Chapter 131

Ben stopped to admire his handiwork, putting his tools down. The final island house was now completed. Now that their houses were made from regular materials, they wouldn't have to be afraid of their village being discovered. Of course, they wouldn't be advertising it to others, but if they ever encountered another 'Ryan' it was one less thing to worry about. It was also good timing in case the police looked into their addresses.

It had been a week since the police had arrested Ryan and his employees and life had returned so some semblance of normalcy. The kids were all still processing what had happened, so the adults had been being deliberate about reducing pressure and making sure they felt safe. Any swims were accompanied closely by parents. Even though Ryan was in custody and couldn't harm them, it was a good precaution.

"Nice work, Ben," Anna approached. "All the houses look great."

"Thanks honey," he replied, kissing her on the cheek.

Anna's phone began to ring. She pulled her phone from her pocket and answered the call.

"Hi, Anna speaking." She looked at Ben and mouthed 'police'.
"Ok, thanks for letting us know. Is there anything else you need from us at the moment?"

"No? Ok," she listened for a minute before saying, "Great, thanks, bye," Anna hung up.

"The police?" Ben questioned.

Anna nodded.

"It was just an update on the case. Let's get everyone together and I can share the news,"

Anna relayed the update to the adults. Ryan was in police custody and from the evidence in the warehouse and their testimonies as witnesses, the police were confident that they would be able to prosecute for kidnapping and assault (from the use of sedatives and tranquiliser darts on unconsenting people – which can cause overdose). If Ryan was released on bail, he would have strict conditions that would prevent him from coming near them. The detective assured them that they and their children would be safe. Ryan would have his preliminary hearing (to see whether it would go to trial) in a few weeks. It did not seem like the police believed Ryan's claims about their mermaidness.

OoOoO

Detective Isla Griffin looked over her case board again. They definitely had proof that the defendant had taken the children, drugged them, and tranquilised a woman who had come to retrieve them. They had proof that it was premeditated with the stalker photos (of them, their schools and home) and detailed information. They had the witness testimonies from the family of the kidnapping victims. Based on this evidence, it was enough to prosecute with confidence. This is what Isla had updated Anna with over the phone. Despite these facts, there was something about the case that was niggly. There were some facts about the families involved that didn't sit right.
Mr Tate sincerely believed that the children and their parents were mermaids and mermen. When he had been questioned he was certain in his statements about this, trying to convince her that he'd been providing a service to expose the mermaids for who they truly are. He was trying to convince her that mermaids exist. He definitely did not show remorse about the kidnapping; he sincerely believed that they were not human children so it was justified. Ridiculous. All the children had valid Australian birth certificates, and their parents were all citizens with jobs and histories that were easy to find. Isla was surprised to find out that the families shared a singular mailing address and other properties registered in their names were being rented. When she asked Anna about this, Anna had reported that they actually lived on Mako Island but had their mail sent to that address – Isla found out that Isabella Benjamin had purchased a privatised half of the island years earlier. While this detail was strange, it didn't indicate that the families could be hiding more.
What Isla recognised as a discrepency was some of the physical evidence at the crime scene – the warehouse. They had found melted tranquiliser guns and they had no idea what could have done it. Maybe Ryan had staged the melted guns so that they might believe the supernatural of his story? Or maybe the mermaids did have special powers like he said. Isla shook herself out of that silly thought. They must've been staged.

But then there was also missing photos from the stalker board near the tanks and ash at the foot of the board. Had Ryan burnt them? Or had someone deliberately burnt the photos so that the police couldn't find them? That would be hard to know or proove. It would also add an unneeded element of complication. The footage off the broken video camera was also unrecoverable – it has been broken mid-recording and hadn't saved. The livestreaming website also had no trace of the recording. Either it had not been saved or had been removed. From the witness explanation it appeared that the livestream had ended and not saved when the camera had been broken.

Isla sighed. Although these were loose ends, the loose ends wouldn't undo the case. They had enough evidence for it to be an open and shut case. Even if the family were mermaids as Ryan claimed in his rants, they clearly hadn't deserved their children being kidnapped or their privacy being invaded by Ryan's stalking. So, even if they were, Isla knew that Ryan deserved to be prosecuted. Her suspicions about there being more to this would bother her, but for the sake of the case, she could put her suspicions aside. Isla chuckled quietly to herself as she started pulling the items from her case board down and putting them away.
I must be tired. Mermaids exisiting? Ridiculous.

OoOoO

Katya finished typing her sentence and reached to take a sip of her smoothie. It had been two weeks since Ryan had been arrested. Katya was so grateful when she had received a courtesy text from Anna letting her know that they had got the children back and that Ryan had been arrested. Katya was surprised that they had got the police involved based on their secret, but she was glad that Ryan would face consequences for his actions. She was also grateful that she had realised what he was capable of and stopped working with him. It could've been her as well. Katya was unsure if Ryan had admitted to the first kidnapping as well – if he did, she would be implicated as an accomplice. She hoped that the mers hadn't dobbed her in as well – they were well within their rights to. Katya sighed. What would happen would happen.

Aside from the first text from Anna, Katya hadn't heard anything from the mers. She hoped they would consider her proposal.

OoOoO

"A dog. Tail. Barking!" Eric guessed.

"Yes!" Jenny acknowledged, grabbing the next card. She starting drawing again on a free space on the paper.

"A circle. A cat. A mouse. Rat. A…"

"Time!" Leila interrupted with a grin.

Jenny sighed, "It was a rabbit."

"That was my next guess," Eric replied. "Ran out of time. We got four though!"

"Pretty good going, Jenny" Bella commented encouragingly. "Ok, Charlie and Jake's turn next."

The evenign game of Pictionary at the Bennett's house continued for a short time longer, with Charlie and Jacob winning the game. It was nice to have a night of laughter- some of the drawings were hilarious.

"Hot chocolates anyone?" Rikki called from the kitchenette.

A chorus of yesses came from the children.

"We're going to need a few more mugs," Rikki commented. "Or we can all go down to the dining hall,"

"Let's go down to the hall – I can rally everyone," Emma smiled, getting up from the couch.

Operation Hot Chocolates commenced moments later. Almost all the residents in the mer-village came to get a hot chocolate or a tea. The kids all sat together – the older ones helping the younger ones out. Charlie started telling those who weren't present during Pictionary all about it. The adults also sat together as a group, having conversations amongst themselves. Anna noticed that Cleo seemed more reserved than normal.

"How've you been feeling Cleo?" Anna asked. "Are the drugs still bothering you?"

"No no, that's all fully out of my system thankfully. Thanks for asking - I've been feeling fine," Cleo replied.

"So what has been bothering you?" Anna pressed gently. Cleo looked hesistant, as if she felt guilty about whatever it was.

"Don't worry if you don't want to talk about it, I just thought I'd check in with you,"

Whatever Ash and Will had been talking about got a rise of laughter from the rest of the table. Anna and Cleo smiled to each other. It was so nice to see joy around the village. It wasn't that there wasn't any before, it was just that those feelings were muted while the rain cloud of Ryan hung over their heads. Now that the cloud was gone, there was freedom to dwell in their joy making it so much more prominent.

'Anna, I do want to talk about it, but not in front of everyone else's hearing – especially the kids,' Cleo started via mindspeak.
'Ok, we could have the conversation here like this, or go for a walk?'

'A walk sounds good.'

Anna and Cleo excused themselves and started walking through the village together.

"So what's been bothering you?" Anna initiated.

"Katya," Cleo sighed.

"Katya?"

"Her proposal. I've surprised myself by not being able to get it out of my head. I keep thinking it over and over and over. What if it could work? What if we could have a future where mermaids are known about so we don't have to guard the secret as closely? But then what if we become poached like commodities, like elephants for ivory or lions for trophies, or we become the subject of tours like "mermaid watching" like dolphin watching? What if it is the worst mistake we could ever make. But then what if it is a great thing to do for our children…" Cleo trailed off. Anna waited expectantly.

"I guess I'm worried what the others will think of me for seriously considering Katya's proposal. Since we were fifteen it has been all about keeping the secret. We didn't even tell our parents for years. The dramas we have had to endure because of the secret…I don't know," Cleo sighed and winced. "Sorry for rambling – what do you think?"

"I also have mixed feelings," Anna started honestly. "About the safety, the trusting Katya, the future of our children, what it would mean for all mermaids, etcetera. But I think if we are going to do it, Katya is our best chance. The previous people all wanted to exploit us – the future people will probably want to exploit us. And we know there will be more people in the future who find out and want to tell the world. It is crazy how many times it has almost happened to the people who live here on this island. If we get to control the narrative and keep it anonymous I think it has potential," Anna took a breath. "Katya has already shown us that she is sorry for what she helped Ryan do and shown us that she sees us as people. She hasn't threatened us and she has been waiting for us to get back to her. I think we should talk it through in more depth with her. I'm not opposed to the idea. I may see it differently to our friends though – I have only been a mermaid since my twenties – you had to deal with the secret during your teenage years."

"True," Cleo responded.

"I think we need to chat it through amongst ourselves and really detail the pros and cons. Then we talk to Katya and get her take without committing, then chat about it some more amongst ourselves, then make the final decision,"

"That sounds good,"

"And Cleo, you don't need to be afraid of voicing your opinion about this. Yes, the secret is a contentious topic but you know we all love you. It is not a judgement of you specifically if they get upset about the idea,"

"Yeah, but there are a few people that can react badly," Cleo replied.

Anna chuckled.

"Yes there are, but after they do, Emma and Rikki will calm down – they always do. If it makes you more comfortable I can bring up the discussion since I also think it needs to be talked about,"

"Could you? I'd appreciate it." Cleo smiled gratefully.

"Will do. I'll bring it up tomorrow - no point getting everyone upset right before bed-time." Anna grinned.

"That is a very good point," Cleo laughed. "Thanks Anna – it was good to talk this out. I don't think I'll spin myself in circles anymore,"

"Fantastic," Anna said. Anna turned and embraced Cleo in a squeezy hug. "I'm glad I could help."

A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you think - I love reading every one of your reviews.
Work has been insanely busy this year (impacted by COVID related delays), hence why I haven't had the energy to update quickly, but I finally got the time! Funnily enough the time has come from time off isolating with COVID19- I'm feeling a lot better now (5 days in).

Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed this story and the previous chapter! Thanks especially to Guest#1, Eleanoodle, Sammiloveschoc, CrazyHayniac, myem, Guest #2, MysteriousMarch, dannyphan2, and Guest #3. My heart feels full when I read your compliments - thank you.

From the reviews:
"Do Ash and Emma still ride horses?" Yes, Emma and Ash still ride horses. They often do trekking as a date and they take their kids riding.

Guest(who reviewed on May 31st): Thank you so much - it is really nice to know that people are still reading and are checking back in for the update. Sometimes I forget how many people actually read this because there are only a few reviews and I don't always check the 'visitors' number in the stats. This was a great encouragement for me, thank you.

See you all next time!