Chapter 2

She heard something rattling.. At least, that was what she thought that had her jolting awake on her bed. Paranoia had hounded her ever since her parents had died in their sleep. Scurrying feets didn't seem random to her, neither did rattling windows or doors. 

    Slowly, Clarissa crept away from her bed. Grabbing her blue robe and a flashlight, she darted into her hallway, careful not to disturb the unnerving silence of the night. The stairs didn't creak as she made her way down to the living room. She'd had all the stairs fixed, just in case. 

     Just as she neared the landing, she heard the rattling again. This time, it was accompanied by a loud bang that made her jump. Clutching her robe tight around her body with one hand, she gripped the torch tightly with the other and then, she slowly made her way to the kitchen. 

    The sound had come from there. 

The kitchen was just as she had left it before going to bed, uncluttered and pristine but something was amiss. 

 She felt the cool breeze of night on her skin just as the realized something. 

    The door was open. 

   The louvers on the window had been opened too. The blinds hadn't been drawn and quietly, they rattled from the breeze. 

    Fear squeezed her insides. 

Her heart jumped to her throat. 

Her eyes began to water just as it did whenever she was scared.

She never leaves any door open. Never! And, she certainly hadn't opened that door for a couple of weeks. Last time she opened that door, she'd wanted to check the winter petunia. 

 Though, she hadn't necessarily checked that door after eating her solitary dinner the night before, she was sure she would've noticed if it were open or if the lock had been tampered with. 

 Panic slowly crawled up her spine, fogging up her brain and making her, for a moment, a brainless mess. 

       The door swayed again from the wind and a loud bang echoed throughout the house. That seemed to snap Clarissa out of her daze. 

She hurriedly darted around the counter that served as her kitchen workspace as well as her breakfast dinning room to snag a knife which was held by the knife holder. 

   Gripping the knife so hard her knuckles hurt, she stalked towards the swinging door. As unreligious as she was, she prayed that there was no one there, outside that door. Or worse, inside her house. 

    She caught the handle of the door just as the door made to swing again and slowly pushed it open. The hinges on the door freaked as it opened to reveal the white night.  Peering carefully past the door and over her little backyard lawn, she saw no one. She shone the flashlight on the snow too, there were no shoe prints either. Her eyes roamed the surrounding but she didn't find any strange or out-of-place thing. 

    She might've opened the door after all, she thought. She winced at the flimsy excuse she'd made up. Even she, knew it was a lie, but she had to make herself believe it. For her own sanity. 

The tension that had knotted her muscles and intestines slowly slipped into nothingness. 

She sighed and made to quietly shut the door when her eyes caught something sitting on the floor of the corridor. 

   It was a small gift box. 

It was so small that if she hadn't given it a second glance, it might've remained out there for the rest of the month. Or year. 

She padded across and picked it up. Looking suspicionly at it, she took it inside the kitchen while wondering what it was and who sent it. 

  Placing the gift box on the counter, she hurriedly bolted the door and proceeded to used the second bolt for good measures. She decided that a locksmith would be paying her a visit soon. She equally flipped the louvers closed and arranged the blinds before opting to turn on the light fixtures in the kitchen. 

    Warily eyeing the box, she trudged towards the counter. A moment later, she lifted the box's cover.......... 

And, what she saw left her dumbfounded. 

Without second thoughts, she ran to telephone and dialed nine-one-one. And then, called Marley. 

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     Clarissa's house had turned into a beehive of activity With Marley, Sydney, Claire and a host of police officers present. The officers, Criminal investigators, swept the whole house for fingerprints and questioned the neighbors about any recent suspicious activities.

     While they did all that, Clarissa sat on her comfy blue couch -which at the moment didn't seem comfy-with Sydney and Claire. No, they didn't badger her with questions or tried to placate her. They just sat with her, each of them holding her hands. No one expected her to cry or make a mess. She never did such on occasions like this. 

      As she morosely stared at the black screen of her flat screened TV, her brain whirled with the implications her situation. 

The gift. 

It had been a human finger drenched In blood. A pinky finger from someone's right hand. 

One look at it had told her that it belonged to a female. 

     She hadn't touched it. But, she had been scared witless. Whomever had placed that gift on the corridor, had also tampered with her locks and made their way into her house. It wasn't rocket science. It was not so hard to figure out that she could've been killed last night too. Noiselessly in fact. 

    She shuddered. 

"Miss Cavendish.. " someone called, drawing her back to reality. She looked up and It was the Sheriff. 

"I'm sorry about all of this. It's just a mess. With this and the ongoing Murder investigation, everything is just insane but I promise, we'll get to the root of this. " He spoke with so much concern in his voice that Clarissa almost let a tear slip through her eyelid. But no, she forced it back. 

"Thanks alot. I really appreciate your concern. "

"Just doing my job. "He said while walking away. 

Marley had been busy with the officers. As soon as, he had gotten the call, he had rushed to her house. Being a private investigator himself, he knew they had a killer or killers in town. Another body had been found, the police officers had told him. Naked, stabbed in the heart through her sternum, had some inscriptions on her forehead, that was what they'd said. 

     He had advised them to keep the news to themselves until at least Clarissa was okay. He didn't want her going into an apopleptic shock. 

     He had questioned Clarissa himself after a police officer had taken her statement. And she in turn, had relayed everything, leaving no detail out. 

    He knew his sister was paranoid and often very security conscious, so he had frowned when she said "she had darted out of her room into the hallway". There was no way she would've left the bedroom's door open before going to bed. But according to her story, it was already open when she woke up. 

Whoever it was had been to her room and Clarissa hadn't known or guessed!  

He let that thought sink. 

    He didn't bother pointing that out to Clarissa. Knowing her, she would figure it out soon. 

The killer wasn't some assassin or a hitman. They were dealing with a psychopath. He had read enough about them in the police academy to spot one if he saw their handwork. And of course, he'd had a lot of dealings with psychos. He had once lived with a few of them. 

    Shaking his head, he forced down those thoughts and locked them in a mental vault. He was sure Clarissa did that too. Relieving the past always did no good, so it was best left where it belonged -in the past. 

     He made an on-the-spur decision. Clarissa wouldn't stay in her house anymore. She either bunked with her friends or followed him back to Hyde park. It wasn't safe here. She could return after he had a security and alarm system installed but for now, she wouldn't stay here. Even if he had to bundle her into his Mercedes. Knowing his sister, that might be the only way to get her out of her house. 

    He rubbed a hand over his face. He knew he looked like he had been run over by a truck, but he had to be strong for his sister. 

And, strong he will be. 

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Slowly, he sipped his beer as he stared unblinkingly at his TV while reclining on a sofa-the only seat in his living room. According to the news, Brenda's body had been found beside the lake. A smile touched his lips. 

 Young, fierce Brenda, he thought, she would've made a dedicated wife. So unfortunate that she ended up in his den. But again, he thought, she had brought it on herself. He wouldn't condone cheating. Brenda had a boyfriend and she had still ended up in his bed. What a cheating bitch! 

Women, they were never to be trusted. You could play with them, they made a very suitable humanoid toys. But you didn't trust them. They could ruin you with a snap of their fingers. 

His pa had always said he could do whatever he liked to women because they are animals and they needed to be tamed and leashed. 

He would leash anyone of them that he could lay his hands on. Just like his pa had leashed his mom and his uncle, his aunt. 

    He wondered if Clarissa had gotten his little present. It was a warning as well as a promise of what was to come. 

    Feeling smug, he lifted his beer to his lips again and took a swig.

 

                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~

After much persuasion and a few heated moments, Clarissa grudgingly packed a few necessities and rode with Marley to his apartment in Hyde park. His apartment was a little too big for a single guy but Clarissa understood her brother's need for space. He was claustrophobic. 

     The walls of the living room had a beautiful flowered off-white wallpaper on them. A beige couch and three gray sofas sat in a semi circle round a glass topped center table. An oversized TV hung on the wall directly opposite the couch. coffee tables stood beside the sofas, on one of them lay a stack of the Times magazine. Marley had always been obsessed with magazines. Old habits, they say, die hard. The whole apartment was spotless, not even dust particles were seen floating around. The kitchen was same as hers. White walls, marble counter which served a double purpose... And lots of cabinets. 

      The guest room which now served as Clarissa room was bland. Robin egg's blue wallpaper, a queen sized bed and a dresser. The empty wardrobe she had me, now held her clothes, a few files she had to work with and her precious stuffed teddy bear. The stuffed animal had been a gift from Chance, her elder brother, just before her eighth birthday. Before he had killed their parents. 

      Chance had injected their parents with an overdose of the insulin injection while they were asleep. No one knew how a sixteen year old could've gotten their hands on prescription insulin shots . God help her, but she was glad he did it. He had saved them from their horrible parents. After committing the murder, he had gone straight to the police station and surrendered himself. 

      After a thorough investigation, he had been charged with two counts of murders in the court, sentenced to 25 years imprisonment without the possibility of parole. A year later, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had to be sent off to a mental institution. She visited him, every month, with Marley. He would recognize them in a few moments of clarity and then as quickly as he did, he would slip into his mind again, leaving reality behind. 

     It had been thirteen years. She was 22 now. Chance would be twenty-nine by October. 

Her parents. 

No, she thought, she wouldn't think about them. 

Just like kids were scared of night shadows, her parents were.... are still her own or at least

 one of her nightmares. She shook her head as if willing the thought of her parents to blot itself out of her memories. 

      The doorbell rang and she jumped. 

They weren't expecting anyone and she hated surprise visits. 

Cautiously, she stepped out of her room and headed for the door in the living room.. She heard Marley shuffling out of his room just behind her. 

"I'll get the door." She said, " Did you make pancakes? "The heavenly smell of pancakes assaulted her nostrils just as she neared the door. The kitchen was just some foot away. 

"I made them while you were asleep. Are you hungry? You could have them with iced tea. "

She nodded her yes as she looked through the peephole. The figure outside was someone she wouldn't forget in a hurry. Her expression had already morphed into a surprised look. 

 she unlatched the door and it swung open. 

And, there stood Flynn. 

   Flynn's expression didn't expression didn't mirror her own. It was like he already knew who he was coming to see. That did not stop her heartbeat from increasing a notch. 

"Hey. "She said, a little bit breathless. 

" Good afternoon." He sounded cold, though he still looked as beautiful as he was when she saw him four nights ago. 

"What are you doing here? Are you here to see someone? I didn't know you've met Marley already. " She knew she sounded very unlike herself. She couldn't help but be nervous in his presence. Nervous in a good way though. She just wanted him to say he was here to see her. He must've heard of her "gift". News spread like wildfire in this part of Chicago. 

"I'm here to speak to you and Marley. But, you especially." The little bud of hope in heart blossomed into a tiny flower. 

"Why would you want to see me? Or Marley?  I can't remember telling you where Marley stays." She pressed on stubbornly. She just wanted to know if, maybe, he cared. 

"Who is it?! "Marley called out, his voice booming from the kitchen. 

"It's a....friend." She was a bit unsure of her relationship with Flynn. It wasn't like they were friends. More like acquaintances. 

"Are you going to let me in?" He asked in a husky voice, his gaze locked on her. She felt tingles in the her belly. 

"Yeah. Sorry. Forgive my manners. Please come in." She stepped aside to let him in. Locking the door, she strode beside him leading him to one of the sofas in the living room. 

"Make yourself comfortable, please. "

Slumping into the couch, she quickly sneaked a peek at the gorgeous man. His hair was tousled and the silky mass of black hair gleamed in the light. His face was very angular, he had no extra chin or rounded cheeks. Dressed impeccably in his black suit and coat,  he looked good enough to eat. She watched him shrug off his coat and lay it on his thighs. He too, she noticed, was studying her beneath his hooded eyes. She felt a little self conscious dressed in a fraying blue sweater, sweatpants and a head warmer. Not exactly a sexy outfit, she thought. 

    Luckily, Marley saved her from further self scrutiny by barging into the living room with a tray packed full with food. Clarissa snagged a pancake as soon as Marley dropped the tray on the table and bit off a section. 

"Do you want some?" Marley asked Flynn while shooting a pointed glare at Clarissa. She felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment. She had just broken the "guest first" etiquette. 

"Just coffee." Flynn answered, a little amused. He got his coffee and Marley took the space beside Clarissa. 

"So, you're Clarissa's friend?"

"I wouldn't call us friends yet." Clarissa interjected. 

"Who are you then? ” Marley wasn't one to mince words. 

"I'm Agent Flynn Grant, FBI." He looked at Clarissa with a grimace etched on his face just as the pancake she was about to eat fell off her hand and landed on her lap. Her eyes were as round as balls. A few minutes-like seconds passed before she was able to speak again. 

"You're what? " she managed to choke out at last. 

"An FBI agent. I know I lied. It was just part of my cover.I'm sorry. You can see my badge." He held out an FBI badge and an ID card, then stuffed them back into his breast pocket again. Clarissa was still trying to wrap her head around the new confession. 

"So, what do you want? ” Marley asked in a brisk, business like tone. 

"It's just about the murder cases and your gift. We think we're dealing with a serial killer. I've been on his or her trail for the past one year." The mention of the murders not murder snapped Clarissa out of her shocked state. 

"Hold on.. Murder cases? ”

" Yeah. Another body was found beside the lake today. A finger was chopped off. The DNA of the gift matched the body's DNA. Same prints too. The finger belonged to the lake side body."

    Clarissa swallowed audibly. The agent continued.. 

"On the body, they were markings on her forehead. The forensic guys took a look at it and it was your name written in an extinct language with an infinity sign beside it."

Marley tensed beside her just as her heart plummeled into her stomach and she felt that familiar taste of fear in her mouth. The raw fear she'd felt those nights whenever she saw her foster father sneak into her room to sniff at her undies or caress her bare stomach, she felt that exact fear then. 

   She clutched the hem of sweater and began twisting it. 

What could a serial killer want with her? she thought. 

She had done no one wrong. She had always stayed low, she avoided being in the limelight. She didn't keep boyfriends. Cases of psycho boyfriends were a constant reminder that she should have nothing to do with boyfriends. 

"So, what do you feds think? " The silence that followed after Marley had asked the question was as heavy as an elephant. They all knew what the Feds thought. 

   But then, Flynn spoke.... Confirming their fears. 

"Thing is, we think Clarissa is the next person on his list ".... 

"But, "he hurried on, "we don't know for sure. Whomever it is, we think they're drifters. They don't stay in a place. Last month, we found a total of six female bodies in Utah. The pattern was the same as this. The bodies had been stabbed but after they had been tortured a bit, then dumped on trash sites and lake sides. The victim all looked to be random pick ups. But the murders, they looked pre-meditated. Now, the bodies we've found here in Chicago, we think it's the same person or people. There've been no evidence, not even a single one that points at anybody, ex cons or sex offenders, nobody at all. And, it's frustrating. But, we think "the gift" has given us something to hold onto. We know you might be next. Or not. We're not taking any chances with you."

"So, what's the plan?" Marley asked with no hesitation. 

 The agent inhaled deeply, then continued. "We're placing her on a twenty four seven surveillance. She has to report any suspicious person or activity immediately. Unless, she objects, we would also like to wire and bug her house, set up alarm systems. "While he spoke, he locked his gaze with Clarissa's. He could see that she was visibly shaken by the whole saga. Who wouldn't be, he thought. 

    Her doll like azure eyes were shining with tears. And her sweater, with the amount of twisting she was doing, it wouldn't last the day. He felt the at inane urge to protect her. She was strong, he thought. Most women would've broken down and wailed their hearts out but she hadn't shed a single tear. Even as he looked on, waiting for her to decide, he saw her forcing those tears back, her face turning into a mask of resolution. She was indeed strong. 

    At last, she spoke. 

"I don't want a twenty four seven security, you won't bug and wire my house, it would invade my privacy and it would show that fucker that i'm scared of them. I don't want to do him the honors. The police can check up on me from time to time but i'm not putting my life on hold because of one idiot." She spoke with so much calm that she began to wonder where it had come from. Inside, she was a big mess of nerves. 

"But... " Flynn tried speaking but she cut him off. 

"This is my decision Agent Flynn, i'd like it if you respect it. I'll help in whatever way I can with your investigations. My brother will too. He's a private investigator." She spoke with a note of finality that left no room for argument. 

  Fierce. She was damn fierce. And by God, he admired fierce women. 

Marley, although he looked impassive, was boiling on the inside. He wished he could get his hands on that piece of shit. He couldn't imagine what Clarissa was going through on the inside. He knew her too well to know she was only putting up a front. He'd thought that their era of nightmares were gone with their parents dead and their foster parents serving time, but this was the beginning of another horror story. He looked keenly at the Agent. He was a good one, he thought. He looked compassionate and very dedicated. But, the way he looked at Clarissa, it seemed to be something more than compassion there. Marley didn't look too deep. If there was something between the two of them, Clarissa would tell him. 

     Soon, the Agent stood to take his leave and Clarissa offered to walk him out. They took the elevator. 

"So, FBI agent, huh? " Clarissa asked. 

" Yeah. The realtor was my cover. It's not like I can go about announcing to every pretty girl I meet that i'm an agent. Especially not when i'm working on a case. Are you angry?"

   The elevator dinged and they strutted out. 

"No, i'm not. Just shocked."

"I'm sorry. For everything, for lying, that you have to go through this. " his voice radiated so much concern that she almost came undone. She still held back the tears. 

"It's not your fault, Agent Grants. Shit happens. "

"Call me Flynn. Agent Grants makes me look like the stereotypical FBI agent who never smiles and has no sense of humor."

   Clarissa doubled over with laughter. And, he smiled. He loved the way she laughed. 

There, he swore to protect her. And, he realized that he meant that promise with his whole heart.