“Who didn’t bring them back, Miss Monroe?” the detective asked and I realized I must have said it out loud. I slowly sat back down when struggled with the realization of what I had to do. He didn’t just kill them. He tortured them. I could practically smell their burning flesh as guilt ate away at my mind. “Lake?”
I finally met the detective’s gaze when he called my name again. I knew what I had to do. “I have to tell you something.”
* * *
I left the station feeling numb. What I’d done felt like the ultimate betrayal but I also knew it was the right thing to do. I just never knew choosing right over wrong was so damn hard.
He killed them.
He killed so many.
He shouldn’t be allowed to walk away from that. Right?
I didn’t head straight back to my godparent’s place. Instead, I went home because truth be told I had been feeling homesick. I didn’t decide to leave because it was what I wanted. I felt it was necessary because there was no other way I could stay away from Keiran. I was as addicted to him as he was to me.
Is that why you turned him in?
I shook off my thoughts and pulled into my driveway. My aunt’s car was parked outside and I was eager to see her and maybe finally catch up. I never got the chance to ask about her tour or tell her about the break in. I shut off the car to get out but the sound of my ringing phone stopped me. I read the screen and saw Sheldon’s name so I quickly answered. Over the past couple of weeks, Sheldon had not been in the best shape.
“Hey, Sheldon.”
“Lake, oh God. He’s going to die!” she sobbed brokenly into the phone.
“Sheldon, calm down. Who is going to die?”
“Keenan’s only working lung is failing. The doctors said it doesn’t look good for him and if he doesn’t get a lung soon, he will die.”
Finding an organ donor was like winning the lottery. It could take months and the match had to be near perfect and the perfect candidates were usually the parents.
“Sheldon, Keenan won’t die. He’s too much of a rebel for that. Did they test John to see if he’s a match?”
“Yes and they pulled his mother’s medical records from his birth to check for any record of family medical problems and all that other crap doctor’s do.” The line grew silent so I checked my phone to see if we were still connected.
“And?”
“John wasn’t a match.”
“Damn. He must have taken his mother’s blood type. So how long does he have before it becomes critical?”
“Lake, you don’t understand,” she said, her sobs becoming heavier.
“What don’t I understand?” Sheldon sounded near hysterical now.
“John’s blood was type AB and when they pulled Sophia’s medical records they found out that her blood was type A.”
I frowned when I couldn’t make the connection. “I wasn’t all that great with Biology you’re going to have to help me out here.”
“Keenan is blood type O. Parents with blood type AB and A can only produce a child with A, B, or AB.”
“Oh shit, so you mean –”
“John isn’t Keenan’s father.”
“But that’s insane! If John isn’t Keenan’s father then it has to be – oh God…”
“Mitch,” Sheldon finished.
I finally met the detective’s gaze when he called my name again. I knew what I had to do. “I have to tell you something.”
* * *
I left the station feeling numb. What I’d done felt like the ultimate betrayal but I also knew it was the right thing to do. I just never knew choosing right over wrong was so damn hard.
He killed them.
He killed so many.
He shouldn’t be allowed to walk away from that. Right?
I didn’t head straight back to my godparent’s place. Instead, I went home because truth be told I had been feeling homesick. I didn’t decide to leave because it was what I wanted. I felt it was necessary because there was no other way I could stay away from Keiran. I was as addicted to him as he was to me.
Is that why you turned him in?
I shook off my thoughts and pulled into my driveway. My aunt’s car was parked outside and I was eager to see her and maybe finally catch up. I never got the chance to ask about her tour or tell her about the break in. I shut off the car to get out but the sound of my ringing phone stopped me. I read the screen and saw Sheldon’s name so I quickly answered. Over the past couple of weeks, Sheldon had not been in the best shape.
“Hey, Sheldon.”
“Lake, oh God. He’s going to die!” she sobbed brokenly into the phone.
“Sheldon, calm down. Who is going to die?”
“Keenan’s only working lung is failing. The doctors said it doesn’t look good for him and if he doesn’t get a lung soon, he will die.”
Finding an organ donor was like winning the lottery. It could take months and the match had to be near perfect and the perfect candidates were usually the parents.
“Sheldon, Keenan won’t die. He’s too much of a rebel for that. Did they test John to see if he’s a match?”
“Yes and they pulled his mother’s medical records from his birth to check for any record of family medical problems and all that other crap doctor’s do.” The line grew silent so I checked my phone to see if we were still connected.
“And?”
“John wasn’t a match.”
“Damn. He must have taken his mother’s blood type. So how long does he have before it becomes critical?”
“Lake, you don’t understand,” she said, her sobs becoming heavier.
“What don’t I understand?” Sheldon sounded near hysterical now.
“John’s blood was type AB and when they pulled Sophia’s medical records they found out that her blood was type A.”
I frowned when I couldn’t make the connection. “I wasn’t all that great with Biology you’re going to have to help me out here.”
“Keenan is blood type O. Parents with blood type AB and A can only produce a child with A, B, or AB.”
“Oh shit, so you mean –”
“John isn’t Keenan’s father.”
“But that’s insane! If John isn’t Keenan’s father then it has to be – oh God…”
“Mitch,” Sheldon finished.
