Because Vanessa thought she had thrown a wine glass.
What she had really thrown was the first domino.
The police report hadn’t come from me.
That was the first surprise.
My neighbor, Thomas Reed, a retired firefighter, had been walking his dog when he heard Linda screaming through my open dining-room window. Seconds later, he saw me leave the house with blood running down my face.
Thomas called 911.
That mattered because Daniel and Vanessa couldn’t claim I had invented the incident after getting angry about the house.
The officers photographed my injury, took my statement, and asked whether I wanted charges pursued.
“Yes,” I said.
The younger officer hesitated.
“You understand the alleged offender is your daughter-in-law?”
“I understand perfectly.”
