Symphony Of A Serial Killer

Chapter 18: The Missing Pieces

The usually perky Caroline turned a bright red and justifiably so as she stormed off after him, I've never seem her so furious. Her parents called out to her but it was too late, she had disappeared into the other room. Caroline's mother smirked as her husband turned back to do one last taste test. As he sipped from the big wooden spoon, the momentary silence was interrupted by his daughter's shouting.

"Ugh, that redheaded bitch!"

The sudden outburst startled her father and caused him to spill some of the sauce on his apron.

"Dammit...." he whispered under his breath.

While sprinting into the living room as quickly as I could, Mark could be heard announcing that a repeat of the news story from earlier was on. This particular segment covered the press conference at the police station that I had no recollection of.. More eager than the rest, the television was given my undivided attention. I was left speechless at the sight of James standing next to the jerky eating redhead from earlier.

"My client maintains his innocence, the sheer fact that he wasn't even in police custody, yet somehow information was leaked claiming his involvement clearly shows a conspiracy in the works."

"We live in a world where assumptions and perception hold more weight than actual facts. The thought process of (Oh the spouse must have done it) Has in the past and to this very day continues to allow several killers to go free and remain undetected due to investigative resources being wasted."

She took a brief pause to physically express her displeasure then continued, "Instead of trying to build a credible case and actively looking into all possible leads, law enforcement has focused on the spouse once again and I'm not going to stand by and allow this to happen to my client.

We demand a fair and just due process as the families of these victims deserve true justice and closure in knowing that the person responsible has been held accountable instead of settling for a social scapegoat."

She went on defending him and pointing out that while there were currently other persons of interest, conveniently her client was the only party to have his information released. She stated that it's too cliché and easy to point the finger at James just because he was the deceased's husband.

That society itself cannot evolve due to it being shackled by textbook thinking that supposedly makes police work a lot easier when they're stumped and have nothing else to go on. Innocent until proven guilty is all she was asking for, she didn't come right out and make the accusations against Missy or Mr. Ford, but she did urge the police and community to keep an open mind and not to let a serial killer go free.

"Man that gal can talk, say what you want but she has a valid point." Mark chimed in as everyone turned to him.

"How about we all just sit down and eat." Caroline's father suggested as he entered the livingroom with his now stained apron balled up in one hand. He quickly reached for the remote and turned off the TV.

"Well Danté, I hope they do catch the real killer. Talk about a bad deal, police getting the wrong person and your mother's killer going free."

"Omg shut the fuck up already Uncle Mark!"

We all turned to Caroline in awe, I'm sure none of us had ever heard here speak with such harshness. Before anyone else could comment, I stepped in to defuse the situation before things got worse.

"Thanks Caroline but it's okay. I agree with him, hopefully they don't let the real killer get away either."

"Danté, this arrangement was based on us not focusing on what's going on out there and giving you an escape from it all. We don't need to discuss the details of what's going on inside this house." her father said while gesturing for us all to join him at the dinner table.