The detective looked surprised, I suppose anyone would. Who wouldn’t ignore a child’s words, given how so many saw my Dad, he was liked by a lot of people. I looked away not wanting to see him suddenly laugh almost mocking-like, like the detective lady. Who would believe a three-year-old after she was just attacked by her mother? But the man that was with her, the other detective with blond hair and blue eyes, seemed to listen. But then he was gone.
“Who…” the detective asked. “Who did your father kill?”
Now it was my turn to look surprised. Would he listen to me? Hear me out and not judge me because of my age?
The problem was my Dad hurt many, so many that I couldn’t keep track, too many to count. I don’t even know all of their names. I didn’t know what he did to them, only that if they were rude, or something like it, towards him or me, then they would be gone not long after. I wasn’t even sure how many he had done this to. Only that it was something he seemed to enjoy.
So, I could only say the one that I was most certain of and go from there.
“My mom, probably…”
“Probably?” he repeated.
“I don’t remember too well, she tried to kill me, tried to strangle me to death and my Dad saw it,” I say as I reach for my throat with my left hand. I could still feel my mother’s hands even after four years. But I couldn’t remember my Dad’s face, that’s the one thing I couldn’t remember. There were a lot of things during that time that were hard to remember, if at all. “The next thing I knew, I woke up with him taking care of me, and she was gone. But then, that always seems to happen.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“People who hurt me, disappear. But for my mom I’m not sure… deep down I feel like she’s dead but I’m not sure why I think she might not be.”
The detective was silent, thinking, before asking. “You mentioned other people, did you see your father do this? To someone else?”
I opened my mouth to answer only before I had the chance to say anything else, my Dad’s voice called for me.
“Amalie,” I turned to see him, smiling happily, looking at me with love before extending his hand. “It’s time to go home, Sweetie.”
His soft smile said it all.
He heard everything I said to the detective.
Without a word, I got off of the chair and placed my paper cup in the recycling bin before stopping to look at the man still sitting in shock. “Goodbye Detective, I hope you catch Mr. Green and give him what he deserves.” I then went to my Dad’s side and took his hand as we turned to leave.
“Wait a moment!” he shot up from his chair, looking worried. “Mr. Hilmarsson did you…”
I gripped my Dad’s hand tightly while looking at the Detective, silently asking him not to say it aloud. That if he did, at some point, he’d disappear, just like those who were mean or rude or did something to anger my Dad. I didn’t want him to die.
“Freddie, just let him be,” the lady detective said, coming over with a sigh. “He’s free to go, we have nothing else to ask him.”
The detective looked like he wanted to say something, but when he looked at me, his expression changed, he realized that he shouldn’t, at least, I hoped he did.
“Well, if there’s nothing else, we will be going now. Goodbye, detectives.” My Dad then looked down at me with his smile before we continued.
But I could hear the detective talk to the woman in a hushed voice. “Song, I thought you said that what was on the girl’s phone was suspicious, why are you letting him go?”
“As much as I don’t like the guy with his smug attitude, I’m trying to get over that stupid bias, and just like you’ve told me he’s just a father trying to protect his kid from threats from overzealous fans. He’s only doing what he needs to for his kid. I’m not going to fault him for it.”
He didn’t answer, probably because he knew if he spoke aloud, people might not believe him. After all, my Dad is well-known and well-liked, and many would think that he would never do anything bad to anyone.
If only they knew…
* * *
“Think he’ll listen?” my Dad asked, as he stared facing me from the driver’s seat in the car, arms propped up on the headrest his smile ever-present. “Detective Louds, do you think he’ll believe you?”
“You didn’t stop me,” I say. “You didn’t stop me from saying anything to him. Why?”
My Dad hurt people, killed people, I knew that those who did such things wouldn’t want anyone to know, so why would he let me?
He gave me my answer.
“Why would I stop you? If this is something you want, I have no reason to do so. Besides,” he leaned forward to extend his hand as his fingers brushed my healing cheek. “Wouldn’t it be interesting, if he listened? Wouldn’t it be interesting how he’d react if he found out the truth? And what he would do to get that out to the world?”
My hands clutched my dress. “Dad?”
“Hmm?”
I looked him right in the eye. “I don’t want him to be hurt because he’s doing his job.” If he did, I don’t think I could forgive him. Even if he did save Elain and me from that monster in my school.
He chuckled, but still looked at me with love as he kept smiling. “I have no intention of doing so. Just as long as he doesn’t threaten you any harm, or do anything… rude. Like illegally breaking and entering our home without permission or a proper search warrant, like the other one. He will be fine. The detective is a smart man. It makes me wonder how he will go from here. And you as well, you’ve grown so much. I am deeply proud of you, and what you’ve accomplished. With that in mind, I should make a feast.” He then sat properly in his seat and started the car. “Shall we go home?”
“I’m not really hungry.” And I wasn’t, I just felt sick to my stomach. I should have felt proud that I said something… that I spoke up again after four years, but…
His gaze looked worried even as he smiled. “I suppose that makes sense, after everything that’s happened one after the other, it would be hard on you. Then I’ll make us breakfast for dinner, why not Huevos High Life with sausage, it’s been a while and I think you deserve a little more decadent meal tonight while watching your favourite musicals. How does that sound?”
I didn’t respond, I only nodded as my eyes now looked out the window as we drove away from the police station, wondering if I made the biggest mistake of my life.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I hoped it wasn’t.
For the detective’s sake.
* * *
My Dad did as he said he would, breakfast for dinner.
Soft rolls where the center was partly cut out and an egg was placed inside the roll and cooked in a pan alongside the sausages. And instead of eating in the kitchen, we ate in the living room where he put on the musical recording of the Broadway show Anastasia.
I ate the food my father made as he sat close to me, I could feel his voice vibrate along my body as he hummed to the songs being sung by people who performed. Something he’d often do; I didn’t eat much. I didn’t feel hungry.
I should have felt happy that I told someone, but that feeling of worry overtook me, what if the detective didn’t believe me? What if he’d brushed it away like that of Detective Song?
It was four years ago, things could have changed, but… I couldn’t trust her.
I felt my father’s hand touch my forehead, before doing it again with the back of his hand. “You’re a bit warm, Amalie are you okay?”
I didn’t say anything, I didn’t feel good.
“Amalie?” he took my plate and placed it on the table with his before his hands touched my cheeks, as some of his fingers rested along my neck feeling the beating of my heart in my throat. “Can you open your mouth?”
I did as he looked with a worried gaze before picking me up and taking me to the car. Next thing I knew I was in the hospital that Elain was at, being examined by a doctor.
“Looks to me like it’s a fever brought on by stress.” Says a doctor after looking me over. “Any idea what could have caused it?”
My Dad had a hand over his mouth as he spoke to the doctor. “She’s been through a lot these past few weeks.”
“Then I’d prescribe some Tylenol or Ibuprofen and a stress-free weekend with cartoons and fun times with your Dad.” She said to me with a smile before handing my Dad candy. “That’s for her for when she’s better, as long as she’s not allergic to anything.”
He smiled a bit. “Not at all, I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.” He said before taking it from the woman, then he picked me up to go home. “Thank you, doctor,”
My Dad walked slowly as he carried me, rubbing my back as he did so but stopped when someone we knew called out.
“Mr. Hilmarsson?” Elain’s Mom was in the hall, looking at me and Dad. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Amalie?”
“Thankfully not for long.” He says with a faint smile. “She’ll be alright after some medicine. Too much stress, as the doctor put it. I was worried since it’s rare for her to become sick but it seems I overreacted a bit. It wasn’t something truly awful. How’s Elain?”
“Resting,” she looked worried as she looked at me. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Not at the moment, but thank you, Mrs. Ortiz.”
After saying goodbye my Dad picked up his speed to get back to the car and then head home. When we returned home, he gave me medicine with a warm drink before helping me dress into pyjamas and had me sleep with him. But I began to feel worse and ran to the bathroom where I threw up what was in my stomach.
“Amalie,” my father was quickly behind me keeping my hair out of my face as I continued to throw up. “It’s okay Sweetie, just let it all out.”
When I couldn’t throw up anymore tears began to fill my eyes as my breathing hitched.
“Please…” I managed. “Please don’t be mad at me…”
“Oh, Amalie.” He went to his knees as his hands went to my face after wiping it with a towel. “Why would you think I’d be mad at you?”
“Because of what I did… because I didn’t tell you… what happened or what I… thought.”
“Dear,” he pulled me into his arms as I cried. “I could never be mad at you for such a thing. You should know that.”
I shook my head not believing it. “But I… I lied…”
“No, Sweetheart, you didn’t lie. You only did what you thought was right.”
“I… I… I should have… I should have told you. But I… I was scared!”
“Of me?”
I quickly shook my head again. “No… of Nick… he was scary… really scary…” My hands shook as I gripped his shirt tightly as a feeling of fear overcame me. “I thought… of what he wanted to do… how he’d kill me, and I pictured it… I saw myself… dead. I never thought I’d see that so clearly from my imagination… seeing that… made me think it’d become real…”
His hold tightened, as he began to kiss my head as he rocked back and forth. “You're safe now Amalie, that man will never hurt you or anyone else ever again.”
“But you said he ran away…” I managed between breaths as the tears kept falling. “That he’s on the run… hiding from the police…”
His smile was faint but the anger in his eyes was clear. “Not anymore.”
I looked at him as he carried me to his room and placed me on the bed, he went to move away from me, probably to get the medicine I needed but before he could I grasped his hand. “I don’t want him to die for what he did. I want him to live, and suffer for with his actions for the rest of his life.”
His smile twitched. “Some would say a fate worse than death.”
I looked away as I let go of his hand. “Does that make me a bad person?”
His eyes then became warm as he gently made me look at him. “Never. I fully agree that he should suffer for the rest of his life for what he’s done to those children, and you.” His eyes looked at me for a moment before asking. “Do you think you can manage to eat something? Medicine on an empty stomach is never good you know.”
I sniffed back my tears. “I can try…”
He kissed me again. “That’s all I ask.” He came back moments later with a bowl of Icelandic chocolate pudding. My favourite.
I ate it slowly and then took some medicine before finishing the rest. He then came back with a mug of hot chocolate, the homemade kind, not like in a store. I could taste the chocolate, the milk, and hints of cinnamon. It made me feel relaxed.
“Want me to read to you?” my Dad asked when I finished, I nodded.
He soon came back with a leather-bound book, red with gold trim on the edges of the paper and gold design on the red leather itself. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Through the Looking-Glass – The Haunting of the Snark – Phantasmagoria and Other Poems by Lewis Carroll. It was something my Dad had when he was a kid, well-loved and cared for as if it were more important than gold.
Something that belonged to his Mom, my Grandma who I never met.
He’d often read the Christmas poem that’s inside, every year, before opening gifts, a family tradition.
My Dad would read the story to me in different voices depending on the character, it made me think of Lauren since it was something she would also do. I wonder if it was because I was sick that was making me think of her. I hoped she was okay.
I started to feel sleepy, I think the medicine was starting to work. “Dad…?”
“Hmmm?”
“You're really not mad?”
“At you? No, I could never. No matter what you’d do, I would never be mad at you.” He then kissed my cheek. “Sofðu vel og dreymdu ljúfa drauma, elskan mín.” Sleep well and dream sweet dreams, my darling.
“Nótt, nótt pabbi.” Night, Night Daddy.
He ran his hand through my hair as I drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Alastor remained sitting on the edge of the bed brushing his daughter’s hair as she was fast asleep, he remained there for an hour before getting up taking his phone and silently going into his office before looking at his pocket watch and then calling who he intended.
“Bob, evening, apologize for calling so late, my daughter? Well, that’s why I’m calling, I’ll need to take some time off again. Yes, yes, it’s because of what happened at the school. I do apologize for this. Oh, alright. I’ll see what I can do, Henry’s been saying he needs more work, I think he’d be fine with it, best to check though. Thank you, Bob, have a good night.” Once he hung up, Alastor tapped his phone into his other hand as he moved further into his office where he sat at his desk, and then touched a hidden switch that would open a compartment where a burner phone, an SD card and a few other things that resided. Taking the SD card, he put it into the burner phone and sent out a text with an address.
He kept it sparse with few details, but the one on the other end of this text was smart and would know what to do.
They would bring the package to the aforementioned site to be dealt with by a third party. Someone whom he had a chance to meet with, but wouldn’t waste on such an open invitation.
This was something entirely different from what Allen Huxley and his sister would do for him on occasion, and, luckily for them, they wouldn’t need to be involved this time with it being so high profile.
Alastor couldn’t help but feel some form of irony, his daughter didn’t want people to die, ranging from those who were decent and kind to those who should live out their lives to pay for the bad things that they’ve done. Where Alastor would just want that person, regardless of who harmed his child, to no longer exist on this earth. And in turn, be turned into something far more… tasteful. But not him, such a man like Nick Green didn’t deserve such kind treatment.
His daughter’s words then came to his mind.
“I don’t want him to die for what he did. I want him to live, and suffer for his actions for the rest of his life.” The way his daughter looked, her expression as her face was dampened with tears. Her silver eyes burned with a want to keep others safe, regardless of her well-being.
It sent a chill down his spine, not of anger or rage, but one of admiration.
His baby girl was becoming her own and wanting of her desires.
A hand went over his ecstatic grin to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape so as not to wake her from her much-needed sleep.
It made him so happy!
Truly, he has such a wonderful daughter!!
(End of the Introduction Arc)