Thank goodness this is not the most shocking thing that has happened in the last twenty-four hours otherwise my jaw would be on the floor.
The audacity! She and Rex go at it like rabbits on a regular basis as if their apartment is sound proof and I never say a thing. Ok I occasionally hit the ceiling with my broom,but still!
Too dumb struck to argue, I simply reply, “Oh…uh, yeah. Sorry about that.”
She smiles awkwardly with a subtle “Thanks” before stepping off the elevator. I wait until the doors are about to close to depart, not wanting to spend any more awkward time in the same space as her.
That’s it. I need to move.
When I return from the store, I know exactly why there’s five police cars and an ambulance parked outside. I must have the best timing in the world because I arrive in the lobby just as the entire apartment complex makes a path for paramedics to roll Frank’s body away under a white sheet.
Playing naive, I walk up to one of my neighbors, an old busy-body named Helen, and inquire about the commotion.
“The Serial Killer Santa struckherelast night,” she says in a voice that’s supposed to sound like she’s trying to keep quiet, but really she wants everyone to hear.
“You’re kidding.” I play dumb. It would be suspicious if I didn’t seem on edge about such a revelation.
“He sure did.” She nods emphatically. “He killed Frank Warrickupstairs and took his heart. What a monster.”
Pretty soon they’ll find out the real monster was Frank, preying on innocent young girls.
“I just can’t believe it,” Helen continues, gripping her scarf as if the knit garment will protect her from the evil of this world. “I don’t even feel safe in my own home.”
“Well, he hasn’t struck the same place twice,” I note, “so we’re probably safe. As long as there aren’t any skeletons in your closet.”
The look Helen gives me suggests there might be. But I’m guessing she’s more the type to steal someone’s coupons from their mail, not prey on young children.
I never thought I’d be so sad to realize a serial killer won’t be murdering anyone else in my apartment complex.
Chapter Eighteen
Noelle
Call me desperate, but I’ve spent every day since Cole left going to one of the big Christmasy activities in the city in hope he might be there. The Christmas bazaar. The skating rink. The giant tree in the park. Hell, I even walked around the mall hoping he might want to sit on Santa’s lap or get some last minute shopping done.
A part of me thought he would have come back. Maybe he felt this undeniable tether between us just as much as me and couldn’t resist the pull any longer. No such luck. I’ve been depressingly alone aside from Sasha all week. But instead of being sad that it’s Christmas and I’m not with my family, I’m sad that I don’t get to spend it with the guy that broke into my apartment.
If I took this story to the Hallmark Channel, do you think they would buy it?
It’s Christmas Eve, my twenty-fourth birthday, and I spent the majority of the day walking around in the snow hoping I’d bump into Cole. How pathetic. My bones are frozen through and I haven’t had a decent meal so I pick up take out on the way home. At least I’ll have Sasha for company when I get back. Even if she’s not a cuddler, at least she doesn’t mind comfortable silence while I watchThe Shining, myannual birthday tradition.
Nothing puts you in the holiday spirit like a possessed hotel and Stephen King.
I don’t understand it when I first open the door, but I’m met with the soft glow of warm white Christmas lights draped around a tree. A real tree, not the fake kind. This one has the real pine scent and everything that fills my home with an ambiance I haven’t let myself enjoy in over a decade. I don’t even remember the last time I got a Christmas tree.
The evergreen is decorated with bulbs of various sizes all in shades of pink and silver. Not only did he get me a Christmas tree, he decorated it to match my aesthetic.
This might be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. To the point that I’m tearing up. I’m usually an emotional mess on my birthday but for an entirely different reason this year.
I stare at the thoughtful gift for a long time, basking in the glow of the lights and the way it makes my heart swell. After taking in every inch of the glowing present, I assess the rest of the apartment to find it void of the one person I really want to see. Everything is where I left it.
Except for the illuminated red snowglobe on my dining table.
Walking over, I see what Cole means about the way a human heart gives off the best glow. It’s really beautiful. Very Christmasy, too. Who knew serial killers could be so crafty. I love a man who’s good with his hands.
I shouldn’t be hesitant to touch the snowglobe since the heart is encased inside, I won’t be touching an actual organ, but it still makes me pause before inspecting it closer.
Not that I expected to see a heart preserved in a snowglobe on my dining table, but I would have expected it to be Frank’s since it was at the center of so much. We snuck into his apartment together to get it, Sasha took a few bites out of it. Hell, his heart is the very thing that brought us together.
