What We Once Were

Chapter 6.

Greyson returned home early that night, for the first time in a long time, he'd actually had a good day at work and was looking forward to going back tomorrow.

Glenn had given them the files they needed to start their investigation about the murders that had occurred two weeks ago in The Black Woods. Three sixteen year old girls were found bruised, beaten and marked. What was strange about them however, was the fact that they hadn't been raped but that they each had thirteen stab wounds in their middle areas. The eeriest part was that they were each marked with a triangular symbol.

Greyson entered his dark and silent townhouse. Newspapers of the recent murders cluttered the kitchen table, and by his couch was his new in-home murder board. Thumbtacks and red string linked the papers and post-it notes connecting various dates and times. Despite his best efforts, there were still so many holes and so much missing information that didn't make sense about this criminal too. No one even knows what he or she looked like. Greyson had his suspicions that whoever this was, was definitely connected to the Fourth of July shooting. That event had made the Tribune's headlines the next day, thankfully, only eight people were hospitalized and none were killed. Either way, he had the suspicion that this criminal was linked to the shooting, he'd have to run it by Bridget tomorrow and see what she thought.

In the meantime, Greyson had a case to crack of his own. He cleared the wooden dining table where he usually sat at night and tried to write a book, but inspiration and motivation to write had been hard to come by since Bridget left.

Greyson hadn't gotten into writing until the fifth grade when Bridget had encouraged him to enter his work into the school's yearly writing contest. He'd won first prize and of course, she'd told him that she knew he would win and that he should continue with his talent. All throughout middle and high school, Greyson entered various writing contests and even won a few short story competitions. Bridget had been his editor for every piece he'd ever written, she inspired him and he'd always enjoyed working on his stories with her. He trusted her judgement better than anyone else's.

Bridget had always pushed him to strive for bigger goals, and even when he'd been knocked down in a few big contests, she never let him quit. She inspired Greyson and ignited the passion inside him that he was always reluctant to tap in to. Somehow, she'd always seen his potential, and as soon as she left, he felt like a ghost of his former self.

Greyson shook his head, he hadn't dwelled on his past this much in five years, even when she wasn't around him his thoughts still drifted to her.

Pulling up a chair and placing a cube of sticky notes beside his laptop, Greyson cracked his knuckles and began his investigation on Bridget and Juliet Carter.

He first checked to see if Bridget had a Facebook page, and sure enough she did. Of course, Bridget was a private person so there wasn't too much on her page. He noticed that she didn't post frequently and when she did, it was mostly of Juliet or places she'd taken her to. There was no trace of friends from college or from work. Greyson wasn't sure what to make of that.

As he scrolled through the pictures, it was bittersweet as he smiled at the pictures of little Juliet either on her birthday or on some kind of milestone in her life.

Greyson must've paused to stare at each post for at least sixty seconds or longer. There were pictures and videos of Juliet riding her bike, blowing out her candles, her playing in the sand on the beach and many others. Bridget was a proud mom and was not afraid to show that side of her.

As Gryeson reached the bottom of Bridget's Facebook page, reaching the pictures of Juliet on the day she was born, he stopped for a moment and froze. He could hardly believe that that little girl with the bubbly personality and endless energy was once that small. Juliet must've needed so much love and help in order to grow up and become the delightful and happy girl she is now, and Greyson had missed all of it. He had no reason to feel jealous but he felt attached to her. He wished that he could've been the one with Bridget carrying her home from the hospital, witnessing her first steps, her first time riding a bike, her first day of preschool and teaching her how to read.