The Killer Among Us

Chapter 47

One day left

Jacob

As I approached the vintage pawn store just at the outskirts of Carlisle, it began to dawn on me that it was many years ago that I sold the bracelet here. The chances of it still being here were very slim and yet I couldn't give up without trying. Although my time was slowly running out, my life was but a few grains of sand in a broken hourglass, and yet I needed to do this in order to die knowing that I tried to right my wrongs.

With the last of Gregg's money in my pocket, I opened the glass door casually, the ringing of a bell announcing my presence. The place was packed with random, old objects. Rows and rows of wooden furniture and dusty paintings made it almost impossible to walk through it. A cloud of dust engulfed my lungs, making me cough in disgust.

I tried my hardest to avoid knocking over any of the ancient objects, even if they all looked like utter garbage, old, broken and forgotten. Soon I too would become a memory, stored away in a hidden corner to rot and collect the dust of age. It left me wondering, someone had once loved these items, but did anyone ever cherish me that way?

A cough to my right snapped me out of my thoughts and I followed the sound, until I eventually matched it to an older man that was sitting amid piles of old stuff, leaning back in a rocking chair casually and holding a newspaper in front of his face. I wondered if he purposefully coughed or if he was completely oblivious to my presence.

Hesitantly, I approached him, straightening my posture slightly to make myself look likeable. My shoes squeaked on the creaky, wooden floor, leaving stains of dirty snow behind me as I walked. Still, the man didn't seem to hear me. As I got closer, I cleared my throat to gain his attention. Only then, when I was just a few feet away from him, did he look up, slightly startled, and shoot me an acknowledging nod.

"Excuse me?" I began, "Do you work here?"

A smug smile formed on his wrinkled but kind face. "No, I just sit in this crappy, old chair for fun," he snapped back. His voice was hoarse and his laugh comforting. I instantly liked his laid-back attitude and a chuckle escaped my lips.

He then gestured for me to continue. Slightly nervous and completely clueless at how I should begin, I ran my hand through my short hair. "Uhm, I was wondering if you could help me out with something."

The man leaned forward, interest evident on his face. Then, he put both hands on his knees and heaved himself off the rocking chair with a low grunt. "I'll do what I can, son," he assured me, running two fingers over his white moustache.

"So," I began to explain, "I sold a bracelet here a few years ago..." I shifted in my steps uncomfortably before continuing, "Well, more than a few years actually."

He chuckled, amused at my obvious embarrassment. "As you saw, I was pretty busy before you came in here, so why don't you just get to the point?" he joked.

"You see," I searched for a reasonable explanation, "That bracelet was an heirloom, my mother's actually, and I really need it back."

"So?" he chipped back quickly.

"So, I was wondering if you still have it... " The awkwardness of the conversation made me cringe on the inside and I wondered if I was entirely responsible for it. Could my social skills have diminished entirely over the past two weeks?

Evidently, the man thought it funny, leaving me to assume that his responses were purposeful.

With his heavy hands, he smacked my back twice, startling me slightly. Then, he led me to the olden mahogany counter of the store. Once he stood behind it, putting both his palms flat on the surface and leaning closer toward me, he smiled. "Why don't you tell me what it looks like?"