Running to Willow

Chapter 12: Innocence

Faith continued to feed the prisoners, but after listening to her dad's calls, she knew to be more careful. She stopped ordering just from Francisco, hoping he wouldn't say that Faith had been ordering the same thing every day for months now from him. She also ordered different things from the different butlers. The prisoners got pies some days, while others lasagna.
    "Really it is okay!" Willow said one day while stuffing her face with sorbet. "Food is food to us." Faith was now cutting down her time with Willow so she could spend as much time as possible in her dad's office. Faith wanted to make sure she was there when her dad got an update on the trials of the cooks and butlers. So one day after she had gone to the dungeons to feed the prisoners lemon chicken piccata she found herself relaxed in a fur-coated chair, doing homework, listening to her dad's call.
"The trials?" Faith's dad asked, buzzed. "Let's hear it," he said a moment later. His hand collapsed lazily as he attempted to write down the information. After a moment he repeated the witnesses alibis, his eyes struggling to focus. "Am I correct it is Chef Anne who claims she didn't have any suspicious orders? Same thing from Chefs Mark, Amanda, Alex, Ted, Tyler, Bobby, Guy, Giada, Geoffrey, Valerie, Jason, Duff and Butlers York, Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philly, Antonio, Diego, Dallas, Jose, Austin, and Jackson?" Robert asked. Faith let herself calm down, Francisco wasn't mentioned. "What's that?" her dad suddenly asked, "You missed one?... Francisco..." Faith gulped. Be cool she told herself. Her dad continued to talk, "Got a suspicious order...been happening for a couple of months..." Robert repeated while scribbling down notes shakily. Faith prayed. "Fruit/cheese dish ordered every day from your daughter! My daughter!" he yelled furiously. Chugging down a can of beer he glared at Faith, but Faith stared determined at her math sheet. "No," Faith's dad assured himself, "how would she know how to get there?...I'll talk to her, tell all of the guards to keep an eye out." Faith's dad stated. Faith waited for her dad to come. Taking a 5-minute drinking break, Robert seemed to be seeing how drunk he could get in a couple of minutes. Eventually, he stumbled into Faith's room.
    "Honey..." Faith's dad said.
    Honey! Faith thought, rolling her eyes in her mind. "Yes," Faith answered politely.
    "Francisco, the butler, told me how you order that cheese/fruit plate every day, just wondering, why?" Robert asked slyly.
    "It's my favorite dish, plus I have had a growth spurt lately so I have been hungrier and that dish gives me all the food I need."
    "Got it," Faith's dad reacted, "You have gotten taller," he responded awkwardly then trampled out of the room. Faith later went to bed but woke to her dad on the phone again.
    "My daughter is innocent, I am pretty sure," Robert said, "but keep an eye on her for me. You never know." Faith fell into a sound sleep that night, knowing, for now, she was considered innocent.