Darkness Rises_Book 1_Prelude To Insanity Page 10

  John stepped over his daughter and took the few steps into the kitchen. On the counter he spied the roses he’d questioned her about, one half set into the vase while the others rested gently beside it. “Oh, they’re real pretty.” He mocked yanking all of them, vase included, from the counter.

  Still dazed, Laila peered up at her father who had come back from the kitchen and stood over her. She could smell his reeking breath and she had to fight the urge to vomit then and there. After a brief moment, she turned her attention away from him to the already partially mangled flowers still in his hand.

  “I hate you.” She said rolling to shield her eyes from the breaking glass that followed her words.

  John could barely feel the deep cuts that ripped into his hands as he smashed the vase, roses and all, against the wall. He was too angry to notice any such thing. “Say it again, bitch!” he screamed down at her.

  She wouldn’t look at him, instead, she was focused on the ruined bunch of roses that now lay scattered on the floor around them. The bloodied vase brought her a small measure of comfort as drops of blood fell, some on her and others to the floor. ‘He’s hurt.’ She thought.

  “Come on! You’re tough.” He mocked reaching to pull her upright. “You’re gonna look at me bitch!”

  Laila could feel herself being choked as John lifted her to her feet by the back of her shirt but, even as the tears welled up in her eyes she still wouldn’t look away from the broken pile of roses.

  “Look at me you slut!” he yelled again more forcefully shaking her, however, she refused to give him the satisfaction of her compliance even if it meant that he would beat her worse than he ever had. She didn’t care.

  “Let me go, dad.” She said spitefully still keeping her attention averted but, she felt his grip soften and she wondered if the simple words she had spoken had actually gotten through to him. Slowly, she felt her weight return to her own feet only to be flying again when a bloody hand knocked her across the face. She sprawled onto the living room floor and lay very still.

  “I’m going out to look for your mother. Do whatever the hell you want.” He called after her as he stomped towards the front door slamming it behind him as he left the house.

  “I hope you get hit by a car!” she whispered angrily after him. She stayed where she was for a few moments longer making sure he wouldn’t just burst in the door the second she stood up and continue his assault on her. Satisfied that he had left, Laila pulled herself to her feet dizzily with the world around her spinning. Terrible pain pulsated heatedly across her face. She looked at the stairs that led up to her room and thought about retiring to bed for the night, however, she knew that she didn’t want to be around for another one of her father’s psychotic outbursts. She thought long and hard about what she was going to do and knew that there was only one place she could safely go. “Cole, I’m sorry to bring you into this,” she whispered to the darkened house.

  * * * * *

  Cole had made it home no more than twenty minutes prior feeling that nothing could darken his mood. He loved the way Laila had looked at him when he had surprised her with the dozen roses and he did the best he could to keep the image fresh in his mind. Her eyes had hinted that she was feeling the same love for him when she accepted them with a gentle kiss. He figured his mother would try to tease him about having a ‘girlfriend’ and run him through her never-ending gauntlet of personal questions but to his surprise, the house was quiet; Donovan was staying at a friend’s according to a sticky note posted to the table lamp closest to the door and his mother and stepfather were nowhere in sight. ‘Probably in the bedroom,’ he thought noticing the master suites door was closed. He assumed that they had probably spent most of the afternoon drinking and were probably napping for later. He hoped there wouldn’t be a later. Quietly he crept to his bedroom, shutting the door gently behind him. He rolled onto his bed and smiled. Life was great. With Laila, he had begun to feel a whole new purpose brought to his normally isolated world. He almost didn’t hear the light tapping at his window, at first thinking the sounds were nothing more than a trick of his mind, however, when the taps came again slightly louder, he glanced up towards the sound. Although he couldn’t see her clearly he knew the silhouette that looked upon him from the other side was Laila. He opened the slider window quickly. “Did you miss me that...,” he began but stopped when he noticed her swollen cheek and the dark red droplets on her shirt. “Oh my god. What happened?”

  “Please let me in.” Is all she could say standing outside talking to Cole through the bedroom window. Both sides of her face burned and yet, they felt numb from the burning sensation. More than one person had driven by and she shuddered each time. If it was her mom, her dad, or even someone who knew the family, she knew it wouldn’t take her drunken father long to find her.

  “I’ll meet you at the front door.” Cole said leaving the window. He ran to get to Laila. Hurriedly, he unlocked the door and held it wide for her. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked pulling her into a tight embrace.

  She had no words for him. She was just glad to feel safe and without a second thought, she buried her head in his chest and began to sob quietly.

  Cole wouldn’t let her go nor would he force her to talk but, he was shaking ever so slightly. His first desire was to ultimately destroy whoever had touched her so violently and he began cycling through people in his mind as she wept. He immediately thought that Stephen had been the culprit however, there was no word that he was back in town and Laila hadn’t offered any information, yet. She pulled away. Her tears still ran steadily down her cheeks in small rivers before dropping to the floor in tiny little pools. “Who did this to you?” Cole asked again looking her over.

  She had never seen the look Cole had in his eyes. She’d seen him sad, intimidated, and even angry but, this was something different. He looked as if he were on the verge of exploding. “I need to lie down.” She said in a heavy whisper.

  Cole continued to shake but, he forced himself to take a deep breath. Maybe now wasn’t the time to try to force an answer from her, at least not an immediate one. “Come on sweetheart.” He said taking her hand gently leading her back to his bedroom. He secretly hoped that she would slip up and tell him who hurt her but she made her way steadily to his bed and lay down without hesitation or reluctance. Cole went to turn on the light but Laila protested.

  “Please don’t turn on the light.” She said wearily.

  “Ok.” He said walking to sit on the bed next to her. “I want to know….” He began before she stopped him with a hand placed easily on his.

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now.” She cut him off squeezing his hand gently. “Do you love me, Cole?” She asked so seriously that he seemed to be caught off guard by the pointed question. He lay down next to her wrapping her protectively in his arms. He locked her eyes with his and spoke, “always and forever.” He’d never been more certain of an answer in his life.

  “I love you too babe.” She said amidst shallow breaths. She said nothing more and nodded off almost immediately.

  Cole lay awake for a bit longer before gently pulling the covers over them. He brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek causing it to slip behind her ear. “I’ll never let this happen to you again.” He whispered. He kissed her cheek softly before laying back allowing sleep to take him as well.

  CHAPTER 7

  Cole was the first to wake the next morning with Laila resting easily in his arms. The left side of her face was swollen and bruised a brownish blue color and yet, a small smile rested upon her lips while she slept. He looked at her wondering if he should continue his interrogation about the damage when she awoke, however, when her eyes slowly fluttered open and she leaned in to kiss him he thought it best to wait. When they pulled away he brought his fingers to gently caress her lips.

  She closed her eyes enjoying the soft tingles that shot through her face as he gently moved to her cheek.

  “I’m ok.”
She murmured at last opening her eyes.

  Cole pulled his hand away from her face. His need to know who hurt her weighed on him heavily.

  Laila could tell Cole was holding back his question for her sake. She knew he would protect her, even if meant he would be hurt in the process. ‘No. I won’t let you.’ She thought. She was definitely worried he may do something he would come to regret if she admitted the truth. “Please don’t get involved in this.” She said pleadingly keeping her gaze affixed with Cole’s while she spoke.

  “Why shouldn’t I?” he asked feeling helpless against Laila’s adamant desire to keep him in the dark. “But…..” he began to protest but, he was hushed immediately by the cold look she gave him. Her icy stare seemed to say that he needed to stop before he finished his sentence. He sighed audibly. He said nothing more about her swollen face and instead, he pulled her close to him. Still only pre-dawn, they both drifted back to sleep.

  * * * * *

  Laila felt terrible for leaving Cole while he slept but, she felt that she needed to go home to deal with the consequences of leaving the night before. She didn’t expect anything less than brutal treatment the moment she walked up to the front door of her house however, there were two vehicles in the driveway one was her mothers and the other was a silver BMW she didn’t recognize. She thought that maybe her parents had guests over and that would at least deter her father from coming at her full force when he got home. She opened the door slowly trying not to make a sound as she stepped inside. She could hear her mother’s sobs coming from the living room so Laila waited by the front door listening for any other sounds that would give her a clue as to what was going on.

  “I’m only going to ask you once more, where were you last night Mrs. Hardcastle?” a snide voice asked from the living room.

  Laila heard her mother’s sobs and a frustrated reply. “I already told you everything you son of a bitch!”

  “Look, ma’am we, need to know what happened last night so that we can better understand what happened to your husband.” The second continued sounding more concerned than the first.

  Without any further hesitation, Laila immediately walked around the corner causing the two men to startle visibly. The younger man went so far as to reach for his sidearm strapped to his waist.

  “Whoa! What do you mean? What happened to my dad?” she asked causing both men to relax visibly and the younger of the two, though apprehensive, pulled his hand away from his gun.

  “I take it you’re Laila.” The older man said keeping his dark eyes affixed to hers. She nodded and he answered her question before she even began to speak. “I’m Detective Martinez. Michael if you like,” he paused before motioning to the younger man. “This is my partner detective Kevin Reese.” He paused momentarily to wipe a spot off of his glasses. “We’re with homicide.” He added pointedly.

  Laila’s mother didn’t ask her where she had been all night. She seemed to be at a sheer loss, keeping head bowed and trembling slightly. Something was wrong and she was growing more frustrated by the moment.

  “I could care less who you are,” Laila said, at last, looking from the graying old cop to the younger sandy-haired cop with disdain. “What do you mean homicide? Where’s my dad?” she asked however, she instinctively cringed as the younger detective stood up and approached her.

  “Did he give you those?” Reese questioned drawing a line along her bruised cheek. He enjoyed the power he felt and the discomfort he saw in the young woman’s eyes. He smirked. He’d dealt with stronger people than this mother and daughter a hundred times over. As far as he was concerned, he would have his proof soon enough.

  “I’m not saying anything until you answer my question.” She retorted defiantly and the younger detective’s eyes seemed to fill with the same violence her father’s generally did when he didn’t get his way.

  “Listen little girl….” Detective Reese began before the older cop stopped him.

  “That’s enough Reese,” Martinez commanded forcefully realizing how quickly his partner was getting out of hand.

  “I’m sorry sir I…” Reese began but Martinez’s stern look told him he needed to stop now. Reese forced himself to return to the sofa and sit down with a huff.

  “Look, Laila, we found your father’s truck abandoned a couple miles from here,” Martinez stated watching the girl closely.

  Laila looked to her mother for help but saw there was none to be had. Gina still had her face buried in her hands like a frightened child.

  “Do you know where he was going, Laila?” Martinez asked softly, almost like he was talking to a friend.

  Laila continued to eye her mother for a moment longer hoping that she would support her, that she would tell the officers that they needed to leave but, she could tell that her mother was somewhere far away from the moment.

  “We need to know Laila,” Reese added forcefully but he began jotting notes when Martinez snapped his attention towards him.

  “He said he was going out to look for my mom.” She relented at last feeling helpless. That’s all she knew.

  “Did he give you those bruises?” Martinez echoed Reese’s earlier question.

  Laila shifted uneasily. She loved her father and didn’t want to get him in any trouble but, she couldn’t think of any possible lie quick enough to hide the truth of what he had done to her. “He was mad at me for hanging out with my boyfriend.” She admitted wondering if maybe she had just brought Cole into a situation he shouldn’t have any part of.

  Detective Reese continued to scribble in his notepad while Laila spoke to his partner. He had his own questions and hated that Martinez was forcing him to be quiet.

  “Is that where you went last night, to your boyfriend’s?” Martinez probed watching her closely. He sincerely believed she couldn’t truly lie to him but, he knew it was because he always looked deeper.

  “Look, detective,” she began angrily at first, however, when both cops looked at her with doubt evident in their eyes, she quickly tried to calm her tone as best as she could. “You tell me why homicide is involved over an abandoned truck and I will tell you what you want to know.” She said fearing the answer she was about to receive.

  “Fair enough,” Martinez said as Reese handed him a manila envelope. He opened it slowly pulling out a handful of pictures and statements that he set down on the coffee table. “Take a look for yourself.” He offered motioning her over.

  She looked the top picture over unsure if it had truly been her father’s truck or not. ‘How could you tell?’ she thought noting the obscure hunk of burned metal that had once been a vehicle. The doors had been entirely ripped off of the old Ford and the bed, as far she could see, wasn’t part of the twisted remains. Each photo was of a different angle of the truck however she could find nothing that hinted that a human body still lingered amongst the ruins. It was completely obliterated.

  Reese spoke as she continued to thumb through the pictures. “We were able to identify it as your father’s truck from the license plate that blew clear of the wreckage,” he offered.

  She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come to her lips. ‘Maybe he torched it for insurance or something like that.’ She thought, however, the final picture, hinted at something far more sinister. Out of sight of the wreckage lay a pool of what appeared to be dried blood.

  “That’s the reason we’re involved.” Detective Reese stated pausing briefly to give Laila a moment to let his words sink in. “Can you tell me anything about what could have happened?” he finished holding his pen to his notepad.

  Laila shifted uncomfortably unable to look away from the picture of blood. “What do you want to know?” she asked quietly.

  “We want to know everything, Laila. Detective Martinez stated flatly hoping that she had something, anything really, to offer to the already odd case.

  “Like what!” she inquired sharply. “What the hell would I know?”

  Tell us about yesterday. What happened when
you got home? I’m guessing he was here at some point for you to have those bruises,” he said drawing a line along his cheek. He knew he had a job to do so he didn’t linger on the apparent abuse even though he was fuming. He took a deep breath adding, “Your mom told us about this Cole kid you’ve been hanging out with and we’re going to need to talk with him as well.” Martinez finished eyeing her carefully.

  She pried her eyes from the picture feeling a tear escape her eye to run down her cheek. She defiantly rubbed it away and focused on Martinez directly, “Alright. I’ll tell you everything that happened.” She agreed before recounting the events of the day before.

  Detective Reese stopped her on more than one occasion. He questioned her chosen routes home, slight nuances that she ‘should’ have remembered, and continued to warn her that she was being investigated as a suspect. Each time Reese had begun his tirades, the older detective, after enough frustrating moments, would interject and quiet the younger detective.

  Martinez didn’t necessarily believe anything Laila said, he was a cop, he was trained to sift for truths in lies all the time. After all, the world is full of liars. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.’ It was a motto he lived by and he had managed to stay alive for a very long time because of it.

  * * * * *

  Nearly a half an hour had passed in which Laila answered every question and recounted every moment up until she had arrived back at her house nearly an hour earlier. She realized she was slowly wringing at the ‘blood’ picture that she had yet to put down. Tears came freely and she sobbed. “I don’t know anything else….. He hit me then he took off saying he was going to find my mom. That’s all he said.” She finished rubbing another one of the falling tears away.

  “So we’re supposed to believe that?” Reese queried snidely. He started to continue but, Martinez shook his head at him and he promptly stopped himself.