EVANORA II

In the middle of sweeping up broken glass and shattered memories from off the floor in the kitchen Evanora heard a knock at the front door and she froze to the spot looking at the state of her endeavours thus far in the kitchen then leaned the broom up against the stove and walked to the front door in a collective state of panic.

She had not changed her clothes or showered and wasn’t very presentable. There was vomit clinging to her dress and her hair still had the odd pine needle nestling in it from when she was thrown to the forest floor in a state of unconsciousness.

Who could this be at the door?

She knew it was the police.

It couldn’t be anyone else.

The flashing lights of 4 police cars coated the front porch in pulsing red and blue colours and at once the local neighbours were up and squinting through sleepy eyes out of their kitchen windows peering towards Evanora’s home expecting the worst because they all lived on edge due to Frank Dawson and his drinking habits. The police were very polite to Evanora and asked her if her father was home and if he wasn’t did she know where he might be. They studied her body language with great intent and then asked if they could come inside.

Before walking into the Evanora’s bedroom a well dressed woman who was a social worker came and asked Evanora to sit next to her and talk to her quietly while the police checked every room and took notes.

“Are you ok young lady is there anything that you need ?” asked Jean Whitlock the social worker whose job it was to inform Evanora of what had happened to her father as gently as she could.

She was also studying the state of Evanora’s dress as she continued to ask gentle questions and prompted revealing answers from her new case study.

“Im ok....but I don’t know where my dad is....we had a fight and he hurt me...then he left slamming the front door after him....so I started cleaning up because he doesn’t like a messy house” said Evanora and she started to stand up to recommence her cleaning duties and Jean grabbed her arm instinctively and asked her to return to the couch and answer some more questions.

“Can you remember what he was wearing Evanora?”

“Yes, it was his work clothes”

“Evanora...had your dad been drinking at all?”

“Yes..but he did that all the time...where is my dad miss?” said Evanora looking at the floor and shifting her legs uncomfortably. She was lying to the social worker and she knew it but she had to keep up the facade of playing the innocent little girl and right now she was playing it perfectly.

“Miss Whitlock would you be so kind as to join me in here please...Murphy would you mind just sitting with this young lady for a minute please while we assess how to handle this?” asked one of the policemen who stuck his head into the lounge and a young officer passed Jean on the way into the lounge and sat next to Evanora and just looked at her with incredulous eyes.

This young lady in his estimations was damaged and needed to be taken to hospital to be given a physical examination, food and fluids. She didn’t look well to him and her body language was disassociated. Jean Whitlock lifted a handkerchief to her nose while standing next to the officer in Evanora’s bedroom.

It was horrific.

The bed had been stripped of the sheets and there was urine and feces all over it and her clothes were torn to shreds everywhere. It had not been cleaned in some time and this was obviously the reason Evanora smelt the way she did.

“We need to act on this now Miss Whitlock Evanora Dawson needs to be taken to hospital directly wouldn’t you agree and have some serious tests and counselling because this man has abused her in such a vicious way and right now she needs your help...so lets get to it shall we and help Evanora?”

“My god....this is one of the worst cases I have ever witnessed....yes....let's help this little angel” said Miss Whitlock as tears welled in her eyes.

Jean Whitlock returned to the couch and asked Murphy to lift Evanora up and carry her out to the police car for immediate delivery to the hospital in town with her. This was done and it was while she was being carried to the car she asked again....
“Where is my dad miss...he won’t be happy with me if I don’t clean up the kitchen...?” and she started to struggle a bit to show to the officer holding her she wanted to go back inside and keep cleaning.

“You don’t have to worry about cleaning Evanora you are coming with me to the hospital and some lovely people are going to look after you and help you ok?”

“Alright...could we leave a note for him please?”

“I’m not sure he will be able read it Evanora” said Jean Whitlock as Murphy strapped her into her seat and closed the police car door.

Dozens of police moved in and out of the Dawson household all day and well into the next afternoon as well collecting and collating information about how horrible it was for the young lady that was taken to the hospital. All the policemen who worked on the house were relieved....no, they were happy Frank Dawson was dead because they would have ended him if they had found him alive after seeing the state of the home and his daughter.

Now it was time to mend Evanora and get her back on track to better health and cognitive thought. This was going to be hard work but extremely rewarding for all concerned.

“Everything will be much better now Evanora, you just rest and relax we will look after you” said Jean Whitlock as the streets and local neighbourhood flashed passed coated in police lights from the roof of the car.

Evanora looked out the police car window and was glad she was leaving her old horrible home and was now staring at the tips of the forest trees that she could see popping up from over the top of the houses. That was her home and where she was going now was only temporary.

Murphy turned the car siren on and the nosey neighbours watched the red and blue lights disappear out of sight while ambulance drivers on the other side of town scooped up what was left of Frank Dawson from the parking area at the local hamburger shop. People where eating at the time of his landing and they all almost choked on their burgers in terror. Some of them even threw up when they saw the tangle mess that used to be a man that was left in a parking spot.

This sick twisted, narcissistic paedophile was now a stain on the driveway. Barely recognisable and someone who wouldn’t be missed......at all.