4.1

Chapter Four Part one

Shaking all over I bolted to the green couch. I wanted to get my things and leave. We had a serial killer. We had a freaking serial killer on our hands!

"Gavin, we...we need to go" I called over my shoulder.

My hand trembled so badly I almost couldn't unhook my pocketbook. I was trying to put the matchbook away but I was in shock, my brain felt like it was only half working. As much as I didn't want to believe that someone like that cold exist in my town, I knew that I was right. There was someone murdering women, and I was the only one who knew.

I felt Whylah grab my arm swinging me around to face her. My pocketbook fell, causing the matchbook to tumble from my bag. Her boney hands dug into my flesh, keeping me from reaching for for it. Terrified my only clue would get polverized, I attempted to pull away from her. Every move I made she squeezed harder, the pain eventually stopping me in my tracks.

"Tell me what she said," Whylah demanded, her dark blue eyes frenzied. Confused, I didn't understand what she was asking. I was still in a panic over the serial killer.

I stuttered, "She...she.. didn't say anything."

The little woman looked at me with murder in her eyes. Savagely Whylah shook me harder. She used both her hands, clamoring for an answer. Her desperation had turned her monstrous. "What did she say," she shouted, "What did she say!"

Finally, she'd shaken enough sense into me that I started hollering back at her. I yelled, "She said nothing!"

Instantly Whylah dropped my arms. My admission was like pouring gasoline over a fire. Pointing her boney finger just a hair away from my nose, she forcefully backed me up. "Sarah did! I know she did! I saw your face! She said something to you and you're holding it back!"

Her accucation left me stupefied. I wasn't keeping anything from her but my own intuition. Sarah hand't told me her killer had other victims. She'd actually not said anything at all. Besides creeping me out, all she'd done was point out a book.

"I'm not holding back anything," I replied, swiping her finger out of my face, "If she had said anything I would have told you!"

Her eyes darted to the floor. I didn't need her to to tell me what she was thinking. Instinctively I jolted, snatching it up my only clue before she could. The woman went berserk, launching herself at me.

"Whylah! STOP," I yelped, almost falling over in surprise.

She came at me like wild dog on a three-legged cat. Yanking at my arm with both of her hands, she snarled at me. She wrestled until her hair pins fell out. Scratching at me and swiping at my face, which I barely avoided. She was crazed trying to take the matchbook. Anger had given her strength that I'd not expected. Caught up in the moment I jerked my arm, but I wasn't thinking. It didn't matter how nasty she became I should have been more careful.

My heart died as I saw her tumbling back. Gavin slid forward using his natural speed, flying just like a Superhero he was just in time to catch her. His arms scooped under hers, before her legs could give.

I gasped rushing forward, shocked, "I'm so sorry!"

Gavin put her on her feet and I scrambled to help her. Her boney palm swiped out, slapping me hard across the face. I felt that smack all the way up my scull. I think even my brain rattled a little. It was the first time in my life anyone had ever slapped me.

"You…you wretched child," she screamed. The venom in her fury caused me to back up. She stomped the ground, shaking her head back and forth, sending the last of her hair pins across the room like missiles. She looked like she'd lost her sanity.

"Tell me what she said," Whylah screeched like a banshee.

I wasn't sure how to handle this. I couldn't calm her down, her anger was rabid.

"I'm not lying," I pleaded, "She said nothing! I promise! If she said anything I would tell you."

Gavin moved between us. He put his hands out like he was talking down a wild animal. "Mrs. Vance," he said carefully, "you need to calm down. We are all on the same side. Remember? Circe and I are here to help you."

Gavin's words fell on deaf ears. She snarled, leaping at me again, "Give that to me!"

Gavin caught her around her waist, his voice demanding, "EVERYBODY CALM THE FUCK DOWN!"

Whylah's feet were kicking in the air as he held her. She bared her teeth screaming, her sharp nails raised bloodied marks across my brother's skin, but he didn't let go. He winced, biting back pain, waiting for her to come back to her senses. He didn't understand that it wasn't going to work, she lost her hold on reality.

I screeched at the top of my lungs the only thing I could think of to say. "FINE I'LL TELL YOU!"

Whylah froze. Her heavy breathing filled the silence. That had stopped her.

"Mrs. Vance" I said repeating myself, "I'll tell you what happened, but it's not what you think."

My brother let her go. Wincing in pain he walked over to the coffee table to grab a napkin. Her little nails had gotten him good and I was pissed. Like royally pissed. I understood she was upset, but she'd hurt my brother.

"You can't attack us,"I explained, "because we don't say the things you want to hear. That doesn't give you the right to hurt anyone! That's not how this works."

Whylah had exhausted herself. Shaking, she covered her face, letting out the most chilling cry. Goosebumps flushed across my skin. Sarah's murder had killed something inside of her, and Whylah would never be the same. It was understandable that she'd be thinking only with her emotions. That was why Whylah was unable to hear me correctly. She was hurt, she needed a bad guy, and right now I seemed like one.

"I understand you're upset but I want to be honest with you. I'm not going to say Sarah told me something if she didn't. I'm not that kind of Medium. I don't lie."

Crying into her pink sleeve I think she had a moment to come back to herself. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I just...I just...I just want Sarah back. I want to hold her. I want to talk to her. I want to tell her that it will be ok but I can't."

Gently, I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." I put my whole being into those two words because I meant them.

"You're sorry," she questioned, "If you're sorry then why don't you fix this? Why don't you call Sarah back, and make her tell you who killed her?"

"I swear to you," I voice with my hand over my heart, "if I could do that, I really would. Like I explained earlier, that's not how this works. Spirits say what they want to me, they show me what they want. I'm just the connection they have to this world and the next. I can't demand anything of them."

"No," she replied, accusing, "you saw something...you heard... something else because I saw your face!" I started to sweat, wondering if she'd seen my eyes. "You looked like it was something horrible, you were white as a sheet!"

"I saw her," I admitted keeping the worst part to myself. I couldn't tell her that I only saw ghosts the way that they died. It would be tramatizing.

Whylah's hand fluttered to her chest, gripping her cardigan, she was wating for more. My heart thundered in my ribcage too, but not for the same reason. I swallowed. "She only wanted me to find the matches. That was all."

She blinked back tears. "That...that was it?"

Unfolding my hand I looked at Sarah's matchbook. I'd been gripping on to it, practically crushing the only clue I had in the palm of my hand. I was so scared of loosing it. Heaving a great sigh I took out my cell phone.

"What are you doing," Gavin protested reaching forward. I pulled away from him, shaking my head. He wouldn't understand.

Taking pictures of it, I walked over to Whylah. Holding the matches out to her, I said, "I want you to trust me, because I need to trust you. We are a team."

Looking at the matchbook I held between us, her navy blue eyes widened.

"Please keep this safe," I instructed, "I'm leaving this in your care. Don't tell anyone about it. I can't stress to you how dangerous it might be if you do." Especially because I thought there was a serial killer out there somewhere, but I wasn't going to share that...yet.

Picking up my pocketbook from the floor, I was ready to leave.

Gavin, catching the hint, walked over to his tea. He downed it. Wiping his mouth he replied, "It was nice meeting you Mrs. Vance, but please, keep that matchbook secret. Circe doesn't know who killed Sarah. It could be anyone."

"Please forgive me," she urged out of the blue, coming to her feet, "I'm embarrassed for how I behaved earlier. That's not…who I am."

"You're not the first, or the last person to get upset with me," I said attempting to put her at ease.

"No. I shouldn't have…hit… you like that or scratched your brother. That was wrong of me."

I wasn't going to argue there. "We'll see ourselves out if you don't mind."

Gavin beat me to the car claiming the drivers side. Maybe he could tell I was still shaken. I got in, and before I could buckle up, he rounded on me.

"What the heck was that!" Gavin said breathless, eyes wild, and his hand out stretched pointing.

"Just another day at work," I shrugged. Even though that was the first time I'd been smacked it's not the first time someone had gotten angry. I'd gotten into a few heated arguments, even had doors slammed in my face before. Peering down to use my phone, Gavin took my chin turning me to face him.

His dark eyes were hard, "You're telling me, getting your face slapped is normal?"

Gripping his wrist I pried my chin from him. "Well, not face smacked," I agreed, "However we have more important things to discuss." My brother went to argue, and I put my finger over his lips, "Drive."

"Where," he said behind my fingers.

"Anywhere, I need to meet with Danny." Gavin's face darkened and I knew what he was going to say before he said it. "He's on my crap list too," I reassured "but I'm not sure who else I can go to. We are in some deep doo doo and I mean deep."

Gavin was confused, "What?"

"Just drive. I don't want to talk about it."

We drove to the gas station near Nana's. It was really small with only two gas-pumps, and two parking spots. We were in one of the two.

When I saw Danny's police car in my rearview, my heart started pounding. Things were about to get real. He'd probably think I was crazy, and truthfully...it was crazy. I was the only person who knew the girl's had a connection. Without me, there wasn't a single person in town could put the jagged puzzle together. I just had to trust that maybe my intuition would trip off my cousins.

Danny pulled in beside of us, rolling down his window. I could tell he'd rather be anywhere other than next to me. Uncle Roman must have gave him one wallop of a tongue lashing.

When I rolled down my window he dryly replied, "This better be good. This is my lunch hour."

"I can't say it out loud," I said getting out of my car, "it's top secret."

"No. NO, " Danny demanded pulling down his sunglasses in a panic, "You get back in that car!"

Gavin yelled at my shoulder, "Forget him, he's a piece of shit cop anyway."

Already out of the car, I bellowed, "Shut up," as Danny yelled, "What'd you say?"

Danny, and Gavin were both hot heads. Danny went to get out of the car but I pushed his door closed. Lecturing the both of them, I said, "I don't have time for your fucking pissing contest. Ok? So can we put on our big boy panties and be men?"

Mouth still partly wide from shock, my cousin hit the unlock button. I'd just said a dirty word. Anytime that happened that ment I was serious.

I rushed in the backseat of the cop car. Gavin was hot on my tail. He slammed the door and crossed his arms.

Danny pulling his sunglasses off, looked at me wearily. I think he could tell by more than just me cursing, I had something powerful to say.

In a blitz of words, I spat, "We got a Serial Killer in Carter County."

I looked for them to respond but they were too tunderstruck. Both men sat fish faced, their mouths silently gulping at air. I thought that maybe I rushed it.

"What?" Danny finally responded, his face was whiter than it was before. His freckles almost glowing on his skin.

I nodded. "Sarah wasn't the last victim," I relayed, "and I doubt she was the first."

"Shit," Gavin breathed. His rusty gears were starting to turn, taking in my information, and running with it. Where as Danny was a bit more reluctant. His brain had crusted over and was stalling.

"Oh, Hell Circe," Danny couldn't finish speaking, he was shaking his head back and forth. He was defiantly rejecting my revelation.

Wetting my lips I laid it out for the both of them. "Sarah Vance was killed when she was coming home. She'd been coming home late, acting strange, and was scared of someone. Now get this...Ashley Markel..."

"Wait a second! Ashley Markel," Danny replied incredulous.

"Yes! Ashley Markle she was.."

"Hold up," Danny shushed me, "Ashley Markle was a drug addict. She killed herself. There's no connection."

"If you'd just hear me out! Ashely had the same strange symptoms Sarah had."

Leaning back in his seat Danny shook his head, "Circe, Ashley was a druggy. She killed herself. Sharah wasn't. She'd never taken drugs."

Pursing my lips together I sucked in a deep breath. I knew changing his mind was going to be difficult. "Did you see the crime scene," I pressed," Did you see her body?"

Danny glanced at me in his rearview mirror. He had no clue where I was going with this. His red brows squished together. "I did…it was freaking awful."

"What was your first impression?"

"Shoot Circe! Come on. She killed herself, the knife was in her hand!"

"How could someone kill themselves like that?" If Danny had any of Nana's blood in him, then he couldn't have left Ashley's without feeling something. All I had was one look at ghost and I knew something was off.

Danny dropped his head. "Listen Circe, when people are high on drugs, they can do anything. Acid, bath salts, these things rot your brain."

"Her brain wasn't rotted. I met Annabelle, Ashley's sister," that got my cousin attention. He glared at me as I said, "Ashley had been clean. She didn't have any drugs in her system when she died."

Sighing my cousin glanced at the cars roof. He was struggling . "Circe there are so many new drugs every year. We don't know what she could have been on, or for that matter when she'd taken them. I know Annabelle. She told me the same thing, but Circe, there was no evidence of another person being there."

"Did you even bother to look," Gavin questioned raising his voice. My brother's fiery attitude was a pleasant surprise.

"Gavin," my cousin warned. My brother must have been treading on something sensitive.

"Oh I see how it was, " Gavin snarked, "shut and closed case because she'd done drugs. Right?"

That pissed Danny off. His deep voice rattled the car. "There was no sign of a brake in! It was still locked! Neighbors didn't see anything! So what the fuck was I supposed to do?"

"Your job," Gavin said flatly. I smacked Gavin's knee giving him a warning. I didn't need Danny riled up again.

Danny looked between Gavin and I seething. Finally, he admitted, "Yea. Ok. I…felt something."

Snapping my fingers, I pointed at him. "See I'm right!"

"Yea, but that's not to say there's a serial killer on the loose! Come on Circe! That's crazy? You think we wouldn't notice girls going missing? Come on! I'm not that SHIT of a cop." He'd taken a dig at Gavin from earlier.

I shook my head. "Wouldn't matter if you were a good cop. This killer is better."

"Oh come on!"

"Listen," I explained, "I'm not making things up. If you don't believe me, then do a little resurch yourself. The killer has a type and I know he's killed before."

Sucking in his lips he thought about it nodding. At least he was giving me a chance. "But if I don't find anything," he replied, "then you better trash that idea. I could loose my job."

Taking out my phone I quickly texted Danny the photo of the matchbook. Opening my door, I said, "I found this at Sarah's granny's. Sarah had me find it. I don't know what it means but maybe you do?"

By the time I walked around the back of the patrol car Danny was leaning out his window. His face was confused. "Where'd you find this again?"

"Why," I asked him.

Curling his lip confused Danny answered, "Because Ashley worked at a place with the same name, but that ain't the phone number. I know becasue I called quite a few times."

My eye brows shot up surprised. Looking my cousin dead in the face I smiled. "See, you knew something wasn't right," pointing at his phone I said, "Sarah hid it that at her granny's."

Danny blinked shaking his head. "I don't know if I fully believe you...but I can't say I don't either."

"You will," I declared confidently, "just give me time."

I got in the car. Gavin drove us home. He looked like he had a lot on his mind. We were half way home when he said, "Shit."

I agreed full heartedly with his statement. "You can say that again."

He looked straight forward shaking his head. "The killer's going to find more girls, right?"

Quietly I nodded. There wasn't a question in my mind.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," I replied, "they didn't train me for things like this."

"You sure about meeting up with that girl, what did you say her name was?"

"Annabelle, she's Ashley's little sister, and yes, I think I need to go there."

"You want me to go with you?"

I almost laughed. "No."