Love Metamorphosis

Chapter 19

                  

"Lucy?" Jemma asked, touching her arm, "What is wrong?"

She shook her head and held her teddy bear like it was a shield. Her eyes held true terror and she looked at Jemma like she wasn't seeing her. The only thing she saw was danger at every corner; every movement a threat to her very life.

"Lucy it is me, Dr. Turner," Jemma said gently, trying not to startle the girl anymore, "Will you tell me what is wrong?"

"I can't talk with you!" She screamed before breaking into sobs.

"Why? Lucy why can't you talk to me?" Jemma insisted, drawing closer to the girl.

"You have to leave, I can't, I can't." She started rocking as Mrs. Johnson came running in the room.

"What is going on?" She demanded, as she rushed toward her daughter.

Her daughter pushed her away and ran over to her bed, wrapping herself in the covers. As though to protect herself from something.

"Mrs. Johnson I want you to call Detective O'Hara." Jemma said evenly reaching for her drawings, which were scratched out with a black marker.

"Why?" She asked, she was clearly as upset as her daughter.

"It is my belief that he came into your house and threatened your daughter," Jemma answered with conviction, "Who have you let into the house?"

"No one, just a few of Richard's business associate's," she said hurriedly, stealing worried glances at her daughter, "I wouldn't even let my son bring over his friends."

Not waiting for the woman to act Jemma pulled out her cellphone and looked up O'Hara's number, "You need to make a list of everyone who came through this house in the last day."

Putting the phone to her ear she walked out into the hall while she waited for O'Hara to pick up before she said, "I have a list of suspects for you to look over, I also want you to check for fingerprints in Lucy's room."

"How exactly did you do that?" Detective O'Hara asked, obviously surprised.

"Someone threatened Lucy." Jemma stated, plain as day.

"Are you sure?" She could hear the hope that lifted the gloom of her voice.

"Positive," Jemma confirmed looking back at the closed bedroom door, "When I asked Lucy why she wouldn't tell me what was wrong she said 'I can't' not 'I won't.' Someone coerced her silence."