Finding the serial killer

Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Jake’s POV

I'm not the person who will tell you soothing words when you're crying or depressed. I won't be able to cheer you up with some made up makes-you-feel-good words, I won't tell you it’s not that bad, I will not tell you any people have it worse. That’s not who I am as a person, I've always been bad at words when my words matter the most. I can't say those words, it won't just come out of my mouth. But if you're upset, or crying, I can hug you all night long, I can cry with you, I can be with you to make you feel better as long as it will take, I will even cook for you bring you food to cheer you up. I will put all those makes-you-feel-good words into actions.

I remember when I started to disobey my father, wanting to have a life of my own, I felt this emptiness feeling quite often than not. I disconnected myself from everything I liked, from being a quite popular, and outspoken student, I completely carved myself in. I stopped doing things I once loved, I stopped doing sports, I stopped going out with friends. My friends even noticed the behaviour change in me and they will try to do their best to make me feel better with their words, like most people do. But nothing really could make me feel better, I couldn’t hate dad, so I started to hate myself, I started to pity myself. I friends knew if this goes on, I will go to the pit of this life. But all they did was tell me that everything will get better. I know it will. I know with time I might move on, I might learn to live with hating myself. But that feeling of sadness and hatred that ate me inside like a termite won’t go away from their assurance of the future unknown. I would feel better if I can just have someone, someone I know I can go and hug and cry with, if things get too hard, I won't have to say a word but they will know what I feel. That is enough that will let me get through my depression. So, I do what would make me feel better. I hug Jerry as I never hugged my little brother before. I hugged him for so long that this gesture can turned into words assuring him that I’ll be there, as his shoulder he could cry on, as his big brother I always wanted to be but could when you wanted me. I’ll always be there. As long as he wants me. I tell him everything in this hug. But his hug tells me something too. his hug tells me that the wall imagined that we will have between us in not here.

He pulls back suddenly, and I suddenly doubted if I was wrong. I look into his deep, empty, red eyes. “I'm sorry.” Words came out of his mouth, and now I'm more confused. “I didn’t mean what I said, I was just so angry. It’s not your fault” I'm frozen on a single breath, I can't believe he just said that. I feel a tear roll down my cheeks and a chill run down my spine. I don’t want to believe him, not because I don’t see the regret in his eyes, but because I don’t believe it myself. I know, now more than ever, I'm somehow connected. Every progress reinforces it in me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but even the air chokes me now.

“Let’s have dinner.” Emily chimes making us both to step a foot back. And after that awkward moment, for a while everything turned back quiet. Only the part where we were silently trying to eat food and not let the emotions flood out mixed up in the air, and now even the air is just too loud.

“Mom’s been worried about you.” I add. “You should call her.” Jerry replied in a nod. “And—” I pulled all my courage in a teeny-tiny bullet and shot, “I'm sorry I didn’t come before. I thought you were with mom. I thought I might make it worse for you.”

“Nothing can be worse than this.” He looks back at the wall Stella decorated her dream with. I know they were planning their wedding together too. I see some details on that theme stuck on the wall, I see him still wearing his ring, while Stella’s dangled in his neck.

My body stiffened as I realized the ring should’ve been with Stella, but she wasn’t found with one. How did the ring got back to him? I clearly remember it was Stella’s.

“How did you get this?” I touched the chain the diamond ring dangled on.

“Someone parcelled it to me.” he twirled his fingers around the chain of it.

My body jerked up unwillingly. “What?” I looked at Jerry and then at Emily. “Who?”

“A jewelry store. They said Stella wanted the ring a little tight.”

“Did she ever tell you it was loose?” he thinks back at my question for a blunt second.

“No. not really. It was actually her size. I stole her ring to bought her one. f**k!” he straightens up, much like me. “How did I not think that before? it’s him, isn’t it? It’s from the one who killer her.”

“I've been getting packages from him too.”

“Didn’t you find out who he is?”

“No.” Emily added. “Not yet. but we know one thing, he is someone connected to your family. He is someone connected to Jake, or maybe both of you.”

“What? How? Is this some kind of revenge game?” Jerry could be right, but there is no right or wrong answer to can give right now.

“We don’t know yet.” I say. “We might soon.”

“I've been looking at some private investigators. I think it’s time we hire one to speed up the process.”

“Captain would never let anyone else on the case.” Emily adds.

“Then I'll have them work separately. But we can share info.”

“It won't be possible.” I had to tell him.

“I'll go crazy like this. I— I still can't believe Stella is gone forever. But when I think that the person who did this to her is still out there, I feel this rage, inside me, it’s never been here before.” he says stretching his arms out. “I'll kill him, the moment I know who he is.”

“When he’s found, he will get his punishment. Right now, we need all our resources focused on finding him.”

“We can do one thing.” Emily added. “But—”

“What?” Jerry said eyes wide open waiting for her.

“Jerry, went was the last time you saw Stella?”

“He slouches, a splash of regret, desperation, again swept across his face.”

“I went to meet the lawyer. I told her to wait for me. We were going to sign the agreement of this building on that morning, the owner was flying abroad that morning. So, we needed to meet him before. I was going to be there— but she left without me.”

“How did she go?”

“She took the car.”

“But we didn’t find her car.”

“I don’t know, I could track it. it was too far in my mind to even give it much thought.”

“If she was in her vehicle, how did the killer kidnapped her, and where is the car?” Emily was right. I never even begin to thought about it. “Maybe the killer lured her with something.”

“How much do you know about the Ex-owner of this building?”

“All that he own several real estate around town and that his business is based in Georgia.”

“Atlanta?” I said scratching my head. “I think I have a theory. What if that killer is actually the owner? Think about it, why else would Stella end up with him. she isn’t that stupid to trust any guy.”

“He was talking about some inheritance thing.” Jerry added.

“Maybe he inherited the business and was trying to sell out a few of them.”

“We still need to check it first. We know his name?” I ask.

“Yeah!” Jerry got up to walk to a bag that laid into a dark corner of the room. “Aaron Will.”

“Okay, I'll look for this guy.” I replied. “And how about the delivery guy. Did you have a good look at him?”

“He was wearing all baggy-black stuff. I thought it was common for teenagers these days. So, I didn’t thing about it.”

“Any address?”

“No, he just bought me the ring saying that he’s from the jeweller. I wasn’t in the set of mind to ask him any questions.”

“You remembered his voice?”

“Oh! Voice. Yeah! He kind of had a very distant voice. Normally teenagers don’t have that kind of voice. It was heavy but euphonious. Unlike I've ever heard.”

“Why don’t you try calling him?” he did so, what I asked. he pull his phone out to dial the number he probably had saved on his phone.

“You were right. I’m unable to contact Aaron, his number is no longer in service. Why do he want to— wait, did he want to kill me and Stella both. For what?”

“At least we have a lead now. Aaron Will.”