Beautifully Broken (14 page)

Lila put her head down. She was fidgeting with her fingers.

 

“Lila I need to know everything Veronica has ever told
you about her life before you moved in?” Chief asked.

“I don’t know very much about that. Dad didn’t like it when
she talked about her mother. Veronica doesn’t remember
much about her childhood, but she loved her mother Katie.
They moved here about a year after her mom died, but
that’s all I really know. Natasha and Veronica were very
close; she might know more about Veronica’s past.” Lila
whispered while twirling her hair.

“Can you tell me about Veronica; how would you describe
her as a person?” the chief asked.
“Veronica is a caring person. She is always looking out
for others; she is a natural care giver. She would go out of
her way to make any one of us happy. She is a protector.
She is the type of person that would jump in front of a bus
to save someone else’s life. I love my sister very much.
She is my best friend. I am so lucky to have her as a
sister,” Lila said looking at them both.

“Do you know where Veronica is?” The Chief asked.

 

“No I don’t know where Veronica is or where she was
going,” Lila said looking at them.

 

“Thank you. Now I want you to tell me about your father.
What kind of man was Harold Burns?” the chief asked.

Lila started shaking, she was holding back tears. She took
a deep breath to calm herself and she wrapped her arms
around her body like she was holding herself together.

“My father was a good man he took all of us in and gave
us a nice house to live in. He worked really hard to make a
name for himself,” Lila spoke clearly and dry like she was
a robot; no emotion in her voice.

“Can you tell me more about your father?” he asked.

 

“What more is there to say? He was a respected man in the
community and he was my father. He provided for us.”

 

“Lila, we know what your father did to you girls,” Chief

John said looking at her.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, my father Harold
Burns was a good man.” Lila spoke without looking at
them she had her head down and she started crying.

John opened up the file folder and pulled out pictures of
the hidden room. Lila didn’t say a word. They knew her
families dark secrets. All she could do was cry.

Chief John Mutter walked into the interrogation room
where Amanda was sitting with Laurence Quinn.

“Hello Amanda this is Agent Quinn. He is a behavior
specialist from the FBI and he is going to be helping me
out today. So Amanda, do you know where Veronica is?”

“No I don’t know where Veronica is, but I hope where ever
she is it is better than here,” Amanda spoke with such a
sweet but sad voice.

“Amanda did you kill your father?” the chief asked.

“No I didn’t kill my father,” Amanda snapped looking at
Laurence in the eyes as tears started to fall down her
cheeks.

“Do you know who killed your father?” the chief asked.

“I was out with my sisters and when we got home he was
already dead. I have already told you all this before.
Nothing’s going to change because I am telling you the
truth. I wasn’t there! I didn’t see who killed him.”
“Tell me about your sister Veronica. What kind of person
is she?” the Chief asked.

“Veronica is sweet and understanding. She never judges
people and she was always there to listen to me. She was
the older sister and she always took care of all of us. She
cleaned and cooked and protected us. Veronica has a
pure heart, she has never hurt anyone she loves helping
people. I am so lucky to have Veronica as my sister. I love
her very much,” Amanda said with tears in her eyes but a
smile on her face as she talked about her sister.

“What do you know about Veronica’s past? Where did
they live before they came here and how did her mother
die?”

“I don’t much about her past. She didn’t talk much about
it,” Amanda responded.

 

“Tell me about your father; what kind of man was he?”

Amanda started shaking she didn’t speak for a moment,
tears started to fall down her face and she put her head
down. She took a few deep breaths before looking back up
at them.

“My father was a good man. He worked hard to provide for
us, he volunteered his time to help out in the community.
He was strict with us because he wanted us to do and be
our best. People loved him, he did a lot for this community
he was very proud of his accomplishments,” Amanda
spoke like a robot with no emotion about her father.
“Are you keeping information from us because that is
obstruction of justice and you can be charged for that?”
Agent Quinn asked.

“I don’t think I am, ask me a question I will be honest and
tell the truth,” Amanda bit her lip as she was a little
nervous and she looked at him in the eyes.

“Amanda we want to know what your father did to you
girls in that house. We found the secret torture room in his
closet and the chamber in the floor. We need you to be
honest,” the Chief said.

She started shaking and crying she could barely breathe.
Her head started to hurt, she felt dizzy and her chest got
tight.

“Amanda are you ok? You don’t look well,” the chief
asked.

 

“I think I am having a panic attack,” Amanda said crying
and breathing really heavy.

The chief left the room and came back a few moments later
with a brown paper bag and a glass of water for her and
he set it on the table.

She took a sip of the water and she breathed into the bag.

“Yes I will tell the truth, we were our father’s sex slaves,”
as the words escaped from her lips, they echoed in the air.
She breathed into the bag but she was crying so bad that
she couldn’t say anything else.
John pulled out pictures of the torcher room and of the
secret chamber.

“Did he ever put you in there?” Chief John asked.

“One time my dad was going to put me in the chamber, but
Veronica took my place. My father took her in the torture
room and beat her for hours. Veronica was the one that
always got it the worst,” Amanda cried thinking about her
sister. “Veronica always protected us the best she could
from him.”

“Why not come forward with this information, your father
can’t hurt any of you anymore?” Chief John asked.

“We have to live with the things he did to us for the rest of
our lives so yes he can still hurt us. We don’t want people
to know what we have been through. We don’t want your
pity or to be judged for the things we have done. We all
had our roles to play in our father’s sick and twisted
version of a happy life. No one could understand the
things we have been through. All we have is each other,”
Amanda cried.

“What was your role?” Agent Quinn asked looking directly
into her eyes.

 

Amanda bit her lip and her hands started to shake. “I don’t
want to tell you. What you already know is bad enough.”

“Please Amanda, you are helping us. Now that we know
you were all victims, things will be better for all of you. We
need to know everything so we can help you,” the Chief
said.

“I bathed my father, dressed him and fed him like a baby. I
would rock him and sing to him. If I did my job to his
satisfaction he would fall asleep but if I didn’t he would
rape me,” Amanda cried putting her head down.

“Can you tell me how you came to live with Harold Burns?
How did he adopt you?”

“I was in an accident and when I woke up I was in a man’s
house. He told me my name was Amanda Burns and that
my family was dead. I didn’t remember anything about my
life and I still don’t have any memories of my life before
this one. Harold came to the man’s house gave him money
like he was buying me and then I went to go live with
Harold and my sisters.”

“Thank you Amanda for your help,” Chief John said.

 

John and Laurence walked into the room where Claudia
was. She was standing against the wall.

 

“Hello Claudia, this is Laurence Quinn he is a behavior
specialist from the FBI,” Chief Mutter said looking at her.

“FBI? This is serious business,” Claudia laughed like it
was a joke as she walked over to the table and took a seat.
“Yes new information has come forward and this is now an
FBI case,” the chief responded.

“Well are you going to tell me what this new information
is?” Claudia asked crossing her arms and looking at agent
Quinn.

“Why don’t you answer some questions first?” Chief
Mutter stated.

“You know what; I have already answered all of your
questions. I have nothing more to say. Veronica is
missing. I don’t know where she is, I didn’t kill my father he
was good to me he rescued me off of the streets of New
York. I would probably be dead right now if it wasn’t for
him. He took care of me and gave me nice things and a
roof over my head and four great sisters, did I forget
anything?” Claudia asked looking at them with her arms
crossed her face was empty and her voice was cold.

“Ya about the part where he beat you and raped you for
all of those years,” the chief said looking into her eyes.
“Do you want to tell us about that part?”

“Oh that part. So you finally found the room. It took you
long enough,” Claudia said playing it off like she wasn’t
sad or hurt. “Don’t give me that look like I’m damaged, so
what I had sex with my father. It’s not the worst thing I have
been through in my life. At least he gave me a nice house
and nice things and four great sisters. Before he adopted
me I was living on the streets turning tricks for some food
or drugs so don’t pity me I know life could be worse.
Nothing comes free; there is always a price to pay.
Someone always wants something from you,” Claudia
hissed and looked away from them.

“Can you tell us about Veronica?” Chief Mutter asked in a
comforting voice.

“Veronica cares too much, she is so kind hearted. She
loves us all with every piece of her. She has a pure heart
but she is damaged; maybe more than the rest of us. He
broke her down the most. The rest of us have only been
around for a few years but Veronica had to deal with
Harold her whole life. I love my sister and I am scared for
her. I don’t know where she is or if I will ever see her
again,” Claudia’s voice cracked and her face flushed; her
first sign of emotion as she thought about her sister.

“What do you know about Veronica’s past, or your fathers
past?” Quinn asked looking into her eyes.

“Not a lot but once I heard a conversation that I wasn’t
supposed to; my father was talking on the phone. He was
fighting with someone and I over heard him say something
about when he lived in Canada. I didn’t understand and I
didn’t ask questions and for Veronica other than they
moved to Envy when she was eleven I don’t know much
else,” Claudia said. “She wasn’t allowed to talk about her
mother if she did he would slap her across the face.”

“Thank you Claudia for your help.”
John and Laurence walked into the holding room where
Natasha was.

“Chief it’s about time you showed up! Your men have kept
me in here for hours. I am starving. Do I not get to eat?
Isn’t it my right to get food?” Natasha snapped. She was
not like her sisters she didn’t show her fear and
heartbreak. She was defensive because she was scared
but she tried to be strong.

“Yes Natasha you’re right. I’ll order you is some lunch
what would you like?” John asked in a nice and calm voice.

“A burger and fries and a cola please and thank you. Oh
and my sisters need to eat too,” her demeanor changed
when he said yes.

“Are you new? I have never seen you around here,”
Natasha said looking at Laurence as he sat down in front
of her and smiled.

“No I am not new, I work for the FBI as a Behavior
specialist, and I am here to help find your sister,” Agent
Quinn said.

“Well shouldn’t you be here to find out who killed my
father? Natasha asked.

“Yes well I believe once we find Veronica then we will get
some answers about your father’s death,” Agent Quinn
said.
“Well maybe Veronica doesn’t want to be found,” Natasha
said looking at him with her big brown eyes. “Maybe she’s
better off out there somewhere instead of being here
getting interrogated.”

“Where is Veronica and why did she leave town if she was
innocent?” Agent Quinn asked.

“I don’t know where she is or why she left, maybe she just
needed to get away, maybe she got sick of taking care of
all of us,” Natasha muttered through clenched teeth.

“What do you mean?” Agent Quinn asked.

“Well Veronica was the one that did everything. She
cooked and cleaned the house. She always made sure we
were alright. She always listened to us and helped us with
our homework. Whatever we needed she was always there
to take care of us. She had been the closest thing any of
us had to a mother. She always put our needs first. She
would go without something to make us happy. She
always took care of us and protected us; maybe she
couldn’t handle it anymore,” Natasha said putting her
head down.

“She always protected you and your sisters from your
father?” Agent Quinn asked looking into her very sad
eyes, she didn’t say anything she just shook her head no.

“Natasha we know what your father did to you girls we
found the torture room and your sisters confessed,”
Agent Quinn said.
“Yes he raped and tortured us all in different ways but we
didn’t kill him,” Natasha snapped looking down at the
table. “Something doesn’t make scenes to me, why are you
here why does the FBI care about one little murder in a
small town?”

“Natasha that doesn’t concern you please just answer the
questions you are asked,” the Chief said she turn and
looked at agent Quinn in the eyes.

“Answer my questions and I’ll answer yours,” Natasha
said crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

 

Laurence pulled out a picture and handed it to Natasha.

 

“Do you know who that man is?” Agent Quinn asked.

“Yes it’s my father Harold Burns he was much younger
here and had hair but that is definitely Harold Burns,”
Natasha said looking at the picture.