117 Professional Ethics (2/2)
”We only found bread, bananas, and milk in your house. You have admitted to the same, hence I will have to point out to you that you are not providing enough nutrition to your child. The child needs to have twelve hundred calories a day and all five food groups which you have not been able to give her. We have also confirmed with Carol that you rarely pack a lunch for school or give her money. You have fed her only one meal a day on most days and neglected your duty to feed your child.” The woman was about to speak up again.
”Grace, do you have anything to say?” Sebastian interjected before I could say more.
”She lied. I give her food. I know it is not much but I can't afford other meals,” her voice shook. Another lie.
”You collected all your bills and receipts, Grace. We know what you bring as grocery and we know all the takeout you order and eat yourself without giving it to your child. Why?” he asked softly.
She remained silent for a long time. ”Tell me, Grace. Everything looks so bad for you. Give me a reason to believe that you are not starving your child purposefully.”
She gulped. ”She doesn't eat what I give her. And she talks back all the time. She screams and that creepy look in her eye. God, I hate it. I feel like she will kill me in my sleep so I punish her. She knows that she will only get full meals when she is a good girl.”
Everything was piling up. ”Okay, but why doesn't she eat what you give her?” Sebastian asked. She shook her head.
”I don't know. I don't know when it started. But the more she refused the food, the angrier I got.” She pressed her hand on her face to hide it.
”Is it because of the sleeping pills?” I asked her, my voice barely above a whisper.
She shuddered. ”I don't know what you are talking about,” her voice was guttural.
”Did you give her sleeping pills?” Sebastian asked.
”No...” Grace said. But she knew it was futile. Anyone could check her prescriptions and know that she had consumed more than what was prescribed. ”I... I told you... she scares me. So, I gave her pills to make her sleep.”
I pressed my lips together in disbelief.
”Why are you scared of her?” Sebastian asked.
”Ever since she was born... she has been different from other children. At first, I thought she was dumb but when she learned everything rapidly and spoke eloquently, I couldn't understand why she was that way...”
”What way?” Sebastian coaxed.
”She... her eyes are empty, you know? And she doesn't read people well. She talks about death and destruction so easily. I was scared. And she hates me, she does!” she sobbed. ”I just wanted to punish her so that she would get better, you know?” And that she hates her daughter for ruining the fun in her life.
”What else did you do to punish her, Grace?” Sebastian asked.
”I... she walked in on me with one of my clients one day and she just watched us. I was so creeped out that I wanted her to leave but the client... he insisted she watches. The guy kept coming back and beating her up and I just couldn't stop him.”
She sang like a bird. She said every little thing every person had done to the child. How she had gone a little crazy when the clients wanted to see her daughter more than her. And then she spoke about how Carol had been curious about everything...
”She's a monster,” she choked out. I scribbled into the notepad, feeling sorry for Carol. This woman was her age and already had a daughter as big as Carol. She was overwhelmed and she hadn't grown out of her high school personality. She had taken up sex work because she enjoyed sex and thought it was the easiest way to make money. And her services ranged from different kinks to bondage and domination.
”We will need you to write down the names of all your clients,” I demanded. ”If they engaged in sexual activity in front of a minor, they have committed crimes.” My goal was to reach the man in the white shirt. This was the easiest way.
”I can't do that! That is against my professional ethics. I may sell my body, but I don't sell information.” Sebastian put his hand on my knee to reassure me.