Arson traces but no actual details

When we arrive, one of the officers at the desk asks what I am here for. "I was told last night I needed to check in here by the fireman near my apartment. I live at [my address]."

Their eyes opened. "Ohh, you are the poor victim of the arson case... I will get you the forms for insurance claims. No, we will not answer your questions about who it might be. I will get the person related to your case."

"I have no enemies except for the jackass who assaulted me earlier this week," I say almost matter-of-factly.

"No problem, sir, we have assigned the same officer due to the decent chance it might be related. He will be down in a moment."

Trusting this bulshit lie, I wait, and wait for the better part of an hour. And the cop finally arrives. "Sorry to make you wait, Pieter didn't want to, but sometimes other things take priority." She says. I give a kurt nod. "And who might be this be?" She continued.

"My partner who was helping me get some new clothes after she left home ad hock, yesteday. As well as move some new furniture into an apartment my boss had sold me when I said I had been assaulted at my old place."

"Can I verify that with them?"

"Sure here is the number of Madelon who you already met and this is Jessica my boss. If you call Jessica now they might have time for you if you go by work. I have taken sick leave due to my shoulder not being in a state where carying is smart."

"I can confirm what Pieter said. We were from 10:00-15:00 in Nijmegen my sister can confirm the earliest time and sales in store might confirm the 15:00 time. After that we went to the Ikea in Eindhoven bought two beds, two dressers and a few standing desks and chairs. Pieter had hoped he could move a large amount of his furniture over." Robin explains.

"Why not start by moving stuff over? And can I have another look and some more photos of your shoulder?"

"I needed to get a second bed for Madelon anyway. Madelon needed clothes more than anything at the time as she decided to have a hard break with our parents due to her old boyfriend, the dude who assaulted me. Moving large furniture with the fresh bruise also didn't seem smart I couldn't ask friends to come over yet. So all and all lighter piece by piece furniture seemed smarter. As for more photos why not." I walked with her as she brought me to an interogation room where I removed my shirt. I hadn't looked at the stack of bruises until now. The bruise had started to sag had turned puple in areas yellow in others. I am glad I didn't put to much of a burden on it.

"You look fine for now if it starts to hurt more go to the doctor."

"I have had worse." I say absent mindedly not realising it. It was true mostly in what my parents called acts of rebellion. "Don't worry I can handle this I know what not to do."

"Did you ever report them? I don't have any reports of that."

"I tried but if the person who you filed the report against is picks up the landline and then you have to answer the officer whilst they are listening in. Then it is really easy not to want to worsen your bruises."

"Ohhh.... do Jessica, Madelon and Robin know?"

"Robin only as much as I have told them which is they were abusive assholes from whom I have tried to remove Madelon until I was 21 and gave up until she showed up at work. Madelon she knows I was hit by our father, not the extend of though but she knows some of it. Jessica, knows she knows. When I started I had zero emotional control. I had awareness of actions, not of my emotions, no regulation. Antionette, Roos and Bernard had tried to be as much of a family for me as they could be. I stayed there more than at home. But that didn't nessesarily prepare me for the world as it should have. I was a broken mess for my first two years working there. Never had issues with people my own age older people were suspicious. But I worked hard improved well and picked up education well. Got certifications of my own acord with some suport from Jessica and she gave me a full time, long term contract in return. She knows we have had many a talk."

"How does that work?"

"Trauma response, I supose. My old man hurt me, therefore old man bad. The brain is simple like that. I wish it wasn't."

"You won't be getting a trauma from the asault? Or the arson?"

"Arson wasn't home. When Tim was attacking me I thought numerous times 'the dumb idiot doesn't realise that if I push or walk forward he will fall over the railing and die.' Didn't act on it though that is the important part. If it had been me from a decade ago I would have shoved him over. Control, requires the awareness and the ability to choose. I chose to have Madelon to call 112 to call the police to ask for help instead of doing something I couldn't reverse."

"You seem to have little remorse regarding Tim."

"He has always been a dick. I warned him not to be a dick. I really hate that dude's guts. He is not worth my care or time."

She gives me a nod. I put my shirt back on. "Tough life, I hear. I hope things will keep going up instead of back down for you... Was he really that bad."

The most casual "Yep" escapes my lips in response. "The bully amongst bullies. I was however bigger, knew where to hit to end it. I ended up with a group of kids behind me and no one dared aproach those who had chosen to seek my protection. The teachers were shit." She sighs as we leave I sign some papers as to my statements being true. And we move on to Robin's place.