Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 9

~The Hunter~

The chill in the air was growing stronger as it got further into autumn. The rush of wind caused a shiver to run down Grayson’s back. He knew it would only be a few weeks before his breath would be visible. He sighed, recalling that winter was Beth’s favorite season. The thought of her missing their annual trip to Rockefeller center to see the lighting of the tree or go ice skating with him made his insides squeeze. All of those things were touristy, real New Yorkers hardly did them but it had been their thing and it was at risk of being taken away from them. 

Grayson had tried to go to class. He even made it out of the house and onto the street. His progress stopped there. He ended up sitting on a bench a few blocks away from the train station he was supposed to be waiting in. The effort wasn’t worth it. If Beth wasn’t there swiping her metrocard in the stall beside him, it would break him all over again. He hadn’t yet cried and with every thing he noticed that highlighted her disappearance he felt the load in his chest get heavier. If he cried now, he didn’t know if he would be able to stop. Crying felt like the first step to accepting her fate and that wasn’t an option for him. 

He had come close to breaking down the night before when he and Mrs.Rodriguez had trailed the police officers to Ryan Daniels alleged whereabouts. The cops were led to a clearing in the woods absent of any person. However, the scene was troubling enough to bring Beth’s mother to hysterics. 

Rope was loosely wrapped around a tree with fresh blood coating it’s bark and the soil around it. It was as if Mrs.Rodriguez knew it belonged to her daughter, like somehow she could see the traces of DNA and family history mixed into the dense liquid. She had been right. They had called him this morning to tell him the blood was a match. 

He couldn’t even hear the police officers scolding when they realized they had been followed by the two. All he could hear was the howl of the wind or what he had chalked up to be the howling of the wind when Mrs.Rodriguez drove them down the desolate road a few feet away from the cop cars. It could have been a scream. It could have been Beth screaming. 

It was enough to keep him up all night. What was she doing in the clearing? How did she get hurt? Why was Ryan Daniels involved? 

The detective found a phone and flamethrower in the clearing. Both had belonged to Ryan Daniels. They were suspecting that the Beast and Ryan Daniels had been toying with the officers on purpose. Perhaps Beth was a tool in order to give them more attention and media coverage. Was being the biggest criminal in New York City not enough for the Beast? 

The amount of blood found on the scene was insufficient but even if there had been gallons coating the forest floor, he couldn't accept her death. Beth wasn’t dead and would not die. Grayson would find a way to bring her back home safe and sound. That was the end of it. He had protected Beth from other dangers in her life - sure this one was significantly bigger but still, this wouldn't be an exception.

A woman passed by holding a box of donuts. The scent of the fried treats circled his nose and brought him back to a time where the threats of life seemed more manageable. 

“Hold it! Hold it!” Jamie’s mom had turned down the music playing from the stereo, getting a groan out of the tweens in the room. The kids had moved out her way considering the violent swishing of her hips was a safety hazard. She was scowling, her ‘cool mom’ charade from early in the evening had evaporated completely as she got closer to his friend. 

Grayson leaped over the coffee table and ran over to her side. 

“Open your purse.” 

She was towering over Beth, arms crossed against her chest. All eyes were on them. 

“What? Why?” The young girl blinked, her cheeks flushing red.