Enlightened

by Charlotte Michelle

  And apart from the odd argument with his friend, Mikey was decent to hang around too. He didn’t spoil the mood, even though he did scowl at me a few times. Now I understand why he did so. He wanted me dead…

  Oh my God.

  I throw my pillow on the floor and nearly leap out of bed. Sprinting toward the door, I whip my phone from my back pocket and dial Dallas’s number.

  “I’ll be at your house in five minutes,” I say before he can even greet me and hang up without hearing his response. I snatch my keys and purse off the counter and race toward the front door. I ignore the look Katie tosses me from the living room and exit the house.

  When I get to Dallas’s house, he’s already outside waiting for me. He arches an eyebrow as he runs toward my passenger seat.

  “What’s going on?” he asks, buckling in as I drive toward the park.

  “It was him. The guy at the lake. It was him.” I bite out, looking over at Dallas with wide eyes. He squints at me, not completely understanding what I’m saying. “The owner of the black SUV!”

  Understanding adorns Dallas’s face before it turns to horror and then anger. He reaches up and runs a hand through his hair.

  I park the car and turn to Dallas. “Kyle knew they were both there. We do and we don’t know the killer. Dallas, we saw them from the beginning. They were right in front of us.” I gnaw on my bottom lip.

  How could Mikey be so careless? He was talking to his partner in crime right before us, no more than a hundred yards away.

  Does it not sit on his conscience? Does it not weigh heavy that he killed his best friend’s brother?

  Clearly not, if he’s meeting publicly, right in front of Dallas, with the assassin.

  I feel sick to my stomach as I lift my eyes to see the look of loss on Dallas’s face. “He was right there, Kayla…the man who shot Kyle.” Dallas turns his head so our eyes meet, tears welling in his beautiful blue orbs. I reach over and thumb them away, just as he does to me so many times. “And I just let him walk away…”

  “No, Dallas. You mustn’t blame yourself. There was no way you could have known…”

  “Kyle’s clue wasn’t good enough for us? We should have been more diligent. We got lazy. We dismissed what he told us. We were selfish, Kayla.” Dallas’s tone is sharp, and I find myself frowning at him.

  I don’t like what he’s saying. Dallas is far from selfish. He has become the most selfless person I know these last couple of months. Was it so wrong for us to want to enjoy one day as teenagers?

  I feel a tightness in my chest as tears gather in my eyes as well. No matter what I tell myself, I can’t help but feel guilty. While we were being teenagers and having fun, Kyle is stuck in some sort of limbo. He can’t find peace.

  And we were riding jet skis.

  “We will catch them, Dallas. We will make them both pay. I promise you. We just have to find a way to soil his alibi.” I lean against my chair and look up at the roof of my car, as if our answer was plastered there.

  I feel his warm hand encase mine, and I look at him from the corner of my eye. Dallas lifts our hands and places a kiss to my knuckles.

  “I’m glad I have you with me during all this, Kayla. I was stupid to ever think I could do it on my own. You are the one person that keeps me rooted. Without you, I’d be lost with turmoil and anger. I love you, Kay.”

  “What do you think about the chicken salad sandwich?” Anne asks, gazing down the menu, her beautiful red hair falling around her face as a curtain. My eyes flicker to her for a moment before they move back outside.

  It’s a beautiful Saturday morning. There are a few white, fluffy clouds in the baby blue sky. The wind is soft, causing a gentle rustle to the leaves on the oak tree across the lot. I can hear the quiet, angelic songs that the birds sing as they flutter from tree to tree. The grass is green from the melted snow, though there are a few brown patches.

  There is still no luck with finding a way to prove Mikey guilty. It is bearing down on Dallas. He’s hardly sleeping; he’s growing impatient. The last two days, he has barely spoken to me, despite the fact that he admitted he couldn’t do without me.

  I understand. He needs time to himself. We can’t always be together. Perhaps it’s good that we have some time apart. We have been together so much because of Kyle that there’s a bead of doubt ebbing in the back of my mind.

  After we solve Kyle’s murder and everything is finished, will Dallas grow tired of me?

  All we know is being together because of Kyle, because of this situation. But once it’s over, will we lose our connection? Will we realize that there really was nothing there to begin with but two people working together to solve a case?

  I bite my bottom lip at the thought.

  I don’t want to lose Dallas. I love him, more than I thought possible for someone our age. I rely on him as a support system. I rely on him as a safe-haven. I rely on him as a getaway. If I lose him, I will lose stability and sensibility.

  Does he rely on me the same way I rely on him?

  Funny how it can be such a beautiful day, even with all the atrocious events that are going on in the world.

  “Kayla!”

  I let out a grunt in pain as my arm explodes with a throbbing sensation. I jerk my eyes over to Katie, who has a guilty smile on her face. “Why did you just punch me?” I whisper, arching an eyebrow.

  “Anne asked you a question about a sandwich…about three minutes ago,” Katie says, propping her chin into the palm of her hand, so her eyes zero in on me. “And we’ve just been watching you since. You make weird faces when you think.”

  I let out a huff and turn to look Anne in the eyes. “The chicken salad sandwich sounds phenomenal. It’s what I get every time I come to Emerson Creek.”

  While the Village Grind is my favorite place in Oswego, Emerson Creek Tea Room is Katie’s. It’s a rustic, simple barn that was renovated into a cute tea room. The food here is delightful, and the staff is friendly.

  Everyone in Oswego is friendly.

  “Excellent.” Anne claps her hands and turns to the waitress, who I didn’t notice was standing there, taking in all that just happened. I flush with slight embarrassment as I order the sandwich and raspberry ice tea, the exact same as Anne and Katie.

  “Katie, how’s dance?” Anne asks my sister. I turn my attention to Katie.

  Her dirty blonde hair is pulled into a French braid, starting from the very top of her head and all the way to her mid back. It’s neat and beautiful. A few freckles adorn her cheeks, but apart from that, she has our mother’s pale yet flawless complexion. She’s wearing a pretty pink sundress, even though it’s fifty degrees outside.

  “It’s going well. I took your advice”—Katie points to me—“and am focusing primarily on hip hop.” I smile widely at this.

  I am so proud of Katie. She has no fear in chasing her dreams. I’m happy that she has a hobby she’s passionate about. Dance has always been her passion, and I hope that she will be able to continue it for many years to come.

  “That’s great, Katie. I’m so happy for you,” I say, reaching over to grab her braid and run my hand over it. Katie slightly tilts her head to follow the pull before I let it drop.

  Upon a gentle ding, someone enters the tea room. My eyes lift, and I immediately recognize the person walking through the door. She’s dressed in a dark purple, floor-length dress with the material that’s sheer from her knees down. Her hair is twisted into a messy bun with dangling, silver chandelier earrings.

  Shelby.

  I watch her for a moment, glad she doesn’t notice me. I’m sure she’d bolt from the room if she did, not that I understand why. I hardly know her. Why was she so freaked out when she saw Dallas and me?

  “Hey…that’s…”

  I look over at Anne and see her subtly pointing a finger in Shelby’s direction, her eyebrows pulled together as she tries to ponder the name. “Shelby,” I help, taking a sip of the raspberry tea.

  “Yeah. Shelby.
Wonder how she’s doing. Bet she has repercussions from dating Mikey.” Anne giggles to herself.

  I feel my arm lock as my eyes lift from my tea and focus in on Anne. She seems to have the same train of thought as she quickly quits laughing and stares at me with wide eyes.

  Instantaneously, we look over at Shelby, our mouths gaping wide. “She’s the answer…” I whisper to myself.

  Shelby was dating Mikey throughout the whole incident. She would have known where he was September 12. She would have most likely seen a text or heard a suspicious phone call…

  Shelby is the answer.

  Anne turns back to look at me, and we both let out a gusty, weight-lifting breath.

  “Holy—”

  Chapter

  Twenty-Six

  Convince

  *Dallas*

  January 16, 2016

  It’s a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun is shining, only a few clouds adorning the sky. The wind is gentle, allowing the sun to bring the illusion of warmth to the chilly temperature.

  It’s a perfect day for a normal teenager to go to the courts and play a few rounds of basketball. Or take their dog for a walk. Or head over to Emerson Creek for tea with a best friend and sister.

  Kayla had invited me to go. Even if I wasn’t in a dull mood and everything wasn’t a mess, I still would have declined her invitation. There was never going to be a day, not even when the sun rises in the West and sets in the East, that I will willingly sit down at that restaurant.

  I don’t mean to slander any male that goes to Emerson Creek; it’s normal for husbands and even boyfriends to attend with their significant other. I, on the other hand, am not accustomed to tea and finger food.

  That, however, was not the reason I said no to going with Kayla. Neither was my dreary mood…my reason is something far more complicated and trouble inducing.

  Kayla will throw a tantrum when she finds out.

  I beep my car locked as I lightly jog up the driveway and into the front door of the large gray house. Without invitation, I take the steps two at a time until I reach the top and head toward the bedroom where the door is still hanging off its hinges.

  I did some real damage…

  I ignore the absurd guilt as I look into Mikey’s bedroom, seeing him laughing on his bed, his phone above his head.

  Probably texting his assassin.

  I push the negative thought out of my head and clear my throat. When his big brown eyes look over at me, I feel this uncontrollable urge to lunge forward and sock him in the jaw.

  How can he just lay there, after everything that has happened? Does he not feel a morsel of guilt?

  “Dally…” Mikey swings his legs off the side of the bed and stands up, walking over to stop a few feet from me. “I’m guessing you’re not here to play a round of Halo.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans, and I clench my jaw, feeling it tick at his lame attempt to bring humor into the situation.

  “No. I’m not.” Mikey nods his head. “I need to know why you did it. I need you to make me understand why you had to kill an innocent, teenage girl. I need you to explain how it justifies the fact that my brother got the bullet instead of Kayla.” I look him dead in the eyes, watching as he gulps and takes a step back.

  To my utter astonishment, tears well in his eyes. I feel sick.

  “I never meant for Kyle to die,” he whispers.

  “No. You meant for Kayla to die,” I bite out, glaring at him. Mikey turns and sits down on his bed, nodding his head.

  “Yes, and she still has a target on her back, Dally. I paid my hitman to go after her again. She has to pay for what happened. She not only killed my father, but she killed Kyle now. It’s only fair. A life for a life…Two lives, rather.”

  His rationality is grotesque. Does he really think that this justifies anything? Kayla never harmed her father. She didn’t shoot Kyle in the chest. She had a birthday. She aged, and her father wanted to be home to celebrate with her. That is no one’s fault, aside from the drunk driver.

  “I hate her, Dallas. I hate everything about her. She has her hooks so deep in you, you can’t see what she’s doing. She has wormed her way inside your head. She’s manipulative. She is a conniving, stealing bitch.” I let out a growl of anger and step forward to punch him; however, he quickly dodges and moves to his desk chair, shaking his head at me.

  “You don’t know a thing about her.”

  “But I do. I know her all too well, Dally. I’ve been watching her since I was six years old. She has a younger sister, Katie. She loves dance; however, she’s leaning toward hip hop instead of ballet, much to her mother’s distaste. Katie vaguely knew Kyle, only saw him in a few classes. Her mother is a nurse, works with your mom, actually. Her shifts are typically five to two; her days off are Tuesdays and Fridays. She has a best friend, Anne, who dated Travis from the basketball team. She would go to every game, except for when they were on Saturdays. She works at the local vet as an assistant on Saturdays.”

  I stare at Mikey, disgusted as he spews our all this information…everything that I have learned to be correct over the past months I’ve been with Kayla.

  “Her favorite author is Francine Rivers. I knew before you did…it typically takes her a day and a half to finish a book, even if it’s a school-assigned novel. She drives a silver Solara convertible that she was given on her seventeenth birthday by her grandmother, who lives in Virginia. She’s quiet and always sits in the back or corner; everyone typically leaves her alone. But she sees everything. She had her eye on you since sophomore year. Why do you think she begged her mom to convince yours to let Kyle get tutored? Are you that dense? We both know Kyle wasn’t that horrible at school. He didn’t need a tutor. She was just doing that to get closer to you, to watch from a distance and then strike at your lowest. She is just like every other girl you’ve slept with. She wants your money and your fame. Nothing else.” Mikey speaks with such confidence that I almost feel as if I should believe him.

  Of course, I do not.

  Mikey knows Kayla from what he sees on the outside.

  I know her for what I see on the inside.

  She’s the girl I love, and I know her heart. She is selfless and would never scheme a way into my life. Not even if Mikey does know her favorite author or license plates for her car.

  All Mikey is doing is making me more vengeful. I would enjoy nothing more than seeing him rot behind the bars of a prison.

  “No one would have cared if Kayla Williams died that night. You would have been grateful; you hated her back then.” Mikey grabs a Snickers bar from the drawer of the desk, where he always keeps an assortment of chocolate bars.

  I remember countless times when I would get up from playing a round of Halo and pluck a Butterfinger from that drawer. Back then, we were just kids with no thoughts of murder…at least, that’s what I thought.

  “I did. And I regret every day how rude I was to her. But no, I wouldn’t be grateful. Only someone as twisted as yourself would be.”

  Mikey shrugs his shoulders and takes a bite of the bar. “I loved Kyle, Dally. When I pulled up to the curb that night, I never expected to see you there. I reacted too slowly; the gun had already gone off before I could drive away.”

  How could he be eating and talking about this?

  I shake my head and take a step away from him, scratching the back of my neck. “You were my best friend, Mikey. I loved you as if you were my brother. I trusted you, man. And after everything, you pull something like this? Even if it wasn’t me. Even if you did kill Kayla, what do you think would have happened to Kyle? Him witnessing her death? You’re callous and selfish, and I hate you with every fiber within me.” I cast him one last look before I turn to head out of the room.

  “I never meant to hurt you, Dally! It was never supposed to go down this way.” I hear Mikey get up, and I look over his shoulder to see him walking toward me, his head bowed as he types away on his phone.

  My eyebrows come toge
ther as the black and silver case for my iPhone 6s meets my gaze. I watch as he makes a few movements on the screen and then hands the phone back to me. “Grabbed it when you tried to punch me. Tsk. Trying to record our conversation.” Mikey looks me dead in the eyes, his expression dull and soulless. I don’t even recognize him. “I’ve been prepping for assassinating Kayla Williams. I know how to ensure my secret is safe, Dally. You’ll never convict me.” He reaches up and pats my cheek. “Now, get the hell out of my house.”

  I sit on my couch, my fingers drumming against the arm as I stare at the blank TV. Kayla should be here any moment. I called her on my way home from Mikey’s; she had just finished with lunch and claims she has news for me.

  I miss her greatly. The last few days I’ve been distant, and I know it causes her angst. I saw it in her eyes every time I slid by her in the hallways.

  I’m not mad at her. I don’t hate her or blame her or whatever else she’s conjuring up in her mind. I just couldn’t pretend everything was all right anymore. I couldn’t continue on with a high school relationship while Mikey sits two rows away from us. I have to get him behind bars. I have to solve this…then, Kayla and I can finally return to our normal lives.

  Kayla did convince me to continue playing basketball, however. I have been going to every game, and every time I look into the stands, I smile when I see her sitting there. She always waves and smiles back. For the hour and a half I’m on the court, the world can’t touch me. Nothing else matters, and it’s nice to have an escape.

  “Hi, baby.” I feel a kiss to the top of my head, and I look up to see my mom walk around the couch to sit next to me. I offer a small smile.

  “Hey, Mom,” I whisper.

  “How’s Kayla doing?” My mother adores Kayla. Sometimes, I’m sure she’ll switch us out so that Kayla could be her daughter. She definitely treats her as if she is.