12 – Ciara
“ Y ou can’t be serious!”
Halo, who is a beautiful blond around twenty, with golden yellow eyes and a figure to die for, scowls when she realizes I’m with Paulie.
I only have a matter of seconds to get her to listen before she flips out and leaves. She agreed to meet Paulie at a café to give him notes, but she wasn’t expecting me to be here. I know what she thinks, they all do, but it’s my only option.
“Halo,” I say quickly, putting up my hands as she goes to turn and leave. “I know what you think, but I swear to you I did nothing. I went in there for a shower and stumbled across Alyssa, and now someone is bothering me. You don’t know me, I don’t expect you to believe me, but please, you’re the only person who can help me.”
Her eyes dart to Paulie, and he continues, “I promise you, Halo, she is a good person. She didn’t do it. You know that. I know you do ...”
Halo glances at me again, then stares down at her feet. “It just doesn’t feel real, you know?”
I exhale. She’s going to talk, and maybe then we will get the answers we need. Carefully taking a step toward her, I reach out a hand and put it on her shoulder. She flinches, but she doesn’t pull away. “I am so sorry about what happened to her, but someone is out there getting away with this right now, and I want to know who it is.”
She looks up at me, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. “The problem is, I don’t know. She was so ... secretive.”
“How do you mean?” Paulie asks, tipping his head to the side.
“She was seeing someone, but she wouldn’t tell me who it was. She kept it a big secret. A few days before she died, she got really upset and said they had been fighting and that he didn’t really want to be in a relationship with her anymore. She was so heartbroken, but still, she wouldn’t tell me his name.”
A secret lover.
But who?
“Did she ever mention a name? Age? Occupation? Anything?”
Halo shakes her head. “I think he lived out of town, but I honestly don’t know.”
If Alyssa kept it from her best friend, then she must have had good reason to do so. Perhaps the man was married? That would make the most sense. Maybe she threatened to tell his wife so he tracked her down and killed her. I’m onto something, I can feel it.
“Is there anything else you can tell us, anything at all?”
Halo shakes her head. “No, but I do have a key to her room.”
My eyes widen. “You do?”
She nods. “The police have already gone through it, but there might be something there. I have been wanting to go but I’ve just been too scared.”
“We can come with you,” Paulie offers. “If there is something that can help us find who did this, then we need to find what that something is.”
Halo hesitates, her eyes moving between us, then she exhales and nods. “Okay, I’ll meet you there tonight.”
This could be a really bad idea, but it also might be the only idea we have. I’m not willing to give up the chance to find something, though I’m sure whatever the police have already gone through is no longer in the room. Still, maybe there is something that can give us an idea of who she was talking to, and why.
I want to do this for her, she deserves answers, and I want to know who the hell is bothering me.
I finish up with Paulie and then I take a walk along the river as I call the kids and wave to them over Facetime. It’s not the same, but Danny looks like he’s having a blast with Addi, and I know Mercy is just happy to be there. Addison told me they haven’t seen Spike, but she did let me know they’re going to look for him tomorrow. I hope they fix it, because lord knows I need that man right now. I haven’t bothered calling him—he made it clear he wants space and quite honestly, so do I.
That doesn’t mean I don’t miss him and my heart doesn’t clench at the idea of him not being around.
Before I head back to the room, I sit down and look at Alyssa’s social media profiles. There could be something I’ve missed on there. I go through every one of her friends, posts, and likes and try to piece together anything that seems to repeat itself. There are a few men on there, most of which look to be young, and most of which aren’t commenting on her posts.
There is one who comments, but his profile picture is a beach and his name is simply @ yourmandan which gives me nothing other than the fact that his name may be Dan. His profiles are locked, and I can’t see a single picture of him, but his likes on Alyssa’s things are frequent and he left a few random comments calling her beautiful to which she wrote back in a way that made me think she cared what he thought.
It could be something, it could be nothing, but it’s worth trying to find out if a Dan goes to this school, or better yet, if there is a married man who somehow has something to do with the campus. She had to meet him somewhere, right? I decide it might be worth asking my parents, after all, they have lived here for a long time now. They might know something.
I make my way back and get into my car, heading over there.
When I arrive, only my mother is home. She’s surprised to see me, her gloved hands covered in soil as she plants flowers in her perfect garden. Everything in her world has to be perfect, if it’s not, she simply can’t handle it. Her world doesn’t have flaws, which is probably why we always clashed.
“Ciara, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I won’t keep you long, I just wanted to ask you something.”
She straightens, but she doesn’t dust her hands off or wipe them on her old clothes, no she just hangs them down by her sides. Not even her work clothes are allowed to get dirty. I wonder if she has always been this way, or if it’s something she has grown into as she got older. It’s always the way I remember her, but before us, I simply don’t know.
“That girl who was murdered, Alyssa,” I begin. “She was seeing someone, possibly named Dan. I was wondering if you knew anything about her?”
My mother purses her lips. “I know her mother, not well, but she is in a sewing group I attend once a month. She seems fine, a bit stuck up. I do recall her saying Alyssa was rebelling and sneaking off when she was at home, disappearing for days, but she didn’t know where. I guess she didn’t have a right to tell her what to do, she was over eighteen.”
“Are there any married man in town that you know named Dan?”
She thinks. “Not that comes to my mind, but I’m certain there are more than one in town, that is a common name. To be honest, I never liked that school. When Cheyenne went, things got very strange, and I was glad when she quit.”
“Strange?” I question.
“She started seeing a man in the few months she was there, but I never met him. She thought he was great at first but then she said he was controlling and scary, so she made the decision to leave because he attended the school, too. More than once he tried to find her, to the point she was actually becoming concerned, and we considered a restraining order. It wasn’t long after that she met Danny, and we know how that went. I never asked her what happened with him, but I know it was a tough time in her life.”
Of course it was.
Everything in Cheyenne’s world was tough.
At least, that’s how everyone saw it.
I never heard about this man she was seeing, but I didn’t have a great deal to do with her love life. She talked about a different man every week. Back then, I was too focused on Spike to care. He was my friend and kept me so distracted that I wasn’t too worried about what Cheyenne was doing until she decided to take him from me.
“I never heard about this man,” I say, pursing my lips.
“She didn’t tell anyone until after it was over, and I only found out because she was scared, and I forced her to tell me. I’ve never seen her so worried about another person before, she truly thought she was in danger. Maybe she was.”
“Do you think he still goes there?”
My mom shakes her head. “I doubt that. He would have graduated by now.”
She’s right.
Still, something is off with that school, and I’m determined to find out what it is.
“I FEEL LIKE A CRIMINAL , and it’s exhilarating,” Paulie whispers, clapping his hands together. “Is this how you feel all the time hanging with those gorgeous bikers?”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face. “A little less sneaky, they just go in and cause trouble.”
“Guys, shhh,” Halo hisses.
Paulie looks to me, and his eyes widen, then he grins.
He’s such a troublemaker.
We scour the hall once more and then unlock Alyssa’s door. Stepping into the room is eerie in a way that sends chills up my spine. Something to do with the fact that she spent her last moments in this room before going to that shower. At least, that’s the story they’re telling everyone. I’m starting to believe nobody actually has a decent lead on this case.
Which is why we’re standing in the room, staring at the dark space.
“I don’t know where to start,” Halo croaks, and my heart breaks for her.
Walking over, I stop in front of her and offer my warmest smile. “If you don’t want to be in here, we understand.”
She swipes a tear from her face and shakes her head. “No, I want to find out who did this, too.”
The room has mostly been cleared out. There are no signs of any electronic devices, or anything that could have evidence on it. By the looks of it, they have even taken some of her clothes. I’m sure they have scoured this room, but if I were to guess, I would say they assume they know who did it – points to myself – and because of that, they might have left something.
Cocky bastards always think they’ve got it right, when half the damn time they’re wrong.
“I think we need to look in places they wouldn’t think, places only a young girl would hide things,” I say, staring around the room. “Like behind furniture, under floorboards, under dressers ...”
Paulie gives me an impressed look. “I’m not sure if I should be scared or ...”
I laugh, cutting him off. “I like true crime. Come on, let’s get to work before we get into trouble.”
We all start looking around the room, quietly moving furniture and looking under things like her mattress and dresser. Nothing is showing up, but I’m convinced there must be something here, something that could help. Getting down on my hands and knees, I use my phone to look under all the furniture and that’s when I notice what looks like a photo all the way at the back of her dresser, on the ground, kind of tucked behind the curtain.
Stretching my fingers out, I push my arm under it as far as I can and grasp the photo, pulling it out.
Using my phone, I flip the picture over and stare at it. It’s ripped, and the heads of the two people have been torn off, but it is a photo of a couple. I can’t tell who they are, but it’s without a doubt been torn in a fit of rage. I know, I’ve done it. Turning to Halo, I usher her over, and she takes the photo from me, studying it.
“That’s Alyssa, for sure. And it’s recent because she only just got that purse.”
She points to a pretty black purse Alyssa has clutched under her arm. The man with her has a hand dangling over her shoulder. He seems to be built fairly well, nicely toned and muscled, and he’s wearing a black tee and a pair of faded jeans. His brown suede shoes and her pretty red dress tell me that they were maybe going somewhere nice.
Squinting, I try to take note of what’s in the background.
“I know where this is,” Halo whispers, pointing to a set of tables and chairs in the background, unique by the pretty garden set behind them. “It’s a couple of towns over, my parents took me there once and I remember because the garden was so nice.”
“Do you know who he is?” I question.
She shakes her head. “No, he doesn’t seem familiar, but it doesn’t help that I can’t see his face. He has a tattoo, look ...”
She points to a tattoo peeking out of the top of his shirt. It’s hard to see because we can’t zoom in on this damn photo, curse old fashioned things. Still, it looks like it might be some kind of Celtic symbol. The only reason it’s visible is because the shirt he is wearing has a V neck and dips low enough to show it.
Still, it’s something.
“Well, I guess we’re going on a road trip to see if the people at the restaurant remember them being there.” Paulie grins. “The cops have nothing on us.”
Halo stares at the picture for a long time before exhaling. “I wish she had told me who he was. She kept it from me, and I knew there was a reason. Do you think he was married?”
“That’s what I’m guessing.” I nod, warmly. “Only because she wasn’t telling anyone, not even her best friend, and if they were meeting at restaurants two towns over then it’s because they had something to hide.”
Halo exhales. “I just wish I could talk to her one more time. I have her last voicemail, and I listen to it over and over again to hear her voice. So many people didn’t like her. On the outside she could be a right cow, but when it came to me she was a good friend.”
My heart hurts for her. I couldn’t imagine losing my best friend.
“Do you mind if we hear the voicemail?” I ask. “It might bring something up.”
Halo nods, pulling out her phone.
She plays the voicemail, which is just Alyssa telling her that she’ll be there soon and to get ready because they were having a night out. I’m distracted, though, because that voice is so familiar. I’ve heard it before. Shaking my head, I frown as I try to remember where I have heard that before.
Then it comes to me.
The showers. That night I heard a couple fighting.
“Oh my gosh,” I gasp. “I was in the shower one night and she was in there with a guy, and they were fighting.”
“What?” Halo whispers. “What did they say?”
“I couldn’t hear his voice well, just whispers, but she was really upset and saying that she didn’t want him to leave, and he knows what she would do if he did ...”
Paulie’s eyes widen. “Do you think he killed her because she was going to tell everyone about them?”
It’s starting to look like that.
Who was this man, and what was he trying to protect so much that he was willing to kill someone to keep it hidden?
“She was really down a few days before she passed, but she wouldn’t tell me why. I wonder if he ended things with her. I should have known ...”
“Hey,” I say, shaking my head and reaching for her. “You couldn’t have known that this person was going to do this to her. It’s not up to you to know that. Don’t blame yourself for this. We are going to find who did it, and we’re going to make sure he pays, I promise.”
She nods. “We should leave before we’re caught.”
Tucking the photo into my pocket, I agree.
I’m going to solve this.
For Alyssa, but mostly, for Halo.