The Messenger

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

I raced around my room in search of my light grey tie, it is the last thing I need to complete my work outfit. Which includes a maroon purple dress shirt with a pair of pitch-black slacks. My wardrobe mainly consists of dress shirts and slacks, I doubt I even own any jeans or casual clothing that is. It really isn't my style, I should say. I'm a more formal-suit-wearing kind of guy, another thing Linny taught me. Always look like you as if you are meeting someone important. One would say I am "old fashioned" but I just simply call it looking nice and professional. Also, you may never know who you'll be seeing that day. So my motto is always dress to impress.

For some unknown reason, my clothes weren't already laid out waiting for me to slip them on this morning. Caroline usually picks out my clothing for the next day, but today she did not. I know it may sound a bit silly that my older sister still picks out my attire for the day. Although I am healthy, very capable thirty-six year old man that can do it myself. In my defense, It is very time consuming and I wouldn't be able to have a shower or even eat the breakfast Caroline slaved over the stove to prepare for me. Our routine has been the same since Caroline was old enough to operate the stove correctly without almost burning the house down and I don't plan on altering that routine for any reason.

She also happens to be my very own human alarm clock. On some rare occasions I wouldn't need her to wake me up, my thoughts, these voices in my head, would be chattering away, keeping me from enjoying a peaceful nights sleep. She labeled those my "bad days". From my lack of sleep, I'm usually irritated and more reserved and quiet. I don't speak to Linny for most of day, sometimes not at all. It's not like I am meaning to be rude and close her off, it's just that she'll ask why I am having this day. What triggered it. But I am just as clueless as she is, there is no certain day or month my "bad days" just come and go as they please.

I've had these days since my mother voiced her loathing of me. She was always more harder on me then Caroline. With Linny she would buy her things and take her places, while I sat at home wallowing in depression and pity. As a child I couldn't figure out why she liked Linny more than me. Why she couldn't love me as much as Linny, or even show an ounce of compassion. Until one faithful day, when she was on her death bed, she finally told me. To her I was going to grow up to be just like my father, hell I looked just like the damn man. So as a defense mechanism she pushed me away and guarded herself emotionally so I wouldn't hurt her as bad as Carter did. By the time she actually died I became unaffected by her verbal attacks, I stopped searching for the reason why she was like the way she was. Her explanation for her actions fell upon the deaf's ears because I just didn't care anymore, to put it frankly.

Caroline left a note on my newspaper stating that she had to run a few errands this morning, my breakfast was in the microwave it just needed to be heated up. It also said that we had important things to discuss at dinner today so I couldn't be late. I would have called and asked what she is running these errands for but I figured that it might have something that involved Cassie's death. I'm sure the heavy set security guard has already reported the body to the police, Meaning, Captain Phillips has already heard word of it and is probably fuming with anger. The microwave chimed signaling my food is done warming up but I made no move to get it. If I can not prove that Kenny was at the crime scene yesterday then he will be acquitted. He will no longer be a suspect in the Messenger case, then the police will be back at square one.

"No.. no that won't do," I muttered to myself as I paced the kitchen floor. He can not get acquitted, I worked way to hard for this moment to come just for it to slip through my fingers. No, if it takes all night and until I am blue in the face I will convince them that Kenny is our prime suspect, our only suspect I might add, and we shouldn't just let him go. He fits all of the necessary criteria of a serial killer and he has every motive to kill his wife. The other women were just practice for the real thing, except for Cassie. She had to be an accident, he was acting on complete impulse. That is why his work wasn't as organized and sloppy.