Chapter 16

Daphne woke up to bright white lights above her.

Her eyes closed and she squeezed them shut, hoping to adjust her eyes to lights.

'Daphne?' She recognised Fred's voice. She opened her eyes, rolled her head to the side where she thought Fred was. 'Daphne.' He said again, and she realised he was on the other side.

She was lying in a bed in a white room, which she knew was a hospital room.

'Why am I here?' She asked.

'You blacked out Daph. The doctors removed the bullet.'

'The bullet?'

'The bullet. Quinny shot you.' Fred said. Daphne had thought the bullet had come out, but maybe it hadn't.

She didn't care anyway.

She tried to sit up in the bed pain stung her leg and she winced.

'Sit still. I need to tell you something.' Fred said.

Daphne looked at him, he was sat in the chair next to her bed. He had dark circles under his eyes; he hadn't been sleeping. He was wearing the same clothes he wore when Daphne saw him last before she returned to the police station for her phone.

'What happened?' Daphne asked.

Fred took a deep breath, 'Quinny confessed to the murders, he also confessed to killing his brother Milo.'

Daphne ran a hand through her hair and she sighed, 'He was 9. What could have possibly happened in his childhood, to kill his brother?'

'He explained that he targeted twins because it "symbolised" himself and his brother. And he left one sibling behind-'

'To symbolise his sister?' Daphne asked. 'He said something, and I think Willa Pablo knew Michael Quinny was Luca Pablo.'

'He threw her under the bus. She moved to Sandhurst not long after their mother died, because she knew Luca lived in Sandpoint. She's been arrested. The families have been informed.' Fred explained.

Daphne narrowed her eyes, she could tell Fred was keeping something from her. She could tell from his discomfort and the heaviness of his voice, 'What?' He asked.

'You're not telling me something.'

'Qui-Luca, wants to talk about the murders.' Fred began.

'So let him.'

'He's refusing to speak to anyone. He's asked for you and me.' Fred said.

Daphne sighed, 'Because we caught him.'

Fred nodded, 'There's something else, Daph. Tom's dead.'

'He's dead?' She asked.

Fred nodded, 'He was shot in the stomach and bled to death. We found all of his findings, and Luca has a list of charges against him.'

Daphne nodded, 'I wanna go home.' She tried to sit up but her leg was still stinging.

'You haven't long come out of surgery, the doctor wants you to stay for the night.'

'I don't fucking care what the doctor wants, I want to go home.' Daphne snapped.

'I know you do.' Fred replied. He took her hand, knowing she hated hospitals he tried to reassure her, 'You'll be out soon.'

'I don't want to stay here.' Daphne replied, her voice was smaller and she sank into the pillows. Fred squeezed her hand before bringing it up to his lips and firmly pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

Thanks to Fred convincing the doctor, Daphne was able to leave the hospital and Fred took her home. They weren't there long because Daphne wanted to speak to Luca Pablo and find out more details.

So, with Fred's help, she climbed into the car and he drove them to the police station.

Fred helped Daphne out of the car, she leant on him as they walked up to the police station.

Fischer was there waiting for them, and she led them to an interrogation room.

They sat at a table, a recording device sat on one side of the table. They sat silently, waiting for Luca Pablo.

They heard a door unlocking, and Wheeler along with an officer lead Luca Pablo into the room. He was wearing this issued prisoners clothing – a grey shirt and matching bottoms – with SANDPOINT on the front and back.

He was being held here until Fischer had established the charges he was facing and he could be moved to a more secure facility. It had only been a day since he confessed his true identity to Daphne.

Wheeler forced him into the chair, Luca Pablo just rolled his eyes, almost sardonically.

The officer stood by the door, guarding in case Luca Pablo decided to make a run for it. Not that he could, his ankles were cuffed as were his hands and Wheeler secured his handcuffs to the table so he couldn't lash.

The red light on the recording device flashed, and Fred began.

'January 14th 2021 at 16:34. Present for the interview is me, Detective Fred Jones, Detective Daphne Blake, Detective Jason Wheeler and Officer Jack Mullington, along with the person in question Luca Pablo.'

Luca smiled at Fred, he had trained as a police officer he knew how it works, 'Those of you who are listening, it's meee!'

Wheeler rolled his eyes, this was probably going to be a long frustrating interview or Luca Pablo would refuse to answer any questions.

'Whadda ya wanna ask me?' Luca Pablo asked.

'You tell me, you're the one who asked to talk to us.' Daphne was quick to reply.

Luca Pablo smirked at her, 'How's the leg detective? Getting better? I wonder if dear Tommy will ever recover from his- oh yeah he died.'

Officer Mullington stiffened at the comment, and Wheeler made eye contact with him as if he were saying ignore it and remain calm

Officer Mullington took a breath and regained his composure.

'Speak then.' Daphne said.

The demanding tone of Daphne's voice almost excited Luca Pablo, and he smirked.

'Alright, I'll tell you.' He replied.

'I wanna hear it from the beginning, when you were 9 and you killed your brother.' Daphne spoke, glaring into Luca Pablo's eyes. Fred noticed he seemed to waver a little, Wheeler noticed it too.

'Milo's death was…not an accident.' Luca Pablo laughed.

Wheeler his hand over his face, it seemed Luca Pablo was going to be making this difficult for them after all.

'You killed him because your mother preferred him over you?' Fred asked. Luca Pablo's eyes darted to Fred, 'My mother loved me.' Was his reply.

'All mothers love their kids, they don't always pick favourites but I think yours did.' Fred responded. Daphne knew he was trying to make Luca Pablo angry, it had worked before. When they're angry, they tend to let things slip.

'You're right.' Luca Pablo replied, chuckling, 'Milo was my mother's favourite, then Willa and then me. Why? Because Milo was a weakling.'

'A weakling?' Fred asked.

Luca Pablo nodded, 'Of course he was, he wasn't cut out for this world, and I had to save him from it.'

'That's not the truth.' Fred replied.

Luca Pablo began laughing, 'No it's not.' He continued laughing, 'D'you think the jury will believe it and I'll get off with insanity?'

'Maybe you're the weakling.' Fred responded, and Luca Pablo's laughing ceased.

'I am not weak.' He said through gritted teeth.

Daphne could tell Fred almost had him where they wanted him.

'Of course, you are.'

'I am not!'

'Of course, you are, that's why you killed your brother and all those other boys.'

'I am not weak!' Luca Pablo exclaimed.

'You are.' Fred's responded.

Luca Pablo was grinding his teeth as he glared at Fred, 'Shut your mouth or I'll fucking kill you!'

Fred turned his head to Daphne and looked back at Luca Pablo, 'Four against one? Or would you prefer Detective Blake to take you out again?'

Luca Pablo roared, 'That's not fair, my back was turned!'

'Wrap it up Detectives, he's not talking.' Wheeler spoke.

And Fred was about to announce the termination of the interview when Luca Pablo spoke up, 'You wanna fucking hear it? I'll tell you! I killed Milo and all those fucking boys!'

That's what Luca Pablo wanted attention.

He explained to Fred and Daphne how he killed all of the boys. He snuck up behind them, strangling each of them. During his years as a police officer, he learned how to make someone unconscious without leaving evidence on the body.

He also explained the disappearances of the Tudor Twins, whose parents believed they had been taken, individually, from their home. Joshua had woken up in the middle of the night, and he was downstairs in the kitchen when Luca Pablo arrived at the house. He assumed that Joshua heard him so he went outside to investigate and that's when Luca Pablo knocked him unconscious and put him into the back of his pickup, strangling him when he arrived back at his home. The next night he went back to the house, throwing small stones at Charlie's window and woke him up. Maybe Charlie thought his brother was outside, he didn't know, but he knocked him out too and strangled him in his truck when he got home.

'After that I took them when they were out. It was hard work trying not to wake the families up and then dragging them out of the house, into the pickup and back to my house. It was easier to do it outside.'

'And Milo?' Daphne asked.

'You know-how the story goes, I had my back turned for a minute and when I looked back Milo was gone! No, Milo had his back turned for a minute, tying his shoes up. I strangled him from behind.'

'I didn't think that made any sense. The park was too open and you would have seen someone running away with a 9-year-old boy, you would have heard the footsteps and you would have heard Milo struggling.' Daphne added.

'Good work Detective.' Luca Pablo smiled, 'Is that all?'

'For now, this won't be the last you've seen of us. You've still got a trail to face yet.' Daphne replied.

Luca Pablo clapped his hands together, 'Oh goody, I've been waiting for this for more than 30 years!'

'A killer cop. Luca Pablo, a.k.a Michael Quinny, has been charged with the murders in the town which began last year. He has also been charged with the murder of SPD's technician Thomas Ridgeman and his own brother Milo Pablo.'

Daphne and Fred smiled triumphantly as they sat watching the news. A half-full bottle of whisky on the coffee table in front of them.

Daphne was leaning against Fred, her leg stretched out on the couch and Fred's arm wrapped around her shoulders.

He pulled Daphne's hair off her shoulders, 'Well, we did it again detective.' He smiled.

'We sure did.' Daphne replied.

Fred pressed a gentle kiss to the exposed skin of her neck, 'I love you.'

Daphne smiled, 'I love you too.'