Miss Perfect | Nancy Wheeler

Journalism, baby!

Its extremely early in the morning on a saturday, even so you jump to answer the phone when it rings besides your bed.
"Hm?" You call with a gruff morning voice.

"Y/N have you seen the news?" Its Nancy and she sounds panicked or excited, maybe both it's hard to tell.

"What no I only just woke up" you grumble squinting the bright daylight out of your eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry" the words roll of her tongue with such genuosity you find yourself smiling.

"It's okay baby I love waking up to the sound of your voice"

"I hate to ask you to leave your very comfortable bed" she hums seductively over the line and you hoped nobody else would be awake and listening in from a downstairs phone. "But I really want to get the scoop on what's happening and if you join me I can make it up to you..."

"I'll be over in ten" you hang up and swiftly throw on something to wear, dashing out the door with a shirt halfway on.

To your distaste Nancy had convinced you to make a stop and pick up Fred because he 'needed the experience' okay well I need the Nancy Wheeler experience in a different way. You weren't happy about the idea of having a literal cockblocker with you all day but you just couldn't say no to Nance.

///

"This area is off limits" an officer informs you as you pull into the neighborhood. You expected as much when Nancy had told you somebody had been killed around here.

"Listen officer, we're really sorry for interrupting your investigation but my cousin lives here" you lie "and she called me really upset this morning"

Nancy joins the tale "yeah, she lives alone and we'd just...really like to check in on her"

"I'll let you check on your friend just be fast alright?" The man sighs and you felt pretty bad for lying after his undeserved kindness.

"Of course officer, thank you" you smile halfheartedly and pull into the trailer lot.

Fred hadn't spoken a word during the encounter which was suspicious being as he hadn't shut the fuck up since getting in the back of your car. Nancy notices this too and questions him before you can "Fred what's wrong?"

"Uh nothing" he stutters looking shaken.

"If you say so"

///

After a surprising amount of time knocking on doors just to be shunned you reconvene "well we've tried everyone" you sigh, today was not what you thought it would be in more ways then one.

"What about that one with the flag?" Nancy points to a very patriotic looking trailer.

"I tried them twice they were actually quite rude" Fred remarks.

You recognize a look of mischief in Nancy's eyes as she formulates an idea "what is it?" You ask.

"We haven't tried everyone" she dashes over to a fence and leans down. "Aw hi there, whats that? You wanna tell us everything" she coos at a little dog who wags his stumpy tail.

You crack a smile at her "don't add a dog onto the list of things I'm going to have to get you" you tease in reference to Ivy the little tabby cat back at her place.

"Come on" Fred rolls his eyes at us impatiently.

"But he's the cutest little witness" she groans. This time a more serious look sparks in her eye as she looks over her shoulder. "Stay here" she commands.

"Yes ma'am" you give her a salute only to be met with her 'are you serious' glare.

"Not you" she huffs and grabs your hand tugging you along.

"You're hot when your bossy" you wiggle your eyebrows at her earning an annoyed yet bemused look.

"Hi" Nancy addresses an older man turning away from you "I'm a friend of Max Mayfield's over there"

It clicks with you as what she's aiming for and you join in "you're Wayne Munson aren't you? Eddie's uncle"

"That's right" he grunts after taking a long drag of a cigarette.

"I heard you found the body, the neighbors-" he interupts you

"Like to gossip and I'm not interested in gossiping no more" his tone sounds hurt and you feel your heart tremor with empathy. He must feel terrible having to see a body in his own home and then have everyone blame his own flesh and blood.

"Let me level with you Mr Munson" Nancy climbs onto the bench beside him "the paper that I write for is...small and we don't have the staff to keep up with the big guys and I'm just looking for something, anything really about what happened"

"Why?" The man drawls "far as I can tell y'all have it figured out already, my nephew's a freak who killed that girl" he fiddles with the cigarette between his fingers "ain't that about right?"

"No definitely not" you butt in. He looks straight at you for the first time an unreliable expression.

"Let me guess" Nancy adds "you've spoken to the Hawkins post" ah yes the men we killed last year.

"I was with Eddie last night before this happened" you admit to his uncle, Nancy had already been caught up in the car. "We played DnD with his club, my little brother's in it and he adores Eddie. He begged me to play and truthfully I knew the opinions against your nephew" with a sigh you continue "I even judged him on them believeing him to be a freak" you grimace at the usage of the word quoting the old man's previous statement.

"Hm" Wayne makes a sound as if processing what you were telling him.

"He's actually pretty sweet though" you say thinking about the goofy voices he'd put on and the theatrics he did just to make the kids in the club smile "I know he's innocent"

"Let us tell your side of the story" Nancy proposes. Your combined efforts prove to have worked and Mr Munson opens up.

"My nephew he may look dangerous but he didn't do this. It's not in his nature no matter what anyone says" he gives us a quote for Nancy's story and she scribbles in her notepad furiously. "The man who did this. He's pure evil"

"Man?" Nancy repeats quizzically "you think you know who did this?"

"You ever hear the name Victor Creel"

"No..." You and Nance whisper together.

"Back when I was a kid everybody knew the name" he inhales from his cig "he killed his own family, kids and wife- took their eyes. Cut 'em right out"

"God" you gasp barley audible.

"That poor girl I found... Same exact thing" he goes on to tell you about the asylum he reckons Creel escaped from and your head spins could this be true?

You had no idea what to think. You were dead set on Eddie's innocence but this part was hard to buy. "Oh shit, Fred!" you croak abruptly realizeing he'd been left waiting.

With Nancy you head back to where you'd left him, he was nowhere to be seen. Nancy calls out his name and there's no reply. "Maybe he went home?" You shrug thinking the most reasonable solution. It's what I'd do if I was ditched like a stray. You feel a strange sense of déjà vu but can't quite place it.

"But he'd have to walk all the way in the dark" she reasons making your stomach twist in doubt.

"Maybe he figured it would be faster then waiting?"