Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Chapter 63 - Who Is Anna Really?

Kyle was in his home office looking at Anna and Harmony's website while writing down information that might be important. The name of the website was Dragonfly Designs, "Where simple pleasures could be a girl's best friend." It is a blog and interactive magazine that was designed beautifully and not like a beginner kid had created it.

Logging in as a visitor Kyle checked out the social chat scene and he had to admit it was set up really well. You had to be invited to the chat rooms by the bride giving out a passcode so that weddings could remain private and not crashed by uninvited guests. For the wedding you were attending you could meet up in a lobby and talk to anyone there, but if you were invited to a private room for a more personal conversation, that conversation was secured to be private. You could have as many people as you wanted in the room. Kyle, of course, had a genius computer team behind him, so he didn't need codes. He didn't know what the department would do without Karla and Freddy. So far that he could see, the private chats contained two or three people just getting to know each other, plus a few bigger wedding parties which were planning details. He was going to have to show this to Alicia, she would love it, he thought as he scrolled through the conversations and dates.

The site showed pictures of Dragonflies as encouragement for colors for weddings. He didn't see anything that looked like the pin he found at Jolene's house or anyone wearing the pin. Anna had only a biography picture where most wouldn't find it. It looked like she was wearing a necklace by the chain that showed by her shirt but whatever the chain was holding was hidden within it. There was no dragonfly pin. All of Harmony's pictures contained different jewelry but not one with a dragonfly pin. He made a note to see what the lab found.

He studied the pictures of Harmony and Anna. Whereas Harmony had long blond hair, Anna's hair was brown and shoulder length. Harmony had brown eyes, where Anna had a unique bright light green color. Harmony looked tall, but Anna's picture wasn't full length so he couldn't judge how tall she was.

"Can I talk to you?" Stacy asked from the doorway of Kyle's office.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this Stacy." Kyle said as Stacy stepped inside the room.

"Despite that, you were in the other killer's path, I knew you weren't his type, so I was fine with you going on your trip." Kyle sighed as if weighed down by his decision. "I have been searching for these girls for two years with no leads. We barely know where most of them came from, but we eventually discovered they were runaways. I was at Jolene's crime scene and it took everything I had to get through it because all I could do was picture your face in the worst nightmare a parent has. There are a million questions and even more prayers, begging for answers. I just don't understand it and I questioned if I could live through that kind of loss. I don't think I could." Kyle said looking at his daughter.

Stacy had tears in her eyes, nodding her understanding completely. She straightened up and the tears disappeared as she blinked them quickly away.

"But Dad, you are only looking at it from a parent's perspective. My situation is unique. I have a father who deals with this stuff on a daily basis. A man who has made sure I had training with a gun, knowledge of protection, and continual practice in self-defense. While most girls have furry key chains, I have a hand spray of mace. I would never go off with a stranger because, to be honest Dad, you and Mom have made sure I don't trust anyone I don't know. For anyone to get close enough to me without someone else being with me would also be impossible. Even a trip to the bathroom, we girls travel in packs, sleep with each other in our beds, and hold hands while we gossip to dream. I never get to relax. And being a detective's daughter, I can't see how I ever will. There is only one exception and that is when I am at home. So, I won't even be relaxed enough on the trip to stop paying constant attention to my surroundings." Stacy said then raised an eyebrow to make Kyle smile before she continued.