FIND ME

3. CARA

The evidence was gone.

The bloody shirt was in the laundry basket and the bruises on Cara's body from the fight the night before were nearly covered. A sudden knock on the front door almost made her drop the foundation bottle, the concealer brush hovering over her forehead.

She pulled a t-shirt over her head before answering the door. Her best friend and co-worker, Broden, greeted her with a small smile. "Morning, chica."

His chestnut brown hair was sticking out in every direction - he had obviously been in a hurry, which he almost always was in the mornings.

"Let me just get my things." she said, returning to the cramped living room. She grabbed her jacket off the couch, shoving a can of pepper spray in one pocket and her cell in the other. "Let's go."

"Since when do you wear makeup?" he asked as they took the elevator to the ground floor.

"Since when do you care?"

"I always care about you. In a non-creepy way, of course."

"The fact that you had to clarify that makes me really uncomfortable." she said and pretended to shiver. He rolled his eyes at her antics and she stuck her tongue out. "I heard what happened last week. Are you sure you want to go to work today?"

He unlocked his car. "Very funny, Cara. It's actually not that bad. I should be able to venture out in public without getting embarrassed."

"I consider that a win."

Last week Emily had happened. She had greeted her boyfriend with "hello hottie", but Broden hadn't seen him and thought she was talking to him. Since he had a not-so-secret crush on her, he replied with "hi sexy" when her boyfriend heard him. If there was ever a time where he had felt like he truly wanted to die, it must have been then, Cara thought.

Broden started driving with a simpleminded shrug. "As long as I keep my head down and avoid everyone, I should be good. That's something, right?"

She laughed. Only he could draw the carefree sound from her. "You do the most embarrassing sh*t, Broden. You know that, right?"

"Oh, shut up."

His ears turned scarlet and he leaned forward, turning on the radio to divert the attention away from him. A woman was delivering the latest news of the Taxidermist in an overly dramatic voice.

"Early this afternoon, another victim of the Taxidermist was found in a wooded area in the outskirts of central London. Meanwhile, an unconfirmed rumor of the FBI joining forces with the London Police Department grow as special agent Fells is seen at the crime scene. Lieutenant Carter, who is in charge of the investigation, has yet to confirm these allegations. If they are true, that would have repercussions for national security. Can we no longer trust our own police to keep us safe?"

Cara sighed and switched the channel. "Let's listen to some music instead, yeah?"

Broden looked lost in thought. His fingers strummed on the steering wheel in tune with the latest bestselling song. After a beat of silence he spared a glance in Cara's direction.

"It's a wild goose chase." He said. "How have they not caught him yet?"

"From what I've heard, he leaves no traces."

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know." A grin tugged on her lips as her fingers walked from his hand to his shoulder. She made a low sound. "Maybe it's a ghost!"

He shrugged her hand off. "That's- You're ridiculous."

"You expected a serious answer?"

"Well, more serious than that." He said. She asked him what he thought. "I think there's a reason why I'm not an investigator. But I can say he's clever and well-thought-out."