walter stood near him. Edward and Alice were next to Bella. Charlie held up his hands as if he were holding a fishing pole. He pretended to reel in a fish and leaned back that made him appear he was pulling it toward shore.

"I nearly lost my grip on my pole, but I managed to reel that fish in," Charlie said as he became straight.

"Fish can be so tricky," Walter said and held up a finger.

"Fish may be tricky, but I will get two big filets out of that one," Charlie said, crossing his arms. "The filets from the other fish will be smaller, but I don't mind that."

"At least you had a nice time on your fishing trip," Alice said and exhaled slowly.

"Me too," Charlie agreed and stroked his mustache three times. He got a curious look from Walter. "What?"

"Have you ever thought about shaving your mustache, Charlie?" Walter wondered.

"No, I haven't, Walter," Charlie answered, laying his hand on his leg. "I don't intend to."

"Oh, come on. You'd look great without one," Walter said, raising an eyebrow.

Charlie shook his head. "No, it's not happening."

"I don't think you should shave it, Dad. It looks great on you," Bella said, gesturing toward her father.

"I agree," Edward said.

"So do I," Alice added.

"See? I have three people on my side," Charlie commented, a light chuckle leaving his mouth.

Walter scoffed. "You just got lucky."

Charlie shrugged and stood up to approach Bella. Edward and Alice stepped aside to allow him to go to her side. Just then, the door opened with a slight squeak. Jacob walked in, followed by Leah, Billy, Seth, Harry, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Embry, Quil, and Bernard. The first five went to Bella's left while the next five went to her right. The last three stood in front of her. Bella furrowed her brow as she looked at Bernard.

"How did the questioning go, Detective Focker?" Bella asked.

"It went very well. The details your friends gave me should assist in the investigation," Bernard explained, pulling his notepad out of his pocket and patting it twice.

"What about you, Detective Fulton? How did your questioning of Bella, Edward, and Alice go?" Seth wondered.

Walter glanced at Bella sympathetically. "It went well, though Bella did get a little upset when she gave details of the rape."

"That's understandable. Who could keep themselves from getting upset over something so traumatic?" Rosalie commented.

Emmett put his arm around his wife. "Most people couldn't. Humans have always been one for freaking out when something bad happens to their loved ones."

"No kidding. I've read stories about mothers who became very hysterical when they learned their children had died. They were out of shape and couldn't be consoled at all," Carlisle said.

Esme pressed her lips together. "A mother's love for her child is among the strongest in the world. No matter what happens, it can never be extinguished."

Bella unfolded her hands. Her body started to tremble somewhat as her thoughts drifted to her mother. She looked down at her lap, her lower lip quivering.

"Speaking of mothers, mine will have to know about this sooner or later. When she does, she's going to—" Bella started, swallowing hard.

"I know, Bella," Charlie said and ran his hand over her hair as she looked up at him.

"I could see my mother freaking out if she learned I was raped," Leah said. "She wouldn't want me going anywhere without someone for a while. The same goes for Daddy."

"You're right about that, honey," Harry admitted.

"You have us, Leah," Embry said as he motioned to Jacob, Seth, and Quil.

"You hang with us all the time. We'd make the perfect protectors," Quil said in a warm voice.

"If you want, we can teach you how to defend yourself in case you're attacked by some creep. We may not always be there to protect you," Jacob said.

"I'd love to learn self-defense from you, guys," Leah said in happiness. "It means a lot to me that you're willing to do that."

"Why shouldn't we? We're friends, right?" Jacob asked.

"Right," Leah said and nodded slowly. He put his arm around Leah to give her a big hug. He chuckled when she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Right."

Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Bella, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Charlie, Billy, Embry, Quil, Seth, Bernard, and Walter smiled at the duo. Rosalie didn't want to, but she managed to crack a smile. Seth noticed it and was surprised.

"Rosalie, it's nice to see you smiling," Seth said.

"Why shouldn't I, Seth? It's sweet that you and your buddies want to protect Leah," Rosalie responded swiftly.

"I have to say that you do have a nice smile," Seth said.

"Why, thank you," Rosalie replied, clasping her hands together. "Maybe I should do it more often."

"Please, do so," Seth commented. "I don't like seeing a frown on a face as pretty as yours."

She nodded. "I will."

He smiled. "Good."

Jacob and Leah released their hold on each other. Billy cupped his chin in his hand and tapped his thumb against his jaw. Suddenly, a thought entered his mind. He looked toward Charlie.

"Charlie, I believe it'd be best if you called Renee and told her about the rape now. It's getting late where she is. It's possible she'll be heading to bed soon. That is if she isn't already there," Billy said seriously.

"You're right, Billy. She always got grumpy when someone woke her up early in the morning. Bella's infancy doesn't count," Charlie said.

"If Renee freaks out, maybe Phil can calm her down," Harry suggested.

"I hope so," Charlie commented. "I'm grateful that he makes her happy."

"It's good that you and Renee get along well. Many former couples continue to be at each other's throats long after the divorce," Carlisle whispered.

"Well, that's their problem," Charlie said with a huff. "Anyway, I'm going to call Renee right now."

Charlie got out his cellphone and started searching through his contacts. Bella swallowed hard. She whispered a silent prayer that her mother wouldn't freak out too badly, but she had a feeling the latter would.

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Clouds hung above Dwyer residence in Jacksonville. Phil and Renee were immersed in a game of checkers while sitting on the couch in the living room. He had red while she had black. The box lay on the floor. The room was large with pine end tables and an oak coffee table. A TV with a VCR embedded in it sat on top of a wooden stand that had a compartment below it in the corner. A DVD player was on top of it. The walls were light green. They had splotches of dark green all over them.

Renee narrowed her eyes at the board's left side. She wasn't sure about which of her checkers to move. An idea clicked in her mind. She clicked her tongue and decided to move one forward. Phil rubbed his chin in thought. He pushed a checker to the square in front of hers. She jumped it and took it away. She laughed smugly as she held it up.

"Take that, Phil!" she announced.

"You shouldn't have said that," he said while putting his hand on a checker on the board's right side. He double-jumped two of her checkers in which he reached the end. He chuckled in delight. "King me."

"You're a wise guy," Renee mumbled as she placed the checker on top of his.

"I do not care. You made me happy," Phil said and emitted a soft snort.

Renee wiggled her eyebrows. "I know something else that can make you happy."

"What's that?" Phil asked. He yelled at her grabbing his face and pulling it toward hers to press a kiss to his lips. She pulled away, which made him laugh warmly. "That does make me happy."

"Good. Don't forget that I'm the best kisser," Renee said and smacked her lips.

Phil saluted his wife. "I won't."

Renee blew a raspberry at Phil. She grabbed the box off the floor and laid it on the coffee table before opening it. He picked up the board to dump the pieces in. He folded it and placed it inside. She closed the box and ran her tongue all over the inside of her mouth.

"I'm getting thirsty. I will go kitchen to get something to drink. Do you want anything?" Renee asked as she got up.

"Nah. I'm good," Phil said and reached over to the end table to grab the remote.

"All right. I'll be back in a sec," Renee said.

"You need to watch out for the refrigerator monster," Phil joked. "It just might jump out and eat you."

"It should eat you," Renee retorted playfully. "It finds men tastier."

Renee headed into the kitchen as he laughed and grabbed the remote on the left end table to turn on the TV. The kitchen was large. The walls were the same colors as the living room. A bar contained three stools. The square-shaped table had four matching chairs around it. The cabinets happened to be dark green. The floor was made of white tiles. She was about to approach the refrigerator when the phone rang. She went to it, picking it up at the beginning of the second ring. She placed it on her ear.

"Hello?" Renee said and smiled at the sound of Charlie's voice. "Oh, hey, Charlie." Her smile faded when she heard him. She became horrified. "What? Oh, shit."

Phil stood up very quickly. He heard Renee talk more and watched her walk away from the doorway. He approached it slowly, becoming tense as she started yelling. Among the sentences he caught were, 'I'm coming to get her and bring her to Jacksonville.', 'That's what she said when she got hurt in Phoenix! Now, Mike has raped her!', and 'She's my daughter too. She'll be safer with Phil and me.' He jumped in fright when she slammed the phone down. She walked out of the kitchen.

"Damn it, Renee. You sounded like a crazy person on the phone!" Phil yelled.

"Well, you can blame—" Renee started.

"You don't have to tell me what happened to Bella. I know," Phil interrupted sharply.

"I'm sorry you had to hear me yell like that," Renee apologized.

"You don't sound sorry by the fact that you want to take Bella away from her friends, her father, and her boyfriend. You can't do that. She loves her life in Forks, especially since Edward is there. You told me how he never left her side when you met him in that hospital in Phoenix. She'll be crushed if you make her leave him," Phil warned seriously.

"It's too dangerous for her to be in Forks right now! Mike is on the run. He may return for her!" Renee yelled in fear.

"What makes you think she'll be safer here? If Mike finds out she is in Jacksonville, he could hop on a plane and come over to get her!" Phil responded.

"We've got guns! We can protect ourselves!" Renee blurted out.

He growled somewhat angrily. "So can Charlie! He's got several guns, including a rifle!"

She hissed with much fierceness. "I don't care! I'm going to Forks and get my daughter. She's coming to live with us!"

He sighed in frustration and walked away from her. He stopped next to the couch. He breathed deeply, calming himself down. She approached him as he turned around to face her.

"Bella is eighteen years old, Renee," Phil said, trying to remain calm. "She doesn't need you or me hovering over her."

"She may be eighteen, but she is still a child," Renee retorted with a shake of her head. "She shouldn't be somewhere that's dangerous. She needs to be where we can keep an eye on her."

"You're not thinking about what she wants," Phil said.

"What she wants isn't important. Her safety is! I just want to ensure it!" Renee yelled.

Phil became very angry. "I can't believe you're being so selfish. Bella wants to be in Forks, not here. She made an unselfish decision to move there, so we could be together!"

Renee hissed in defiance. "You can think I'm selfish all you want. I'm booking a flight to Port Angeles! That's final!"

Phil grabbed fistfuls of hair and kicked the floor frustratingly as Renee stomped toward the kitchen. He looked at the window as he put his hands at his sides. He hoped Charlie could talk some sense into her when she called to tell him about what she was doing, but he feared the former wouldn't be able to.