Freedomland Page #8

but he wouldn't go down.

So I said to him:

"You be a good boy

and go to sleep."

And he was...

You know, he was furious.

He said, "I don't want you to go."

But like a man would say it, you know:

- "I don't want you to go."

- "I don't want you to go."

You know, standing there all punchy

with the cough syrup...

...and, you know, I wanna say to him,

"Tonight is the last night.

Just give me this one last..."

But I said, you know:

"You go to sleep.

I'll be back soon. I promise."

And he says, you know...

He says to me,

"If you go, you'll be sorry."

But like a jealous husband, you know.

"If you go, you'll be sorry."

And I almost, you know...

I almost didn't go.

You know, I'd never...

I never heard that tone from him.

If he'd only sounded like,

you know, more...

More babyish or more pathetic.

But, you know, it was so hard,

his voice...

...and it scared me. It, like,

drove me out of the house...

...and, you know, he was...

He was only 4 years old.

You know,

nobody has to tell me that.

So...

...I go downstairs...

...and sure enough...

...Billy says it's over.

And I'm yelling and I'm crying...

...but really I'm just going

through the motions because...

Because really, I'm kind of relieved.

And I go back upstairs and I...

I don't see him, Cody,

and I look for him in his bed.

And I'm... I...

I'm like, you know, "Oh, he's hiding,"

you know, "He's...

He's hiding. He's mad at me.

He's trying to scare me

or punish me or something.

But that's okay,

because I deserve it."

And I'm kind of lighthearted now,

you know...

...because it's all over and done with,

so I'm like, "Cody?

Cody?" Like, "Where are you?"

And then I see him, you know,

he's under the table. And he's asleep.

And I... And I crawl over there because

I'm gonna carry him back to bed.

And I put my hand

in something wet...

...and there's the smell...

The smell...

And that's when I saw

the empty bottle.

And I remembered,

"If you go, you'll be sorry.

If you go, you'll be sorry."

Well, was he still alive?

- How do you know?

- He was not alive.

- Did you try to revive him?

- He was not alive.

Tell me how you knew

he was not alive.

Because I'm his mom.

And us moms know these things.

He said, "If you go, you'll be sorry."

And he was right.

- He was right.

- Brenda.

- He didn't know what he was doing.

- He was right.

- He was right.

- Brenda, listen to me.

It was an accident. If what you

described is true, it was an accident.

- Don't you play me.

- What happened next?

No.

- Brenda, we gotta keep talking.

- No, I'm done. Just charge me.

Tell me, Brenda,

you wanna see Billy go to jail?

- For what?

- Well, if we stop now...

...I charge him with obstruction,

conspiracy.

If all he did was carry a body,

you need to take me to the end.

All I remember is putting my hand

in something wet.

I remember the smell

and then I was walking.

I was walking and thinking about...

...my son, thinking about...

...living without no...

Living every day with...

And I'm like,

"Just walk out into the road.

Just die." But...

...I couldn't do it.

And I'm in this fog, you know.

This fog. And I'm walking...

...and I wind up in that park, and

I'm clawing and I'm making his...

Then I had... I needed to go back

and to get him, and how could I?

And so I called Billy.

And what did he do, exactly?

I was not there, but...

...he must have gone back up

to my apartment and seen Cody...

...and put him in my car.

And I guess I must have told him

where to go because...

And the stones...

I guess he did that

to make it proper.

And then the next night...

...I... I must have known

what I was gonna do...

...but I don't remember

thinking about it.

I went to Martyrs Park

and I threw my bag in the dirt...

...and I just started

jamming my hands in the...

In the sh*t, just shoving them in.

I just wanted to get every f***ing...

...broken, like, rusted... Like,

you know, all of it, like, in my skin.

And then I walked through

Armstrong, and I'm...

I guess I knew I was going

to the hospital...

...and I guess I knew what I was

gonna say, but I don't remember...

...knowing the story, you know, the lie,

before it came out of my mouth.

And I think of it now, I guess

I knew somewhere in my head...

...that Armstrong could take it.

And that nobody...

...no individual would really

be hurt by it...

...and that I could go on,

you know...

...with some kind of life, but...

...no, you can't.

You can't.

No.

- What?

- What?

What is it? They have Cody?

- Is he okay?

- What?

What..? What did I do?

Okay, Brenda.

At this point, I'm gonna have

to charge you with homicide.

Now, personally,

I have no reason to disbelieve...

...anything that you've said to me.

I wouldn't have always been able

to be there for him.

Well, because of all the

obstruction you put in our path...

...this is what's required of me.

You understand?

Now, once the forensics are in, the

charge will probably be downgraded.

This is Dempsy Detective

Lorenzo Council.

I'm in the interrogation room of

the Southern District Precinct House.

It is May 4th, 4:55 p.m.

I'm with Brenda Martin,

a 37-year-old white female...

...who resides at 16 Van Loon Street,

Gannon, New Jersey.

Phone number, 120-7210.

Social Security number,

- What have I done?

- Statement is in relation...

...to the death

of 4-year-old Cody Martin.

Brenda! Hey! Hey!

Stop it. Stop it.

Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

Stop!

Can I get some help?

Somebody help me!

Can I get some help in here?

Calm down! Calm...

Calm down. Calm down.

Just take it easy, guys. Take it easy.

Don't hurt her.

- Okay. It's okay.

- Easy, easy.

Detective Council.

How bad was what I did?

I mean, look in your heart.

How bad was what I did?

Come on, Billy. Let's go. Come on.

Look, I don't care what you say.

- Don't touch me, man!

- No.

There's nothing you can do.

There's nothing you can do.

Oh, my goodness. Nothing I can do.

What do you want from me?

For heaven's sake.

All units, Code Three.

Code Three at Armstrong Houses.

This is car 12 responding

to Code Three.

Code Three at Armstrong Houses.

All units respond.

- At Armstrong Houses.

- Car 14, Code Six.

- At Armstrong Houses.

- Car 14, Code Six.

Potential riot disturbance

developing at Armstrong Houses.

- All units, Code Six.

- Reinforce Unit Three at Jackson.

All units respond, Code Three.

All units, Code Three.

Code Three at Armstrong Houses.

I got it! I got it!

Do it!

Help!

Get the hell out of here!

Everybody, please.

Go back to your homes!

Forget you, man!

See, you a punk!

You need to back off, please.

Everybody.

- What is it?

- What?!

Forget it. Don't...

Put your sh*t back on!

For your own sakes,

do not let this happen.

This is not gonna help!

Come on, SWAT.

- This is not gonna help!

- Forget it!

What's wrong with you?

This is yours.

This is for your family!

Yeah, I'm coming at you.

Forget y'all, man. Forget y'all!

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