Murder Calls

Chapter One

"And his eyes will only know darkness,
His ears will only know hatred,
His hands will only destroy,
And from his feet,
Obscurity shall walk."
- Unknown

Barton Hollow, Massachusetts
April 7, 1988
6:17 pm

It was a quiet spring night in Barton Hollow. The kind of night where you could feel the pressure of impending rain, with an undertone of darkness. Barton Hollow had been facing a drought for a few weeks now and even a short sprinkle would be a blessing. People were just chalking up the dark feeling to how the grass was turning back to a sickly yellow, the kind right before the first snowfall. The people of the town seemed to sense the omnipresence of something more than just a storm though. Something darker. There was something coming from the looks of it and it wasn't going to be pretty. Everyone, but one seemed to take the feeling of wrongness to heart.

Miss Marissa Walden had just arrived home from her shift at the town's library. She was the stereotypical library attendant, big rounded glasses that, when resting on her chest, was held up by a chain necklace. It had been five years since the night Kevin Turnee went missing and came back from the dead. Within those five years, Miss Walden had aged. She wasn't the brown, bright eyed librarian anymore. Over time, the constant wear and tear of being the only person working at the library had gotten to her. Now, she was a dull eyed woman with brown hair greying at the temples from stress.

With the walk of the world weary, Miss Walden fished her keys out of her purse as she made her way to the apartment she now lived in. In the last few years Barton Hollow had grown in size. While, it was still a small town, it now had condominiums, a brand new garage and a shopping plaza that the Barton natives now had to contend with. Because of these developments, the town had to go through their budget and hire new police officers. Miss Walden paused in her musings when there came a slight rustling from her left. It came just on the edge of the tree line and had her heart racing with some unknown fear. The sound slid to the back of her mind when she thought of one specific police officer that had just been hired.

While it was true she and the Chief had been on a date, it had quite literally been one date. And ended with him never asking her out again. She tried not to think about it, but she definitely thought about the new hire. Deputy Russel was a fine young man. She knew she was old enough to be his mother, but a woman couldn't ignore how tight those police issued pants were on him or how the shirt seemed one flex away from being ripped. She sighed wistfully as she pushed open her door before quickly shutting it. That miniscule fear that she was being watched resurfacing, even as she closed and locked the door before slipping her shoes off.

Deputy Russel. Ever since it came out that his father was an abominable human being and an even worse father, well, Heath Russel went from being number one delinquent to citizen of the year, especially when his step mother lost custody of his step-sister. The way he had stepped up and claimed her as his own, well, it was just nice to know there were still men out there like that, she hummed softly to herself as she changed into a soft pair of pajamas. It looked like it would be a no dinner night, not that it mattered, since she had had a long day filled with the company of books, and moms and their crying infants. She popped a few aspirins while pouring a glass of water. With a jerky swallow, the pills disappeared down her throat. Miss Walden sighed before placing the glass into the sink.

With tired feet, she sleepily made her way to the bedroom before promptly collapsing onto the mattress. She fell asleep almost instantly, thoughts of the Chief and Deputy Russel following her.