Chapter Thirty-Four
Tatum smiled to herself as she thought back to last night, as she curled up in the rocking chair on the porch. She'd actually really enjoyed herself, talking to Sean. They'd talked about all kinds of random things as he helped her count all the coins and notes, and then they cleaned all the glasses and the bar area together. Sue had left shortly after Tatum had told her she could, so she didn't know how long he'd stayed for, and hadn't been there to interrupt or witness anything.
As promised, Sean had then given her a ride home. His Silverado truck was slightly longer than her truck, but very comfortable with the leather seats. It smelled of him and she couldn't help but think it was a good thing that Aaron obviously didn't ride in this truck more often, after her last encounter with his aftershave had made her retch. Sean's aftershave was more subtle, more outdoorsy, and somehow it comforted her. She was surprised how quickly the awkwardness from earlier had disappeared and she couldn't help wondering if he felt the same. As he'd stopped outside her house, he suggested that next time they should agree to meet somewhere, instead of always just randomly bump into each other. It had sounded suspiciously like he was asking her out on a date, and she hadn't been sure if that was such a good idea, but she'd agreed anyway. The activity was nothing exciting; tomorrow, he was going to help her buy inventory for the bar from the big Costco several towns over. He'd offered to drive then as well, as the back had more space than her truck did.
Sean had parked a little way away from her house and they'd spent another hour talking in his truck. Another nifty feature of his truck compared to hers, was that his front seats had heaters; it meant that, when she'd started feeling cold, he turned them on and she was able to stay for a bit longer. During that time, she'd told him about Kenny and how they'd ended, but she didn't tell him about her pregnancy; it was too early for her to trust him with that.
"What are you smiling at?" a voice rudely pulled her from her thoughts. Tatum looked around to see David stood in the door opening.
"I was just thinking, that not allowed?" she asked, wondering who the hell he thought he was to take on that demanding tone with her when she'd not been bothering anyone where she was sat. Her sister's boyfriend narrowed his eyes at her, annoyed and disgusted. Of course, she wasn't allowed to think, as it might give Isabella the wrong idea.
"Don't get smart with me," David said simply.
"Or what?" the redhead scoffed.
"I'll make you regret it," he threatened her, leaning in closer until his hands shot out and grabbed the arms on the rocking chair. For the first time, he'd actually taken her by surprise and she couldn't help gasping as she sank further into the chair to try to put some distance between them; he was way too close to her. "I mean it," he added and shoved the chair back into the wall, smirking when she grabbed hold of the arms to stop herself from falling out. David felt pretty pleased with himself as he made his way off the porch and in towards town.
"Asshole," Tatum muttered to herself, her hand protectively on her belly. If this was what he was always like with Isabella, he couldn't stay here for much longer; she did not want him around her baby. With that thought, she went inside to check on her sister, who was in the kitchen on hands and knees clearing up some broken glass. "Oh Iz," she sighed and made to kneel down too.
"No, Tate, don't come closer, there's glass everywhere. I'll sort it," Isabella stopped her in her tracks. She'd already been on the floor, hunched over to protect her stomach after he'd punched her there when she couldn't tell him if she'd talked to the redhead about their living situation already. The glass had followed on his way out.
"Izzy, are you okay? What happened?" Tatum asked, sinking in to a crouch where she was stood, so she'd be at eye level with her sister.
"I'm just so clumsy," the brunette said, wiping the escaped tears with the back of her hand. "I slipped and hit the edge of the table, taking the glass with me," she fibbed as convincingly as she could, but she wasn't sure if it was enough this time.
"Are you sure I can't help?" the redhead asked now, knowing she still wouldn't be getting the truth from her.
"I'm sure," Isabella said, shaking her head, and carefully continued picking up the bigger pieces of glass. Her sister hesitated for a few moments as she watched, before straightening back up. A plan was starting to form, even if she wasn't entirely sure how well it would work.
"Hey Austin, are you busy?" Tatum asked after giving a careful knock on the front desk to get his attention. He was about to say he was on his lunch break, but something in her eyes made him change his mind.
"No, come on in," Austin said and beckoned her round. "Has something happened?" he asked as she did and sat down in front of him. His thoughts immediately went to her sister when she half-nodded.
"I… I feel… so silly," she started, giving a nervous laugh. After all, she had no real proof David had actually done anything.
"I'm sure that's not true. Just start from the beginnin'," the Sheriff advised her now, his heart racing beneath his calm exterior. He wanted her to just come out and say whatever she was here to tell him. Her green eyes moved up to his face and, when he smiled encouragingly, she took a deep breath.
"Well… I guess it's just a gut feeling. This morning, David tried to scare me. He didn't touch me, but he grabbed hold of my chair and pushed it back, tellin' me I shouldn't get smart with him," the redhead started now, her fingers playing nervously with her rings. "And…. Well, if he's always like that… and you know how clumsy Izzy's always sayin' she is… like this mornin', she said she'd bumped into the table and knocked a glass to the floor as she fell… I dunno, maybe I've taken a massive leap, but what if he's been givin' her the bruises?" Tatum finally said, allowing the feeling out that had been plaguing her for a few days, if not weeks, now. And it confirmed his suspicions after seeing David grabbing Isabella's arm. "I mean, she'll kill me if she really is just that clumsy and he just happened to be in a bad mood this mornin'," she said with another nervous laugh, "but what if he is… hurtin' her?" She noticed he let out the breath he'd been holding while she spoke.
"Even if you are wrong, you've done the right thing comin' to me," Austin said, starting his little spiel. "But…" and he saw her expression drop. "It's not gonna be easy. The penal code requires that a medical practitioner documents any suspicion of abuse. If she hasn't gone to the doctor or is unwilling to be seen by them, a nurse or an EMT, it's gonna be hard to even start any case." That clearly wasn't what Tatum wanted to hear. "You could file for an ex parte protective order on her behalf, but it can't exceed 20 days and it could put her and you at more risk. So, it's probably best if we don't go down that route just yet," he added now, offering at least some form of out later down the line. "I'm guessin' she's never reported anythin' on him?" the Sheriff asked now, seeing her shake her head. "Well, we could still get him under a continuous violence against the family charge, if we can prove he's hurt her more than twice in the past twelve months. I don't want to risk you gettin' in the middle but keep a casual eye out on any new bruises, document any excuses of clumsiness…" he started listing.
"I can think of two in the last two weeks," Tatum offered, thinking of her sister's black eye and the situation this morning.
"Okay, good, that's a start," he nodded. "In the meantime, try to get her to go see a doctor for any obvious injuries. If he or she suspects abuse, they'll have to report it. And I'll try to keep an eye on him as well," Austin said now, hoping to offer her a little bit of comfort. "I promise, if he's doin' anythin' to hurt her, we'll get him eventually," he said against his better judgment. He knew that, in reality, a lot of domestic abuse cases went unreported and far too many women ended up losing their lives at the hands of their partner. But that's not going to happen to Bella, he stressed to himself. "You did the right thing," he added, trying to comfort her as much as the nagging doubt in the back of his mind.
"Thanks Austin," the redhead said gratefully, clearly relieved that he'd taken her seriously. There were too many stories around where police hadn't listened to the victim or their family. "I don't know what I'm hopin' for more, that I'm wrong about him and she's okay or that I'm right and we can do somethin' about him," Tatum said, feeling conflicted, going through her hair as she spoke. Neither option was great, but at least the first meant her sister wasn't being hurt by her boyfriend.
"Yeah, I get it," Austin reassured her she wasn't going mad. "Feel free to drop by any other time you need to," he said when she started getting up to leave.
"Thanks," she said again and, with a hesitant smile, left the station. She still wasn't entirely convinced she'd been right to go see him already, but she knew she couldn't just stand by if her sister was being hurt.
The Sheriff got up and watched her leave, his hands shaking as he put them in his pockets. What he wanted more than anything right now was to hunt David down and beat the crap out of him, but he knew that would only cause more problems and jeopardise any case they might have against him. So, he sat back down to finish his lunch as he wrote down what Tatum had told him about this morning.