Chapter 11 - Ace
Angel by the Wings - Sia
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My body is vibrating.
I was asked to leave the interview room forty three minutes and seventeen seconds ago. Albeit, it should have been fifty five minutes ago but I insisted on staying. It was only when Martha caught my attention, softly saying, “Sometimes a woman wants to keep the things that happen in those awful moments private. We don't want to see pity on the faces of our loved ones when we look at them. Sometimes ... sometimes it's better not to know.”
I knelt down in front of Nova who confirmed she was okay to be left in the room with the sheriff, the doctor, who finally introduced himself as Dr Eric Johnson, and Martha, the sheriff’s wife. Explaining that I would be just outside the room if she needed anything. She only needed to call out and I would be there in a heartbeat.
I was already on edge from how she explained the lead up to her being taken and the platonic relationship with her uncle. But then she stopped and let go of my hand, squeezing her eyes shut before she asked if I could step out.
She had explained that there was a small clearing at the entrance of the shelter and the sheriff asked me to look over some satellite photos to see if we could narrow down the search area. It was only when Martha spoke with me that I understood what the next part of Nova's story entailed, and I left the room quietly.
I open and close my balisong repeatedly. The fast swinging motion of my hand is therapeutic before I stab it into the wooden arm of the chair I'm sitting in, picturing it is her uncle. A man I've never met, who deserves to die for what he thought he was entitled to. For what he took from her. Over and over I repeat the motion until there is a large hole in the wood and blood slowly dripping to the floor from the splinters hitting my hand.
The interview room door opens and Martha pops her head out asking if I have a spare change of clothes in my truck as Nova would like to change, she didn't want to wear the ones offered free from the station. Nodding, I quickly jog outside to retrieve my bag and bring it back to find everyone standing out in the hallway. Passing my bag to Nova I let her know she can take whatever she needs to feel better and she and Martha head off to the small unisex bathroom stall.
“Was she able to give any evidence?”
I say, looking at the now empty hallway but talking to the sheriff and doctor standing next to me. It's only because the silence is deafening that I look to them and find two staunch men, struggling to keep their emotions in check.
“She um ... she didn't want to in the end. She's not registered as a missing person and after what she said.”
The sheriff's voice breaks and his eyes fill with unshed tears as he looks to the ceiling, taking a deep breath, trying to process everything. I’m struggling to keep my composure from his reaction, This night testing me more than I ever thought and as I dig my fingernails into the palms of my hands, the skin breaks under the pressure I’m squeezing them. Small crescent moons of blood scattering my palms. My jaw is tight and I look back down the hall in the direction Nova went. If men who have seen the trials of humanity are struggling with her story then I know I’ve just scratched the surface of what she went through.
“We're going to find the bunker and if even half of what she said checks out ... we’re going to destroy it. She wants a fresh start and I think she was hanging on, but when I confirmed she was not a missing person, you could see her eyes go blank and she went somewhere. I’ll call her family in the morning to see how they react but otherwise, we keep this off the record. I’ll do everything I can to keep her out of the spotlight this will bring if it gets out. She doesn't deserve the cesspit of media attention and the things they’ll say.”
“I’m coming with you when you go back to the forest. It's a non-negotiable, sheriff. I'm coming with you so I can find the son-of-a-bitch and kill him all over again.”
I grit my teeth as I say each word. If he is still alive then I will kill him, and if he is dead then I will remove him from existence.
A sniff comes from the Doc and he takes a handkerchief from his pocket, quickly wiping his eyes, as he tries to collect himself.
“She's a survivor, Ace. Your girl is a survivor, so don't let her drown in memories of everything that happened. Help her heal.”