Page 85 of Among the Sins of my Father

“There are more pressing matters at the moment.”

Part of me deflates. I would have liked them to have found him, at least so he could have a proper burial and Mary could get some closure.

“Can I ask you a question? Off the record.”

Officer Conway sits up a little. “This whole thing has been off the record so far, Miss Atter—Miss Berkley.”

“What would happen to a woman help captive who say, killed her captor in order to escape?”

“It would depend on the circumstances, but I wouldn’t hesitate to say it would be hard for anyone to charge her in that situation, especially if her life was at risk.”

“So, say there was someone who had been held captive in the bunker of someone’s house. And then someone who wanted that woman, broke in, stole her, and killed, or at least attempted to kill the occupants, and took her back with him to be held captive again. Say this woman then witnessed this man killing other people and she had the chance to kill him and escape, she wouldn’t be charged with anything?”

He chuckles. “That’s a little hard to follow, but I’d imagine that woman would be offered immunity in exchange for her testimony against the men who held her captive and any further information she might have.”

“I feel as though we’re talking in riddles.”

He nods. “We are. But I feel you understand where I’m coming from.”

I nod and unwrap my feet from where they are tucked in beside me. “I do. Might I suggest you request Hope to join us later? She may have some information of interest to you.”

“Who is Hope?”

“Jericho’s wife. She went missing years ago and has only just returned. My father held her captive.”

Officer Conway blinks, but that’s the only sign of his surprise. He picks up his pad and paper, scribbles something down and then flicks on a recording device.

“Shall we start then? Please state your full name for the record.”

“The name I go by is Everly Jane Berkley, but please just call me Berkley.”

“Right, Miss Berkley. Were you there on the night in question?”

“Yes.”

“And did you witness your father, Sebastian Atterton as present at that party?”

“Yes, I did.”

epilogue

HOPE

My dreams are the only place monsters still haunt me. I don’t have nightmares often, maybe every few weeks, but each time I wake and find myself safe with my daughter sleeping soundly in the room next to mine, the relief is so acute it almost makes the nightmare worth it.

This morning’s nightmare melded all my monsters into one. It’s the way they appear now. Nothing specific. No particular memory is burned into my mind. It’s always an obscured face and an unidentifiable body, but the thing that stays with me is the sensation.

The sensation of being alone. Trapped. Helpless and at the mercy of another. That feeling may never leave me. Or the brief moment of panic that follows it. And I’m not sure I want it to. Because when I open my eyes, even while my heart still races and my skin is prickled with a cold sweat, I know it is nothing more than a dream.

That part of my life is over.

The police never charged me over his death. I guess they figured I’d been through enough. It may have also had something to do with Berkley organizing a deal for my immunity if I told them what I saw. It may not have happened in the order I presented to the police, but it was all truth in some form or another.

And because of that, Ette and I are free.

We are free to live our lives.

Free to exist in the world.

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