coincidences
○ coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys. ~ emma bull ○
🥀
My mom immediately called the police, reporting a possible break-in at Gramps' house. After giving them the address, the 911 operator assured her that the authorities were on their way and that they'd be there as quickly as they could.
While Mom stayed on the phone with the operator, I turned to my father, noticing how he hadn't yet taken his eyes off the handprint on the door.
"Dad?" My voice broke him out of his trance, the glossed over look in his eyes gone as he turned his attention to me. "Do you... Do you think Gramps is going to be okay?"
He didn't say anything for a few moments, seemingly trying to decide how much of his thought process he wanted to give me. "I really don't know, Lina. The doctors are still figuring out exactly what happened to Gramps, and they don't have many clues to go on."
I sighed, slumping against the car as my mom relayed more information to the operator. My eyes found the gold handprint once again, staring it down as if it would come to life and tell me what happened itself.
The police didn't take long to arrive. Two cop cars pulled into the driveway behind my parents' car, their flashing lights blinding me for a moment before they were turned off. I watched silently as three officers exited the cars, two of them men that seemed to be partners and the other a lone woman.
"Is the owner of the home present?" said one of the men, directing his question to my father.
Mom was the one to answer, shaking her head. "No. The owner is my father; he was brought to the hospital earlier today from his shop."
The female officer nodded, her eyes catching mine as she followed my gaze to the open door. She walked towards the porch, gesturing for one of the male officers, the one that had spoken first, to follow her, leaving us with the quiet cop.
"I'm Officer Marsh," he offered, obviously noticing our tense frames. "We're going to have to ask you some questions."
The investigation of Gramps' house didn't last long. The other officers- who I found out were named Officer Park, the man, and Detective Halls, the woman- had scanned every room, not finding anything aside from the golden handprint that we had all already seen. While Officer Park hung back, calling a forensic team to come to the scene to take some samples of the evidence they had found, Detective Halls returned to Officer Marsh, my parents, and I.
"Have you taken their statements?" she asked, her eyes flitting back to mine for a moment before returning to her colleague's.
Officer Marsh nodded, thanking us for our cooperation as he and Detective Halls returned to their patrol cars, his partner not far behind.
"We'll be in contact." Detective Halls' voice was steady as she readied to leave. "I recommend that you three don't stick around, we have what we need from you for now." Her car peeled out of the driveway as the two officers stayed behind, seemingly going over the information they had collected while they waited for their team to arrive.
My parents and I piled into the car, knowing that there was no way we'd be allowed to collect Gramps' things to bring with us. The drive to the hospital was nearly silent, the radio volume turned down, but not off. I couldn't help but notice my mom checking her phone every few minutes, clearly hoping for a message from Detective Halls to magically appear in her notifications.
