The Yellow Hibiscus Chapter 22

When I arrived at my apartment, Willoby was in the hall waiting for me. "What do you want, Sergeant, Mr., or whatever else, Willoby? Just who the heck are you anyway?"

I brushed past him and unlocked the door. As the door opened, he slid inside the apartment ahead of me.

"Willoby, I'm not in the mood for this. What do you want? Ask and get out." I held the door open.

"Listen, I'm sorry about today, but what you did back there at the precinct was not good. Telling anyone that your father might be a Nazi can be dangerous to your health," he warned.

"But they're cops. What are they going to do to me?" I asked.

"You don't know a lot about the Holocaust, do you?" His impatience was showing.

"I know enough," I snapped.

He nodded. "Don't repeat your actions today." I was curious to know if he was warning me or ordering me.

"I am sorry," I defended my actions. "I was just caught off guard when no one there seemed to know who you were. I had to explain."

"Because of the sensitivity of the case, only the Captain in charge knew the details, and it was a need to know basis. I can't hide my true feelings for the Nazis. I hate them."

"So that's why you treated me with contempt."

"I've apologized for all my indiscretions. At the time, all they told us was that your father might be Charles Stangl. They gave us his address. When I came into the city that night, I decided to check out the neighborhood. A Facial Recognition Expert was coming the next day. They would take pictures of him and his sister and use the facial recognition software to get more concrete evidence. That's how the FBI positively identified Mengele. When I arrived at the address they gave me, the house was on fire. The rest of the information I procured the next day. The last information the Justice Department furnished was that Olga Stangl, aka Helen Shade, couldn't be your biological mother, but Charles Stangl could be your father."

A mountain of fear prevented me from agreeing with him and revealing the diamond and its dangerous mystery. The Justice Department could be right. I avoided eye contact while wrestling with the truth, and these words slipped out of my mouth. "There are so many unanswered questions."

"I agree. Didn't you notice anything strange about your parents the night before they died?" he interrogated me again.

"No. Nothing at all." I swung around to face him, my lips trembling.

"What was your childhood like?" he asked.

"Perfect," I swore, wrapping my arms around my body to calm myself. "Truly, they were great parents who gave me more than I needed."

He nodded. "I'm glad they protected you. Our information points to Joseph Muller or his son who are helming this resurgence," he said as if he were briefing me in a meeting. "I suppose it could be the ancestor of any member of the Third Reich who knew what happened, but I feel certain it is them."

"After over sixty years? Is that even possible?" I asked as the memory of Juan's scream echoed in my subconscious. I shook my head, hoping the pain would go away.

"Hate and revenge respect no number and knows no end. If they didn't find what they were looking for from the Shades, they might come after you. That's why I need to know everything . . . we need to work together," he said solemnly, eyeing me with a weird look in his eye.

"I don't understand. I mean, how . . . I mean, if the Justice Department had all this information, why didn't they use it to save my parents' lives?" My words were laced with guilt, but I had to play this game without using the cards fate or destiny was dealing me.

"It's a theory," he admitted. "I wanted to find out for sure about your parents. As I said, I was one day late."

"Why should I trust you? You lied to me before. For all I know, you could be lying to me right now," I gazed at him, guilt in my eyes.

"We are after the same thing. You want to find your parents' killer, and I want to find Rosa's torturers."

"Are you being truthful now?" I asked, still glaring at him with guilty eyes. He suspected nothing.

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