Eleanor's Demise ✔️

Chapter 9: Finding Demeanor

They drove in silence, the first thirty minutes going by painfully slow as nobody spoke in the car. Eleanor stared out the window, spotting her ugly reflection. That was probably the first time in her life that she'd called herself ugly. Her freckles had faded and her eyeliner had stained her whole face. Not only did she look like she had two black eyes, but she looked like someone had taken some water-balloons filled with paint and threw them at her.

She looked like she was trying to become a different race as well. Eleanor groaned as Zac turned the music up in the car, he hummed along to the tune as Mrs. Carnegie snored beside her.

"So, where you from?" He asked.

"What's it to you?" Eleanor spat, she didn't feel comfortable around this guy and she wasn't about to spill her beans. She didn't trust him.

"Fiesty," he commented, tossing his hat aside as the temperature in the car burned her. "I assume you're from another country? England perhaps?"

"How'd you know?" Eleanor faked her astonishment and for the millionth time that day, felt like she deserved a role as a Hollywood actress.

"The accent," he laughed, lowering the heater so he could hear her better.

"Where are you from?" She asked, feeling more chatty now as Mrs. Carnegie's snores lightened and disappeared.

"Born and bred here. Jersey's my home." He said.

"Zachary, it's getting quite cold in here." Mrs. Carnegie shivered, yawning loudly as he turned up the heat. Eleanor noticed the bead of sweat forming on his face as he tilted the air vents toward Mrs. Carnegie.

"Is that better?" He asked, driving slower than ever and stopping on an icy road. Eleanor could recognize this street, realizing they were getting closer to Adam's home. Closer to the road where she'd faked her death. She had nightmares of this street, she regretted ever coming- but the past is in the past and you can't change it, only attempt to make the future better.

"Yes, much. Could you fill me in on the details of your investigation?"

"Mrs. Carnegie, I'm not sure you realize that you've let this... this redhead into your car and you don't know if you can trust her or not. So I plead you, please don't ask for details until after we get there."

"Darling, she already knows, it slipped. But I would like to know who planted the silly idea that Adam's dead wife might still be alive into his head!" A sly smirk formed on Zac's face as he shrugged.

"She might actually be alive, we found her finger prints in quite a few places. Her hand writing is everywhere too. I do think that this Bree girl he's searching for is actually Eleanor in disguise or something or someone close to her and keeping her hidden. We also suspect that she might have been the murderer of Mr. Carnegie." Eleanor gasped, covering her mouth in silence as Zac turned his eyes to her, questioningly.

"That's crazy! Eleanor was such a sweet gal, let her memory remain innocent in peace and stop this silly investigation. Honestly, sir detective-hat, I really think you're looking for something that you can't grasp because the poor girl is dead! Do something else with your life than creating stupid stories like this." Eleanor shrugged, a cool smile returning to her face once she'd hopefully convinced Zac that he was an idiot.

"My husband died of a heart attack. I told you both to quit that investigation almost a year ago!" Mrs. Carnegie has nodded along to every word that Eleanor had said, she huffed when Zac raised his eyebrows.

"You're starting to sound a little suspicious Mrs. C," Zac laughed, turning onto the road leading to Adam's house and stopping in front of a gate.

The second the car drove through the gates, Eleanor froze. What the hell is she doing? She can't enter into this home, would Adam recognize her. Would Adam recognize her?? Would Adam recognize her???

But all thoughts were thrown out the window as Adam's hardened face appeared and walked over to greet his mother.

➿🍁➿

Josiah awoke with the worst headache he'd had in years, his head was throbbing and he had two bruises on his neck. He touched the painful spots, wincing at the pain. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if it was the right thing to report Bree or whatever her name was to the police. He just wanted to find her, to take her home. She was lost and he didn't want her to be hurt out in this frozen city.

And he felt stupid for covering for her, but he couldn't bring himself to trust the cop, detective, or whatever that man was. He groaned as he realized New Jersey was now his least favorite place to be.

He had about three thousand dollars left. Feeling lost, exhausted, and completely over the drama of the last few days, he decided to get going home.

He had work to be done back home and didn't want to waste any more time in this wretched city.

He silently packed his things and tossed them into the back of a taxi. The snow was still present, but salt now covered the streets and far more cars drove over it. He couldn't shake the feeling that this might all have just been a dream and that he might wake up any second with Bree lying beside him. He felt like a yahoo for thinking that, rubbing his hands over his tired eyes as the car drove out of the state.

He fell asleep as the steady moving vehicle continued to zoom through states until it arrived back in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma.

"Six-hundred and forty-two dollars and forty-five cents." The driver said, watching Josiah pull the money from his pocket and hand it to the driver as he drove to wherever the next location would lead him.

He was exhausted as his eyes landed on Jennifer, his co-worker in the doctor's office. He ran a hand through his messy hair as she approached him, laughter present in her eyes.

"Looks like you and Bree had a fun few days," she grinned, pointing to the bruises on his neck.

"It's not that... " he said exhausted, yawning loudly and feeling as though he might just sleep right there, in the parking lot.

"Well, where's Bree? Everyone's really been missing her cakes at the bakery."

"She's not here."

"Obviously not silly, did you drop her off at home, wait, where's your car?" Jennifer was being awfully chatty, something Josiah couldn't tolerate at the moment.

"Jennifer, can we please talk about this later? I need a ride home, can you drive me?"

"But you live half a mile from here, can't you walk?" She asked, her bright smiling filling her pink tinted cheeks. She stared at downcast eyes for a few seconds, "Come on. I'll close up early today, it's already noon anyway. You've missed out on a lot."

Josiah followed her to her car and sat as she drove him home. She followed him inside, sitting on his couch as she blabbed his ears off.

"I knew that Bree was no good, I could see it in her eyes. So she just left you like that and where's your car?" But before she could get any more questions out, Josiah had fallen asleep. She brought a blanket and covered him, shutting the door on her way out.

But Josiah wasn't actually asleep. Who could sleep when they'd just been so traumatized. For a minute, he felt like he had just lost everything, but then again, he couldn't imagine how life had been four months ago before Bree showed up. She had a way with how she portrayed herself- Josiah felt like he'd lost a piece of himself.

She'd been his sunshine on the rainy days. He huffed. He wanted to find her too, to ask her why she didn't trust him enough to keep her secret.

He contemplated calling the police but figured that would just make him and his town of Clearwater moving targets in the sight of the media. The name Adam popped up in his mind as he realized it wouldn't be long until Bree is found- especially with the resources that Mr. Carnegie had, she'd be found in no time.

And she probably deserved what she had coming.