Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 153

Dreams didn’t bother Vivian when there was something going on around her while she slept. People, noise from the television… not feeling alone seemed to help keep the bad things from encroaching on her dreams, allowing her to properly rest.

She hadn’t meant to fall asleep; Sebastian had told her to sit on the bed with him, so she’d gotten comfortable, and was out before she knew it. When she woke a while later, Vivian felt embarrassed at what she’d done without meaning to.

The nurse who’d woken her had a warm smile, and motioned her to be quiet. Sebastian had dozed off, and it looked like his meds had been topped up. “Sorry, Miss,” the nurse whispered, “but I need to check his bandages, and make sure everything is looking good. Would you be okay stepping outside while I do that?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Vivian mumbled as she extricated herself from the bed. Before leaving, she glanced back at her brother, glad he was on the mend.

In the hall, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. The two guards gave her a polite nod, but didn’t do or say anything otherwise.

“Ah, Vivian,” came a rough voice, which she turned towards. Charles looked stressed, but that wasn’t a surprise given the circumstances. “I was just coming to see if we could chat before you’re questioned by the police.”

A crushing weight settled on her chest at his words. It took Vivian a few seconds to work through the panic that’d set in before she was able to say, “Why… why do they want to talk to me?”

“Don’t worry,” Charles tried to assure her as he began guiding Vivian towards the room he’d been using since the previous evening. “I will be next to you the entire time. You can end the conversation at any point, but we have to at least talk to them a little bit.” Once inside, he had her sit in a chair before closing the door and taking a seat for himself. “There are two police officers, one detective, and their sergeant. The detective is… Detective Mersey; I did ask for someone else to be assigned the case, but was told there’s no one available. The sergeant will be supervising all her interactions with you, per my request, since there is a history of you being taken advantage of by Mersey.”

“What about… what about the other one?” She found herself asking.

“Other one?”

“The other detective from… that day. The man.”

“Detective Oglivie is with the organized crimes division of the department. He was the reason Detective Mersey brought you in that day, and was disciplined accordingly — as was Mersey, of course.”

Relief flooded Vivian. Paul wasn’t there. It did worry her, that he’d been disciplined, because chances were good he would take it out on her, if given the chance. “Okay… Good.”

“They want to go over the events of last night: this includes the crash, and Ms Everett showing up at the Lamont Estate.”

“Because Auntie Pat tried to grab me?”

“Exactly,” Charles nodded. “Now, I was informed you were told more about what your father does for work, and I cannot emphasize this enough; you aren’t to mention anything about it to the police. If you think something you’re about to say might hint at it, I want you to defer to me. I know you’re very good at keeping things secret — and I know this will be no different — it’s just my job to make sure no-one says the wrong thing, alright?”

Vivian stared at the lawyer for a long moment. If he’d said this a month ago, she might have felt offense at his words, but lately she’d been slipping up a fair bit. Knowing he’d be there to make sure it didn’t happen helped calm her all the more.

“Now, Vivian, I need you to tell me everything that happened last night. I know Mr Morris already did this with you, but you’ll be asked to do this many more times by the police, so it’s best to start here with me.”

Interrogations weren’t a new concept for Vivian, as she’d been in similar situations when she’d first been found. Endless rounds of the same questions worded just a little differently, in hopes she would finally open up. This time she had to talk, which was a scary thought, but going through it with two people she trusted — at least in this regard — beforehand helped give her the courage to face what was to come.

Like Gilbert, Charles asked questions as she went over the events, getting clarifications and additional details. It took a while but, eventually, she finished. The lawyer had been taking meticulous notes throughout, finishing them off with a flourish of his pen. “Perfect. There’s nothing here that would affect your father. I’d like to have a chat with the pizza boys, but if what you and Mr Morris told me is accurate, nothing discussed in their presence touches on anything incriminating. Just remember, when they asked why you didn’t go to the cops for help…”

“I don’t trust them after what happened,” Vivian finished for him. The real reason wasn’t important, not when this alternate answer was also true.

“Good, good. Alright, that about covers what we need to discuss, except…” Charles trailed off, casting a quick glance towards the door.

“…except…?” She prompted, starting to feel nervous again. When your big-shot lawyer hesitated it was time to worry.

“We received a ransom demand, for your father and brother, along with proof of life.”

“…what was proof of life?” She asked, heart in her throat. P*lease don’t let it be a body part. Please, please, please… no body parts.*

Charles pulled out his phone as he got to his feet, moving to stand by Vivian before hitting play.

Watching the video, it felt like the air in her lungs had turned to ice. Someone had beat up both Samuel and Gabriel. Her father looked to have gotten the brunt of it but her brother, with his pre-existing injuries, wasn’t looking much better. Oddly enough, her main thought was how this would push back her brother’s recovery. Near the end of the video, she began to frown. “Can… you play that again? But… turn up the volume?”

“Of course,” Charles readily agreed, doing as requested.

“May I?” She asked, holding her hand out for his phone.

He placed the device in her hand, and she turned the volume up to max. Hitting play for the third time, she held the phone up to her ear and closed her eyes, listening intently for the sound she’d heard.

There, during the last three seconds she could hear someone’s laugh. It was a laugh she knew all too well.

Feeling like the ice in her lungs had begun to spread, Vivian fought to keep her face from showing the fear that gripped her very soul. “What’s the ransom?” She whispered, knowing the answer even as she spoke, but needing to hear it.

“Ah… it’s… not something your family can afford to pay, I’m afraid.”

“That wasn’t what I asked,” she snapped. “What are they asking for?”

“Vivian…”

“Just tell me.”

“… they want to trade… you for them.”