As the sun begins to fade, the RV park becomes more lively. I turn around and glance nervously at how many people are coming out of their RV's to mingle with their fellow neighbors. Laura notices my darting eye movements and invites Happy and I inside. The RV is nice and a lot more spacious than what I thought it would be. There's a little kitchen, seating, two beds, and a small bathroom. Laura and Chaney keep it clean too. We take a seat and Happy lays down at my feet, content with the cool air conditioning blowing in her face. I still haven't said anything yet, uncertain of where to start.
Laura speaks up and asks, "So your sister was murdered?" I nod my head and take a deep breath, getting ready to tell my story.
"How was she murdered?" Chaney asks.
"I'm actually not sure how she was murdered."
"Did they find her body?" Laura questions.
"No...the cops said she was a runaway. They're dead wrong."
"How do you know?" Chaney and Laura ask in unison.
"Because she called me when she was heading up to my apartment, but never came up. She was supposed to move in with me when she graduated high school. We were really close. That's why I know she did not run away. She didn't make it home either. It's been over six months since she went missing and I need answers. Her last cell phone ping was here in the desert, so I've been living in a shed in the abandoned town down the road."
"Honey, you've been living in a shed?"
"Yes," I state, flatly.
"Why?" Laura asks, concerned for my well being.
"I gave up everything to find her."
"Are you still living in that shed?"
"No." I shake my head.
"Why not?"
I close my eyes as the horrifying images of the girls in the shed flash in my mind. The red headed girls with their cold, lifeless bodies and dead blue eyes enter my thoughts everyday. They fester in my mind like an open sore that refuses to fully heal. The shed will haunt me forever. A tear rolls down my cheek and I wipe it away quickly. My sister's murder will also haunt me forever. I clear my throat and start talking again, hoping my vulnerability isn't too apparent.
"I'm not living there anymore because.this man took over the shed when I was getting some food. He parked his truck in front of it and started storing things in there." I shrug my shoulders, acting nonchalantly. Chaney frowns and crosses her arms, waiting for me to explain.
"He was storing dead bodies concealed in garbage bags inside the shed."
"Are you sure?" Laura asks, alarmed.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Well, we need to go to the authorities!"
"Laura, we can't go to the authorities. He moved the bodies out of the shed. They're gone."
"How do you know?" Chaney asks.
"I've been watching him and he knows that which is why he moved them."
"What does this have to do with your sister?" Laura's voice trembles. Her eyes are wide with fear.
"He's the one who took her."
"But you haven't found her, so how do you know?"
"My gut is telling me it's the same man. The bodies in the bag look like my sister. Solia is this guy's type."
"What do you mean, type?"
"He's a serial killer Chaney. That's what I mean."
Laura stands and starts pacing, while shaking her head. "We really should go to the authorities."
"We can't. He knows someone is watching him. He ransacked the abandoned building Happy and I are living in. He also left a clue for me to find."
"What kind of clue?" Chaney asks, cautiously. "Wait! I'm not sure I want to know. I think I'm going to be sick." She gags and rushes to their tiny bathroom.
"She has a weak stomach, Tibby. She'll be fine."
"Okay…" Chaney comes back a minute later, wiping her mouth. "Keep talking," She says, quietly.
"The building where I'm staying used to be some kind of department store."
Laura interrupts me, talking excitedly, "Yeah, I remember that place. It was called Do the Disco Clothes and Such." She smiles. I loved that place!"
"Well, he left the clue under the foot of one of the mannequins that was left behind." Chaney's face is pale with dread. I smile, trying to be sympathetic. "Listen, I know it's hard to hear, but I really think you and your mom need to know these things for more reasons than just helping me catch this guy. She nods her head and sits down.
"The clue he left was a clump of red hair. The girls in those garbage bags had red hair. I recognized them from the missing person flyers at the Gas and Guz. My sister also had red hair. She wasn't in the garbage bags, though. I checked.
"You actually saw the bodies?" Laura asks, mortified.
"Yeah, you girls thought I smelled bad. Let me tell you, there isn't a smell that compares to a dead body baking in the heated confines of a tiny shed." I laugh, attempting to lighten the mood.
"I don't mean to be rude, Tibby, but why did you come to us for help?" Chaney questions.
"My sister's soul led me here. You think it was a coincidence that I ran into you and you were nice to me. My sister was telling me you could help. The perfume my sister always wore was the same perfume you had given me to wear. I have been smelling her perfume for weeks before you gave it to me. Solia was also trying to tell me something else. I hadn't figured it out until I met you, Chaney." I pause, letting everything I dumped on them sink in. Laura and Chaney have the same shocked expression on their faces. There is a long awkward silence. I shift uncomfortably, waiting for them to speak. Chaney's eyes go wide and she finally breaks the silence.
"Mom! I have red hair!"