By one in the afternoon, Denise was back home with Dupe. She had two new doors installed. The front door and part of the glass sliding door had been replaced.
The handyman that Sheriff Winston sent did an excellent job. The front door was thicker and had a better locking mechanism. Now, she could bolt the deadlock and the lock built into the doorknob.
She was still cautious about the sliding glass door. However, there was nothing she could do about it. If she needed to, she could nail a piece of plywood over it. It'd be cheaper than replacing the sliding doors. That was another project for another day.
Dupe had been shut in her room for a few hours. She didn't want to risk him running outside while the handyman and his crew replaced the doors. While they were working, she shut herself in the bathroom and called Andy.
They talked about the recent update in her case. Andy mentioned she was scouting apartments for the two of them. Denise continued to feel conflicted about moving. She hadn't told Andy yet and she didn't know if she ever would.
Denise sat in her kitchen and started pulling things out of the book bag. She needed to update her camera and send a few videos to herself via email. The last thing she pulled out was Jennifer's journal.
She paused forgetting she shoved it in there. She hadn't thought about it since last night. That's when it all clicked into place. She flipped the journal open and started scanning the pages. Her eyes moved back and forth until she came to her sister's last entry. She read it one more time just to be sure.
Grant had brown hair. Her mom warned Jennifer he knew people in powerful places. They found short brown hair on her mom's robe. The case had turned cold up until Sheriff Winston came to town. There had to be a connection somewhere.
Denise threw a sweatshirt on and headed to her new door. The journal sat tucked under her arm. She grabbed her keys and wallet before she left the cabin.
Sheriff Winston was out of commission today. She had already bothered him enough. Besides, Brimington was celebrating Halloween today. Tonight, kids would be trick or treating.
He already informed her he was going out to find a costume. He had plans to be a pirate, but he waited until the last minute. He mentioned he was going to Spirit Halloween and then he was going to try to find candy to pass out.
Plus, he was helping set up at the fire station. Every year, they put on the Brimington Halloween Bash. Parents could come with their kids to the fire station and hang out.
For two dollars, you could be served a hot dog or hamburger, a bag of chips, a drink, and a cookie. Denise had been there once with Jennifer. Jennifer had begged her to get out of her room and do something fun with her.
Kids could get tickets for twenty-five cents each or they could get a wristband for five dollars. Every activity cost so many tickets. From bouncy houses, matchbox car racing, and a bean bag toss; some activities resulted in candy while others provided a simple thrill.
When Denise went with Jennifer, she saw a kid trying his luck at a chicken flinging game. A rubber chicken went into a wooden slingshot. The goal was to launch it into a big pot at the end of the table. The adult running the activity wasn't paying attention.
The kid let go of the handle and it flew. The thick wooden handle slammed into his pointed chin. The smile left his face and he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. The kid couldn't have been much older than ten. He opened his mouth and let out a wail.
Luckily, paramedics were there. Denise and Jennifer stood a few feet away and watched the paramedics check him out. By that point, his mom had shown up. Crocodile tears slid down his face.
The force from the handle caused his jaw to snap shut with brute force. His two front teeth caught the impact of his bottom row of teeth. They were chipped and he was taken to a dentist to have them fixed.
That was the last time Denise went to a Halloween party. Every Halloween was spent with a party-sized bag of Kit-Kats. She rewatched any slasher film she could get her hands on. After trick or treating ended, Jennifer would join her.
The two of them would eat candy and stay up all night watching horror movies. Their mom gave them the extra candy she didn't pass out. They'd fall asleep with stomachaches from all the sugar they consumed throughout the night.
Denise blinked away the past and started her car. She spun the wheel around and headed towards the main road. She hadn't had anything since the coffee at Sheriff Winston's house. Her stomach was starting to complain. It's groans filled the car.
She turned left to head towards Opal's place. Sheriff Winston mentioned Detective Mullen would be at the station today. If she had his number, she would have called him.
Unfortunately, the only way to get it would be through Sheriff Winston. He'd know something was up with the case. She didn't want to ruin his evening plans.
Opal's place was busier than normal. There were six cars in the parking lot. Jennifer always claimed Friday and Saturday were the two busiest days of the week. Friday was payday for most and Saturday was when people could relax.
Denise pulled in beside an orange minivan and shoved Jennifer's journal in the glove box. She got out of the car and locked it behind her. She couldn't risk someone stealing it.
The small bells above the door jingled as she entered the establishment. The familiar scent of coffee washed over her. Quiet conversations filled the building. A mom was shushing two rowdy kids and wiping whipped cream off a third one's cheek.
Denise walked by them and got in line behind a young woman. The girl's head was bent down as she texted on her phone. The two waited behind a man at the counter.
There was no drive-through at Opal's. You had to park in the gravel parking lot and walk inside to order. Opal had run the place herself since Jennifer died. She mentioned she tried to hire a few different workers. Nobody could live up to Jennifer's standards. After a few days, Opal would fire the workers.
She told Denise she used to run the place by herself. She'd get used to running it by herself again. Jennifer helped out a lot for the three years she worked there. It took a month of persuading Opal before she gave her a chance.
Opal was older than their mom. Jennifer joked that Opal was her adopted grandmother. Opal attended her graduation ceremony. She tried to get Jennifer to go to college. She added a lot of good to Jennifer's life.
Here and there, she'd give her extra days off. She'd give Jennifer discounts on her products. Jennifer would get bonuses around holidays and her birthday. She loved working with Opal.
"Denise, I'm so glad to see you!" Denise looked up to see Opal grinning behind the counter. "Do you want your regular black coffee and special banana bread?"
Denise smiled back and shook her head. "I think I'm going to switch it up. Can I get two of your triple shot espressos and a bagel with cream cheese?"
Opal typed buttons on her cash register. "I don't think I've ever seen you change your order. What's the occasion?"
Denise lowered her voice. "I think I might have found a new lead for the case."
Opal's fingers froze in midair and her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
Denise nodded, "I'm on my way over to the station right now. I'm going to talk to the detective on the case."
"Let me know how it goes. I want to give these to you for free, but I know you won't allow that so that'll be $8.52."
Denise laughed and pulled a ten-dollar bill out of her back pocket. The cash register pinged as it opened. Opal dug through it for change.
"Really, if you figure out who it is, let me know. I want to beat that fucker up."
"Yeah, me too," Denise admitted.
"Give me a moment and I'll get your things. I'll try to make your drinks quickly." Opal marched over to the espresso machine.
Denise stepped to the side and out of line. The plan was to give Detective Mullen one of the espressos. It's what Sheriff Winston had ordered the other day for the two of them. She had no idea what coffee Detective Mullen liked.
"Logan, no!"
She glanced behind her to see the mom with her three kids. One of the kids had a brown stain on the collar of his white shirt. His mom pulled the disposable cup away from him and placed it on the table.
"Get out of the hot chocolate!" She snapped at one of her other kids.
The toe of a pink shoe dipped into a puddle on the floor. A little blonde girl giggled and pulled her foot away from the spill. The mom bent down and went back to giving the kid, who spilled his hot chocolate, attention.
Denise turned back toward the counter. Opal was oblivious and still in the process of making her espressos. Denise grabbed a small stack of napkins from a silver dispenser. She walked over to the mom.
"Are you burnt? You didn't get burnt did you?"
The kid shook his head. His curly yellow hair bobbed back and forth. "It's sticky!"
His mom let out a small chuckle. "Of course it's sticky, it's chocolate with half-melted marshmallows. We'll get you cleaned up when we get back to the house."
The kid took notice of Denise. He looked over his mom's shoulder. The mom turned around to see who he was looking at. She looked at Denise and glanced at the napkins in her hand. Her kids looked exactly like her. They all had blonde hair, chestnut-colored eyes, and thick brown eyebrows
"Sorry to interrupt, I heard the commotion and thought you could use these." She held the brown napkins out.
The mom smiled and took them, "thank you. This is my youngest son. He's six and he hasn't quite grasped the concept of cups yet. I was asked if I wanted lids for their hot chocolates and I denied the offer. I should've known one of these kiddos would spill their drink."
She bent down and started mopping up the spill from the tile. "I don't think I'll be able to get the stain out of his shirt."
"You could always use bleach," Denise suggested.
"I guess you're right. I don't use bleach very much. My oldest two are eight. I know they're old enough to leave things alone. I'm still worried they'll get into it." She took a new napkin and blotted the stain on her son's shirt.
"Denise, I finished your espressos!" Opal raised her voice from the counter.
"I guess that's my cue." Denise nodded back toward Opal. "Do you want lids for their cups? I could ask."
"If you would, I'd appreciate it. I don't want this to happen again." She grabbed her wad of wet napkins and stood up.
Denise went over to Opal and grabbed her espressos. Her bagel was in a small brown bag. Denise thanked her and asked for lids. She thanked her again before heading back to the woman and her kids.
"Here you go," she placed them on the table.
The woman grabbed her son's cup out of his hands as he was trying to take a drink of it. She popped the lid on the cup. She handed it back to him and looked at her other kids.
"Let me put these lids on your cups, so you don't spill your drink."
"Do we have to?" One of the girls asked.
"Yes, I don't want you to get sticky like your brother. He's going to have to get a bath before he gets in his costume. You don't want to be late for the Halloween party, do you?"
The girl shook her head and handed her drink to her mom. The other followed behind her. They looked like twins. They wore matching pigtails and similar yellow dresses. The only difference was their shoes. One had pink and the other had purple.
The woman turned back to Denise. "Thanks for helping me. Usually, my husband helps out, but he went on a fishing trip with one of his friends. They're coming back today and we're meeting them at the fire station for the Halloween Bash. Will you be there?"
Denise shook her head. "I spend Halloween at home. I hope you enjoy the party."
The woman thanked her again and wrangled the kids up. She led them towards the door. The two girls linked arms and skipped out together. The boy had a hold of his mom's hand. He turned over his shoulder to wave at her.
Denise waved back and watched them go. Her eyes burned as they filled with tears. The woman reminded her of her mom. That was the main reason she had helped her.
They walked through the parking lot and towards the orange minivan she parked next to. It didn't take long before they drove off. She took a deep breath through her nose. She let it out through her mouth.
She needed to compose herself before she talked to Detective Mullen. The last time she talked to him, she felt childish for crying. This time was going to be different. She felt stronger and in control of her emotions.
She was going to find out who this Grant guy was. They were going to find the truth. Detective Mullen would be able to find him. It's what he did best. He found answers for a living. They'd solve this case together.
Everything would come together before it all fell apart.