The Crimson Chariot

19 | Memories of Blue

February 25th, 2013

To Janet,

I'm afraid things are coming to a sharp turning point that could mean life or death for me. Ethan exposed me for sneaking into Eddard's office, as well as some other accusations of stealing, some property damage and what not. They couldn't prove anything besides the fact I was in there thankfully, so I was only suspended for a week.

I'm going back home soon just waiting on Mom and Dad to come and get me. I'm going to tell them everything.

I'll update you soon,
Jeremy

***

February 26th, 2013

Janet,

I'm back home and Mom and Dad were not happy with my suspension. That was until I explained to them everything.

They now know what I've been up to all this time. They sent me to my room unsure of how to handle the situation at the moment. I can hear them talking but can't quite make out what they're saying.

I'm unsure of what the future holds for me, but I'm not giving up. There must be a way to bring your killers to justice. There has to be.

I just have to figure it out ASAP.
Jeremy

***

The day my parents died, I nearly lost all hope in humanity. My mind and body went numb that day but I still remember it vividly. My Dad's bloody hand dangling from the car window, the smell of oncoming rain, the panic stricken faces of my neighbours, dials on the phone, the sirens of the ambulance that pulled up minutes later, everything.

Days later my Nana and I were called to identify the bodies. I didn't go, I couldn't bear to look at them. After the funeral and everything else, she moved us to Pennsylvania and left the "cursed town of Valanchester" as she called it. Rightfully so. Death and tragedy never seemed to abandon this forsaken town.

The case was never properly investigated. It's why I wanted to be a cop, hoping that one day I'd find their murderer. My Nana wasn't too happy with the idea of me being a cop, however. She didn't want to lose her granddaughter to the clutches of the evil rich folk that run the world. Sadly, my stubborn heart knew better than to just sit around and wait for a miracle to appear out of nowhere.

I finally look up from my daze. The smoke is finally clearing and I blink my eyes a few times to adjust them. I don't remember if I'd been knocked out or my brain tried to wipe out the past few seconds of whatever happened in front of me.

"Are you okay?" Aiden asks from beside me, still hunching as if to try to prevent me from looking at the crime scene that's only a few feet away from me.

I can't answer his question. My feet carry my weight as I get up and step closer to the burning vehicle. Aiden follows close behind, tapping his fingers onto his keypad as he makes several calls.

Through the darkened bits and pieces of what remains of the driver's side window, I narrow my eyes to look beyond the transparence. Archie is dead, his body unmoving and barely recognizable from what I can make out.

It's the same all over again. The night of my sixteenth birthday and everything that went down come hurling back to me.

I take a deep breath trying to calm myself down.

The CSU arrives a couple of minutes later to sweep the crime scene, Aiden must've called or radioed them. I watch as they roll Archie away so an autopsy can be done. Aiden comes over to me and puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.