A Mother's Bond

8

Beyoncé July 5, 2016
I held Jay's hand as we walked back to the interrogation room. I narrowed my eyes when I realized the officer was gone. Jay noticed my expression.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head, not quite sure. Something was off; I could feel it. I stepped forward and opened the door or tried. It opened slightly before stopping. Something was blocking it.

"What the hell," I mumbled, frowning.

I peeked through the opening and saw a body lying on the floor, facedown.

"Isobel," I gasped, squeezing through the door to help.

I pulled her gently away from the door so Jay could come in. He helped me flip her over, resting her head in my lap. I brushed the hair out of her face, unsure of what to do next.

"Shit. I'm gonna go get help. Check to see if she's breathing," Jay instructed before running out.

I was pretty sure she was, but I hovered over her to double check. I sighed in relief when I was sure she was breathing. I looked around the room. August was nowhere to be found, and there was an overturned chair by Isobel's body. It didn't take a detective to figure out what happened. A few seconds later, Jay reappeared with another officer. When she saw the scene she immediately got on her radio.

I quickly looked down when I heard Isobel groan. She tried to get up, wincing in pain from her injury.

"Here," I said, helping her into a chair.

She smiled at me gratefully. The female officer, Officer Garron, walked in and crouched in front of Isobel.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Isobel looked at me apologetically. She opened her mouth to speak but was immediately cut off by Officer Jones walking into the room carrying a plate of grilled cheese and a soda. He looked around, confused. Everyone stared at him.

"What happened?" He asked.

"What happened? What happened?" I mocked him, incredulous. "I should be the one asking you that. You were supposed to be here, making sure my child stayed safe. Now she's God knows where."

"It wasn't his fault."

I turned to look back at Isobel. She shook her head, looking down.

"She tricked us...well, she tricked me. She told me she was hungry, knowing I would send Officer Jones to get her food. She also told me she needed time to process everything, knowing I would leave the room to give her space. Then she called out to me and waited behind the door. When I came in to check on her, she hit me with a chair and made her escape."

She looked down at herself as if noticing what she was wearing for the first time.

She scowled. "Apparently stealing my coat in the process."

I collapsed into the closest chair, emotionally and physically exhausted. Jay clenched his fist, shaking his head.

He took a deep breath before glancing over at Isobel. "Look, I'm really sorry for what August pulled. We'll obviously cover any medical bills you have. Please just don–"

Isobel shook her head, waving him off. "You don't need to do that. I'll be fine. Maybe a bit concussed, but I'll recover." She paused. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna press charges. I've spent 11 years trying to find Sarayah. I just want her safe."

Jay nodded. "Thank you, Isobel. You have no idea how much you've done for us. And I'll make sure Aug–Sarayah, apologizes after we find her." He looked at the officer. "So, where does she live? She obviously went back to her house. Let's pull up the address and go. If we leave now, we might be able to beat her there."