Sorry for the delay getting this chapter up. I completed it some time ago but have had a lot to deal with in life since.. Next chapter shouldn't be as far away :)
The next day, Romero got into the station late. The DEA were still there, of course. They would have arrested many other people involved in the drug ledger last night after Romero had taken off, but the kingpin, Bob Paris, was of course missing. Romero hadn't bothered to tell anyone he was leaving the task force last night so it wasn't at all surprising when Liz Babbit waltzed into his office the moment he sat down. "Something I can help you with?" He leaned back in his chair, watching as she circled the room. While he waited for her response, he placed his elbows on the arm rests and laced his fingers. Babbit placed her hands on his desk and leaned forward. "Remember the talk we had the other day, Sheriff?" It was a rhetorical question, so Romero just looked at her.
"About how odd it was that you were elected, about how you knew nothing of what was going on?" Romero still said nothing, lifting a hand to rest his chin on. "So imagine my surprise, or lack thereof, when you disappeared last night." Babbit smiled like a cat with a mouse. Her tone was accusatory. She thought she had him for something. Romero simply raised his eyebrows, and waited for her to continue. "You see, Sheriff, I did some digging. You knew Bob Paris – graduated from the same class. I think you helped him skip town." Romero turned the corners of his lips up in a faint, fake smile. "And why would I do that?" He asked. Babbit stood up straight and folded her arms. She had opened her mouth, about to say something when there was a knock at the door.
"Sir?" Deputy Lynn, recently back from holiday leave, leaned against the door frame, arms folded across her chest. "Sir, about the Martin break in. There's something I think you should see." She eyed the two of them nosily, then walked into the office uninvited. Usually, this would piss Romero off. Today, he was somewhat relieved. "Yeah. What is it?' While Romero had been busy with the DEA task force last night, a break in at the Martin household had been called in. From what Romero had heard, the place was trashed but only money and jewellery was taken. He hadn't taken any real interest in it, with more pressing matters to attend to. Babbit glared at him, then turned on her heel. "We can continue this conversation later." She called over her shoulder in an annoyed tone as she walked out.
Lynn jumped straight into it. "Forensics dusted last night, picked up a few prints. They already came back with a match." She paused, looking baffled. "Sir, the prints belong to Bradley Martin. The girl who supposedly committed suicide a few months back. We never found her body." Romero was well aware of who Bradley Martin was. He looked at Lynn, questions filling his mind. "You talk to her mother yet?" If the prints were Bradley Martin's, then she wasn't dead and they needed to find her. "No. I wasn't sure–" Lynn started, before Romero cut her off. "Alright, let's keep this quiet for now. See if we can find the girl first."
Norma woke up late the next morning, feeling like she'd barely slept. She lay for a few minutes, the events of the previous night all coming back to her. Feeling nauseous, she rolled over and checked her phone. There was a message from Emma to say she was going in for a lung transplant and of course wouldn't be able to come in until she recovered. Norma sighed and dropped the phone on the bed, then forced herself up. She immediately went to Norman's room, and opened the door as quietly as possible. He was still sound asleep. She sat on the edge of the mattress and watched him, holding back tears. He'd become so different from the sweet, innocent child he once was. She wondered if she had done something wrong in raising him, whether it was her fault Norman was this way. After a while, she heard Dylan's bedroom door open and went to meet him at the top of the stairs. "Norman awake?" He asked. He looked like he'd gotten about as much rest as she had. Norma glanced back at the door. "Not yet."
Dylan started down the stairs, leaving her to follow him into the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast?" She asked, wrapping her gown more tightly. Dylan shrugged and dropped into a chair. "What are we going to do about him, Norma? He sure as hell didn't just find some dead animal last night." He stared at her, arms folded and eyebrows raised. Norma sank into the chair opposite him and covered her face with her hands. "I don't know." All she could think of was how Bob Paris would have Sam's death investigated. They would take Norman away, and she'd probably be imprisoned for covering it all up. The thought of being apart from Norman made her heart ache.
"I'm not gonna cover this shit up anymore. How long until he hurts you? He's dangerous, Norma." With that, Dylan stood up and left, closing the front door with a bang. Norma wiped her tears away with her sleeve, staring at the wall. She couldn't lie to herself – Norman did scare her a little. More and more each day. Dylan was right, but she couldn't afford that freaking Pine View place. Sighing deeply, Norma got out the frying pan and started to make French toast. Minutes later, Norman finally woke and came downstairs. "What's wrong, Mother?" He asked. He must have seen how red and puffy her face was. She glanced at him, saw the blood that was still caked under his fingernails. They'd pulled off his bloodied clothing last night and tried to clean him up, but obviously missed some of it.
"Nothing, honey. Just worried about Emma, that's all. Did you know she's having her lung transplant?" She replied, doing her best to act normally. Inside, she felt sick. He clearly had no recollection of what had happened. "Oh. Yes, she sent me a message." Norman responded, watching as she whisked the mixture of eggs and milk. "Why don't you go and take a shower?" She suggested. "You'll need to look after the motel today with Emma gone. I have to go grocery shopping." Norma smiled as brightly as she could manage, as though nothing was wrong. "Go on! I'll have breakfast ready when you're done." Norman nodded and smiled. "Okay, Mother. I won't be long." He turned and started to walk away. "I love you, Norman." She called after him. He glanced over his shoulder. "I love you too, Mom."