Page 2 of Muted

The first thing that hits me is the tiniest blonde-haired girl slamming her body into my knees. The second thing is the smell. My nose is assaulted with stale cigarettes, rotten food, and dirty bodies.Christ, this fucking place is a nightmare.

Squatting down, I come face to face with Susanna Walston. Tears track down her cheeks, cutting lines through the dirt, gutting me. I use my thumbs to wipe them away and cradle her cheeks under my hands.

“Is your momma here, Susanna?” I ask, then feel awful when her eyes shine with fresh tears.

“Momma,” she wails. “Momma momma momma.” Her tiny voice blubbers while her eyes squeeze shut tightly.

Wrapping her in my arms, I pick her up and hold her slight body against mine. She feels fragile under my hands and there’s no stopping my concern over whether or not she’s underfed.

“Susanna, how old are you, honey?”

“Th-th-threeeee,” she stutters out.

Widening my eyes, I give her the biggest smile I can. “Three years old? My goodness, you’re such a big girl!”

Her breath is panting against my face as she attempts to calm down while hiccups and sniffles rack her body. I can’t work out what she’s thinking, but I’ve definitely got her attention right now.

“Is your momma here? Is she in her room?” I do my best to keep my voice gentle since she’s so clearly worked up.

Susanna looks toward the back of the trailer and calls for her mom again. “Momma… momma.”

“Hush now. I’ve got you. Let’s just go for a little walk and check things out, yeah?”

Ignoring the screech of my radio, I hold her as I walk through their home, looking for any sign of her mother. The bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are all empty. No sign of Laura Evans anywhere.

“What do we have in here?” Reiner asks, now standing in the middle of the living room, when Susanna and I walk out of the back bedroom. The way he’s looking around the place, and then at the little girl clinging to me, pisses me off. He’s immediately writing her off as nothing important, all because her mother failed to take care of her and disappeared.

“Laura isn’t here, just her daughter. By the state of her condition, I’d be willing to bet she’s been gone for more than just a couple of days.” Checking out the kitchen, I notice the refrigerator door is hanging open and there is food laying across the floor and opened, empty boxes from the cabinets. It looks like Susanna has been hunting for food in this place for some time.

“God, it fucking smells in here. You call this in yet?” my partner asks. I don’t respond to his complaint about the scent in here, but I do grab my radio with a shaking hand.

“271. This is Officer Cooper. I need another car and an ambulance at our location. Three-year-old child in need of medical attention.” Code 271 is the child abandonment code, and I fucking hate that I’ve got that one memorized.

The more Reiner talks, the further Susanna buries herself into my chest. Running a hand over her matted hair, I glare at him while he continues to complain.

“271? Which one is that again? Shit, Coop… That girl is filthy. Set her on the couch or the counter. You’re going to get lice or something.”

“Shut.Up,” I hiss under my breath after placing a hand over Susanna’s ear. “She’s three and has no control over what’s going on right now. I’m going to take her out of here, get her some water. Look around here and see if you can figure out where her mom went.”

Stepping over the shit strewn around the floor, I let Reiner mumble and pick through the items and take Susanna outside. Her soft whimpering has me holding her tighter against my body as I walk us toward the squad car. Leaning over, I reach inside and pull out a fresh bottle of water.

Susanna’s body is trembling against me in the cool morning air, so I grab a blanket from the back to wrap around her. The sirens in the distance have her lifting her head to look around before she peers up at me.

“That’s just some doctors coming to check in on you. Would you like a drink of water?” I ask, giving her an easy smile. She eyes the bottle in my hand, then lurches for it, obviously desperate for a drink. “Just a little for now, honey,” I encourage, shifting her weight around so I can remove the cap and hold the rim to her lips.

They’re chapped and cracking, but it doesn’t seem to bother her as she gulps down the fluids greedily. I don’t know how long she’s been without, so I pull it away once she’s had a few sips to ensure I don’t hurt her stomach. She whimpers and grapples for more, her knee pressing into the side of my ribs as she tries to reach it.

“We have to takesmalldrinks right now. I promise I’ll let you have a little more in just a minute. Do you hear the loud noises? Those are the doctors coming just to see you.” My distraction works when she wrenches her head around again looking for the source of the noise.

“Is she okay?” the neighbor calls out, having not moved from where she was standing when we first arrived.

Giving her a quick nod, I offer a reassuring smile. “I think she’ll be okay. Ambulance is on its way. Thank you for calling this in.”

“Is her mom in there?” she asks, and I want to sigh in frustration when Susanna hears the question and struggles as she searches for her.

“Momma?Momma!” she cries out, the tears making her voice heartbreaking to hear. “I want momma!”

I stroke her hair once more and console her. “We’ll try to find your momma, sweet girl.” Then, to the neighbor, I call out, “No, but we’re going to look for her. Again, thank you. We’ll give you a call if we have any follow-up questions.”

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