Jess and I drove down the countryside road as we made our way back home from our final day at the Inn. With Corrine having departed the bed & breakfast earlier than us to head home and study for her upcoming college exam, it was just Jess and me now.
As Jess drove, I quickly spotted one of our favorite restaurants in the distance: DJ's Roadside Burgers, a famous local eatery in Galveston. It was a popular spot frequented by many locals.
"Yum!" I exclaimed, gazing out of the window and at the restaurant. "Let's grab a bite to eat at DJ's."
Jess shifted her head, peering outside her driver's side window. "Good idea! I'm starving."
After maneuvering the car into a parking spot, Jess put the car into park. I swung my door open and stepped outside, greeted by the rocky pavement beneath my feet. As we strolled into the burger joint, the sun's rays beat down on us.
I reached for the handle, opening the glass door. As soon as we stepped inside the aroma of grilled burgers wafted through the air, greeting us.
I scanned the eatery, noticing how minimally packed it was with some locals and a few tourists to the area, as evidenced by the luggage piled high atop their cars.
We settled into a table near the rear of the restaurant.
"Hi, ladies!" A bubbly waitress greeted us with an infectious smile.
We both smiled back.
"What can I get for you two?" She held an electronic pad in her hand, similar to that of an iPad.
"I'll have the bacon burger with fries and a Coke," Jess replied promptly.
"And I'll have a turkey burger. Hold the onions and extra mayo, please." DJ's had the most amazing turkey burgers, which I almost always opted for when visiting the joint.
Jess's hazel eyes met mine.
"My birthday is coming up," she announced with excitement.
"I know," I replied. "Gosh! I can't believe you're gonna be twenty-five!"
"Me neither," Jess joked, feigning a frown. "Feels so old."
"The older, the wiser," I teased, winking at her. We both chuckled.
"Justin's convinced that having my party at Old Manor Creek is a great idea," Jess disclosed, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
My eyes widened, and a heavy sensation settled in the pit of my stomach. Old Manor Creek was about thirty miles north of Galveston. It used to be a fun place to hang out and drink. Some of our friends from high school had some of the best parties there. However, it was now tainted by recent events. The discovery of a young college girl's body, a victim of a gruesome murder carried out by the Masked Murderer.
The waitress returned with our food, placing the hot plates in front of us.
"Can I get you two anything else?" The waitress inquired.
We nodded.
Jess sat across from me, her gaze locked with mine, her worry evident in every line of her face. Then, with a nervous shift of her eyes, she glanced down at the table. Picking up a fry from the plate, she stuffed it into her mouth as if trying to eat away the words she had just spoken.
"Jess, you know you're my best friend. I wouldn't miss your birthday party for the world." I reassured, "But Old Manor Creek?!" I furrowed my brows, "That's creepy, don't ya think?"
Jess nonchalantly shrugged, "Do you honestly believe the masked murderer would return to Old Manor Creek to continue his murder spree?"
"Am I maybe.. overreacting?"
"Olivia, the cops and FBI are hot on his trail. He'll never return, and at that, he's never once returned to any of the places he's committed a murder at." Jess was definitely determined to get me to go to Old Manor Creek, even disregarding the fact that the latest murders occurred there.
Lowering my head, I unconsciously gazed at the plateful of french fries in front of me as I contemplated going to Jess's party. I brushed a few loose strands of bangs out of my face, "I would feel better if I talked this over with Charles first." I replied concerningly.
I knew I could freely express my true feelings to Jess- she always understood where the other person was coming from, and if not, she tried. Jess would stand in your shoes while giving you the shirt off of her back. She was kind, loyal, and generous. That's why she's my best friend. I'd never met anybody else like her. Well, except for Charles, of course.
Jess nodded her head, "I totally understand, Olivia, and just know that whatever you decide, I'm always here for you no matter what." She gazed into my eyes, "Though I'd love for you to come, I totally understand why you wouldn't."
Jess's confirmation of understanding my state of being at that time meant so much to me. A release of tension had dissipated from out of my body, and I smiled.
Jess stared down at her plate. She eyed it, turning it in different directions, and held it up to face her camera phone. She then meticulously placed her plate near the flower vase that stood on our wobbly brown table.
"That's perfect!" Jess said aloud. She took her phone, held it near the plate, and rapidly snapped photos, "Don't mind me, Olivia. I'm just doing my usual foodie snaps."
"Jess, it's nothing new. I always expect you to take pics of your food every time we go out to eat." I giggled, "If you didn't take any pics, I'd be concerned." I said jokingly.
"Me too." We both laughed.
I took a sip of my soda through the eco-friendly bamboo straw the restaurant provided as I thought about Old Manor Creek.
"You know one of the girls brutally murdered near Old Manor Creek went to the same high school as Charles. He knew her," I explained to Jess, "Or rather, he knew of her. He didn't know her personally." I corrected as I picked up a french fry from off of my plate and slipped it into my mouth.
Jess's eyes glanced around the restaurant and halted as she stared out of the door. Her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. I wanted to turn around to take a look at who just walked in, but I was skeptical, given Jess's reaction.
"Who is it, Jess?" I inquired, my curiosity piqued, my voice low in an attempt not to draw attention.
Jess's hazel eyes met mine.
"Kevin McConnel just walked in," she whispered.
"Oh shit!" I lowered my head down, picked up my burger, and took a huge bite. Hopefully, that would deter him from stopping at our table and talking to us. Jess also picked up her burger, and we began to act as if we were too preoccupied with chewing huge bits of our food that we didn't have the bandwidth to talk.
We avoided Kevin McConnel like the plague whenever we saw him around town only because he was once accused of being the masked murderer by Jean Jacobson.
Jess and I went to high school with both Jean and Kevin. Jean was kidnapped by the masked murderer during his first murder spree five summers ago. And just like me, she was one of the few lucky ones who escaped. But unfortunately, she hasn't been the same since.
When Jean initially accused Kevin McConnel of being the masked murderer, he had just gotten released from prison. He was a few years older than us, and we all went to the same high school. I remember walking the halls of Galveston High School and avoiding Kevin at every turn due to his reputation of being the school bully.
We all grew up and moved on. Some of us stayed in town, but many people left to explore the bigger world, venturing off to big cities. I had totally forgotten about Kevin McConnel until, one day, I saw his face plastered all over the news. He was wanted for an armed burglary. I heard he turned himself in and was sent to prison for two years. He could've gotten a longer sentence, but it turned out that he wasn't the main culprit; one of his loser friends was.
Kevin was released from prison when the masked murderer began his first murder spree. The police also began to suspect Kevin partly because of his prior criminal history. And the fact that he had always been known as Galveston's "bad boy," he soon became the authority's prime suspect. They investigated Kevin and questioned him, but he got off somehow. If I recall correctly, his mother vouched for him and said he was in Arizona visiting their extended family when the murders occurred. However, we still don't know if that was true or not. Jean didn't believe it. In her eyes, Kevin was and still is the masked murderer.
He definitely was the odd kid. My memories of him were vague; all I remember is that he was the school bully. The few times we did cross paths, I remember him giving me an evil smirk. I usually ignored him and stayed out of his way, though, so he didn't bother me much.
The town's rumor now was that Kevin either knew who the masked murderer was or he himself was the masked murderer.
I was glancing around the burger joint when I spotted Kevin making his way over to our table.
"Oh gosh, he's coming over here," I said under my breath to Jess.
Jess's face dropped into the palms of her hands as she shook her head.
"Great!" She whispered sarcastically.
My heart beat vigorously against the wall of my chest, like the engine of a car revving up for a race.
What does he want?
His footsteps grew closer, screeching against the restaurant's freshly waxed floor.
"Hey, guys!" He smirked, his voice oozing with false charm. "How're you all doing?" Kevin placed his hands on our table, leaning in closer. "I haven't seen you all since I got kicked out of high school," he continued with an annoying laugh.
I couldn't help but scoot back in my chair, my gaze fixed on him, staring straight into his empty, sociopathic eyes.
"Hi Kevin, we're good," Jess said, forcing a smile.
His smile widened revealing yellow-stained teeth.
"In all seriousness, it's really nice seeing you two!" He turned to look at me, and I pretended like he didn't even exist.
"How are you doing, 'Liv?" He asked.
Nobody called me Liv, and this jerk believes he had the right to!
I could feel the heat of anger brewing in my chest.
Shaking my head, I replied, "I'm well. Thanks!" Picking up my burger, I took a huge bite and chewed loudly, hoping to signal that we were too busy to talk and that all we wanted to do was eat.
His smile faded as he began to tap our table with his fingers.
"See you ladies around!" He said before walking off and heading toward the exit door.
"I'm glad that's over with," I breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief.
"Me too!" Jess replied as she gulped down her soda. Her phone pinged, a light flashing, alerting her of a new message.
"I wonder who this is?" Jess looked questionably at her phone.
"Oh my God! I just got a notification! Chef Pringle started following me on Instagram!" Jess announced excitedly, "I'm going to faint!"Jess blushed. Her cheeks morphed into red roses.
Jess was a foodie. One day, she started posting a bunch of food dishes on Instagram. And before she knew it, she amassed a large following. Her dream is to one day get her own cooking show. But, for now, she was content with being the overnight Instagram foodie celebrity.
***
When Charles got home from work later that evening, I discussed Jess's birthday party plans at Old Manor Creek with him.
"Hey, honey," I pulled back the blue comforter and settled down beside him in bed. He smelled of fresh lavender and peony.
He must've been using my shower gel again, I thought to myself.
"I missed you so much today," Charles said, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to his side of the bed. He planted a kiss on my cheek.
"Aww, I missed you too, babe," I replied, placing my hands on his shoulders and giving him a gentle massage. Leaning in, I planted a kiss on his smooth lips.
"Jess is thinking of having her birthday party at Old Manor Creek this year," I said, my gaze fixed on his.
His eyes widened in concern. I had sensed he wouldn't be happy about it.
"I don't think that's a good idea, babe," Charles began. "But if you do decide to go, I'm coming along too." He pulled me closer, wrapping me in a loving embrace.
"I don't know, Charles," I replied with obvious concern, "The PTSD, the nightmares. It'll only make everything I'm trying to recover from worse, don't you think?"
Charles sat up in bed. "No, I think you should face your fears, Olivia. What better way to recover than to confront them head-on?" He gently rubbed my back. "Didn't your therapist say the same thing?"
He had a point, and I knew he was right. That's what my therapist had been suggesting all along.
"I think you're right, Charles. If you come with me, I'll feel safer in your presence."
Charles kissed my forehead and hugged me tighter.
"Of course, Olivia. You know I'd do anything for you."
*Please Vote & Comment. Let me know what you think about this chapter* Thanks for reading!**