The night had gone by without much in the way of events. The girl had slept through the night. Exhaustion, Valentine figured. The next day he was on he phone to social services again with the same frustrating result. The morning was spent scouring the county records for anything on her parents. Through the process he learned the little girl's name, and that she was barely five years old.
Father Brown stopped in, and while this would usually set his nerves on edge it was a welcome sight. The priest came to talk with the little girl. Gentle counsel seemed to be an expertise of the sometimes annoying Father. When they finished he gave her a lollipop and she was content to sit at the sergeant's desk while he spoke to Valentine.
"Did she tell you her name?" Valentine asked.
"No," Father Brown answered. "I'm afraid she didn't say much at all." He pursed his lips as if in thought. "Still nothing from social services?"
Valentine slammed a folder closed and tossed it aside on his desk. "I could take her to their main office. They'd find a place for her in one of the homes."
"But you don't want to do that?"
Valentine lit a badly needed cigarette. "It's not that I don't want to. It's just the poor girl has been through enough already. I can barely let her out of my sight without her crying. I don't want to have to do that to her."
"I see,"
"They're looking for any relatives as well. Hopefully she has someone out there who cares about her."
"Someone besides you," Father Brown said pointedly.
Valentine gave the priest a stern look while flicking down the ashes from his cigarette.
"You could try to get her more comfortable with Mrs. McCarthy. I'm sure she wouldn't mind her staying..."
"No," Valentine said abruptly. "We still don't know what happened with her parents. If she's going to stay in Kembleford it's probably best she stays with me. Until we know more, at least."
"Very well," the Father agreed.
Truthfully, and something the Father knew very well, the girl's father had indeed killed her mother before taking his own life. The evidence was overwhelming. They didn't know why as of yet, but Valentine knew that Father Brown was undoubtedly poking his nose around.
The little blonde-haired child appeared in the doorway of Valentine's office causing both men to turn in her direction. She made her way slowly past Father Brown and around the desk to the grizzled inspector. She leaned against the arm of his chair.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked, stopping just short of saying the word home.
She nodded her head.
"I should be going. I hope you two have a pleasant evening." Father Brown said while standing. He made his way to the door before tipping his hat towards the girl and disappearing.
She smiled slightly, and it instantly warmed Valentine's heart. A thought occurred to him as they made their way home, and they popped in to a little shop. He purchased a couple new things for her to wear. She needed to bathe and change her clothes.
The pair made their way back to his home where he prepared them a simple dinner. He was a bachelor, and was therefore accustomed to cooking for himself. She didn't seem to mind his culinary skills. Or the silence in which they ate.
When bedtime came again he tucked her in just as he had the night before. Her hair still damp from her bath, and cozy in her soft white nightgown. Just as he had the night before Valentine knelt down beside her.
"You know, if you're going to be staying here, I'd like to know your name,"
Her eyes only looked up at him. He wondered what horrors those eyes had seen. If she had witnessed the death of her parents...He couldn't bare to think about it. However, the policeman in him needed to think about it. The girl couldn't stay with him forever.
He sighed and gave her a pat on the head. "It's time we turn in. I'll be through there, just like last night,"
He started to get up when she reached out and placed a hand on his arm. He held it and felt as her little fingers squeezed his.
"What is it?" he asked.
She only looked at him.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me your name?" He'd learned it this morning through the county records, but he still wanted her to open up to him.
She was silent for another minute, and gradually let loose of his hand. Her eyes drooped slightly and he tucked her in. He watched for a while to make sure she was sleeping soundly before stepping outside to smoke. It was silent as the grave in Kembleford tonight, save the chirping and cooing of nighttime creatures.
He lit a cigarette in the dark, and his eyes narrowed as he took the first puff. Across the street from his house sat a car. A male occupant caught him staring and immediately started the vehicle and drove away.
Odd.
Valentine finished his cigarette and flicked it away before going back inside. He double-checked the locks before stealing another glance at the sleeping child. He slipped the suspenders from his shoulders and sat on his bed. The next thing he knew he was waking up to screams. His heart slammed against his chest as his feet automatically hit the floor and carried him to the living room.
Even as he rounded the corner his mind feared what he would find.