June 7th, 50XX239Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmfHbLQcKi
Monday
Franny pulls Kate into the station by her arm, passing everyone.
"Ah, I see you actually solved one of the missing teen cases. Not many officers do." Says Jim, peering over from his desk.
She ignores him and continues on right towards her sergeant. "Seargeant."
"Yes, I heard. You found the Friday girl.
Well, put her in a holding cell and then come talk to me. Dispatch said you found your missing son too..."
She nods her head and then pulls Kate again towards the cells, unlocking the door to one. "In, I don't have anymore time for this now." Franny says hastily.
Kate takes a seat, crosses her legs and arms, glaring angrily at Franny as she watches her leave, taking hers and her sons backpacks with her.
After some time, Franny returns, looking calmer. "Hey, Kate."
"....."
"You're not a very talkative one are you?"
"....."
"It's okay, my son wasn't either at times.
I'd like it if you could come with me further outback to one of the desks so you and me can have a little chat about what happened earlier. I also need to call your parents and tell them I've found you." She explains, unlocking the door.
Kate stands up and obliges, but is still silent as ever. When she takes a seat at a desk near Franny, Franny begins the batch of questions, Kate's not going to answer.
"So, Kate. Why did you leave home on Friday?"
"....."
"Did you get into an argument with your parents at all?"
She keeps trying, but Kate doesn't say a word so she begins to give up, left with only two questions to ask.
"Are you apart of the Rainbow Teen Movement? Just curious."
"....."
"Okay. When did you up taken by the man... that was shot and killed? Did he do anything else to you?"
"....."
"I'm going to call your parents now, okay?" And Franny lifts up the receiver.
It doesn't take long and someone answers. "Hello, this is Officer Franny calling out of a dual district: Stagmis-North Heaven Police Station. Yes, I've located your daughter.
She's with me now. Would you like to talk to her? Sure, of course." And she holds out the phone to Kate.
"Kate?"
Kate takes it, listening, but doesn't say a word. "Ummm." Franny adds on, gently taking the phone back.
"Sorry, I put her on. But you're daughter won't really talk at all. When do you think you and your husband would be able to come get her?
In a hour? His the one who drives, you don't have a license. That's okay, I understand."
"His not my Dad."
"I'm sorry, one moment. Your daughter said something." And she places her hand over the phone.
"What did you say Kate?"
"His not my Dad."
"Okay... Yes, I'm still here. You're daughter is saying, 'his not my Dad', do you know if she means your husband?
Oh, her biological Dad died in a car accident? I see... And you got re-married, that's what she means.
Was everything okay between you and your daughter? Does she and your husband, her step-dad not get along?
Because we haven't ascertained the reason she left your home. You sure?
Everything is okay there, between all of you? Well, okay. I'll see you both in a hour, bye." And Franny hangs up the phone.
"You sure you don't want to talk to me, Kate? I am a police officer, is everything okay at home?"
"I'm scared." She whispers. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. You need to speak up." Franny responds.
Kate is silent, looking at her with shaking eyes. "Oh, I get you now. Umm, let me go talk to my Seargent. I'll be right back." Franny says, standing and exiting the room.
Kate can hear them from the other room.
"You seriously want to call child services?"
"Yes, I do. I think her whole situation warrants an investigation. The girl barely speaks and I don't think she's just shaken up from her the situation I found her in.
She left home on a Friday, long weekend, pretending she was going to school. That was planned out on her part and she later ran into trouble.
I got ahold of her Mum on the phone and Kate wouldn't even speak to her."
"So, the girl doesn't have alot to say. Big whoop, Franny, you always look for something where there just sometimes isn't.
The girl and her folks probably aren't getting along, let them sort that out themselves. Do not personally get involved in this, and by the way?
You didn't report your son missing for a week and now look where it got you and him? His dead and luckily, Kate's alive and can be returned to her parents."
"But-"
"No, if's or but's! Now, go back and sit with Kate till her parents arrive."
---
An hour passes slowly and finally, Kate's Mum and Step-Dad show up. Kate tenses up. "Hey, it's okay. I'll talk to them first before you have to go with them. It's okay, I promise." Franny tells her, taking the lead.
She heads out there, Kate gently following her. "Mr and Mrs Bennson! Hello, I'm Officer Franny Day who found your daughter."
"Yes, hi Officer Day. I hope our daughter wasn't too much trouble for you." Mr Bennson answers.
"Not at all, Sir. In-fact, she doesn't speak much..."
"Where's my baby?! Kate, Mummy's here!" Panics Mrs Bennson.
"What did I tell you? There's nothing wrong here." She sees her Seargent whisper. Kate's Mum runs up to her, hugging her tightly and crying while Kate just stands there, emotionless and unresponsive.
"If I can ask Mr Bennson-"
"No, go ahead, Officer. What is it?"
"Any idea why your daughter left home on Friday?"
"Oh, that. She and I had a little disagreement over something, Thursday night and then I forgot School was cancelled on Friday.
You see, I had to go to work and my Wife, she... had some errands to run like groceries so we trusted Kate to walk herself off to school. We both forgot momentarily it was the long weekend and by the time we realized, Kate was long gone and un-findable.
Now, if you don't mind. We'll take her home." He smiles, heading towards his wife and Kate.
"Hey, Kate. The car's outside, let's go home now. We can go through the drive through on the way home. Vanilla milkshakes, you're favourite?" He says, taking his daughters arm and wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.
"It's strawberry." Kate says, voice super quiet and then Franny sees it.
Not once had she looked at the back of Kate the whole time. Beneath her ponytail, on her neck is a bad bruise.
"Actually, not so fast, Mr Bennson." She says, gently taking Kate's other arm.
"I have to ask, how do you intend to discipline Kate for running away from home?"
"Oh, uh, you know. Same way most people do. I'll see to it she is appropriately punished. You gave your Mum quite a scare, Kate."
"Physical punishment may be legal... but you cannot leave bruises and genuine injuries."
"Excuse me? What are you implying? That I hit my daughter?"
"Oh, baby. You're neck, it bruised up again. I remember when you walked backwards into the coat stand. Don't worry, when we get home, Mummy can put some cream on it. Did you sleep on the ground last night?" Mrs Bennson says, gently covering the bruise up with her daughters ponytail again.
"Is that how you got the bruise, Kate?" Franny asks. "Kate, come on now. Tell the officer the truth." Mr Bennson says, placing a hand on his daughters shoulder.
"Sir, I ask that you refrain from touching your daughter." She snaps.
"Well, you're touching her too. Let go of her arm!" He demands and Franny let's go.
"Kate, is everything really okay at home?"
"I can't believe she's implying this. You're seriously accusing me of physical child abuse?"
Kate nods her head yes, but her lips which he can't see, she mouths, 'No'.
"Mr and Mrs Bennson, I'm afraid you can't leave with your daughter. I will be calling child services and they will do a full investigation."
"Come on! She told you everything was okay, herself."
"Kate, go back to the desk in the back I was using and wait there, okay?" Franny tells her. She nods and heads back there while arguing ensues for a few minutes.
After a few minutes of arguing, Franny heads out back to Kate who's clutching her backpack and talking to someone at the window. Franny quickly shuts the door behind her when she sees him.
"Julian." She whispers harshly. "What are you doing here?"
"I've been watching, Franny. That guy in there, his a child abuser, I know it.
His giving off all those vibes."
"Well, I do agree. This situation doesn't feel right."
"And you know child services won't actually investigate thoroughly? They're shotty most of the time."
"I want to go, let me go." Kate speaks up a little. "Please, Officer Franny." And she gives her the puppy eyes.
"Ugh, you know what? Fuck it. What have I got to lose anymore? My son is dead, he was the only thing keeping me here and from acting out.
I'm done. Fuck our country, fuck out tyrannical leader, fuck the scum who walk the streets. I'm tired of living my life like this anymore, I'm tired of this job."
"Franny, get your bag and your sons bag now and come with me. You and Kate have about one minute.
I'll go start up my van, and you booth exit out the fire door here, and just run to me."
Kate nods enthustically and hands her backpack to him. He takes it and Franny picks up her shoulder bag and her sons backpack, handing them to him and removes her radio, placing it on the desk. As useful as it would be to take it so they know where police are, the ones issued to them contain trackers. She once broke hers open and took a look around before figuring out how to put the casing back on.
He takes them, slyly sprinting back to his van, not being seen by anyone inside the police station.
He starts up the engine and carefully opens the door so Franny and Kate can easily hop inside. He signals to to them, 'Now' and Franny pushes open the door, fire alarm going off and pushes Kate to run first.
As they run across the lot, Kate's parents inside begin to panic, a few officers too. "She's kidnapping my daughter!"
"Hey, who's van is that in the lot? Someone get the license plate!" Jim yells, officers running outside after the van, but Kate followed by Franny have already made it and Franny pulls the door closed behind them.
Julian hits the gas, reversing and then drives forward, speeding out onto the street, dodging a car or two.
"We need to get out of town now, I have a place I'm camping at. We'll do a quick stop-over there." He says, as Franny helps Kate into a seat, doing her seatbelt up while trying to steady herself.
"Why are you doing this, Julian?" Franny asks him.
"Because this world is messed up, obviously. You know that, Franny. I'll do whatever it takes to make someone's life better even if I die trying.
And right now, it seems the ones who need the help the most right now is Kate and you. She's afraid of her Dad, do you not see that? Her Mum's going along with it because she's scared of him.
And you've forgotten where you came from, you're roots. The real you, who you we're before.
Let me help you find her again. Also, I have the photos of your son. Breaking into your patrol car without setting the alarm off was easy. You can thank me later."
And he hands her the photos she had blue tacked to her dash. She takes a long hard look at them, Kate starting to lean against her a bit so she can look at them too. Franny moves away a bit, forcing distance between her and Kate.
239Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pB5h0rknZ
