One New Message

Twelve

*Lacey's 25th birthday group chat*

77 hours after Lacey's disappearance

Darcy: Guys, Charlotte is too upset to text you this, but Lacey's parents are here and they identified the body and it's Lacey's. I'm so sorry.

Theo: No. 

T: She can't be dead, not Lacey.

D: I know I cannot believe it either. 

Aubrey: I don't even know what to say right now.

Charlotte: I'm stuck in this hell, I can't stop crying, I wanna wake up! Please someone wake me up!

T: I knew something was wrong! I knew the SECOND you told me she wasn't in her room but all of you had me convinced she was okay? Well she wasn't! She's fucking dead! Why didn't you listen to me?!

A: Theo! We didn't know, you know Lacey likes to sleep after a night out. We don't need to be throwing shade at each other, not at time like this come on now. We're all upset we need to be there for one another not hating. 

D: I know this is a shitty situation but we can't blame ourselves for this, we need to get through this together. We have to be there for eachother or we'll never make it through this.

A: Well yeah but this is the worst news ever. It's awful, if we could have done something for Lacey everyone knows we would've. Now we just have to wait and see who did this to her.

T: Of course this is the worst news ever. Lacey was the sweetest girl ever and she didn't deserve this. She was 24 years old. Tell me how that's fair!

C: It wasn't fair but whoever did this will pay.

101 Hours after Lacey's Disappearance

A: I'm on Facebook right now, I just checked her profile, its a mixture of Happy birthday messages and RIP, not everyone has heard the news yet.

D: I saw that too, heartbreaking, good morning all.

A: Hey! How are you and Charlotte?

D; I stayed with her and cuddled her until she fell asleep, we slept for maybe a few hours at the most we kept waking up and asking each other if this was really happening. We just gave up trying to sleep, so we're drinking lots of coffee.

A: I heard something this morning on the news, they're treating her death as suspicious, does that mean someone hurt her?

D: Honestly, hadn't really thought of it.

T: Oh come on, you're all smart girls! It's obvious someone killed her! She didn't just wander off into the park and end up dead on her own, 

D: Oh my god, there you go again! Jumping to conclusions, she was drunk she might of walked and passed out there, it was cold she might have froze to death or choked on her own vomit. Or she could have hit her head if she passed out there are a lot of other reasons that doesn't lead to her being murdered. 

T: Yeah I get it, but I've been right about everything else so far. 

C: Her mom told me they're doing an autopsy on her body, we should know more information today, so that will hopefully give us some insight on what happened friday night.

A: Keep us informed please. 

C: I will!

*1:30PM*

C: An officer came by and told me they received some CCTV footage and went over it with me. They located her getting into a Uber, and the license plate number was visible so they're going to run the plates and see who the Uber belongs too, and they're going to take there driver in to ask questions about what happened on the ride with Lacey.

A: Do they think the Uber driver might be connected to her death? What if he hurt her on the ride and then dumped her body in the park and just drove off without thinking anymore about it.

C: Aubrey no come on, let's not think that way. I think they want to rule the driver out and hopefully piece together what happened leading up to her getting to the park.

A: Ugh the waiting game sucks!

D: Her mom also told Charlotte they're officially treating this as a murder case, I guess some of the results from the autopsy shows signs of fowl play but they're not releasing any information yet. 

T: Whoever did this can rot in hell. She was literally my best friend!

A: It was bad enough, now it's a murder case. God. 

D: I'm really sorry I wish I could hug all of you and tell you everything will be okay.

A: It's not your fault Darcy. 

T: I just want to know what they person did to her, I'm furious.

C: Once the autopsy is completed, they will release the information to her family first, then us, then the public I'm guessing, the police have been here a few times just asking me questions and checking on stuff in her room since I'm her room mate I guess I will tell you anything I hear.

A: I hope she didn't suffer, I'm so upset she's gone but I just hope she didn't suffer. 

 *8:09PM*

C: Update on the Uber driver. They released him. 

T: Wait what? He didn't do this?

C: Yeah they don't think he did this. Apparently Lacey called the Uber herself, on the drive home she saw someone she knew walking, they got in and he started driving again.

T: Did they say who got in with her?

C: Nope, the driver said the person looked like a young man possibly but he wasn't for sure. The driver dropped Lacey and the unknown passenger off at the park where she wanted to be dropped off and the two parted ways. She was on the phone during the end of the car ride and it sounded like she was arguing with someone, but he wasn't for sure of that either, because she was drunk and all of her words were slurred together. He has no idea what they were talking about. 

A: Okay hang on this is a lot to process, she let someone she knew into the Uber with her, he let them both off at the park and then she's found dead there, whoever was in the Uber with her knows something, and I'm not going to not believe that until I'm proven wrong. 

C: I mean yeah it looks like that huh?

A: But who??

C: Lacey was friends with EVERYONE, it's an endless sea of people it could have been. 

A: Why would someone want hurt her? She was such a gentle person and had the best personality. 

C: Someone must of gotten her confused with someone else, because this isn't right. You can't get away with murdering her, it's only a matter of time until we really know who killed Lacey.