This Part

   I kneel on the floor and put my hand on Lydia's shoulder. She assures me again she's fine. As I look into her eyes she begins to cry. Hugging her I ask her again , what happened. With tears running down her bruised cheek she tells me plainly. "Frank, did it. He robbed the church, I wasn't sure if he would really do it but he did, didn't he?" I nod sadly " Well someone did." "She wipes her face with her wrist revealing that it too is bruised. Lydia , the robbery isn't as serious as the state you're in. He beat you like this?" She nods"...Why?"
  She begins to cry even more, I start to tear up too, I can  feel that her spirit is just broken ,crushed." He's always had a drinking problem, and I've always been kind of ashamed...never wanted anybody to know. He's been really down lately, he lost his job six months back and he's just been in a real bad way. Nothing I say helps, I tried to get him to go to counseling but....Last night he got really depressed. He said he was leaving. He's said that before. I didn't want him to go but he wouldn't listen.This morning he came home drunk, he was so drunk he wasn't in his right mind at all, told me he was going to rob the church. At first I didn't believe him, But then he got angry. I didn't know what he would do. I didn't want to, but I was so scared, I  called the police. When he found out he.. smashed my phone and... I guess you saw the place.... he's never been that bad." She looks down, her dark eyes swollen from crying and the blow to her face. " "You mean he's done this before...?" I don't want to press her but I feel it's important. "Not this bad but yes."  I just can't believe it, I feel so ashamed of myself that I never knew, that I live such a pleasant ignorant life.To brush shoulders with someone every week and not see what was really happening. "I am so sorry Lydia, do you know where he might be now?" Suddenly there's a loud knock on the front door. Lydia looks at me like a scared little girl. I  find I too am afraid, wondering if it might be Frank. Then I remember Mark and the Captain. " Everything is going to be o.k, I think it's the police,  I'll be right back."She begins to cry silently. I smile weakly. I can't believe the cruelty...it's horrible.  As I stand to go to the door a sharp pain shoots through my ankle. "Ouch...I scraped that pretty good."

The Detective Part

I go out to my car which is parked in the alley. I feel adventurous yet nervous. Maybe I should bring the Bronx, he does a good guard dog bluff. I check my purse for my cell phone , buckle up and pull onto the street in the direction of Lydia's house. I feel confident until I pull onto her road. Maybe this is crazy, I mean, we could be totally wrong.Turning into the neighborhood, I try and remember which house is hers, most of the homes are small ranchers built during the seventies so they all kind of look the same. I do remember though that Lydia's house had a peculiar olive green trim on brick.'There it is" I say to myself. I see that there is no car in her driveway. But Before I go in I decide to call her one more time. Slowly I dial her number. Still no answer. I gather up my courage and park the car. Keeping my cellphone in my hand I head to the door and ring the bell. One of those awful little ringing dinging noises starts up. I take a deep breath and try again. Still no answer. I look around and since its the middle of the day it seems most people are at work. No one is around so I begin too peek in the windows. Its hard to see through the curtains but I notice there is a light on toward the back of the house. I head around the corner peeking in every window I can reach. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone is watching. I still can't see anyone inside, I notice a cat on the sofa and a purse on the floor. This seems to be a sign that Lydia is home.Then I notice there's one more little window that is too high for me to see in, however there's a cinder block laying nearby and I decide to use it as a step. I push through the bushes and try not to make to much noise as I carefully climb atop my wobbly perch. Its actually a bathroom window, I nearly squeal when I spot Lydia, crumpled on the floor with her hands on her head. I proceed to tap the window and feel the awful sensation that I am loosing my balance. My left foot scrapes down the concrete and I splash into a boxwood.I wrestle my way out of the infernal shrubbery and go around to the back door and find it to be unlocked. My adrenalin is pumping and I hope I'm not mistaken and that she doesn't just have the flu or something.However everything seem to point to trouble. "Lydia, Lydia, its Jenna, are you o.k,can I come in? Hello?"I call out as I walk through the door. Then I hear a voice. I try to make my way to the bathroom. The house is a mess,there's a lamp knocked over and I'm stepping in glass on the kitchen floor, I notice too that a cell phone lies smashed on the table. Then I hear Lydia, "Jenna , I'm in here, I'm alright,its o.k." I turn the corner and my eyes widen to see Lydia sitting up in the bathroom floor with a black eye and a bloody lip. I gasp " Oh my gosh, Lydia you are not o.k, what happened!?"