CONCEAL, chapter Eight

Hey another chapter. I'm bored. It's just me and my sister ("Angel16660") but my little brother is coming over later. W00t. I dunno where my other sister is o.O XD Please review! Thanks for all the great reviews from last chapter.

It was the weekend, so going to the school was not an option, and waiting for a Monday was useless. They still had the copy of Brandon's school file, so Olivia and Elliot took down Brandon's address while Munch and Fin headed off to talk to Kristyn's two brothers.

142 West Street

Lower Manhattan

Arrington/Brookeshire Residence

Olivia knocked on the door. It was in a much nicer part of town, and twice the size of homes where they usually went. After a moment, a little girl answered. They guessed that it was Kayla Brookshire; Brandon and Derek's six-year-old half-sister. "Hi, sweetie. Is your mommy or daddy here?" Olivia asked. The little girl nodded and walked away, leaving the door open.

Brandon saw them and stomped over to the door. "Mom, Richard, I got it," he screamed and slammed the door.

"Look, you've interviewed me like ten times now. I don't have anything else to tell you. Do you know what they're talking about at school? If someone sees you here...I don't want to be lumped with what's happening, okay? Just please go away!" Brandon yelled.

"Brandon, we know what really happened," Elliot said.

Brandon snorted. "You don't know shit. Go to hell, Detective."

"Brandon, do you care about Kristyn?" Elliot demanded, grabbing his arm. Brandon stiffened.

"I sort of didn't have a choice, now did I?" Brandon demanded. "I walked in that room and I had to care or he would've killed us. I wish he had killed us!" Brandon screamed.

"Brandon, talk to us!" Olivia exclaimed.

"You want me to talk to you? First, you get me away from here. Okay? Then we'll talk," he snapped, motioning towards his house. "I can't let my stepdad hear anything. I can't. He'll kick me out. He has a bad temper and I don't want something that I did to affect my brother or sister."

"I'll take you away to talk, but don't bullshit this, Brandon."

"Look I know about what happened with Kristyn. If it'll help her I'll do it," he said through gritted teeth.

690 Eastern Avenue

Thomaston Children's Home

Munch and Fin sat in separate small rooms. Fin was talking to the younger brother, Eric and Munch to the older boy, Aaron.

Fin watched Eric draw a picture. "What are you drawing?" Fin asked.

"My family," Eric said simply.

"Who all is in your family?"

"It use to be my daddy, my big brother and my big sister."

"Hey, Eric, I have a couple of questions for you. Is it okay if I ask them now?"

Eric nodded.

"Did you ever see your daddy maybe hurt your sister?" He asked. Eric sighed and put the crayon down. "My daddy said I couldn't tell no one, because then we might get separated," he explained.

"Well, Eric, if you tell us we might be able to help your big sister."

"Kristyn?" He asked, smiling. "Could I see her?"

Fin thought. He didn't want to give a little kid false hopes. "We'll see."

"Ooh cool! Well you can't tell anyone what I told you, okay?" He whispered.

"I might have to tell my partner, Mr. Munch and our boss. Is that okay?"

The little boy shrugged and went on.

"One time I heard my sister cryin'. I wanted to make sure she was okay. I went into my daddy's room but he wasn't in there. Then I went into her room and she was crying and my daddy had his hand in the blanket. I asked her if she was okay. He told me to get out. Later he told me I couldn't say anything about what I saw or I'd get in tons of trouble and he might not be able to see me."

Fin rubbed his temples. "Anything else, Eric?"

"Sometimes he got real mad and hit her. Like slapped her. Not spank, like with me. Just a really hard slap."

"Thanks, Eric. You've been a lot of help."

Munch sat across from Aaron. Aaron looked like crap, to put it bluntly. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was ruffled.

"That bitch destroyed my family," he said, smashing his fist against his other hand.

"That bitch was raped by your father," Munch pointed out.

"That's bullshit!" Aaron screamed, as he stood up and threw a chair across the room. "I would know about something like that! She's my baby sister. I wouldn't be able to be around that. I'd know!" He yelled.

"So you never saw anything? No weird bruises?"

"No! I saw bruises on her arm, that she could've gotten anywhere. And yeah I heard her crying sometimes at night but she's a girl! Girls cry all the time!"

"Especially when they're being molested, huh? You knew, Aaron."

"SHUT UP! I didn't know anything! He told me he was just talking with her! He wasn't doing...that! You don't know anything. Go. Leave me and my brother alone!"

Munch didn't say anything else. He stood up and walked out, but not before turning around to tell Aaron something.

"Aaron, when I was your age, there was a little girl. I let her down. Don't let your sister down. There will be a trial. Do not let your sister down," he said softly before turning and walking out.

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