The Arrest
The Arrest
Emma
His back against us was like a dark wall that I feared to grow stronger, then it hit me that he might have been the one to have killed Grandmother, yet he is here. I wanted to kick him out, glare at him, but there was the fear that trapped me in one place; all I could do was stand and dread the moment our eyes met. Liam didn’t allow that.
While Father turned to face me, Liam was already standing in between.
“Where are my manners? Good day, everyone. I am Wilson Taylor, one only son of the old bones fresh in coffin, laid six feet under, and that…” I saw his hand pointing past Liam towards me. “That is my daughter, and this…” He pointed at my wife. “Is the reason I am the way I am today.” I would have agreed and believed Father if I didn’t know the behind story, if I didn’t listen to those days when Ms. Racheal used to talk about her lost friend. But still, I hated her for leaving me with this man.
“Why are you here, Wilson?” Harietta questioned, there was fear in her voice, and I assumed she must have had a taste of Wilson’s Violence before she decided to leave me.
“I’m her son, darling, how can my family be here and I won’t be? ”
“Stop this madness. We all know you are a suspect; you killed her, didn't you?”
“She begged you to stay, y'know, but you left me with that your gabbage lookalike, daughter of a bitch, you–” Liam had marched forward and punched Father to the point he was staggering.
“Don’t you ever call her that,” Liam warned. Father's dark face dissolved after he looked around to meet the other Andersons.
“My bad, I forgot my daughter has gotten tangled with the rich; however, I would love to ask for some privacy with my wife and my daughter.”
“I believe neither of them wants to be alone with you. I’ve heard a lot about you, and I had dug out what you did to your mother.” Mrs. Anderson stepped forward so she’s no longer holding her husband up but instead standing by her son, both of them shielding me. Which, of course, was unusual.
“Let’s list them out, shall we? Violence against your pregnant ex-wife,” My gaze shifted to Mother, and that was when I noticed her hands were shaking heavily, but I ignored it.
“Violence against a child, stalking the heir of Vortex, invading a lady's home and sending threats, invading and stealing from my son’s hotel, violence against the elderly, illegal gambling, raped a little girl to death, and since you wanted money to flee the country, you returned to get money from your Mother, who was recovering from a surgery. She had refused to give you what you asked for, then you went to kill her.”
I was shocked. Liam had made it clear he was a suspect, but I guess a part of me still wished and believed a son wouldn’t kill his mother. Then I recalled Granny’s wide eyes, she was shocked, she hadn’t expected her own son to do that to him. I pushed Liam aside, marching up to my father, only for someone to jump in, slapping him across his face with her bag. Mother was crying at the same time, trying to fight the useless man who was just laughing. It was getting so hard to breathe. Father was laughing, he came here with no expectation, he knew we knew about his crimes, and he came to slap it to our faces that he’s the least sorry about them. My vision blurred, and I didn’t realize I was about to fall until Liam held onto me.
“Emma.”
I’m sorry, Granny, I couldn’t give you a proper farewell. A tear slipped down my cheeks, everything slowly crashing down and leaving me vulnerable, and I was too weak to look at my father, who kept laughing, or reject the hold of Harietta.
“Yes, this is for abandoning me, I don’t fucking care what becomes of me after this, it just feels good to see y’all in pain.” He laughed harder, and I sobbed harder.
“Get him out of here.” Mrs Anderson ordered, with a pack of guards I didn’t know flooding around father and pulling him away. The murderer didn’t struggle, he just kept humming and laughing his eyes on his mother as they pulled him away. And it reminded me who had caused all this.
“Let go of me.” I pushed her away.
“I told you to fucking stay away,”
“Mum is sorry-”
“You are not my mother!” I yelled, breathing hard, and I expected her to walk away, to leave like she did years ago, but instead she went on her knees, bowing her head to the grass.
“Please, Emma, let me fix all I have done. I know I can never make up those years I left you with that bastard, but I want to erase them, I want to be a good mother to you this time.” She said in between sobs but I recalled all the years in school I watched others getting picked up by their Mothers, while I’d walked back home alone.
My chest ached so much, it felt like I was burning inside, and it was difficult for me to turn away from my mother. But I asked the pastor to go on while the extra men who had received a whole detail of my family issues, began to pour the sand, covering Grandmother’s coffin. I wiped my tears again and again and again, but the tears were unending. The funeral had ended and I had turned to leave, Mother was still kneeling, I was shocked Fiona wasn’t doing anything, she had been quiet since she arrived and she also stay far away from us, even farther than Mr. Anderson who was another quiet person, aside dropping a flower and stating his condolences, but I din’t care about the Anderson parents, not when I had a lot on my plate.
Liam who had been by my side for the past few hard days, had held onto me as always, while I coldly walked past by my mother, but I had just taken a few steps past her when police cars pulled up with utmost emergency and they were out with guns, yelling for us to drop down, no one did, if anything Mother stood to her feet and Mr. Anderson who had been quiet had walked up to them.
“Mr. Anderson,” They bowed, all bringing down their weapons. My heart raced as I couldn’t predict what was about to happen.
“What brings you here, officers?” Mr. Anderson questioned.
“Sir, it has been reported that Ms. Emma Taylor has been working for an illegal drug company.” My heart stopped beating, and everything slowly began to fall to the background except the clap of the one who had been far and quiet. Fiona.