The local news had always given me a nervous feeling since I was young. It was always something bad, and the reality of how messed up this world was seemed to smack me in the face each and every time it came on.
But this was even worse. This was personal. I stared at the screen with my cup of coffee shaking between my fingertips as the newscaster gave the latest.
“Another body has been found near Trinity Park. The name of the victim is unknown at this time, but the police have revealed that it is a female, around twenty-five years of age. No specific information will be given until the family has been notified. The department will not confirm or deny that this is the work of a serial killer—although, there have been multiple murders in the area during the past few weeks. At this time, the council is considering a mandatory curfew for the city of Belford. We will give you more information as we get it in the newsroom. But for now, the police department is asking that everyone be extra aware of your surroundings and travel in groups, if at all possible. Stay tuned to channel seven; we’ll be right back.” The man who sat behind the desk gave a somber smile as the camera drifted farther away from his face and was replaced by a waffle commercial.
I stared at the cup of coffee in my hand and felt the urge to vomit.
Another murder.
Jackson had already left for work this morning, and I hated that he wasn’t here to see this. Not that it really mattered. He would blow it off and wouldn’t see it for what it truly was.
The reminder that I was home alone caused me to check the locks on the front door, again.
He’d slept on the couch last night, and I was thankful for that. The last thing I wanted was the smell of whiskey lingering in the air as I lay there awake half the night. It was easier hearing his snores from a different room.
I picked up my cell phone and dialed the one person I knew I could talk to about this.
“Hey, bitch. What’s up?” Sara’s voice chirped in my ear.
“Have you watched the news this morning?”
“No, I’ve been nursing this coffee like a zombie for an hour. Mama was up all throughout the night.” Her deep sigh caused my heart to ache.
“More nightmares?” I asked, although I knew the answer.
“Yeah, every time I would leave the room, they would happen again. I don’t get it.”
“I’m going to come over and stay the night with her if that’s okay? That way you can get some sleep.”
“Yeah, of course it’s okay. But anyway, what about the news?”
“There was another murder at Trinity Park,” I blurted out.
“Holy shit. Oh my God.” Her concern was comforting.
“It’s so messed up.” I shook my head, worry consuming me once again.
“Wait. What does the person look like?” I knew she finally saw things the way I did, even if she didn’t want to admit it.
“They haven’t identified her, but female, mid-twenties.” I gave the report to my sister.
“I’m Googling it now.” Her voice was quiet and a little distracted.
I stared at my cold coffee and waited for any information she could come up with.
“There’s a missing woman. A young mom. Holy shit,” she hesitated.
“What? What?” I repeated when she didn’t answer me fast enough.
“She’s been missing since last week.”
“Okay…?” I waited for more information. “Did they find her? Is it her?” She was too quiet. She wasn’t giving me the information I wanted to hear.
“I don’t know.” I could hardly hear her, her voice so meek and distant. “Rach,” she whispered.
“Yeah?” My stomach was a ball of nerves.
“She looks like Mama. Just younger.” She let out a deep sigh, and the coffee I had in my system decided to make a reappearance, causing me to jump to my feet and run for the kitchen sink since it was closer than the toilet.
I turned the faucet on, causing the regurgitated drink to wash down the drain, then turned my back to it, resting against the cold stainless steel.
“But that’s not who they found in the park?” I asked, willing the statement to be true.
“I don’t know. She’s just missing, but the news is speculating that the body found was hers. This is so fucked up.”
“And it’s not a coincidence,” I remarked, squeezing my eyes shut and rubbing my temple with my free hand, my head beginning to throb.
“Fuck that motherfucker.” Her shock turned to anger in an instant.
“Do you need me to come over?” I knew I had to get to work, but I was willing to call Amie and let her know I would be late. As tough as my sister was, she needed me. We needed each other.
“No, Jake’s home today. He’s sleeping, but I’m going to wake him. I need him to talk me down right now before I go searching for that piece of shit myself.” Her voice was shaky, and I knew her husband was the only one who could handle that task.
“Okay, go talk to him. I’ll be over right after work.”
“Rach?” Her voice was soft and filled with worry, and I knew her moods bounced from one end of the spectrum to the other.
“Yeah?”
“Please, be careful. Please.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Don’t forget the gun,” she insisted, but I was already one step ahead of her demand.
“Already right here.” I stared at the piece of steel that gave me my only sense of protection.
“Just don’t stop anywhere. Go straight to work and come straight here. I don’t care what Jackson says. He can come here, too, I don’t care. I just need to make sure we’re both together tonight and with Mama.”
“I’ll see you tonight. Love you.”
“I love you, too. This motherfucker will not get away with this,” she insisted before ending our call and leaving me to my own thoughts and worries.