Ice Princess Ch. 13

"Officer Dillon," repeated Danielle, looking dazed. "What could he want?"

"Honey, he's been waiting for you about an hour, now," Aunt Marie sounded upset, "your uncle and I are worried about what he..."

"It's ok Aunty," said Danielle in a reassuring voice, with one hand in the air. Quickly she opened the kitchen door, motioning her aunt ahead of her, "Let's just see what it is he wants."

"Pumpkin," said her uncle as she entered the bright living room. The look on his face told her immediately that he wasn't comfortable.

"Officer Dillon has been waiting to speak to you." He gestured toward a chair they'd placed by the picture window.

Officer Dillon's smile made Danielle's skin prickle. Something inside her stirred. Something that had lain dormant in the back corners of her mind opened its eyes and, awoke...

The scent of rape filled the room completely. She wanted no more then to leave quickly. It was overpowering. This didn't make since. A rapist could not be satisfied. Yet he was satisfied. How could this be?

"Danielle," Officer Dillon said, as he stood, "I really need to talk to you."

He was a striking man. The light in his eyes could melt a bar of chocolate in a deep freeze.

"What do you want?" She asked awkwardly, "I have to leave for work in a little while."

She opened the front door and stepped outside. The open space was a better place to deal with him. Her aunt and uncle didn't need to see this exchange. Officer Dillon followed her, closing the door behind him.

"Danielle," he started again, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare your aunt and uncle...

He stopped talking for a few moments. It was like he was searching his memory for just the right words to say.

"I realize," he turned to look at her, "that I'm joined at the hip to all of the unpleasantness that has been happening here for the last few months..."

His foot made its final decent to the sidewalk and he took his place beside her at a pleasant distance.

"Why don't you like me?" He suddenly asked. His bright mint green eyes seemed filled with hurt. "What did I do to make you dislike me so much?"

Like? She let that question buzz around in her mind for a few moments...

He was a total confusion to her. Nothing about him made any since. Why hadn't he arrested Josie? All the clues lead to her. How many redheads were in town? She looked at him in frustration...

"Who are you?" She finally asked. The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them.

Officer Dillon's eyes look into hers. His short sandy blonde hair blew gently in the cool wind of November. He pushed it away from his face.

"My name is Danny Dillon," he said. "And I am the second cousin to Justin Daniel..."

He stopped talking, letting the name sink into her brain.

He was one of the boys who'd raped her back in High School.

She looked at him, startled.

"What?" Danielle blinked her eyes several times before the information filtered into her brain and made any kinda since.

"He's the reason I'm a cop," he threw in quickly.

He kept on talking. "And why I try to help rape victims during the recovery stage."

Danielle, felt her legs turning into rubber bands. This couldn't be happening. The pavement seemed to be coming up to meet her.

This wasn't going to happen to her again. She sat down on the bench that suddenly appeared in her line of sight. She covered her eyes with her hands.

"Just breathe," she whispered aloud. All the bad memories wanted to come alive again and attack her.

Mickey, the hairy ape from California, danced before her eyes. He'd been good for almost a year's worth of food. Now he was in some mental institution looking for his better half.

Hank the cab driver, Jeff, Rick both drivers of UPS trucks. David and Kenny, Charles and Dr. David, thousands more flashed before her eyes in various shapes and forms...

All of them were dead now or insane.

All of them had been sick little bastards, just looking for a good time with an easy mark.

"Why are you telling this to me now?" she asked. Her head felt like someone was pounding it with a hammer but had forgotten to include the nails.

He sat down on the bench beside her, but never touched her. "It's on record," he said quietly. "I always do research when I'm investigating a crime."

She never looked up. Gently, she began to rock back and forth, back and forth...

"I was surprised when I realized that the two of you were connected."

He sighed, and brushed his large hand through his sandy colored hair. This wasn't going to be easy, the expression on his face said.

"I never liked my cousin," he started, "he wasn't popular with any of the family members. As a kid he gave me the creeps."

"Dad always told me to just get along with him, and I did my best. Everyone had been shocked when this news hit the family." He shifted in his seat and rubbed the palms of his hands together in an attempt to warm them.

"I can't say I was disappointed when he was found dead all those years ago. I think he deserved it."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Danielle whispered.

"In my line of work," he paused again, "there are few females worth talking to, let alone dating," he answered.

"I'm telling you all this 'cause I'd like to date you..."

Silence

"Danielle," he turned so that his face looked into hers, "I'd like to have you in my life."

This was just too much; Danielle stood and walked away. Now, what was she going to do?

A dizziness seemed to be swirling around in her head, but at this time it didn't affect her balance. The world around her vanished It was like some kind of made-up fantasy world. What would she do?

Footsteps followed behind her, but she disregarded them as false. They were part of her fantasy and not worth taking note of just now...