Final Analysis - Catherine Crier [11]
Not surprising, things quickly heated up, and at one point, Susan asked that Gabe leave the room. He didn’t move; he just stayed on the couch watching a program on the giant-screen TV his mom had bought when his dad had first moved out in November 2001. It was one of the first big purchases she made on her own without Felix’s approval, since he had long opposed the idea of an entertainment center in the living room. Still, Felix enjoyed it in Susan’s absence.
Gabe grew worried as his parents’ voices began to rise. He heard his father tell Susan that if she threatened him, he would call the police. Suddenly, his dad began yelling, then grabbed the phone. But he returned the handset to its receiver and tried to speak calmly to Susan. Still, the threats continued. When Susan whispered something in Felix’s ear, he jumped up and dialed for help. Gabe was too far away to hear what she said, but it was clear from the look on his father’s face that it was serious.
Gabe watched his father enter 9-1-1 on the phone.
“Can I talk to somebody about a domestic dispute, please?” Felix said.
“Okay, what’s going on?” the dispatcher on the other end of the line inquired.
“I’ve been residing at 728 Miner Road with my son. And my wife came and kicked me out of the house, and I am not interested in being kicked out of the house.”
“Okay sir, is your wife there at the house with you?”
“She’s right here.”
“Okay, is it physical?”
“No, it’s not physical but it’s…”
The dispatcher jumped in, “but she’s kicked you out the house.”
“Well I’m standing in the house, but she says I have to leave, which I’m not going to do.”
“Was there a reason that she gave why you have to leave?”
Felix responded curtly. There was annoyance in his voice, as if he expected the dispatcher to know the problem and understand the urgency. The mere fact that he was dialing 911 was sufficient. “She was living away, she decided to come back,” he blurted. “I have custody of the kids, I have legal custody of the kids and…”
“Okay, do you live there?” the dispatcher didn’t need the particulars, just the reason why this man felt he needed emergency personnel at his home. “Are you guys still married or are you separated?”
“We’re still married.”
“So you both live there?”
“No, she vacated, and I took over the house, and take care of Gabriel the kid here, and we’ve been living here.”
“Have either of you been drinking? Using drugs?”
“No.”
“Are there any weapons in the house?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask my wife. She has a shotgun,” Felix replied matter-of-factly.
The dispatcher’s tone took on a new urgency. “Your wife has a shotgun—as in she’s holding a shotgun?”
“No.” Felix replied with no further explanation.
“She’s got one in the house?” the dispatcher pressed on for information.
“I don’t know where it is. Probably in the car.”
“You don’t know if it’s locked up or not then?”
“I don’t know anything about it. You’ll have to ask her. But I feel at risk.”
As patrol units were dispatched to the scene, the operator continued to question Felix about what seemed to be a potentially threatening situation at 728 Miner Road. “So you said she vacated? Now did she move back in?”
Felix’s responses were brief, perhaps because Susan was standing beside him. “She moved to Montana, and she came back, actually to pick up her things and move back to Montana, and while I was at work, she moved me out of the house.”
When police arrived, they found Felix and Susan seated at the granite breakfast bar in the main house having a quiet conversation. Both parties appeared calm, yet Felix was annoyed that his wife had moved him out of the house. He insisted the officers ask Susan to leave and provided a copy of the signed order giving