Chapter 12 Voices in the Water by. Lux Veritas #2
I nodded again, having no words. I did like Will, but I was scared. So scared of what could happen if I gave into the feelings, if I let him in. I was also scared he wouldn’t like what he saw in me.
I didn’t most days.
My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing on Theo’s nightstand.
“This is the James’ household, Theo speaking. How can I help you?” Theo asked after she had picked up the phone. She turned to me after a moment with a look of confusion. “It’s for you, Jack.”
I took the phone from her, confused who would be calling me here. “Hello?”
“Ophelia, is that you?” Sarah stated on the other end of the line.
“Sarah? Yeah. What’s up? Everything okay?” I asked.
I heard her sigh on the other side. “I’m so glad I got the right number. I may have stolen it from Oliver, I’m sorry. I’m not sure how much he knows about where you are or why. Look, I have something weird I need to tell you and William. I… fuck, I don’t even know where to begin.”
I yelled for Will to come in here as Theo stood and directed Violet out of the room. He wandered in, most likely just waking up. Luckily for me, and also unfortunately, he had put on a shirt. After he had joined me and we listened to Sarah, the early morning phone call made sense.
Sarah had flown into New York to interview an inmate at a place called Amherst Insane Asylum.
She was tasked with gathering information from a serial killer named Griffin Whitley.
He had killed a total of six women over the course of five days in groups of two.
He had also beaten and locked his own parents in their home during this time.
He never stood trial due to being found criminally insane.
The case had been suppressed in the media, for reasons no one knew.
However, Sarah may have ascertained some of those details.
“He did what?” Will asked, clearly disgusted.
Sarah sighed as she repeated herself, “He carved a symbol into each of the women’s foreheads.”
“What was the symbol?” I asked as I sat, very close to Will, and listened on the phone.
“That’s why I called. They showed me pictures of the symbols and I knew I recognized it, but I couldn’t remember where.
That was maybe three days ago. This morning, however, Faizal was talking about you and it reminded me of your case.
The symbol carved onto these women is the insignia you showed me from the closet of the young boy you met.
I think his name was Joey,” Sarah explained.
“It’s not just in Joey’s closet,” Will stated as he stood. “I need to show you what I got from Carter.”
He left the room, but quickly returned with three pictures and proceeded to tell Sarah and I about his meeting with Joey’s father yesterday.
What the actual fuck was happening?
This symbol kept popping up. First within Joey’s closet, then in the pictures Carter showed Will, and now with Griffin. The symbol that before this was only seen in a single picture within an obscure textbook that was published a decade ago. It made no sense.
“I think you need to get here and meet with him. Griffin, I mean. I was able to get permission from the Asylum to allow you two to meet with him as long as he agrees. Which he did,” Sarah rushed.
“I know it may seem rather odd to push for this, but from what you two have told me about this symbol, there is almost no way it is not connected to the Cult of Creatio and may be connected to the case.”
Will looked at me for a moment before responding to our friend. “We’ll be there tonight. Meet us at Bec’s at seven. We can talk more then.”
With that he hung up the phone and turned to leave. “Hey, wait. What do you mean we will be there tonight? Or that we’re going to New York?” I asked, confused by his urgency.
He turned to look at me and I felt it deep in my gut. His eyes, usually a sparkling blue, looked stormy with his thoughts. “Jackie, I think this case is more serious than either of us realize. All of these things happening can’t just be coincidences.”
“But what if you’re wrong?” I asked, suddenly feeling an immense pressure about what I had gotten all of us into.
Will looked at me and slowly stepped closer. He raised my head with his hand on my chin and eyed me for a moment.
In almost a whisper, he responded, “Well, I guess I get to spend even more time with you then. Just in New York now.” Stunned, I watched as he walked away, most likely packing his clothes for our upcoming trip.
“You leaving me, Jack?” Theo asked as she retook her spot from Will.
“Yeah, I guess. We have to head to New York,” I responded, still in shock from the conversation.
“Be careful, okay? I have a bad feeling about this.” Theo paused for a moment, her mind seeming to wander away before continuing, “What do you remember from that night?”
She didn’t need to specify what night she was referring to. The night Nate got us from our parents house will always be referred to as that night. It was the night everything changed, in ways I don’t think I ever understood.
“Honestly, not much. Why?”
“I just have the same feeling now that I did then. You know?” Theo responded as she pulled me into a hug. “Just please be careful. Besides Violet, you’re all I have.”