The Park
Page 5
Once she was safe, he returned again to the carousel, and got into the carriage with his son.
“My darling boy,” he told him. “Daddy’s glad that you can sleep now. You won’t have to worry about anything ever again. You can be at peace with your Mummy and I’ll visit you as often as I can. Things will be better now, I promise.”
Brad wiped his eyes and kissed his son softly on his hairline. He gently laid out the green checkered blanket he’d brought with him, and placed his son on top of it. He crossed Joey’s arms across his chest, and lifted the left one tenderly, placing Bubsy underneath it. With his soft toy in place, Brad wrapped the remainder of the blanket around him, and lifted him, holding him in his arms.
“Goodnight my darling,” he told him as he placed him into the ground with his mother. “Daddy loves you. Daddy will always love you.”
A loud crack of thunder encouraged Brad to get a move on. Not wanting the hole to flood, he began shovelling the dirt back into place, covering up the sleeping shells of his family.
When he was done, he walked back under the fence and into the park, meeting Officer Jones by the carousel.
“It’s time to go back,” the officer told him. “The simulation is complete.”
Chapter Ten
It took Brad a few minutes to adjust to being back in the real world, but Officer Jones sat with him, watching him protectively, almost in the way that a loving father may watch over his son.
“Can I get you a drink Mr Bradley? Anything you need?”
“No,” Brad replied quietly.
As the door of the small room creaked open, Brad looked up. It was the taller officer who had led him into this room earlier.
“Bradley Stephenson. You are under arrest for the murder of your wife, Ellen Stephenson, and the murder of your son, Joey Stephenson. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?”
Brad nodded.
Time seemed to pass really slowly as Brad sat in the small, dark room with Officer Jones. He opened his mouth to speak a couple of times, but there were no words, there was nothing he could say.
The laughter of the children from outside had died down, and on the few occasions that the door to the room was opened, no light seeped in. Brad knew it was late. He knew it was over.
“How did you know?” he asked Officer Jones finally.
“One of the sergeants recognised you. The bodies of your wife and son were discovered last year, the day after Halloween. The grave was shallow and when the rain stopped, your wife’s hands were protruding through the dirt. Then the carousel attendant found blood on the ride, and it was clear we were looking at a murder scene. With your history, and the knowledge that you were taking your son to the fair on that night, we knew it was you. We just didn’t know where to find you, or how to gather proof. So when you appeared tonight…”
“The simulation?”
“The simulation helped us to confirm what we already knew Mr Stephenson. I didn’t lie to you when I said it was a new software that could be used to help find missing children. It’s just mostly used in cold cases, when we have a suspect.”
“But the glitches in the simulation…”
“The flashbacks that you kept experiencing. They’re common. The software encourages you to remember things that you may not want to. Those who are innocent don’t experience them, and yours were strong. You were exhibiting them throughout and they seemed to be getting worse. Until the end that is…”
“I did love them,” Brad said softly. “I did. They just…”
“I know,” said Officer Jones. “I know.”
“What happens now?”
“One of the officers will come in shortly and drive you to the precinct. I recommend you get yourself a lawyer Mr Stephenson. No-one likes a child killer. Not even one who may have believed he was doing the right thing.”
The End
About the Author
Jareth Stark is a British author who enjoys writing litRPG, horror and thrillers. If you enjoyed ‘The Park’, you may also enjoy some of his other stories:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jareth-Stark/e/B07DMNLJK5/
https://www.amazon.com/Jareth-Stark/e/B07DMNLJK5/
For updates on new books, you can follow Jareth on Twitter @StarkJareth.