The Maple Murders

Chapter 4 - Puppet on a string.

Monday, January 9th, 8:46 AM.

A small house with walls faintly painted blue, a dirty garage to the left, a window with closed curtains, and a white door. House number 23 on Hazel Street. Ash's house.

Emma watched the steamy fog escape her mouth with each deep breath that she took to steady her racing heart. Perhaps she was making a huge mistake that could end in her own murder. Or, she could convince Ash to put an end to this disastrous madness. Emma clutched her bag and keys tightly and anxiously approached the front door, feeling unsure of what she would find on the other side.

3 knocks.

As expected, Ash opened the door. "Good morning, Ash," said Emma, forcing a friendly smile despite the anxiety and regret that simmered just beneath the surface. Ash's lips curved upward in a faint smile in response. "Good morning. Come in, it's cold."

Emma took a seat on the warn out couch, before Ash called from the kitchen, offering her a drink as she brewed herself a coffee.

"No, thanks," Emma replied, her gaze scanning the room and taking in its odd scents, cigar-stained curtains, and the childish stickman drawing of a family of two drawn with markers on the wall: proof that a young child had once lived there.

As she looked to the left, Emma found a scruffy, blue notebook with its sides ragged and damaged with a cover that was creased. Curiosity got the better of her, and she wondered, 'What could be inside a cold-blooded psychopath's notebook?'

She picked it up, looking around to make sure Ash wasn't nearby. Nothing written in the notebook could compare to the atrocious carnage she had seen in the last forty-eight hours.

She turned the cover, revealing the first page, which was a list. At the top of the list was her co-worker's name, Nia Quinn, crossed out in black ink. Underneath the name were others she'd never heard of, including Charlie Smith and Esther Lewis, followed by Kat Parker, which was also crossed out, Daniel Graham, Joel Anderson... and Emma Middleton. Her own name. Written on a list that consisted of two crossed-out murder victims.

Before Emma could even process what she was seeing, Ash appeared behind her. "Put that down," she demanded in a dry, expressionless voice.

Her sudden appearance caused Emma to jump. "What is this?!" she exclaimed, raising her voice.

"Why are you looking through my things?"

"Are you going to kill me?!"

"If I were going to kill you, I would've done it by now."

Though Ash's words were blunt, there was no denying the cold, intimidating tone that accompanied them. It sent an uncomfortable chill down Emma's spine, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

Emma finally found her voice. "About last night," she started, eager for answers. Ash's face lit up immediately, recognizing what Emma was referring to. Without any ounce of guilt, she casually admitted to killing Quinn.

"Why?!" Emma's voice rose as she let out a stream of questions. Still, what Ash revealed to her came as no surprise, given what she had personally witnessed the previous night.

Ash's voice sounded like a cold, sharp blade, cutting through the air and striking Emma with a cutting precision. "Because she killed my daughter."

Emma's voice trembled as she looked up at Ash, trying to understand the raw emotion behind her words. "You know it wasn't on purpose," she stammered.

Ash looked up, meeting Emma's eyes with a blank expression, as if killing was nothing more than a minor annoyance. "I know," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "But I had to. She promised that Ellie would've been okay," she continued while staring into her coffee. Since Ellie's passing, Ash had become an emotionless creature, unable to express her emotions.