Forever and Always

Chapter 3

The police station was very busy. Men were thrust into holding cells in handcuffs. Some people were crying as they disappeared into questioning rooms. Cops leaned against walls, drinking coffee and eyeing us as we entered. Detectives stared at computer screens, scanning them for evidence.

The place didn't seem very inviting, but it wasn't supposed to be.

One man was held back by handcuffs and it took five police to make sure he didn't escape. He was wearing a ripped blue polo and jeans caked in mud. His hair looked like the man had missed his last few haircut appointments and a fresh scar was traced across his cheek. As the escorted criminal passed by, his glare landed on me. Startled, I stepped back and bumped into Noah.

"Hey!" Noah exclaimed.

"Sorry," I regained my balance.

A cop with a bald spot on his head escorted me first into interrogation room D. It was small, with concrete walls and no windows. There was a table and two metal folding chairs. On one of the walls was a mirror that I knew had a man on the other side watching me in a separate room.

"Have a seat," The man gestured to the chairs as he closed the door. I sat down and glanced at the table. There was a file folder and a clip board with one of those pens on a chain. I half expected to see a lamp they might shine in my face like from movies, but there was only a water bottle.

"Now, I am just going to ask you a few questions about what you saw that night and you can be on your way," The man pulled his chair from the table and sat on it backwards like 'cool boys' do.

Something felt off. They usually only took suspects into interrogation rooms. Did this man consider me a suspect in my parents death? I mean, sure, my fingerprints were probably all over the gun, but so were the intruders.

The cop seemed to wait for me to respond. I nodded. "Okay, so what happened right before the alleged attack?" He glanced down at the clipboard on the table.

"Well, I was asleep. And then I woke up to a vase falling to the floor, or maybe it was glass. Anyways, something shattered. There was gunshot and some screaming, and then it was silent," I explained.

The cop was writing furiously on the clipboard. "How did you manage to be in the hall with your brother?"

I told him all I could remember of that night up to where Jason and I were fighting the man in the hallway. The cop listened intensely, while writing a few words down, and then observing me. I was near tears looking back at the moment.

"When were your parents shot?" He asked.

"Before I woke up. It was the gunshot that killed them that woke me up," I stuttered.

The cop nodded," Thank you for this information, it may help us find the murderer. But one more thing. Can you describe the man you mentioned for me?"

I nodded," He wasn't quite 6 feet, and he was wearing a black jacket and jeans. The man had dark hair, and a big nose. He also looked like he was in his 30s. Oh, and he had big feet, he was wearing some giant boots."

The cop nodded as he sketched a face on a piece of paper," I don't think I got the face, could you put it into more detail?"

"Sure, uh.. He had dark eyes, light, messy hair that was kinda short, and he was very pale. There was some wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, and it looked like he was growing a beard, but only a pencil thin one along his jaw," I glanced at the policeman's sketch, but his hand was covering it.

"Do you know if anyone was after your parents? Did they have any enemies? Did they do something that might give someone a reason to kill them?"

"I don't think so, they were nice people," I said, my mouth quivering. I could feel tears collecting in my eyes but I brushed them away.

The cop nodded," Thank you, that should be it." He got up and escorted me out. I sat down where Katie, Noah and Nemo had made themselves comfortable on a bench in the hallway. The cop took Katie's hand and was heading in the direction of the questioning room.

I stopped him," What are you doing?"

"I am going to question her," He looked down on her and smiled to comfort her.

"She is only six. If you have anything to ask her, do it right here," I stepped towards him. Even though I was only 15, I managed to get him to back down with a quick glare.

"Okay," The cop shook his head and let Katie sit back on the bench. "What do you remember the night your parents... uh... left?"

Katie was playing with her skirt, but she looked up at him," Left? Where did they go?"

He stopped, then glanced at me as if to say," She doesn't know?" I shook my head. Noah took a deep breath beside me.

The policeman looked back at Katie and sighed," They are in a better place now, and I am afraid they won't be coming back."

Katie nodded," Well I hope they have fun!" She still wasn't getting it.

The cop just shook his head," Well what do remember the last time you saw them?"

"I went to bed, and when I woke up, Jason was in my room. He picked me up and carried me to Courtney's room. Then I went under her bed and Nemo came and joined me." Nemo barked when he heard his name. Katie laughed and patted his head.

"Then?" The cop said, impatient.

"Uh.. then some man grabbed me and put some shiny toy to my head and started screaming. I thought we were playing a game, so I played along and pretended to be a captive. Then for some reason he fell to the ground and Jason did too," Katie's eyes glossed over as she spoke.

"I think that's enough questions," I motioned for the cop to leave. He exhaled and left.

Noah shifted beside me and started to mutter to himself. He seemed really uneasy. I grabbed his arm and dragged him away from earshot of Katie.

"What?" I asked him.

"Huh?" Noah looked at me.

"Anything on your mind?" I looked into his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He wondered.

"You seem a bit uneasy," I said .

Noah was silent for a moment. He sighed," It's just, to see the side of the story from her view, well its just devastating. She doesn't understand her parents are dead, and Katie thinks this is all a game."

My face softened," I know. She is too young. I will just explain it to her when she is a little older." I glanced at Katie playing with Nemo. Both of them were oblivious to the fact they just lost two people they loved.

"What happened exactly?" Noah asked.

"Well what do you already know?" I turned my gaze back to him.

"That your parents are dead, Jason is hurt, and the man is still out there," He stared at me.

I sighed and told him everything I remembered. When I was finished, tears were streaming down my face. Noah wrapped me in a hug. My whole body shook, but I soon stopped crying.

"The cop asked me if I knew if my parents had enemies. Do you know what he means?" I knew he wouldn't know, but I needed help figuring out what he meant, so anyones thoughts were valuable.

He stepped away from me and glanced down. After a moment his eyes met mine," Actually, I do."