Swell (Complete)

Chapter Fifty-One (Part One)

"I was caught up in the mystery,
You were running from your history,
Tangled up in a memory,
Tell me how you sleep."

....

Dodge followed Mr Harrison down the empty school hall towards his cousin's locker on Wednesday morning. Relief had flooded him when he realised there was no reason for Adora to come to her locker, or even school that day.
"Considering what's happening, we should definitely notify the police." Harrison stopped at the bloody locker and Dodge swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked as the bloody lock.
It wasn't a large amount, but it was worrying. There was no handprint on the flat surface as movies portrayed, there was no discernible shape at all.
Who's blood was it?
His heart leapt into his throat and he pulled his phone out and started calling Adora.
"Dodge?" Her voice was thick with sleep when she answered.
His entire body slumped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to call." He lied and leaned against one of the lockers near to the bloody one.
"Can I go back to sleep then?"
He couldn't help but smile. "Sure, I'll speak to you later."
He hung up and let go of a long, shaky breath.
Harrison was frowning at him in confusion.
"Adora, she's alright. Let's call the police." Dodge explained. He searched his phone for the number of the local station and pushed the call button.

Minutes later he ended another call and stared at the blood.
Iain? Anne? One of the Taylors?
He called Iain, and his aunt and confirmed they were both safe and unharmed.
"Who do you keep calling?" Harrison asked.
"Anyone I have been worried about since this all started."
"Brett would be safe right? He's still pretty immobile?"
"Yea, I doubt someone could get him here from his house," Dodge chuckled. "I doubt he'll be going anywhere fast for another few weeks."
"You should call the Taylors. Maybe Rae and Kurt too." Harrison gave Dodge a half smile. "Glad I'm not you right now, kiddo."
Dodge forced another small laugh at Harrison's nickname for him. Harrison had been teaching at the school longer than Dodge had had his qualifications; he was happy teaching psychology and occasionally playing counsellor.
"Thanks for coming to get me." Dodge ran a hand through his shoulder length hair.
Harrison put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small squeeze. "Do you need me to go meet the police? Or stay here? One of us should stay while the other goes to meet the cops." Harrison pointed out.
"Could you go meet them? I'm going to try and figure out whether to open the locker now or wait." Dodge didn't have the energy left in his body to go meet the police at the front of the school.
The school day hadn't even started and he was already fatigued.
Two officers collected blood samples and Dodge called Adora back to get her combination. She was confused and he reluctantly told her what had happened before she gave him the combination.
One of the officers used a gloved hand to twist the bloody knob and he put the lock into a zip-lock bag.
Rose petals fell to the floor as they opened the door and Dodge had to step back to avoid them landing on his shoes.
"Wow." Harrison remarked as a card fell out on top of the pile of petals.
The office used his clean glove to pick the card up and Dodge felt sick when he saw the portrait of his cousin, and real hair framing her face.
Tom had been in custody until yesterday, had he had any chance to deliver this?
Or was Adora's stalker still free?

Marti sat at the kitchen table and ate the toast with peanut butter.
If she was spending the next few days at the Escape, she would have to go shopping for vegan food options.
Toast and peanut butter was going to get old really fast.
Adora was on the phone to Dodge, getting quieter and pale.
Marti frowned when she hung up and Adora looked blankly at the table top.
"What's wrong?"
Adora's mouth opened and closed a few times before she found a voice. "There was blood on my locker." She whispered. "And they opened it, and found a picture of me." Her eyes lifted from the table top to Marti's. "I was talking to Debbie the other week, and I thought I felt someone pull my hair. There was hair on the picture." Her words trembled and Marti got up and moved to the seat beside her.
"Oh no. Adora, I'm sorry. Do they know who's blood it is?"
Adora leaned into Marti's embrace and shook her head. "The police collected samples, but I don't know how that stuff works. If it's someone who hasn't had DNA reported before it'd be useless, right?"
"I honestly don't know either. Do they think it was Tom?"
"They didn't say. Could it have been though?" Adora leaned back and frowned at her.
"I dunno." Marti shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Theoretically he isn't meant to be unsupervised, or out of our house. But when did you last go to your locker?"
"Friday? Maybe Thursday." Adora swallowed a lump.
"So he could have left it before Sunday."
Adora looked out the window.
"Are you OK?" Marti put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I don't know." Adora shook her head.
"I'm here, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Marti gave Adora another hug and Adora sobbed in her arms.

***

Will did a double take in the hallway when Tom opened the bathroom door.
"You shaved." He felt relief twisting in his stomach.
"I knew you were unnerved, I love you even if I'm suspected of murder." Tom said matter-of-factly.
Will felt guilt weighing the churning down. He averted his eyes from Tom's and swallowed a lump. "I kinda believe you. Or, I want to." He muttered.
"Yea, well, that doesn't help." Tom walked past Will and into his bedroom.
The house phone rang and Will frowned as he heard his mother pick up.
He walked into the kitchen and watched her listening.
Something was wrong.

"Tom!" She covered the speaker and called out.
"Yea?" Tom appeared beside Will in the doorway.
"Have you seen or heard from Debbie lately?"
Will frowned at his mother's question.
Tom looked down to the linoleum floor. "She hasn't really been talking to me since we got back to Wheeler Falls, after the funeral. I'm pretty sure we're broken up."
Will felt surprised, even though it made sense that they broke up after the distance their relationship had travelled since Debbie admitted to lying.
"She didn't go home last night." Their mother explained.
"Have they tried Adora?" Tom asked. "They kind of made up in Richieville, I think. Maybe they had a big sleepover, the three girls. Marti, Adora and Debbie."
Tom's idea felt too easy.
Did this mean Debbie was missing?
Will's lips parted as he imagined another car turning up in water somewhere.
If Debbie had gone missing yesterday, it couldn't be Tom.
At least not this time.
"Maybe Debbie's the stalker. That'd be a twist." Tom tried to make a joke, but nobody in the kitchen laughed.
Will tried to figure out why Debbie would stalk Adora and kill people she knew.
The stalker claimed to love and want to protect Adora, Debbie had been best friends with her once upon a time.
Had Marti's friendship made her decide to take it back?
Mrs Taylor hung up the phone after suggesting they try Adora.
Will felt a discomfort he couldn't put a word to. It wasn't fear or worry, at least not alone. Those feelings were present, but they weren't what was making him feel uneasy.
"I'm gunna go for a ride." He muttered quietly before he left the kitchen.
It didn't take long for Will to pull his bike up at the Escape. He killed the engine and took his heavy helmet off, looking at the old farmhouse and shuddering.
He hadn't planned to drive to Adora's.
Being there where he knew Adora and Marti were felt like a good idea though.
He stepped into the reception area and looked into the common lounge, and then walked through to the kitchen.
Anne was at the table looking over a book.
He cleared his throat and put a small smile on his face. "Mrs Dodgers, are Marti and Adora around?" He felt after everything that was happening it was best to be formal to Adora's mother.
Anne looked up and stared for a few moments.
"Don't worry, Tom's at home. He doesn't know how to ride a motorbike." Will gestured to his leather jacket.
A small smile appeared on the blonde woman's tired face. "Sorry, Will. The girls are outside with Edgar."
"Is Debbie with them?" He asked casually.
"No, Why would she be here?"
"Her parents called our house; she didn't come home last night. We thought maybe..."
The phone ringing made them both jump in surprise. Anne stood from the table and answered it.
She frowned at Will and gestured for him to take a seat at the bench. He smiled awkwardly and sat down.
"No, we haven't seen Debbie for a few days here. Adora's outside at the moment, but I can double check with her and get back to you. Alright, I'll let you know." Anne hung up the phone and leaned against the bench, biting her thick bottom lip.
The same mannerism as Adora. It made Will's smile slip into an easier position.
"That was Debbie's mother. I'm going to call the girls back and double check." Anne looked at the analogue clock on the kitchen wall and walked out into the alfresco area.
Will cringed as she yelled out for Adora and Marti. The property was big, would her call be loud enough to catch the ears of the girls if they were playing with Edgar?