The attic - Chapter 21

Vincent had a very restless night and Billy ended up sleeping with him in his bed that night. Moira had a terrible headache from the blow to her head and Billy let her sleep in. It was nearly nine o clock when Billy brought her some coffee. They had to be at the psychologist's offices at ten and that gave her little time to finish. Billy had already made breakfast and a minute later Vincent came into the room with a tray.

"Hmm breakfast in bed. You two are going to spoil me." She thanked them and they left her alone to eat. She finished her breakfast and could hear them in the bathroom getting ready. She lay back on her pillow and ran the previous night's conversation through her head. It was amazing that Vincent came out whole on the other side and she was terrified at the thought of him ever going back to that man. Anyone who could do that to a child did not deserve to walk around freely.

Sheriff Jones phoned just as she was about to get up. He asked her to come down to the office as he had some new information. Moira briefly discussed the conversation with the sheriff with Billy before she jumped in the shower. He suggested that he'd drop her off at the sheriff's office while he takes Vincent to see the psychologist.

On the way she sent a copy of the audio file to Billy's phone, so that he could play the recording to the psychologist. Vincent was quite happy to go with Billy and Moira was utterly shocked and somewhat surprised when she walked into the sheriff's office, and there was a lady there waiting to talk with her. Sheriff Jones introduced the lady as Susan, and Moira immediately realized that the woman sitting next to her was Vincent's mother. She had a little girl with her that was about six or seven year's old and she looked so much like Vincent that it scared Moira.

Moira was quite annoyed and hardly greeted the woman sitting next to her. Sheriff Jones closed the door behind them and took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"Mrs Lambert is here to talk about Vincent."

Moira couldn't get herself to talk to Susan. She just nodded and tried to turn a deaf ear to what she was saying. Susan began to tell her story.

"I was totally messed up when I got pregnant with Vincent. I was a drug addict at the time, but I immediately stopped when I found out I was pregnant. Alister was my handler at the time and I didn't want my husband to find out. He had no idea that Vincent was not his child."

Susan took a sip of water and sighed. She continued.

"I owed Alister a lot of money. My husband was a heavy drinker at that time, and could become very abusive. I protected Vincent as best as I could, but eventually I left him. I met my second husband not too long after but that didn't last very long. Alister kept on phoning and threatening me. I just couldn't handle it anymore."

Susan started crying but Moira did not feel sorry for her one little bit.

"Vincent was only six year's old when his father kidnapped him. It was a horrible time and my first husband turned his life around. He stopped drinking and has ever since not taken one drink. We eventually got back together and was absolutely devastated when the police found the body of that little boy behind our house. We thought it was Vincent. During that time the threatening phone calls stopped and I had hoped that Alister had given up. We went through the grieving process of losing a child.....I got pregnant a few months later with Maggie."

Susan pointed at the girl sitting outside in the waiting area, and cried even louder. Sheriff Jones, handed her a handkerchief and after she wiped her eyes, she continued again.

"Vincent must have been nine year's old at that time...when I received a phone call one night from Alister. He told me that Vincent was alive. He threatened to kill Maggie if I came close...and I knew that he was capable of doing such a thing. I begged him to let me see Vincent but he wouldn't let me see him. I put my pride in my pocket and decided that I had to see him, so I visited him once on his birthday...but I wasn't even allowed to talk to him. Alister chased me away."

Moira couldn't listen anymore and burst out in rage.

"You left him there. Do you have any idea what this man did to this child. You should not be allowed to be a mother! "

Susan sobbed uncontrollably and had nothing else to say for herself.

"You should rot in jail for what you allowed to happen to Vincent! Listen to the recording and then we can talk again."

Moira put her phone on the table and pressed the play button. She walked outside to smoke a cigarette.

She was absolutely furious that one person could be so ignorant. When she was done, she went back inside.

"You should not have left him, you should have phoned the police." Moira said, still filled with such rage that she could hardly speak.

"I'm sorry I didn't know what he was doing to Vincent. If I had known, I would've but it was a difficult situation."

"Listen lady, if Vincent was my child, I would have fought my arms off to get him back. You are not fit to be anyone's mother."

Moira got up and slammed the door of the office. When she got outside, Vincent and Billy was already waiting for her. They were just about to drive away when sheriff Jones called Billy and asked them to come back inside.

-To be continued-

Chapter 1 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-1

Chapter 2 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-2

Chapter 3 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-3

Chapter 4 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-4

Chapter 5- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-5

Chapter 6- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-6

Chapter 7- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-7

Chapter 8 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-8

Chapter 9 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-9

Chapter 10 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-10

Chapter 11 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-11