The Artist's Shadow

Chapter 4

          "Do not think your problems are less than that of others."

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"I saw your son visited yesterday. How'd he take it?" An unknown man asked as he stared at  Jonathan who was sprawled out over the bench in the cell. He was staring into the ceiling and the unknown man rolled his eyes at his former leader's nonchalance.
"About as well as expected but he'll come around." The unknown man raised his eyebrows at John, thinking back to the few memories he had of the boy. He never met the boy personally but had been witness to one or two interactions between father and son. No way was that boy coming around.
"Are we still doing it then? Knowing he wants nothing to do with any of us." He asked and Jonathan sat upstraight.
"He will,it is for his protection and the Vipers'. We'll give him a few days to calm down than you can approach him." Jonathan said and the man nodded.

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Loud and insistent knocking caused Jaftha to roll over and grunt as he felt the bat dig into his ribs. He was about to ignore whatever it was that had woken him up and go back to sleep when the knocking started up again. Groaning he stood up and put on his shoes before going downstairs. He spotted the broken window which he had covered with one of the papers from his canvas.

He opened the door and immediately stepped back to avoid the fist that was aimed for the door. He stared at Sheriff Molton who stared at him sheepishly.
"Jaftha, apologies. I was not expecting you to open so soon." He said and Jaftha nodded.
"It's okay, Sheriff. What can I help you with?" He asked and Sheriff Molton gestured to the street.
"A neighbour called me this morning about an attempted break in last night and vandalism. " He said and Jaftha sighed as he stood back to make space for the Sheriff. Jaftha thought back to the week as he led the Sheriff to the living room. While he had planned on going back to school on Wednesday, he had been derailed of that plans when he woke up Wednesday morning to his house covered in eggs,toiletpaper and covered with graffiti around the boundary walls. He had decided to stay home and clean the walls and woke up to a similar incident on Thursday. Once again he had stayed home and cleaned while contemplating finding whoever it had been and going to their homes and doing the same to them. Last night he had woken up when he heard people in the yard and the glass breaking. He had immediately come downstairs with his phone's torch on and shone it on the perpetrator who had been halfway through the window. He had immediately ran into the kitchen, took the spray on the table and had sprayed the person in the eyes. The perpetrator had fallen back through the window screaming and his  friends had picked him up and they had ran away.

He told the Sheriff about what had happened and watched as the Sheriff wrote it down in his notebook.
"Where exactly did they plan on coming in?" Sheriff Molton asked and Jaftha stood up and led him to the window.
"Do you want anything to drink,Sheriff?" He asked as Sheriff Molton put on his gloves and moved closer to the window.
"No thank you. I have to leave in a minute. Did you see how many they were last night?" Jaftha ran the previous night through his head and shrugged.

"Well,I couldn't see properly because it was dark but there was the one at the window, the two that picked him up. I am not really sure about the number of the others but I am sure there were others. Probably the lookout,I'm guessing." Sheriff Molton nodded and turned back around.

"I will send one of the guys from the lab to come dust for fingerprints so just stay away. Anything else you remember even if it is just a sound, call me. I will not have a bunch of people break the law. Your father has already been arrested, no need for all this." He said and Jaftha nodded thinking back to the last time he had talked to his  father.

As the Sheriff picked up his book from the table, Jaftha walked over to the front door and opened it.
"The officer I am sending will probably be here in an hour,I will send him as soon as I reach the station. So just take care of yourself and if you need anything, you know where to find me,okay?" Jaftha nodded and smiled at the Sheriff who has practically known his whole life.
"Thank you,Sheriff. I hope you catch whoever it was that did it." He said and the Sheriff nodded.