Browsing the movie titles, she was stunned, amused even, with some of them. She had to laugh it off that Marissa would be remotely interested in horrors and musicals. Apparently, there were things she had to learn about her best friend. Now would be as good a time as any, seeing as they were sharing a living space.
Laura grabbed ten of her favorites and placed them next to the TV. She cozied up on the couch and waited for Marissa. It was a good feeling, not being as tense as before. She felt free. Relaxed. This was going to be a good day.
Chapter 18
I
t had been three days. Three whole days since Laura had temporarily moved in with Marissa. For the most part, they had been uneventful. The two women had found their own groove with their new living conditions. Most of the time Marissa was gone, working. Laura was getting bored. Restless. She knew she couldn’t hide out here forever.
That was why today she decided to do something about it. It was time to get back out in the world and do something productive with her time by contributing to society. Earlier in the morning she had applied to a few jobs online, and now she was getting ready to head out and apply to a few places in person.
Laura put on her favorite black suit. The pants hugged her hips and slightly flared downward. The coat was complete with two buttons that tightened in just the right area to accentuate her curves. Underneath was a silk top. She complemented her outfit with black pumps, a little bit of makeup, and a loose bun in her hair. She liked the way a few strands fell loosely around her face.
She looked herself over thoroughly in front of the bathroom mirror. Twisting side to side, she liked what she saw. I’m dressed for success! She smiled at her reflection, feeling a fresh boost of confidence hit her core.
Her white Jeep Cherokee was waiting for her outside, thanks to Marissa helping her get it the day before. She had said it would provide more freedom. At first, Laura wasn’t sure if she agreed. But now she was thankful her friend insisted. Hopping in, she mapped out exactly where she wanted to go. The first place was near downtown. Simple enough.
The phone started to ring the moment she got on the main stretch. She checked who it might be, but the number wasn’t recognizable. Her thoughts immediately went to her job search. Could it be that one of the places she applied that morning was calling her already? That would be fast if it were so. But it could be possible. She answered it through her Bluetooth system.
“What have you done?”
Laura crinkled her eyebrows. Was this a wrong number? Laura didn’t recognize the voice. She also didn’t know what she could have done to receive such an angry, yet devastated, greeting. Subconsciously, she let off the gas pedal, as if that would help her pay more attention. “I’m sorry. Who is this?” she asked.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know, Laura.” The woman’s voice was harsh and condemning.
She knows my name! Confused more than ever, she asked, “I really don’t. Who am I speaking with?” She did her best to sound polite.
“I know all that you’re accused of, the people you’ve killed.”
“Wait, I didn’t actually kill –”
“He should have stayed away!” the woman yelled. “What he saw in you is beyond me.”
This conversation was a little awkward. Was she referring to Connor? Or someone else? Laura still had no idea who this person even was!
“Can you please tell me who I’m speaking with?” Laura asked through clenched teeth, already frustrated that this person was attacking her, and she had no idea why. Plus, she had asked three times now without getting a proper answer.
“Just stop MESSING WITH ME!” The woman got louder and louder. And did Laura detect crying amidst the screaming?
Laura sighed in hopes to keep herself calm. She was driving after all. “Look, please just tell me who you are.”
“You think you’re going to get away with it, too, don’t you?”
“Get away with –”
“But they’ll get you. Sooner or later, you’ll get exactly what you deserve.”
“Ma’am, I –”
“I just want to know,” the woman interrupted. “Why you had to kill him? My son?”
Finally, information she could go on. Apparently, this woman was the mom of some guy that was killed. Which one, she still didn’t know. And how she got her number, that was another good question that she was going to try to solve. “I’m not a killer.”
“Bull! Now tell me why you killed my son!”
“WHO IS YOUR SON?!” Laura screamed; her head lowered toward her vehicle’s speakers. Maybe that would get it through the woman’s thick skull that she really had no idea who she was or what was going on.
There was silence on the other end. At first, Laura thought the call ended, but then she realized the woman was crying.
Laura sighed. “I’m sorry for yelling. I just want to know who you are.”
“What did he ever see in you? I can’t believe he even dated you. Connor deserved someone better. You’re nothing but a…”
The woman began to yell a bunch of expletives, but Laura heard none of it. As soon as she heard the name Connor, she zoned out. This was Connor’s mom? And if this was Connor’s mom then that meant Connor was…dead?
Memories of her nightmare a few nights ago came to the forefront of her mind. He can’t really be dead, can he?
Laura disconnected the phone call. She quickly slowed down and pulled into an empty parking lot. She had to find out for sure if what his mom said was true. She grabbed her phone and researched Connor Williams. Many local news articles popped up. Her worst fears were confirmed. Connor was found dead a couple days ago. Apparently, another victim of The Margaret Killer. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she continued to read. His mom had found him and another woman already dead when she came over for what was a planned dinner party. Another woman? So, he was cheating?
Dropping her phone, she buried her face in her hands, sobbing. She didn’t know what to think or what to do. She couldn’t go job hunting anymore. Connor was dead! She could hardly believe it!
Just down the road was the police station. Seeing a police officer pull in, she thought about what she had to do. She wasn’t safe here. Well, actually, others weren’t safe around her. She needed to check herself in and rot forever in prison. That would make everything stop. Just like before.
She swiped tears from her eyes. Shifting her Jeep back into drive, she aimed for her destination. It felt like a lamb being led to a slaughter. Her end was nearing. Her life was over.
* * *
Laura stared in front of her, the humming of her Jeep’s engine still running. She thought about turning it off. But if she did, she was one step closer to the fate she decided on. One she wasn’t sure she had the guts to do. What would everyone think? She took one last big inhale and slowly let it out. It was now or never. She decided on now.
Grabbing her purse, she went inside. She still had no idea who she was going to talk to or even what she was going to say.
The moment she opened the doors, she couldn’t believe who she saw. She knew she worked here but didn’t think she’d be that lucky.
“Laura?”
“Hey, Cassie,” she said. She tried her best to put on a smile, but it was a poor excuse for one. It was a dead giveaway that something was wrong.
Cassie’s head cocked to the side. “Are you okay? What brings you here?”
Laura plopped her purse on the desk and leaned over it. “I don’t know.”
“Well, you want to talk about it? I’m thinking it’s pretty serious if you’re here.” Her voice grew quieter toward the end.
Looking around her, no one was within earshot. Laura thought she might as well just say it. Her shoulders raised and lowered with force. “I need to be locked up.”
“What?!” Cassie caught herself and lowered her voice. “What?” she repeated. Her eyes were still hanging open wide.
“I’m serious, Cassie. I’ve come to turn myself in
.”
Cassie brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why? Tell me what happened!” The phone began to ring. “Hold that thought. Let me put it through to voicemail a second.”
As she did her thing, Laura watched. She was so proud of Cassie. Not only a good friend, but her favorite student. Always willing to learn. Always excelling at everything she did. She was loyal. Smart. She was glad to know her.
“Sorry about that.” Cassie smiled.
“It’s okay,” Laura glumly replied.
“So, what happened?”
Laura’s eyes teared up. “I just found out Connor’s dead.”
Cassie winced, her face twisting in sorrow. “I know. I’m so sorry.” She rubbed a hand over Laura’s arm.
“Well, I just found out. And apparently it was…” Laura paused for a minute. She couldn’t bare referring to that name.
“Margaret.”
“Yeah…Margaret,” Laura finished.
Cassie shook her head. “But I don’t understand what that has to do with you being here.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Everyone who dies is connected to me somehow. And last time I was in prison, it all stopped.”
“And you think if you’re put back in there, it’ll all stop again?”
“Well, yeah.” Laura bit her lower lip. “Plus, there’s something else."
“What?” Cassie asked.
“I had a dream.”
“A dream?” Curiosity raised the pitch of her voice.
Laura thought she heard someone approach. She looked around. False alarm. Time to get back to telling her story. “I had a dream that I killed Connor. And, well, now he’s dead.”
Cassie sighed. “A dream doesn’t make it real, Laura.” She leaned over the front desk to put both hands on Laura’s shoulders. “You’re not guilty. Got it?”
She broke down in tears. “I know, I know, I know. But why is this happening? And why do I feel like I am?”
Taking a deep breath, Cassie said, “Look, I don’t know. But I’m doing everything I can in every waking hour to help the police figure this all out. They’re on the brink of a breakthrough. I can feel it! Just lay low and trust them. Trust me. Okay?”
Laura looked into her eyes. She had no reason not to believe her. But this was all so hard. “Well, I’m trying. I’m staying with Marissa right now because the other day I had a panic attack and passed out, hitting my head on the edge of the table.” She pointed to her wound.
Cassie sucked in air through her teeth, her eyebrows furrowing. “That looks like it hurts.”
“It does. My meds help, though.” She sniffed, dabbing her eyes dry.
“That’s good.” Suddenly her face contorted. “Wait, did you say you were staying with Marissa?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Oh, um…”
“Why, Cassie?” she asked again.
There was a moment of hesitation. “It’s just that I’m not exactly sure you’re safe there.”
Laura laughed it off. “Marissa is my best friend. Of course I’m safe there. Whoever’s doing everything will do so no matter where I’m staying anyway.”
“True. I guess.”
Laura started to get this nagging feeling. Cassie appeared concerned. But how far should she press it? Or maybe she was just paranoid again! To pacify any anxiety, she stated, “Look, I’ll go back home soon. I just need a different change of pace.”
“Okay.” A half-smile donned Cassie’s face.
Laura started to eye Detective Kojak who had just exited his office and was making his way toward the coffee pot.
Cassie turned and noticed him, too. “Hey, I’d hurry and get out of here. Avoid dealing with you know who.” She discretely nodded her head backward toward the detective.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’ll catch you later, okay?”
“Okay,” Cassie replied.
Laura turned to head back to her vehicle.
“Ms. Keaton? Is that you?”
There was no denying whose voice that belonged to. The deep tone made Laura freeze in her tracks. Slowly, she turned around. She did her best to appear happy. “Detective, hi!”
Cassie stood between them, pretending to mind her own business.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked.
“Um, I guess.”
“Great. Follow me.”
Laura and Cassie gave each other a look before she followed the detective into his cluttered office.
“Take a seat if you’d like,” he offered.
“Thanks.” She took the one closest to her.
“I just wanted to discuss with you the death of Connor Williams. I understand he was your boyfriend?”
She started to chew on one of her nails. “Yeah, he was. We broke up a short while ago, though.”
Detective Kojak raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Yeah.”
He slightly nodded. He went on to ask her questions about the night of his death. Where she was. Who she was with. Even though she felt her alibi was good for once because Marissa could vouch for her, the whole time he gave her a look that didn’t sit well with her. Did he think she was guilty still? Was he just tired? Maybe he didn’t like her. Whatever it was, it was irritating.
Nearing the end, the detective asked, “Is all your contact information correct, should we need to ask any further questions?”
“Um, well, my phone number is the same. I’m staying with a friend right now, though, as I told you. Let me give you her address.”
“That’d be good.”
He wrote it down as she told him. Clicking his pen and tossing it onto the desk, he stood up and offered his hand.
Laura got up and shook it.
“Thanks for your time.”
“Sure.”
She left his office. At the front, Cassie was on the phone. She settled for tapping her shoulder and waving as she walked by.
Cassie waved back with a smile. She mouthed, “I’ll see you soon.”
Laura gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed, “Okay.”
Back in her Jeep, she rested her head on the rest. It felt like the whole time she was in the police station she had been holding her breath. Breathing more normally now, a thought began to plague her mind. Something Cassie sort of put in there.
Was she safe with Marissa?
Chapter 19
L
aura looked and felt like death. She was covered in black. Her skin was pale and blotchy from crying two days straight. She hadn’t slept. Hardly ate. But all of that aside, she was determined to get out to Connor’s funeral.
It was still hard to believe that he was gone. Not just on a business trip, either. Gone, gone. Never to return. Never to be seen again. By the end of the day, his body would be buried ten feet under. Her heart ached like nothing she had ever known before.
She kept thinking about what his final moments must have been like. What was he doing? Was he with anyone? Wait, she already knew the answer to that. There was a woman’s body found in his place as well. She could only imagine the things they did. Regardless, did he see who the killer was? Was his death peaceful? Quick? Or, worse, was it slow and painful?
How she longed to be by his side. How she longed to smell his fresh, manly scent. Feel his strong arms wrapped around her. Kiss his soft lips. It didn’t even matter if he was with that woman. A part of her would always long for Connor.
A thought crossed her mind. Why did she always have bad luck with men? The first man she felt was the love of her life ended up raping her and becoming someone she never imagined he could be. Now this one, Connor, ended up dead. A small part of her wished it was her instead of him that died. It’s not like she had much to live for right now anyway.
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she got the courage to get up from the edge of her bed where she slid on a pair of wedges five minutes earlier. It seemed like every single thing she did lately took her ten times as long to do it, all because she’d zone out and forget
how to keep going. Her mind would replay moments with Connor like a broken record, forbidding her to move on.
Getting out today would be a risk. Not only would Connor’s family and friends be there and possibly attack her, but it seemed like every time she left the safety of home, The Margaret Killer struck again. Either way, Laura felt that someone would be attacked today. She just didn’t know who.
But all of it was worth it to see Connor one last time. Whether or not she’d be able to get close enough to the casket she didn’t know. But knowing he was in there would have to be good enough. That’s at least what she kept telling herself.
The information for his funeral was easy to obtain. All she had to do was search the local paper’s website. After all, she knew his mom would never tell her, seeing as the last time they spoke she hung up on her. That was not how she imagined introducing herself to Connor’s mom, but considering the circumstances, it could have been worse. And it didn’t really appear his mom was too thrilled with her, having thrown expletives in her ear until she hung up. That was the most awkward and depressing phone call. She wished she could vanish it from her mind all together.
As Laura drove to the church three towns away, she took in the scenery. Her radio was blasting the latest hits. It didn’t help drown her thoughts, though, like she thought it would. One thing or another would remind her of Connor and another tear would threaten to build up and fall. Thank goodness she didn’t wear mascara. Her face would be a mess.
One minute before his funeral was set to start, she pulled into the freshly laid pavement. She took a spot between two bright yellow lines all the way in the back, hoping to hide as best she could. There was one other person running to get in. Otherwise it was quiet. Everyone was inside, waiting.
Slowly walking to the door, she was extra cautious. Her senses were heightened. At any moment someone could see her. She had to be careful. Inside, she peaked around corners. Trying to be nonchalant while doing so was a living oxymoron.
A Kiss Revealed Page 13
