Bear Heart (Book 2)

Chapter 16

“Alright, well, I’ll go check the email right now, so please wait.”

With that, I put down the phone and went upstairs to my room to check. Suspense had me by the throat as my computer loaded, seeming to drag on more slowly than usual. When my inbox had finally opened, there was only one new email, and it was from the police department. The computer seemed to be almost frozen as it opened the file, containing the face of a man that was the reason for my grief. His bald head, his leathery looking skin, his bushed mustache. There was even a picture included of the sleeve tattoo of a panther. I knew for certain, this was the man that took my mother away from me.

Suddenly, I began to feel tears run down my cheeks. I had no control of them, and they just continued to flow. My heart began to ache at the thought of my mother, reliving that terrible night when she was shot. I was filled with hatred, both for that man on my screen and for myself for running away. When I stood from the chair, my knees wobbled, suddenly feeling weak. I wanted nothing more than to collapse at that very moment, but the moment has finally come to bring him to court, and he couldn’t be convicted for his crimes until I confirmed that this was indeed the man who shot my mother than night. Andrew Sully.

Going back down the stairs, gripping onto the rails to keep myself from collapsing. “Hello?” I spoke into the phone, my voice a mere broken whisper. “Yes, I’m still here,” the gruff voice that was Officer Petty answered back. “Does the man look familiar at all?” I took in a deep, shaky breath. “Y-yes… That’s him. He’s the one.” I heard him mutter to someone else next to him that the man was the one they had been looking for. “Alright, thank you for your time, Ms. Jordan. We’ll need you to come to New York so that you can testify against him in court. We’ll call you when the trial will be, but it might be sudden. It could take place within the next few days, weeks, even months. I’ll call when the date has been decided. Just, keep your belongings ready.”

“A-alright… Thank you…”

As soon as he hung up the phone, I collapsed into the closest chair. They found him. They really found him. How long has it been since I lost my mother? Almost a year… It’s been so difficult without her. I didn’t realize how much I missed her. I missed her voice, I missed her smile, I missed her hugs. This whole time, I’ve been trying to push the painful thoughts away from me. I’ve been centering myself around Kenai. I didn’t realize how much I’ve been trying to avoid the pain of losing my mother.

With that, I suddenly began to sob. I laid my head on the kitchen table and began to cry my eyes out. I cried for my mother. I cried for how much I missed her. I hated myself for what I’ve been doing. I’ve been trying to forget, and that’s made me forget her. Learning to play piano was the first step I was taking to get close to her, and even then I was so reluctant to learn. I just didn’t want to put myself through that pain again. I was being selfish. I was being a horrible person. How could I try to push her away?

I picked up my head from the table, trying to get a hold of myself. “Get a grip,” I chanted silently to myself, “get a grip.” I began taking in deep breathes, trying to calm myself. At least now, they found him. Now, he had been brought to justice. He wasn’t going to be out there, hurting other people the way he did me or my mother. He was finally going to be locked up for life.

It was then that I decided to get up from the chair and head towards Ben’s room. I didn’t want to wake him, but he had to know. I felt like this wasn’t something that could just wait until morning. This was important.

The stairs creaked under my feet as I went up the stairs. Everything was dark and still. When I reached Ben’s door, I quietly knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again, a little louder this time. Ben still would answer. I decided that it was safe to go inside. When I opened the door, I found him sprawled in his bed, blankets tangled around him as he snored. He was sound asleep.