5

"So how long are you gonna keep me waiting?" Aron demanded impatiently.

I grinned sheepishly at his angry tone of voice. He sounded truly pissed off now. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of disappointing him. Nevertheless, I couldn't let that happen. I needed to talk with him urgently and explain everything as clearly as possible. Otherwise, he would never forgive me if something terrible occurred because of my negligence. Yet despite my best efforts, it proved impossible for me to speak without stammering nervously. Therefore, I gave up trying to articulate my thoughts properly and resorted to speaking simply instead.

"I'm sorry...I've got a lot on my mind..."

He scoffed derisively. "You mean you're scared shitless? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Yes...yes it is."

"Then stop fucking around and spit it out already!"

His harshness frightened me more than ever before. But I steeled myself nonetheless and summoned every ounce of courage I possessed to continue talking. As a result, I told him everything: my suspicions regarding my mother's murder; the strange dreams I'd been having lately; and why I believed that she had actually committed suicide. When I finished explaining everything he sat silently in stunned silence for several seconds. Then he abruptly leapt up from the couch and strode over towards me. His eyes blazed with rage and hatred as he leaned forward menacingly.

"Tell me exactly what happened," he ordered harshly. "Don't leave anything out."

Forcing myself to remain calm, I recounted what I remembered vividly. From the moment I woke up on my eighteenth birthday until I finally decided to confront my father. Furthermore, I described the events leading up to his death too. Even though I tried to avoid mentioning specific details, Aron still detected my reluctance to divulge certain facts. Thus he grew increasingly frustrated with me. Every passing second threatened to push him beyond his limits, forcing him to snap at me at random intervals. At length, however, he calmed himself sufficiently to focus on what I had said. Only then did I feel safe enough to breathe a sigh of relief.

"How do you know it was your mom who killed herself?" he asked sternly.

"Because I dreamt about it," I replied calmly.

"Ava, you gotta stop doing that shit! You can't trust your subconscious to give you accurate information."

"I know that. But it's not like I planned on making these discoveries recently. No. I've been thinking about this for a long time now."

"Well, think about it some more! This isn't good news. If you really believe that your mom killed herself, then you need to consider the possibility that she might have murdered others besides."

That statement caused me considerable distress. Because I realized immediately that he was absolutely correct. Especially given my recent experiences with my own family members. Allowing myself to dwell on those memories would only bring me further anguish. For now, though, I forced myself to concentrate solely on my immediate problem. With great difficulty, I managed to force the troubling thoughts out of my mind and refocus on the task ahead of me.

"Okay," I responded cautiously, "now I understand what you're saying. But how do I prove my theory true?"

Arnold frowned deeply at my naivety. "What makes you think that you need proof? Don't you see the obvious connection here?"

"Of course I realize that," I admitted sadly. "But proving such a thing will take far too long to accomplish. And if we fail, then people may die as a consequence."

"Fuck that noise," Arnold spat angrily. "If we can save lives, shouldn't we do whatever it takes to achieve success?"

My heart soared at his words. It seemed clear to both of us that we needed to act decisively if we wanted to prevent tragedy. Accordingly, we decided to follow through with our plan as soon as possible. However, before we could begin preparations we had to wait patiently for another week or so. During that time, I contacted my friends and colleagues at work to inform them of my decision to quit. Luckily, most of them understood my reasoning completely and supported me wholeheartedly. One of my coworkers in particular was particularly helpful in organizing my departure. She arranged for my boss to write me a glowing recommendation letter which I could use later on in order to secure future employment elsewhere. Meanwhile, Aron called his parents and explained the situation to them. They agreed to help us out in any way they could.

In the meantime, I spent the entire weekend preparing mentally for my upcoming journey. First, I consulted my old diary in search of clues which would indicate whether or not my suspicions were valid. I also reviewed the notes I had taken during my previous investigations in an attempt to jog my memory. Finally, I reread the letters that I received from my mother shortly before her disappearance. Although I didn't find anything new within the pages of her journal, her final note gave me hope that she had intended to contact me after all. After reading it multiple times, I knew beyond doubt that it meant what it appeared to mean. Which made me feel confident that I had uncovered a clue that no one else had noticed yet. Moreover, I hoped that it might lead me to discovering the truth behind her mysterious suicide.

By Monday evening, however, I still hadn't come up with any solid leads. So I decided to call my dad. Perhaps he would provide me with some answers since he was the only person who could shed light upon this mystery. Unfortunately, though, he refused to discuss anything related to my past with anyone. Not even his son whom he loved dearly. As a result, I ended up being unable to learn anything useful from him either. Nonetheless, he promised to visit me sometime soon and tell me everything he knows. So I held out hope that he would reveal something significant next time we met face to face.

Meanwhile, Aron kept busy researching the topic online. He discovered numerous websites containing detailed accounts of cases involving serial killers. Most of those stories involved murderers who preyed upon strangers rather than family members. Still, they provided valuable insight into how such crimes were typically solved. And they also confirmed that most criminals tended to strike again once they had served their prison sentences. Consequently, we decided that the best approach would be to interview as many potential witnesses as possible in hopes of uncovering fresh evidence. That way we could build a strong case against whoever was responsible for my mother's murder. Or at least gather enough incriminating information to persuade the authorities to take action. In fact, I was so eager to start interviewing people that I volunteered to go first. Despite my confidence, though, I quickly became overwhelmed by nerves. So I waited anxiously for Aron to arrive before beginning to prepare. Once he arrived I led him straight to the kitchen where I poured two glasses of water. Afterwards, we sat side-by-side at the table and chatted briefly while sipping our drinks. Soon afterward, I offered him a slice of cake which he gladly accepted.

"Thanks," he muttered appreciatively as he chewed away hungrily.

"No problem," I smiled happily. "It's my favorite flavor."

"Mmm...that sounds delicious!"

As he spoke, Aron reached across the table and took hold of my hand. His touch felt warm and comforting as usual, but it also sent shivers running up and down my spine. The sight of his gorgeous blue eyes gazing tenderly into mine reminded me of just how lucky I was to have found someone like him. Someone whose love had saved me from falling apart in despair. By contrast, the memory of my mother's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood left me feeling depressed and hopeless. However, Aron's presence helped to alleviate much of my sadness. And his gentle caresses brought me immense comfort. Eventually, I began to relax slightly and enjoy our conversation.

"So how has your day gone?" he inquired curiously.

"Not bad," I answered honestly. "Although there were a few things that caught me by surprise."

"Like what?"

"Oh nothing major. Just stuff that I wasn't expecting."

The corners of Aron's mouth curled upward in amusement at my response. "Yeah, I bet you weren't prepared for the office gossip mill to kick into high gear today, were ya?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No, definitely not! Everyone seems to be buzzing about me quitting."

"Huh? Why do you say 'quitting' when you mean leaving early? Isn't that a big difference?"

"Sure it is," I chuckled. "And it should make a huge impression on everyone too. But unfortunately it won't have any effect whatsoever. Because nobody cares about me anymore anyway."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked seriously.

"Positive. I've done everything I set out to do here. Now I want to move on and pursue other opportunities."

"Why don't you stay on here? Surely there are plenty of ways you can contribute."

"There aren't," I insisted firmly. "Besides, I'm sick of working in a place filled with assholes who only care about themselves."

"That doesn't sound very nice."

"Sorry. But it's true."

Aron sighed heavily at my blunt assessment. Nevertheless, he remained silent for several moments as he considered what I'd said carefully. Ultimately, he nodded his agreement. "Fair enough," he conceded reluctantly. "I guess I'll have to get used to that idea sooner or later."

"Really?" I exclaimed excitedly.

He grinned back at me proudly. "Yep! My life is gonna change forever starting tomorrow morning. And yours too."

At last, my excitement overcame my nervousness. And I couldn't contain my joy any longer. "Tomorrow?!" I squealed gleefully. "Yay!"

A smile spread across his handsome face as well. Then he stood up from the chair and pulled me close for a passionate kiss. Our lips locked together passionately as our hands roamed freely over each other's bodies. When we eventually parted, we gazed lovingly into each other's eyes and savored the sweet taste of passion lingering on our tongues.

"You ready?" he asked quietly.

"Hell yes!" I responded eagerly. "Let's go!"

With that, we rushed upstairs to pack a small bag full of essentials. We stuffed it with clothes, toiletries, snacks, and bottled water. Next, we grabbed our coats and headed outside to hail a cab. A short ride later, we stepped off the curb and entered a nearby hotel lobby. There, we checked ourselves in under separate names using fake ID cards. Once inside our rooms, we unpacked and settled down to rest until dinner time. Afterwards, we went downstairs to eat in the restaurant where I ordered a juicy steak with fries. While eating, we discussed the details of our plan and shared our fears concerning the unknown dangers that lay ahead. However, neither of us allowed our doubts to deter us from carrying out our mission. Instead, we resolved to remain positive throughout the ordeal in order to minimize stress. After finishing our meal, we returned to our respective rooms and fell asleep almost instantly.