The Whole Truth

Chapter Five: Reese, 2011

Back at his hotel room, Reese pulled off his clothes and left them in a pile on the floor. He went into the bathroom and stared in the mirror. He looked different, of course, but not in the way he expected. He'd been afraid maybe he'd sprouted horns or that his features would be carved into a permanent sneer. That's not what had changed about him, though. If anything, he looked more relaxed, as if a huge burden had been removed from his back, which it had. One that had been there for a long time, almost as long as he could remember. 

"Killer." 

The word didn't taste bitter or scary. It breathed out of him easily with the air that it rode on. His heart wasn't beating fast as he thought back to the scene in the basement, with the girl. He recalled details, how her earring tore so easily from her lobe, the look of terror when she finally realized what was going to happen to her. 

None of this moved him.

But then he remembered the girl he'd encountered on the way out. She'd seen his face. This scared him in a way he'd never been fearful before. It was worse than his father's drunken words and fists. Because once his father was finished beating him, that was it. Things got back to normal, and his wounds healed. But this sense of foreboding curled up in his stomach and lay there, lounging, in for the long haul.

Or maybe it wouldn't be so long. 

If he got into his car and drove away right now, maybe the dread would dissipate. But he couldn't take that chance. Walking away would mean that the sickness in his stomach might never go away. And that everything he'd worked to set right would have been for nothing. At the same time, he was conscious that the girl hadn't done anything wrong besides being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just because she was at a sorority party shouldn't constitute a death sentence for her. Reese may have had a twisted sense of justice, but he couldn't shake the idea that killing her would be wrong. 

He stepped into the shower, turned the knob, and waited for the water to get hot. When the scalding water hit his back, he didn't dial the temperature back, just gritted his teeth and let it wash over him. It was the opposite of a baptism. The scalding water reminded him of his situation because he was surely in hot water. The problem was what to do about it. 

Looking down at the red water circling the drain, he pondered the situation further. He couldn't just let the girl go. She knew too much, had seen too much. He had to stay long enough to figure out who she was and what she was going to do. Maybe she'd be scared enough that she'd stay quiet. If she wasn't terrified already, maybe he could put enough fear into her to prevent her from identifying him to the police. A plan formed in his mind, one of disguise and hiding in shadows. Of following her. Of catching her off guard. He had to find out what was important to her. For leverage. 

Finally, Reese stepped out of the shower and toweled off. The white of the towel was still pristine, still pure. He took it as a good omen and walked into his room and stared at his bag, which he'd only packed for one night.  If he wanted to pass himself off as one of the cool kids, he was going to have to go shopping. 

He got dressed and grabbed his keys. Before he left, he hung the "Do Not Disturb" sign on his doorknob, just in case one of the maids who would surely be cleaning the room got curious and started to poke around in his stuff. He didn't dare take the knife with him, but he didn't trust that it would be safe at the bottom of his bag. It was a good thing he'd hung the sign, too, because as he exited his hotel room, he saw an elderly woman pushing a cart down the hall. For a moment, his heart seized in his chest, but he thought of the white towel, and the panic drained away. He was in total control of the situation. 

Everything was going to be fine. 

He stopped at the front desk on the way out and leaned on the counter to speak with the girl working on the computer there. Smiling, he turned on his charm.

"I'm going to be staying another night."