My Knight

Dad

It had been weeks since Kurt and I had talked to the woman about the parties and the men there. It turns my stomach to hear about what those men did to those girls. "Well, if she was forced to attend one of these parties it explains why she felt scared of Kurt." I comment laying down a file I'd been looking over for so long my eyes were hurting.

"What do you mean?" Kurt looked over to me.

"This was an unnatural act. Everything in her, mind and body, would have been screaming against it. So she must have been used to things like this or she felt it would help her feel something."

"Like how some kids self-harm now?"

I nod, "Yeah. something like that."

"But still, what kind of world are we leaving a 15 year-old girl that she would burn herself to death?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't look bright, does it?"

Later that evening we are in a cafe, looking over the file of our latest victim of the scalpings. Magnus looked as if he was frightened by the man on the screen, "We have a fence. He's done time."

"Fencing what kind of stuff?"

"It doesn't specify. He was also arrested for battery."

"Yeah, I know him, if it's the same one." Anne-Britt nods and takes a deep breath, once Magnus turns the laptop toward her, "yeah. He's low-life. Last time I heard of him, he'd laid into his wife, beat her up when she was pregnant."

"Last addresses we have is in Tomelilla." Magnus turns the computer back to himself.

Kurt looks over to me, "Sounds like we're going to Tomelilla."

I nod and take a deep breath. The next morning Kurt and I wake up bright and early heading out to the last address for our suspect. Which is in the middle of the woods, I have to say I don't enjoy the feeling I get here. When we arrive a middle-aged woman and her son answer the door, letting the two of us in and allowing us to ask them a few questions. "When did you last see your husband?" Kurt asks the woman.

"Weeks ago. We try not to have anything to do with him."

"And you have other children?" I smile softly over to the woman and her son.

"Louise, my daughter."

"She's away at the moment." the young man, looks from his mother to me.

"Is she?"

"Jens is still asleep," As the woman takes a deep breath, a child begins to cry in the other room.

"Well, WAS asleep." the young man shifts to get up, "Shall I?" his mother stops him.

"I'll do it." the woman gets up and leaves the living room area. Heading into the other room, to see to the child.

"You can ask me stuff." The young man shifts back, putting his hands in his pockets. "That last time Dad was here, he picked a fight with a taxi driver outside. Ended up hitting the guy with a monkey wrench. The time before that, it was a neighbour's mother."

"So he had enemies, then." Kurt wrote a few things down.

"Anyone got a problem with him, he'd just hit them."

"Did he hit you?" I turn toward the man.

"It was better when he left." The young-man nods. "I suppose I should feel sad, shouldn't I?"

"I don't know. How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure yet. You got a dad?" he shifts toward Kurt, who is walking around the room, slowly.

"You mean are they still around? Yeah." Kurt nods.

"What's he like?"

"How long have you got?" Kurt chuckles.

"What does he do?"

"He's a painter."

"What, like a builder and decorator?"

"No. Like an artist."

"An artist, wow. Why did you wanna be a policeman, then?"

"My dad's been asking himself that question for 25 years." Kurt takes a deep breath, "I couldn't paint, I suppose."

"Got him down again." the woman walks back into the room, "Would you two like some coffee?"

"Thanks." Kurt nods, "There's just a few more things that we have to ask, and then we'll leave you alone."

Kurt sits back next to me as the young man stands, "I'll get it." Once we finish our questions and coffee, Kurt and I take our leave, the young man showing us out. "Do you think I'm in shock?" he asks once Kurt and I are on the ground, at the end of the porch stairs. "Not being sad, do you... do you think that's shock?"

"Well," I smile up to him, "When all's said and done, he was your dad."

"Doesn't always cut it, though, does it?"