Young Royals Season 3 (Version 3)

12. Interrogation

Wilhelm sat on his bed with one foot touching the floor and the other leg partially curled under him.

He was trying to study to take his mind off waiting for Simon to get back to him about what had happened at the police station but he was constantly distracted and checking the clock every couple of minutes.

Suddenly his phone buzzed and he dropped his pencil to grab the phone from the bed beside him.

{Calling...Mamma}

Wilhelm wrinkled his brow, he felt his heartbeat accelerate as he wondered what she was calling for.

"Hej, mamma..."

"Hej, älskling, do you have a minute?"

"Um, yeah... I'm just waiting for Simon to let me know how it went at the police station. Have you heard anything?"

"Well, yes, from our attorney...it's not very good news."

"What?! What happened??"

"Well, there was a situation we didn't know about and things didn't go very well unfortunately. It's complicated."

"Mamma, is Simon ok??"

________________

Earlier that evening...

Simon, Sara, Micke and Henrik, the Royal Court's attorney, sat in a conference room across a large table from the two police officers who had come by Linda's house the previous day.

To begin with, the meeting centered around Sara reporting August for the prescription drugs.

The male officer explained that since there had been no evidence found and they were unable to find any witnesses able to corroborate her information, they had to drop the investigation.

"If you witness him using pills that aren't prescribed to him in the future, you should really encourage him to get help from a school counselor. More than anything, it's a serious threat to his own health."

Sara glowered at the officer. "We're not friends..." She said it through gritted teeth.

The female officer's eyes got wide as her colleague gave her a brief sideways glance. He looked back at Sara and replied, "Right...well, I'd recommend taking your concerns to the headmistress then. We weren't able to find anything in his room or belongings...he may have gotten rid of it, but more importantly, there was no proof that he was dealing at all, which would be much more concerning to the police."

Sara looked at Simon and sighed, disappointed and frustrated that her attempt to get August to at least face consequences for the drugs hadn't come to anything at all.

Simon smiled weakly at Sara, trying to reassure her that he appreciated she'd at least tried, and it wasn't her fault that it hadn't worked out.

Then the female officer changed the subject.

"Simon, we've received a report that some of your father's ADHD medication ended up at Hillerska, and we were hoping you could help explain how that happened."

Micke shifted in his seat. Simon opened his mouth to respond without knowing what he would say, but Henrik began to speak first.

"Do you mind explaining a bit more first, like why you're asking Simon this?"

"Well...we received the report that he was selling prescription medication at Hillerska, and we were given a bottle of Vyvanse with Mr. Ericksson's name on it as evidence of that." She looked at Micke as she said it then the officer reached below her seat and produced a plastic bag with the bottle of pills inside it. She placed it in front of Henrik and Micke.

Henrik picked up the bag and turned it to examine the bottle inside, then he set it back down on the table and he continued.

"So why do you think that Simon was selling this...and how do you know it was ever at Hillerska?"

The female officer gave a doubtful sideways glance to her colleague then looked back at Henrik. "It was...brought to us from Hillerska..."

"You were told it was...but it wasn't found there...right?"

"Um...no, but it was brought to us by someone from within Hillerska."

"Well, that's a pretty big assumption that it was ever there."

Henrik paused and watched the officers as they exchanged concerned glances.

"And how do you know for certain that that person doesn't have some other motive to lie about Simon selling drugs?"

"We're...still looking into it." The female officer furrowed her brow and looked down slightly.

"Ah...well, unless you have some more concrete evidence, I don't think that Simon really needs to be here to answer any questions about this."

The female officer sighed and nodded silently. Then the male officer took over again.

"Alright, yes, you're welcome to go then. We'll be in contact soon."

Henrik turned to the siblings and Micke and gestured for them to stand and follow him. They stood quickly.

The officers stood as well and led the four of them to the door. They made their way through the several corridors and finally through to the exit where the officers left them and said goodbye before heading back in slowly.

The group stood in front of the police station near the black car that had brought Henrik.

"Simon, would you and Sara like a ride home? Your mother might not have as many questions if we take you rather than your father..."

Henrik was correct, but it was a bit awkward to point out the lack of a relationship that Micke had with Simon and Sara.

"Um, yeah, ok..." Simon turned to Micke then. "Thanks, pappa...for... everything."

Simon hesitated for a moment, feeling that they were expected to hug, but he also felt that his father actually deserved it for helping his children without even hesitating, especially after how Simon had used him for the drugs to sell.

Simon decided against the hug in the end but made up his mind then.

"Pappa...can we hang out this weekend?"

Micke was shocked at the request, blinking rapidly and then his eyes got bright and he smiled at Simon as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, of course, Simon..." He hesitated then turned to Sara. "You're welcome to come too if you feel like it, Sara. But...no pressure if you don't." He smiled at her reluctantly and she smiled back for just a moment.

They said goodbye to their father and climbed into the black car. They pulled away immediately, disappearing into the distance, and leaving Micke standing there alone in front of the police station.

He watched them go and smiled to himself thinking of the possibility of renewing his relationship with his estranged children finally.

He felt that it was just the sort of thing that would motivate him to make plans for the future, and stay sober. He was already looking forward to spending even more time with Simon and Sara.

For a moment he felt tearful and regretted all of the time he'd lost with his children.

Once he'd become addicted to pain medication after he injured his back and lost his job, it was just a downward spiral of feeling worthless, and then he turned to alcohol to numb the feeling even more once he'd built up a tolerance to the prescription medication he'd been given.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a voice from behind him suddenly.

"Mr. Ericksson, we'd actually like to discuss something else with you. Do you have a few more minutes?"