Page 47 of The Other Side

“What happened next?” Jennifer asked.

“They carried me to the truck. I was in and out through a lot of that. The pain in my chest and head was terrible.” Thea didn’t want to linger on those memories. The dizziness and pain were things she hoped to never experience again.

She glanced at Brett to find him standing with his arms crossed over his chest. The intensity in his stare left her breathless. As hard as it was for her to relive the attack, Brett was probably having a tough time hearing about it too. The fire in his eyes said he was ready to punch through walls.

“You didn’t recognize anything in the truck?”

“No.”

“And you didn’t see where you were going?”

“No. I didn’t even know how I ended up at the hospital until Brett told me.”

Asa gave Brett a nod. “We got Brett’s statement already, so he filled in a lot of those blanks.”

“I’m glad,” Thea whispered.

Whoever had hurt her probably hadn’t realized they’d saved her life by dropping her off at Brett’s feet. He’d taken care of her when she hadn’t been able to care for herself.

“Has anything suspicious happened since the attack?” Jennifer asked.

“Nothing I’m aware of. I was in the hospital for days, and I didn’t have many visitors.”

“Is there any other information that may be helpful to us?”

“I don’t think so.”

Jennifer turned the tablet around and faced it toward Thea. “Can you read this and sign at the bottom if the information is correct?”

Thea took her time reading the report, and everything was as she’d said. She used her finger to sign the screen and handed it back to Jennifer.

“If you think of anything else, please give us a call.” Jennifer handed over her business card. “I wrote the case number on the back. You can pick up a copy of the incident report at the department in a few days.”

“Thanks for coming out here,” Thea said.

“We can’t make any promises…”

“I don’t expect you’ll find who did it,” Thea interrupted. “I’m still glad you followed up with me. It feels good to have it documented.”

The report might seal her fate, but she had to have faith in the justice system. It was the only straw she could grab.

Asa extended his hand to her as he stood. “Let me know if you need anything. Mom has been asking about you, and she put you on the prayer list at church.”

Thea’s lungs were heavy. It was nice to know there were people praying for her, but would her name become a whisper in the town? Would word get back around to her family? Or Brett’s? Almost everyone in town knew about the deadly feud between their families.

Probably not. The Howards and Pattons weren’t church-going folks. Nor were their friends.

“I appreciate that. I always loved your mom.”

Asa’s manly, bearded face took on a look of boyish innocence at the mention of his mom. “She loves you too. Here’s her number if you want it.” He pulled a card and pen out of his chest pocket and scribbled down the number.

“Thanks! I’d love to catch up with her.”

It was the truth, but she had no intention of integrating into the community. Not when her welcome had been so loud and violent.

Chapter11

Thea

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