Breaking Point

Chapter 7: Fractured Trust

Officers were coming over to the apartment almost every day asking the same questions over and over again. Aaron’s eyes flickered as he searched for the right words. Officer Johnson remained patient, nodding encouragingly. “Take your time, Aaron. What happened next?” “Bethany came down the slide and ran to us. She looked sad. I wanted to be happy, but I couldn’t get up. I just wanted Lucy to help me. But… but she just kept saying it was time to go.” His voice quivered as he recalled the last moments of clarity before darkness swept in again. “And did you see what Lucy did next?” Officer Johnson prompted.

“I saw her pull Bethany away from me… like she was dragging her. I told Bethany to stay, but then everything got fuzzy again. I was so tired, and my head was hurting. That’s all I remember.” Aaron’s voice cracked at the end, and he blinked as fresh tears pooled in his eyes. Brooke moved to comfort him, instinctively placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, but Officer Johnson’s expression had shifted. He glanced at Brooke, his brow furrowing with concern. “Can you think of why Lucy would take Bethany?” His tone had become urgent, each word weighted with a gravity that made the air feel thick around them.

Brooke inhaled sharply, her heart a cacophony of dread and fury. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. She was so good with them. She loved them. Or at least that’s what I thought.” “Sometimes,” Officer Johnson interjected, his gaze fixed on Brooke’s, “people can hide very dark sides behind a facade. We need to act on what Aaron remembers.” The officer’s face was now resolute, the determination to uncover the truth reflected in his earnest brown eyes. “And you don’t have any photos Lucy? Anything that could help us identify her?” Brooke felt a tremor of alarm. “I think I have one on my phone,” she said, fumbling through her bag. Heart racing, she pulled it out and quickly navigated to her photos. The room was silent, the rhythmic beeping of the monitor punctuating the tension-filled atmosphere.

“Here,” she said, turning the screen towards the officer, revealing a cheerful snapshot of Lucy with the twins on a picnic day, her smile wide and bright. “She looks happy here… This can’t be real.” Officer Johnson scrutinized the picture, a flash of recognition crossing his features. “This is a good start. We’ve got a name and a face to work with now. But we’ll need to dig deeper into Lucy’s background. Has she acted strangely or done anything that made you worry before?” Brooke shook her head, her thoughts racing. “No, she was always… reliable. I hadn’t noticed anything, but now I wish I had. It’s like I brushed aside small things and told myself I was overreacting.” “It happens to a lot of parents,” Officer Johnson reassured her gently. “But trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is. Can you tell me more about your relationship with her? How often did you use her services?” “Every week,” Brooke replied, her voice tremoring slightly. “She was like family. The kids loved her, and I could work knowing they were in safe hands.” The words fell heavy in the room. “Now… now I feel like I should have done something different.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Officer Johnson said firmly, leaning forward. “You believed this person was safe, and so did your kids. There’s no shame in that.” As they spoke, a darkness settled deeper into the room, an overwhelming sense of urgency wrapped around Aaron. “Mom,” he whispered, his voice small. “Do you think Bethany is okay?” Brooke turned to him, fighting the pit of despair swelling in her chest. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” she said softly, brush a thumb across his cheek. “But we’re going to get her back. I promise.” “Mom, I’m scared,” Aaron admitted, tears slipping down his cheeks. “What if Lucy hurts her?”

Officer Johnson’s expression hardened. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure she doesn’t. But I need you both to stay strong. I know it’s hard, but we must focus on getting Bethany home safely.” Just then, a knock interrupted the tense atmosphere, and another officer stepped in, a notebook clutched in her hand. “Officer Johnson, we’ve got a lead on Lucy,” she said, her voice clipped and efficient. Brooke’s breath hitched in her throat, the slightest flicker of hope igniting within her. “What do you mean?”

“We’d been tracking her movements. It seems she hasn’t been using her usual routes. We think she may have gone back to her apartment. We’re mobilizing a team to check it out right now.” Brooke’s heart raced. “Can you get Bethany back?” “Ma’am, we’re doing everything in our power. We’ll send updates as soon as we have information,” the officer assured her before turning back to Officer Johnson, exchanging rapid-fire words she could barely decipher. Aaron’s small hand gripped his mother’s tightly, the world around them fading into a blur of uncertainty. The fear that had once been a tight knot of dread in his stomach was now swelling into a tide of determination.

“Mom,” he said quietly, “we’re going to make sure Bethany comes home.” “Yes, we will,” Brooke affirmed, her voice filled with newfound courage. They may be in a storm of chaos now, but together they would find their way through. “Right now, you need to focus on eating your breakfast, sweetheart,” she said, brushing back hair from his forehead. “I’ll be right there.” Aaron nodded, fighting the weariness creeping into his limbs. In that moment, surrounded by the unshakeable bond of family, the hope to find Bethany flickered like a candle’s flame. Strong and unwavering. They will find Bethany and Lucy will regret her actions. She messed with the wrong family.