Who Killed Blue Jones?

Chapter 14: Mystery

We drive down to Caden's house. His parents were still out of town as far as I know.

We walked in through the kitchen door and he walked to his fridge, grabbing a water bottle. He asked," You want one too?" I nodded" Please." He threw a chilled water bottle at me and I gulped it all down in one go. He said "Slow. Breathe, Sage!" I stopped and hyperventilated with water dripping down my chin "Seeing ghosts makes me dehydrated." And I gulped down the rest. We both looked at my water bottle and I asked "Can I get another one?" He rested his back against his couch "Knock yourself out, Nemo." I stood up and walked to his kitchen, he asked "I finally got to meet Margaret today." I scoffed "Creepy, right?" He shook his head" I don't know what the creepiest part was. The fact that her eyes were burned out or the fact that she had a poodle on her skirt. All of the above, I guess." I grabbed the pasta my mom gave us and opened the lid. He asked again "I need to see the journal. Where is it?"

"Backpack."

He nodded and got up, searching in my back for the journal. I asked "Forks?" He took the journal out and said without looking up "Bottom left draw." I grabbed two forks from the draw and made my way to him on the couch. He exclaimed "Wow."

"What?"

"You need to read this."

I was busy eating the pasta, so I said "Read it to me."  He stood up and began pacing around the room, reading the page out loud.

"May 30th, 1987. I'm in the infirmary because of a broken jaw. But that doesn't stop me from writing this. I'm the only one in here with a crowd of nurses, doctors, and psycho prisoners staring at me without blinking. Some of their faces are burned with acids, broken arms or broken legs, a bent neck guy who I think committed suicide. It's hard being strong in here. It's harder to even pretend to be. I keep fantasizing about my father, coming here, visiting me, and telling me that he believes me and will take me away from this nightmare. But fantasies are just a big fat lie of your existence. Sometimes I just want to shut myself down but then I remember that if I die, I might be like them too. I may become like them and may haunt the next person in my place. I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy. I wouldn't wish that upon my father or brothers either who left me all alone in this hell. I'm convinced that earth is purgatory for death. There's a nurse here named Lilly. The very one who always dresses up my wounds or brings me extra potatoes in my food. She's the only nice person. We got to talking and she told me that she used to have a friend here. Another nurse named Meredith. Meredith died because of an accident. A mentally disturbed patient got loose and threw acid on her face. I know Meredith. She's standing beside my bed every minute, looking down at me with a burned face. Meredith was murdered. So does that mean that people who are murdered, can't move on? Maybe they can't because of some kind of unfinished business. But then there's another man here who cut his wrists. That's suicide. Why are suicidal people still here? I wish that I have somebody to answer me some questions."

He closed the journal and asked "Purgatory?" I nodded "He describes it as a bridge between heaven and hell in his second entry in the journal." I looked at him "Do you think that Blue is stuck here?" He sighed "Honestly Sage, I don't know. She was close to my dad. I don't think she ever thought about her real father. Not that I know of but then again, Blue was kind of private when it came to her deep thoughts or feelings. She wouldn't even tell mom about it. She'd bottle it all up and sometimes cry herself to sleep." I sighed as I heard him talk about her.

Maybe this is why she died. She killed herself.

I sighed"I'm sorry that she killed herself." He looked at me with furrowed eyes "She didn't kill herself, Sage. She died in a car accident down the street of your house a year ago." My brows furrowed "A car accident?" He nodded his head "She took Dad's Jeep middle of the night without asking, I saw her but I didn't say anything because dad wouldn't let her drive the jeep that night at all. She saw Ryan last and then coming back home, her car crashed on the light pole that Sheriff Stone and the mayor got removed a couple of months ago. I think that was before you moved in."

His eyes held a hint of sadness. A heartbreaking sadness. I asked, "You okay?" He dragged his hand down from under his nose to his chin, wrapping his long slender fingers around his neck "I'm not. I saw her leave. I could've stopped her." He looked down to his silver lion ring on his under finger "But then again, you know what they say: Death doesn't doesn't knock on doors, does it?" I shook my head because I felt bad. The fight earlier was enough for me to see how close they were when she was... it's not easy saying it but this is the truth.

He wiped his tear before I could even notice them "I still remember this like it was yesterday. The sheriff knocked on the door at exactly two in the morning and I was awake thinking of different ways on how to get her out of trouble if she was caught by the sheriff. But then, I heard mom screaming and losing all her sense and dad screaming too, trying to hold her, calling out her name many times but when I came out of the room, thinking that Blue may be outside with the sheriff, I was held by mom. She hugged me tight, she kept kissing my face and crying like she was afraid to lose me next. I saw the sheriff take his hat off in respect and I kept thinking, praying that I was having a nightmare, Sage." He looked at me "But instead of having a fantasy nightmare, my reality turned into one that day. I lost my sister, my best friend, my partner in crime,..." he looked up at me with a chuckle "and my therapist." Snuffing, he wiped more of the tears, taking a deep breath "Wow, people say that getting things off your chest makes your feel relieved. I feel guilty for eating your ears off." I smiled "It's okay, Caden. I'm here whenever you wanna talk, take things of your chest or feel guilty."

"If I were attracted to you, I would've dated you."

My eyes widened "Hey! I am attractive." He looked down at my attire "Oh honey, not with those jeans and that beanie." I followed his gaze down to my clothes and then back at him "I agree with Blue. You are a poop head." He threw his back laughing out loud.

I got back to reading the same page we just read and I asked as he ate the pasta "Caden, I can't make sense of anything. My uncle says that he mostly finds people who were murdered or who committed suicide, stuck here. But why is Blue still here? We ruled out suicide. But murder doesn't make sense at all." He pfft "No, it does not. She had a car accident against the pole. That's  neither suicide nor murder." I looked back at him "Then why is Blue stuck?"

He looked at me with his green eyes, not having an answer anymore. He took a deep breath "We're going back to your uncle tomorrow morning." I nodded because he was right.

We have to find how did Blue Jones died?

•••••