Happily Never After (sequel to Stolen Love)

Chapter 5

I knocked on the door of Mrs. Johnson's house. Another girl was found and I was asking her mom questions. I needed to know more about the girl. All of the girls, in fact. If I could find another commonality between all the murder victims, it would be easier to solve this case. The door opened and I was greeted by a lady around 40 years old. She had green eyes and dark brown hair; so dark it was almost black. 

"May I help you?" She asked me. Her voice was soft. It sounded like she had just been crying. I can't blame her. Her daughter was found dead this morning.

"Hi, my name is Emily Towning. I'm the detective working on your daughter's case. I was hoping you could answer some questions for me." She nodded her head and ushered me in the door. 

"Would you like some water?" She asked me as we sat down at her kitchen table. 

"I'm okay, thanks. What can you tell me about your daughter?"

"What do you want to know?" 

"What kind of a person she?" I needed to get Mrs. Johnson to trust me before I asked her more interrogating questions. She was in a fragile state right now and I didn't want to break her. 

"She wasn't perfect but, nobody is. She was my baby girl. I loved her more than anything. Carly, she was always happy. She had her best friend, her boyfriend. She loved her life. She was a straight A student. Carly was already planning college; where she wanted to go, everything."

"Her best friend, could you give me their name?"

"Sarah Moore."

"And Carly's boyfriend?"

"Jonah Finch." 

"Thank you. I'm sorry I don't want to intrude..."

"You have a job to do. I understand that and, I am willing to help in any way I can. I know I can't bring my daughter back but, I would like to see justice given to her death. Please, catch the person that did this to my daughter." She almost started crying.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I would say I can't imagine what you're going through but, I know. I know how you feel, how bad it hurts. I know how much you wish you could've done something but deep down you know that there was nothing you could do."

Mrs. Johnson looked up at me with tears pooling in her eyes. 

"Have you lost somebody you cared about?" She asked me.

"My daughter. She was murdered about a week ago." It hurt me to talk about it but, making myself relatable was the best way to get her to open up to me. "Mrs. Johnson..." 

"Celia. Please, call me Celia."

"Celia, did your daughter do anything... suspicious?" 

She thought for a couple seconds before replying, "No. I mean, she sometimes went places without telling me or she would say that she was going to her friend's house but, not tell me which friend."

"When did this start happening?" 

"It had been going on for about a month before..."

"Thank you." I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. I knew what she was going to say next. "If I have any more questions, I will contact you."

"Please, let me know if there is any other way I can help. All I want is to see justice done to my daughter's death."

"Me too. That's what I am working for. To give justice to the deceased. I will not rest until my job is done." 

I left her house and went back to the police station. I was going to use the police database to find Carly's best friend and her boyfriend. I also wanted to look at the other files. I needed to find another commonality between all the girls dying. 

--Back at the station--

I turned on my computer and looked up the two names Celia Johnson had given me. I started with the friend. Sarah Moore. I got plenty of results but, only one looked around 15 years old. She lived nearby, so I was going to go talk to her later. I looked up the boyfriend. Jonah Finch. Once again, only one result came up that looked around 15 years old. 

-- At Sarah's house --

"How close were you and Carly?" I asked her.

"We were best friends. We had been since 2nd grade. Nothing could tear us apart."

"Not even Jonah?" As soon as I said that name a look of surprise and a bit of anger washed over Sarah's face. "I know that was her boyfriend, am I wrong?" After staying silent for a few seconds, she finally answered.

"No, you're not wrong. Jonah was her boyfriend. They started dating at the end of freshman year. Carly wasn't allowed to date until she was 15, which she turned in April of last year. Jonah and Carly had liked each other all of our freshman year, Jonah was respecting her parent's rules and waiting till she turned 15 to ask her out. They had been dating ever since."

"How did you feel when Carly started dating? Did she ever leave you for Jonah?"

"Only a few times. It's not like I cared too much though. I have my own life; I don't need to hang around Carly all of the time." 

"You don't seem too broken hearted over her death."

"I grieve in different ways than most people. Last time I checked, that wasn't a crime. If you don't have any more questions, I would like this interview to be over." 

I drove over to Jonah's house and his father answered the door. 

"Hi my name is Emily Towning, I'm one of the detective's working on Carly Johnson's case. I was hoping I could speak with Jonah Finch."

"You may only speak to my son if he is under suspicion for killing Carly. If not, please leave."

Jonah wasn't under suspicion and I couldn't lie and say he was so, I left. I went back to the station to look over my files. I knew nothing would be different but, I was going to look anyways.