"Sachi, sweetheart it's time."
"Okay dad," Sachi said. Sighing, she checked her appearance in the full-length closet mirror one last time. Her dress blouse was wrinkled, the pants legs of her slacks too long. "I should've hemmed them," she mumbled.
She grabbed her hairbrush off the dresser and brushed her hair, tying it up into a ponytail with an elastic band.
She grabbed her purse and exited her room to join her dad waiting in the living room. Used to seeing him in his work uniform, it felt weird for Sachi to see her dad dressed in a dress shirt and dress pants.
His back to her, he held the curtain partly open, peering out the window.
"Are they still out there?" She said.
"No. They finally left," he said warily.
Sachi smiled weakly at her father. The past few days were rough on them both-especially on him. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and has barely eaten since the Time Clock Killer took Nozomi.
Her name out in public brought another intrusion in their lives-the media spotlight. Media trucks occupied their quiet street. Reporters nosed around their house to where a few neighbors complained about the disruption.
Reporters from all over the world called their house to request an interview. A Hollywood producer even called to ask to buy the rights to their story. All they wanted, though, was to be left alone.
"He's here," Lars said relieved, his tense face relaxing.
Wolf parked his Mustang in the driveway alongside the family car. Police returned it after processing it at the scene of the abduction. Lars couldn't bring himself to drive it. Their lives have been in upheaval since that night.
As Wolf stepped out of his car, Kael arrived in his Toyota Camry. Wolf acknowledged the lanky teenager with a hand wave while making his way toward the door. Lars opened it.
"Is she ready?" he said stepping inside.
"I'm ready," Sachi answered before her father could respond. "Hey," Wolf said trying to keep the mood light. "Hey," Sachi replied.
A light knock at the door disrupted the awkward silence.
Kael, wearing a blue cashmere sweater over a white dress shirt and black slacks, stepped inside the house. "Hey Mr. Starlet," he said.
"Call me Lars."
"Hey Lars," Kael said with a tiny smile. He looked past Lars' shoulder at Sachi standing behind him twirling her ponytail. "Hey Sachi," Kael said, his eyes softening.
Glad to see him, Sachi ran over to him and puckered her lips while standing on her tiptoes. Kael bent his knees a bit and lowered his head to meet her lips.
"Ahem," Wolf cleared his throat. They parted from the chaste kiss. "We need to be on our way if we want to avoid any media presence."
"Right," Sachi said blushing alongside an equally crimson-faced Kael.
Everyone exited the Starlet home while Lars locked the house. The days after the abduction and media presence, he had extra security installed. It was also a deterrent to keep curiosity seekers away.
Sachi went with Kael while Lars followed Wolf to his Mustang.
"How are you holding up?" Kael said while Sachi fastened her seatbelt.
"I'm holding up as best as I can," she said. She grabbed his hand, threading their fingers. "You've been a huge help. I don't know how I'll ever thank you."
"You're my best friend," Kael said. "If I was in the same situation, I know that you'd do the same for me."
She squeezed his hand, her eyes brimming. "It's going to be okay," he said caressing his thumb across her palm. She nodded.
After that night, the days were a whirlwind of turmoil.
With a single shot from his gun, Wolf ended the Time Clock Killer's killing spree. A bullet to the torso killed the murderer instantly. Even though Nozomi had survived the strangulation attempt, she still needed to recover from the trauma.
Because of the shooting, Wolf was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation to ensure that the use of deadly force was justified.
When revealed that he is a family friend, some accused Wolf of having a personal vendetta against the Time Clock Killer and using deadly force as revenge. Wolf defended his actions. He insisted that he had no other choice but to shoot. Nozomi was on the brink of death. He had no regrets.
In a bizarre turn, fan pages for the Time Clock Killer began appearing on social media. The fans call themselves Time Clockers. They believe that news media treated the serial killer with unfairness. Thousands have joined.
The serial killings also brought new infamy to Cleveland- a city known for its mob history, the trials of its sports teams, and the time that the Cuyahoga River caught on fire because of pollution.
The Time Clock Killer in death remained a mystery. His name, Horace Ajax, he lived in a single apartment with bare furnishing and worked in a clock repair shop. He was tall with average looks and dark ginger hair. He seldom dated and had no criminal record.
Sachi researched his name meaning online. In a twist of irony, his name, Horace, meant timekeeper. Some speculated that his use of the song Fly Like an Eagle at the crime scenes was a metaphor. Psychiatrists will spend decades if not centuries trying to understand his psyche.
Kael pulled into the parking lot across from the MetroHealth main campus. Shutting off the engine, he glanced over at Sachi. She took a nervous breath.
They exited the vehicle and approached the cement steps where Wolf and Lars waited for them. No media were present as they crossed the crosswalk and walked through the revolving doors into the lobby.
In silence, they walked around the receptionist's desk to the elevators. Lars pressed the up arrow as they waited.
Ding. The elevator door opened, and Emma and Emily stepped out.
Emma dabbing her eyes with tissue bumped into Sachi. "Would you watch where you' re--"
She narrowed her eyes. "This is your fault!"
Glowering, Kael stepped forward when Sachi grabbed his hand; jerking him back.
"What happened to Callie isn't my fault," she said. There was an edge to her voice. The past week had drained her mentally and physically. She didn't have the strength to argue with someone projecting their pain onto her.
"It isn't?" Emma screeched. "If you hadn't dropped her off at the mall, she wouldn't have been taken by that killer! She wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed in a coma!"
Emily tugged her shoulder. "Emma, this isn't the place for-"
"This is the place!" Emma shouted creating a scene.
Wolf and Lars stood in front of Sachi as though shielding her from the verbal assault.
"Listen here," Wolf said having heard enough. "This is not her fault. Your friend was just an unfortunate victim that the killer targeted. If anyone is to blame, it's him!"
Emily pulled at Emma's arm. "Let's go," she mumbled. She mouthed a wordless apology as she led Emma, wailing and sobbing, away.
Tears in his eyes, Lars turned and faced his daughter staring downcast at the floor. "Don't take her words to heart, sweetheart. None of this is your fault."
Pursing her lips, Sachi nodded. Kael gave her hand an extra squeeze.
After a quiet elevator ride, they arrived on the floor to Nozomi's hospital room.
Today, she was coming home. Sachi wiped her eyes and plastered a smile on her face. "Mom," she said entering the room.
Nozomi turned her head and opened her eyes. "Sachi," she said. Her voice was raspy.
She pressed the bed remote control to sit up. Her hospital gown loosening from her shoulder, she adjusted it. The bruises from the ligature marks on her neck were still fresh. Sachi heard her father suck in a sharp breath.
Blinking back the tears, Sachi took out the bag she had stuffed inside her purse. "We brought you a change of clothes."
"Honey," Lars said leaning over to kiss his wife on the lips. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too," she said. He kissed her on the forehead.
She noticed Kael standing off to the side watching silently. "Kael," she said.
"Hi Mrs. Starlet," he said. His eyes misted.
"McCoy-San," she said greeting the officer standing by the wall-mounted flat-screen television on mute. "Inoue," he said choked. If he had waited one second longer, they would be attending her funeral and not visiting her at the hospital.
A timer in the adjacent room went off.
Nozomi jumped then began crying uncontrollably.
"Mom," Sachi said tearfully. It pained her to see her mother in an emotionally fragile state.
Wolf stalked off into the hall. "Someone, turn that damn thing off!"
Since the abduction, the sounds of an alarm clock going off or the sight of a clock traumatized Nozomi to the point that she became distressed and started weeping. She displayed signs of PTSD.
The physical wounds she sustained would eventually heal. The psychological wounds, however, were altogether different. The doctor referred her to a counselor in order to heal from the ordeal.
In some ways, Sachi did lose her mother that night. It wasn't a physical death but the death of their life as she knew it. That in itself was a bitter pill to swallow.