The Southern Bank

Chapter 6

I signed Ivan up for therapy, I asked his therapist if any of this stuff was normal. "This seems like normal behavior for a 12-year-old. I don't see anything wrong with him." The therapist said. "But he is drawing these horrible pictures in a first-person POV I don't think drawing murder is normal," I replied. She looked down at her notes and then back at me, "Ms. April I know you have been through a lot with your ex-boyfriend and the loss of your son. But I think you are thinking too much into this." I put my hands over my closed eyes and shook my head, "I am not overthinking this I know what I saw." I started to plead almost. "Ms. April, I think taking up the job of being a mother right after your child died is unhealthy." She gets up and opens the door, "Ms. Parker please consider the time of grief for a few days then continue to be a mother." She closed the door. She had never been a mother there is no off time for mothers. I get up and storm out the front doors of the building and make my way to the car. I unlock my car but hear a voice calling my name coming from a distance, I look around but I see no one. Of course, I'm going insane and my mind won't admit it, I need a drink or something because I won't be able to make it through the night knowing that Ivan has been drawing terrible things. I get into the car and start it, I have to get out of here, if I don't I might not make it to see the next day. I don't want to call Dad for help. My therapist thinks I'm still grieving. Charles doesn't know William is gone. I can't confront Ivan because I'm worried I might get hurt or worse murdered if my quest is correct.

This is it.

I've gone mad. Crazy. Insane. Mental.

I need someone to believe me, I know no one will.

Not until I end up dead.

I drove home knowing if I mentioned anything I found out about Ivan I might set something off. I parked in the small driveway on the side of the house, I walk into the cottage and looked around. Everything in its place is perfect and normal. "Ivan?" I yelled his name to see where he was, "Ivan!" I yelled again when I got no response. I start looking around, I started in the living room and moved to the kitchen. I went into his room and knocked on the bathroom door, "Ivan?" I walked into my room expecting the worse. But then again, he wasn't there. He was gone, I sat in the living room and waited.

Waiting....

Waiting....

Waiting....

Until it's been 5 hours later. I hadn't seen him since I left for my appointment at 9 am, which means that he has been missing for the last nine hours. I can't call the police because of the 24-hour rule, I go to bed but I don't go to sleep. I'm afraid, not because I think he hurts people but because he's missing. The last time a kid under my supervision went missing he ended up dead and I can't help but think the same with Ivan. Maybe I'm paranoid and Ivan is just going through a phase and I just skipped to conclusions. I watch as the sun set and the sun rose. The moment the sun was fully out in the sky I heard a knock on the door, I get up and walk out of my room towards the door. I look around to see if there is a sign of Ivan, none, I continue to the door and when I opened it there was a officer. "Good Morning Ms. Parker, I am here to tell you that we happen to find some small bit of DNA from the ax that was used to kill your son." I stand there a bit confused, how? "We found a match but are trying to find the person, he was linked to multiple murders in the area and other towns near here." I put my hand to cover my mouth to stop the gasp I was going to let out. "Can you give me the name yet?" I asked, my hand shaking as I slowly put it over my heart. "We have found out that it is a 12-year-old male, his name is Ivan Vaine Cater-Smith." I feel the heat go up my neck and into my cheeks. Tears fall down my face onto the ground. "I know him," I say with a shaky voice, I fix my stance and stumble a bit but station myself back upright. "Ma'am, how do you know this boy?" my eyes fill up with so many tears I can't see through them. "I. I adopted him from this orphanage." I cover my mouth again with my hand to stop the sound of my crying. "Okay, ma'am I'm going to need you to exit the house and wait by my car while I search your house I'll call back up and they will help you with the rest." I walk out of the house and when I got halfway to his car, I couldn't hold in the pain. I crumbled to my knees and cried I let out a shaky scream, I knew it. I knew it even when everyone else didn't. I wanted out, out of this hell hole I called home. I needed someone to understand the pain, to understand what I had to see. I saw my son die, I saw what Ivan drew, I saw what this boy is capable of. And no one believed me until it was too late.