The Lonely Hearts Club

Chapter 44: The Suspicious Death of Jamie Elliot Green (Hades)

"Jamie Elliot Green," Joey says, tossing me a file. "Why didn't you tell me you killed him?"

"I didn't." I frown, opening it and scanning the pictures.

So this is what Joey urgently needed me for.

Jamie has been mangled, body cut and bruised rather disturbingly, dead body pictured laying on piles of rubbish.

"Some garbage collectors found him in Ice Apartment's dumpster," Joey continues. "Apparently their bins are being monitored, they found him quickly."

Bree's place?

Nah, this is too weird.

"You sure you didn't kill him?" He raises an eyebrow. "As an act of revenge for kissing that girl who's living in your apartment?"

He's doing this new thing where he's refusing to use Bree's name at all now.

He's started doing it ever since he told me how by Thanksgiving, she either has to be in our organization or killed.

"I didn't kill him." I snap.

"Then who did?"

I don't know.

"He was last seen with that Hallie girl, could she be behind this?" Joey asks.

I frown.

The wounds weren't made post-mortem, he was still alive when he was attacked and I don't know if Hallie is someone who pull this off.

"It's unlikely."

"Well, I'll have Angelo hack both of their emails and messages and see if he can find anything." He says.

Angelo, whose sitting in the corner observing, salutes at us.

"And I'll monitor all future activity like a hawk." He adds.

Everyone knows Winterville Police Department will not be solving his murder case, simply because they don't care.

Angelo has a better chance of finding out what has happened here.

"What was the official cause of death?"

"Blood loss."

So it was slow and painful.

In the end, he was definitely begging his attacker to get it over with and just kill him.

I would know; I've been the attacker before.

As I study the pictures I start to feel a little sick.

The bruising and cuts? It's freakily similar to how I maimed my father. And his official cause of death was blood loss as well.

I can't blame Joey for thinking I killed Jamie Elliot Green when the murder is so similar to my dad's.

This is fucking weird.

I obsess and think about it all the way home.

When I get to my front door, I try to open it, but it's locked. Ever since Bree moved in, she never lets it stay unlocked.

I knock.

A massive eye looks out of the peephole and she opens it for me.

"I have some good news." She says.

"Yeah?"

I need something good to take my mind off the murder thing.

"I'm going to Lana's house tomorrow night, and she's gonna drive me so you don't have to."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, meaning you get to have a night all to yourself," she smiles. "So you can actually have fun."