“Does your husband live here?” Bowers asked.
“No, he lives in Los Angeles. He came here because he found me.”
“You were hiding?”
Katherine nodded. “I’ve been on the run for two years. He always finds me.”
An idea came to mind. She leaned back in the chair and lifted her shirt, pointing to the faded yellowing around her ribcage. “This is from two weeks ago. That’s what happens when he finds me.”
Bowers let out a long sigh. “Did you report the assault when it happened?” he asked in a low voice.
Katherine smiled. “No.”
“Ma’am, we can’t do anything unless you report it to the police when it happens,” he said softly.
She nodded her head, tears clouding her vision. “I’ve filed plenty of reports. Nothing ever happens. My husband is a defense attorney. A very wealthy attorney. He knows a lot of people and a lot of people owe him favors. I could file a hundred reports, it will never stick. All it does it make it worse for me. I’m only telling you this because Ben does not deserve to have his life ruined for dating me.”
Bowers looked properly sympathetic. “I’m sorry, I truly am. I’m going to make a report right now, but I need you to sign it. Will you do that?”
She nodded. “I will, but I need to find out what is holding up Ben’s release. He should have been bailed out by now.”
“Does he have a lawyer?”
Katherine grinned. “He does.”
“Sometimes, this can take a full day, especially if it’s been a busy day. I’ll tell you what, I’ll get this report made and then I’ll call the jail and see if he’s scheduled to be arraigned.”
“Thank you,” Katherine whispered.
“You say you’ve done this before?”
“Yes.”
“Then I need you to tell me what happened yesterday. If you want to file a restraining order, you can detail the past history of abuse, but for right now, let’s get your side of the story on file,” Bowers said.
“I told the cops everything yesterday. It’s on file,” she insisted, trying not to get angry.
Bowers turned to his computer. “What’s your full name?”
She told him, waiting while he entered it, following up with her birthday. He was nodding his head as he read the screen.
“Well?”
Bowers sighed. “There’s a report, but I’m afraid it doesn’t look good for your boyfriend.”
Katherine stood up. She should have known it would be a waste of time. “Thanks for nothing,” she snapped and started to walk out of the office.
“Hey,” a woman’s voice stopped her.
She turned to see the female officer that had been at the bakery the day before. “Hi.”
“What’s going on?”
Katherine shrugged her shoulder. “Same old shit, different city,” she muttered.
“Look, I know what you’re going through, I can help.”
Katherine was done asking for help. “Thanks, but I think I’ve got about all the help I can take right now.”