Sighing, I realised this man before me was still very much like a child. He was an expert groomer for Molly, as he had been expertly groomed himself. It all seemed to make sense now. Everything just clicked into place.
“Do you care about Molly and all those other girls? Do you care about Caroline?”
Justin snapped his head up in horror. “How can you say otherwise? Of course I do.”
Squeezing his arm, I pleaded, “Then don’t you think it’s time you made amends? Don’t you think it’s time the families had a right to know what happened? Don’t you think it’s time your father gets punished for what he’s done? He can’t scare you now, Justin. He can’t force you to make choices that will ruin not only their lives, but yours. You can see that now, can’t you?” With the tears flowing more, he nodded.
Sighing to myself, I couldn’t believe what had just transpired in the last half-hour. Of all the things to expect, it certainly wasn’t that. His sick father had colluded his son into witnessing the most heinous crimes known to man. He embroiled him into his sick, twisted games and tried to convince him the girls were the ones in the wrong. He tried to make him believe his actions were perfectly normal. Any actions such as this would never be normal. Anyone with half a brain could see that, but his actions were perfectly adequate—perfectly acceptable to him. He even went so far as giving Justin the most preposterous excuses for what he was about to do.
Coming back to the present was hard after witnessing what I had. I couldn’t get the image of Justin’s terrified look as I was struggling for air out of my head. When I touch someone’s hand, I see through their eyes, not someone else’s. So why was this different? What set off this new direction my gift had taken? Could it be that it was growing somewhat?
Thinking about it some more, I could already see it in Justin’s eyes before I ever touched him. I knew there was a frightened child inside. I knew he had witnessed things no child in their lifetime should ever witness.
I could mull over this for hours and still not have answers. I had to find out what happened. Those poor families needed answers. They had a right to bury their loved ones and close a chapter to this heartbreak they’ve all had to endure for years. They were just like Molly’s family, and they had a right to know what happened, a right to seek justice.
“You have to tell me where they are, Justin. I need to know so I can let the families have closure. They deserve it.”
I saw him close his eyes. I knew this had to be extremely hard for him. I wondered if he could picture it in his head. I was about to touch his hand when he spoke, “In North Devon, there is a plot of land my father owns. He bought it to build a retirement home on it one day. He never got around to doing it, though. It looks like he never will.”
Justin’s eyes looked up to me for a split second before dragging his gaze to the floor. Of course his dad wouldn’t want to build a house on this particular plot. Not if it was used as a resting place for all those poor, terrified children he unleashed his evil on.
“If the police took you, do you think you’d be able to find it?”
Justin sighed, not once taking his stare from the floor. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Patting his arm, I stood up. “I’ll let someone know.”
“Thank you,” he said.
Smiling, I reached for the door handle.
“What happened to your shoulder?”
I stood still for a moment, processing his question. When I didn’t answer straight away, he looked up. “I got shot.” I smiled, thinking honesty was the best policy.
“How on earth did that happen?”
“Let’s just say that my line of work can get a bit treacherous.” I pulled the door open and quickly went through it. I had enough for one day.
I saw Simon and he immediately rose to his feet when he saw me. I threw my hands up in the air for him to wait a moment. I had somewhere to go first.
Running to the toilets, I violently heaved the contents of my stomach. The image of seeing Justin’s terrified eyes came at me like a ferocious storm.
I knew I always wanted to help, but I was tired of it all. I was tired of seeing things in my head, tired of feeling other people’s pain when my own was bubbling on the surface, tired of feeling the world on my shoulders as I strived to keep everyone happy. And I really wanted people to be happy. I wanted to make everything okay, heal wounds, help people. I just didn’t know if I had the strength to do it anymore. Not after what I just witnessed.
Trying to calm myself, I took a few deep breaths. I flushed the toilet, washed my mouth and hands, then proceeded out of the bathroom door.