Chapter Three: Returning Home:

I didn’t want to do this.

“Was he a family friend?” Detective Daniel Paige asked. I shook my head.

“We were never that close,” I said. He gave me a confused look.

“So… Why are you going back?” he asked. I shook my head again. I couldn’t back out of this either. My mom would make me keep my word no matter what. She would’ve hounded me until I gave in.

“Are you okay?” Daniel asked.

“No,” I said.

“Do you need anything?” he asked. I waved him off.

“Can I just be alone?” I asked. My colleague shrugged me off.

“Okay,” he said. I sighed as he walked out of my office. I rubbed my forehead. It felt like relapsing. Was fate mocking me or something? I looked up at the ceiling and puffed up my cheeks. Very funny, fate. There was a knock on my door.

I lifted my head. “Yeah?”

“Are you coming to lunch with us?” Jeffery asked.

“No!” I shouted.

“Okay then,” he said. I stayed quiet as I heard him walking away. I would be going home on Saturday. What day is it now? I looked over at the calendar on desk. Thursday, huh? That’s four days too long. I tried to make myself smile as I looked out the window.

Please kill me now.

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Mr. Garrison’s death spread across the town faster that any disease. The residents couldn’t comprehend how and why this happened. Some started to think that it was his granddaughter. But that couldn’t be possible, right?

“When was the last time we saw Laney?” Mrs. Potter, the baker, asked.

“No idea,” her husband Norman said. “I think about 2006. When did she graduate?”

“She didn’t, remember?” Mrs. Potter said.

“Huh?” Norman asked. It took a moment for his memory to catch up. “Oh that’s right, a dropout.”

“Yes,” the baker said. The elderly couple frowned as they remembered everything about Mr. Garrison’s only granddaughter.

“He did right by her,” Norman commented. “What happened to her?” His wife shrugged and shook her head.

“Sometimes you can still go wrong parenting,” she said.

“Yeah,” he agreed. The couple frowned. They were not the only ones with Laney as their ideal suspect. Some of the law enforcement thought the same thing.

“Hey, boss,” Officer Edwin said at the police station.

“Hm?” the Sheriff asked, not looking up from his paper.

“You think the granddaughter had someone kill him in her stead?” the younger officer asked. His boss glanced up from the paper.

“I am not making my own conclusion until we have enough evidence,” he said in a stern voice. “And don’t go running your mouth off about your theories either, okay?” Edwin stared at him with big eyes.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“Do you have the reports for the day?” the Sheriff asked.

“Not yet,” the younger officer said. “But I will go and do that right now.” Edwin turned and walked out of his boss’ office. The Sheriff returned to his paper.

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By Saturday, I dreaded what was coming next. But what choice did I have now? Too late to turn back now. I climbed into my car and started the long drive south.