The Don's Puppet

The sound of sirens and screeching tires echoed along the street. Unsubtle whispers hung on the air, coming from the huge crowd that had formed just outside my house. Cops and paramedics scattered all around, asking questions and trying to keep people from moving past the yellow tape. The clicking sounds of cameras went off inside the house, forensics moved around, studying the blood patterns and collecting evidence. My father was dead. Before you jump to conclusions, no, I did not kill him. Although I can’t say I hadn’t fantasized about it quite a number of times. I just couldn’t do it, he was my father, after all. I watched the innocence drain from my little sister’s eyes. I could feel it as she vibrated in my arms, unable to stop the tears. She was having a mini meltdown and all I felt was…nothing. It was all over, the bastard was gone. “Why…did…he…do…it?” Alice sniffed, struggling to get the words out. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, it made me sick to my stomach. Even in death, he was still finding ways to hurt us. The selfish prick. I pulled her even closer, trying to imagine how she had felt. Returning from school and finding him on the ground, with half his brains blown out. “Alex. Come home.” She had whispered over the phone, her voice cracking despite sounding so calm. “Something’s happened.” I had rushed home from my night job, only to be greeted by chaos. I had to fight my way through the crowd to get past the tapes and into my sister’s arms. No sixteen year old deserved to find their father like that. The red and blue lights from a police car flickered in the darkness, making my head go fuzzy. I tried to concentrate on the many conversations happening around us, peering into the crowd to find a friendly face. Mrs Hammon, our neighbor, was in the crowd. She gave me a reassuring smile when my eyes landed on hers, as if everything would be fine. I managed a weak smile back, it would have been rude if I didn’t. Although, no one would really blame me right now. “You say you came home from school by six and found your father like that?” A man in a black suit stood in front of us, hands in his pocket. He was tall and lanky, probably about 6’3. He was a giant compared to us. Alice nodded, before whispering. “Past six.” “Why weren’t you home sooner?” He asked again. I pulled my sister behind me and moved forward, so that I was inches away from him. “Is there a problem, officer?” I asked, looking up to stare directly into his eyes. “She already answered all these questions, can’t you see she’s not okay? Besides, she’s a minor and seeing as I’m now her only surviving guardian, this conversation is over.” He smiled down at me, his physique towering over my 5’6 stature. “Detective.” He corrected, his voice calm and collected. I wondered if it was all a ruse to get a confession out of a guilty party, except no one fit that description here. “Did your father have any enemies?” I snorted. “Look around, detective.” I said smugly, putting emphasize on my last word. “You’re literally on the wrong side of town. Here, everyone has enemies, and my dad pissed a lot of people off. Why are you asking anyway? His enemies didn’t do this, he did.” “Just trying to get the whole story, miss.” The detective’s smile did not falter and that pissed me off more than it should have, nobody was this nice. “Are you saying it might not have been suicide?” Alice suddenly asked, her angelic face shone with hope. She just didn’t want to believe he’d leave us so willingly. For the first time, the man standing in front of us put on a straight face, my sister’s pitiful look had gotten to him. “All evidence points to suicide, we’re just trying to figure out why your father did what he did.” “Well, that’s simple, he was a coward.” “Alex, stop.” Alice placed her hands on mine, her eyes began to water again. The detective cleared his throat, placed his hands into his pocket and brought out a card, which he handed over to me. “If you need any help, you can always call me. Thank you for your time, miss St. Ivory.” He walked away while I examined the card, his name boldly written in fine prints; Detective Eric Sherman. He had to be the youngest detective in his department, because unlike the others, he stuck out like a sore thumb. If this was any other day, I would have turned on my charm, threw in a flirt or two. But no, I was supposed to play the role of the grieving daughter tonight. So maybe tomorrow I’d give him a call, maybe tomorrow I could be a little less sad. I picked up the bags I had packed earlier, felt my pocket to make sure the little cash I had saved up from working different jobs had not mysteriously disappeared, and led my sister down the street. Aware of all the sympathetic stares following our every movement, I had to get her to a motel, somewhere far away from the tragedy. As we boarded a taxi, I heard her sigh in relief. She placed her head on my shoulder and held my hand, we sat in silence the whole ride. The only sounds coming from the chatters on the streets and horns from various cars, along with the occasional swears from frustrated drivers, including ours. Soon, we were in front of a motel, our ride driving off the moment the bills were settled. Alice was still quiet as I paid for a room, her eyes empty the whole time. Immediately we got into our room, I made sure she showered and tucked her into bed, patting her hair softly until she drifted off to sleep. Afraid that if I left her for even a minute, she would break down again. My phone buzzed the moment I got up to freshen up and I was glad I had turned off the sound, the caller id showed unknown caller. I slipped into the bathroom as quietly as I could, making sure Alice was still sound asleep before answering the call. “Hello.” I whispered, my hand cupped around my phone mouthpiece. “Alice St. Ivory.” The caller responded, his voice raspy and quiet. “This is her sister.” I spoke softly. It was probably someone from her school, trying to show their support. “She’s asleep, do you want to leave a message?” “Hello, Alex.” The voice slurred, his breathing slow and steady. “Is Alice comfortable?” I paused, confused. “I don’t understand…” He chuckled on the other end, and my hairs stood up in alert. “Make sure your sister is safe because I intend to collect what is mine.” “Who is this?” I asked, I heard a white noise in the background and then, the line went dead.