AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Bye, Dad."
Sheila pocketed her phone and rubbed her temples, feeling the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her.She couldn't shake the gnawing worry that something was off with Natalie.With a sigh, she turned away from the messy interior of the house and stepped outside into the fading daylight.
As she walked toward her car, the cool breeze brushed against her face, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant rain.She knew she should focus on the case at hand, but her mind kept drifting back to Natalie and Star.She hoped they were both okay.
Just as she reached her car, her phone rang, its shrill tone startling her.Her heart raced momentarily, hoping it was Natalie finally calling back.But when she glanced at the screen, she saw Finn's name displayed instead.
"Hey, Finn.What did you find?"she asked, trying to suppress her disappointment.
"Looks like Dell's alibi checks out," Finn replied, his voice heavy with frustration."He's innocent.I've made a number of calls, and there's nothing to suggest he had anything to do with the murders."
Sheila took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on the case rather than her sister's mysterious behavior.An old memory resurfaced, something Roy's friend Eddie had mentioned about a company picnic.According to Eddie, Roy had brought along a CD from his old high school band.
"I just remembered something," she said."Before the Hubbards moved away, Roy was in a band called the Black Jesters.Can you look into the other members?Maybe there's a connection there."
"Black Jesters, huh?"Finn mused, tapping away at his computer."Alright, give me a moment."
Sheila gazed at Natalie's house as she waited, the worry for her sister gnawing at her insides.Her eyes scanned the windows, half-expecting Natalie to appear from some room Sheila had forgotten to check, but the house remained silent and empty.
"Okay, I've got something," Finn said.Sheila could hear the faint hum of his computer in the background."I came across this old fan blog—the 'Jesters Chronicle.'It was created by one of the members' sisters, apparently.Anyway, according to this, there were four members in the band in total, including Roy.I looked them up individually, and it appears that most of them are out of state now, except for one—Cameron Fintner."
"Who is this Cameron Fintner?"Sheila asked, her heart pounding in anticipation.
"He's a police officer in a nearby town," Finn said."According to the last entry in this blog, it appears the band had a pretty big falling out, and there were a lot of hard feelings when they split up."
"Could Cameron have held a grudge against Roy all these years?"Sheila wondered aloud, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"What do you say we go ask him?"
CHAPTER TWELVE
The man lay on his belly beneath the prickly bushes, cracking open peanuts and tossing them into his mouth one by one.The saltiness of the nuts lingered on his tongue as he watched the family inside the house through the large bay window.
He couldn't help but feel a wave of bitterness wash over him as he watched them, the two adults and three teenage children, digging into a feast of takeout food.Silently, he wished that they would choke on their meal.
The night sky above was ink-black, pierced only by flickering stars that seemed to mock the man's envy.The house before him was an impressive structure of brick and glass, its facade exuding wealth and privilege.Warm light spilled from the windows, casting a golden glow on the manicured lawn.Inside, Bob Warren, his wife Macy, and their three teenagers – Josh, Isabelle, and the youngest, Tim – laughed and chatted animatedly, oblivious to the seething figure outside.
"Must be nice," the man muttered under his breath as he crushed another peanut shell between his fingers.It wasn't fair that they got to enjoy a real meal together in the comfort of their expensive home while he had to lie in the dirt, snacking on peanuts like some pathetic rodent.Soon,he told himself,they'll get what's coming to them.
He watched with annoyance as Bob playfully stole a piece of chicken from his wife's plate, earning him a swat and a round of laughter from the children.The scene of familial warmth and joy only added fuel to the fire burning within the man.
Unable to study the happy family any longer, the man fumbled in his small backpack, his fingers closing around his phone.He pulled it out and tapped the screen, illuminating the blueprint of the Warren house he had painstakingly acquired over weeks of planning.Information on the security code was scribbled in the bottom corner, a testament to the hours spent observing the family and their habits.
"I sure earned my keep this time," he muttered, recalling the weeks of stakeouts and tedious research that had led to his acquiring the blueprints and learning the code.He'd posed as a salesman to get inside the house once, memorizing the layout while pretending to sell cleaning products.And it had taken him days to track down a former employee of the security company who, for a price, provided information on the system and potential weaknesses.The whole process had been time-consuming, risky, and frustrating, but the man knew it would all be worth it in the end.
As he studied the blueprint, the man's mind drifted back to his attempt at infiltrating the Hubbards' home.He'd tried to get an exterminator named Dell to break into the house for him, thinking that having someone else's DNA there would throw off any investigation.But Dell had backed out at the last minute, leaving the man to pick up the pieces.
"Stupid bastard," the man grumbled, simmering with anger."I should've known better than to rely on anyone else."
This time, the man had decided he wouldn't be dependent on another person.He'd simply have to be extra cautious not to leave any evidence behind.No hairs, no fibers, nothing that could be traced back to him.
"Alright, just you and me now," he whispered to himself, steeling his resolve as he pocketed his phone."No one else to screw this up."
Inside the house, Bob made popcorn while his wife loaded the dishwasher.The three kids were gathered around the flat-screen TV, scrolling through streaming options for a movie to watch.
"Hey, Dad, what do you think about this one?"Josh called out, pointing at an action-filled title on the screen.Bob glanced over, nodding his approval as he tossed a soiled napkin into the trash can.
"Looks good, son," he said, returning to his task with a smile.To the man's bitter eyes, they looked like the perfect family—too perfect.They must have felt utterly safe in their cocoon of love and comfort, surrounded by the invisible shield of their state-of-the-art security system.But the man knew better.
