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The contents of the box were being taken out and labeled as evidence. As the process would take some time, he looked around the table for the thing already in bags. “Can I?” Max asked as he went to lift one bag up. The officer nodded, and Max lifted it up and began to look at the object in the bag. “What is it?”
“Looks like some sort of torture device.” The man said from the other side of the table.
“It wouldn’t be the worst he had,” Max said as he began to think of the rooms in the basement that had been lined with them. “This guy was into torture, among other things. He seemed to get off on inflicting pain to his victims.”
“I think this is of your wife, Detective.” The officer said as he handed a picture in one of the bags to Max. Max took it and beg
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Weathering the Storm 27
Max knew they had to be related to her somehow as well though she hadn’t figured that out just yet. The way they looked in the photos was too close to how she looked then and now. This family was giving him a massive headache. Though he never wanted a big case like this one on his shoulders, he was happy he was next to her as she looked up at him and thought the tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. They were still the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Max knew he could easily stare into them every day for the rest of his life. Even in the overwhelming idea that there was more hidden in the house, she had grown up in, she stood there with a backbone of steel. Though the day’s events were starting to take a toll on her in the way she stood and the completely emotional state she was in.“They will be there in a little bit.” The captain said as he nodded to the pair in the room.
Weathering the Storm 28
Max looked behind him and saw the row of cop cars coming their way. As soon as the large group all got there and heard the reason they were there, no one wanted to go into the house at all. Deanna walked up to the steps and took out her keys. She unlocked the door and pushed it wide. She reached into the house another the wall and turned on the first set of lights.The room didn’t improve with light, and she started to flip lights on as she led the way to the third floor of the house. She was looking around but couldn’t remember where the door was that she must have found by accident as a child. She leaned on the wall, and a flash of a sliver of a memory hit her. She saw a portrait that was in the same place. She wondered why she had thought of that one portrait. That one portrait had always scared her.It was on the second floor, not the th
Weathering the Storm 29
The walls were covered in what appeared to be tanned hides of smaller animals. At least that is what he was hoping for, but knowing this family as well as he did, he knew what they were. If Deanna realized she wasn’t reacting to it as he looked down at her. He was trying to stay focused, but the more he looked around, the more he wondered at the woman next to him and how she had wiped this mostly from her memory. The low light of the candles that lined the walls though he realized they were the type that was battery operated, but he could see they were newer. The dried wax was running down the walls in places in long strips. It added to the idea that this place was never really found by anyone else before.The other stains on the wall were there, and he had an idea as to what they were. As he looked around, he waited to see these other people that were here, but Max had begun to think he had already see
Weathering the Storm 30
Max looked at the three small girls and wondered what universe he had walked into though he knew whatever the person who had a hand in raising them as they had been raised to believe in a much higher purpose for themselves and everyone around them. Deanna looked at him and smiled softly as she looked back at the smaller girls. She nodded to them as her smile got bigger, “He is exactly that, my shining knight.”“Well.” Max started to say, but she cut him off, “Are there any more in here?”“Of course, there are.” The smallest of the girls replied. “We must always be at seven or thirteen.”“And how many are there?” Max asked.“Thirteen with all of us.” The little girl looked up to him.“Why tho
Weathering the Storm 31
“Could they be Henry’s sisters?” Max asked as he looked at the two closer. “They are the same size if not a bit smaller, and they have the same eyes. Deanna, I think they are.”“Triplets?” Deanna asked as she looked at him. “Samra didn’t say anything about more than one when I went to Winter Haven. She said she had to make sure he was okay, not they were okay.”“But if she had already made plans for them to be taken care of by her uncle, she wouldn’t care, would she?” Max asked. “I mean, we aren’t dealing with a normal birth either.”“Max, my parents had to file papers for Henry when he was born and then adopted. They are in my father’s desk. We should go and see.” Deanna said as she propped the toddler on her side,
Weathering the Storm 32
Max sat there and answered all of the questions that the social worker asked as he helped the two little girls finish their plates as Deanna sat behind one of them, helping her as well. As soon as the toddler was done Deanna got up and went over to the other bunch of girls in her mind she had dubbed the flowers. She smiled at everyone. “Was it good?” Deanna asked as she sat down with them and looked around.“Yes.” She heard as each of the girls spoke and nodded their heads.“Good.” Deanna smiled. “These people that are here right now are going to be asking you some questions, and they will have you taken to the hospital. Doctors are there and will be checking you out, and then they will find some nice people for you to stay with. Some of you might be together, but we will have to see. Soon I will be there to vis
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As she walked through the front door she felt the cool air of the season and let it fill her lungs. It felt good but she could feel the two little girls shiver in her arms. Deanna smiled as she walked back into the house and to one of the closet doors. She opened it and pulled out a jacket and two smaller ones that were for adults but they would be fine to wrap the girls in. She put hers on and then lifted the two in her ams and they wrapped their little arms around her neck as she wrapped the jacket around them.When they got outside she sat down and both girls huddled in front of her on her lap. She had wrapped the jackets around the two of them and soon both of them were fast asleep in her arms propped up on her chest. The social worker walked passed her and smiled as she then sat down on the grass near Deanna.
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Max knew it was well past the time that his parents would normally got to bed. He had looked at the clock and knew the night had gotten away from both of them. Though he didn’t regret at least getting her siblings and peter in custody for a second. It was well past the time that the family had to answer for their actions.As he pulled on the street he saw the lights on in the front room of the house and he was shaking his head watching as his mother paced around the room with Michelle in her arms and his father was watching from the kitchen with a smile that Max knew he also often wore while he watched Deanna with one of the children. He parked on the street and saw that both of his parents looked out to the car and went back to playing with the kids.As they got out of the car Max smiled at Deanna as they got the two girls out of the car seats. “Ready Clover and Poppy?&rd
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