December 26th, 2012
Wednesday
12:04 a.m.
Dear Janet,
I went to Ethan's Christmas party today. Or yesterday, since it's past midnight. Thankfully, I was able to carry out the plan I'd thought of before going.
I managed to steal Thomas' phone, the one he surely wanted me off-limits from, and I went through his gallery. I hope I didn't have to, but I needed to.
There were pictures and videos of them...doing horrible things to you. I didn't watch a thing. I couldn't. So, I transferred his whole camera roll to my burner phone. They won't be able to trace anything back to me even if they wanted to.
The one bad thing, however, is that I was caught. Nearly caught actually. I somehow managed to escape.
Eddard had seen me fiddling with Thomas' phone as the files were being transferred. He asked me what I was doing and I asked him if he'd seen Thomas since he had left his phone unattended. He didn't raise any questions and told me he didn't know his whereabouts. I took it as my cue to leave the cramped hiding spot and get back to the party.
I'm not sure if he believed me though. Still, he must think I'm a good kid because you were too. I know that he would've taken my side had he known the whole context. Anyway, I can't take any risks even if thoughts of revenge eat me from the inside out. It's too dangerous.
I sent over the media files to Amara's parents, and guess what? They said they believe me! They said the pictures and videos are solid evidence and are now willing to work with me to bring your killers to justice. Everything's working out so well, Janet.
I can't wait for the day the world sees the fucked up reality of their favorite people. I can't wait for the world to tear down the very monsters that took your life. Justice shall be served. I'll make sure of it.
I love you.
Your brother,
Jeremy
***
It's been a week since Diana's disappearance. The case has pretty much come to a halt since then. There have been no new developments, no new tarot cards, and not a single message from Janet since that last one seven nights ago. It's almost as if the case has gone cold despite the murderer still at bay; the mystery still remaining unsolved.
Not for the media and news outlets, however. Patricia's statement has been given as much weightage as a judge's ruling. Everyone believes her and not Diana. To the world, Diana killed her fiance because of her secret affair with his brother. To me, it is the Covingtons who ruined yet another life.
The CCTV footage from Diana's place was erased. There are no traces of anyone coming in or getting out of the apartment complex the entire evening. The street cams showed no odd vehicles or even individuals. It's as if she vanished from the face of the earth that night.
I've been going to work, expecting some miracle to pop up but all I'm met with is disappointment. Aiden, however, has been helping me out as much as he can. He knows I'm in a vulnerable space and tries to cheer me up by giving false hopes of finding Diana, but there are only so many lies he can make up.
I told him about the maid I'd seen on the cam and how close of a resemblance she had with Janet. He ran a background check on her but once again, nothing significant came out of it. Her name is Elena Reid and she graduated college three years ago. There are pictures of her in her yearbooks to back up those claims. So here I am again, on ground zero, feeling like a sore loser.
As if that wasn't the worst, Sadie is moving out of our shared apartment. Javier and she bought a new home in a tiny beach town called Sweetheart Cove. They had been searching for one since summer of this year and the documents had been finalized just last week. Sadie kept the news to herself up until yesterday afternoon. She didn't want to bother me. I didn't even notice the bags she'd been packing for the past few days. I haven't been feeling like myself hence why.
Today is shifting day and I'm helping Sadie out. It's a bittersweet goodbye to being roommates but if that's what makes her and Javier happy, I'm no one to object. Besides, I get to hang out with them at the beach whenever I visit them.
"Hey, you hungry?" Sadie asks me from the driver's seat.
"Not rea—" My rumbling stomach betrays me. "...Oh."
Sadie chuckles. "We can stop at a gas station and get some snacks," she says and in a few moments, we pull into a driveway and get out of her car.
I buy a packet of Nacho Cheese Doritos, two packets of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and several packets of M&M's for myself. The only way I can stop thinking about the case is by setting my mouth on fire and popping in some chocolate-coated roasted peanuts if things get too hot.
Sadie asks me to go wait for her in the car as stays behind to shop for more snacks to fill her snack cabinet. She feels she can charm the exhausted college girl at the counter for a discount. Either way, I leave the gas station and lean against the car, tearing open one of the Cheetos packets after tossing the rest of my snacks into the back seat.
I munch on them as my gaze roams my surroundings. We still have one more hour to reach Sweetheart. The roof of my mouth burns a little once I'm done with the Cheetos. Dumping the plastic into a nearby trashcan, I dust my hands and sigh. The day feels impossibly long and it's not even noon yet.
Suddenly, my phone vibrates in my pocket. It's a Facetime call from Aiden!
My breath hitches in my throat and I straighten my posture. In the reflection of my screen, I fix my hair and wipe the Cheeto dust from my lips before answering his call, holding it at a distance from my face.
"Hello!" I say with surprise in my voice. From the angle he's holding up his phone, I see he's wearing a white tee and a silver cross chain, his dirty blond hair kinda messy, unlike his usual prim and proper hairdo at work. From what I can make out, it seems he's sitting at his desk.
"Oh um...hey," he says with a light laugh as if to draw out the awkwardness. I'm not sure if he pressed the call button my mistake.
"What's up?" I ask and he clears his throat.
"Nothing, just viewing the CCTV footage of the Covingtons," he says. "I just... I just called to know how you are."
"I'm fine," I say with a nod.
"How's the shifting going?" he asks, passing a hand through his hair.
"We still have an hour to reach our destination," I answer. "We just got down to get some snacks for the road."
"Ah, cool," he says, just as Sadie calls out my name from behind me. "Is that—"
"Yup, gotta go," I declare with a tight smile before ending the call.
I get into my passenger's seat shortly after Sadie gets in and close the door to my right. Aiden has never called me outside of work, let alone a Facetime call. It's nothing, I tell myself over and over but a small smile creeps onto my face as I think back to our awkward conversation just a moment ago.
"What's that smile for?" Sadie asks with a smirk as she twists the ignition key.
I shake my head, still grinning. "No reason," I mutter, looking up at her, "just because."
***
Most of the heavy furniture is brought by Javier, who along with the helpers, got to work way before we arrive at their new house. We spend the next couple of hours moving boxes, shifting furniture, and deciding on the layout of rooms.
It's a cozy beach house with two stories, four spacious bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and dining hall on the first floor, and a balcony overlooking the sea on the second floor. I can only appreciate Sadie and Javier for saving up enough money to make such a big purchase while being in their mid-twenties.
The sun is setting by the time we are wrapping up. The helpers left half an hour ago, leaving the house to the three of us. It's fine since most of the work is done anyway.
Right then, there are three loud knocks on the front door. I excuse myself and walk into the room next to the one I was last in. The door is already open like it has been for the entire day, but a wave of unpleasant surprise courses through me when I see who's standing on the other side.
"De...Detective?" he says, stuttering.
"Archie?" I follow. "What are you—"
"Who is it, Amy?" Sadie asks as she and Javier enter the room. "Oh, Archie!"
"Hey, bud!" Javier waves to him as the both of them stand next to me. He then turns to me and continues, "Amy, this is Archie Gardner, the real estate agent who introduced us to this beautiful house!"
I'm still unable to speak and keep staring at Archie instead. His eyes wander from me to the couple and then back to me. Why did he have to be the agent? Was there no one else who could have been in his place?
Sadie looks back and forth between me and Archie and raises an eyebrow. "Do you two know each other?"
Archie's gaze lingers on me for a second before he opens his mouth to answer. "Detective Amara is—"
"We ran into each other at the station," I say, interrupting him. As much as I would like him to stay out of my friends' lives, he has entered either way. The most I can do right now is to keep Sadie and Javier at ease instead of ruining what is possibly one of the most important and happiest days of their lives. "He came in to give a statement about the case I'm working on. He was a grade above mine in Sacredmore."
Sadie and Javier nod in understanding, having believed my partial truth.
"Oh, that's such a coincidence!" squeals Sadie. "Why don't you two take a stroll around Sweetheart and catch up on life or something?"
"What about you—"
"We still have boxes to sort through," Sadie says, dragging me to the front door by herself. "Shoo, both of you!" she says and shuts the door behind me.
Fuck you, Sadie.
I pass Archie a look of disappointment and anger before crossing my arms and walking along the sidewalks without any particular direction in mind. He catches up to me in a few seconds.
"I didn't expect to see you here," I say in a monotone voice.
"Me neither," Archie mutters. "I was just here to pay a visit to my clients, that's all, Detective," he says in a manner of apology.
"Amara," I say.
"What?"
"You can call me Amara now. I'm not on duty," I inform him.
"Oh!" he exclaims, scratching the back of his neck. "Okay," he says.
From the corner of my eye, I do a once-over on him. He's wearing a loose button-down blue T-shirt and beige trousers. His hair is ruffled and he's carrying a tote bag, the same shade as his trousers. It doesn't look extensively heavy but with every step he takes, I can hear the slight crunching of plastic wrappers inside it.
"Didn't Aiden put you under police protection?" I ask him.
"Yes," he says with a nod, "but I told him I can handle being alone today. Besides, bringing an officer while I'm visiting a client may just seem a tad bit concerning to them."
I hum in agreement. The both of us reach the Sweetheart Children's Park which is currently being used by tens of children and their parents who are keeping a lookout for accidents. The sun is nearing the horizon and the December cold is starting to set in as darkness approaches.
I suck in a sharp cold breath before asking him another question. "Archie, consider this a question coming from one of Janet's friends, not as some sort of an interrogation, alright?"
His pupils dilate and his eyes widen. He answers me with a nod.
"How did you react to Janet's death?" I ask and I see as his chest rises and falls with his heavy breathing.
"I can't say I was devastated about her death. I was far scared for my life when it happened. But as the years went by, the weight of her death started crushing me more and more," he states.
"How were the rest of your friends adapting to her death? Ethan, Thomas, and Paul?"
He shakes his head. "I lost contact with all of them right after I graduated. I would sometimes check in with how they were doing, but we were no longer friends. Ethan and Thomas seemed to have moved on with their lives. I could never reach Paul ever since he and his family moved back to China."
"How did Paul react to Janet's passing?" I ask.
Archei shrugs his shoulders. "He was shaken from what I could manage to understand. Paul knew Janet better than anybody else in our friend group. He was her best friend. Her death was the hardest for him to register and I don't think he ever fully recovered from the guilt."
I nod slowly, taking in his every word. Before I can ask something else, he speaks up again.
"I um...I started a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to Janet a couple of years ago."
I raise an eyebrow at his revelation. "But nothing showed up when we ran a background check on you."
"I established it under a pseudonym. If anyone links the organization back to me, people will just pity me instead, and I don't deserve that." He pauses and exhales a long sigh. "I know nothing I do can undo the role I played in Janet's death. I have three younger sisters; I should've known better. I can't let them know I once was the very monster I've warned them against all their lives."
He hangs his head and a few tears spill onto the ground next to his foot.
"What's it called? The organization?"
He looks up at me and gulps before answering. "Angels of Hope. It works for women facing any form of abuse, be it at home, school, or in their work environment, and is also trying to put an end to human and sex trafficking. We are still pretty new and have very few volunteers but we're trying our best," he explains, a small smile creeping up on his face as he does.
I respond with a nod and take in a deep breath. "I'll make a donation."
His smile grows as he mutters a thank you to me. Just then, a bunch of kids from the park rush to the other side of the fence, having noticed Archie. They gather around him in a circle and I step back, letting him hand over candies to the children from his tote bag.
I'm not sure if Archie started Angels of Hope because he genuinely wanted to make things right or just to console his guilty conscience. I don't think I trust him completely, but a part of me is just relieved to know that not everyone in Ethan's friend group turned out to be a monster like him.
Perhaps I'm letting my guard down, but for what's worth, Archie's organization may just prevent many more girls from becoming the next Janet Holloway.
***
I take the bus back home once I'm done bidding Sadie and Javier goodbye and decide to pay Father Eddard a visit. I haven't had the opportunity to meet up with him in the past couple of days and maybe the visit will give me just enough wisdom to start this week on a better note.
I climb up the steps of the town church and I can make out two voices from inside. One of them is Father Eddard's voice while the second seems awfully familiar but I'm unable to put my finger on it. I can't make out the hushed voices but by the rise and fall of pitch, it feels like an argument taking place.
When I walk in through the glass-stained door, however, I find myself faced with more questions than I came here seeking answers for.
"A—Amara?" Father Eddard gawks at me and a confused and alarmed Victor Covington turns around to face me.
"... Mr. Covington?" I say, narrowing my eyes at him. "What are you—"
"Oh, detective!" he exclaims, masking the confusion from a moment ago with delight. "Good thing, I got to meet you here itself!" he says, stepping towards me and handing me two intricate crimson cards.
They are invitation cards for a masquerade ball they're hosting...
"We are organizing a party to celebrate Logan's blockbuster film debut!" He says with a proud laugh. "I hope to see you and Detective Jackson there as well. Oh, and excuse me, Father, I should leave now." He says and passes me one last smile before leaving through the door I came in from.
My eyes wander from the cards in my hand to the one in Father Eddard's hand.
Victor was just here to invite Father Eddard over to his party. That's all.
Then why do I feel there's something far more to this story than what meets the eye?
***
AUTHOR'S NOTE
What are your thoughts on this chapter? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Also, to readers of The Summer We Fell in Love, how did you like the Sweetheart Cove easter egg? Sadie and Javier are the perfect couple you can expect to find in a place like Sweetheart after all!
What does the masquerade ball hold for Amara and Aiden? Do Victor and Father Eddard have a secret connection? Read on to find out!
Until then, goodbye,
-Adrianna