PART 2
The bruises weren’t old.
Some were deep purple.
Others were fresh enough that I could still see the outline of fingers pressed into my father’s skin.
I looked at him carefully.
“Dad… who did this?”
He lowered his eyes.
“I didn’t want you involved.”
Before he could say another word, Vanessa stormed across the station.
“He’s lying!” she shouted. “He falls all the time. He’s confused!”
I turned toward Officer Davis.
“Photograph every injury immediately. Chain of custody starts now.”
His posture straightened.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Vanessa’s confidence flickered.
My brother, Eric, finally stepped forward.
“You don’t have to make this into a federal case.”
I stared at him.
“You watched this happen?”
His silence was answer enough.
A paramedic arrived and carefully examined my father.
“He needs X-rays,” she said quietly. “Possibly fractured ribs.”
The room fell silent.
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“That’s ridiculous. He bumped into a bookshelf yesterday.”
I held up my phone.
“Interesting.”
She frowned.
“What?”
“My father’s emergency smartwatch called me automatically when it detected a violent impact at 2:27 a.m.”
Her smile disappeared.
“It also uploaded audio.”
Every eye in the station turned toward me.
I pressed play.
The recording crackled for a moment.
Then Vanessa’s voice echoed through the room.
“Sign the transfer papers!”
My father’s frightened reply followed.
“I’m not giving you the house.”
A loud crack rang through the speaker.
