The Ice Princess (#2)

The hands of time

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Chapter 4- The hands of time

"WHAT?!"

That was the collective response to that statement. Bree ground her teeth, letting them soak it in. Finally she spoke up. "At least, that's what it would look like, if the police had analyzed the evidence I destroyed."

Lee sighed shakily, surprising Bree; he'd been so in control, so practical and remained objective. Seeing him falling apart like this......it was one of the hardest things Bree ever had to do.

Uncle Sal had been brutally murdered 4 years ago. Lee, along with her other friends were the ones to find his body. He'd been bludgeoned to death in the safety of his own home. Blunt force trauma to the back of the head.

He didn't suffer long, but was in considerable pain. There he lay, in a dark pool of his blood: Lee remembered the day so clearly, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

******

~4 years ago~

Lee knew something was horribly wrong when he approached the house. It was a strange foreboding, something pulling him back, away from the door. It was just an unshakable feeling that Lee couldn't fight.

Leaving the others waiting for him on the front lawn, Lee dashed onto the porch. He was seized by another wave of emotion. He turned around to look at his friends, Claudia, Cody, Ben and Mila. A part of him wondered if their lives were about to change forever.

Don't be silly, he told himself.

Lee saw that the door was ajar, something unheard of for Uncle Sal, who was very meticulous about locking the door. He even set in the deadbolts each time. But why would he leave it open like this? That's when Lee realized that something was wrong.

"Uncle Sal!?" Lee shouted, racing indoors, panic rising in his chest. "Uncle Sal? Where are you?!"

"Lee, what's wrong?" Claudia followed him inside. So did the others. She laid a hand on Lee's shoulder. When Lee turned to answer her, he had a haunted look in his eyes. "I don't know" he mouthed, not trusting his voice.

He stared at the normally tidy living room in shock. Mila gasped. It was ransacked. Totally trashed. A beautiful vase lay shattered on the ground, flowers spewed all over the floor; the sofa cushions were thrown around carelessly; books and papers littered every inch of the room; there was a gaping hole in what used to be a flat screen TV.

It was apparent that whoever broke in turned the place upside down, looking for something. But what was it? Lee felt cold with terror as he walked into Uncle Sal's room, the only place he hadn't searched. But there was no way he could have braced himself for what he saw next. The images were burned into his brain forever.

Uncle Sal, lying on the ground. In a dark pool of his own blood. His lifeless eyes staring up accusingly. There was just so much shock in those eyes. So much pain. His uncle was dead. Murdered in the most heinous of ways. His only family was gone. Lee was alone.

Uncle Sal was dead.

killed.

"Oh god!" Ben squeaked, clutching at Mila. Cody firmly placed a hand to cover Claudia's eyes. She couldn't handle it. Lee just stared at the listless form that once protected him. It hadn't sunk in yet. He couldn't process it yet. He was in shock.