Murky Water 1

"Murky water" is a common English idiom that describes situations that are complex, uncertain, or unclear. It often signifies difficult circumstances that require careful thought and consideration due to the lack of clarity or predictability.

There is no sexual activity in this story other than implied consensual acts between married adults over the age of 18.

Chapter One

"Mr. Beecher, you are under arrest for third-degree lewd conduct and sexual assault involving a minor. Please rise and place your hands behind your back."

Mark Beecher glared up at the officer but rose as instructed and waited to have the handcuffs applied.

As the handcuffs were being placed, the second officer, a female, began, "You have the right to remain silent..."

"Oh, my God!" Stephanie Cross wailed at the officers as she too rose from where she had been sitting on the sofa next to Beecher. "What did she tell you?"

"Ma'am," the first officer responded, "Your daughter told us enough to have Mr. Beecher taken into custody and for us to initiate emergency removal proceedings with your daughter. An investigator with the Department of Social Service has been notified and should be here to explain things to you within the hour. In the meantime, your daughter will ride to the station with my partner and remain in protective custody pending the results of the DSS investigation and the judge's ruling at the probable cause hearing."

Stephanie plopped back down onto the sofa, placed her face into her hands, and moaned, "This can't be happening."

The first officer ignored her as he took ahold of an elbow, led Mark Beecher out the front door of the Cross' house, and situated him into the back seat of his patrol car. Once the door to the patrol car was closed and secured, he spoke into his radio to inform his partner that it was safe to bring the girl out.

~~~

MINDY:

The police are taking me into protective custody. I'll explain when I see you. I love you, Dad.

Walker Cross kept glancing at the text from his thirteen-year-old daughter as he exited the hotel parking garage. Although he had immediately typed a response to her message, he saw that it had still not gone through, which implied that Mindy's cell phone had been turned off immediately after she had sent the message. Hopefully, his wife would be able to explain things.

Stephanie's cell phone rang three times before she answered, "What do you want, Walker?"

Walker was barely able to control his rage at his wife's continuing disrespect, as evidenced by her choice of words and the tone in which they were delivered. "Where's Mindy?" he growled.

"I didn't ask and they didn't tell me," Stephanie snapped back.

"Well, what in the HELL happened for her to text me that she is in the protective custody of the police?"

"You'll have to ask her. She was supposed to be spending the night with that new friend of hers, Jocelyn, but apparently came home while I was in the bathroom. The next thing I know, there are two police officers knocking on the front door. They talked with Mindy in her room for about half an hour and then took her with them. I'm supposed to receive a visit from an investigator from the Department of Social Services but I don't know why."

Walker wasn't totally surprised that Mindy wouldn't have confided in her mother. Their relationship lately had been as strained and distant as his and Stephanie's had been.

"Okay, I am cutting this trip short. I'll be back there in about three hours. If you find out where they have taken Mindy, please call me."

Walker seldom traveled for business and this overnight trip to Charlotte wasn't important enough for him to delay returning to his daughter immediately. Something had happened to her, and he needed to be with her. He had always been with her when she wanted or needed him, and tonight would be no exception.

The memory of that day nine years previous drifted into Walker's head once more. It had been the first time that he had caught Stephanie cheating on him and he was determined that it would be the last time. As he had carried his bags out the front door towards his waiting car, three-year-old Mindy had come running after him, crying, "Daddy, don't you walk so fast."

Seeing his beautiful daughter so distraught had made Walker realize what he stood to lose by divorcing Stephanie. Mindy was too young to understand why her father would be leaving her, and that she would be facing a childhood spending limited time with him. Custody laws favored the mother and, in a divorce, Stephanie would likely get the house. Walker would be lucky to see his daughter every two weeks and on the occasional holiday.

That's if Stephanie played nice in any divorce proceedings; which she had vowed not to do when Walker had confronted her about her infidelity. If things went as Stephanie threatened, she would receive full custody of Mindy and have complete say in how often he got to see his daughter or what role he would have in her life. Walker's pride and personal happiness were a huge sacrifice to keep Mindy in his life, but it was one he had paid for the past nine years.

Husband and wife had lived as basically roommates over that time. Though they shared the same bed in the master bedroom to keep up appearances of a happily married couple for Mindy and other relatives, Walker had refused the few attempts at intimacy that Stephanie had initiated. He never caught Stephanie in any further dalliances, but he admitted that he hadn't put much effort into keeping track of her. He simply didn't care what she did outside of their house.

Walker had turned all of the time and affection that he had reserved for his wife onto Mindy. At the same time, Stephanie had allowed him to assume the dominant parenting role with their daughter, freeing her for pursuits outside the home, such as her career. Stephanie still expressed a reasonable interest in Mindy's life, and made a point to attend all of the more important school or social events that a mother would be expected to be at.

In the past few months, Mindy had started dropping hints and asking questions about Walker and Stephanie's relationship. When she turned thirteen, Mindy had been allowed to have sleepovers with her friends, and this is what apparently opened her eyes to how her parents acted differently with each other than the parents of her friends.

Walker and Stephanie never hugged or kissed each other. They never went out to dinner or attended any events strictly as a couple. They didn't celebrate their anniversary. They didn't give each other gifts, or do nice things for one another. There was definitely something odd about their relationship when compared to others that she was observing, and Mindy was getting curious about it.

While driving the three hours back to their home, Walker was wondering if Stephanie had shared more with their daughter than he had, and if so, how would she have spun it? So far, he had simply assured Mindy that both her father and mother loved her and were dedicated to her health and happiness. Walker had assured Mindy that he loved her mother, which hadn't been a lie. On the day that Mindy was born, no man could have loved a woman more than Walker had loved Stephanie.

If Mindy asked her father if he loved his wife, he couldn't swear that the answer would have been any different. Walker might treat Stephanie with indifference most of the time, but he couldn't deny that she could still touch him more deeply and hurt him more painfully than anyone else in the world

~~~

"I find it hard to believe that Mark would do the things that you claim my daughter is accusing him of," Stephanie exclaimed. "He works around young girls her age every day, and there has never been a hint of impropriety."

Mark Beecher was the science teacher at the private and exclusive prep school where Stephanie was the head administrator. Her official title of "Head Mistress" had fallen out of favor, so she was usually referred to by the faculty and students as "Principal Cross". Anyone who had faced her disciplinary actions felt that the title was quite appropriate. She ran a tight ship and certainly would have learned of any inappropriate behavior among teachers and students, and she hadn't. Having met Mark's attractive fiancée, Stephanie knew how smitten he was with the slightly older woman. How many men shared an attraction to older women and young girls at the same time?

"I understand," the DSS investigator, Fern Blaise said. "But you acknowledged that you were not present at the time that your daughter claims he entered her bedroom and exposed himself to her."

"No. I was in the shower. I didn't even know that Mindy had come home until the police knocked on our front door. I had been out of the shower for only about five minutes and was moving a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer. When I went to answer the door, Mark was sitting in the living room checking e-mails on his phone. He seemed calm and relaxed."

"Your daughter's description of the alleged events is very consistent, detailed, and descriptive. I'm afraid that she will have to attend a forensic interview at the Children's Recovery Center. The counselors there are very skilled at validating a child's claims of sexual assault. In the meantime, it is in the child's best interest for us to proceed on the assumption that the allegations are true and accurate."

Stephanie sighed and asked, "Will Mindy be allowed to come home?"

"I'm afraid not, at least not while you are living here..."

"What does THAT mean?" Stephanie interrupted. "I'm her mother, for Christ's sake. Why should my living here have to do with anything?"

Fern Blaise chose her words carefully, "The police report and my investigative report will both show that you failed to protect your daughter. You allowed a man unfamiliar to your daughter to have unsupervised access to her. Mindy also claims to not feel safe being alone with you. Whether your actions this evening were intentional or simply neglect is yet to be determined. Until it is, a safety plan will be implemented for Mindy that prohibits you from spending any unsupervised time with her. If her father is willing and able to take custody of Mindy, that is likely who she will be placed with by the court."

"You think that I purposely allowed Mark to expose himself to Mindy and then to fondle her when she tried to push him out of her room? I didn't even know that she was home. I told you that."

Fern nodded, "Which is why I am recommending only a finding of physical neglect against you at this time. If the forensic interview reveals that you were more complicit, that finding would be upgraded. It is department policy to err on the side of caution where a risk of sexual assault is concerned."

"Oh, fuck!"

Stephanie thought. If she accepted or was convicted of a finding by the Department of Social Services for physical neglect of a child, it would likely require her to be registered in the statewide child neglect and abuse database. She had barely begun to imagine the ramifications that this would have on her life when she heard the garage door opener engaging.

Stephanie didn't hear the garage door being lowered again before the door connecting the kitchen to the garage burst open and she saw her husband enter. Or rather, an enraged lunatic who bore a striking resemblance to the man she considered her husband.

"WHERE IS MINDY?!" Walker screamed at Stephanie.

Noticing the middle-aged black woman in the chair across from Stephanie, he asked in a much calmer voice, "Are you with DSS?"

"Yes, I'm investigator Fern Blaise. I take it that you are Mr. Cross?"

Walker exhaled and said, "Yes, I am Mindy's father. Do you know where she is and can I see her?"

"I'll need to ask you a few questions before I can answer yours, if you don't mind."

Walker leaned against a counter in the kitchen and said, "I don't know what's going on, but I'll answer any questions that I can. Can you tell me what IS going on so that I at least have some context for your questions?"

"Of course," Fern said. "The exact details are still sketchy, but your daughter, Mindy is alleging that when she came home this evening, she was accosted. Mindy states that upon arriving home, she went straight to her room, but claims that a strange man followed her, entered her room without her permission, then performed a lewd act in front of her. When she attempted to push him out of her room and close the door, he touched her inappropriately through her clothes. Finally pushing him far enough into the hallway to close her bedroom door, she called 911 to report the incident and responding officers did encounter a man in your home wearing only his underwear. He has been arrested and your daughter was placed into protective custody."

Walker glared at Stephanie, "You brought some pedophile into our house while Mindy was here? How fucking depraved have you become?"

"I, I..." Stephaine stammered. She had never seen Walker this angry and didn't know how to deal with him in this condition.

"Never mind," Walker growled. "I'll deal with you later."

Addressing the DSS investigator, he said more calmly, "What can I answer for you?"

"First of all," Fern said, "Are you the biological father of Mindy Cross?"

"Yes, and I have the DNA test results to prove that."

Stephanie gasped at Walker's words. They had a DNA test done on Mindy when she was six months old to identify if she had any of the 16p11.2 Duplication Syndrome genetic markers that had been discovered in two of Walker's nephews, and thankfully she didn't, but Stephanie never suspected that Walker would view the results as confirmation that Mindy was his biological daughter. She felt a momentary pang of guilt that he would even be compelled to verify that fact. The reality was, that she had never had sex with another man, or woman, in the fourteen years that she and Walker had been married.

She hadn't done anything to alter Walker's beliefs to the contrary, and admittedly, she had stoked the fire a bit to torment him in retaliation for his cheating on her. After the way that their relationship had deteriorated over the last nine years, Stephanie knew that Walker would never believe her, especially now, so it was a moot point.

Fern Blaise interrupted Stephanie's silent musings when she spoke to Walker, "I understand that you have been out of town on a business trip. Were you aware that your wife had invited a guest to your home this evening?"

"Yes, I was on an overnight trip to Charlotte for an early morning meeting tomorrow with a potential client. But no, I pay little attention to Stephanie's social life, which it appears was a mistake in this case."

"Do you travel frequently or have other obligations that would impact your ability to assume custody of your daughter?"

"Absolutely not! There is nothing in my life that comes before the wants and needs of Mindy."

It wouldn't take any time or effort for an investigation into Walker Cross to identify the commitment that he had always demonstrated toward his daughter. A successful Certified Public Accountant, owning an accounting and financial management firm with an impressive client base, thirteen other accountants, six personal financial advisors, and a sizeable support staff working for him, Walker had mastered the art of delegation so that he was never restrained where spending time with Mindy was concerned.

Fern nodded and said, "Fine, then let me explain what's going to happen. Tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, there will be a probable cause hearing held in family court. Here is a notice of tomorrow's hearing for both of you. If it gets continued tomorrow, you will be notified."

She handed each of them a yellow paper that Walker thought resembled a traffic citation, and said, "You, Mrs. Cross, and Mr. Beecher will be listed as defendants with DSS as the plaintiff. My department will be seeking a finding of substantial risk for sexual abuse and physical abuse against Mr. Beecher. We will be seeking a finding of physical neglect against Mrs. Cross. You, Mr. Cross will be listed as a defendant only because we intend to list you as the protector of the minor child so you have to be a party to the case."

"I understand," Walker said. Stephanie bowed her head and began crying.

"If the judge determines that probable cause exists, which is a virtual certainty when the emergency removal proceedings are initiated by law enforcement, the likely ruling will be for you to retain custody of Mindy as long as the other defendants have no contact with her. Mindy will be required to undergo a forensic interview to ascertain the credibility of her allegations and the results of that interview will determine our next steps."

"When can I see Mindy?" Walker asked.

"As long as you understand and agree that your daughter can have no contact with either your wife or Mark Beecher, I can release Mindy to you tonight. You'll need to sign this safety plan indicating your acceptance of its terms. Mindy is at the law enforcement center waiting for placement in a temporary foster home but releasing her to you would result in a lot less paperwork."

Walker pushed himself away from the counter that he had been leaning on and asked, "So, as long as the whore over there isn't here, Mindy could sleep in her own bed tonight, and the police would enforce that?"

Stephanie dropped her head to the table and covered it with her arms as Fern Blaise said, "Well, in not so many words, but, yes."

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Walker shouted at Stephanie. "I don't care where you go or how you get there, but if you're not out of this house by the time that I return with my daughter, there will be hell to pay."

Addressing the DSS investigator in a remarkably softer and kinder voice, he said, "Please inform the police or whoever you need to that I am on my way to pick up my daughter."

Without waiting for either Stephanie or the DSS investigator to reply, Walker headed for the garage. He could be at the law enforcement center in ten minutes and then take Mindy out for a late dinner if she hadn't eaten or ice cream if she had. That should give the bitch he had married more than enough time to pack a few things and get gone.

~~~

"Whose idea was it for you to sleep over at Jocelyn's on a school night?" Walker asked his daughter.

Father and daughter were talking quietly in a booth at a nearly empty Friendly's restaurant as they ate their ice cream. It had been almost an hour since Walker had left their house and he wanted to make certain that Stephanie was gone by the time that Mindy and him arrived back.

"I don't know where Mom got the idea that I would be spending the night at Jocelyn's. I texted her that I was going there after school to work on a project together, and that I would probably eat dinner there, but I never said that I was going to spend the night. I didn't even have a change of clothes with me."

Anyone who checked either Mindy's or her mother's cell phone would see the text that Mindy had sent. What they wouldn't see is the telephone call from Jocelyn's home phone to the home phone at the Cross residence when Mindy had, in fact, told her mother that she would be spending the night at her friend's house. Without that call as evidence, Mindy's accounting of events couldn't be easily disputed.

Walker wouldn't have doubted his daughter anyway, especially when it came to choosing between her recollection of events over those of his wife. He hadn't trusted Stephanie for more than nine years and he certainly wouldn't trust her more than he would Mindy.

"Is that buzzing sound your phone, Dad?"

Walker felt the vibration in his pocket that his thoughts had hidden from him. He pulled his phone out and checked the display. He read it quickly and then asked Mindy, "Is the project that you and Jocelyn were working on due tomorrow?"