Chapter 53: TRAUMATIC MEMORIES
Vincent
Some time later.
Going through all the contents of her clients was a pain in the ass, but soon I found something that gave me a clue for the next step. Writing my notes on the blank paper, I marked the most suspicious people from her portfolio. The results left me with three people in particular being at fault, and one of them was the culprit.
Glancing down at my girl, I noticed that she’s asleep, so I regretfully shook her awake with a kiss on her head.” Baby, wake up. I found something and I need your assistance,” I whispered against her ear. She slowly opened her eyes and immediately yawned.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Look at these three men. Do you remember them?”
Showing the files with their pictures attached, adding my notes with those, she tried to squint her eyes to see better. When her vision cleared, I watched her face closely, any signs of recognition about any of them, and soon I was right, her eyes immediately stuck on one person only, so I got rid of the other two, so we have only the last remaining one.
“Tell me what you remember. Did he do anything to you? Ask you anything out of the ordinary, breaching work ethics? I need to know everything,” my voice was firm, steady.
Detective Mr. De La Roche was in his element, so I needed to be firmer if I needed to get an answer. Since it was my job, I was experienced enough to deal with victims for questioning.
Arianna’s lip quivered, her face ashen when she kept staring at the man, and for a stupid thought, I felt jealous that she had all his attention. Clenching my fists, my harsh breath wakes her up from her frozen stance.
My gaze trails over her throat when she nervously swallows, the move making her look even more fragile. Her voice is quiet when she answers.
“I remember him. He…he was one of my clients about three years ago. I tried to forget him so I could stop thinking about it. My paintings made me forget, and then you came into my life; it was like he never existed. Now…all the memories are coming back…” lost for words, it was hard to manage a sentence because of her trembling body. Even her voice got weaker.
She was afraid of the man. Mortified.
My eyes twitched, and I had the urge to do something gruesome, but I resisted for the fear of scaring my girl further.
“Did he touch you? Hurt you?” The snarl still came out, my control snapping in two.
How come I didn’t know about him? I checked everything and knew anyone who met with her when she sold her art. How come I missed someone who obviously did something to Arianna, to give her so much fear?
The bastard didn’t deserve to be in her memories, especially bad ones. What the fuck did he do to her?
It was hard to see when darkness reached out to me, my craving for blood making me lose my mind. Still, I tried to focus on her voice.
“He…he tried to assault me,” she whispers the words so low that it was hard to hear anything, but the words still reached my ears. They started even ringing when my eyes pulsed with consuming anger, the room’s temperature dropping even lower after her dark confession.
The air sparkled with unwanted dark energy; our breathing was the only thing heard in the silent room, my body tense, ready to explode any minute.
“He did what?” My whisper was chilling, and I was afraid to unleash my inner monster because I didn’t want to scare her.
Don’t. You will only make things worse.
With a tic in my jaw, my hand trembled from anger when I turned her face to mine so I could look at her. I wanted to carve her memory out of her brain so she doesn’t remember it anymore, but it was too late; the damage was done.
Her eyes swelled with tears, and I cursed.
I will fucking murder him ten times worse if he touched her.
The bastard’s face was already ingrained in my memory.
Bald head: Rare mismatched eyes. One black and the other white, like he was blinded by that one.Thirty years old. 5’9 inches tall but fitted enough to take out a man his size.
Tattoos on both of his arms and an ugly scar on his cheek.
Brian Wilson.
He will beg for death when I’m done with him.