Eighteen Going on Dead

Chapter Ten: Jane Die

The police station was cold, overcrowded with the ten police officers that dragged themselves out of bed after receiving a personal phone call from my Aunt herself. They hurried around the small room, carrying files, going through their old computer systems, and even calling the nearby towns to Id this unfortunate woman. No one seen nor took a glimpse at this woman before, not even the nearby towns could figure out where she came from nor even a simple name.

Gabriel and I sat in the waiting room, watching the cops hurry by, we fiddled with our fingers while waiting for Aunt Joyce to give us further instructions. "This is going to take all night." He whispered in my ear.

"Maybe you should check on your dad, Aunt Joyce called him first and he's not here."

"I'll give him a call, but he's probably knocked out from the NyQuil." Gabriel pulled out his phone while walking outside to get a quieter setting that did have shuffling papers, and phones ringing.

"Where's Gabriel?" Aunt Joyce finally broke away from work to check in on us, she already looked worn out from the potential investigation or a deeper one she's already on.

"Calling the sheriff. Did you find anything yet?"

She sighed heavily and shook her head no, "You two should go home. I'll hang back and hopefully be at the house before dawn, just stay in the house Zaire- please. If this girl is related to the killings of..." She couldn't finish, her eyes fluttered closed and hand squeezed into a tight fist. Even Aunt Joyce is still haunted by the deaths, I can't go to sleep without thinking about Yolanda and Courtney; their fear, the blood, and their faces. "Get some rest," Aunt Joyce wrapped her arms around me and gave me a warm kiss.

"Aunt Joyce, you're embarrassing me." I whispered while she smothered me with her tight hug, even though I loved it.

"Oh, nonsense." She pulled away slowly before tugging a strain of my hair back into my messy ponytail. "Go on."

I slide out of the uncomfortable chair and out the door to feel the chilly breeze on my skin, Gabriel was outside having himself a cigarette- the smoke burned my nose immediately. "Those things are going to send you into a early grave." I stated. I try not to speak about his habits as much, it would only piece him off, but from time to time I voice my thoughts. "You never mentioned how you gotten caught up into the bad habit."

Gabriel threw the kill stick to the ground and stomped on it as if it were a spider. "After my mother's death, I turned to something that could take away the stress and pain. I was exposed to the habit by my grandmother, I would see her sneak out the house after her and my dad have one of their arguments. So, a day after the funeral I snuck a cigarette and after that moment I felt amazing- safe."

I stepped closer, placing my hands on his arms, and pulling him into a hug. "I'm scared, Gabriel."

He hugged me back, his large hands were firm on my back as his lips planted several kisses on my forehead. "It's okay to be scared, it's normal."

****

I picked at the dry lettuce coated in ranch and other toppings that makes the healthy meal look a little bit tasty, my stomach wasn't up for eating like a rabbit during spring. Actually, I wasn't up for eating- just entertaining myself with the silver for pushing the cherry tomato around the bowl as if it were hockey.

"Are you going to keep picking with your salad or are you going to eat it?" Tracie huffed in frustration while finishing her own salad. "Let's get down to business, shall we? What changed your mind?"

Many things changed my mind, one of them being I wanted to end this thing before any other poor innocent soul. "I have my reasons. Just know, our business will be simple; I give you some info to broadcast and you keep my name out your mouth. I don't want anyone to know I'm apart of this, nor Gabriel."