Little Shelby Girl

Part 30. John's right

Tommy's POV

"Shall I go after her?" Arthur asks. 

I shake my head. "Let her be. I'll talk to her later. We have to deal with the bodies first before someone finds them."  

"How'd you know for sure they're dead?" John says. 

"Oh they're dead. You two might had a complete mental alienation, but I hadn't. You did not left much of their faces." 

"Hm.. What about you Tom?" John scoffs. 

I ignore it, knowing what he means, knowing he's right. I molested to kid. 

"What about the other two? They saw us."

"Arthur please shut up about it. They have no proof, I'll sort it out okay. Rather think about a way of making this up to Vive. I told her this morning we one of us would pick her up from school and we..."

"Got held up." He finishes my sentence. "We couldn't do anything about it Tom."

I nod. "How's that make the situation better? Look at her. Hardly haven't seen her without cuts, bruises and tears this whole fucking year for Christ sake." I spat back.

"Well, this time she started it herself by sneaking away with that boy..." John suddenly interferes. 

I frown my eyebrows, not really sure what he's meaning by that.

"So?" I ask. 

"Well, she could've expected trouble and we warned her."

"John, she's just a child..." Arthur says calm. 

"Yes and that's the exact reason we warned her, because she's a child. Now we killed three other children because of that shit." He responds. 

I'm trying to calm my nerves but as he wants to continue something snaps inside.

"John! Shut your fucking mouth. Haven't you done anything stupid at her age, oi? Does sneaking out with a boy mean it's her fault she gets assaulted and humiliated by a whole bunch of guys?"

It's a rhetorical question which he seems to get. He pulls up his eyebrow and looks at Arthur.

"You know what I mean right? Of course she didn't deserve it, I'm just saying that's what you get when you don't listen."

"Would you say the same to your daughter if she was her age John?" I scoff back at him.

"Alright, alright, let's just all... stay calm." Arthur interferes. "John, go to Charlie and tell him about the bodies. 

"I'll go to the shop and tell Polly about all of this and I'll come back later today."

I nod at him. They both leave and when I hear the front door close I pour myself a drink and light a cigarette. With my elbow I open the door of the living room. Vive is sleeping on the couch, her face pointed towards the pillows beside her. I'm glad she's not awake and didn't overheard us. 

Not long after John and Arthur left the house Polly storms inside and in one line towards my workroom. 

"Where is she?" She almost screams to me. 

"Calm down Pol. She's asleep." I answer as I look up from my paperwork. 

"That's not an answer. Arthur told me what you did." A blank and scared face expression falls over her. I cross my arms and lean back onto my chair.

"... killed three kids?" She continues. 

I shake my head. 

"They were hardly kids and I know for sure you would have done the same if you kne..."