Growing Wildflowers | WLW

Goldenrod

We stand by Jamie's car as the officer approaches. He's bald, shorter than me, and looks like someone out of an action movie. Hard jawline, light blue eyes, muscles for days. He keeps his hand resting on his belt as he approaches.

"Miss Vanderbilt?" he asks.

Jamie's holding her arms close to her body, trying to keep from shivering but her teeth still chatter. She sighs. "Hi, Karl." Does she know all the officers in Bolton City?

Karl flashes her a look, and she apologizes.

"Officer Kelly," she corrects.

He clicks his flashlight on but doesn't shine it in either of our faces. "What are you doing out here, Jamie? You know your mom would have my job if she found out about this."

"So, it's better for both of us if you don't mention it," she says through a shiver.

Officer Kelly gives a soft laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I still need you two to head home." He steps a little closer to Jamie, as if trying to make sure no one else can hear as he whispers, "we have a missing persons case on our hands and we're trying to figure out if it's tied to the murder of your friends."

Something flashes in her eyes. Hope, maybe and her jaw goes slack with disbelief as she grabs his forearm. "Is it? Is it connected?"

I swallow the lump in my throat. It is.

The officer shakes his head. "We don't know yet." After a breath, he continues. "We don't think so. The missing person was a junkie and a prostitute. She's probably in a different city smoking blow and giving blow, if you know what I mean." He laughs by himself and then, awkwardly clears his throat. "Anyway, if we find a body, we might be able to connect the two. But I've never heard of a serial killer murdering a whole group of kids and then murdering a junkie the next day. There's no similar characteristics. Doesn't make sense."

It does... If you know. And then it hits me like a truck. It will make sense if Jamie knows. If she starts to piece it together. Everything will make sense and I'll have to throw her from the top of the science building at her school.

"What's her name?" Jamie asks but as soon as the words leave her lips, Officer Kelly is already shaking his head.

"No way, kid. I'm not giving you any more reasons to lose sleep."

I manage a glance at Jamie who grimaces ever-so-slightly at his words. She stares at the ground like she's trying to hide the bags under her eyes.

Something hot burns in my chest and I have to resist reaching out to her and pulling her closer, like I could protect her from a stranger's words.

Officer Kelly grabs her shoulder with his pale hand and squeezes. "Leave the investigation up to the professionals, Jamie. We'll find the fucker who killed your friends. I promise."

Jamie looks at him and forces a sad smile. "No offense, officer Kelly, but don't make promises you don't plan on keeping."

He pulls away, replaces his hands on his belt, and clears his throat, clearly taken off guard by Jamie's jab.

"What's that supposed to mean, Miss Vanderbilt?"

Jamie's arms are still crossed over her chest but it's not from the cold anymore. There's a new edge to her. "It means, I already told you there was more than one person that night and you're still referring to the killer as a single individual."

Officer Kelly chews his cheek, sucks in a sharp breath through his nose, and smiles. "A simple slip in my vocabulary, Miss Vanderbilt."

Jamie rolls her eyes and nods.