The Offering

Chapter 21

I'd been standing outside of Greenwood police station for the past half an hour. I was anxiously debating whether or not to go inside. I knew I had to, I couldn't let Kim's killer get away with her murder. But how could I explain that I knew her death wasn't an accident without being institutionalised on the spot?

The truth was out of the question, nobody would take me seriously if I told them that I was a teenage psychic. So I'd desperately tried to concoct a slightly more plausible explanation in my mind. Up to now I had come up with precisely nothing.

My tendency to over analyse everything had led me to undo each and every possible scenario. I was beginning to feel that the only way I would be able to explain how I knew she'd been murdered was if I lied. But that really didn't sit comfortably with me. I wasn't much of a liar on a good day, never mind when speaking under pressure to a police officer.

I felt a raindrop fall upon my cheek and looked up to the dark clouds above, I knew a storm was coming and the irony didn't escape me. I instinctively took a step back behind a 4x4 police truck as I heard a commotion erupt at the top of the stairs leading into the station.

I peeked around the truck to see a short, overweight police officer in a dishevelled uniform speaking with another much taller man in a very expensive looking suit. They were too far away for me to see them clearly or hear exactly what they were saying but their flailing gestures led me to conclude that they were in the midst of a heated argument.

I ducked back again as the suited man turned and headed quickly down the stairs, shaking his head and laughing out loud. But he wasn't amused, he was outraged. The police officer pursued him towards his car which was parked just a few cars over from where I was hiding. I recognised the suited man as he got closer, it was Jake's father.

The closer they got the more audible they were, until they eventually got close enough so that I could hear every word they said. I hid further out of view and heard a beeping sound, followed by a car door being torn open.

"Look Carl, you can hide your son all you want. But when I find him no amount amount of money is going to keep his ass out of jail," the police officer cried, "and if you continue to be so difficult then I'll lock you up for obstruction too!"

Carl responded with a snigger, "You really need to calm down Mousey, because if you don't get out of my face-," Carl menacingly threatened.

"You'll what?" the man teased, "you going to hit a police officer?"

"No, but whether you stay a police officer or not depends on how much you continue to piss me off," Carl replied.

There was a short silence, then 'Mousey' quietly replied,

"You really think money can get you anything you want, you're disgusting."

"I don't think," Carl cockily retorted, "I know. So Mousey, I suggest you go back inside your cage."

"Don't you call me that Carl, "the officer meekly demanded, "This ain't high school anymore and I don't have to take your shit!"

"That's right, Mousey went and got himself a police badge," Carl mocked, "hide behind it all you want, you're still the 5 foot overweight loser you always were."

"And you'll always be the high school bully," the officer replied, "with a murdering scumbag of a son."

My chest tightened as I heard a slam, I peeked over once again to see Mousey over the bonnet of another car, Carl held him with one arm and he had his other fist raised to Mousey's face. I fought the urge to cry out as I waited for Carl to swing at the officer in a given moment.