BBDW 70 [Black Butterfly] - Nevereverland

Section 78, 79 & 80 (UNEDITED)

Joshua opened his mouth. Like a doll that only moved its lips, his face was lifeless. Jude tilted his head with his arms crossed.

"Kids like you?"

"To the adults...... usually old men...... in a small room...... for an hour at a time, doing what they say."

The child's face turned white. Jude hurriedly shook his hand and nodded, fearing that he would really vomit on the floor of the interrogation room if he pried further.

"Yeah, I know what it is. There were kids like you?"

"...yes, my mom got the money..... not me, there were kids like that."

"Tyler was one of them."

Joshua nodded. Jude nodded his head. Marilyn's colleagues seemed to know the reason for defending her. They were in a state of fifty-fifty, so what good would it be to push her away? It might be best for the women on the street to let Joshua be guilty. And for the pimp behind them. Jude did not rush him and waited until Joshua brought it up again. Joshua, who was wheezing, bit his lips again and said in a mosquito-sized voice.

"Among the patrons.....there was a scary man, who hit seriously with a belt and fist, and cursed a lot... he often looked for Tyler, and Tyler was very scared, too... I sometimes... there were times when I had to deal with him, but I was awfully beaten... It hurts more than when my mom burns her cigarette once in a while."

I'll have to take a lot of pictures of his body as evidence later. Jude glanced over the child's skinny body. He didn't have to see what wounds were under that cloth. Twisted bruises, round bruise marks, and burn marks from cigarettes. There must be frequent fractures in some places.

"The man... went in with Tyler. I was outside having dinner, and shortly afterwards I heard another beating and crying sound. And then... it calmed down. There was no sound, and he came out. He looked unsettled, so he found my mom."

"Tyler, he's dead."

The child's mouth is distorted. The twisted lips, as if holding back his tears, managed to calm down after a while and spoke again.

"My mom, with that man, he’s been talking to her for a long time and my mom came to me. And she told me to.....listen to her. If I don't, my mom will be in big trouble, and I'll be in big trouble. If I do what she says, everything will be fine, if I don't, I'll be scolded…"

"So, were you told to confess to killing Tyler?"

Something similar to a grunt came out of Joshua's throat. The blue-lipped child trembled as if he had fallen to the polar region. His thin arm wrapped around his body as if to protect himself.

"I was so, so scared..... I really, really felt like I was going to die if I didn't listen. He was far away, smoking and staring at me, totally, totally, I felt like I was going to get beaten to death like Tyler. I was so scared, the other woman around me just chatted and stared at me. I, I, I am so, so, so scared....!"

"...do you happen to know his name? Do you know who it is?"

With a brief gap, Jude slowly brought up what he wanted to ask the most. When a sob-like name came out of the child's mouth who barely nodded, Jude shut his mouth.

The child burst into breathless tears. Jude scratched his cheek and crossed his arms. The extreme circumstances in which a boy died, and the moment when the black shadows standing around put off their crimes against a child at once, how could he resist? A child born into this world who has only received a hand that forces and hurts him. The child soon churned like he was going to throw up. Jude quickly approached him and patted him on the back. Joshua, who cringed with surprise at the touch of others, soon couldn't make a sound properly and curled up, spatting out a sobbing low cry. As Jude stroked Joshua's shoulder without saying a word, the door to the interrogation room slid open. Jude grinned when he saw Tim’s hard face like a ghost who stretched out his head through the gap. I think he’s about ready to ax some trees.

*        *        *

The man in the thick-rimmed glasses nervously fixed his glasses. The tongue licking his parched lips was also dry. Walking in the school hallway with an anxious face, he soon entered the principal's office. The quickly tidied up face soon become gentle. Only one of the two detectives waiting for him smiled broadly.

"Oh, you're here. Are you done with your class?"

"Oh, yeah, well. What's the matter? I heard detectives are here. Is this about Joshua? Has the disposition been decided yet?"

"Yes, I think he'll continue to get psychological treatment at a state institution. Well, I'm not here to let you know that. We're not that free."

"Brandon Miller, you're under arrest for the murder of Tyler Rostuff."

A hard-faced Tim approached the teacher with handcuffs. The man took a step back with a bewildered face.

"No, what the hell is going on here? A murder charge, what the hell is that….eug!"

A one-word scream rang as Tim violently turned his arms on his back. Walking to the side of Tim who recited Miranda principles with a stiff expression, Jude snapped at him jokingly.

"Just stay calm, it's pretty scary when my partner gets angry. You know, when a good person gets angry, it's even scarier. You're lucky you didn't get hit."

"Joshua and Marilyn have already said your name. I'll listen to whatever excuse you have later in the station. I'll tell you in advance that it won't be very useful."

Tim, who spoke in a chilling voice, handcuffed him roughly. The man breathed heavily and couldn't resist. His eyes toward Tim were mixed with fear and servitude.

"I, I, I, I, no, the whores on the street did it! I'm a teacher, an elementary school teacher! Why would I go to such a brothel?"

"I've made it clear that we'll go to the station and then I’ll listen to your excuses. We deliberately called you to a place with few people for the children’s sake, so keep your mouth shut and follow me."

With such a stubborn-faced Tim, Brandon stopped talking. His flustered face was twitching lightly. Towards that face, the blond detective smiled at his chagrin.

*        *        *

The work was much bigger than it was at the beginning. As the investigations into children who were sold similar to Joshua were conducted one after another, the police station was busy like a market on sale. Human rights groups began to make a fuss, and the media rushed in and started making sensational articles. Jude, who was looking at his colleagues who were walking around like people with sparks on their hips, lightly raised his hand toward Tim coming from the other side with a tired face.

Tim who came all the way staggeringly to his spot sat down and asked.

"-Is Joshua's child protection officer here yet?"

"Yes, he's coming soon. I'll leave him here for a while until then, well."

Jude sat on one side of the police station, looking back at Joshua, who was drinking cocoa. Tim sat down, shaking his head in a flutter. The man, who was sick of conducting the usual harsh interrogation, tiredly picked up a cup of coffee on his desk. The gentle face was full of anxiety.

"I don't understand at all. No matter how hard they’ve lived, how could they get their child to do such a thing?"

"Their household must have been in a tight spot. They thought selling their body was just some sort of labour."

"I don't know..... no matter how hard it is, to put your own children through that, it’s hard to believe…"

Tim closes his eyes, pressing down on his forehead tiredly. Jude, who was watching the scene, smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't have to understand, it's our job to catch criminals, not to understand them. And if you understand, you can't hate it. I don't think that's a good thing for Tim."

"And so is he…… what is with that teacher. He taught his students as a good teacher during the day, and at night, he hit and harassed them and feels good from it? Gosh, I almost punch him in the face."

Tim, who took a sip of coffee with a frown, soon stretched out. Seeing him yawning loudly, he seemed quite exhausted.

"If you're so tired, why don't you go inside and get some sleep? You walked around without a break, and you were in charge of the interrogation. I'm sure there's a limit to having coffee."

"Well, shall I…… then, I'll stay inside. Wake me up as soon as something happens."

Tim stood up without emptying his cup of coffee. Jude, who was looking at his partner's back facing inward with a smile, soon took a light step toward Joshua in the corner of the police station.

"Joshua, aren't you hungry? Should I get you something to eat?”

"I'm not hungry. The bald man gave me a sandwich."

It was a small voice, but it was more stable compared to his stuttering when telling Jude the truth. Bald man? He seemed to mean the Chief. Jude laughed and glanced at the busily moving Chief over there. He has a soft spot too I guess. His bald head was burning red as he shouted busily. Jude turned his eyes to the child again and smiled.

"Okay, then let me know if you need anything."

The child nodded softly. As he reached out dryly, rubbed the child's head and turned around, Jude stopped at the sudden sound of words behind his back.

"…..Ah, by the way, mister policeman."

"Hmm?"

Jude turned his head and looked at the child. Joshua was staring at Jude with round, dark eyes.

"Well, is your name Jude? That's what the brown-haired uncle called you, in the room where you asked about this and that."

"Well, why?"

Jude became a little curious. He has never met anyone who has questioned his name before. Jude Green, it's not a name so out-of-place. Besides, what's wrong with this kid? The child tilted his head when he heard Jude's answer. Jude, who was looking at his face with one eyebrow raised, also tilted his head and asked.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Well, that's weird…… is it really Jude?"

"Yeah, what's the matter?"

The child, who was looking at Jude's countenance as if he was hesitating, finally opened his mouth to Jude's gaze. The tone was a little inarticulate as if he was not used to speaking clearly yet.

"The night before yesterday, when I took a peek…. you didn't say your name, Jude."

The night before yesterday? Jude, who was looking at Joshua for a while, narrowed his eyebrows. The child in front of him was telling the story of the night when he didn't know where he went in his jacket with unknown bruises engraved all over his body.

The look on Jude's face disappeared for a moment. Joshua's round eyes were infused with a faint fear.

Jude, who looked at Joshua for a moment without saying a word, soon slowly sat next to him. Joshua flinched but did not avoid him. Jude, who casually held both hands, turned to Joshua and asked slowly.

“.......The day before yesterday, you saw me?"

"Eh, yes, near my house, there was a sound of fighting, so I looked out..."

"The sound of a fight?"

"I heard swearing, and I looked out the window, but mister policeman and someone were in a dispute, and mister policeman was, you know, being beaten."

"......yeah, and then?"

You sure you don't remember? The child asked with his eyes, but Jude didn't answer. The child, who had been staring at Jude for a long time, hurriedly turned his eyes and continued.

"There were two or three of them, that, uh, mister policeman got hit for a while, and then you grabbed a steel pipe next to you, and you smashed the guy who was hitting you. Almost to death. So…a little later, the men who were picking fights pick up the fallen man and ran away. You know, mister policeman looked a little weird, you looked sick, and I was wondering, so I went down."

"Did you talk to me?"

"Yes, yes..."

Joshua rolled his eyes and stuttered over what had happened.

*        *        *

Luckily the story only discuss the aftermath. If I had to read through Joshua's POV I think I'm gonna $^%$#&%#%&@! And the last arc is here peeps. I'm about to cry. See ya.