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She told him the story, not leaving out anything.
“It sounds like you were grappling with a small child and it got out of control.”
“That’s about what happened,” she said, sniffing. “I’m so upset because my son is furious with me and I’m sure Annie will never trust me with Stevie again.”
“I’ll contact CPS right away. You will probably have to attend a parenting class, Mrs. Casson, at the very least.”
“I can accept that. Is there any way to keep this private? My family is going to be so upset.”
“You need to talk to your attorney about that,” he replied. “My suggestion is to call him now. He can bring you around here instead of taking a ride in the squad car, but it’s up to you, of course.”
They made a minute of small talk and hung up. Dave called CPS and spoke with the caseworker who wasn’t impressed.
“Why didn’t she admit that yesterday instead of denying everything? The ruling has already been handed down, Dave. Arrest her for child abuse. The prosecutor may choose to do it as a misdemeanor rather than a felony, but that’s up to her.”
“Okay, well, the state has spoken, I guess.”
He felt sorry for Beverly. As a parent, he understood how easily dealing with an errant child could spiral out of control. Rather than humiliate her further by doing the arrest himself, once the warrant was assigned, he gave it to trusted deputies.
“Remember, respect, guys,” he said.
They nodded in acknowledgment. Everyone in Cypress Cove knew the Cassons, knew that Beverly was an alcoholic and that Mr. Casson, Alfonso, was living with a younger woman who looked like another Barbie doll.
Beverly stood at the window when the squad car pulled up with two men she’d known when they were boys, contemporaries of her son, Steve, and daughter, Kelly. One of them, Ken, waved to her when he saw her.
“Oh crap, she’s waiting,” Ken said. “Chastain should be doing this.”
They went to the door and when she opened it, Ken looked at her apologetically. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Casson. We have that warrant. Sheriff Chastain said your attorney can bring you into the station if you’re more comfortable with that.”
“I called him,” she said. “He should be here any minute.”
“We’ll read you your rights,” Ken replied.
He read her Miranda warning at which point she began to weep. Looking at his partner, Gary, for guidance, Ken felt awful. Mrs. Casson was the mother who, although probably inebriated and possibly sleeping on the couch, was home when her children arrived with friends after school, offering a snack of cookies and milk, while everyone else’s mother was at work.
Finally, her attorney showed up. She got into his car and they followed the squad car to the station.
In the meantime, Dave drove to the animal rescue on Maggie’s property to tell Annie about the arrest.
Kelly Casson, Beverly’s daughter, was there and she gave Dave a squinty-eyed look and went to the back room when he came inside.
“I guess you know why I’m here,” he whispered to Annie.
“She’s going to be arrested?” she asked, shocked.
“She is. She’ll probably have to take parenting classes instead of a jail sentence if she pleads guilty. But I wanted to tell you that she explained to me what happened and it sounds to me like it was just a case of a tussle between adult and child that escalated. She said she did whack him on the butt with the wobble board, but that was as far as it went. When she was finally able to get a hold of him, she admitted she pretty much threw him in his crib to protect him before he fell from her hands. When Davie is wild like that, we just leave him be until he wears himself out.”
“I’ve never seen Stevie act that way. He’s not even two years old yet.”
“I’d say you’re lucky then. Right now, it’s taking two of us to change his diaper because he flips over if we even come at him with a wipe. And he’s strong.”
“Okay, well, yes, he does that, too. But as far as throwing him in the crib, what if he would have hit his head? She’s lucky she didn’t really hurt him.”
“That’s true and the reason for the parenting class.” He nodded toward the back of the building. “I guess your coworker is pissed off.”
“She’ll get over it,” Annie said, handing Stevie a toy.
“He looks great. You didn’t take him to day care today.”
