Chapter 21: Agent Ferraro

A few hours later, Marissa changed from a hospital gown into clothes she’d brought in her bag. When Agent Ferraro walked into the room, Marissa said, “How am I going to explain this to my husband?”

“Maybe it’s time to tell him the truth,” said the agent and after a pause, she added, “Well, maybe not the whole truth.”

“How can I?” she said pleadingly. “What if he leaves me?”

“Mrs. Henderson, Marissa, I need to take you downtown and debrief you. I need details of everything that’s happened to you, here as well as Las Vegas. I’ve already got the wheels in motion for warrants on Rockford and Dodge, but I need details that will convince a judge to issue them. You can call your husband on the way.”

“I, I want to wait until tomorrow to call him. I can’t deal with talking to him just yet.”

On the ride downtown, neither woman spoke; Ferraro just held Marissa’s hand while the latter stared out the window, without seeing.

Marissa talked for two hours and gave Ferraro enough information about happened from Alex’s last phone call to her rape for the agent to feel comfortable to take everything before a judge. “Let’s stop for now,” she recommended. “Are you sure you don’t want to call your husband?”

“He’s not expecting me home until tomorrow. I want to wait.”

“If he’s watching the news, he’ll see you on TV,” said Ferraro. “I’ll let him know that you’ve been acting as an informant.”

“And how is that going to explain the, the rest?”