Finding Scarlet

by Holly C. Webb

  “Talk to me,” I said, looking up into her eyes.

  “Talk about what?” She asked, looking at me in confusion.

  “Scarlet,” I said and smiled. “I know you are nervous about leaving here, but I will be with you every step of the way. I promise you; you are going to be okay.”

  Scarlet stared at me for a moment, and I could see she was trying to figure out what she wanted to say.

  “I’m scared,” she finally said. “I have no memory of ever walking outside in the sun, getting caught in the rain. I don’t even remember what it’s like to travel in a car. I don’t know if I am ready for this.”

  “But I will be with you,” I reassured her. “We can take things one step at a time.”

  “Yes, but I don’t know anyone else,” she said as she stood up and walked to the window and stared out at the street below. “Maybe I am not ready to leave yet. I think maybe staying here for a few more day would be better, what if I get sick or…”

  “Okay Scarlet,” I said as I walked over and turned her to face me. “What is this really about?”

  She stared at me for a moment as the tears pooled in her eyes. She quickly brushed them away and tried to turn from me, but I took hold of her arms and stopped her.

  “Talk to me,” I pleaded.

  “What if he comes back?” She asked in a strained whisper. “In here I’m safe. I know what nurses take care of me, I know what doctors I need to see, but there is no one else. I feel like I know what to expect. But out there…I just don’t know. I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Scarlet, I know you are scared,” I replied wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight. “I am scared too. But I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

  “What if you can’t?” She asked as finally the tears found their way down her cheeks. “I want to be brave and be the girl you think I am, but I just don’t know if I can.”

  “You are braver than you think,” I replied. “You’re the strongest person I know. I know you are scared, and I will understand if you want to stay here. I am sure Doctor Bellamy will let you stay here for another few days, but then what? You can’t stay here forever, and do you want to give him that power? He has taken your past, Scarlet. Please don’t let him take your future.”

  “I feel like a freak,” she cried. “Everyone knows the girl that nobody wanted. I was all over the news. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me.”

  “Then stop being a victim,” I said. It was hard to say these things to her, but I didn’t know any other way. “If you stay here and let him win, that’s exactly what you are.”

  She didn’t respond and I was afraid I had crossed a line. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her but letting her give up was the wrong thing to do.

  “If you want me to talk to Doctor Bellamy, I will,” I sighed, not really sure what else I should say. “But I am begging you, don’t let him win. Come home, you have a family that is waiting on you. That want to love you as much as I do. Please, Scarlet.”

  Again, she didn’t reply.

  “Okay,” I sighed as I released her from my embrace. “I will go look for the doctor.”

  I turned and walked towards the door.

  “Wait!” She called out, stopping me in my tracks. I turned back to face her. “Promise me that this is the right thing to do.”

  I smiled as I slowly walked back over to her. Taking her by the hands, I leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

  “I promise,” I replied. “There is nothing to be afraid of. We will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I give you my word.”

  “Then let’s go home,” she said, giving me a reassuring smile.

  “I will go see what’s keeping the good doctor,” I said. With one last kiss, I hurried out the door to find Doctor Bellamy before Scarlet changed her mind again.

  It was a little after midday when we pulled into my parent’s driveway. As I switched off the engine, I looked over at Scarlet and gave her a smile. She looked terrified, but still she smiled back.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her, knowing she would probably be grateful for a couple of moments to gather herself together before we went into the house.

  “Yeah,” she replied in a tiny voice. I reached over and took her hand.

  “I promise,” I said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Everything is going to be just fine.” She gave me a nod and a smile.

  I climbed out of the car and hurried to her door to help her out. She was still a little weak while walking and was still using the two sticks for support.

  As we made our way up the short pathway, my Dad appeared at the door. The moment Scarlet saw him, she froze.

  “It’s okay,” I said giving her a smile. “That’s my dad, he looks scarier than he is. Besides, he is incredibly old too.”

  “Is that so?” He laughed as he came down off the porch. “Bet I can still kick your ass, Son.”

  “Hey, Dad,” I said as I shook his hand.

  “Hey, Son,” he said, slapping me on the back, before he turned his attention to Scarlet.

  “Dad,” I said looking from him to her. “This is Scarlet.”

  “Lovely to meet you Mr. Caldwell,” she said in a quiet voice. There was an uncertainty in her voice I had never heard before.

  “Please, it’s Tom,” Dad said as he shook her hand. “And the pleasure is all mine, Scarlet. Oliver had told us a lot about you.”

  “Is that a good or a bad thing?” She asked with a nervous laugh.

  “All good, I assure you,” Dad replied. “You are very welcome here. I want you to make yourself at home.”

  “Thank you,” Scarlet replied with another smile.

  “For heaven’s sake,” my mom said from the doorway. “Will you two let the poor girl come into the house? She has just come out of hospital. She will catch her death out here in this cold.”

  “You go on in,” Dad said looking at me. “I will get her bags from the car.”

  I led Scarlet up the steps to where my mother was waiting with open arms. She quickly hugged Scarlet tightly and I knew it was the mother in her taking over.

  “You’re very welcome here, Scarlet,” she said as she released her and held her at arm’s length. “I want you to consider this your home while you are here.”

  “Thank you, Mrs Caldwell,” Scarlet said, and for the first time I saw her smile a genuine smile since I arrived at the hospital earlier that day.

  “Please, call me Meg,” Mom said before she turned and smiled at me. “She is very pretty, Oliver. I can see why you are so sweet on her.”

  “Mom!” I laughed nervously, mortified she said that in front of Scarlet but Scarlet just laughed, and it was a proper laugh, not one filled with nerves.

  “Let’s get you inside, Sweetie,” Mom said turning her attention back to Scarlet. She linked her arm and led her up the steps and into the house. “Caitlin, Oliver’s sister, has been baking up a storm. She is so excited to have another girl back in the house. Ella, his other sister said she will drop by later.”

  Scarlet glanced back at me, over her shoulder. I could still see worry in her eyes, but I could see there was more. For the first time ever, I could see hope.

  Caitlin was her usual bubbly self and pretty soon, she and Scarlet were getting on like a house on fire. I smiled to myself as I watched her sitting at the table with my parents and my younger sister. She looked like she belonged. She looked like the missing piece of a puzzle that was finally found.

  It was a little after two, when Scarlet asked if she may be excused, that she was feeling tired. I showed her to her room and made sure she had everything she needed before I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her.

  “I have been wanting to do that all day,” I breathed against her lips. “God, I could spend the rest of my life, kissing this beautiful mouth.”

  “I could spend the rest of my life, letting you,” she replied with a smile.

  “Well, right now, I think I should
let you rest,” I said, kissing her on the head. “I will be right downstairs if you need anything.”

  “Okay,” she said with a yawn.

  I smiled and walked to the door but stopped when she called me.

  “Thanks for everything,” she said looking at me. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “Well,” I said as I opened the door. “That is something you will never have to find out.”

  With one last smile and a wink, I left her to try to get some rest, and hurried back down to my family.

  “Is she okay?” Mom asked the second I walked back into the kitchen. “She is so pale. That poor girl, what she has been through?”

  “She is fine, Mom,” I reassured her. “Her doctor said, she would get tired very easily, as she is still recovering from two major surgeries, but he said she should make a full recovery.”

  “Well that’s something at least,” Mom said with a sigh of relief.

  “So, is she officially your girlfriend?” Caitlin said as she slipped onto one of the high stools at the breakfast counter.

  “We are not twelve Caitlin,” I sighed and rolled my eyes.

  “But you like her,” she said with a big grin.

  “No, Caitlin, I don’t like her,” I said looking her straight in the eye. “I love her.”

  “Y…you love her?” She replied, surprised by my response. “Wow!”

  “Yes, so I need to know she is safe,” I said looking from Caitlin to my dad. “I need to catch this guy. She was terrified to leave that hospital today. I need to catch him, so she can move on with her life.”

  “And you will, Olly,” Dad said, giving me a nod. “This guy will make a mistake and you will be there to pounce once he does. You have the best reason in the world to keep you motivated.”

  Before I could reply, my phone began to ring. I pulled it from my pocket. When I saw Greg’s name flashing on the screen, I looked at my dad.

  “I need to take this,” I said as I hit accept. “Hi Greg, give me a moment till I moved somewhere we can talk.”

  “Use the den,” my father mouthed to me, and I nodded.

  “Sorry,” I said once I was in the privacy of my father’s den. I didn’t want my mom or Caitlin to know I had my suspicions about Seth until it was something more than just my gut. “Well, what do you think?”

  “It’s not good, Oliver,” Greg said, and the tone of his voice told me I was not going to like what he was about to say. “As I said already. I am now sure your UNSUB is in law enforcement. From the first murder, he was flawless. He knows what he is doing and taking counter measures against forensics. The cleaning of the hose, the cleaning her nails, he is leaving nothing to chance. He is close enough to the investigation to know what’s going on and though he might not be working directly on the case, he has access to it to stay ahead of you.”

  “Shit,” I sighed, as I remembered Seth coming into the conference room and asking about the case. There had to be a more logical explanation then one of my best friends being a murderer.

  “He would also be struggling in his personal life,” he continued. “Most likely suffered a loss or is dealing with a sick loved one that he is struggling to cope with. He kills these girls, because he has no control over himself or a woman in his life, most likely a mother or spouse. The girls are a substitute for the woman in his life, and he sees killing them as his only way out.”

  I thought about Seth and his wife. Is what happened to her and the baby and her mental health problems the reason behind this whole thing?

  “Oliver, there are two other things,” he continued. “Firstly, this scumbag leaves nothing to chance. He meticulously covers his tracks, so as to leave no evidence behind. Scarlet surviving is a huge mistake on his part. One that will slowly get to him, until it consumes him. He can’t live with the possibility she might remember.”

  “So, he will come back for her?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

  “Without a doubt,” he replied.

  “What was the other thing?” I asked but all I could think was I needed to keep Scarlet safe.

  “Megan Turner was not his first victim,” he said, and this surprised me.

  “Who was?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “But Megan’s murder was too organised, planned out and perfect. This was not the work of a first timer. His first murder would have been different, sloppy and chaotic even, however there would be similarities too, most probably his first victim was also shot in the head. Find that case, and that could be where you find your break.”

  I felt like I was kicked in the guts. It couldn’t be. My mind filled with the memories of Clea lying on the floor three years ago in the grocery store. We never did catch the guy, but we always thought it was a robbery gone wrong.

  Was the man that shot Scarlet and killed those other girls, the same man that killed Clea?

  I dropped to the floor and buried my face in my hands as I cried. The tears were a mixture of grief and rage. I was going to make him pay. Of that I was sure.

  Chapter 15

  Scarlet

  I woke up suddenly, and I immediately felt confused by my surroundings. I sat up as I tried to get my bearings, then I remembered I was in Oliver’s parent’s house. I felt someone move next to me and I froze, but as I became more awake, Oliver’s aftershave filled my senses.

  I smiled as I watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful.

  “Ugghh,” Oliver groaned as he stretched out on the bed. His eyes blinked open and instantly found mine. Slowly a smile filled his face. “How did you sleep?”

  “Good,” I replied. “Should you be up here?”

  “Why shouldn’t I be?” He asked with a laugh.

  “Well, this is you folks house,” I shrugged, realising how ridiculous I sounded.

  “Scarlet,” he said as he leaned up in bed until he was face to face with me. “I’m a grown boy. I think my folks know I am no longer a virgin.”

  “Charming,” I laughed but Oliver stopped me with a kiss. His lips were tender, yet firm at first, but then they became more urgent and hungrier. Something in his kiss told me he was upset, that something was wrong.

  I broke my lips from his breathlessly, looking up into his eyes. They were filled with so much sadness, it almost broke my heart.

  “What’s happened?” I said as a knot of fear gripped my stomach. “There hasn’t been another…”

  I couldn’t even finish the question. I could barely breathe; my heart was racing so fast.

  “No, no,” Oliver quickly said as he pressed his hand to my cheek. “Nothing has happened. It’s just…it’s just I love you so much that it scares me. If I lost you…I don’t think I could go on.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” I said, as I leaned into his touch. “I am going nowhere. I know you will never let anything bad happen to me. We are going to spend the rest of our lives making each other happy, making new memories.”

  “I like the sound of that,” he said as he leaned in and kissed me again, but this time it was softer and filled with love.

  “I have decided,” he said as his lips broke from mine. I noticed he spoke without looking me in the eye, and I knew he was hiding something. “I am going to stay here too. I have talked to my folks and my room is all set across the hallway. I think it would be better, easier for me.”

  “Okay,” I nodded deciding not to push him. When he was ready to tell me, he would. I hoped.

  “I know I said I wanted us to go on a date tonight,” he said as his eyes finally met mine. “But I need to head into the station for about an hour. Can I get a rain check until tomorrow night?”

  “Sure,” I said, as I forced myself to smile, but inside I felt sad. I knew whatever he was hiding, he was doing so to protect me, but I also knew whatever it was, was hurting him and I didn’t know how to make it better. “I am tired anyway. I think I’ll just relax and take it easy. Actually, do you think your sister would mind if I read some of h
er books? I am hoping if I exercise my brain enough, it might bring something back.”

  “I think Ella would be more than happy for you to use her books,” Oliver said as he got up off the bed. “Actually, she should be downstairs, Mom said she was coming over for dinner, and I can smell Mom’s chilli, so I think dinner’s nearly ready.”

  “Is that what that smell is?” I asked as my stomach growled. “It smells gorgeous, but I had no idea what it was.”

  “Oh, you are in for a treat,” Oliver said, and sounded more like the old Oliver. “My mom is, hands down, the best cook in the world.”

  He pulled me up from the bed and kissed me and gave me a smile. He reached for the sticks next to the bed and handed them to me.

  “Let’s get you down, before my dad eats all the chilli,” Oliver said as he walked to the door and held it open for me. “I am not even close to kidding.” I just laughed.

  We made our way down to the kitchen, and the smell that filled the house, just made me hungrier.

  “How did you sleep?” Meg asked the minute I walked into the kitchen. She was standing at the stove, stirring a huge pot.

  “Very well, thank you,” I replied as I moved further into the kitchen. I spotted Tom and Caitlin sitting at the table with, who I guessed was Ella. She and Oliver looked very alike, and both looked like their father. Caitlin was more like Meg.

  “Scarlet, this is Ella,” Oliver said as Ella got up to greet us.

  “Lovely to finally meet you,” Ella said as she shook my hand and smiled warmly.

  “You too,” I replied. “And thank you for all the clothes you picked out for me. In fact, thank you all for the things you sent into the hospital. It really felt nice to know someone out here cared.”

  Ella looked at me for a moment, as a look of pity washed over her face, but she quickly replaced it with a big smile.

  “Was truly my pleasure,” she replied then laughed. “I couldn’t leave you in Oliver’s hands and at the mercy of his…taste.”

  “Hey, I have great taste,” Oliver pouted.

  “Sure,” Caitlin laughed as she stood up. She walked over and took my arm then led me to the table. She pulled a chair for me out and when I was seated, she took my walking sticks, then looked back at Oliver. “Just like your manners.”