The Truth

Chapter 6: Footprints

Daniel spent the rest of the day doing his regular routine. He went to the coffee shop, read his newspaper. Went to the store to pick up some groceries. He went home, got some work done. He relaxed. He went to bed before 9 PM.

He awoke the next day to loud rapid knocking on his front door. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 7 AM. He rolled out of bed and lazily shuffled to answer the door. He was met with a shock of reddish-brown hair and an excited smile. He frowned. His hope for one more peaceful day shattered. He sighed and gestured her inside and walked to the kitchen to begin to heat some water.

Cali followed him inside. She opened her mouth to speak but Daniel turned to face her before she could start. He held a hand up.

"Before you start" He took a deep breath and looked down at himself. "Can I take a quick shower and change clothes? I just woke up." He was still a little groggy and didn't like that.

She looked a little disappointed but nodded anyway.

"Thank you." He said, and then turned to walk towards the bathroom.

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"Ok. So, what is so important that you have to knock on my door at 7 in the morning?" He sat across from her; arms crossed. He was awake enough to listen now.

She smiled sheepishly, "Sorry about that. I guess I just got excited." She took a sip of her tea and then took a took a deep breath. "So...I might have gone back to the crime scene this morning." She started.

He frowned. "You went back alone? Didn't we agree that was a bad idea?"

She held up both hands in defense. "I know, I know. But last night I was thinking about all of the things we could've missed, and I couldn't sleep so I went first thing in the morning. But that's not the point! There were footprints! New footprints." She leaned forward with enthusiasm as she announced this end point, as if she expected him to jump out of his seat with excitement. He stared at her.

"You know. We were there. You probably saw our footprints."

"They were newer than ours!" She pouted. "What if they were the killer's footprints? What if they came back to the scene of the crime!" She argued, her hands gesturing wildly.

Considering they were probably his footprints; she was actually right in her guess. He wanted to ask how often she hung around the woods looking for clues when he wasn't with her. Specifically, he wanted to ask where she had been early yesterday morning. It made him uncomfortable that she could have run into him. That she could have seen him. Instead, he faked a yawn, rested his head on his hand and attempted to look disinterested.

"If it was the killer, then it shows how great of an idea it is for you to be wandering the woods alone" He stated.

"It was one time! I'm sorry I'll come and get you next time. But I'm serious! We need to follow the footprints and see where they lead!" She pleaded.

"We need to what?" He raised an eyebrow and stared at her. It was too early for this.

She grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes. "Please?"

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Daniel walked down the dirt path that lead to the crime scene. He was getting tired of this trail.

"Ok look here. These ones are new." Cali said, pointing at a set of indentations in the ground that led into the trees. Deeper into the woods. Towards the rock pile. Daniel sighed. He really couldn't catch a break.

They followed the tracks up to the rock pile and then further north to meet the trail again. They continued to follow the footprints up the trail, but Daniel knew where they would end up. The pond.

Cali stared out at the small pond. "Maybe the killer saw us out investigating. He must have left something around the crime scene and then came here to dispose of it!" She said with a little too much enthusiasm.

Too perceptive. Maybe she read too many murder mysteries, or maybe she just had a great imagination, but it didn't matter. Her guess was spot on.

"Don't jump to conclusions. It was probably just a hiker. This is a main trail; don't people walk through here all the time?" Daniel said. A desperate attempt to steer her theory in another direction. It didn't work.

She shook her head. "Think about it Daniel. There is a strange pile of rocks disturbed near the scene of the crime. Footprints lead to the nearest body of water? It would make perfect sense for the murderer to have come back for something." She explained, as she looked around the edge of the water. "Plus, not a lot of people are comfortable enough to go on the trails yet, especially this close to where a girl was killed. It happened too recently."

He wasn't going to change her mind. She was too convinced of her theory at this point. But that was okay. He didn't need to. It was okay if she knew that the killer had come back. That he had thrown evidence in the pond. It didn't really matter. As long as she didn't realize it was Daniel, he didn't care.

"If only you hadn't fallen in the mud, we could have found out what he was hiding!" She teased.

"And that's exactly why I fell." He thought to himself, slightly amused.

"Well, I guess we can't do much about whatever they threw in the water, but at least we know that there is a killer now! Let's call it a day and head back. I need some time to think about our next move." She said, already walking back down the trail towards home.

Daniel followed behind her, looking down at the killer's footprints in the dirt. He had more shoes to destroy tonight.