Mom, Stewart and I drove to Middletown in my car to pick up Carrie. We arrived at approximately 7:55PM. Carmen’s car wasn’t in the driveway, but Dave’s truck was. We rang the doorbell, and Dave answered. I told him we were there to pick up Carrie for Stewart’s weekend visit. He said, “It’s a little late to be picking her up.” I told him that we were on time according to the visitation order. Then he said, “We’re not going to let you take her across the state line. If you do, I’ll call the police and tell her you are kidnapping her.” I explained that there were no stipulations about not taking Carrie across the state line. In fact, the judge knows that Stewart lives in Kentucky. Then he said, “It’s up to Carmen.” He closed the door for a few minutes. When he opened the door he said, “She’s calling the police.”

I decided that we should also call the police. When the dispatcher answered I told her that we were at 717 Vancouver. She said, “I know. She has already called. She said you’re trying to take the baby even though she’s sick.” I asked if we needed to request an ambulance. She said, “If you want to pay the bill, I’ll send one.” I asked if she could tell from Carmen’s report whether or not the baby was sick enough for an ambulance. She said that Carmen was screaming and the dog was barking and all she heard was something about digestive issues. Then she said that she didn’t believe we needed an ambulance.

Two separate police cars showed up with one officer each. One was female; one was male. We explained what was happening. The male officer recognized Stewart. They agreed to go to the door and talk to Carmen. When they came back they explained that they couldn’t do anything because it is a civil matter. They recommended that we not come back until after a contempt hearing.

I asked if there was any reason to believe that we could get a court order allowing them to take Carrie from the house. They said a judge can do almost anything.

We drove home.