Case Reopened

48 Hours Before

I'm sorry but this chapter does reference the chapter from Open Case File titled The Past. But if you've read it then you shouldn't have to read it right now before reading this.

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Carter rolled over in her bed and stared up at the dark ceiling. The silence of her small apartment seemed to heighten the thoughts in her mind. They weren't chaotic, simply loud. She closed her eyes but knew sleep wasn't going to come. Checking her phone, she found it was nearly two in the morning. She draped her arm over her face and sighed deeply.

She berated her thoughts, they had no place in her life. Not when it was so close. Not when she'd dealt with this issue, it should be done. She should be over it by now. She logically tried to usher them away but they persisted.

Frustrated, she threw aside her blankets and sat up. She swung her legs off her bed and gazed around her one-room apartment. Packed boxes sat ready to be transferred to the apartment she'd share with Donovan. Her life was easily collected into a few boxes.

But somehow she felt, emotionally, she carried more than a few boxes could contain.

She looked to her bathroom door where on the back hung a garment bag that held her wedding dress. For a long while she simply stared at it, aware of all its significance. The changes it would bring to her life. The permanence of the next step.

She shot up from her bed and snatched her phone off her bedside table.

I need to borrow your car.

She didn't worry about the message being missed. The sender wasn't likely to be anywhere near sleep. By the time she'd gotten dressed, a response waited for her.

Mason: Okay. There in fifteen.

With the estimated time, Carter brewed a fresh pot of coffee and poured it into a thermos. She didn't feel the least bit sleepy but later on she would. Taking out a notepad, she scrawled a quick message and left it on her dining table.

Donovan,
I'll be back for the wedding rehearsal.
Don't worry. Love you.
Carter.

She locked her door and headed down to the street. When she pushed out of the lobby entrance, she found Mason's BMW waiting at the curb. As she approached, the passenger side window rolled down and Carter found Mason in the driver seat.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

It was only a second of hesitation before Carter opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

"Here," she said, displaying an address.

Mason asked no questions, merely input the destination, glanced over his shoulder then turned into the empty street. Carter rested back against the seat and stared out the window. Buildings and city streets eventually gave way to the freeway.

Neither of the occupants spoke.

Unlike in the darkness of her apartment, Carter's thoughts didn't invade the car. It was as if once she'd made the decision all the thoughts that had plagued her were silenced. She thought of nothing beyond the passing landscape and the shifting light of the sky.

Eventually, her mind oriented back to the interior of the car. She realized music was playing and wondered how long it had been playing. The second thing she noticed was the fact she didn't understand the language being rapped.

"This isn't English," she said.

"How astute you are," Mason said, reaching for the thermos Carter had brought.