A Kiss Revealed

by Frances Hoelsema

  Right before the estimated time of death, she saw Trey weave through the dance floor with a woman. The first thing she thought was that it was Laura. That she had been wrong all along.

  But then she saw it.

  On the back of the left leg, just above where the ankle is, there was something dark. Cassie tried enlarging the picture. At first, she couldn’t figure out how, but then she got it to work. She zoomed in to see if it was what she thought it was or if it was just a smudge in the footage. The image was rather blurry, but she was almost certain it was a charm. A charm she had seen before.

  Cassie’s heart pounded. She couldn’t move. The Margaret Killer case had been solved! She knew for sure who the killer was! But how could she have done that to so many people?

  A plethora of emotions flooded through her veins. The one that stuck out most, however, was fear. It gripped her tightly. Laura wasn’t safe. She had to get to her before it was too late.

  She stood up so fast that she almost knocked her chair over. Making sure her purse, keys, and phone were with her, she bolted for the front.

  However, Detective Kojak was coming her way. The two bumped into each other.

  “Oh, my gosh. I’m so, so sorry,” Cassie said, frantic.

  “It’s okay. I wanted to see you before you left today. I wanted to say –”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I’ve got to go. It’s an emergency!”

  The detective’s eyes furrowed. “Is everything okay?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No. Please excuse me.” She turned around and started sprinting away. “I know who the killer is!” she yelled.

  * * *

  She knows who the killer is?

  The very thought threw Detective Kojak off guard. It couldn’t be possible. He quickly glanced at Cassie’s desk, noticing the evidence from The Margaret Killer trial that was sprawled across it. He saw, frozen on her computer screen, the video feed from Tommygun Tavern the night Trey died.

  She knows who the killer is!

  Not wasting another second, he ran after Cassie. Everyone who saw him looked at him like he was running from a stampede.

  When he got outside, he looked in every direction. A car had just left. It was her. He whispered an expletive.

  Immediately, he tried to call her. As the phone rang, his heart started to beat as if alive for the first time. To finally have an answer to who this Margaret was, was all he had been hoping for since it began.

  Cassie didn’t answer. He swore again. How could he help if he didn’t know who it was or where she was going?

  Redialing, he went back inside to his desk. This time, when it went to her voicemail, he left a message.

  All he could do now was gather the police force and have them be on the lookout for Cassie’s car. He would make sure they followed her for protection and fill him in immediately as to her whereabouts so he could go to her himself.

  Until he heard anything, though, he had to be patient, and being patient was not his forte. Especially when it was only half past seven in the morning.

  But while he tried, what kept repeating through his mind were who the killer might be, and how in the world did Cassie, the intern, figure it out?

  Chapter 21

  L

  aura bolted to an upright position, hand clutching her chest. For the third time this week alone, she was startled awake by the same recurring nightmare. Since Connor’s death, this had become the new norm. Her mind was haunted by things of the past colliding with recent events.

  At first, she didn’t know where she was. Working to calm her beating heart was a hard task when she was also trying to figure out whose bed she was in. She patted the sheets, glanced around the room, trying to focus. Slowly, as she became fully awake, it came to her she wasn’t at home. This was Marissa’s place.

  Her heart returned to normal. Her breathing became more relaxed. Checking the time on the alarm clock, she sighed. As she brushed a strand of chocolate hair behind her ear, she leaned against the headboard where she figured she’d try to get the last remaining bits of nightmare erased from her mind.

  Why was she even still here? She should have gone home a long time ago. Today she was going to take steps to do so. Her friend, Marissa, had done enough. It was time to move on. Or at least try.

  As Laura sat there, she realized she had to go to the bathroom. She reached for her red silk robe and put it on over her pajamas. Yawning, she stretched her hands way above her head as far as they’d reach. Down the hall she went.

  After going to the bathroom, she took a good, long look at herself in the mirror as her hands were lathered and rinsed in warm water. It looked as if she aged ten or more years. There were bags under her eyes, her skin was blotchy, and her hair a mess. No doubt stress and all the nightmares were the culprit.

  Without even realizing it, as the water kept running, she reminisced all the things her life had encountered up to this point. Not all of it was the bad stuff, but most of it led to that. She thought about all the hard work she put into becoming a professor. But then how she lost her job. Being in love twice in her lifetime seemed like a fortunate occurrence. But she saw how those turned out: one a rape and the other a death. Once upon a time she owned a place along the shoreline that she never dreamed she’d be able to afford. But now she found it hard to want to live there. People of all walks of life used to love her. Friends were easy to make. Now she only had a select few. The rest avoided her. It all circled back to the serial killer running rampant in Crimson Shores who she believed was out to get her. But why, she had yet to figure out.

  Laura splashed water over her face. Not only would it wake her up, but deep down she hoped it would wash these years away. The filth. The guilt. The horrors. She wanted it all gone.

  Something scraped against her cheek. It was the bracelet she wore from the night before at the graduation ceremony. She could have sworn she took it off, but apparently not. The thin, silver strand of diamonds twinkled in the bathroom’s light. She remembered when Connor gave it to her. They were at a park. It was a colder day. She recalled shivering as they ate their lunch on the grass. Though they had been dating two months, their chemistry was real. She felt so much for him.

  Connor surprised her with the bracelet. At first, she remembered thinking that it was a ring. Her heart had stopped briefly, believing it was too early in the relationship for such a commitment, even though she loved him. Opening the velour box was a thrill. And once her eyes were laid on the sparkling gems, she knew he was a keeper. It was the one she saw through a shop’s window one day they were walking downtown. She had only said one quick thing about it. But he remembered!

  Her eyes misted. Losing Connor was going to scar her for a long time, if not for the rest of her life.

  Usually she was careful with her jewelry. Leaving it on overnight wasn’t like her. She racked her brain for what happened. Her memory played through the graduation. Afterwards, she had gone with Cassie and Cassie’s parents to a pizza joint. They were there for a couple of hours at least. When they dropped her off, she had gone straight to bed. Shrugging her shoulders, she settled on the fact she must have fallen asleep, forgetting she had it on. After all, she didn’t wear something this nice that often, not even to work when she had a job. This bracelet was for special occasions.

  Right now, it was time to take it off. She turned her wrist to see where the clasp was. With a little flick, it was released.

  Outside the bathroom, a door slammed. It startled Laura, causing her to drop her precious jewelry. With the running water, it fell into the drain. Her eyes bulged from their sockets. No, no, no, no, no! A curse or two was also thrown in.

  She scrambled to turn the water off. Why had she left it running so long in the first place? Laura silently hoped the bracelet could be retrieved. Her eyes remained focused on the sink to try and figure out what she had to do. There was no way she could stick something down the drain that was long enough to fetch it. Nothing she thought of would work to
catch a thin piece of metal and gems.

  Maybe somewhere in the pipes she could find it! She had never done this before, but anything was worth a shot. She quickly squatted, opened the cabinet door, and examined the plumbing. This was going to end up a mess. Where was she even to start?

  There was one coupling she saw that was able to twist. That’s what she decided to try first. It was tight. She rearranged her body so she could fit inside the cabinet and get more muscle strength. That didn’t work. She blew a strand of hair from her face. Sweat was glistening along her forehead. Giving up was tempting, but she kept at it, completely forgetting the noise from earlier.

  Finally, it bulged. It wasn’t much, but she’d take it. Taking a quick break, she twisted again. The coupling loosened a bit more. Slowly, but surely, she’d get there. A few more turns and it came loose! And there, in the trap, was her beloved bracelet. Beautiful as ever. Acting as if it hadn’t just been on the most dangerous ride of its lifetime.

  Laura cleaned up after herself. She made sure all the pieces were put together correctly. Like a puzzle, if one piece was wrong, the result wouldn’t be as it was intended. And in this case, there would also be a giant, wet problem.

  As she finished up, angling her body out of the cabinet, she eyed a dark bag in the far back corner. It was like a purse, but not quite. Curiosity got the best of her like it always did. She was never one to not check into something that was of interest to her. Reaching in, she grabbed it, and pulled it out.

  Opening it up, her eyes saw something that was way too early in the morning for her mind to comprehend. She perused the items, not believing what she had in her grasp. This just couldn’t be! Reality started to sink in. Her heart rate started to speed up. Her breathing shallowed.

  Laura’s mind was boggled. Marissa?!

  * * *

  Marissa slammed the door on complete accident. As soon as she heard it, she turned around and reprimanded the door with expletives and an angry face like it was a living being. She grabbed the nearest chair and took a seat. Taking her shoes off, she sighed. What a night it had been!

  Right after Cassie’s graduation, she was supposed to meet up with Garrett. The two of them had some business to take care of. However, that didn’t work out. Her boyfriend ended up doing everything himself. She was left with nothing to do. She supposed she could have met up with Cassie and the rest of the gang, but that did not sound appealing at all.

  So, she went to a bar. There was no harm in that. She hadn’t gotten a drink in forever, and at that point, she could really use one. She chatted with a couple of people, but mostly sat by herself, watching whatever was on the TV.

  After a while, that got boring. She left, unsure what to do. Going home still didn’t seem right. It was getting to the time where Laura and Cassie probably weren’t out anymore. If they were, she still wouldn’t have joined them. She felt lost and lonely. Drowning her sorrows sounded the best. So, she went to another bar. It was a newer one. Checking it out seemed like a must.

  But that only lasted an hour. Maybe slightly more. She was just too bored. It turned out that drinking wasn’t as much fun when she was alone.

  The rest of the night she spent driving around town. She parked at the beach. The black vastness seemed peaceful. The waves crashing, relaxing. She was so calm that she ended up dozing for a while, only waking up because she overheard some seagulls squabbling.

  She checked the time. Dawn was approaching. Why not just watch the sun rise? She hadn’t done that in ages, if ever. Today could be the day she tried it. More people had showed up. Life was coming out in Crimson Shores. It made her contemplate her own life and if she really loved Garrett. Why was everything so messy? How could she have turned out the way she did? Doing what she did? Question after question flooded her mind. It surprised a part of her. She used to be so sure of herself. Now, all the sudden, she doubted everything. What was happening? Was it just the alcohol and lack of sleep? Or was there some real concern to these thoughts?

  Fast forward to sitting in her chair at home. She felt alone. Tired. Sick of life.

  Sounds were coming from the bathroom. Was Laura awake already?

  Marissa took off her light sweater, putting it on the back of the chair. She put her keys into her purse and then began to bring her purse to the bedroom. On the way, she checked the bathroom. The door was closed, and the light was on. Laura was indeed awake.

  In her bedroom, she pushed her door closed, leaving it open only a crack. She took a seat on the end of her bed, waiting for Laura to get out of the bathroom so that she could use it. Laying back, she rubbed her hands over her face and sighed once more. She was beyond tired. If she curled up like a ball, she’d be sure to fall asleep.

  But something was bugging her. At first, she couldn’t put her finger on it. Then it hit her like a brick. Laura didn’t find anything, did she? She was spending a little too much time in that bathroom. Never did she do so. What was going on?

  She sat up straight and bolted out the door. Her heart started beating wildly, her thoughts out of control. This couldn’t be happening, could it? The likelihood of Laura discovering her stash was slim to none. But it was possible! She always meant to move it somewhere more private, like in her room. She just never got to it.

  The psychiatrist in her told her not to worry, take deep breaths, and just find out all the facts before jumping to conclusions. But her mind and body just wouldn’t listen. They were telling her something bad was about to happen.

  Marissa listened against the door to see if she heard anything. All she could hear were clinking and sighing. It didn’t sound that good. She put her arm in the air and knocked on the door. She had to get Laura out of that bathroom. “Hey, Laura? Are you okay?”

  Chapter 22

  A

  distant part of her heard a knocking on the bathroom door along with Marissa’s voice. But it was drowned out by her fascination in what her hands were holding. Laura combed through everything, not believing what she saw.

  The lipstick she held looked familiar. Examining the label, which was three-quarters of the way torn off, she tried to make out what it said. Laura saw “ion”, and below it “One You”. The red hue, and what was left of the sticker, was clue enough to her that it was Cherry Passion by Only One You. She would know. It was what she used.

  A flashback of the night she and Marissa went to Tommygun Tavern rippled through her mind. Her best friend had commented on the color. Did she already use the same one? Or was it possible she went out to buy that same lipstick that very night just so she could frame her for killing Trey?

  Laura’s stomach turned, another horrible thought making itself known. She had gotten sick the night Trey died. Did Marissa do it somehow?

  Thinking these things about her friend was foreign. Her friend, out to get her? Impossible! There must be some sort of explanation! Maybe there was some mistake! Maybe she was having another nightmare!

  Laura flipped through some cards, her hands starting to shake. They were business cards, but blank. Every one of them. Two pens were at the bottom of the black bag. She saw “M.D.” but didn’t put any more attention to them. Her mind was racing, and she was scrambling to get to the rest of the contents.

  There were gloves. Just one set. No doubt to keep fingerprints from getting on any surfaces. There were three syringes. All of them were the same size. All empty. The last thing Laura saw was a dark glass bottle. She held it up closely. There was liquid in there. She shivered as tingles went up and down her spine. This, right here, must be the potassium chloride; the poisonous dosage given to all the victims.

  Another knock shook the door. What was she going to do? Hide the stuff and pretend she didn’t know? Or should she confront Marissa? Laura was in deep shock, not knowing which way was best. How could her friend even do this to her? To those who died? To their families? Better yet, why?

  Laura stuffed the evidence back into the bag. She had to do something, and quick. She couldn’t stay i
n the bathroom forever. Taking a deep breath, she decided to face her friend. Opening the door, the two of them met, eye to eye, Laura’s full of question and concern.

  Marissa glanced down into Laura’s hands. Then she looked back up at Laura.

  Neither of them said a word.

  Finally, Laura spoke. “You?” It was weak and pitiful. Even as she raised the bag in front of Marissa, her hands shook.

  Again, Marissa looked toward the bag. She squinted, slightly turning her head to the side. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

  Laura wiggled the bag in front of her friend’s face. The contents moved around, creating some muffled noise. “You?” she repeated. It was all she could think of to say.

  “Me what? What are you talking about Laura?” Marissa’s voice grew more annoyed.

  “Trey? Sammy? Parker?” Laura’s eyes suddenly opened wide. “Connor?” She hadn’t thought of that until now. Marissa killed him! Why would she do such a thing?

  Her friend laughed nervously. “What are you talking about?”

  “You killed Connor!?” Laura yelled, stepping closer to Marissa. “How? WHY?” She was in Marissa’s face, her anger prowling inside her like a lion. But she was also scared, confused, shocked, and way too many other things. Her body was starting to go in panic attack mode.

  Marissa’s face hardened like a stone, her eyes glazing over. Her demeanor was suddenly as cold as ice. “You know what? I don’t care anymore. Yes, I killed all those people.” Closer still, an evil, sly curl in the lips, “And, yes, I killed Connor.” Her voice was deep and raspy. It didn’t sound like her at all.