8 Chapter Eight: Memory Lane
NATE'S P.O.V.
The icy cold wind that blew through my open bedroom window sent chills down my spine before forcing me awake from the lovely dream I was having. I rolled over on my side to see a beautiful face with her eyes closed as she slept through the morning songs from the happy birds outside. The thought that in just a week I would get to wake up to this face every moment cracked apart my lips forcing an involuntary smile to appear on my face.
Her dark complexion glistened under the light from the sun rays, her long brown hair now messy and curly covered half of her face as she slept peacefully. I reached forward to move her hair from her face. I'd give her the world but then where would the remaining people live.
"Watching me sleep again?" She asked before letting out a cute yawn
"I'd watch you sleep every chance I get" I smiled
"Are you feeling better now" She asked as she looked at me with concern in her eyes "You seemed really upset last night"
"I feel a bit better now" I said
"What time is it?" She asked as she sat up and pulled the duvet to cover her chest
I rolled back over to view the numbers displayed in the alarm clock on the nightstand "7:15am"
"I still have a few hours to waste before I have to go to work" Marina said
"And how do you plan on wasting those hours" I asked with a smirk on my face
She leaned in and kissed my lips before I pulled her by her waist and placed her on me, throwing her legs on both sides of my hip. I ran my fingers through her hair before running my hands down to grab her bare butt.
"Someone is getting excited" She said as she broke away from our kiss
"It's hard to not get excited when you're on top of me naked and looking like a snack" I said before kissing her neck
She let out a small moan before tossing her head back and slowly grind on my boxers.
I placed my hands on her waist and allowed her grind on me as the heat between us increased.
The vibration from my phone and the loud ringing prompted us to stop while catching our breaths a bit. Blake was calling. I hung up the call and tried to pick up from where we left off before loud bangs erupted from my front door
"Open up, I know you're in there" I heard Blake say
"So this is what it feels like" I mumbled to myself before looking at Marina who was sitting on me laughing
"Go and open the door. I'm going to go take a shower" She said as she stood up and walked into the bathroom
I jumped out of bed and threw some pants on fuming with rage, as I walked from my bedroom towards the front door. If this was a cartoon you would see the fumes coming out of my ear. Yes I was that mad.
I got to the front door, opened it and glared at Blake with serious murderous intent
"Do you know what you just did?" I scowled at him
"Lemme see" He said throwing his hands on his chin "Judging from your huge hard on that’s bulging from your pants and the fact that you were so angry you didn't notice you wore your pants backwards I'd say I just interrupted your alone moment with Marina"
I looked down to see my back pockets in the front and my hard dick
"Fuck you" I scoffed before slamming the door shut. I could hear him laughing from behind the door before he turned the handle and let himself in
"Now you know how it feels like" He said as he walked towards the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge
"Yeah I do" I said taking off my pants to wear it correctly
"Do you have to do that in front of the door?" I heard Christina say from the front door
I quickly threw my hands over my crotch "Where did you pop out from?"
"You really think I’ll let Blake come see you alone" She said closing the door behind her before walking inside to meet Blake
"Good point" I said dragging my pants up to my waist
"Good morning Neighbors" Marina said as she walked into the room in her Nurse uniform
"Good morning Bride to be" Blake said raising his bottle of water to the air
I walked down to the kitchen to meet the rest of the gang
"I thought you weren't working today" Christina asked
"Oh I am, just not the night shift" Marina said as she poured herself a glass of orange juice "What are you up to Blake?"
"Well I'm going to check out a few things today hopefully it's going to give me a lead on the murders and connect the dots" He said placing the water can on the table "You coming Nate?"
"Sure thing lemme hit the showers real quick" I said before excusing myself from the room
I walked to the bedroom, took my pants off and hopped into the bathroom to take a shower. When I was done I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist after drying myself off with it. I walked towards the bathroom mirror and ran my hands through my wet dark hair, checking my face for any spots or blemishes
Standing in front of the mirror I could see the slightly open ceiling board in the bathroom, I smiled before walking towards it. I stood on the toilet seat, reached up and arranged it so it was in place before stepping out of the bathroom
I threw on a blue jean trouser and a white shirt, strapped my gun on my waist and threw on a black jacket for taste. What's an outfit without a jacket to match
I walked back to the living area and I could hear three of them talking
"What are we talking about?" I asked walking over to give Marina a kiss on her cheeks before sitting down next to her
"Oh just some random stuff and the wedding preparations" Marina said as she passed me a plate of scrambled eggs and toast "And I was just about to tell them the news"
"Bwah bues?" Christina asked with a mouth full of eggs and bread
"Babe chew and swallow. What’s the hurry?" Blake laughed as he passed her a glass of orange juice "You look like a squirrel with a bunch of acorns in its mouth”
We all laughed at the comment Blake made
She took the glass from his hand and took a huge sip and swallowed "Don't tease me. As I was saying, what news?"
"Wait don't tell me" Blake paused obviously thinking of something silly to say "Are you pregnant?"
"Ha-ha no, well not yet at least" Marina said
"We're leaving after our wedding" I said with a smile on my face
"Like for your honeymoon. That's understandable" Blake said
"For good actually" Marina said dropping her empty cup on the table
"She wants to see a large percentage of the world before we start having kids and settle down" I said looking at Marina who was smiling back at me
"Okay and what's wrong with traveling and coming back here?" Christina asked
"Well we've both lived most of our lives here before we met and I'm ready for some new experiences" Marina said with a smile on her face
The idea of leaving the county is one thing that has always been on Marina's mind ever since we met. She'd tell me about she'd want to get on a boat and cross the Atlantic, Paraglide over Mount Everest, and go fishing in the middle of the Bermuda triangle. Even though that last one is high key impossible, I still want to try and make some of her wishes come true
"But what if-
"No more questions babe" Blake cut her off placing one hand on her shoulder
"That means we're going to have to catch this murderous serial killer so you can leave in peace" I heard Blake say as he turned to look at me
"Definitely" I said
Blake and I got up and headed out after I gave Marina a kiss on the lips
"Don't die out there" She said
"That's not possible" I flashed her a smile before shutting the door behind me
We got into my car and drove down to the station leaving Christina behind knowing fully well she would try to convince Marina to change her mind about leaving. But knowing the woman I’m about to marry that wasn't going to happen because she’s a hard ass. In other words she doesn't change her mind once she's made it. Not even for me
"Are you sure you want to leave the county?" Blake asked as we pulled up into the parking lot of the station
"Its a good move and I honestly would like to start afresh some place new" I said
"I see" He said reaching for the door handle
"And I’m sure this whole ghost case would be solved before then" I said turning the car off and stepping out
"What makes you so sure of that?" He asked with a questioning look on his face
"Just a gut feeling" I smiled before locking the doors
I walked away from the car heading towards the station leaving Blake behind as he stared at me. I wonder what thoughts would be running through his mind "Dude are you coming in?"
"Yeah" He said before walking towards the entrance
We walked into the building to meet the captain as he spoke to other officers at the front desk. When he was done we walked towards him
"Ah Blake. I've been looking for you" The captain said turning to face us
"Any problem?" Blake asked
"Oh lots of problems but that's not why I was looking for you" The captain said "I received a call today from Central and they informed me that they would be sending someone down to assist us in our serial killer investigation"
An agent from Central would definitely help out in our investigation
"When will they get here?" I asked
"This evening or tomorrow morning" Captain Adam responded "When they arrive I want you to brief them on everything we have so far on the case"
"Yes sir" Blake said to Captain Adam before he turned to walk away
A minute after our brief conversation with Captain Adam, Blake received a text
"It says here that Mrs. Parker is awake" He said as he turned to look at me
"Mrs. parker?"
"The first victims mother" He said "I'm going to check on her and maybe ask a few questions"
"Right behind you" I said before we walked out of the building
We drove down to the hospital and walked towards the front desk to speak to the nurse there
"Good morning. I'd like to see to Mrs. Parker" He said
"Okay. She's in room 12" The nurse said pointing us in the direction of the room
We walked down the hall of the first floor after stepping out of the elevator and stopped at the door leading to her room
"Mrs. Parker, Its Detective hunter. May I come in?" Blake knocked on the door
Before a response came back the door creaked open slowly as a young lady stood at the entrance staring at us.
"I'm detective hunter and this is my Associate Detective Nate Ross. I was the one that brought in Mrs. parker" Blake said as he introduced us and then flashed his badge to the lady that stood at the entrance
"It's alright Kate. Let them in" The voice of Mrs. parker sounded from inside of the room
She stepped aside giving us access into the small hospital room. There were small balloons tied to the edge of her bed which read "Get well soon" boldly written in black. The lady on the bed seemed pretty young considering that she was pretty advanced in her age or at least she looked older
"How are you feeling ma'am?" I asked as we sat down on the metal chairs close to the wall opposite her bed
"I don't know how I’m feeling right now" She said in a shaky voice
"I'm sorry for your loss" Blake said "I would do everything in my power to give your daughter the justice she deserves"
I looked over to the side to see Kate as she wiped away tears that fell down her cheeks.
"Were you two close?" I asked Kate who seemed lost in thought
"She was like a sister to me" She said with a smile on her face "I wasn't even in town when she died. When I came in, I saw the news that she was murdered and I was completely shattered
"And how did you know that she was here?" I asked
"I called Allison's cell but it wasn't connecting then I called her mom and the hospital told me that she was here. I rushed down here and I’ve been here ever since" She said brushing a stray strand of hair from her face
"Do you know if there's any reason someone would want to kill her?" Blake asked
"Allison is the kindest soul you'd meet anywhere. She wouldn't even hurt a fly" Kate said trying to stop her tears from falling
I decided to step out as Blake asked some more questions. I needed air because the room suddenly started to feel stuffy even though the window in the room was open. I walked to the vending machine I saw earlier when we got out from the elevator, put some coins in and grabbed a soda.
I slid down on the wall and sat on the ground before turning the cap of the drink and taking a long sip.
"What's got you sitting on the ground in the middle of the day?" I heard a voice say before she dropped down beside me. It's nice seeing Marina in her Nurse uniform
"Blake and I came to see the mother of the first murder victim" I said
"Oh. I heard she woke up last night" She said "So why are you out here?"
"Just the vibes of a hospital room brings back some memories that I don't like remembering" I said turning to look at her
"Wanna talk about it?" She asked with concern in her eyes
"A story for another day I guess" I said taking another sip from my soda
"Promise?" She raised her pinkie finger up
"Yeah" I said before wrapping my pinkie finger with hers
"I have to go check on a patient. Let me know before you head out okay?" She said pushing herself from the floor
"Sure thing wifey" I said smiling at her
She didn't say anything as she tried to hide her very obvious smile as she walked away. I sat down there for an extra ten minutes before Blake came out of the room to meet me sitting on the ground outside
"Are you feeling okay?" He said tapping me on the shoulder
"Uhn yeah. Any leads?" I asked getting up from the ground
"Nothing" He exhaled deeply
"Back to square one?" I said
"Back to square one" He sighed
Coming here was somewhat a dead end that left both of us feeling like we got hit by a bus carrying disappointment. Before we left the hospital I pulled out my phone and texted Marina
ME: Hey babe. We're heading out now
She texted me back as soon as we stepped out of the elevator
M: Okay babe. See you back at home
Sure thing
We walked out of the hospital and headed towards my car at the parking lot.
"I'm gonna make a quick stop before I head back to the station" I said unlocking the car doors
"Chasing a lead?" Blake asked opening the passenger door
"Not really" I said as I got in
"Okay" He said as we drove out of the hospital parking lot
I drove Blake back to the station before driving back into the quiet road down to a location I haven't visited in a while. I stopped by a flower store and purchased a bouquet of white tulips before walking into the building.
I pushed the metal gate open and walked down the red bricked road that separated many tombstones. I stopped by the small wooden building by the side to greet the caretaker of the graveyard.
"Now here's a face I've been expecting to see today" The lady behind the counter said as I walked in
"The year wouldn't be complete if I didn't pay my respects" I said with a smile on my face
"I thought you had forgotten" She said as she took off her red rubber gloves and placed them on the counter
"I wouldn't be here if I did" I said
"That's true" She smiled
She walked round the counter and threw her hands around me shoulders pulling me close into a really tight hug. "Its good to see you son"
"Good to see you too, Mom" I said wrapping my hands around her
"Do you want me to come with you?" She said as she pulled away from the hug
"I'll be fine on my own" I said turning on my heels
"You should stop by the house sometime. It'll be nice to have you around" I heard her say as I reached for the door knob
"Alright mom"
I walked out of the building and closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath before I continued on my path down the road. I stopped in front of a grey tombstone on the floor, went down on one knee and placed the flowers on the ground in front of it before running my hands on the name engraved on the stone.
"Hey" I said before sitting on the ground and crossing my legs "Sorry I haven't been around much to see you. Work has gotten pretty rough lately and It's kind of hard moving around freely."
"I hope you're not mad at me much, I even brought your favorite flowers" I said pointing to the flowers I dropped earlier "I know Mom has been taking care of you but I still gotta ask if you're okay though"
"You wouldn't be here now if I was able to take care of you the way I wanted. I'm sorry" I wiped a tear from my eye before it fell down my cheek "I couldn't save you from those people and I couldn't do anything to save you while you slowly died on that hospital bed. I must be the worst big brother of all time"
The wind felt chilly as it blew across my face
"That wind just now felt like a cold slap. Sorry but I can't help but feel this way, feel like I let you down. We have a case of a serial killer loose in the county and a rape and murder case came up and since then I haven't been the same, I kept thinking of what you went through that night and how the people that did it never got caught" I exhaled deeply "Whenever I think about it I feel so infuriated" I folded my hands into a fist and punched the ground
I let out a little scream as the tears I've been holding back fell down my cheeks before running my hands through my hair. I sat down there with my head buried in my hands as I rested my face in my palms.
"I'm sorry" I said lifting my face up to look at her name on the tombstone "I'm sorry Sophie"
I got up and brushed off the dirt on my butt and stared at the tombstone. I kissed my hand then placed it on the rock. My mind was numb with pain and rage and at that point I was sure that whatever decisions I made were worth it.
I took one last look at the tombstone before turning on my heels to walk down the red brick road that led me here. I walked back to small building where I found my mom staring at a picture frame. It was a picture me, my mom and dad took with Sophie on her eighteenth birthday. Her smile was something out of this world and I can't even remember how her voice sounds like because it's been so long.
"Hey mom" I said to her pulling her out of her thoughts
"Hey son, back already?" She asked placing the picture frame back on the shelf
"I'm heading back to work mom" I said to her
"Alright" She walked up to me and wrapped me in a light hug "Take care of yourself"
I wrapped my hands around her back and hugged her tightly "You too mom"
I let go of her and walked out of the building. Down the path, straight to the entrance without looking back over my shoulder. I got to the small black gate and I was greeted by a face that I haven't seen in a long time.
"Heather?"
"Hey Nate" Long time no see
"Wow, How are you doing?" I said as I walked out and hugged her
"I'm good, How about you?" She said as she hugged me back before pulling away
"I'm alright" I said taking her features into account "You look really nice"
She wore a black suit, with a small black purse on her side, Her long blonde hair was now cut short and her fair skin looked more radiant than before. Her rep lipstick complimented her eyes, which I’m pretty sure are contact lenses because the last time I checked she had blue eyes.
"You're not looking bad yourself" She teased "Were you crying?" Pointing to my red eyes
"Oh no, Uh I had something In eyes" I lied brushing my eyes, wiping off stray tear drops
"Nate! You can lie to the rest of the world but not to me. And besides I saw you coming out from the cemetery, I can tell why you were here" She said
She pulled out a white handkerchief from her purse and handed it to me. No use pretending that I didn't need it. I took it from her hand and wiped my eyes with it before handing it back to her.
"Nah, keep it. You've already wiped your DNA on it" She chuckled
I couldn't help but smile. She may look different but she's still the goofball I used to be deeply in love with.
"What are you doing here?" I asked stuffing the handkerchief in my back pocket
"Well I just got back and I thought I’d come see you but you weren't home. I was heading to the coffee shop down the road" She looked over my shoulder to see the tombstones inside "I stopped for a minute because of the memory I had of this place with you and then I saw you walking out"
"Oh I thought you were going to look for me in there" I said
"Ha-ha nah, I have better things to do with my time" She scoffed before smiling at me
"Ouch" I said holding me chest "I see now how important I am to you"
"Yeah, you're at the bottom one hundred of important things on my mind" She laughed as she stuck her tongue out
"And yet you went over to look for me at my apartment" I said smiling mischievously
"Shut up" She punched my arm before rolling her eyes "Tease me because I told you I went to look for you"
I covered my mouth with my hand as I laughed "Okay sorry. Still wanna get that coffee?"
"Yeah, but you're buying" She said as she folded her arms
"Alright fine" I said "Lead the way"
I stood and watched her as she hurried on down the road like a little girl feeling giddy cause she was promised ice-cream.
"Are you coming or not?" She turned and screamed holding her purse behind her with both hands
"Yeah I am" I said before walking up to her
We walked into the coffee shop and took our seats on an empty table close to the entrance. We talked a lot about random things and it was nice talking about something else that wasn't related to work.
"I mean you call yourself a music lover and you can't name more than two artists that are outside your area" She said as she took a sip from her almost empty cup
"Well what if they are just the singers I can vibe with?" I laughed
"Then you're not a music lover but rather a uhm" She stopped to think of the right words to use "Ha a selective music listener" She said as she took the last sip from her cup
"Don't you have your way with words" I said
She smiled at me before sticking her tongue out again. I was about to give a comment on that but I was interrupted by her vibrating phone
"Sorry, let me take this" She said before standing up and walking out to take the call
I sat down and pulled my phone out to text Blake
ME: Have the agents from central arrived yet?
I hit send and I got a reply almost instantly
B: Nope not yet. Are you okay though?
ME: Yeah. I just needed some air. I won't head back to the station though
B: I didn't think you would. I'll let you know if anything comes up
ME: Alright. Thanks
The time was 4:00pm but I felt exhausted already, probably because I used my strength to grieve earlier. I wanted to text Marina as well but I didn't want to bother her while she was at work. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and then Heather walked back in.
"Hey, sorry about that." She said as she took her seat
"No worries" I yawned
"You seem exhausted. Let's head out then so you can go get some sleep" She said as she stuffed her phone back into her purse
"Okay" I got up from the chair and pulled out my wallet to pay for the coffee before we left. To think I would be wide awake after drinking coffee but nope it's the direct opposite with me. I’m more exhausted now than before I drank it
"Where are you staying at. I'll drop you off" I said as we walked back down to the cemetery
"Don't worry about that. I'll take a cab and its not even dark" She said pulling out her phone to order a ride
"I insist" I said before snatching her phone from her hand
"Hey" she yelled out " Meanie"
I smiled and slipped her phone inside my pocket
"Fine. I'm at the Bronx Ville hotel"
"Alright, Hop in" I said pointing to my car
The drive down to the hotel was supposed to take about forty five minutes but it was longer due to the huge traffic that was on the road because they decided to fix some potholes in broad day light.
It took over an hour and thirty minutes before we arrived at the entrance of the hotel
"And we have arrived at your destination" I said as I pulled up to the entrance
"And how much is my fare kind sir?" she said in a really bad British accent
"For you my lady, no charge" I responded in an equally horrible accent
"Awwwwn how kind" She said reaching for the door handle "My phone" She turned to look at me
"Oh yeah" I reached into my pocket, pulled out her phone and then handed it to her. She grabbed the door handle and opened the door
"Thanks for driving me here" She said as she leaned on the open car window
"You're welcome" I said with a smile "So when do I get to see you again?"
"I don't know. Maybe soon, Maybe this is the last time we'll see each other in a while" She said brushing her hair from her face
"Hopefully maybe soon" I said
"We'll leave it to fate to decide" She said
"Take care" I said as I turned my car on
"See you maybe" She said as she leaned away from the car window
"See you maybe" I echoed as I drove out from the hotel and back onto the busy Thursday evening road. I spent another ninety minutes on the road before getting home. I walked into my apartment, straight to my bedroom and fell onto my bed. I didn't even bother taking a shower or taking off my clothes. I went straight to sleep and woke up to the bird’s song the next morning.
