The Night Children

Chapter 21

I stared at him. He was too young, too juvenile. He looked barely above my age. Even now, his cheeks were still rounded with youth.

A freckled face cop with his top button undone stepped forward. "Miss, I think you're in shock. If he truly was threatening you with a gun, he would've made it known," the man said, turning to see the rest of the men nod.

My mother stepped forward, slightly wobbly. "Renee, you're delusion—"
A flood of anger surged through me. All these people, these men and my own mother didn't believe me. They thought I would tell lies with the flick of my tongue for the sake of its entertaining. They were wrong. They. Were. Wrong.

I grinded my teeth together. "Do not question me," I said. "Listen to what I have to say, that's the law isn't it?" I glared at Officer Grove. "I have every right to speak my mind."

Officer Grove blinked and narrowed his eyes.

"Once everyone left the room, I mentioned the murders of the children. I learnt who the suppler was for the bullets, it was—"

"Miss Argent," Officer Grove interrupted. "I have to stop you there. As part of the press conference, we have to ask you why you mentioned the murders. Was this part of your questioning?"
I clenched my palms together, ignoring the sensation of my fingernails digging into them as I attempted to control my anger. We had to get out of here. We had to move. Every second that ticked by gave Pincel more time to round the door frame and kill me. Or even worse, kill my mother.

"That's confidential information, but the point is I found out that he was the one supplying the poisoned bullets to whoever is shooting the—" I paused suddenly, my mind coming to a complete stand still. I couldn't tell them about the wolves. I couldn't let them discover my wolf, among the many others. I couldn't let them be killed. I had to lie. Lie, lie, lie.

But the wolves were already dying. Those poisoned bullets that Sheriff Pincel was supplying was slaughtering both the wolves and the children. The bullets' silver casing would be embedded in more kids skulls tonight; I was sure of it.

It was one or the other. I could either keep Sheriff Pincel's secret and let him continue to supply the poisoned bullets, or I could stop lying, stop protecting, tell the truth about his second job and risk the wolves being hunted.

Either way, death followed.

Just as I opened my mouth to reply, Sheriff Pincel rounded the corner. He looked completely unfazed as he edged forwards. His hair was patted down smoothly, his eyes no longer frenzied with anger and his lips were tilted into a sly smile. The fingernail prints I had given him had simply faded to nothing against his scar.

Instinctively, I grabbed at my mother's arm, whispering, "we need to go."

She only blinked at me, like a cat. Blank and lifeless and useless.

Sheriff Pincel stopped a few feet away from me, next to where the Officer I bit who was now inspecting his hand. "Renee, are you okay? It seems as though I gave you a bit of a scare," he said calmly. Beside him, Officer Grove remained completely unaware he was standing next to a man who'd just aimed a gun at my head.

I ignored Pincel, refusing to meet his gaze. I tugged at my mothers arm again. "Mum, we need to go," I repeated.

"Stop," Mum hissed.

I stopped pulling to give her a shocked look. "Mum, he tried to kill me." My words were too high, too desperate. Too scared.

Officer Grove spoke up. "Miss Argent, I have to add that this is Sheriff Pincel you are talking about. A highly respected Sheriff for countless years at Brookefield. He would never pull a gun towards anyone, let alone a child."