Page 73 of The Vegas Rerun
I’d give anything to go back to that moment. And this time, I wouldn’t fail Molly.
The knock on the door is sharp, businesslike.
“Come in,” I say.
Two police officers step in. The older one, a woman with silver at her temples and a badge clipped to her belt, gives me a nod.
“Mr. Redfern, I’m Detective Mendez. This is my partner, Detective Ross. We’re going to need your statement,” she says.
I nod, gesturing to the chairs in front of my desk as I go and take my own seat.
“Of course. Please, sit down,” I say.
They don’t waste any time. Detective Mendez pulls out a note pad while Detective Ross gets my permission to record the audio on a small device. I agree and the interview begins.
I walk them through everything that happened, starting with the phone call from a number I didn’t recognize. But the voice. Oh, I recognized that alright.
“I didn’t answer the call because I was driving,” I say. “I was already on my way back to the office. But they left a voicemail, and who does that anymore? So, I was curious, and I pulled over to listen to it. When I listened to the voicemail…” I stop for a moment, taking a breath and clenching my fists as I remember hearing her voice. “It was Sarah Dawson. She said something about finishing what she started. That she was going to make Molly pay.”
“Pay for what?” Detective Ross asks.
I tell him everything about the history between the women, how Sarah is delusional and blames Molly for everything that she doesn’t like in her life. Detective Mendez nods along as I talk, scribbling hurried notes.
Detective Ross leans forward, his hands on my desk.
“Were you aware that Sarah Dawson had access to a firearm?”
“No,” I say.
How on earth would I know that? I don’t ask the question. I don’t want to antagonize these people, the people who can lock Sarah away and make sure Molly is safe from her.
There’s another knock at my office door, and it opens before I can respond. A uniformed officer pokes his head in and asks to have a word with Detective Mendez. She rises, and excuses herself, stepping into the hall briefly. Detective Ross stays in my office, but he doesn’t ask any questions while there is just the two of us present. When Detective Mendez returns, her expression is unreadable.
“We just got word from the hospital,” she says, taking her seat again. “Sarah Dawson is going to be fine. There’s no internalbleeding, no damage done. She just has a couple of bruised ribs and a mild concussion.”
I exhale slowly with my jaw clenched. Of course, Sarah is ok. People like her somehow always are.
“You won’t be charged,” she continues. “The security footage corroborates your story. You were clearly acting in defense of another person. The vehicle strike was deemed a necessary use of force given the circumstances. She was aiming a loaded weapon at your fiancée who feared for her life.”
Relief crashes over me, quick and jagged. She goes on and it is even better news.
“The DA is escalating the charges against Sarah Dawson. She’s being held for attemptedmurderand her bail has been revoked.”
I don’t say anything for a second. I just nod. That’s what she deserves. But none of it feels like a win. Molly is still shaken. Autumn could’ve lost her mother. Getting justice is good, but it doesn’t undo what almost happened.
“I think that’s everything. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” Detective Ross says.
He reaches out and stops the audio recording and Detective Mendez puts her note pad and pen away in her pocket. They stand up ready to leave. I stand too and I shake each of their hands. I notice that they didn’t shake my hand when they thought I had plowed a woman over for no reason, but now, they get it. I kind of like these two.
“Can I see her?” I ask as the detectives start to leave. “Molly, I mean.”
Detective Mendez opens my office door and looks back at me.
“She’s already on her way along,” she says with a smile, nodding into the corridor.
I’m already halfway to the door when Molly appears and throws herself into my arms. I hold her until she pulls back andthen I look over her. She looks pale, tired, but steady on her feet. I take one of her hands in mine and lead her over to the couch where we sit down, side by side.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
