Thomas thinks of Cora—the stab wounds, her damaged face. “Jordyn, where’s the knife?”

“I don’t know. I think Violet was carrying it last. But she would never hurt Cora,” Jordyn adds in a rush.

A wave of nausea sweeps over him. This can’t be happening. “Jordyn,” he says, cupping her chin so she is forced to look at him. “Is there anything else? Anything at all that I need to know?” Thomas asks, praying that there isn’t.

Jordyn shakes her head. “No, I promise.” Thomas releases her chin and again Jordyn collapses into him. “What should I do?” she asks, her voice muffled against the nubby fabric of Thomas’s sweater.

“Nothing for now,” Thomas whispers into her ear. “Don’t worry, we’ll clear it all up.” Jordyn lifts her head and looks up at Thomas for further reassurance. “You look tired,” Thomas observes but he really just needs to be alone for a minute and think about what Jordyn has just told him. “Go and lie down, close your eyes for a bit.”

Jordyn is hesitant but allows Thomas to guide her back into the bedroom and into her bed. Thomas pulls the quilt up around Jordyn’s shoulders and reaches over to the bedside lamp to turn off the light and the room dims to a hushed gray.

Thomas sits on the edge of the bed and listens as Jordyn’s sniffling slowly subsides. He watches as Jordyn’s eyes grow heavier and heavier until they remain shut. He waits until he is sure that Jordyn is fast asleep and then carefully rises from the bed, reaches down and retrieves Jordyn’s book bag from the floor.

He rifles through the laundry basket of clean clothes until he finds the fleece jacket and the other clothes that Jordyn was wearing yesterday and shoves them into the backpack. Beneath a small wooden desk where Jordyn sits to do her homework are her tennis shoes. Thomas bends down and picks them up and examines the soles. The microscopic dark specks could be blood or could just be mud. He thinks of the picture on Jordyn’s phone and her bloodstained jacket.

Knowing that Jordyn will most likely sleep only for a few hours or so, he needs to get going. He has work to do.

Case #92-10945

Case #92-10945

Direct message dated November 21, 2017,
via DarkestDoor.com

JW44:

HI, CORAREEF12, I’M SORRY I DIDN’T RESPOND TO YOU THE OTHER DAY. I DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA THAT WE TALK IN THE PUBLIC CHAT ROOM—4LEAFCLOVER IS SO ANNOYING.

Corareef12:

That’s okay. She was pretty nosy.

JW44:

HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW SHE’S A GIRL? YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL ONLINE. I MEAN, 4LEAFCLOVER IS PROBABLY A DIRTY OLD MAN LOOKING FOR A SWEET KID LIKE YOU.

Corareef12:

Ha! I don’t think so.

JW44:

JUST BE CAREFUL. DO YOU STILL WANT THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS YOU ASKED?

Corareef12: