Jordana
Jordana looked through Ivy's closet and grabbed a pretty green dress. She put it over herself as she looked in the mirror. The dress made it above her knees and looked good on her.
Why are you wearing Ivy's shirt? Jordana couldn't get Kenny's words out of her head. It was a fair question. "But I don't have my own stuff to wear," she said to herself as she put the dress on the bed.
She took a peek out the window and was blinded by the early morning sun. She squinted her eyes as she noticed a police car parked outside. "This asshole," she said as she closed the blind. "Can't even give me till noon before kicking me out."
Jordana looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing only a bra and panties. "I can't go out like this and my clothes are still in the washer."
There was a knock at the door and Jordana groaned. She grabbed a large t-shirt with a picture of Harley Quinn and put it on as she went to answer the door.
"Officer Tirado, how can I help you?"
"It's Deputy Tirado," he said as he pushed his way inside. "I told you to be out of here by the next morning. Why are you still here?" He looked around the apartment while Jordana stood at the door entrance, annoyance on her face.
She closed the door and turned to Tirado who stared at a photo of Ivy with who she assumed were her friends on the nightstand. "As you can see on any clock, it's still morning and I have about three hours till noon."
"I insist you leave way before noon," he said as he turned to face her. He couldn't help himself but look down at Jordana's exposed legs.
Jordana gestured at her legs. "As you can see, I don't have any clothes. I'm just waiting for mine to dry. I wouldn't be wearing Ivy's shirt if you hadn't knocked on the door."
"That shirt belongs to Ivy?"
"Yes, as I told you yesterday, my truck broke down and I'm stranded with nothing that is mine."
"It's in poor taste to be wearing clothes that belong to someone who just died."
"Don't you think I know that, but what other choice do I have when you knock on the door and expect me to answer. I'm assuming you were expecting me to answer."
Deputy Tirado scrunched his face and turned away from her. "There's a clothing store on Belmont Ave. Put some pants on and go there. You shouldn't be staying here any longer than you have."
"You're not going to let me wait for my clothes to dry?" she asked in shock.
"No. I am declaring this apartment a crime scene and you have tampered with it long enough."
"Ivy didn't die here."
Deputy Tirado turned around to face her. "We don't know that! Now I suggest you hurry before I arrest you for trespassing."
"What about my clothes?"
"Evidence now."
"I don't even know where Belmont Ave is."
"Go all the way down to the light on this street and take a left. That's Belmont and the clothing store is two blocks down in that direction. Now hurry up and put some pants on."
Jordana pushed past Deputy Tirado as she went into Ivy's room. She slammed the door.
"Hurry," said Tirado from outside.
"Asshole," said Jordana as she pulled out some jeans from Ivy's closet. She put the jeans on and then got out of the room and went into hers. She put her shoes on and grabbed the cactus Ivy had gifted her. She walked past Deputy Tirado and headed towards the exit.
"Where do you think you're going with that?" he asked as he pointed at the cactus.
"It's mine," said Jordana as she continued on. "A gift from Ivy."
Deputy Tirado thought about stopping her, but decided to just watch her leave.
****
Jordana arrived at the Rainbow clothing store and was surprised to see someone she recognized inside. She entered the store and approached the two women looking at a pink tank top.
"I think this would look so cute on you," said one of the women to Anita.
"You don't think that I'm a little too old for that?" said Anita.
"Anita," said Jordana. "It's so good to see a familiar face."
"Jordana," said Anita, who was clearly surprised to see her. "I didn't know you were still in town."
"Yeah, my truck is still broken down. I'm going to see Allenby at the shop once I buy some clothes."
"Oh, I don't think Allenby is working. She is taking Ivy's death badly."
Jordana's shoulders slumped a bit. "Of course."
"Are you going to introduce me?" asked the other woman.
"Yeah, sorry," said Anita. "This is Jordana, the woman who got stranded outside of town I told you about. This is my wife, Paloma."
"Nice to meet you," said Jordana, offering her hand to Paloma.
Paloma shook her hand. "Likewise. Nice cactus."
Jordana brought the little cactus up so the women could get a better look. "Ivy had gifted it to me that night when she let me stay at her place." All three of the women's faces turned to sadness. "I still can't believe what happened to her."
"None of us can," said Paloma. "Were you still staying at her place?"
"Yes, but Officer Tirado just kicked me out."
"That's probably for the best," said Anita. "The police probably don't want anyone messing with her stuff and to be fair, you are technically a stranger."
Jordana was taken a little aback. "I guess that's true. Sadly, now I have no place to stay."
"Can't you go back home?"
"I'd rather wait for my truck."
"That's going to take longer now due to what happened. You should go back home."
"I'm not sure I can do that."
"Why?"
"I think the police suspect me," said Jordana.
"What?" said the two women simultaneously.
"Why would you think that?" asked Paloma.
"Officer Tirado took my clothes as evidence. I suspect he doesn't want me to leave town."
"He did what?" said Anita, shocked.
"That man is always doing too much," said Paloma. "Sheriff Lawrence should put him in his place."
"You two don't think I had something to do with Ivy's death?" asked Jordana.
"Why would we think that?" asked Paloma.
"Seems to be the rumor going around town. New girl might have killed Ivy."
"I haven't heard that rumor."
"Neither have I," said Anita.
"Well Tirado isn't the only one treating me like a suspect. Your son came to the tavern yesterday and interrogated me with his friends."
"Our son did what?" exclaimed the two mothers.
"I should have guessed you didn't know," said Jordana. "Don't be too mad at him. Kids will be kids. He probably just wanted to see the new girl in town."
"Even so," said Paloma. "Did he outright accuse you?"
"No, but you can tell by the line of questioning what was going through their minds."
"There was more than one of them?"
"Of course there was," said Anita. "Kenneth would never do anything like that without the encouragement of his friends."
"Doramis," said Paloma.
"Of course it was her. Kenneth can't help himself when it comes to her."
"I hope I didn't just get them in trouble," said Jordana. "That wasn't my intention."
"He's definitely in trouble," said Anita. "But don't you worry about that."
"And don't worry about people thinking it was you who was behind Ivy's death," said Paloma. "There's going to be a meeting later today addressing what happened. You should go."
"Wow, your town has town meetings for stuff like this," said Jordana.
"Our town has never been through something like this. It doesn't surprise me they would have a town meeting for this."
"I would like to go, but after I'm done getting some clothes, I have to figure out where I'm going to be staying."
"You're not planning to leave town?" asked Anita.
"No. I don't want to leave without my truck. Plus, I don't have a way of leaving anyways. No form of transportation, remember."
"Where is it you're from?"
"Springfield, it's about 80 plus miles from here."
"That would probably be around two hours. I can take you home if you want."
"No," said Jordana. "I can't ask you to do that. Never mind the fact I don't want to leave my truck, I'm trying to get away from my normal life."
"But where will you be staying?" asked Paloma.
"I'll figure something out. Don't worry about me."
"We should get going," said Anita. "Good luck to you."
"Thanks. It was nice meeting you, Paloma."
"Likewise." The two women went outside while Jordana went to look at an outfit close to the front of the building.
"Why did you invite her to the town meeting?" Anita asked Paloma right outside of the building. There was a window open and Jordana could hear them, but she pretended she couldn't as she looked at a mini skirt.
"She's worried the people might think she was behind what happened to Ivy," answered Paloma in a whisper. "I wanted to reassure her that wasn't the case."
"What she should be doing is leaving town and here you are convincing her to stick around."
"That wasn't what I was doing," said Paloma as they walked away from the store.
****
Jordana had bought four new shirts, two pairs of jeans, a pack of underwear and one mini skirt. She still had Ivy's clothes on and had been walking around town looking for a place to stay.
She went to Allenby's shop but like Anita had said, she wasn't there. She spent the day walking around with her bag of clothes. She eventually found the town hall where there were already people gathering.
"Hey," said a voice that sounded familiar.
Jordana turned around. "Liam, was it?"
He put a hand over his heart. "You remembered me. I'm honored."
"I'm good with names and faces. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," said Liam, his demeanor changing. "Likewise. You and Ivy really seemed to have hit it off."
"We did. I have a feeling she was like that with everyone."
"Yeah, she was."
"That's a good thing. Made her really special. The world is a worse place without her."
"Agreed. I'm surprised to see you're still in town."
"Don't plan on leaving town until my truck is fixed. Plus, I consider this my vacation."
Liam couldn't help himself but laugh. "No one comes to Pietrofalls for vacation. Actually, most people here want to leave town."
"Hello," said a voice from behind. Jordana and Liam turned around to see two young men waving at them. One of the men was tall and muscular, wearing a white t-shirt that showed off his upper body muscles quite well. The other man was younger and lean. He also seemed to be in good shape.
"Oh hey guys," said Liam.
"Are you going to introduce us?" asked the lean one.
"Right, Jordana, this is Jack and Noah." Jack was the lean one while Noah was the muscular one. "Guys, this is Jordana, she was a friend of Ivy."
Jordana gave Liam an appreciated look. She turned to the guys and gave them a nod. "Nice to meet you guys."
"We're so sorry for your loss," said Noah and Jack nodded in agreement.
"I can't believe she's gone," said Jack. "This town is never going to be the same without her."
"Amen," said Noah.
Jordana returned her attention to Liam. "You said most people want to get out of town. May I ask what's keeping you here?"
"Not me," said Liam. "I like Pietrofalls, plus I have someone special here."
"Woah," said Jack. "This is the first time I'm hearing about this. Who's this special lady you speak of."
"None of your business."
"That's not fair. You brought her up first. You can't leave us hanging."
"Who says it's a lady? Maybe I'm talking about you."
"Aaaah, unrequited love then." The group laughed and got some ugly stares from the people around them.
"Maybe this isn't the time to be joking," said Noah.
"We'll keep it down," said Jack to one of the onlookers. They turned away. "Dipshit," said Jack under his breath. He turned his attention to the group. "We all mourn our own way. I'm one of those people who can't wait to get out of the town by the way."
"What's keeping you here then?" asked Jordana.
"Finances I guess. It's hard to start all over in a new place without enough money."
"What is it you do for work?"
"Cashier at the local gym, but I do have aspirations. Just hard to do anything about it here."
"What is it you want to do?"
Jack seemed to get embarrassed by the question. "I...." he hesitated to answer. "You're probably going to find this ridiculous but I want to be a professional wrestler. Like the ones on WWE."
"I don't find that ridiculous at all," said Jordana. "But you're a little small for that, aren't you? I would picture him being a wrestler before you," she said, pointing at Noah.
"Oh no," said Noah. "I'm completely content being a farmer."
"And don't underestimate me," said Jack. "I might not be as big as Noah here, but I am athletic."
The crowd started shushing them as three individuals went up on stage. Jordana looked up and the only person she recognized was Sheriff Lawrence. The other two were well dressed and seemed to be all business. One was an older woman, probably in her late 40s early 50s and the other was a man around his early 40s. The man wore a suit and carried a clipboard he held behind his back. The woman wore a white button up shirt tucked into a long black skirt.
"Who are they?" asked Jordana.
"Sheriff Lawrence, Mayor Pietro and her assistant Ashner," answered Liam, who had his sights up at them. "We should keep quiet while they're up there."
Jordana remembered the mayor and her assistant from when Ivy mentioned them.
Sheriff Lawrence went up to the mic. "Most of you have heard about Ivy's untimely death by now. We've been hard at work figuring out what happened and as of this afternoon we have the results of her autopsy." He looked back at the mayor and her assistant before returning his sight out to the crowd. "I'm extremely saddened to say this but Ivy was mauled and killed by a bear two nights ago."
The crowd let out a gasp. Jordana noticed some of the people in the crowd had disappointed looks on their faces as they took quick glances back at her. She suspects they were disappointed that she wasn't announced as Ivy's killer.
"There's a bear out there killing our people?" yelled someone from the crowd.
"Settle down please," said Sheriff Lawrence. "The bear has only killed one person so there is no need for panic."
"It starts with one person," yelled someone else from the crowd. "But now it has a taste for human blood and will come after us."
Sheriff Lawrence couldn't help but roll his eyes, causing Jordana to smile at his irritation. "That is why your mayor is here," said Sheriff Lawrence. "She'll speak on what we're going to do about the bear." He took a step away from the mic and gestured for her to take over.
Mayor Pietro went to the podium and waited for everyone to settle down. When the crowd didn't, she tapped on the mic until everyone did. She took a second before speaking. "What happened to Ivy was a freak accident."
The crowd went into an up roar.
"Quiet!" she said with such force, the crowd stopped at what seemed like fear. "Look, when have you ever heard of a bear attacking one of our citizens? Never, until now. There is no need for panic but I know some of you are going to want justice." She looked back at her assistant. "That's why Ashner has set up a hunting party to kill Ivy's murderer." She returned her attention to the crowd. "I don't think it's right to hunt down an animal for doing what animals do, but if it did get a taste for humans then I guess we have to do what we have to do." She took a step back and took a breath.
"You can tell she really doesn't want to do this," whispered Jordana.
"I agree with her though," said Liam. "We have to hunt down this bear. For Ivy."
Mayor Pietro took a step back to the mic. "Anyone interested in participating in the hunt may talk to Ashner. We are taking volunteers."
Jordana could tell from the reactions from some of the people in the crowd who were going to be out for the hunt. Liam and Jack seemed to be eager to join the hunt while Noah had seemed to have no interest.
"On to more important matters," said Mayor Pietro. "Ivy's funeral will be held next week due to unfortunate circumstances. She will have a closed casket and everyone in town is invited. We're going to say our goodbyes to a beautiful soul next Thursday. I hope most of you show up and pay your respects. Especially the ones who decide to participate in the hunt. Goodbye."
Mayor Pietro walked off without another word as the crowd tried to get her attention. The assistant followed her while Sheriff Lawrence returned to the mic.
"You heard your Mayor," said Sheriff Lawrence. "If you plan to participate in the hunt, Ashner will be in the next room and you can sign up with him. As for everyone else, I recommend you go home and enjoy your time with your loved ones. The town lost a very special person and the best way of honoring her would be letting the ones you love know what they mean to you. Sometimes we don't get the chance to say it and I know some of us wish we had with Ivy. I know I did. Thank you."
Jordana noticed there were people in the crowd who got a little teary with the Sheriff's words, and if she was honest with herself, she felt it too.
"I'm going on that hunt," said Jack.
"Me too," said Liam.
"I'm not," said Noah. "I think I'm going to take Sheriff Lawrence's advice and spend time with my family."
"Of course you are," said Liam. "Always the dutiful son."
"Don't tease him," said Jordana. "It was good advice," she said as she looked at Noah. "If I had someone special like that, I would too."
"Does that mean you're going to participate in the hunt?" asked Jack.
"While I do enjoy a good hunt, I need to find where I'm going to be staying tonight."
"Weren't you staying at Ivy's place?" asked Liam.
"I was, but deputy jackass kicked me out. He declared it a crime scene or some bullshit like that."
"Crime scene? I thought they just said it was a bear that killed her. It didn't happen at her house."
"He just doesn't want me at her place. To be fair, I did just meet Ivy the night before."
"To be fair, Deputy Tirado can be a jackass," said Jack.
"You can stay at my farm," said Noah. "I have plenty of space, but you can't participate in the hunt."
Jordana looked at the other two men to see if any of them would volunteer to give her a place to stay, but it didn't look like they were going to. She turned her attention to Noah and gave him a smile. "That would be great. Thank you."