FATHER ALWAYS SMILING

Chapter 54 ~~~~~

"So that's how they ended up hurt," Alastor replied. "I won't lie, I did leave a note. But it was nothing malicious. I merely wanted to teach them a lesson, what better way than to send them on a wild goose chase? Although, to be frank, had I known about illegal hunters in the area I wouldn't have done it. For those children to be hurt in such a debilitating way, it's a horrible thing."

So, he admits it. Kira thought. "Why in the world did you remotely think doing that would freak them out into listening to you?"

"Because they're teenagers," Alastor told her rather flatly. "They locked out my child, had sex in my house and tried to steal from me. Sending them on a wild goose chase to gain nothing, was the nicest thing I could do. It's regrettable that they were hurt, truly it is, but they're at least alive. Whoever did what they did had their own reasons."

Kira didn't have anything else she could add, the person that shot Josh and Emma had taken their belongings, wallets and phones. Even these notes were gone. So, they only had the teens' and Alastor's words to go off of.

Yet she couldn't help but feel like he was silently laughing at them. but she couldn't gather why. He just acted like he always had. And maybe that was the problem. She eyed the tea, maybe this drink was getting to her.

He then looked to Jeremiah. "Was that all you needed to ask me?"

"Yes," Jeremiah answered but then cast a glance at the stairs. "But something Anthony told me, has me bothered. Something about a teacher."

"Nick Green," Alastor answered. "He's connected to a string of physical and sexual assault cases on children, my daughter almost became a victim herself. But it was thanks to Miss Ortiz, Amalie's sitter before Emma, that she was saved. But in the process, she became heavily injured. I feel as though I am to blame for that..."

Kira could understand that feeling all too well.

That feeling of guilt, regret and self-loathing, of not being there when deep down she couldn't have known what would happen that night when her old partner went missing before finding him dead not long after.

Her mind was soon pulled out of her thoughts when her phone buzzed. Seeing it was from Lucia, it was odd getting a call from her fiancée, normally she'd text. "Sorry, I need to take this. I'll be outside if you need me, Agent Amos." And then left the three men in the kitchen.

Soon after Anthony and Amalie came down the stairs, only to freeze when seeing them still in the kitchen. "Wha— yer still here?"

Alastor didn't seem bothered in the slightest. "I believe we're done with such a serious talk now, Anthony. You and Amalie can go back into the living room if you wish."

Anthony shrugged. "Alright, come on, kid. Let's go back to watchin' that show yous was tellin' me about. What's it called again?"

"Reboot, Vicky told me about it."

"Huh, sounds familiar."

"Elija, why don't you go join them, I need to have a conversation with Mr. Hilmarsson." Jeremiah suddenly spoke to his partner.

Elija looked at him with a puzzled frown. "But what about the information about Mr. Green?"

"We can easily find it in our databases, or at the police precinct, besides, I think we've gone all over we can at the moment. Besides, you seemed as though you wanted to get to know the girl a bit more. Why not take this chance while we wait for the detective to finish her call?"