The Wrongs of The Right

Four

Chapter Four

"Olivia."

       Her mothers calls did not seem dire but the fact that she had felt the need to wake her troubled an already tired Olivia. She hadn't slept the whole night, her body wrought with guilt, and stress over the Rookie's last knowing look he had offered before walking off with the robust Sergeant.

"Olivia!"

"Coming mom. I'm in the bathroom." Olivia winced with the lie, she felt like it would be but one in many she had constructed in order to fabricate a perfect image for her mother.

Olivia could hear her mother's television before she had even made her way in the doorway, the volume louder than the background noise level she was accustomed to her mother having. Her mother's face seemed struck with shock as she made her way in and as soon as Olivia had sight of the small television screen she figured out why, and she could feel her panic return.

"Did you see the news Oli?"

"I don't really watch that stuff mom, you know that."

"That's our street on the news Oli. They said there was an accident, that some drunk lady hit the young Callaghan girl."

Olivia's ears perked up suddenly. "A drunk lady? She was drunk and driving."

"Well that's the assumption. The news are saying that she has four previous DUI convictions, that she drove into a pole just a few months ago and totaled her car. They haven't confirmed she was drunk but with a background like that I wouldn't doubt it."

"Oh, that's sad."

The reporters dramatic tones echoed behind Olivia as she made her way over to her mothers side, hoping another story would arise and draw her attention. The small gasp that escaped her mother's lips drew Olivia's attention back to the television.

"I can't believe it, it's Cara Bronaugh."

"Why do you say it like you know who that is mom?"

"She's grew up just down the street from here, don't you remember Oli? Well of course you don't remember, you were just a young girl at the time. Cara's mom lives just a few houses down from here, she must have been on her way over to see her."

"I don't remember that woman mom." Olivia stared at the unfamiliar blond mugshot on the small TV screen, the woman's eyes streaked with black lines most likely from her mascara. She held the numbers in front of her and Olivia could not shake the feeling that Cara was staring directly at her.

"Well she did leave a long time ago, her mother and her..."

Olivia looked up into her mother's face, attempting to decipher the reason for her mother's pause. She had learned over years of listening to her mother's church gatherings that there were two very different women in the world, the gossiping kind and the kind, like her mother, that was privy to the information but never felt comfortable sharing. Olivia knew her mother was struggling with saying the words.

"What happened to her mom."

Olivia's mother pulled her in closer, attempting weakly to draw her near. "Let's just say they don't have as great a relationship as you and I Oli."

Her mother's words comforted Olivia enough to have her breathe a bit easier as she stared at the news reporters break down of Cara Bronaugh's life. The camera seemed to be narrowing on a green house Olivia immediately recognized as the corner one story on their street. The story suddenly switched to dated footage, possibly from their archives, of a mangled vehicle hanging pitifully halfway between the rails of nearby bridge. Olivia knew that bridge separated the surrounding suburban homes from the more dilapidated part of their town.