Broken Mirrors

Chapter 13: Harrison Parker

Six years had passed since Thomas Anderson and Ralph Walker were killed. The case had since been concluded and closed. With his confession, we were able to obtain a warrant for his car. When we searched it, we found blood in the trunk that belonged to Rachel. We concluded that Ralph Walker was what the media had dubbed, the "Queen of Hearts Killer." He had survived in the legacy of his father.

Finley had not been able to confirm the pregnancy. He concluded that the test Rachel Walker had taken must have been a false positive.

Parker and I had both made Detective in the wake of Lloyd and Hanson's retirement. The station was full of new bright-eyed officers, most of them would never hope to grasp the series of events we had been exposed to almost 10 years earlier.

I had not felt as much closure with Ralph Walker's confession as I thought I would. Only now, there were no more ghosts for me to chase. I had my answers, but I still wasn't satisfied.

Rachel Walker was still with me everywhere I went. I thought that if we had solved her murder, I could forget about her and move on, but I still couldn't get her out of my head. The town returned to its quiet self. Nothing terrible ever happened here.

Parker had been speaking with the department psychologist and had made great progress. He was able to accept that he was not responsible for the death of Olivia Greene but merely a victim of fate. While he had made improvement, he would never be the Harrison Parker that he once was.

It was a Saturday in November, a chilly day when I decided that it would be a good day for a hike and to head over to the falls. So, I packed myself a bag and as I was lacing up my boots, I heard a knock at the door. It was Parker.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," I said and let him in.

He came in and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked.

"Some water would be great." he said.

I walked over to the fridge and I poured him some water. Then, I leaned against the counter across from him.

"So, how have you been?" he asked.

"Can't complain," I said.

He sipped from his glass of water. He had been sober for a couple of months.

"Where are you headed off to?"

"There's a pond about a few miles that way," I said, pointing. "Just heading for a walk."

"Oh, nice," he said.

He seemed like he was holding something back from me.

"Did you want to come with me?" I asked.

"No, that's not really why I came here," he said.

"Oh, really?" I asked. "What did you come here for?"

"You know what I can't get out of my head?" he asked.

"What's that?"

"The tangled webs that we weave," he said.

"What?"

"Don't you remember? That's what Frank Walker said."

"Oh, yeah, I guess he did."

Parker took another sip of his water.

"Really sums up everything pretty nicely, don't you think?" he asked.

"I do., I nodded.

We were silent for a moment.

"I thought you were past all this?" I finally asked.