Clara nodded. She was slightly disappointed, but she also knew that leaving the police work to the real police was the best idea.
16.
HELPING JASMINE
M r. and Mrs. Young were home when Clara walked through the door. They were sitting at the kitchen table, talking in low voices. Clara sat next to her father and smiled at them. “What’s so urgent that the two of you are whispering about it?”
Mrs. Young bit her lip. She looked like she’d been crying. “Clara, honey, we’ve been talking, and we think it may be best if you girls go back with me to Florida. We can rent a house while you finish the school year. Then, once the lease is up for the tenants in our old house, we can move back in. Your father and Rodney have contracts they have to fulfill, but once those are up, they can join us.”
Clara sat back, surprise evident on her face. “But why do we have to leave? Because there was a serial killer here? Because Jasmine dated him? Running away from that isn’t going to make it go away or be like it never happened.”
“We just feel that it would be better for Jasmine if we went back. Staying here could make it harder on her then it needs to be.” Clara’s father reached out to touch her hand, looking for understanding in her eyes.
“I understand that you want to protect her, but letting her hide or runaway from what happened? She was in love, she got her heart broken, and it’s going to take time for her heal. Let her have that time. She has made friends here and they’ll understand what she’s going through. Her friends back home won’t have a clue,” Clara said.
Mrs. Young smirked slightly. “Are you sure it’s because of Jasmine that you want to stay? There’s not another reason you don’t want to leave? I mean, just a month ago, you were begging me to let you go back.”
Clara sat back and folded her arms across her chest. Her mother’s normal attire of jeans and an old t-shirt was a comforting sight. Today Mrs. Young had piled her hair on top of her head and wrapped a blue bandana around it. Her makeup was running, but it made her look younger. Clara’s father was dressed in tan slacks and a grey polo shirt, all three buttons undone. His graying hair was slicked to the side like normal. He looked safe, with his square jaw and his straight nose that was slightly too big for his face. His eyes were wide set and large, the same color as Clara’s.
She looked at both her parents and smiled.”I’ve started building a life here. I have friends here and moving again isn’t a good idea. I want to finish off my senior year here.”
Her parents exchanged a knowing glance. Then her father turned to her and said, “OK, we won’t pack up and leave. But you’re going to have to help with Jasmine. She’s going to need a lot of support.”
Clara nodded and headed up to her room, stopping at Jasmine’s door to listen for any sound. When she heard nothing, she knocked, waiting for a response. At Jasmine’s grumbled reply, she pushed the door open a crack, peaking in. “Jazz, wanna watch a movie?” In the dark room, all Clara could see was Jasmine’s eye peering out from her bed. Clara walked into the room, pulling the door shut behind her. She climbed into Jasmine’s bed, pulling her close against her side. Jasmine rested her head on Clara’s shoulder, tears spilling down her cheeks. Clara squeezed her, switching on the T.V. “Let’s watch a horror movie. No lovey-dovey stuff.” At Jasmine’s nod, Clara found the scariest movie she could, settling down to help her sister heal however she needed to.
17.
CLOSURE
R odney didn’t come home that night. He called to let their dad know that he was staying overnight in the town where the girls had been killed. There, Rodney was helping dig up the yards. After they’d found several animal bodies in Andrew’s parent’s yard, most of them cut into small pieces, they’d been able to get a warrant to dig up the yards of the missing girls. Rodney said he wouldn’t be home until the next day.
That morning, Clara knocked on Jasmine’s door and waited. When she didn’t hear any movement, she slowly opened the door and looked in. Jasmine was sound asleep on her bed, her arm thrown across her face. Clara closed the door and decided she’d make Jasmine breakfast.
Her parents had let Jasmine take the week off school so that she could recover from the shock of the other night. Clara’s father had asked her if she’d really felt the need to go to the lengths she did to get the information from Andrew. He also asked her why she’d forced Jasmine to watch.
Clara had looked her father straight in the eye and said calmly, “I knew that she was hung up on him. The only way I could see to break his hold on her was to show her that she wasn’t as special to him as she thought she was. I know it was extreme, and I know it hurt her immensely, but it was better than her ending up as one of his victims.”
Her father had nodded, but Clara could tell he didn’t fully believe that this had been the only way.
Once Clara had set a serving tray with eggs, bacon, toast, a bowl of fruit, and orange juice in a glass, she carried it up the stairs to Jasmine’s room. While Clara liked to sleep in big t-shirts and shorts, Jasmine actually had night gowns that went all the way to floor. Jasmine certainly was an old soul. Clara set the tray on the nightstand next to the bed and shook Jasmine’s shoulder.
Jasmine moaned and opened her eyes. “What do you want, Clara?”
Clara sat on the bed and smiled. “I brought you breakfast. You should eat something; you’ve lost a lot of weight.”
Jasmine sat up and looked at the spread Clara had brought her.”Since when do you cook?” She picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite.
“I’ve picked up a lot of things over the last month. Cooking really isn’t all that hard if you know your way around the kitchen.”
Jasmine grinned slightly and dove into the eggs, showing the first sign of an appetite in a long time.
“Jazz, why did you stop eating before?” Clara asked.
Jasmine stopped shoveling eggs into her mouth and looked up at Clara. “Andrew told me that I was too chubby. To be a cheerleader, I had to lose at least 10 pounds.”
Clara stared in shock as Jasmine continued to eat.”Girl, if he thought you were chubby, what did he think of me?”
“He thought you were nosey and bossy and way too independent for a girl.”
Clara’s mouth hung open. Jasmine smiled.
“We talked about you a lot. Mainly, he wanted to know what you were doing and researching. You really didn’t hide the fact that you were curious about Betty’s murder.”
“Did you take the diary page? I don’t care if you did; I’m just curious,” Clara said.
Jasmine nodded and pointed to the drawer of her nightstand. Clara opened it and pulled out the notebook on top. Inside, on top of the first page, was the torn-out diary page.
“I never gave it to him. I think I subconsciously knew that once he had everything he wanted from me, he’d dump me. I told him there was nothing about him or the baby in the diary. He believed me, mostly because he thought I was completely under his spell.” Jasmine looked at Clara. “I really was. I would’ve done just about anything to keep him. Seeing him with you … it hurt. It broke something inside me and I’m not sure it can ever be fixed.”
Clara took Jasmine’s hand. “You’ll heal over time, Sweetie. Love hurts, sometimes not on purpose, but sometimes those to whom we entrust our hearts are the ones who break them.”
Jasmine leaned back against her white headboard. “I don’t think I ever want to go through that again. I’m not sure it’s worth the pain.”
Clara smirked. “Really, not worth it? Are you sure about that? It may not seem like it now, but you have an amazing capacity for love. The man who wins your heart is gonna be one lucky guy. You just have to be pickier about whom you give it to.”
“But how will I know it’s the right person? How will I know I won’t get my heart broken again?” Jasmine asked.
Clara brushed a lock of hair out of Jasmine’s face. “You won’t know until you try. You have to make that leap and trust another person
. It’s hard, but you can do it. But first I think you need to let yourself heal. Just take care of yourself for now. You’re young; you have plenty of time to fall in love.” Clara stood. “Finish up and we’ll go to the mall. I think you need some time out of the house.”
Jasmine nodded and went back to eating while Clara headed downstairs. She’d heard a car pull up and figured it was Rodney.
Finding him in the kitchen, she tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned toward her, she burst out laughing. Rodney was covered in dirt from head to toe, his hair sticking up in all directions. He frowned at her and then turned back to pouring himself some coffee. “When you stop laughing like a hyena, maybe I’ll tell you what we found.”
Clara perked up and covered her mouth, trying to contain the giggles.
“That’s better.” He sat at the table and waited for her to sit next to him.
Unable to contain herself, she asked, “Did they find them? The girls, were they in the yards?”
He nodded slowly. “All three were in their own backyards, hidden so you wouldn’t even know they’d been buried there. The graves were big enough that they wouldn’t have been easily uncovered, either.”
Clara sat back. “But how did he manage to do it in one night? I mean, to dig the grave, kill the girl, and bury her in that grave?”
Rodney shook his head. “That’s the kicker, Sis. He didn’t do it all in one night. He dug the grave, then went back the next night and killed the girl, burying her in the grave.”
“Did the bus card tell you that?” she asked.
“No, Andrew told us that himself, this morning, after we told him we’d found the other girls. He’s going to plead guilty; I don’t think he’ll be getting out for a very long time,” Rodney said.
“Can’t they give him the death penalty?” Clara pleaded.
“I don’t know anything about that part of the process, Lil’ Sis. That’s up to the lawyers and the courts,” Rodney said.
There was a creak on the stairs and a voice said, “He won’t ever get out though, right?”
Rodney and Clara looked up to see Jasmine at the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was brushed and tied back from her face. She had put on lip gloss and mascara and was wearing a knee-length red skirt with a white polo shirt.
Clara jumped up and pulled Jasmine to the table.”After what he’s done, I don’t think he’ll ever see the light of day again, Sweetie.”
Rodney nodded in agreement. “They’d have to be really stupid to let him out.”
Jasmine wrapped her arms around herself. “Good. I’m afraid if they did let him out, he’d come after me. I was the one who sent the text that got him caught.”
Rodney and Clara exchanged a worried glance.
“I know, no one thought about that. I didn’t even think about it until this morning. He may hold a grudge against me for that.”
Rodney took her hand in his. “I would never let him get anywhere near you, Jazz. You don’t have to worry about anything. Live your life the way you want. You have nothing to worry about.”
Jasmine nodded and looked down at her hand in his. “So, Rodney, are you dating Stacy?” Jasmine raised her eyebrows at him.
Rodney turned beet red and almost dropped his coffee cup. “Um, well, we’ve been talking.” Both girls burst into laughter. Rodney stood up. “I’m going to take a shower. Don’t get into any trouble, you two.” He headed upstairs without a look back, their peals of laughter following him as he went.
EPILOGUE
THE FUTURE
12 months later
C lara sat across from Anthony at the coffee shop. He was looking over notes for his upcoming finals. Clara leaned in, blowing on his ear. He batted at her, not looking up. “Clara, you know I have to study.”
She laughed.”I know that you’ll pass without any issue but worry about it until you do. And I know that you really want to pay attention to me; you just won’t admit it.”
He looked up, trying not to grin.”You know me way too well.” He leaned in to kiss her, savoring the softness of her lips. “You taste like coffee.”
She sighed and smiled.”You like it when I taste like coffee.” He nodded and rubbed his eyes. “You tired? Ready for a break?”
He looked at her suspiciously. “What did you have in mind?”
She grinned mischievously. “Nothing much, really, just a small surprise. Come on!” She pulled him out of the booth and out the door.
Down the street, she pulled Anthony into one of the tiny restaurants on the main street. Unlike the seafood restaurant, this place looked like any other restaurant. Its huge windows showed tables lined up inside. With a bar at the back, it was a very homey place to spend the evening. Like everything else on this street, the roof was shingled, and a wooden porch stood in front to lend to the comfortable vibe. Inside, Anthony’s family and friends were waiting. After finals were over, he’d be graduating and heading off to vet school. With everything that was going on, there wouldn’t be time after finals to do anything for him. So, Clara had gotten everyone together to throw a party.
As they jumped out from their hiding spots, Anthony’s face lit up with joy. He turned to Clara, who was standing behind him with a huge grin on her face. “You sneaky woman!” He picked her up and spun her around. She squealed and giggled as he set her down.
Anthony went into the crowd to shake hands and hug everyone. Clara stood back, watching him. In his khaki slacks and button-up shirt, he looked very classy. His dark hair was a little longer – just long enough that she could enjoy running her fingers through it. He had a tan, as she loved to spend time outside and he loved to spend time with her.
Stacy walked up to her, breaking Clara’s reverie. “Hey goofball, come sit with us for a bit.” She pointed to a table across the room where Hannah and Tracy were waiting, dressed in cute party dresses, Tracy in a green spaghetti strap that made her hair blaze and Hannah in a red strapless form-fitting dress.
Clara followed Stacy, a smile on her face. Both girls stood to hug her.”It’s so great to see you guys. How have you been?”
Both girls laughed.”Amazing. College has lots of gorgeous guys,” Tracy said.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “School is wonderful, Clara. We only wish you could have come with us.”
Clara looked across the room to where Anthony was standing with her mother, her father, and Jasmine. “I had to be here for Jasmine this year. Plus, it gave Anthony and me time to get to know one another,” she said. Clara looked down at her summer dress, white with blue flowers all over it, with a low-cut neckline and thin shoulder straps. Hannah’s giggle made her head pop up. “What?”
“You’re so in love with him, girl.”
Clara shrugged.
“You’re so gone,” Hannah persisted.
“Oh, Hannah, when you fall in love, you’ll understand. I’d go to the ends of the Earth for that man,” Clara said.
“I can see that.” Hannah motioned to the party.
Clara laughed. She leaned back. “So, tell me about school. What classes have you been taking?”
Hannah leaned forward. “I’ve been taking regular prerequisite classes. Trying to get all those out of the way before I get into anything major.”
Tracy rolled her eyes. “Hannah, just because you got into Stanford doesn’t mean you can act like it’s no big deal.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Is someone jealous that I got into Stanford?”
Tracy blushed. “I’m not jealous. I just miss spending time with you.”
Hannah grinned. “You aren’t enjoying Penn State?”
Tracy nodded. “It’s OK, but it’s still pretty close to home. I don’t know … I guess I always thought I’d be farther away, enjoying freedom. Not coming home every weekend to see my family.”
“But Tracy, you have Stacy there! You guys are in the same classes,” Hannah said.
The girls exchanged knowing glances. “We are but Stacy has been awful busy lately. I almost never
see her!” Tracy said jokingly.
Clara raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really, now. Stacy, what has you so busy?”
Stacy looked over at Clara’s family. Rodney had joined them and was patting Jasmine on the head. “Just a particular boy I’ve taken a shine to.”
Clara shook her head. “Oh, honey, so you’re the one he’s crazy about. You’ve been coming home on the weekend to see him?”
Stacy nodded. “And he’s been coming up to visit me. We took it slow at first because of what Jasmine had been through, but we can’t wait around forever. We really do care about each other.”
Clara leaned in. “Are you in love with my brother?”
Stacy’s face went white. “Well I, uh, I…”
Clara laughed. “Stacy, it’s OK. Rodney’s a sweet guy; he deserves to be loved by an amazing woman.”
Stacy blushed. “We really haven’t talked about love. We’re still just trying to get to know each other. But I’m really falling for him.” Hannah snorted and Stacy glared at her. “I just don’t know where it’s going to go right now.”
Clara nodded and changed the subject.”You’re dressed up for the occasion.”
Hannah adjusted her red dress and smoothed its skirt.”I don’t wanna look out of place.”
Clara reached over and squeezed her hand.”You look amazing.” She looked over at Tracy and Stacy. Stacy was wearing an orange version of the dress that Tracy wore. Clara laughed. “Did you guys plan out your outfits together?”
The two girls exchanged a glance. “We didn’t exactly discuss outfits before we headed over here. It just kind of happened,” Stacy said with a laugh.
Clara looked over at the guests crowded into the restaurant. One person in particular popped out at her and she waved. Stacy leaned over with a smile. “Samantha looks good for someone who just had a baby.”
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