"Can I know why the hell I'm sitting here?"
Agent Orson sighed slowly, as he sat opposite Derek Morgan and answered what he had been answering for twenty-five years whenever the occasion deserved it.
"I'm sorry, Derek" he dropped a white folder on the table and rested his elbows on it "but in 90% of the cases, the closest relatives are involved in the kidnapping of the child"
The other man narrowed his dark eyes, clenching his jaw.
Anger was written all over his face.
And Paul Orson could ever understand his frustration.
In the eyes of that desperate courage father, he was wasting time. Time that was valuable for the life of his little daughter.
"What the fuck are you insinuating, Paul?"
Derek used his first name. Maybe because he did not expect that drastic turn in the investigation.
The other agent fixed his blue eyes on her face, with such a cold look that would have frozen the fire."You're playing with Samantha hide and seek, in your own house. Then you close your eyes for ten seconds and boom!" He snapped his fingers "She's gone, too much of a coincidence, is not it?"
His hands opened and closed, trying to calm the anger that burned his body. Derek wanted to punch his fucking face and erase that superb gesture of a blow.
"How can such barbarity even be in your head?" he whispered, trying to control the monster inside him. "What the hell do I win with all this?"Paul smiled wryly. "I do not know, maybe freedom?"
"What the hell...?"
"Samantha disappeared while she was playing with you. Nobody heard screams. No strange noise"
Derek shook his head, looking away. No, he did not want to see the face of that asshole. He did not want to see his accusatory look. He did not want to hear his words hurting him like bullets in his guts.
What kind of monster did they think he was? A murderer, a pedophile, a bad beast?He was many things, but he would never hurt any child.
"You did not hear anything either, right?"
He had no choice but to nod. But if he had had a chance, he would have blown his brains out.
Because every time they asked him to relive that moment his memories were only evidence of how irresponsible he had been that afternoon
"Paul, believe me" his voice sounded pleading as well as tired "I have nothing to do with the disappearance of Sammy. I love that girl and she is my reason for living. I would never hurt her"
The other man grimaced before opening the folder under his forearms. From there he took a picture of a brunette woman and threw it to Derek hands. "And Jessica Thomas?"
Derek blinked in disbelief, looking at that woman's green eyes. That look that hypnotized him even from a photograph printed on a simple page."What relationship do you have with her?"
Derek swallowed and dodged that insistent look. "She's an old friend"
Paul Orson raised his eyebrows while smiling ironically "Oh, so an old friend"
The gray man pulled some folios over the table: several conversations via whatsapp and via Facebook. Attached images.
Paul could not help but raise his voice "Jessica is not an old friend, she's your lover!"
Derek pursed his lips, more nervous than a minute ago. But he didn't open his mouth, he had nothing to say in his defense.
"Last conversation was on May tenth. 15:50" Orson got up and placed himself next to the suspect "Only three hours before Samantha disappeared. And your daughter knows Jessica, is not it?"
A bitter tear fell down his cheek. Now he needed that damn gun. Now he did need to die.
"Samantha had no reason to suspect her ballet teacher, maybe Jessica told her that she had a better hiding place"
"I did not kidnap my daughter!" Derek screamed, more for quieting his own conscience than for silencing the veteran agent
Paul Orson left that room without saying goodbye to Derek. There were men who did not deserve the family they had.
A younger companion approached him as soon as he walked out the door, eager to follow his instructions.
"Go to arrest Jessica Thomas" he sentenced, still walking "ballet teacher was sleeping with daddy"
Paul was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice her presence. His words made her gasp and drop to the floor, just as tears fell from her eyes. And Penelope cried, cried until she was tired.