Morbid

Detective Tanner did her best to calm down the irate woman when she heard a cell phone. She looked at Arnold as he took one out. “Do not answer that phone! This is a police investigation and...”

Arnold hit accept and put it to his ear. “Hi, Mom.” He paused. “I took a bus and I'm at home. Can you guess who just assaulted me?” He was quiet for a few seconds. “Kevin.” He paused again. “Detective Tanner is here and tried to shoot me.” He held the phone away from his ear as his mother cursed and yelled. “She's trying to frame me for assault, even though Kevin broke the restraining order and attacked me.”

Detective Tanner glared at him as he easily figured out her plan.

“Miss Smith called the police and they are on their way.” Arnold said. “Okay.” He hung up the phone. “Mom will come here as soon as she can from the hospital.”

“The hospital?” Beth asked and interrupted her own tirade at the detective. “What happened?”

“Kelly and I tried to have sex for the first time. She was hurt when I tore her hymen and she wouldn't stop bleeding.”

Beth gasped and tears came to her eyes. “Oh, Arnold!” She said and started to walk over to him.

Detective Tanner grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Please stay away from the suspect.”

“You better be talking about the boy on the ground or my fist is going to knock some of your teeth out.” Beth said and turned to the detective, then looked at her arm. “I'm still recording all of this, by the way.”

“Just... stay back from the scene.” Detective Tanner said and let her arm go. The police showed up after a few minutes and she walked over to them.

“Don't listen to her lies.” Beth said loudly. “I have it all on video and a picture is worth more than a mouthful of fibs.”

Detective Tanner held in her sigh and explained what she saw when she came onto the scene. The two police officers nodded at appropriate times and when she was done, the two police officers walked over towards Arnold.

Beth stepped in front of them. “You are not arresting that boy for being assaulted in his OWN YARD!”

“Step aside ma'am.” One of them said. “We are only detaining him until we can get the whole story sorted out.”

“Then detain the detective, too! She had him at gunpoint and she's a liar!”

“You are interfering with a police investigation. If you don't step aside, we will charge you with obstruction of justice.”

Beth huffed at them and stepped aside. “It's not justice you're doing.”

The two officers walked around Kevin and handcuffed Arnold just as another police car and Annie's car drove down the street at the top of the legal limit. Annie barely put her car into the driveway when she was out and walked over to the officers.

“What the HELL are you doing to my boy?” Annie spat in their faces.

“Step back, ma'am.” One of them said.

Annie pulled out a piece of paper from her back pocket and waved it in their faces. “Listen up, you assholes! We have a restraining order against that little bastard right there!” She pointed at Kevin. “Even if, somehow, Kevin magically transported into my yard and Arnold beat the hell out of him without being touched, Kevin is the one that should be in handcuffs!”

“He's only being detained until we get the story from the witnesses.” The cop said and ignored the other officer that approached.

“Beth, did you tell them you have it all recorded?” Annie asked.

“Yes, and they are still arresting him.” Beth said.

“He's not being arrested.”

“He's in handcuffs and you're going to put him in the back of your squad car.” Annie said. “That looks like he's being arrested to me and everyone else here.”

“Annie, calm down.” Officer Charlie Hallman said from behind her.

Annie turned and saw him. “YOU!” She yelled and made a fist. To her credit, she didn't try to punch him. “Unless you can get yourself and your grease-ball buddies away from me and my family right now, you're going to regret it.”

“Annie...”

“Don't you dare call me by my first name after you put my family in danger!” Annie said. “You and that bitch right there have had it out for us ever since my husband killed himself while drunk driving! Well, I'm done with that!” She nearly yelled. “You get your lying piece of shit asses off my property right now!”

“There's no need for such language.” One of the other officers said.

“It seems to be all you'll listen to!” Annie turned to him. “What goddamned right do you have to detain the victim of an assault?” She asked. “Look at my son's face, you assholes! Fucking LOOK!”

Everyone turned and looked to see that Arnold's right eye was almost completely closed over and it was starting to bruise as it swelled up, and he had a pretty big welt on the side of his forehead.

“Kevin tackled me to the ground.” Arnold said and Annie handed the restraining order to Officer Hallman and lifted Arnold's t-shirt. Since it was broad daylight, the bright red mark where Kevin's shoulder had hit him was plain to see. “I don't think my ribs are broken.”

Annie let out a sob and the tears started. “Oh, Arnold.”

“You can drop the sympathy act.” Detective Tanner said. “Arnold is...”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Annie said and turned to her. “You're supposed to protect people, not frame them because you think they're guilty of something!” She said. “Who pulls a goddamned gun on an unarmed suspect in a fistfight? Huh? Just you, right?”

Detective Tanner frowned at her.

“I'm sure the video will show that you had your gun out LONG before you approached my son as he defended himself!” Annie said.

“She did.” Beth said and everyone looked at her. “I thought it looked really odd to see someone actually walk like a crab.”

Dammit. Officer Hallman thought. “Look, let's all just calm down. We can put Arnold in the back of the car...”

“NO!” Annie yelled.

“...with the door open, to show we're just holding him for everyone's safety.” Officer Hallman said. “Is that all right? Fellas?” He asked and looked at the two other officers. “I'll stand right beside him and make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble.”

The two officers nodded and Officer Hallman walked over to their car and opened the back door. They brought Arnold over and he sat on the back seat and tucked his legs in.

“Don't worry, this shouldn't take long.” Officer Hallman said.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Detective Tanner thought that she had planned her trap well. While they waited for the ambulance, she told them all about Arnold's previous criminal history, namely getting in fights at school and even being suspended for punching Kevin's face in.

“You're twisting everything to make Arnold look bad.” Annie said with a scowl.

Detective Tanner smiled. “I have a whole train of evidence that shows there's a long history of animosity between them. Bullying both in real life and online.” She said and watched the EMTs load Kevin into the ambulance. “Arnold had every reason to get back at Kevin for the things he did to your house and losing all of his things.”

“I don't care about the house.” Arnold said. “I don't care about the things inside. The clothes, the beds, the couch. It's just things.”

“Arnold!” Annie gasped.

“We had the other things for years. We have all new things now. New floors, new appliances, and new beds. Why would I want to get back at him for that?”

Detective Tanner felt several pairs of eyes on her. “You invited him over to talk and you had a fight.” She said. “There's an email...”

“I've never done that before. I only used my computer for games and searching online. I used the laptop at work for inventory. I used my phone for texting Kelly.” Arnold said. “I don't know Kevin's email.”

Detective Tanner hadn't taken into account Arnold's lack of normal social interactions, because she didn't know about them. Of course, no one really knew, except for a select few.

“What other lies can you tell, detective?” Arnold asked. “That I called him? No. I've only called mom and Kelly and the dorm registry office at the college. I don't know his phone number.” He said. “That I asked a friend to call? No. I don't have a lot of friends. The ones I do have I see once a month and they were all bullied by Brad and his friends for years, too. They wouldn't call Kevin, either.”

“That's right, detective.” Annie said, once she recovered from Arnold's dismissal of years of their things. “What other lies can you tell us about my son?”

“We should just watch the video. It shows everything.” Beth said.

“I have a portable video player.” One of the other neighbours said.

“We don't have time to watch that right now.” Detective Tanner said to delay it as long as possible.

“We have all the time in the world.” Annie said. “If this is a crime scene, shouldn't you be detecting things all over it, detective? That'll take hours and hours, won't it?”

Detective Tanner closed her mouth on her response and tried to think of how to get Arnold into custody. There was a hiss and a click from one of the police officer's belt radios and he turned away and answered it.

“I've got the police chief on the line for you, Detective Tanner.” The officer said and held out the small mouthpiece to her.

Detective Tanner sighed. “Tell him I'll call him back when I get to my car.”

“He said now.” The officer said.

“Over here.” Detective Tanner said and they walked around the police car to where she thought people wouldn't hear her. Everyone fell silent and they all looked to where she and the officer stood and they all heard her just fine. Of course, the police chief wasn't being quiet at all.

Beth covered her mouth as she heard the detective getting berated harshly. “Texting the station with a complaint really works.” She whispered and Annie couldn't help but smile.

“Thanks, Beth.” Annie whispered.

“I thought Arnold was joking when he said she was trying to frame him.” Beth whispered back. “She really is a horrible woman.”

“She's the one that took us to see Gerald after... after he...” Annie couldn't finish that sentence.

Beth gave her a quick hug and they stood there and waited.

Detective Tanner handed the mouthpiece back to the officer and stood there for a full minute, then she and the officer walked around the police car. “The chief has denied my request to take you all down to the station to sort this out.” She said through gritted teeth and nodded at Arnold. “Let him go.”

The other officer helped Arnold out of the back of the police car and took the cuffs off of him.

Detective Tanner waved at the officer behind her. “You can hand all evidence over to this officer and he will deliver it to the station. It's his and his partner's case.”

“I'll be right back!” Beth exclaimed and ran over to her house and went inside.

“I want an ambulance for Arnold, since you were so inconsiderate of his wounds and didn't even tell the EMTs that he was hurt.” Annie said.

The officers sighed, even Officer Hallman, then one of them reached for his radio.

Annie held a hand up. “I'll take him to the hospital myself and I'll take a bunch of photos of his injuries and get the hospital's report. I'll do your fucking job for you, while you get your incompetent asses off of my property.”

“Annie.” Officer Hallman said. “Look, I'm sorry that...”

“Get. Away. From. Me.” Annie said in a deadly voice. “If you dare come near me or my family again, your names are going to be on a restraining order, too.” She said and looked at Detective Tanner. “As for you, if you EVER point a gun at my son again...” She stopped talking when Arnold put a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, I need to get you to the hospital.”

Arnold let Annie lead him over to the car.

“Kevin had better be in jail for more than a single night after committing a felony assault and for violating a restraining order.” Annie said.

“Criminal trespasss.” Arnold said. His voice was slightly slurred because his cheek was swelling with his eye. “He knew he wass violating the resstraining order.”

“Anything else?” Detective Tanner asked with derision.

“Intent to commit bodily harm. Uttering threatss. Ccivil dissturbancce. Asssault with intent to murder.” Arnold said and the officers and Detective Tanner stared at him with their mouths open in surprise.

“Get in, Arnold.” Annie said and opened the front door for him. He climbed in, careful of his sore side, and she shut his door. She walked around the car and glared at the officers one last time, then climbed in herself and the car drove away.

“Here it is.” Beth said as she came over and handed a USB thumb drive to the officer. “I'd ask for that back; but, heaven knows what kind of contraption it's going to be in while you examine it.” She said with a smile. “Go ahead and keep it, and don't worry about me billing the city for three dollars.”

The officer looked at her with wide eyes.

“I've sent copies to Annie's, Arnold's, and his girlfriend's phones and to all of our emails.” Beth said and looked right at Detective Tanner. “Just in case that thumb drive happens to get lost on the way to the station, did you know that Annie knows this fantastic reporter?” She said. “She always takes Annie's calls. I'm sure she's going to love getting this story. Don't you?”

Detective Tanner was wise and kept her mouth shut.

“Have a good day, officers.” Beth said and crossed her arms as she stood there and waited.

“Yeah, have a good day.” A man said and crossed his arms as he stood not far away and waited, too. Several others took the same defiant pose and they all waited for the police to leave. Under the intense scrutiny, the officers and the detective went back to their cars and drove away.

“Wow, Beth!” A woman said and came over to her. “Annie's going to be so proud of you for making them leave like that!”

“We neighbours have to stick together.” Beth said and everyone nodded.

*

Annie parked in the pay by the hour lot and helped Arnold walk over to the emergency room. It was a little busier now, so they were going to have to wait for a while. While they sat and waited to be called, Kelly came out of the triage area between her parents. They were helping her walk, even though she didn't need it.

“Come on, Dad, there's no need to... Arnold!” Kelly gasped and leaned heavily on her father. “Oh, my god! Are you okay?”

“No.” Arnold said. “I love you and I can't have sex with you.”

“Arnold!” Annie and Katheryn exclaimed at the same time, while Kelly blushed really hard. Everyone in the waiting room looked at them and then looked away as they pretended to not listen.

“I think she meant your swollen eye.” Annie said.

“My ribs were hit harder.” Arnold said.

“A-Arnold.” Kelly was on the verge of tears again.

“Let's go home.” Katheryn said.

“No, I... I want to stay.” Kelly said.

“You need bed rest and can't sit down for a while.” Katheryn reminded her. “Do you see anywhere to lay down here?”

Kelly saw the seat beside Arnold and imagined laying on her side, curled up in a ball, with her head on his lap. Before she could say anything, her parents led her from the waiting area.

“I should have grabbed some ice at a store or something.” Annie said and looked at Arnold's face. “Good god, that looks so bad.”

“Take picturesss.” Arnold said, his lisp was getting worse as the side of his face swelled up more.