“I’ll tell you everything I remember.”
And I did.
I handed over the messages on my phone. I provided the dates of arguments I had previously dismissed. I explained the changes I had noticed in my daughter’s behavior.
I didn’t exaggerate.
I didn’t invent anything to make my husband look worse.
I simply stopped protecting him from the truth.
When the detective finished, he closed his notebook.
“One more thing. Your husband has asked to speak with you.”
I looked at him.
“About what?”
“He says he wants to explain his side and discuss what happens to your family.”
I thought about my daughter’s question.
Is Daddy mad at me?
I thought about my father lying unconscious on the bedroom floor.
And I thought about the hammer.
“No,” I said. “He can speak through his attorney.”
The detective nodded.
It was the first decision I had made in a long time without worrying about whether my husband would approve.