𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

ᵗʷ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ
     𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐱𝐫. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. Ben continuously tapped his pen on the table. I heard the door open making my eyes look from my phone seeing my aunt Michaela come in.

I sighed looking back to my phone seeing images of Ethan and his girlfriend pop up, he looked much older, more manly than I remember. We still were friends on Facebook and all I felt was jealousy, sick almost that I missed this much time, and that I had nobody to come back to besides my family. Ethan and I were together since middle school, he promised he'd marry me, and that we'd be together happily. Though now he was happy with someone other than me. God, he even had children.

"I need you to drive me to Long Island. I have the address for Kelly's house. I picked it up on the scanner." Michaela said

"Wait what are you guys talking about?" I asked confused with this conversation,  "How'd they let you back on the job?" My dad asked ignoring my question.

"Because I didn't tell them." She said having my dad sigh. "Look, of course I have to drive and I will, just... not tonight." Michaela said putting her keys in front of my dad.

"Well I'm coming." I said standing as my dad nodded standing up with me.
—
We were in the car after they explained where we were going. The car was quiet as I sat in the backseat. My aunt, and dad sit in the front. Ben in the drivers seat, and Michaela in the passengers seat.

"Okay, so, um, just remember when we get there, stay in the car. I'll deal with it." My aunt said finally speaking leading my dad to scoff, and me to roll my eyes.

"No chance. This isn't Uber. If I'm going there, I'm getting some answers." My dad said

"Exactly." I said dragging the 'y'

"No, Ben, Olivia, it's noticeable enough that we are 15 miles outside of my jurisdiction, let alone with my civilian brother in tow and my civilian niece, who is a child." Michaela said.

"Is not. I am a grown woman for your information." I sassed rolling my eyes while pouting. "Twenty two to be exact. I can drink." I reminded. "Legally anyways." I mumbled.

"Your civilian brother who helped you find two kidnapped girls. The cops were useless without us." Ben my father said

"Oh and me who solved the mystery of the stolen jewelry." I added just to prove my point of why I'd be help.

"That does not make you both a detective all of a sudden." Michaela said annoyed.

"I'm at the center of this just like you." My dad said. "So is Cal, and Olivia and Grace is scared. Rightly so. And I need to protect my family. If we're being targeted, I need to know who's coming after us, and why." Ben said. "and that's why I want Olivia to stay in the car." He added.

"What? I am not. I am not some child who will be bossed around. I'm going in." I stated.

"- yeah, that's exactly what I plan on finding out." Michaela said ignoring me at all causes.

"I am not gonna be a bystander." Ben said, "Me either." I added having him sigh but nod. Michaela quiet.

"-You know me. I feel helpless enough as it is, cooped up at home, stressing all day. At least you've had a job to go back to." My dad said having Michaela roll her eyes in annoyance. "I know I can contribute here, Mick. We're doing this together.. with Olivia.. or I'm turning this car around." Ben said having Michaela roll her eyes but widen them not even knowing what to say.

"Boom bitc-" I said only to get cut off.

"This is so off- the- charts out of line." Michaela said shaking her head in disbelief at the two of us.

"They'll think we're your partners." He said having Michaela sigh and look at him then to me

"Not a word, okay?" She said making me smile as my dad held up his hand, "Scouts honor. Guaranteed." Ben said having my aunt groan and wipe the sweat off her forehead.

"Agreed." I added leaning back in my seat to get comfy for the rest of the ride.
—
As we drove rain poured hitting the top of the car leading it to make tiny thuds. I looked at the window watching the rain wash down it. We passed different signs on the highway saying things like welcome or food on exit 8.

When we pulled up the rain had stopped and the sky's were dark and clear. I walked next to my aunt and dad with my heels clicking on the ground.

"That was fast." My aunt said as the red and blue lights flashed on her face from the police car, "where do these people come from?" She asked turning around then back to face the front

"Kelly made herself famous. She was the face of Flight 828." My dad explained as I nodded slowing down to see the man hand cuffed next to the cop car, the police checking him.

"Looks like they already have a suspect." I mentioned as the man looked at us watching as we went under the yellow tape that read caution.

"Can I help you?" A detective asked coming up to us.

"I'm Michaela Stone, NYPD." She said lifting her badge "Mind if we have a look?" My aunt asked.

"You on a field trip?" He asked challenging her.

"I picked up the chatter. Might connect to a case were looking at. Do me a solid we'll be in and out." Michaela said as he nodded.

"Victims inside. I'll walk you in." The tall man said as we all nodded looking at each other before following the detective in the house.
—
"Looks like a robbery gone bad. Perp entered here, went out the back door. The victim was alone in the house. Husband was out at a business dinner." He said showing us around

"What did they get?" Michaela asked the detective

"Gold necklace— that's it." He said shaking his head making my face scrunch. "Husband says she was wearing one. There are burn marks on the neck. Killer must've yanked it off." The man said as we looked at the dead body laying lifeless on the ground

"Oh, my God." My dad whispered as we stared at the woman that had blood on her face and marks on her neck. My stomach churned and I felt myself gag.

"Single gunshot to base of skull. Bullet went through and through. Looks like a .38. She's got some scraping and bruising on her arms and back." The man said as I looked at the wall that had blood sliding down it.

"You think this was targeted?" Michaela asked.

"She was on Flight 828, all over the news. Talk about a crazy magnet. You see our candle- toting friends outside?" He said.

"We saw you got a suspect. Guy in the car, you think he's one of them?" My dad asked going against Michaelas rules of not speaking.

"Our witnesses put him out front in, and off all day. We picked him up two blocks over. He had blood on his clothes, we're assuming hers. We got a neighbor who saw him running from the house." He said as some people came and lifted the lifeless body.

"God." I mumbled.
—

October 9th, 2021
Dec 2, 2024

~Miya