Trembling Voices

Chapter 4

I'm pacing my living room, trying to think of something to say. The sounds coming from the phone held to my right ear only make me more aware of how little time I have to think of an explanation.

The phone rings four times before she answers with a methodic, "Hello?"

I stop the pacing, instead sitting down on the couch in the center of the room. "Hey, mom," I reply faintly, not even attempting to make myself sound happy.

"Hey sweetie, how are you?"

A million lies run through my head at her question. The mere fact that such a simple inquisition leads me to deceit has me realizing how terrible David's hold was on me.

I shake my head, trying to end my current train of thought, and instead focus on the task at hand.

"Um, I'm not too good," I mumble, but I know she'll be able to understand what I said.

I can imagine my mom freezing at this point, heartbroken at the thought of her only daughter not being okay. "W-what's wrong, sweetie?" I can hear the worry in her voice, and the simple stutter in her words only magnifies this.

"Well," I pause, forcing myself not to lie to her like I have for nearly five years now. Taking a deep breath, I continue, "I was down at the police station yesterday, and they-"

"Police station?" she questions, interrupting me. "Does this have to do with David? Why would they need you? Can't they see that you're still grieving? What are they thinking doing that to you?" Her questions leave her mouth like rapid-fire, almost too quickly for me to follow.

"Mom-"

"I'm going to call them-"

"Mom!" I yell, getting her to stop. I hear her sigh, letting me know that she's finally going to let me explain. "I was told they just wanted my story from that day--from the day he died."

"Didn't they already get that from you, though?" she asks before I can continue.

Now it's my turn to sigh. I love my mom, but sometimes I wish she could just be all ears; maybe if she were I would have told her about my 'wonderful' marriage. But no, she always has to put in her two cents before I can get anywhere near my point.

"Yes, mom," I respond robotically. "Can I continue, now?"

"Oh, yes, sorry."

Pulling in another breath, I run through my words again before picking up where I left off. "So, even though they had already questioned me about that day, I still went to the police station. When I got there I met this jerk, otherwise known as Detective Stone, who is leading the investigation of David's murder." I pause, trying to pull myself together before I get to the reason why I'm calling. "Before I knew it, Stone was turning on me, and essentially accusing me of--of killing David."

The silence that meets me on the other end is frightening. If there is one thing that my mother is not, it's speechless; she always has something to say.

But, before I am able to worry for too long, she begins. "What?" She practically yells over the phone. I close my eyes, preparing myself for the rant that is sure to come. "Who does he think he is accusing my daughter of something so terrible? Detective Stone, you said, right? I'm going to march down there right now and give him a piece of my mind! I mean, he should be arrested for falsely accusing you!"

Deciding that I've most likely gotten the gist of her tirade, I make an attempt to interrupt her. "Mom," I say rather powerfully, but she continues. "Mom!" I yell this time, but still she doesn't pause. Finally, I loudly shout, "Mary Anne Evetts!" causing my mom to come to a stop in her monologue. Using the full name always works.