Midnight Tears

Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Surprise Invitation

Jackson

During a phone call with Jason, he informed me that Loki had allegedly attempted to kill Kyle Brooks. I was confused as to why Loki would try to kill Kyle, so I asked Jason for clarification. He mentioned that Kyle's adoptive father, Tom, had a theory that Kyle's birth parents may have been enemies of Loki, hence his motive for trying to kill Kyle. I was skeptical of this theory and questioned how Loki would even know about Kyle's adoption since adoption records are usually kept secret. Jason had no answer to this either.

I then shared my opinion that Loki seems to have a lot of enemies, even within his own family. I recounted a story my dad had told me about how Loki allegedly sabotaged every relationship his sister, Rose, was in.

"I understand that Loki's children are very different from him. Loki's son Daniel is a doctor and a close friend of mine. Loki's daughter Lavina may come across as arrogant and unkind at times, but she is not malicious like Loki. She is a talented pianist. Lavina is actually a very skilled piano player," Jason responded. "How is Kyle doing?" I inquired.

"He's doing alright. Loki recently broke his arm. The police are monitoring Kyle to prevent any further attempts by Loki to harm him," Jason replied.

After I finished talking to Jason, I went to pick up Lily for work. When I pulled into her driveway, I saw her talking to a man who looked around our age. I felt a pang of jealousy, but I knew it wasn't justified. Lily noticed me and she and the man she was with walked towards me.

"Hi Jackson, my dad wants to meet you," Lily said.

"I would love to meet your dad too. Where is he?" I replied.

"This is my dad, David Madison," Lily introduced her father to me.

I was taken aback. I couldn't believe that this man was Lily's father. He looked more like her brother than her father.

"Nice to meet you, sir. My name is Jackson Randell," I introduce myself. "You can call me David. We're having a family barbecue and would love for you to come," David invites me.

"I'd love to come. When is it?" I ask. "It's going to be on Saturday," David replies.

The weekend went by quickly, and my sister Linda was visiting. I asked Lily if it would be alright for Linda to join us at the barbecue, and she agreed. The barbecue was enjoyable, and it was clear that my sister was having a good time, especially as she was engaged in conversation with Lily's brother James. It seemed like Linda was interested in James. Suddenly, Hank called me and urgently requested that Lily, James, and I come to him immediately as there had been a murder.

I responded, "We're on our way."

I was curious about the situation. Hank seemed concerned during our phone call. When we got to the crime scene, I observed the victim, a man with severe facial injuries. Hank expressed his belief that the perpetrator must be a truly malicious individual. I contacted Alan to come and examine the body, and also went to the airport to pick up my dad.

Afterward, my father, Alan, and I reached the hospital. Alan went to examine the body and expressed his belief that the murder was not committed by a werewolf or vampire, and that the same killer from Seattle may be responsible. He inquired about the victim's identity, to which Hank responded that they were searching through dental records and would have an answer in three days. I asked why these people were being targeted, and Alan proposed that they needed to uncover any commonalities among the victims.