Chapter 2
The case caused a massive scandal.
But Ethan was only eight years old.
He was a minor.
At the police station, I stared at David in shock.
"That's it? He murdered our daughter, and he gets nothing?"
David grabbed my arm as I started to rise.
"Helen, please. Calm down. It's the law."
My eyes flicked over to where Jessica was cooing over her son in the corner. I shoved David away, snatched the heavy glass ashtray from the interrogation table, and hurled it at them.
"Help! Help! She's trying to kill us!" Jessica shrieked.
In full panic, she hugged Ethan tightly as she crouched in the corner. David grabbed me from behind.
"Stop it! This is a police station!" he barked in my ear.
Rage burned in my eyes.
"I don't care! My daughter is dead! Why does he get to live? Let me go!"
He used a basic takedown maneuver, forcing me into a chair as two of his colleagues rushed in to hold me down.
Ethan started wailing. My husband, my daughter's father, immediately turned, walked over to the little monster, and gently stroked his hair.
"Hey, it's okay, buddy. Don't cry. The lady didn't mean it. The counselor will be here any minute to talk to you. You're safe."
"Counseling?" I echoed.
I looked at him, shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you telling me my daughter is dead while her murderer walks free, and you're getting him a therapist?"
He wouldn't meet my eyes. He just stared at a point on the wall over my shoulder.
"Sometimes, kids who lack attention act out. He's young. He can be rehabilitated."
Tears of pure rage streamed down my face. I fought so hard against the officers that the chair legs scraped against the floor.
"Who's going to rehabilitate my daughter? Can anyone bring her back to life? She was kind and pure and gets no justice, but this monster needs care?"
David's face darkened as he gave a subtle nod to Jessica. She immediately scooped up her son and scurried out from behind David's back, disappearing down the hall.
"Helen, I'm hurting too," David said. "But we both need to calm down."
I gritted my teeth. "He smiled at me, David. Right before he started crying. He is born rotten, David! You can't fix evil!"
"You're not seeing things clearly," he insisted. "Jessica is a good mother. He just needs guidance. He has his whole life ahead of him."
The rage rushed to my head. The world went black, and I passed out.
When I came to, a sharp clarity had settled over me.
I went to the morgue. I made them let me see Lily's body one last time.
The marks were still there.
Ethan had used whatever rusted tools he could find at that construction site. He had tortured her. There were tears in her crotch.
The coroner watched me nervously, ready to catch me if I fell.
But I just smiled.
"Thank you, doctor," I said evenly.
On my way out, I ran into Ethan, arriving for his state-mandated therapy session.
He put on an innocent act for his therapist.
"I know I was wrong," he said in a singsong voice. "Does that mean everyone forgives me now?"
The therapist saw me, and her friendly expression froze.
I leaned against the doorway.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to make a scene. My husband signed me up for counseling, too."
To my surprise, Ethan broke away from his therapist and trotted over to me, flashing a bright smile.
"I promise I won't hurt Lily again. Can you forgive me, please?"
The therapist's face went pale. She rushed forward and snatched him back.
I just smiled.
"Of course I can," I said sweetly.
That night, I went to a hardware store and bought a machete.