Girl Psycho

Going to church (Dlamini)

Dlamini wasn't looking forward to this. She was sitting in the interrogation room opposite one of Eddy's daughters. They had decided to bring the whole family in one at a time and see if anyone else knew anything. If the Eddy junior knew something, maybe someone else in the family did too. Maybe someone else had stumbled on some photos, or worse....

But instead of looking broken and distraught, his daughter looked belligerent and ready to fight. Her arms were folded across her chest and she glared at the Detective as if she was about to strike. Like a venomous snake rising up out fo the grass. 

"Firstly," Dlamini started tactfully, "I'm sorry for your loss and-"

"Oh please." She spat. "Don't pretend you care." Her glare was icy. "Let's just get this over with."

"OK. Fine. Then I'll go straight into it. When you were growing up did your dad ever..." she paused. She was reluctant to ask, but she needed to. They had nothing, but if they had another victim, then maybe they would have something to work with. "Make you feel uncomfortable in any way." She chose her euphemism correctly.

"No! And you know what? All this stuff you and my brother are saying is total crap. It's all bullshit. I don't know where you think you got this information from but you are so wrong. My dad was a gentle, loving, caring man and what you are doing is defamation of character and I'll sue you. You have no proof."

"We have proof." She quickly added.

"No. That's impossible." She said quickly. Dlamini sensed a tiny drop in her confidence and self-assurance, there was a tiny part of her that was wondering if this was true. Why?

"Look, I know this is difficult, but if anything happened to you, or maybe one of your friends you can tell me."

"NO!" she snapped and got up, tears welling in her eyes. "It's not true!" She half yelled now. "I don't care what you say, my father isn't..." she stopped and for the first time Dlamini saw the pain as her tears welled up. "Wasn't... wasn't like that."

She got up and walked out, slamming the door as she went.

"Great." Dlamini slunk back in her chair. She was going to get nowhere with this family. 

Her phone beeped and she looked down at it, it was her sponsor again. She sighed. 

"Should I be worried. You've been missing meeting?" 

The stab of guilt and shame washed over her again. According to the programme she had relapsed, and it had set something off inside her. Last night she had dreamed about drinking for the first time in months. She messaged her. 

"Sorry. This case I am working on is crazy. I'm fine."

She waited for the reply. "Fine" was not a word one used in recovery. Fine was not an emotion...

"A new meeting has just opened in that new church in Benmore. Opposite the MacDonalds on Benmore Drive. You know it?"

"Yeah."

"It's on Friday. At 7. See you there."

And then she was gone. Dlmaini put her phone in her bag and sighed again. Maybe a meeting wasn't such a bad idea after all. She could do with a distraction. Oh well, I guess I'm going to church she thought.