(essay)

“Berry, honey, your words are very important to us. Nobody will harm you. We will take care of you. But in order to help you, you must help us. Good?”

“I want to Dad.”

“He’s waiting for you outside. Your words are important to him too. He is very worried about you now and if you`d like to calm him down you should answer my questions. Only the truth. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“I know that you and your stepmother had an unfriendly relationship.”

“She didn’t understand me.”

“Did she beat you?”

“No.”

“Only the truth, Berry.”

“She didn’t beat me. She shouted at me. Very loud. And then she complained to Dad that I didn’t obey her. And she cried a lot. So Dad spent a lot of time with her. More than with me.”

“Did you miss your Dad?”

“Very much. I didn’t want Stephanie in our family. She was bad.”

“Why was she bad?”

“She didn’t allow me to play with cats and dogs in the yard.”

“Neighbors said they heard her scolding you because you brought home a kitten.”

“Yes. I wanted to leave him. And she got angry and made me throw it out on the street.”

“Did you tell your Dad that you didn’t want to see Stephanie in your family?”

“Yes.”

“What did he answer you?”

“Said I was just not used to her. And that we need to spend more time together so that I can see how good she really is.”

“On that Tuesday, he left for 2 days on a business trip and you were left alone. Right?”

“Right.”

“Did she offend you?”

Berry bent over her teddy bear. Its fur on the right side was splattered with blood. The girl started crying.

“I’m sorry, honey. For now, I’ll let you rest and talk to your Dad.”

Berry’s father rushed into the office, picked her up in his arms and hugged her close. He stroked her hair and repeated soothingly in her ear that he was there and that everything was fine. But all wasn’t well. It wasn’t at all. Collin placed a hand on father’s shoulder sympathetically. He looked at the officer with horror and silently whispered, “Help, please.”

Collin hurried out of the office. Closing the door, he leaned against it and began to pant nervously.

“Collin, what’s wrong with you?”

“Hoover, you and I have been in the police for 8 years. But we haven’t come across this yet.”

“How is she?”

“Instills fear. It doesn’t fit in my head at all.”

“What did the medical experts say?”

“Have you seen her bloodied teddy bear?”

“With whom she always yearns?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, I saw.”

“It has her stepmother’s blood on it. She inflicted 12 knife wounds on Stephanie. When she fell and began to crawl, Berry waited for Stephanie to get to the hallway of the apartment.”

“God, she’s 7…”

“Then she hit her on the head with a vase until she turned her brains into mush.”

“Collin…that’s…terrifying.”

“It all started with a kitten she brought home. Dead kitten.”