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“I’m never drinking with you again.”
While Caspian is somehow sober enough to drive, we opt to explore the area on foot to walk off the alcohol more efficiently and take in the town.
There aren’t many people around, a car passes by every few minutes but other than that the streets are empty. The first building we approach is a bank, across from it is a medical office. We pass by a dental practice, a law firm and as we get closer to the gas station, and I glance to Caspian, “I need a washroom.”
His lips twitch, and he inclines his head toward the building, “Let’s stop off there.”
I nod and hurry in to break the seal.
Before leaving, I snag two candy bars and pay for them, then walk outside to where Caspian is waiting, tossing him a bar, “Don’t say I never did anything for ya.”
He grins and unwraps the bar, taking a big bite as we continue down the road. I do the same with my own and chew slowly as we walk alongside a property that has trees shielding it from prying eyes.
My chest feels tight and I freeze in place.
“What is it?” Caspian’s voice is guarded and quiet.
I take a few more steps and I can feel the pull inside my body, my free hand instinctively goes to hover over the spot.
Glancing at Caspian, I can see the question in his eyes and I nod.
We both turn to look at the property and head toward the house. As we step closer, the pull gets stronger until I’m fighting to breathe. There’s a car parked in the driveway as we walk up the porch and knock lightly.
After a long pause we hear footsteps nearing, and an older woman pulls the door just enough for her face to peer through as she eyes us warily.
“What do ya want?” She spits out from the cracked opening.
She is missing teeth and what few remain are crooked. Her skin is sagging, wrinkled and loose. She’s covered in moles and her frizzy, dull gray hair reaches her shoulders where it splits at the ends.
Caspian’s face is hard, and he doesn’t miss a beat as he stares at her, “I’m a detective with the local sheriff’s office and this is my partner. We’re investigating a serial killer around these parts. Can we come in and ask you a few questions?”
Oh, he’s smooth.
Her eyes narrow, and she looks like she’s about to protest but Caspian interrupts whatever attempt she had on her lips, “It will only take a few minutes.”
She sucks her teeth and opens the door to let us in and the scent of ammonia wafts over me like a tidal wave. There’s at least 14 cats that we can see running around, and they have used nearly every surface as their litter box.
I wrinkle my nose as the smell invades my senses.
Glancing at Caspian, his eyes are fixed on me as I feel the pull deepen, bringing me back to the present and I look around. Pain radiates when I angle to the left, turning to the right, the tugging sensation increases, so I point in that direction subtly to Caspian who nods.
The woman looks around her house, then at Caspian, and lands on me. “What do ya want to ask me?” she asks impatiently.
“Ah, actually, do you have a washroom I can use?” I ask, as if I didn’t already just use the washroom.
She narrows her eyes but nods, “This way.”
I scurry after her as she leads me down the hallway I indicated earlier to Caspian. The pull has grown so great I can hardly stand, and it gets stronger with each step.
She points to a flimsy door and grunts before heading back the way she came.
She walks out of sight and I turn until the pain lessens. The pull is coming from behind a closed door across from the bathroom. Taking a steadying breath, I glance down the hall to make sure it’s empty and move to carefully turn the knob.
Thankful that the hinges are quiet, I ease the door open slightly and peek inside.
The room is empty.
It looks like a main bedroom, but one that hasn’t been used in a while. There’s clothes scattered around the floor. Pants, shirts, socks. My gaze falls to the belt hanging off the bed and memories flutter across my mind making me swallow audibly.
