Murder Exposed: A Naked Eye Cozy Mystery

by Leah Burke

  Suddenly, he saw headlights in his mirror. A car was approaching. He watched through the mirror to get a peek at who it could be. He hadn’t seen a single vehicle since he had parked on the side of the road. Who was it? As the car passed, he noticed that it was a green pickup truck. He stared at the side of it, and immediately recognized the Ocmulgee Park logo. Oh no, he thought. That was a ranger truck.

  The pickup turned around the corner, heading towards the park. Who would be coming to the park at this hour? Thomas started to worry. He looked at his phone. Should he call her? Yes, he thought, she needs to know what’s coming. He picked up his phone and dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail. That meant either she had turned it off for some reason, or there was no signal in the park. He remembered that he had trouble getting service back when they were taking pictures, so that was the likely scenario.

  So what could he do? If the rangers found her, they would surely arrest her for trespassing, wouldn’t they? He decided to pull around for a closer look. If he waited by the front entrance, maybe he could see what was happening.

  He turned the van on and slowly crept down the road. He had to be careful that the rangers wouldn’t spot him, otherwise they might try to bring him in as well. He pulled around the corner, as slowly as possible, with his headlights off, just in case.

  As he braked, his wheels started to squeak. Dang it, he thought. I should’ve fixed these brakes a while ago. As he approached the entrance, he could see that the gate was now open. They hadn’t even bothered to close it, which meant that they weren’t staying long.

  Unsure of what to do, Thomas tried calling Marissa again. Still no service. Should I go in? he wondered. No, if they saw him, the whole thing would be blown. It was entirely possible that she could’ve made it out before they arrived. If that were the case, then she would be coming out the front entrance, right?

  Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Thomas kept a sharp eye on the road, waiting to see headlights in the distance. If the rangers came back before she did, he would have to hide his van so they wouldn’t see him. He checked his phone obsessively, waiting for her to call him. Still nothing. He hoped that she was still okay.

  Another fifteen minutes went by, and the entrance was still as quiet as ever. If she was coming back, she would have made an appearance by now. Assuming that she evaded capture, then why wouldn’t she bolt for the main road? Conversely, if they had found her, they would be bringing her out in the truck, right? He started to get a little paranoid. What could have happened?

  Maybe she would be coming out the service entrance? He figured that that could be a very likely possibility. But there was only one way to be sure. He started the van again and pulled back out onto the road. He turned down the next road, heading towards the access road entrance. Up ahead, he saw a patrol car sitting by the exit. Oh no, he thought. Had they found her?

  He had to play it cool, so he kept on driving. If he stopped or turned back, then it would look highly suspicious. He leisurely drove down the road, until he finally passed the patrol car. It was empty. What did that mean? Why would there be an empty patrol car next to the access road? Suddenly, he realized that it must be for the officer that was keeping an eye on the crime scene. But where was the officer inside?

  Thomas continued down the road, all the way to the end. He couldn’t park on the side of the road, just in case the officer came back. So, he decided to loop all the way back around to the front of the park.

  The drive took about ten minutes, until he was finally close to the entrance. He turned off his headlights again, just to be safe. To avoid being seen, he decided to go off the main road and hide behind some trees. The ground was rough and uneven, but it would keep his van out of sight.

  He parked and waited. A few minutes later, he saw the ranger truck pull out in a hurry. Dang it, he thought, was that them? Did they find her? He was debating whether or not he should follow, when he saw the truck turn down the next road. They were heading toward the service entrance. What did that mean? Were they trying to intercept her?

  Not knowing what to do, Thomas decided to wait. The truck was obviously in a hurry, but why? Another couple minutes passed. What if she’s in trouble? he thought. I should go and find out what’s happening. He turned the van on, then suddenly he saw the patrol car coming back in toward the entrance. What? What the heck was going on? The patrol car went through the main gate. What happened to the truck?

  Thomas decided to take action. He pulled out of his hiding spot and went down the road. He decided to see if the access entrance was clear. If so, then he could wait there and see if Marissa would pop out.

  As he turned down the road, he saw the ranger truck up ahead. It was parked right where the patrol car was originally. What the heck? What did that mean? Suddenly, it clicked. The man in the ranger truck had to be a police officer. That would be the only way that he could get the patrol car, unless he broke in and hotwired it. But police cars have sensitive alarms, wouldn’t that have been tripped?

  He continued down the road, passing the ranger truck. It was empty, just like the patrol car had been. Something weird was going on, but he couldn’t figure out what. Up ahead, Thomas turned the van around and headed back toward the entrance.

  Shortly thereafter, he was back in his hiding spot, still unsure of what to do. If the police had gone in, then that meant they had found her, right? He still checked his phone, but there was nothing. Suddenly, the police car pulled out of the entrance. It stopped at the front, then pulled away to the right. As the car passed him, Thomas saw someone in the back. He didn’t get a clear look, but it had to be Marissa.

  He waited until the car was out of range, then turned the van back on. Now he knew exactly what he had to do. He pulled out onto the road and followed the car. He was nervous, he had never done anything like this before. However, if movies had taught him anything, it was that he should keep his distance.

  The patrol car stayed on the road for quite a while. It obviously wasn’t heading to a police station, so where were they taking her? Thomas tried to maintain distance, but since he didn’t have his headlights on, the going was tough. He never really appreciated how valuable they were at night until he had to drive without them.

  As they went further out into the boonies, he was afraid that he would lose them in the darkness. Finally, the car pulled off the main road and headed south. There was nothing around for miles. Where the heck were they going?

  Thomas continued to follow, even as the road turned to gravel. The dust and debris from the dirt started to block out the taillights ahead, making Thomas nervous. He thought about getting a little closer, but didn’t want to make himself seen. After all, if they did see a van following them, it would be pretty obvious that it was a tail.

  Up ahead, the car stopped. Instinctively, Thomas hit the brakes. He waited patiently, trying to see what was happening ahead. He couldn’t make anything out in the darkness. Suddenly, the lights turned off. What did that mean? Seconds later, he saw lights turn on in a building. It looked like a house.

  Wait a second, he thought. Had he been wrong about what was going on? Was this police officer just coming home for the night? No, it couldn’t be. He was sure that he saw someone in the backseat, so who would he be bringing with him if it wasn’t Marissa?

  Thomas crept forward as slowly as he could. He made sure not to press the brakes, otherwise they would squeal. At that speed, it felt like it was taking forever for him to reach the house. How far away were they?

  Minutes later, he could see the building more clearly. It was old and run-down. No one lived there by the looks of it. He also saw the police car in the middle of the road. If this was the officer’s home, then something wasn’t right. It had to be some kind of hideout where they were keeping Marissa.

  He continued to inch forward, trying to figure out a plan of action. He was never very good at confrontation. How could he get her out? He started to look around the van to see if he could
find a weapon. What if the officer had a gun? He opened the glove compartment and saw his tire iron. That would work. But how could he get the drop on him?

  Suddenly, he realized how close he was and pressed the brakes. He nearly hit the squad car in front of him. As he stopped, the brakes squealed. Dang it, he thought. There’s no way he couldn’t have heard that.

  He jumped out of the van and moved to the side. He heard the front door of the house open. “Hey, who the heck are you?” the officer shouted. Thomas could hear his footsteps approach on the gravel. He moved to the back of the van, out of sight.

  The officer approached the driver’s door and opened it. Seeing no one inside, he moved carefully around the van. He had only his baton as a weapon, as his gun was still inside the house. Thomas waited at the back of the van, holding his tire iron at the ready. His blood was pumping and his heart was pounding.

  Suddenly, the officer appeared. In a flash, Thomas lunged, swinging the tire iron like a madman. He struck the officer in the arm, which caused him to drop his baton. Suddenly, Thomas felt something strike him in the head. He had never been punched before, and it caught him off guard. The officer grabbed the tire iron, but it was obvious that his other arm was injured from the blow. Thomas struggled with him, keeping a death grip on the metal object. Suddenly, he remembered something he saw in a movie once.

  In one movement, he pulled the officer toward him and slammed his head into the officer’s face. It hurt a lot, but it seemed to do the trick. The officer fell down, and Thomas, without thinking, swung the tire iron at his head. In an instant, the officer lay on the ground, unconscious and bleeding.

  Did I kill him? Thomas thought. He did hit the guy pretty hard. He wasn’t sure how much force he needed to knock him out, but clearly this was more than enough. The wound on the officer’s head was bleeding profusely, but Thomas could see that his chest was moving. He was alive, for better or worse. I’ll deal with this later.

  He made his way to the house, the tire iron still in his hand. Was anyone else here? Or was it just the man and Marissa? He entered cautiously, but the place seemed empty. Where could she be? He moved through the living room, trying to figure out where he would have kept her. Should I call out for her? But what if there was someone else in the house?

  Thomas made his way to the back of the house and saw a door that was closed. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he had a gut feeling that Marissa was on the other side. Without hesitation, he opened the door, holding the tire iron high, just in case.

  Inside, he saw Marissa, white as a ghost. As soon as she saw him, she looked more confused than anything. She was handcuffed to a chair, but she looked alright. “Thomas? What the heck are you doing here?” she cried out.

  Chapter 15

  “Are you okay?” Thomas asked. He looked relieved to see her.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. But how did you know I was here?” Marissa was genuinely shocked to see him.

  “I, um, followed you,” he stammered. Blood started to drip down his face.

  “You’re hurt.”

  “What?” He felt his head. “Oh, yeah, I guess so.” The adrenaline was pumping, causing him to not feel anything.

  He walked in to check on her. “Do you have the keys?” she asked.

  “Oh, um, no. I’ll get them.” Thomas still seemed shaky and nervous.

  “What did you do to the officer?”

  “I hit him over the head.” He showed the tire iron, which still had blood on it. He left the room.

  Outside, Thomas found the officer right where he left him. The pool of blood was getting bigger. I hope I didn’t kill him, he thought. He fumbled around, looking for the keys. The officer stirred, but didn’t wake up. Finally, he found them. Not sure what to do with the officer, Thomas decided to drag him into the house.

  Inside the room, Marissa waited patiently. How did Thomas know to follow them? Was he waiting outside the entrance the whole time? She was still confused by the turn of events, but was relieved that he was here. If anyone would make her feel a bit safer, it was him. There was no one else in Atlanta she could trust.

  Suddenly, she heard grunting coming from the front door. “Thomas? Is that you? What’s happening?” It sounded like he was dragging something.

  “Hold on!” he shouted. It sounded like he was winded.

  Thomas dropped the body in the living room. He checked the officer for signs of life. He was still breathing at least, but blood was still seeping from his head wound. He knew that they would have to stop the bleeding somehow. But first, he had to get Marissa out of the handcuffs.

  He went back into the room. “What were you doing?” she asked.

  “Oh, uh, I was bringing the officer inside.” Thomas fumbled with the keys.

  “You didn’t kill him, did you?” Marissa sounded worried.

  “No, he’s still breathing, but we have to patch him up. I think I hit him a little too hard.” Thomas started trying different keys on the cuffs.

  “You look pretty banged up yourself.” Marissa noted his head gash, which was still bleeding.

  “I’ll be fine. I don’t even feel it.” Thomas finally found the right one and unlocked the cuffs.

  “Still, you need to clean it up.” Marissa rubbed her wrists. They were sore from being in the cuffs for so long.

  Inside the kitchen, she looked for anything that could help with the bleeding. The cupboards were empty, save for a few rat traps and roach motels. She checked all of the drawers, but still nothing.

  Back in the living room, Thomas managed to get the officer onto the couch. Even though it was dusty, it was still better than being on the floor. Marissa came into the room. “Anything?” he asked. He coughed from the dust.

  “No, nothing.”

  “What about the bathroom?”

  “Good idea.” Marissa went off to the bathroom. She came back a minute later, empty-handed. She looked grossed out. “Even if there were anything in there, I don’t think it would be sanitary.”

  “Maybe he has something in his squad car.” Thomas tossed her the keys.

  Outside, Marissa went to the police car. She opened the trunk. Inside, there were boxes of various items. She searched through them, and finally found a first aid kit. “Jackpot,” she said to herself. She stood up and tried to get a bearing on her surroundings. The moon gave the area a mystical appearance.

  Off in the distance, she spotted some lights. They had to be from a car, as they were moving. Someone was driving along the empty road at this time of night? Suddenly, it hit her. The lights were coming this way. She ran back inside.

  “Quick, we need to get him into the room!” Marissa sounded frantic.

  “What’s going on?” Thomas asked.

  “Someone is coming.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because, before you showed up, he told me that a ‘mutual friend’ was on his way.”

  Thomas realized what that meant. He grabbed the officer by the shoulders. They had to act fast. “Grab his legs.”

  She rushed over and took him by the ankles. He was much heavier than she expected. They awkwardly shuffled him toward the room. Blood dripped onto the floor as they moved. Finally, they managed to shove him onto the cot, but they didn’t have much time.

  “You need to move your van,” Marissa ordered.

  “Where? There’s nowhere to put it.”

  “Just pull around the back of the house. As long as he doesn’t see it from the road, we should be okay.”

  “Okay.” Thomas took off.

  Once he reached the van’s door, he saw headlights in the distance. It looked like they were coming straight for him. He had to move quickly. He jumped in and turned it on. To get it off the road, he’d have to back up. Why did he park so close to the squad car?

  Slowly, he managed to maneuver his way around the back of the house. Marissa came outside and motioned for him to move faster. He looked out the window; the lights were approaching. They would be here in a
minute or so.

  Inside, Marissa was pacing back and forth. What could they do? This was their only chance to find out who the killer was. If they blew it, then who knew if they would ever get another shot? Suddenly, Thomas came in through the front door. “He’s almost here.”

  They waited by the front door and peered out the window. The shades kept them out of sight. A car approached. It looked nice, like a Cadillac or something. They could hear the wheels driving over the gravel. Suddenly, the vehicle stopped behind the squad car. No one got out.

  The room was quiet as a grave. Thomas and Marissa could only hear themselves breathing. They continued to stare, waiting to see who would step out. Suddenly, they heard something; it sounded like music. But where was it coming from?

  Oh my god, Marissa thought. It’s a cell phone. It had to be from the police officer. The phone continued to ring. Thomas realized what it was, too. “Should we go get it?” he whispered.

  “I-I don’t know.” Marissa was too nervous to move. The ringing stopped. The car stayed quiet.

  Seconds later, the ringing started back up again. It continued, and both of them were still too nervous to move. Suddenly, it stopped. Did he hang up?

  “H-hello?” the officer groaned. He had answered the phone.

  Without thinking, Marissa got up and ran to the room. Inside, the police officer was holding the phone to his head. He looked dazed and confused. “Who is this?” he asked. His voice was slurred, as if he was really drunk.

  Outside, the car peeled out. She could hear the sound of the tires scraping against the dirt and gravel. This was their only chance. In a flash, she closed the door and ran back out to Thomas. “Get in the cop car, now!”

  Without fully knowing what they were going to do, Thomas flung open the door and ran to the car. The Cadillac was already tearing down the road as fast as it could go. Marissa jumped inside just as Thomas turned the ignition. “Go, go, go!” she yelled.

  Adrenaline gripped Thomas. He had never been so pumped in his life. He hit the gas, and they were off. On the one hand, his heart was pounding like never before. On the other, he had never felt so alive. Next to him, Marissa looked anxious and jumpy. She was playing with her hands, unsure of what to do with them.