Murders Of The Past

NINE

Carlos' POV

MY PHONE BUZZES in my pocket, making me hopeful as I take it out. I thought it was Sadie, but it was only Julie. I wasn't wanting to talk to the nice Mrs. Bane, I was wanting to talk to the crazy Mrs. Bane. The one who's supposed to be in this house right now, but for some reason isn't. The one who's supposed to talk to me, to tell me everything, but for some reason suddenly isn't.

Sighing, I open Julie's message.

Julie: No, I haven't. Did you lose her?

I run my hand through my hair, taking a seat on the chair at the island and groaning.

Yes I did, I reply. I lost Sadie. I lost my wife. That shouldn't happen.

Julie: Do you need help finding her? I'll call her, maybe she'll answer.

I'm about to reply with a yes, but then I realize that if Sadie did respond to Julie, then that would mean she's ignoring me. I shake my head at myself. Really Carlos? What's worse? Sadie being in danger or Sadie ignoring you? Well...

A sound similar to glass shattering alarms me and I jump up from my chair, looking around to find the source of that sound. Did a window break? The kids.

"Aiden? Blair? Are you guys alright?" I shout towards the stairs. I'm about to walk up them when something catches my eye. I look to my right and there in the living room is Thana, covered in the color red, with a pile of glass shards in front of her.

I immediately race over to her, scooping her small body up in my arms and examining her, searching for cuts, but I didn't find any.

"Oh thank god," I let out a sigh of relief, holding her close to me. While I'm holding her I look down at the glass. It doesn't take me long to figure out who left the glass of wine on the floor. I roll my eyes. Who's the only person who drinks wine in this house? Sadie.

"Let's get you cleaned up," I tell Thana, turning away from the mess and heading up the stairs. "And I'll clean the glass up later." I pause in the doorway of the bathroom. "No, I'll make your mother clean it up." It's her mess. She needs to clean it up. "If she ever comes back, that is." I add.

While I let the tub fill with warm water I begin pulling off Thana's stained clothes. I lean in, sniffing her hair. She smells like wine. I huff angrily.

"Your mother and I need to have a very serious conversation," I explain to Thana as she gazes into the tub, her eyes being pulled in like a magnet as she watching the water pour from the faucet captivatedly. Then I recall our last encounter.

"I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you about what is going on," I muttered.

"I'm not a serious person."

"Well you need to be a serious person for a second." Sadie looks off into the distance before looking at me again.

"It's been a second."

"She's crazy," I mumble, shaking my head at the memory. "You hear that?" I ask Thana, trying to pull her attention away from the water. I tickle her shoulder which gets her to finally look at me. "Your mother is crazy."

I jump when I hear the doorbell and look towards the open bathroom door. Who is that? The doorbell rings again, and not even a second later it rings again! I sigh, standing up.

"You stay right here." I point at Thana. "Don't lick any of that wine." I turn and walk out of the room and down the stairs. The moment I open the front door, a woman barges in, almost knocking me over.