The School On The Hill, chapter 8
Part Eight
"Did your step sister have any contact with you or you family before the fire?" Sergent King asked Adrienne
She shook her head, looking down at her knees.
"Can you please state yes or no for the tape Miss Nesser?" he prompted
"No, she didn't" she said "I want to see Jakob"
The sergent turned his pencil over a few times in his hands.
"Jakob is not in any danger at the moment" he told her, "But we need to ask you a few more questions"
Adreinne nodded, feeling a comforting arm on her shoulder. She knew that nobody else could see it, that it probably wasn't real. Perhaps that made it more special.
"You say that you arrived at the house and found Jakob, injured, in the celler" Sergent King continued, "What made you, after a year, decide to check your sisters house?"
Adrienne gulped, she hadn't been expecting that.
"Did Edna tell you that Jakbo was there?" he asked "Or did you speak to someone else about it?"
She didn't know what to say. How could she explain that a little girl had been talking to her dead husband?
"I-" Adrienne croaked "I had a feeling"
"A feeling" sergent King repeated, "It must have been a very strong feeling. I gather that you climbed out of a hospital window to get to Jakob. Did you know that he was injured?"
She felt the grip on her shoulder tighten.
"I knew that Edna was cruel to him" she said carefully "And I wanted to protect him"
Sergent King sighed, clearly frustrated.
"We don't need to beunderstanding each other"he said"How did you found out that Jakob was living with your step sister? Ypu told me a moment ago that when you were released from prison, the files had been lost. And that you had no idea where your son was"
The tape recorder clicked, making Adrienne even more edgy.
"I find it odd" he pressed on "That you seemed to just discover where Jakob was, on the very day you were hospitalised"
Adrienne took a sip of water, trying to clear the lump from her throat.
"Did someone at the hospital discuss your son's whereabouts with you. Or perhaps someone from the school"
She didn't know what to say, it was so hard thinking of all the right answers as fast as he was asking the questions.
"It wasn't anyone at Longview Lane" she lied "I guess it was just instinct"
Thankfully, the interrogation was interrupted when a loud knock echoed through the room.
"Come in" called the sergent, and, for the benefit of the tape, said "Segent Keller has entered the room"
Segent Keller proceeded to hand Sergent King a piece of paper. Clearly he did not want Adrienne to see it, for he was shielding it with a heavilt tattooed arm.
"Hmm" Sergent King said warily, "You're sure?"
"She's a respectable woman" Segent Keller replied, "I doubt she's lying"
Sergent King turned to Adrienne
"It seems a neighbour witnessed the incident" he told her, "You are free to go"
----------------------------------------------
"Jakob" Adrienne whispered, pushing open the heavy white door. She gasped in horror when she saw him. He was painfully thin, as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before. His eyes were swollen, a combination of Edna's punches and crying. Several long gashes ran down the side of his face
"Mmff" he mumbled softly.
Adrienne took his hand.
"It's all right darling" she said, "It's over.
Over the next few weeks, Jakob grw stronger until he was finally allowed to leave the hospital.
"Mum" he said worriedly, "Are we going back to America?"
Adrienne considered it. She had grown to like Stoneston, and she had many good friends there. But Jakob had been through so much. She didn't want to force him to go there if he really didn't want to.
"It's up to you honey" she said, "We can go back to America, or we could stay in Stoneston"
Jakob thought carefully. Did he really want to go back to having reporters hovering outside the house day and night? Did he want to go back to a school where he was taunted for being in the papers every day. Did he want to hear elderly ladies say "Your Dad got what he deserved, cheeky so and so. These singers always think they're so important."
"I want to go to Stoneston" he decides
And he took Adrienne's hand, lifted the bag containing the only possessions recovered from Edna's house, and the two made there way to the waiting taxi. Together, at last.
THE END
"Did your step sister have any contact with you or you family before the fire?" Sergent King asked Adrienne
She shook her head, looking down at her knees.
"Can you please state yes or no for the tape Miss Nesser?" he prompted
"No, she didn't" she said "I want to see Jakob"
The sergent turned his pencil over a few times in his hands.
"Jakob is not in any danger at the moment" he told her, "But we need to ask you a few more questions"
Adreinne nodded, feeling a comforting arm on her shoulder. She knew that nobody else could see it, that it probably wasn't real. Perhaps that made it more special.
"You say that you arrived at the house and found Jakob, injured, in the celler" Sergent King continued, "What made you, after a year, decide to check your sisters house?"
Adrienne gulped, she hadn't been expecting that.
"Did Edna tell you that Jakbo was there?" he asked "Or did you speak to someone else about it?"
She didn't know what to say. How could she explain that a little girl had been talking to her dead husband?
"I-" Adrienne croaked "I had a feeling"
"A feeling" sergent King repeated, "It must have been a very strong feeling. I gather that you climbed out of a hospital window to get to Jakob. Did you know that he was injured?"
She felt the grip on her shoulder tighten.
"I knew that Edna was cruel to him" she said carefully "And I wanted to protect him"
Sergent King sighed, clearly frustrated.
"We don't need to beunderstanding each other"he said"How did you found out that Jakob was living with your step sister? Ypu told me a moment ago that when you were released from prison, the files had been lost. And that you had no idea where your son was"
The tape recorder clicked, making Adrienne even more edgy.
"I find it odd" he pressed on "That you seemed to just discover where Jakob was, on the very day you were hospitalised"
Adrienne took a sip of water, trying to clear the lump from her throat.
"Did someone at the hospital discuss your son's whereabouts with you. Or perhaps someone from the school"
She didn't know what to say, it was so hard thinking of all the right answers as fast as he was asking the questions.
"It wasn't anyone at Longview Lane" she lied "I guess it was just instinct"
Thankfully, the interrogation was interrupted when a loud knock echoed through the room.
"Come in" called the sergent, and, for the benefit of the tape, said "Segent Keller has entered the room"
Segent Keller proceeded to hand Sergent King a piece of paper. Clearly he did not want Adrienne to see it, for he was shielding it with a heavilt tattooed arm.
"Hmm" Sergent King said warily, "You're sure?"
"She's a respectable woman" Segent Keller replied, "I doubt she's lying"
Sergent King turned to Adrienne
"It seems a neighbour witnessed the incident" he told her, "You are free to go"
----------------------------------------------
"Jakob" Adrienne whispered, pushing open the heavy white door. She gasped in horror when she saw him. He was painfully thin, as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before. His eyes were swollen, a combination of Edna's punches and crying. Several long gashes ran down the side of his face
"Mmff" he mumbled softly.
Adrienne took his hand.
"It's all right darling" she said, "It's over.
Over the next few weeks, Jakob grw stronger until he was finally allowed to leave the hospital.
"Mum" he said worriedly, "Are we going back to America?"
Adrienne considered it. She had grown to like Stoneston, and she had many good friends there. But Jakob had been through so much. She didn't want to force him to go there if he really didn't want to.
"It's up to you honey" she said, "We can go back to America, or we could stay in Stoneston"
Jakob thought carefully. Did he really want to go back to having reporters hovering outside the house day and night? Did he want to go back to a school where he was taunted for being in the papers every day. Did he want to hear elderly ladies say "Your Dad got what he deserved, cheeky so and so. These singers always think they're so important."
"I want to go to Stoneston" he decides
And he took Adrienne's hand, lifted the bag containing the only possessions recovered from Edna's house, and the two made there way to the waiting taxi. Together, at last.
THE END
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