"What do you think you're do-" the words were stuck in my throat as I stared at Prince Marcus with wide eyes. My anger was temporarily gone as I looked at the man hovering over me. He shifted his weight on his elbows to keep his full weight off of me while most of his body covered mine. I'm sure the look of disbelief was clear on my face as he glared at me. This was the closest he has ever been to me and I didn't particularly like it.
"Why can't you wait? Would it really be bad to wait until tomorrow?" He asked.
"Why would I want to wait longer? I've been kept in the dark about a lot of things since you've publicly humiliated Scarlet. I'm not about to let this be one of them. I deserve to know why my sister's life was suddenly taken from her. Why was she the one to be killed? And who was the one behind her murder? I deserve to know the truth." I glared back at him. I was going to ignore the fact that he was very close to me. I don't know why he was behaving like this but I won't let this topic go. I will get him to tell me what I need to know.
"Indeed it was unfortunate that Lizzy was murdered and in such a manner too. But you have to know that I'm only trying to lessen the burden on your shoulders. Especially with the preparations for our engagement ball and wedding still on their way. The weight of your sister's death would add to it. After all, there is only so much one person can handle, Rebekah. Do not try to be too brave when backed into a corner." He sighed before he leans to the side and lay next to me. In a way he was right.
Ever since that night, I have been handling all my problems by myself. The wedding. Scarlet's threats. The hurtful words from the citizens of the Kindom... I've kept it all to myself. I felt as if some part of Prince Marcus's decision was my fault and that I needed to correct his mistake of choosing me. What else could I have done? I didn't know any other way. Would it have been better if I told someone what was really happening? But who can I tell without the truth without burdening them with my problems?
Can I really take the risk of letting someone in and letting them take away the worries and pain? To let them be my shield? Would it really help? What should I do? Lizzy's death wasn't the only thing on my mind. Yet, I decided to focus all my attention on her death while ignoring the problem still here.
Scarlet and my mother...
I was brought out of my thoughts when Prince Marcus continued his little speech. "Besides you're in no condition to be pushing yourself to the limit. You're still injured and Lizzy's burial is tomorrow. You need to rest."
Tomorrow?
Are they burying her tomorrow? Is it alright for her to be buried so soon? Didn't they have to examine her body and try to find her cause of death? They can't bury her now. We still have to know who killed her!
"What do you mean she's being buried tomorrow? What about collecting evidence? She can't be buried so soon!" I said a little Louder than intended. I was starting to panic a little on the inside. I wouldn't let Lizzy's death be swept under the rug. Her killer needs to be put in prison or sentenced to death.
"Calm down, Rebekah. Lizzy's body has already been examined and samples were taken from her body and the crime scene to be analyzed. So, it's alright to bury her body. And the smell of her decaying body is starting to become unbearable. She needs to be put to rest." He explained as I tried my best to forget the images of her body. Talking about her like that wasn't helping me forget. Instead, it made it worse as my mind created more horrifying images each time.
"You're right. She needs to be given a proper burial. It was unfortunate that Lizzy was murdered and left like that but she at least deserves to be put to rest." I felt like saying that wasn't enough. That I needed to do something else. That I at least needed to find the person responsible for her death and get justice for her.
"You said that samples were already taken, right?" I asked for confirmation as I turned to face him, careful that I didn't cause unnecessary pain in my arm. The moment the words left my lips I saw PrinceMarcus's body stiffened. I knew he was trying to divert my attention away from the real question, what had they found when they examined her?
I also knew that he was hiding something from me. Something he didn't want me to know. And I wasn't sure if it was related to Lizzy's case or something far worse.
"Yes, I did say that. Why are you asking?" He replied in a serious tone. His sudden changes in behavior were starting to make suspicious. The moment I brought up the topic of knowing the results of the examination done on Lizzy's body, he would get angry or go silent.
"I would like to see the reports." I watched as he clenched his hands into a fist at his side while he glared at the ceiling. For a moment he didn't move or say anything about what I had said, but I knew he heard me. I was about to repeat my statement when he slowly sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed. He stared at the nightstand in deep thought before taking a deep breath and turning in my direction with a straight face.
"I know it is pointless to argue with you and even more pointless to try and change your mind. I wanted you to at least get some rest before you see those reports but it seems you are unwilling to cooperate. So, if you are that eager to know the gruesome details about Lizzy's death then I'll let you see them. But I will warn you, whatever you're about to read isn't going to make any of this easier for you. In fact what you had seen was only part of the wounds inflicted on her body."
Turning his back at me, he pulled open the top drawer of the nightstand to reveal a big yellow envelope. He narrowed his eyes at the envelope before carelessly tossing it at me.
"Is this it?" I waved the yellow envelope in my hands at him. "This was in there the entire time?" I pointed at the nightstand in a mixture of disbelief and confusion. What was he thinking?
"Were you hoping I would discover it on my own? Or did you keep it there because you thought I wouldn't look there?"
"I had no intentions of keeping this a secret. I did state my reasons for not telling you and I'll repeat them again, I only wanted you to get some rest after you seemed to be under a lot of pressure recently. I was going to show you the reports tomorrow but you just had to be stubborn."
Jerking his head in the direction of the envelope in my hand, he continued. "The contents within that envelope won't be sugarcoated versions of the truth. It will be blunt and straight to the point. As for the Autopsy report that will contain information about what we know or rather what we believe happened to your sister. Just remember you asked to see them." Nodding my head in understanding, I swallowed the lump in my throat. My palms were clammy and my heartbeat escalated. Why was I suddenly scared?
Seeing him this composed, was unnerving. His usual arrogant and carefree self-was replaced with a man that was prepared for anything. It was as if he was trying to hide his feelings? Maybe. Or maybe it wasn't even that. But there was one thing I was certain about and that was a lot had happened during those few days I was hiding away in my bedroom. And it wasn't just Lizzy's death.
Taking a deep breath I slowly began to open the envelope. It was it now or never.
-------
Final Diagnosis
A. Blunt force trauma
B. Cranial Cerebral Injuries
• Multiple cranial penetrations to the back of the head
• Linear fraction on the right side of the skull
C. Multiple stab wounds to the stomach and behind the legs.
I stopped reading the moment Lizzy's body started to replay inside my head with each word I read. My stomach churned with the need to empty the contents within it. My hand covered my mouth and drank some water in an attempt to stop the rising bile in my throat. I hadn't read a large amount of the report and I was already nauseous.
I finally realized why Prince Marcus was so reluctant to tell me anything. Lizzy wasn't just murdered. She was tortured before she died.
Ripped flesh ...
Rich red blood oozing out of a freshly made hole in her head...
Cold, lifeless eyes staring at me...
The scent of rotting flesh...
Those thoughts alone made it impossible to keep the bile down. I couldn't hold it in anymore. The memory of what I had seen, felt and smelt was unbearably fresh in my mind. I threw the covers off of me as I ran to the bathroom with my hand over my mouth. I made gagging sounds as Lizzy's body continue to flash before my eyes as I tried not to throw up before I made it to the bathroom. The moment I bent over the toilet I threw up.
My head and arm protested at my sudden movement but I couldn't focus on the pain. The need to throw up was the only thing I could care about.
"Are you alright?" I heard Prince Marcus ask as I held onto the seat of the toilet like my life depended on it. At some point, there was nothing left in my stomach to throw up instead I was dry heaving. My head and arm hurt while my body felt weak. It was as if all the energy in my body had been drained out of me.
"I'm fine." I breathlessly replied as the need to vomit subsided. It was obvious that I was far from alright but he didn't say anything.
I tiredly laid on the cold tiled floor, thankful for the coolness it brought to my warm body. The bitter taste of vomit lingered in my mouth as I scrunched up my face in disgust. I wanted to brush my teeth and get rid of the awful taste.
When I finally calmed down, I held onto Prince Marcus's outstretched hand as he helped me stand in front the big silver mirror opposite us. He didn't say anything. Instead, he gave me some water in a glass to rinse my mouth. Once I was finished rinsing the awful taste of vomit out of my mouth, he gave me a new toothbrush and some minty toothpaste.
As I brushed my teeth I looked at my reflection. My eyes had dark bags under them, my hair was messy and loose strands were stuck to my forehead and I looked paler than usual. Overall I looked like I was sick or a half-dead corpse.
"Are you feeling better now?" I looked at the side of the mirror to see Prince Marcus leaning against the door frame watching me. I turned away from his watchful eyes as I tried to focus on brushing my teeth. But all I could think about was the Autopsy Report and how I hadn't seen most of those injuries.
"I'm fine, thank you. I just need you to do one thing for me." I said after I rinsed my mouth again. He gestured for me to continue as I took a shaky breath and gripped the tiled counter.
"I want you to tell me in full detail what happened to Lizzy." I finished as I made eye contact with him in the mirror.
He slowly nodded before he began telling me what he knew. "Lizzy's body was found two days after you had returned from your visit -with your mother and sisters- by an elderly couple passing by the alleyway on Mission Creek street, district 3. Upon discovering her body the couple contacted the officers in charge of that district. They reported that a young lady not more than 20 years of age had been discovered in the alleyway, brutally beaten and disfigured with her clothes almost ripped to shreds. What you had seen was nothing compared to what she was like when she was brought to the palace. She would have been almost unidentifiable if it wasn't for the family crest tattooed on her upper arm. We don't have any strong leads as to who did this but we do know it had to have been someone she was familiar with. Since, there were signs of her being tortured, possibly raped and her putting up a fight. Whoever did this was defiantly good at covering their tracks." I felt my eyes burn with unshed tears as he told me what happened.
Although I had already thrown up everything in my stomach I still felt like there was more to throw up. A strangled sob escaped my lips as I slid to the floor with my hand covering my mouth. Had Lizzy gone through all of that? And by the hands of someone she possibly knew? Why would they do that? She may have acted like a spoilt princess at times but she was never bad to anyone. So, why?
"I know this is hard for you to hear and I know you'll want to find the person who did this to Lizzy but I hope you'll leave that to the officers in charge of her case. And you can't tell anyone about her death." Prince Marcus said as he gently squeezed my shoulder. I looked at him with shock clearly visible on my face. Couldn't I tell anyone she was dead? Why was this being kept a secret?
"Why can't tell anyone? Why are you hiding this from the citizens of Awa? They need to know that there is killer on the loose in the kingdom! You're trying to cover this up, aren't you? Is that why her body was here instead of the town's morgue?"
"I can't tell you reasons for her death being kept in the dark as yet. But I will tell you when the time is right. And to answer your last question, yes, that's why she was brought here but she was also brought here by the request of your mother and father. To keep this away from the public's eyes, her body was brought to the palace for examination and to further confirm that it was indeed Lizzy who had been gone for two days prior to when the discovery was made. The couple was sworn to secrecy and no one other than the Royal Family and the Northwest Family knows about her death."
Why are they doing this!