don't get me wrong () prodigal son SLOW UPDATES

Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen:

It was dark, and the hallways smelled musty. Theodora trailed behind Malcolm, who walked in front of her with determination.

Men dressed in all white milled around, and it seemed security in this particular wing had gone up. Each man looked miserable, and only glared when she tried to give them a smile.

Malcolm came to a stop, but Theodora was to busy ignoring a new guards glare and ran into him. She stepped back, "Oops, sorry."

He glanced at her, "Ready?"

"Are you?"

The door opened without his response, and they both made their way in.

Dr Martin Whitly sat on a leather office chair, a leg draped over the other as he spun around to face his son.

"Malcolm!" He exclaimed, "I see you got my messages."

Theodora moved, standing next to his son. The man's grin was unmoving, "And Theodora Jay, I'm surprised you came back. Come, let's solve a murder."

Malcolm took a step forward, "The only thing I want from you is the truth. Tell me what you did to me."

"Ok, let's take a seat—"

"No."

Martin sighed, "Alright, ask me anything."

"I've been remembering things, about my childhood." He began walking around, occasionally glancing at his father.

"Good things?" He stood up, taking a few small steps towards them.

"The girl in the box. After I found her, did you drug me? To keep me from calling the police?"

Martin shook his head with an exasperated sigh, "Malcolm, when was the last time you slept through the night?"

"You used chloroform, didn't you? On a ten year old—"

"They make it look so easy in the movies. But it's very tricky stuff, ya know? The wrong dose can easily kill you."

Theodora pursed her lips, shaking her head slowly. This man was insane.

"Which is a long way of telling you, No! Of course I did not drug you—"

Malcolm raised his voice, "The girl I saw—"

"Wasn't real. I... I may have done some bad things but I never did that."

"Understatement of the decade." Theodora muttered, earning a glare from her friend. It seemed he was always doing that.

Martin ignored her as well, "If you don't believe me, ask your Mother, ask the police! We all agreed there was never a girl in a box."

"You're wrong. And you know that." Malcolm huffed, "Come on, Theo."

Martin took a hasty step forward, "You're after a-a family annihilator, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Theodora stopped, tugging on his suit jacket, causing him to stop.

"Your suspect, this Liam guy. On the cover of the Daily News, this is your profile, isn't it?"

Malcolm shook his head, staring at his father who held a newspaper in his cuffed hands.

"My profile is constantly evolving."

The older man took a seat, "Ah. And your method is a mix of psychology and on-the-fly improvisation. I love it." He sighed, "I've always been fascinated by familicide. To love ones family that much. Perverted yes. Narcissistic? Sure. But love—"

"Love?" Malcolm questioned, "But you didn't kill any of us."

"Well, I'm not an annihilator. Love didn't drive me to kill anyone. No, it drove me to have you."

Theodora stepped towards the door, just as her friend sighed and muttered "I'm leaving."

But instead of leaving, he turned on his heels and looked his father in the eyes. "And you're wrong. It's not always about who they love. It's about who loves them. This annihilator was consumed by his hatred for Aristos, but..."

Theodora's eyes widened, she whacked Malcolm's chest. "He didn't love them back! Aristos—"

"Liam didn't care enough about his family to kill them." He looked down at Theodora, "He wanted out. He-he even changed his name."

"This wasn't Liam, not when the killer wanted in. That's why he made Aristos watch the others die, he was punishing him! Taking away the one thing he never got—"

"Family." They both said in unison, eyes bright with revelation. No wonder they couldn't get Liam to crack, he wasn't the one they were looking for.

"So maybe the killer saw Aristos as a father figure?" Martin questioned, pulling himself to his feet.

"No, no." Theodora shook her head, mind connecting the pieces. "Maybe he was his father. But why didn't JT find another kid?"

"I think we're looking for an illegitimate child." Malcolm said.

Martin's eyes widened, "Oh, my goodness, are we solving the crime right now?"

"No you're not. Malcolm and I are." Theodora raised a hand, to which Malcolm grabbed and lead her towards the door before knocking on it. "We have to go."

"It all moves so quickly." Martin's voice raised, excitement lingering. "Well, let me know what happens! Remember, my door is always open!"

Theodora glanced back as the doors were shoved open, saluting the man. "See you next time, Martin."

The man only rolled his eyes, watching as they left. Malcolm began talking, and when she looked over he was on the phone.

"Gil. It wasn't Liam." He said, "The snakes, the killer was using them to frame Liam, annihilate the black sheep of the family by having him take the fall for the crime."

There was a long pause, then Malcolm exclaimed, "What?"

He stopped, and so did she. Malcolm stared at the screen of his phone, clicking end.

"What happened?" She asked, worry laced in her voice.

"Liam killed himself. Jumped from his fathers building."

"What!"

"Gil still thinks he's our guy."

Theodora huffed, walking again. They were out the doors in no time, back in another cab and down the street in seconds. Malcolm told the driver where to go, and Theodora shook her head staring in front of her. The black fabric of the seat a blank canvas where her mind laid out pictures and clues.

"An illegitimate child. Who could it be?"

"Don't know." Malcolm snickered, fixing the cuffs of his suit. "But we're going to find out."