Twist of Fate

When Fate Steps In: Part 1

Chapter Four: When Fate Steps In

Renee drove to the docks knowing that Marla often went there when she wanted to clear her head. She parked the car that she had so shamelessly lifted and looked around and saw a vehicle that looked much like her sister's everyday car. She ran over to the silvery tin box to inspect it, looking round to see if it was at all familiar. It looked very much like the standard model, until she finally reached to the back and looked at the license plate reading DOC642. She rolled her eyes at the personal plate number her sister had made.

Walking over to the driver's side, she could see that the keys were still in the ignition, but there was no sign of her sister. This alone was enough to worry her. She opened the car door and saw the car phone and picked it up. There was no reception, so she turned on the ignition and finally she got a dial tone. She had a list of Marla's emergency contacts and called the most obvious one, the police department.

She wanted for someone to pick up and heard the voice of a young man come on the line. "Laurel Police Department, may I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Renee Evans," she spoke into the phone, trying not to sound panicked. "I found my sister's car abandoned by the docks, and I think something could have happened to her."

"Could you give me the name of the plates?" the young man said.

"Sure," she said. She had it memorized, so she rattled off the plate number and the officer told her that he would run it through the computer.

"Doctor Marla Mandrake?" he said, sounding surprised.

"Yes, she's my sister," she said and tried to keep calm. "I'm calling from her car phone."

"Well, ma'am, that car was reported stolen by Doctor Mandrake," he said, which surprised Renee. This was after all a small town and should have little to no crime. "In fact, she's here at the station with Detective Drake."

"Oh, thank goodness," Renee said and took a long breath. She was so relieved that her sister was safe. "Can I speak to her?"

"I'll transfer you to his office," the young man said, so she held on the line and waited for an answer.

"Hello," a voice of a man said. "Drake here, how can I help you?"

"Is Marla Mandrake there?" Renee asked not sure of who the man she was speaking to was.

"Yes, she's right here," he said and she waited. She heard his faint voice in the background. "It's for you."

"Hello," Renee heard her sister's voice.

"Hey, sis, it's Renee," she said, feeling relieved to hear Marla's voice.

"Renee, oh, honey, it's so good to hear your voice," Marla said excitedly. "Where are you?"

"Down by the docks," she said and gave a short pause. "I found your car. In fact, I'm calling on your car phone."

"I'm so relieved," Marla said, letting out a breath. "I'll get one of Ben's boys to come down there."

"I'll be waiting, me and your little red convertible."

"Renee!" She heard Marla scold her through the phone.

"I only took it because it was an emergency," she said in the hopes of condoning her actions in taking the car in the first place. "Now, get your boys down here, before this place gets too creepy."

"We'll be there is a few minutes," Marla said, and they ended their phone conversation.

Renee sat there for a few minutes before getting out if the car. She hadn't been here in more than a year. Zoe always loved it here, but her career was in California. Even though Zoe told her she would be happy anywhere as long as they were together, she wondered if she wouldn't rather be living in a place like this where things were much slower than the fast-paced world of the city.

She stood out by the water and looked out. It was so beautiful how it glistened in the moonlight. It was a full moon, and she always loved the mystery of a night like this.

The night was quiet, which was a nice change, but suddenly the silence was broken. She heard faint footsteps steadily coming closer and looked to see a man approaching. He was wearing a police uniform, and she was relieved to see that the Laurel Police Department was on the job.

"Officer, the car is over here," she said and walked back over.

He was standing behind her as she rattled on about the car and her sister and the circumstances of how she found it, but as she was talking, she felt someone grab her from behind. She felt a strong human hand press on her throat. She struggled to get free, but she noticed a piece of metal shining in the light of the full moon. The hand that was on her throat pressed against her mouth she tried to break free, but a she felt a sharp pain on her neck and blood flowed. She was still alive and struggled to get free, but the hands that kept her captive slammed her onto the car smashing her head onto the hood. She turned over and saw her attacker as blood flowed from her head and throat. It was the man dressed as a police officer. She looked on in horror as he thrust the knife into her chest and twisted it before pulling it out. He let her fall to the ground lying in a pool of her own blood.

She laid there dying, knowing death was seconds away. The last thing she heard was the sirens of a police car from a distance away. 

I know the end of this may be shocking, but it's part of the plot. What will Zoe do now that her mother's been murdered?