SHATTERED

╣TWENTY-TWO╠

    Detective Moore sat down relaxed in a coffee shop, drinking a warm decaf from a coffee cup and eating chocolate chip muffins. That is what he needed to do, he needs to relax because, his body has reached its elastic limit and if he doesn't take a break from his strenuous job, he might keel over one day. He picked a newspaper from the table, which the previous
person who had sat on the table, accidentally forgot to take it with him as he left.

'A CANADIAN SERIAL RAPIST FLEED CANADA AFTER SEXUALLY ASSAULTING FIFTEEN YOUNG GIRLS
AND HE IS STILL ON THE RUN FOR FIFTEEN YEARS '

He read the headline silently and pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head sadly.
Looking up from the newspaper, he cussed angrily, under his breath "Wickedness! This is high rate of wickedness towards the poor innocent girls." he looked back at the newspaper to read the content of the headline.

Liam Tremblay, a thirty year old Canadian man who was allegedly accused of sexually assaulting two young girls, ages seven and ten in Alberta province, Edmonton on their way home from school in the year nineteen ninety four. The supposed rapist was arrested but denied the allegation, he was freed due to no evidence found.

In nineteen ninety six, he was also accused of the rape of late Miss Tanya Cruz, a fourteen year old student of St. Luke High school, in News Brunswick province, Fredericton. According to the story of the victim, she said she had rounded off an evening class that evening and was trekking home on a lonely road that lead to her home. A slim-tall man ambushed her, carrying her into the woods near the area and raped her, leaving her almost unconscious before she was found by a man who was doing downhill skiing in the woods. Miss Tanya Cruz
died a year after the incident because of the trauma caused by the incident.......

Detective Moore closed the newspaper abruptly, not wanting to read any further because the more he read, the angrier he became and this wasn't the reason why he came to the coffee shop. He had come here to relax. He quickly gulped down the remaining warm decaf and wrapped up the remaining muffin which he hadn't finished eating in the nylon provided, shoving it inside his side pocket. He would save his remaining muffins incase he gets hungry while he works. A waitress came to his table after she noticed he was done, she gave him his bill and he payed the accurate amount for his snacks and walked out of the coffee shop. On his way out of the coffee shop, he was been shoved aside by a tall, skinny man. He frowned and shook his head, ignoring the man's rude behavior. He walked into the parking lot towards his car and flipped his car keys to open the car. As he was about sitting on the driver seat, he noticed a sad young girl seated on the passengers seat in a wine coloured minivan parked beside his dark blue Cadillac Escalade, gazing out the closed window at him.
He smiled warmly at her but the girl didn't smile back. He noticed a tear slip out of her eyes, then he knew something was wrong. He shut the door of his car, walking towards the minivan. He knocked on the closed window, waving at her. He saw the girls mouth tremble as she said something to him though he couldn't hear her.
"Can you hear me?!" he knocked on the window again.
The girl nodded her head.
"Good, who brought you here?"
The girl pointed at the entrance of the coffee shop, shaking her head, crying. She ran a finger across her neck, horizontally, signalling to him that the person was going to kill her.
"Look, I am right here. I am going to help you. I won't allow him do anything to hurt you, okay?"
She shook her head, crying uncontrollably, mucus coming out of her nose as she cried, hitting the window with her palm. Detective Moore tried pulling the door handle open but it was locked.
"Hey! You! Step back!" Detective Moore heard someone yell at him. He was startled, he rose his hands up to proof he didn't mean any harm.
"What were you doing to my car?! Are you planning on kidnapping my daughter?! Huh?!" It was the rude man who had earlier shoved him aside as he was coming out of the coffee shop.
"Nah...nah, nah. It is not what you think. I was just only concerned about her..."
"Keep your concern to yourself young man and never toy with someone's property! If I had a weapon, I would have used it on you, thinking you are a criminal." the man glared at him and smirked.
"I am sorry." Neil apologized to the tall, skinny man who he presumed to be in his late fifties.
"You better be." the man said rudely, walking over to the driver side of his car, opening the door. Immediately Detective Moore turned to leave, he heard the girl scream. He walked briskly towards the wine minivan again to inquire what had happened.
"Never, I say never talk to strangers!" he heard the man scolding his daughter while holding her neck and shaking her vigorously.
"That's enough sir! Enough, you are being too hard on the girl!" Detective Moore knocked sharply on the passengers side window, yelling.
"Mind your business, young man! She is my daughter, not yours. Get out!" The man yelled aggressively. Detective Moore didn't move an inch, he was scared the man will hurt the poor little girl.
"Did you hear me?! I said get out!" the man yelled louder when he saw Detective Moore didn't obey.
"I won't, because you are going to hurt her!"
The man came down from his car, slamming the door shut.
"How is it your business?!" the man held Detective Moore roughly by his collar. "who are you anyway?!"
"It doesn't matter who I am, I don't just want you, hurting her!" he mustered courage to talk back.
"Ehn! I guess you are looking for who you will pick a fight with, that's why you have time for that little slut!" the man pointed to the frightened little girl who was watching them. "Let me just inform you Mr... you've picked the wrong person!" the man said, punching him hard on his left cheek. Detective Moore groaned from the painful punch, covering his face with his palm to block more punches coming his way. The man wanted to punch him the third time but stopped, walking back to his car. Detective Moore tasted blood in his mouth and spat it out. He quickly walked back to his car, slumping on the driver seat. He took out his cellphone to request for  police backup, he wasn't going to allow this cruel man get away with what he just did. The man was dangerous, the fact was obvious, seeing the troubled look on his daughter's face. He ignited his car and started following the man's wine minivan as it pulled out of the parking lot, without the man noticing him, he kept on following the vehicle for fifteen minutes until it was obvious the man knew he was following him 'cause the man increased his speed, disobeying the speed limit of the highway which was 25mph and he was driving with a speed above the speed limit.
"Backup! Where are you?!" Detective Moore said through gritted teeth hitting the steering wheel as he tried to focus on chasing the man. He wouldn't let the man go, he must get him, even if it warrants losing his life just to save that poor little girl.