Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 17

Looking over at his son, Samuel nodded once. “I’d like you to meet Detective Mersey and Oglivie.”

“Detectives,” Sebastian nodded before returning his focus back to his father, mind working through what was going on in seconds.

Detectives at the memorial service? They were working on a case. Either his mother’s or one they suspected his father had a hand in.

Were there any open cases with Samuel as a suspect?

No, the latest attempt to pin something on the man had been dismissed almost a year ago now and things had been radio silent since. It had to be about his mother.

“I still need to see a few more guests before the service is over,” Samuel told them as he half turned, his body language telling everyone the conversation with him was now over. “Sebastian can see to anything else in my place. Good day, detectives.”

The female detective, a tall woman, only a few inches shorter than Sebastian’s six foot one, let out an aggravated sigh while the man, who was shorter than her by maybe an inch, stuffed his hands in his pockets and stayed quiet.

“How can I help you, detectives?” Sebastian inquired, careful to keep his body language friendly and open. They didn’t need to know he was angry that they dared show up here after nearly two decades of failure finding his mother. If they wanted to pay their respect they should be out working the case, finding the answers the Devreaux family demanded.

“We wanted to pay our respects and hopefully get a chance to talk to Vivian.”

The muscles in his shoulders tightened at his sister’s name, but he didn’t let anything but a polite smile show on his face. “You had plenty of time to speak with her before she came to us. What more could you want with her now?”

The woman, Detective Mersey, frowned. “It’s an open investigation that can change at any time. We have some new questions we want to ask. We also weren’t aware of her relation to you until recently.”

“And I’m sure you said the same thing to our father and he turned down your request.”

“I never got the chance,” she muttered a little before shrugging her shoulders and straightening her posture. “He became agitated when we wouldn’t give him an update on the ongoing investigation — something he knows we can’t do — before we were told to talk with you instead.”

“Ah, I see.” It seems Samuel was still pissed at the police for being inept at finding his wife and knew dealing with them face to face, at the service meant to memorialize the person they’d all failed, was too much. If allowed, the man would have kicked them out, causing a scene and, most likely, make the news in a bad way.

Giving the task to the son with the most level head was a smart move.

“So? Would it be possible to ask Vivian a few questions.”

Allowing his polite smile to brighten, Sebastian replied, “No.”

“What about if we make an appointment to speak with her? It doesn’t have to be today, but-“

“No.”

Detective Mersey frowned angrily. “We really need to speak with her; it’s quite possible she knows more than she’s saying.”

“Of course she does,” Sebastian laughed. “She isn’t saying anything, after all. So, no, you can’t talk to her. As a minor, you can’t legal speak to her without a parent or guardian present, if I’m remembering correctly from my own youth, and neither myself nor our father would ever consent to such a thing. Not after how our family has been treated by the police over the years.”

“But-“

Sebastian held up a hand, signaling he wasn’t done speaking. “We all want answers; we have been demanding them since Mom disappeared, and yet all that’s been found since then are her remains.

“Vivian was in the system for eight years before being identified as my sister, and only because they found Mom’s remains. Why wasn’t her identity uncovered sooner? Her DNA was put in the system after being found, and Mom’s was already there since she went missing.

“The police fucked up, and it’s a miracle Dad hasn’t gone to the press with the mess your incompetence created.”

“Mr Devreaux,” the male detective finally spoke, his voice a bit high for a man, “It’s more complicated than that. Small towns don’t necessarily have the resources to put everything in the national database; specific criteria have to be made before we can do a lot of things.”

“I’m well aware of the criteria,” Sebastian retorted, his smile faltering as he let his annoyance show. “And the truth is, the police fucked up. No amount of rewording will change that fact. We lost eight years we could have had with Vivian because of this and we won’t lose another moment because of you. If you want to speak with her, or any of us, on the matter moving forward, you will have to do so through our attorney — I’m sure you’re already quite well acquainted, so no need to give you his card.

“Now, I will ask you, politely, to leave. This service is for friends and family, not failures. Have a good day, Detectives.”

Not waiting to see if they heeded his words, Sebastian turned around and walked away, his anger simmering close to the surface as he fought to keep it from showing on his face.

Fucking imbeciles.