Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 43

When Vivian’s father told her to get changed while he prepared them some snacks she’d been hesitant, expecting the worst. Instead the conversation had been therapeutic, which was a shock.

Having up-chucked her previous meal at the police station, she wasn’t keen on a repeat of the scene at home. Her stomach was in knots, churning as they twisted tighter with every thought that passed through her mind.

When Samuel had come in, passing her the mug of hot chocolatey goodness, it had taken more will power than she’d admit to take the first sip.

Instead of it bothering her stomach it had calmed it down a touch. It even tasted richer than normal and Vivian wondered what her father had added into it. There were, unfortunately, no mini marshmallows, but she’d already finished picking them out the week before; waiting for water to boil was boring and she took the time to fish out one marshmallow after another with her spoon until her hot chocolate ended up being more marshmallow than chocolate.

Still, how Samuel had made it was good, and the tray he’d set on her night stand had an assortment of snacks she liked. When had he taken the time to learn her preferences?

Samuel was showing himself to be an understanding parental figure. The hands off approach he used was still strange to Vivian, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt with its effectiveness. It wasn’t like she planned on turning into a wild party girl or anything like that.

Now that she was alone it was difficult to ignore the thoughts that were running around in her head. Paul Oglivie was alive. It was both a relief and a nightmare all in one.

It meant she didn’t have blood on her hands, but it also meant he was still alive. Of the two, Vivian preferred living with the guilt of taking his life.

Why was he here? It’d been eight years since that day. Eight years since she’d escaped. Why had he come back now? Was it because she found her real family? Was he worried she’d give up his secrets?

…had he always known where she was? The thought that he had gave Vivian chills as she hugged herself. There were too many possibilities how could she figure out what he wanted now?

Would he try to take her back? Could he? Child Services preferred when kids ended up with biological family or relatives when possible, but Paul was a cop. He had connections, knew people who could make things happen regardless of the rules.

Panic was beginning to set in again as Vivian’s breathing turned shallow. A knock on her door startled her so much she forgot to breathe entirely for a couple seconds, her mind going blank as she fought to regain control. “Y-yes?” She called out, voice quivering just a touch.

“Could you come to my office?” Samuel didn’t open the door, choosing to speak through it instead. “Charles would like to know what those detectives talked to you about.”

“Okay… I’ll be right there.” Vivian slid off her bed and smoothed her clothes a bit before grabbing the snack tray and empty mug. The office was downstairs and she doubted he’d be angry if she detoured to the kitchen to drop off the dishes.

By the time she entered the office in question Samuel was half sitting on his desk, conversing with Charles in what sounded like a pleasant tone. Vivian caught the words, “…don’t know who they’re dealing with…” but didn’t give it much thought as both men looked her way when she stepped through the entrance.

“Have a seat,” Samuel told her, motioning a hand towards the empty seat next to the lawyer.

“I promise I’ll be gentle,” Charles assured her as she took the offered seat and glanced between the two men. “Just tell me as best you can recall what happened.”

Glancing at her father one last time, Vivian turned her attention to the lawyer, then to her lap where her fingers were fidgeting. Retelling the story of how Detective Mersey had been waiting at the school gates and everything that followed was both easy and difficult. She could see every wrong decision made now that it was all said and done, and wondered how Samuel hadn’t blamed her for what happened.

He had said any punishment would suit the crime, and maybe he decided being stuck in an interrogation room had been punishment enough?

“How did you know I was there?” She asked after finishing her tale.

Samuel, who’d moved to his chair on the other side of the desk, nodded his head once and said, “Your phone location.”

“But… how did you know to check it…?”

A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth this time. “Gilbert always arrives early to pick you up. He noted there were students already out of class and checked your location.”

“…Gilbert can check my location?” Vivian wasn’t quite sure how to feel about her driver being able to track her movements. Was it so he always knew where to pick her up when she needed a ride…?

“He has permission to do so anytime he’s your driver.”

It felt weird knowing the device in her pocket was essentially an expensive GPS tracker. Then again, if not for that she’d still be stuck in that interrogation room. The thought made her shiver.

“Is there anything else you haven’t told us?” Charles inquired, voice gentle as he prodded her back to the topic they’d gathered to discuss.

There was definitely something she hadn’t told them and she had no plans on changing that. Vivian shook her head. “All they wanted to know was about Gabriel and the guy in the parking lot, Ivan.”

“Alright, thank you for going over all that with us,” the lawyer told her with a smile.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up for dinner?” Samuel nodded, his finger tapping out a beat on the desk. “The boys should be here with food soon enough.”