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Fury.
They already knew what this man was capable of. He wasn't to be underestimated. Adam and Jessica knew that, and she noticed that both of them had their hands hovering over their weapons.
“You can’t take my kid,” Jay snarled at them. He was drunk, she could see it in his face, hear it in his voice, and smell it on his breath.
“We can, sir,” Jessica informed him, holding out the paperwork. “Based on your daughter’s statement, the bruises that were seen on her body, and the suspicious nature of your older daughter’s death, we are removing Kinsley from your custody at least until the conclusion of this investigation.”
“You can’t take my kid,” Jay repeated, making no move to take the paperwork she offered.
“Please step back, sir,” Adam said. “Don’t make this worse for Kinsley than it’s already going to be.”
“We will handcuff you, Mr. Turner, if you don’t step back, and if necessary, we will arrest you,” Jessica warned.
With another glower, Jay Turner finally snatched the papers from her hand and took a step back allowing the three of them to enter the house. Inside, the house wasn't any cleaner or tidier than the outside had been. Ripped carpet, peeling wallpaper, piles of garbage littered about, dirty laundry scattered on the floor and the table, filthy dishes piled high in the kitchen sink.
There was a small, tattered Christmas tree in the corner, and Maria Turner stood beside it, Kinsley in her arms.
Jessica nodded at her. “You get Kinsley,” the cop directed.
Shooting Jay Turner a wary look, she walked further into the house and over to the mother and daughter. “Hey, sweetie.” She gave the little girl what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “My name is Hayley. You're going to come with me for a little while, okay?”
“How come?” the child asked. Although too thin for her age, Kinsley was a pretty little girl. She had long brown hair that had been pulled into two messy braids and large, long-lashed, blue eyes, and a light smattering of freckles dotted her nose and cheeks.
“Well, my friends, Detective Abram and Detective Spears have to sort things out with your daddy and your mommy, and it’s better if you're not here while they do that.”
“Oh,” Kinsley said.
“Hey, I have a great big, cuddly teddy bear in the car waiting for you,” she told the little girl. She always brought along something for the children she removed from their homes. It wasn't something she had to do for her job, just something she wanted to do for these kids.
“Can I keep him?” Kinsley asked, all excited.
“Sure can, that’s why I brought him. Come here.” She reached out to take the child, and Maria Turner took a step back. Leaning in close she whispered in the woman’s ear, “Don’t make her see you handcuffed with a gun pointed at you.” Reluctantly, the girl’s mother released her grip on her daughter, and Hayley took the child, balancing her on her hip and heading for the door.
“Right behind you,” Adam told her as she stepped outside.
Hayley nodded and hurried for the car. Kinsley wasn't wearing a coat, and she wanted to get the child out of the cold as quickly as she could. “So, what are you going to name your teddy bear?”
“What color is he?” Kinsley asked.
“He’s brown.”
“Is he a boy or a girl?”
“Whatever you want?”
“I think it’s a …” Kinsley trailed off, obviously deciding. “A boy.”
“Okay,” Hayley said as she put the little girl into the car seat and began to buckle her in.
“I think his name should be Brownie because Leah and I used to make brownies sometimes,” she said as she picked up the bear and held him in her lap.
“That’s a great name.” She smiled at the child, who was holding up extremely well considering she had just been taken from her parents. “I’m just going to close your door and get into the driver’s seat, then I’m going to take you to the house you’ll stay in for the next few days, okay? Once we get there we can play for a bit, and there’ll be lots of other kids for you to play with too.”
“Will I have my own bed?” Kinsley asked.
“Yep, you sure will.”
“Leah and I used to share a bed.”
