My shelter from the storm

Chapter 5

Anita

I jolt awake from a nightmare, breathing rapidly. As I look around my surroundings, I remember I'm in the hospital. Raven lay next to me, asleep with her head wrapped and casts on her left arm and leg. Tears well in my eyes from relief that my nightmare was wrong. She's alive, not dead.

My nightmares usually consist of the truth, they usually consist of the tragic night five years ago. I find myself lightly tracing over her lips until those green eyes meet mine. One look in mine and I know she can see something is bothering me.

"I'm still here," she whispers soothingly as if she could read exactly what I was thinking.

I nod vigorously as the tears fall rapidly down my cheeks. I give her a kiss and feel someone tap my leg. I look behind me at Amelia and she had fresh tears in her eyes. "Can I lay with Daddy," she asks in a choked whisper.

I nod, stealing one more kiss before climbing out of the bed. Amelia carefully climbs in and takes my place, sobbing in Raven's neck. Raven holds her the best she can to try and console the child, but it was of no use. It's clear how close they are and for Amelia to react this way makes me want to find Joe and kill him myself.

Lexi walks in, looking like she just ran a marathon. "We got him," she says once she finally catches her breath. "We're about to interrogate him now."

"I'm coming with you," I say as rage fills my senses.

"It's not safe for you Anita," Lexi pleads with me.

"I wasn't asking for your permission," I snap and leave the room, dragging her with me. "That son of a bitch killed my family, nearly killed Ray. I'm not standing on the sidelines. Let me sit with him for a few minutes. I'm sure he'll confess to everything and slip unknown information we could use to find his help."

Her eyes widen and asks, "You heard all that last night?"

"Get someone to guard this room because I'm not losing anyone else," I choke quietly and she nods with understanding.

"We heard her Lexi," one of three detectives who were friends with my parents say in sympathy.

"Thanks Mark," I say with relief. "Amelia doesn't know I'm her sister so please don't tell her anything different than what she's known all her life. She thinks I'm her mother and Ray is her father."

They nod with understanding and enter the room. I let Lexi lead me to her car and together we ride in silence. Once at the station she leads me directly to where they were waiting to question Joe. At first her Captain was against it but one look in my eyes quickly made him change his mind.

Before entering the room, I compose myself. Tears fill my eyes as I think back to the man I once called uncle and see if I walk down memory lane he'll spill the beans. I enter the room and noticed he was cuffed to the table. I take the seat in front of him clearly seeing the shocked look in his eyes.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes before I ask in a choked whisper, "What happened Uncle Joe? What happened to the man who dressed up as Santa while Avery and I were kids? What happened to the man that took us to Disneyland the year before Mom had Henry?"

More silence as I watch what I said get to him. I could see the emotions clear in his eyes. After a few moments pure rage fills his eyes. "He changed when his best friend didn't acknowledge him for his part in the security development," he snarls.

I reach in my purse for the document my father had and slid it over to Joe. "Read it," I choke quietly.

I watch his eyes flit over the words on the page before he looks up with tears in his eyes. "I didn't know Anita. What have I done," he asks as the tears fall.