Mirror – Chapter 15

A/N – Hey guys! Exciting news! My website for my original stories is just a couple of days away from completion and launch!

I'm so excited and nervous to share this part of myself with you all. I want to also apologize for the late update of this story. Please enjoy!

Four years ago…

Victor stared into the dark corner where the occasional puff of smoke spewed out every couple seconds. He was only there for five minutes but felt like five hours. He felt uneasy. His firstborn son unnerved him since the day he was five years old and as time passed he had every right to feel the way he did, then and now.

"You don't have to keep visiting me dad."

"I do."

"I am behaving myself."

"So it seemed."

"I need to get out, get some fresh air."

"If you step out from that corner darkness you might feel better."

"I like the darkness….."

Victor looked around the room. The walls were littered with morbid pictures of death of animals and people.

"I thought I told the staff not to give you those."

"Yes but I made a case as to why I should have them. It comforts me, curbs my…." He paused only for dramatic effect. "urges…my desires."

"You're not trying to curb anything. You're feeding it."

His son laughed and his chest tightens. That laugh. He'll never get use to it.

"Can you please step into the light?"

The room went deadly silent. His son stepped forward lazily, revealing an exact replica of himself. He took a step back causing his son to smirk.

"Wow! Even now, locked up, you're afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Really…."

In the blink of an eye, he flew around the small table between them straight up to his father. Victor didn't move, he didn't blink. He held his ground. Junior laughed.

"Hmmmmm. Maybe you really aren't afraid of me anymore."

His eyes narrowed as his son walked away.

"Did mom get my letters?"

"Yes."

"I didn't get a reply."

"I never said she read them."

He scoffed.

"It's bad enough that she helped put me in here and don't visit. She doesn't read my letters too?!"

"Why would she? You're a disgrace to her. You're a disgrace to us and this family."

"You know better than to make me angry."

"Or what? You'll kill me? You kill me like those….." He closed his eyes taking a deep breath.

Junior laughed at him, forcing his eyes open.

"You are a monster."

"Why? Because I act on my urges? People do that all the time in sex orgies and alcohol parties and they're not crucified for it."

He gasped at genuine shock at his son's reasoning.

"You're comparing sex and alcohol with murder?!"

"It's all the same to me."

Junior's voice was void of life.

"I wished I had seen what you were before it was too late."

"You may not have known definitively but you had your gut. Your gut was telling you what I am but I was your precious firstborn son and acknowledging that I was pathologically damaged was out of the question. You ignored me so I acted out. The result was hard to ignore so you and mom had me lock up here."

He gestured at the 15 x 15 room they were standing in.

"You should be grateful that it wasn't the gas chamber. Let's get one thing straight. The only reason you're alive is because of my money and connections. The strings I pulled to cover your crimes, erased your existence and this family shame. I didn't do it for you. I did it to save the family from the mistake your mother and I made. You ruined this family! You ruined Shawn!"

"I did nothing to Shawn."

"You influenced him! Tempt him to act on his impulses and he killed four people! Children! Because of you his mother and I have to take care of him for the rest of his life!"

"You have Abraham Ford to thank for Shawn's present state. You learned that day that money does always get you what you want. Must have been a painful lesson to swallow."

"Fuck you Junior!'

Junior smirked and he gasped for breath. He was trying to keep calm. He didn't want to give Junior the satisfaction of seeing him angry and lose himself.

"No wonder William left! This family is fucked up!" He paused. "I wonder how my other little brother is doing? The last I heard, he changed his name and erased all ties to us. Good for him!"

"How did you know that?"

He laughed.

"I know a lot of things and someday you'll come crawling to me to give you peace."

The mention of William's name tore him apart emotionally and mentally. William left home and never looked back. It was a devastating blow to the family. After the disappointments in Junior and Shawn, the family's pride rest on William's shoulder.

However, he wanted no part of the Mc Knights when he heard what Junior had done and when he learned the circumstances under which Shawn caused the deaths of those children. It was the last straw. He packed his bags and left without so much as a note.

Three days later, he called his mother and told her he wasn't coming back and to not look for him or he would expose the family. That was three years ago. Every time the phone rings, Beverly rushed to pick it up hoping that it was William, saying that he was coming home.

That never happened and he doubt it ever will. Now, he and Beverly spend their time taking care of a severely crippled Shawn. He looked at his watch.

"Time to go?" Junior's words mocked him. "I really need some fresh air dad. I'm getting restless staring at these walls."

"It's not going to happen so stop asking." He turned to leave.

"I'd rather you give the instruction to let me out because you wouldn't like if I take it."

He turned to his son.

"This place is designed for people like you so you're never getting out. Ever! Get use to the walls. It's the last thing you're going to see."

Junior smiled and he left.~*~*~*~*~*

Present day…..

Since Rick left her house, Michonne has been feeling numb. The fact that the death of his son and the abduction of her daughter could be connected was mind blowing. She wasn't entirely convinced but she couldn't deny the evidence he presented to her. Sitting on Cayla's bed, she took up one of her shirts and inhaled it slowly, deeply. Tears flooded her eyes and she tried hard to fight them.

Rick is doing so much for her, working hard to find out who took her daughter. He became her rock and she was no longer alone. Suddenly, she became incensed. Ryan her own father didn't care enough to help look for her. He just gave up. The police gave up on her as well. Officer Walsh came to mind. His insensitive remarks still hurts. She picked up her purse and left the house.~*~*~*~*~*

When she walked into the police station, the atmosphere changed. She saw and felt it. The officers in the charge room parted the floor like the red sea for her to pass. Someone called out Shane's name.

"Walsh! You have a visitor!"~*~*~*~*~*

Shane walked out of the kitchen when he heard his name.

"What visitor?"

A few heads turned and he followed eyes landed on Michonne. He cautiously walked up to her.

"Ms Moore. What are you doing here?"

She cocked her head to the side.

"Just thought I'd come by."

He cleared his throat and looked around.

"I'm sorry but there is nothing new on your case."

"Don't insult me. Don't pretend that you're even looking because we all know that you're not!" Her voice was raising with each sentence. "I'm a burden remember? My case waste resources, remember?!" She turned around, staring at the other officers. "There are more important cases than mine, remember?!" She was semi screaming at them. Shane tried to calm her.

"I know you're upset Ms Moore. You're still grieving."

She spun around and faced him, wiping her eyes.

"Yes! I am grieving but I'm not upset anymore." She laughed. "Rick found a clue, something that could help me find my daughter." There were some gasps and Shane's eyes widened. "I just thought you should know that."

She turned and began walking away to complete silence. Even the Captain came out of his office. She stopped and faced him again.

"I know that there are other cases like mine Officer Walsh. I'm not blind. I'm not stupid. I wanted to find my daughter alive but as time passed, I realized that I was going to have to accept that Cayla might be dead. I was willing to accept finding her body or anything of hers to get closure, to bury. Every day that went by, a piece of me died inside and all I was asking for was a little help, a little compassion, a little understanding. That's all I wanted from you." She shrugged her shoulders. "However, I'm sorry. Maybe I was just asking too much from you."

She walked out.~*~*~*~*~*

Rick resumed reading the information he had on the Mc Knight family. Victor and Beverly had three sons, Victor Junior, William and Shawn. There was much information on Shawn of course after the death of his and Abe's sons, their nanny and her sister as well as the trial, his lenient sentence and Abe's deliverance of his own brand of justice.

There was also information on William who suddenly left the family and rumours plagued the Mc Knights that William couldn't cope with what his brother had done and the scandal of the trial. As for Victor Junior, the eldest child of the family, there was only information of him up to when he was 25 years old.

It was reported that he was away in the Alps on a ski trip with friends when he got pneumonia and died suddenly. However, there was no funeral service or obituary. That was bit odd. However, on the other page, there were cheques in various sums made out to St Martin's Psychiatric Hospital under "Charitable Donations."

St Martin's only started receiving those cheques around the same time Victor Junior supposedly died. That paper trail is not visible to the naked eyes and he had to actually follow the arrows and other diagrams explaining the bread crumbs. Karen's friend is good. At the bottom of the page a question was written out in bold, all capital letters – "IS VICTOR MC KNIGHT JUNIOR STILL ALIVE".