The Perfect Crime

Chapter 21: DISABILITY

Disability is the inability to see ability
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Nicky's dad was back.

Nicky could tell because his mother was banging things around in the kitchen. It was the banging that had woken him up. Nicky knew that his mom was trying to make everything spick and span because his dad liked the house that way. He also knew that the banging was the only way his mother vented her anger, her frustration and her fatigue.

The banging abruptly stopped and the door to Nicky's room squeaked open. His mother came in to check on him. Nicky pulled the covers over his head, pretending to be asleep. He felt the bed dip, indicating his mother had sat on it. His mother stroked his head through the thick duvet. Nicky could hear her stifled sobs. He wished he could make everything stop; The suffering, the torture, the screaming —so much screaming. But he couldn't do anything at all. He couldn't even talk for crying out loud and he was ten.

After what seemed like forever, his mother soundlessly crept out of his room. It was as if she had not even been there.

Nicky threw off the striped duvet and checked his watch. He still had ten minutes before his mother came back to call him down for breakfast. He sat at his study table, turned on his laptop and surfed the internet for the latest news. Nicky knew that he shouldn't be reading the news. His father had banned it in their house. But he couldn't just sit back and twiddle his thumbs. His curiosity overpowered any fear he had for his father.

Thelma's face dominated the front page of the news. Nicky almost laughed at the picture. The picture was a misrepresentation of Thelma. The lighting was too harsh and she had no makeup on. To be honest, this was the first time Nicky had seen Thelma without makeup. To say she looked horrid would be an insult to the word horrid.

Nicky read the entire article on Thelma. The police considered her a person of interest in Harleigh's disappearance. They were also offering a reward for anyone who had any vital information that would lead to her apprehension. There were numbers to call at the end of the article. He could call the police and tell them what he knew. But would they believe him?

Nicky's watch beeped, indicating that it was 8:00 a.m: breakfast time. He contemplated feigning sickness so that he could miss breakfast and continue reading more news articles. But that would mean his father's captive would miss breakfast as well. Nicky knew that he couldn't just steal food. His father would notice. That meant that he had to take breakfast so that he could sneak food into his pocket. It wasn't the best plan hygiene-wise but it would have to do. For now.

His mother spotted him the moment he entered the kitchen and smiled. A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Nicky hugged her, inhaling her signature exotic vanilla scent that always seemed to comfort him. He wished he could stay in his mother's arms forever.

"I thought I would have to come and pull you out of bed." His mother laughed awkwardly like she was not used to laughing. "I made some breakfast. It's the pancakes with the strawberry sauce you like. You want some?"

Nicky nodded.

"Alright I will plate some up for you."

Nicky surreptitiously sneaked pieces of the pancakes into his pyjama pockets while he ate. It was difficult because his mother kept eying him like she knew he was up to something. Or maybe it was just the paranoia taking root. If Nicky's father ever found out that Nicky was feeding his captive, he would be punished. And his father was very innovative when it came to punishments. Emphasis on very.

His mother's mouth hung open when she saw his empty plate. "Did you grow two stomachs overnight?"

Nicky smiled sheepishly, showcasing his teeth that were smeared in strawberry sauce. Nicky wanted to tell her that he was indeed feeding two stomachs, just not in the way she was thinking. But he couldn't. He didn't want to rope his mother into his problems.