Elisa

The rush still hadn’t worn off yet. The only thing running through my mind was how Jackson and I had just been shot at. When I first got on the job I never thought I would see myself in this kind of situation. I could help but feel a thrill out of it. At the same time, I felt bad for feeling that way.

After the incident, we were escorted back to the department to put in a report of what took place. Our vehicle was towed off to go be repaired, for the next week or so we would be out of a vehicle. It seemed like we would end up doing more on foot or at the office.

“Have you finished up your report yet?” I was sitting at my desk. I looked up. Jackson stood at the side. “I actually just finished it. I was also kind of thinking about what happened today and what’s going to happen until we get the vehicle back from the shop.” Jackson gave a small smile. “Well, we have a few days until we will possibly hear from those employees, so until then we should probably stick around here and figure it out.” I sighed. ‘Just what I thought.’ “I see, that’s kind of what I thought,” I couldn’t help the defeated feeling that loomed over me.

“For now we’ll go home, and tomorrow we’ll meet in the break room and go from there.” I nodded. “I’ll take your report and hand it in to our boss for you so you can head home.” I handed him my report. “Thank you Jackson. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Elizabeth? I’m home.” I said, walking into my house. Nothing. I walked through the house and to the back, opening the door that led to the backyard. Elizabeth was laying in the grass, looking up at the sky. “Elizabeth?” I called out. She shot up, looking towards me. “Sissy!” She got up and ran towards me. “Where’s your sitter?” I said curiously. She pointed to the side of the house. “That way!” ‘What would she be doing there?’

I approached the side of the house and saw the sitter patting down some soil. “Hey, uhm…” I paused. Now that I thought about it, I never asked for her name before. She looked up at me, wiping sweat from her forehead and pushed back the blond strands of hair that clung to her. “Oh, miss Reynolds, you’re home kind of early.” She smiled at me. “I uh… Yes, something happened at work so I was able to come home early.” She nodded and got up. “I guess I should get going then.” I watched as she walked past me, then I grabbed her wrist. She looked back, stunned. “Sorry, I just couldn’t let you leave yet without me asking. What is your name? I know, it’s terrible of me to not know, but I had to ask.”

“Rachel. However, I never went out of my way to mention my name either, so I apologize about that.” She pulled her hand away. ‘She never told me her name?’ I couldn’t help but feel suspicion creep up. “So, what were you doing?” She looked back down at the ground. “I actually decided that I should grow some flowers since the backyard looks kind of barren, that’s all.” I stared at her. “Well, I’ll see you next time then.” I watched as she left, then headed back towards Elizabeth.

“Are you ready to go back inside?” She nodded and grabbed my hand as we walked back in. “Did you have a good day today?” She nodded. “Yeah! Rachel and I cleaned up the house, then we went outside to play! She said she was going to plant some flowers, I asked if I could help but she told me no, just to play in the backyard!” I frowned. ‘Why wasn’t Elizabeth allowed to help?’ “Elizabeth, has Rachel seemed weird to you recently?” Elizabeth tilted her head. “Hmm, well I saw her go into your room the other day. I know she’s been told not to. She saw me watching and she left your room.”

I felt a chill go down my spine. “Did she take anything that you know of?” Elizabeth shook her head. “She didn’t take anything. She also mentions your job a lot.” Now I feel creeped out. “What does she say?” Elizabeth headed straight for the kitchen and sat down at the table. “Oh just how she feels like you should be careful, that she thinks you should get off the case because it could put you in danger.” I bit my lip. “I see.” “She reminds me of daddy’s friend!” I looked at her with confusion. “Dad’s friend?”

“The last month before daddy died he had a friend over. I don’t think you ever met him, but he was really skinny! He looked sort of like a skeleton!” My sister giggled. “Did you get any better looks at him?” She looked up at the ceiling. “Well, I remember his hair being the same color as yours! I actually thought he looked like you! He had the same eyes as you too! I remember that when mommy saw him she froze. She then got angry and yelled at daddy to make him leave. With that he was made to leave and daddy never brought him back over.” I stared at my sister. ‘There’s no way.’

After putting Elizabeth to bed that night I sat on my bed, pulling out my phone. I found myself calling Jackson. “Hey Elisa, what’s up?” I swallowed. “Hey, I’m sorry to call so late, but would you possibly be willing to come over? I understand if not, I just need someone to talk to.” There was a brief pause, then I heard a woman’s voice in the background. I was about to hang up then he returned. “Sorry about that, yes, I can come. I’ll head there right now.” He hung up and sighed.

Knock. Knock. I opened the front door, Jackson stood there and rubbed his neck. “You wanted me to come, so here I am.” I ran into him and hugged him. He wrapped his arms back around me. “Are you okay Elisa?” I felt myself choke up as I pulled away.

“Sorry, come in, then we can talk.” I opened the door wide and let him walk in. We walked into the kitchen and I opened the fridge. “Want some wine?” Jackson thought for a second then nodded. “Sure, I’ll have some.” I pulled some wine from the fridge, then grabbed two wine glasses and poured the drinks. I handed him one and took a sip out of mine.

“You know that I have a sitter who takes care of my sister while I’m at work, right?” He put his glass to his lips and took a sip of his wine. “I know. What about them?” I looked down into my glass. “Her name is Rachel. Well, today was kind of weird. I came home and they were out back today.” I paused. “What’s so wrong about that?” He questioned. “Well, Elizabeth was in the back, but she told me that Rachel was at the side of the house. I went to check it out but she said that she was only trying to grow flowers. This was the first time I ever got her name. She admitted to me she never went out of her way to give me her name. I thought that was weird. I talked to Elizabeth about her after she left. Elizabeth said that she hadn’t been allowed to help. She also said that Rachel talks about how I should back off from the case because it’s dangerous. She also apparently went into my room.” I took a huge sip of my wine and looked down.

“She also mentioned how my stepfather had also brought home a friend when I hadn’t been home and that she said that he had been really skinny, describing him as a skeleton. She also said that he looked like me. The same kind of blond hair and gray eyes. She said our mom freaked out when she saw him.” I finished my wine, the buzz was starting to set in.

I was such a lightweight. I poured more wine.

“It just made me wonder why my mother would freak out so badly.” Jackson was quiet, starting down his wine. “That does seem weird. You’ve never met your father, right?” I nodded. “Right.” “Have you ever seen any pictures of him before or have any of him that you could show Elizabeth to find out if it was him?” I shook my head again. “My mother always said that she didn’t have any pictures of him.” Jackson took a sip of more wine, looking lost in thought. “It kind of sounds like your mother might’ve been hiding something.” I nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

It was silent between us for a few minutes, but I felt better having been able to talk to someone about it. “Are you still able to get your mother’s stuff?” He asked. The question took me by surprise. “Well in her will she said she wanted her stuff and house to go to me and my sister, but I haven’t gone back to her house since she died. All of her stuff is still there.” I crossed my arms. The feeling of guilt began to creep up on me.

“Let’s go pay a visit there tomorrow.” I frowned. “What about work?” He smiled. “Who said it isn’t work related? Your stepfather’s case ties into ours.” He paused. “Wait, your mother hasn’t moved since he died, has she?” I shook my head. “My mother loved that house too much to ever move.” He had the widest grin I could ever see on someone. “Well your mothers house might hold some clues that could help out with the case.” “What about my sister then? After what happened today with Rachel I feel kind of weird having her come back over and watch my sister.”

“Why isn’t she in school? Wouldn’t that solve your issue with her having a sitter?” I was at a loss for words. None had ever really asked me that so I was never prepared to answer it. “Well, when our mother died she was out of school for a month. I wanted her to have some time to process what happened and not have any other stresses. When the day came for her to go back, she had a breakdown. After our mother died she would have fits when it came to meeting new people. It was so bad to the point she couldn’t be in class. So I took her out and enrolled her in online schooling. Rachel watches her to make sure she does her work and overall takes care of her when I’m not here.”

Jackson finished his wine, then crossed his arms. I took a drink out of my second glass. “A while back I had bought some security cameras. I didn’t use all of them, but if you would like, I can head back home, bring them over, and we can set them up in the house so that while we’re gone tomorrow you’ll be able to see what Rachel is doing.” As much as I wanted to say yes, part of me also wasn’t sure if I wanted to know what Rachel was doing in my house.

My silence gave away my unease. “Look Elisa, we don’t have to do that, it was just an offer, okay?” I nodded. “I know. I also need to know what’s happening when I’m not here though. So, if it isn’t too much trouble would you please do that for me?” He smiled. “Of course.” He took his keys out of pocket. “I’ll return shortly, okay?” I frowned. “Why not call a cab? You’ve had some wine, will you even be good to drive?” He nodded. “I know it’s not the smart thing to do, but I’ll be safe. I don’t even feel like I’ve had anything to drink.” I crossed my arms. “Okay, just be safe.” With that, he was out the door.

While waiting for him I continued to drink more wine, hoping that I could drink my anxieties away. Without realizing it, I downed the rest of the bottle. I was extremely lightheaded.

Knock. Knock. I stumbled my way over to the front door, accidentally bumping into the wall as I walked. “You’re finally back!” I slurred as I opened the door. I was grinning from ear to ear. Jackson held a box in his arms, smiling back. “Someone seems happy to see me. Can I come in?” I moved out of the way, bumping into the door as I did so. We went back to the kitchen and he eyed the empty wine bottle on the counter. “You drunk without me?” He said in a playful tone. I puffed out my cheeks. “I was anxious and waiting for you!” He sat the box down on the table and opened it. “I’m sorry Elisa, I had a hard time finding them. Where would you like the cameras?” My thoughts were jumbled. “Uh… In my room, Elizabeth’s room, the backyard, and I guess the front of my house?” I had to fight so hard to say that. I hoped I hadn’t stumbled over myself.

“Alright, I gotcha. I’m gonna get to work. You go sit down and I’ll get you some water. After I finish I’ll let you come see, okay?” I only nodded. He wrapped an arm around my waist and put one of my arms around his shoulder. I couldn’t help but blush at how close we were. “Alright, let’s get you in the living room.” He led me in there and sat me down. He left then returned with a glass of water, and with some medicine. “Here, for if you start getting a bad headache.” I was grateful. “You are such a lifesaver.” He only patted my head and walked off.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I remember was being startled awake. “Sorry sleepyhead,” Jackson chuckled. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to let you know I finished putting up all the cameras.” I rubbed my head, groaning. “How long have I been out?” My head felt fuzzy. “I would say a little over an hour. Want to go check on my handiwork?” I nodded and groggily stood up. “Show me what amazing wonders you’ve performed.” He grinned. “Of course. Right this way.”

To say that I was pleased with what Jackson had done was an understatement. I was amazed. I knew I probably could’ve done something like this myself, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it as efficiently as he did. I couldn’t help but feel like I was a little bit safer now. “Thank you so much for this Jackson, you didn’t have to.”

“I know I didn’t have to, I wanted to. I want you to be able to feel safe and be able to trust the person who you let take care of your little sister.” My heart melted at his kindness. “You can connect your phone to the cameras and check live feed from them at any time. Want me to help you set that up?” Without hesitation I handed him my phone. “Yes please!” I watched as he piddled on my phone, then he handed it back once finished. “There. Just click on this app and it pulls up all of your cameras. Just click on the camera you want to view.” “Thank you, really, you are way too kind to me.” He curiously looked at me. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are there people giving you a hard time?” I quickly shook my head, blushing. “No! Sorry, just… Thank you for this. I think I should get in bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He looked worried but didn’t press further, which I was thankful for.

I watched as he returned to his car. We waved goodnight and he drove off, I went upstairs to my bedroom and flopped down on my bed, uncaring of changing into more comfortable clothes, and passed out.