Secret Deception (Jonathan Black's Love Story)

Chapter 8: Somebody's Hero

I sat in my car at eight o'clock in the evening on my way to Great River Community Hospital where Kay was waiting with an incredibly young girl removed from her parents home after allegations of physical and sexual abuse. At three years old she would be capable of telling her story but was seemingly unwilling.
I dressed casually in a low cut white tank top and beige slacks with silver sandals.
"Lexi. I didn't know who else to call." Kay greeted me.
"Have they done the examinations yet?" I asked touching her shoulder.
"She won't let anyone touch her." She shook her head.
"I'll try to talk to her." I smiled reassuringly at her.
I walked into the hospital room where a small girl sat on the bed her head down. Her black hair a tangled mess on her small head. Her skin bronze looked dirty. She wore tattered cotton pants and a dirt covered T-shirt.
She didn't look up when I sat in the chair next to her.
"Hi." I ventured.
"My name is Alexia. What's your name?"
She didn't speak but she lifted her dark eyes slightly to look at me. I smiled softly.
"I know you're scared but you're not in any trouble. I'd just like to know what happened."
She tilted her head slightly to look at me closer.
I set my hand on my side as one of my sons kicked me in the ribs.
"Baby." She whispered.
"Yes. Babies." I smiled showing her two fingers.
Her eyes widened.
"Do you want to feel?" I asked.
She nodded and slid to the edge of the hospital bed. She cautiously reached forward to touch my stomach. I laid my hand gently over hers and one of my boys kicked her hand. She looked up at me with wide eyes ans smiled.
"You know, when I was your age my dad was a really bad man who did a lot of really bad things to me and to some other people. I know how scary it is but you're safe now, okay? We're going to make sure you're safe."
She looked at me for a long moment before she leaped at me wrapping her arms around my neck. She cried into my shoulder as I held her. After a while she calmed down and I was able to set her back on the bed.
"Can you tell me your name, sweetie?" I asked gently.
"Elizabeth." She said softly.
"Okay, Elizabeth. I have a really big favor to ask. Will you let the doctor see how badly you're hurt?"
She looked at me, eyes wide with fear but she nodded.
"Okay, honey. I need to go talk to Ms. Kay. I'll be back soon."
To my surprise she let me leave. I nodded to the female doctor who traded places with me.
"She's a strong kid." I said to Kay who stood up when I walked into the waiting room.
"She connected with you." She said.
"We went through similar experiences. We'll know more once the medical exams are finished." I sighed.
"Tell me about the parents."
"Allen and Maria Cooper. Both 35. Elizabeth is their only child. Allen is an occupational therapist at Move Forward in Ashburn Virginia and Maria is a librarian in Oakpark Virginia." She read out of the file she held.
"Who keeps Elizabeth during the day?"
"She's enrolled at Wings or Angels daycare run by Jordan Green in Oakton where the family lives."
"Bring her down to see me. I want to see what she knows or suspects."
"Of course, Lexi."
"I'm going to call Jonny. I don't want him to worry."
"Hey. Are you okay? I thought you were going to work but I called the office and..." He answered.
"Okay. Hold on. Slow down." I interrupted.
"I'm with the young victim at Great River Community Hospital. I'm fine. If you want to come sit with me you can but they're doing an extensive physical examination on this girl. I need to be here." I said.
"Okay. I'll ask Cameron to drop me off on his way home. I want to be where you are." He said.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Lexa."
I still sat in the waiting room when Jonathan arrived.
"How is she?" He asked when I stood up to hug him.
"No news yet. They wouldn't let me stay with her. I'm not family." I answered.
"Director Black?" The female doctor asked walking into the room.
"Yes."
"Come with me so we can discuss my findings."
"Of course, Dr...?'"
"Oh. My apologies. I'm Dr. Karen Goodman.'
"Alexia Black. This is my husband Agent Jonathan Black."
Once we entered her office she sat behind her desk and opened a file.
"We found extensive bruising and tearing indicative of sexual assault. There's various stages of healing indicating ongoing abuse. There's no biological fluids so either the offender used a condom or she was penetrated by an object. There are various bruises along her legs and torso. She has some healed broken ribs. In my professional medical opinion this young girl was severely abused." She stated matter of factly.
"Is she able to talk to us?" I asked.
"After I finished the exam she started asking for you." She broke a smile.
"Thank you doctor." I said standing up.
Jonathan followed me silently down the hallway to Elizabeth's room.
I knocked quietly and opened the door. Her eyes lit up when they saw me but she shrank back when Jonathan followed me. I turned to look at him.
"Oh. It's okay, sweetie. He's my husband." I walked up to the bed and took her hand to place it on my stomach.
"Daddy." I patted my bump.
"He's okay. He's good."
She looked at him and smiled shyly.
"Good. Baby." She touched my stomach again.
"We need to talk to you about what happened at home." I said gently.
She nodded but her eyes looked far away.
"Can you tell me who hurt you?" I asked.
She glanced at Jonny.
"He's going to help me help you."
"Daddy." She whispered almost silently.
"Can you tell me where he hurt you?" I asked .
She pointed to her private area.
"Can you tell me how?"
She showed me things a three year old girl shouldn't know.
"Who gave you the boo boo here?" I asked pointing to her ribs.
"Mommy."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Mommy came in the room while daddy was hurting me and got mad."
"Okay, sweetie. You did really good, Lizzy, okay? You rest now." I whispered.
When I went to stand up she reached for me.
"No. Stay."
"Okay. Okay. I'll stay until you fall asleep." I reassured her taking her tiny hand.
It didn't take her ten minutes to fall asleep.
ADA Ivy Newman was in the waiting room when Jonathan and I walked out. She was a young, beautiful African American woman with jet black hair and emerald eyes. She wore a blue suit and carried a black briefcase
"ADA Newman." I said extending my hand to her.
"Director Alexia Black. It's truly a pleasure." She smiled shaking my hand.
"Should we sit?" She asked taking in my bulging stomach.
"I wouldn't mind." I smiled sitting down across from her.
Jonathan sat next to me as the ADA and I discussed the doctor's findings and the young girl's statements.
"You've been through something similar to this. What's your opinion?" She asked me.
"She's only three. She's not capable of making a story up with this level of detail. In my experience I have no reason to doubt what she's telling me. Jonathan and I are about to go down to the FBI's interrogation area. I'm not going to talk to the parents because of my condition but my agents Kay Daniels and Tom Mccoy are going to handle those interviews. Jonathan and I will observe and Agent Dina Clark will interview Jordan Green, the victim's daycare teacher." I answered.
"Alright. I'll draw up a search warrant for the home and each of the parents offices." She said.
"When you have them signed let me know? I'd like to have a member of my BAU team accompany the officers to execute the warrants."
"Of course, Director."
"Thank you. We should get going. I'll call personally if we get any new information."
"I appreciate it Director Black. Mr. Black." She shook our hands and left.
"Damn. I'm tired." I muttered shuffling my way to the elevator.
Jonathan insisted on driving to the FBI headquarters building. When we walked into the viewing room in between the two interrogation rooms there sat a large recliner chair for me to sit in to watch the interviews.
Maria Cooper sat in the interrogation room to my left. Her skin the same bronze as her daughter's, her long straight black hair completely in place. Allen Cooper sat in the interrogation room to my right. He was a large man with dark skin and a large black afro. Neither of them looked concerned either about their predicament or where their daughter was.
Kay and Tom joined Jonathan and I in the viewing room.
"Where do you want us to start?" He asked me.
"Start with the mother. Give her the information about the bruises but not the broken ribs. I think she's too proud of what she's done to let you give her false or incomplete information."
"Why do you think she's proud?" Kay asked.
"Because in her twisted mind she believes that her three year old daughter is simply the woman her husband was cheating on her with."
Kay looked over my shoulder at the woman with disgust.
"Poker face, Kay." I reminded as they turned to leave.