18 – Ciara
“ F uck,” Spike runs his hands through his hair as I explain to him what we’ve figured out. “That makes sense. Course it does. That’s how these girls are meeting him, how he’s been able to get into your room, it all makes sense.”
“The question now is, who the fuck is it?” Jackson mutters, bringing a cigarette to his lips.
“There are plenty of teachers in that school, at least twenty. It could be any one of them.” I say.
Addison purses her lips. “It would have to be a younger teacher, someone not too old but not fresh out of college either.”
I purse my lips, thinking about it. There are probably six younger teachers at that school that fit in the age range that would work for when Cheyenne was at the school.
“What about that male teacher you have?” Serenity asks.
“Gerard?” I say, then shake my head. “He doesn’t have a tattoo.”
“Well, I guess that’s how we eliminate them, then. You need to see who has a tattoo.”
“That might not be easy, some of them could easily hide it just by wearing a shirt and tie, which most of them do,” I point out.
“Well, you need to pay extra attention.” Spike throws in. “Because one of those fuckers is a murdering, stalking bastard and if we don’t find out who it is soon, we’re goin’ to end up in deep shit.”
“I’ll figure it out,” I say. “Gerard is taking me to see Alyssa’s parents tomorrow, maybe they know the teachers at the school and if Alyssa ever mentioned any of them.”
“You know, Gerard might just know if you ask him. He would know the staff...” Addison points out.
She’s right.
He would.
“I’ll call him.”
I take my phone and step outside, calling the number I have for Gerard. I have all my teachers’ numbers; in case I have a question outside of class with regard to something I’m studying. It’s beneficial, especially when I’m working at home.
He answers on the second ring.
“Gerard speaking.”
“Gerard, it’s Ciara.”
He pauses. “Is everything okay?”
“Sure, I just wondered if you had a second to answer a question?”
“Of course. How can I help?”
I explain everything I’ve figured out, and then ask him if he knows anyone in the school who might fit the description.
He ponders it, before going silent. “There is one teacher.”
“What’s his name?” I whisper, my heart skipping a beat.
“His name is Derek. He’s been here for as long as I have, but there have been a couple of complaints made about him in the past because he has made girls uncomfortable. He’s good-looking, fits the age range, and he has tattoos. I can’t tell you what they are, but I have seen them.”
Derek.
I think about the social media name I found @yourmandan and wonder if it could be a tricky way not to use his actual name, but still using the same initial.
“Do you know what days he works?”
“He’ll be there tomorrow. He works Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Do you think he has something to do with this?”
“I’m starting to think it’s possible. It has to be a teacher doing this, nothing else makes sense.”
“I can help you figure it out, but I think you should go to the police with this information. He could be dangerous.”
“I can’t do that, not when they think I’m the one who did it. They won’t believe anything I say, not without proof. I have to get proof.”
Gerard exhales. “It seems unsafe. Let me see what I can find out. I’ll discuss it more with you when I take you to Alyssa’s family tomorrow. Her mom has agreed to the meeting.”
“Thank you, Gerard. Seriously.”
“Just be careful, Ciara. We don’t know anything about this person.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Hanging up the phone, I join the group again. “I think I have a lead.”
“Let’s bring this fucker down,” Spike growls. “Once and for all.”
I think it’s about time we do.
“ADDISON AND SERENITY , this is Gerard. Gerard, these are my very best friends,” I say the next morning when Gerard comes to collect me.
“Nice to meet the two of you,” he smiles, shaking their hands. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Thank you for taking Ciara today. We all want this over for her,” Serenity says gratefully.
Addison nods. “Seriously, this freak show needs to be put to a stop and this might be the only way.”
Gerard chuckles. “I agree.”
“Did you find anything out about Derek?” I ask, facing Gerard.
“He was working here when your sister went to the school, and I did manage to find out that he was seen with Alyssa outside a store one afternoon. It might be nothing, but it could be something.”
“He’s our man, I can feel it.” I say. “Hopefully, Alyssa’s parents can help us piece it together.”
“I hope so,” Addison holds up her crossed fingers.
“You two drive safe and let us know the second you find anything.” Serenity says, stepping closer and hugging me.
“I will.”
I climb into the car with Gerard, and we begin the trip to Alyssa’s family home. They live about an hour and a half away, which direction I don’t know, but I get myself comfortable as I scour through everything I’ve found, in hopes of finding something to prove that Derek is the person who killed Alyssa.
“Do you think Derek has done this to others?” I ask Gerard as we drive.
He nods. “I mean, it’s likely. He sounds unstable. After what you’ve told me you found out about your sister, and then Alyssa, it is possible he has done it to a few before or even in between.”
“Have there been any other deaths on campus?” I question.
Gerard shakes his head. “There was an assault two years ago, the girl was beaten pretty bad, but they figured it was one of the other students. They never said who did it.”
This asshole has been doing this for far too long.
I know it.
“How has he gotten away with this for so long?”
Gerard shrugs. “He’s smart.”
Too smart.
But hopefully, not smart enough.
We’re getting close, I can feel it.
“Hopefully, we get the proof we need today to at least get the police to look at him.” Gerard says out loud.
“I hope so. This can’t happen to anyone else.”
“No, you’re right, it can’t. Did you think about going to the police? I really think it would be a smart idea. Whoever this is, he is dangerous, and I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”
“If nothing comes up here, I will go. I promise.”
He smiles, and we talk the entire way to Alyssa’s parents’ house. When we get there, I can’t deny that I’m nervous. I’m sure they’re wondering why I’m here and most importantly, why Gerard wanted this meeting. I know that they probably think I had something to do with it, but I’m hoping this meeting will change their minds.
“I’m sorry to come in here and bother you,” I tell Alyssa’s mom Bay when we take a seat in her living room. “I know things are really hard right now, and I’m probably the last person you want to see...”
“I know you didn’t kill my daughter.”
Bay is a beautiful, youthful woman with dark hair, light blue eyes and full lips. She’s tiny, but curvy, and if Alyssa was anything like her mom, she would have attracted a lot of attention.
“You do?” I whisper, my throat getting tight.
“I have told the police that, and they’re choosing not to listen. I know someone else did it, and I’m not going to rest until I find out who it was.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” Gerard says, offering a warm smile. “Ciara here has a theory.”
Bay looks at me and I tell her everything I’ve figured out.
For a moment, she’s silent as she processes the information, and then her eyes grow sad. “I heard her on the phone one night, crying her eyes out. I went in, but her conversation had me pausing. She was saying how she wanted to tell everyone, that she wanted them to be real, that she wanted the world to know how much she loved him. I figured it was just some young love, but now...”
“Does the name Derek mean anything to you?” I ask.
Bay thinks for a moment. “No, but in all fairness, she didn’t tell me his name. She never talked about him. I knew she was doing something because my daughter became withdrawn. It was challenging to get Alyssa to talk on a good day, she wasn’t always liked, and she could be selfish. Even then, I knew something was wrong with my baby. She might have been all of those things, but she was still my daughter...”
Her voice breaks and I reach over, squeezing her hand. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” she croaks. “I appreciate the information you have given me. Give me a few days to go through her things again. I have only had a brief look, it has just been too hard, but if I find anything I will immediately let you know.”
We finish up by listening to her tell stories of how funny Alyssa could be when she let her guard down, and even though she could be difficult, she had such a ray of light about her. We laugh and let her express her love for her daughter, and only when she’s talked about her enough, do we leave.
She needed that, as much as we did.
Probably more.