2
October 1st – 11:56 AM
The Stewart Hollow Community Center was buzzing. The gymnasium had filled and everyone was waiting to hear his or her assigned jobs for the festival. It was tradition that on October 1st, everyone who would be involved would receive their job so they could start planning. The festival was only four short weeks away.
The crowd in the gymnasium was growing impatient. A tall man with gray hair stood in front of the crowd. He wore a brown suit with an orange tie. This was Bruce Slater. He had been running the community center for years. Next to him was a younger woman in her mid twenties. Her dark hair rested on her shoulders, and her black-rimmed glasses gave her a very professional appearance. This was Bruce’s second in command – Ashley Penner.
Ashley noticed the crowd becoming uneasy. She leaned over and whispered over the noise. “She should be here any second.”
Bruce, keeping his eyes in front, whispered back. “Carly knows what time the meeting is. This isn’t like her.”
“I spoke with her on the phone last night. She was worrying that we were going to be behind schedule. Trust me, she’ll be here.”
“She has two minutes, then we’re starting without her.”
“I’ll give her another call.” Ashley pulled out her iPhone from her pocket and went out into the hall where it was quieter. She dialed and got the voicemail. “Carly, it’s Ashley again. You better get here as soon as you can. Bruce is going to start losing his patience soon and everyone is waiting. You better not have overslept!”
Ashley ended the call and saw two guys walking towards her from the entrance at the end of the hallway.
“Mark!” She called out.
Mark Jenson and his buddy, Brady Murphy, walked in a generically ‘cool’ manner. Mark nodded to his girl.
“Well, hey beautiful.”
The three of them met in the hallway and Mark leaned in to kiss her, but she dodged it.
“What?” he said; his manhood crushed.
“Have you guys seen Carly anywhere?”
“No, we just got here,” Mark said, feathering his hair back.
“Why are you guys even late? The meeting is going to start any second.” She looked from Mark to Brady. Brady was shorter than his friend, with a nerdy appearance, but he pulled it off well.
“I just got hired at the costume store, so we were checking out the stock.” Brady said.
“Yeah well, you guys are going to be assigned your jobs for the festival, so get in there.” Ashley was all business.
The guys followed Ashley into the gymnasium.
2:56 PM
Sheriff Carter hung up the phone in his office, just as his Deputy, Allan Reed, walked in. Allan was a shorter man, younger, and athletically shaped man. Carter looked up at him. Allan had a strange look on his face.
“What is it?” Carter asked, on the edge of his seat.
“There’s been a murder,” Reed responded.
“Where?”
“The Simmons farm. Carly Simmons was murdered.”
Carter looked at the letter, which was laid out in front of him. He then looked at Reed, who had a look of dread.
“Let’s go.” Carter grabbed his keys.
It was only a five-minute drive to the Simmons farm. When they arrived, the press was there to greet them. The farm had been quarantined by crime scene tape. Carter went into the house, and Reed held off the media.
The scene was grisly. Carly Simmons was sprawled out on the kitchen floor. She had been stabbed numerous times in her chest, stomach and back. Blood splatter had hit the walls and cabinets and had pooled neatly beneath her body.
Carter walked outside minutes later, removing his latex gloves. He met with Reed by the attached garage.
“There hasn’t been a murder in Stewart Hollow in almost ten years. And now we get one on the same day we receive that letter.” Carter said, looking around at the cluttered mess of reporters, police and medics.
“So you think it’s safe to say they’re connected?” Reed asked.
“It would appear so.” Carter looked around with a purpose. “Where’re the parents?”
Reed pointed over by a police car. Carly’s parents were standing by the car, being questioned by another officer.
“The father’s doing alright, but the mother’s a wreck.” Reed explained.
“Wouldn’t you be if your daughter was slaughtered?”
Reed followed Carter over to the parents.
“Mr. and Mrs. Simmons?” Carter asked upon arriving.
They looked up and nodded. Mrs. Simmons’ make up had run down her face and Mr. Simmons appeared to have been crying as well.
“I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter,” Carter began. “We promise we are going to do everything in our power to catch her killer.”
“Who would do such a thing?” Mr. Simmons asked, struggling to hold back his emotions.
“I don’t know. Did Carly have any enemies or recent confrontations with anyone?” Carter asked. Reed jotted down notes in his pad behind Carter.
“I…I don’t think so.”
“Has there been anyone hanging around the house recently that you weren’t familiar with? Any frequent visitors?”
Mr. Simmons thought for a moment. “Just our neighbor, Brandon. Brandon Becker. He’s been over here a lot lately. I think he had a thing for Carly. She was getting annoyed with him constantly bugging her.”
Reed wrote it all down.
“You found her body an hour ago, correct?” Reed asked.
“Yes, Deputy.”
“You just got home from a…?”
“Business meeting. We were in Portland for the weekend. We were planning on moving there in the spring.”
“And your wife was with you?”
“Yes.”
“Someone in Portland can confirm this, I trust?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mrs. Simmons had her head buried in her hands. She was starting to lose control.
“When was the last time you spoke with your daughter, Mr. Simmons?” Carter asked.
“Last night around ten or so.”
“Did she act strangely at all?”
“She was hoping Brandon didn’t come over. She also mentioned something about a lit pumpkin out in the yard somewhere.” Mr. Simmons said, forgetting that fact from earlier. He looked around the farm, as did Carter and Reed.
“There!” Reed pointed out into the yard. Sitting in front of the cornfield was a bail of hay with an eerie looking scarecrow sticking out of it. On that bail of hay, sat a pumpkin. The officers made their way to it and examined it.
“What do you think, Sheriff?” Reed asked.
“Let’s get this thing in for fingerprints.”
3:33 PM
Mark Jenson was laying on his couch, shoes off and a bowl of chips on his chest. The late afternoon sun gleamed through the blinds in his living room and placed a glare on his television screen.
Ashley Penner walked into the room from behind him to see a black and white zombie movie on the television. She held a can of cola and sat down next to him, forcing him to adjust on the couch accordingly.
“What are you even watching?” she asked, disgusted by the sight of zombies biting into peoples’ necks.
“Zombie Invasion 4. It’s the 31 days of Halloween marathon. It’s tradition, Ash. If were going to be living together, you have to respect the marathon.” Mark said without once removing his eyes from the screen.
“Well, the only tradition I care about right now is the festival.” She rolled her eyes. “And I see you managed to get ‘Ice Cream Vendor’ again this year. How did you manage that three years in a row?”
“I have a man on the inside,” Mark joked.
“Who?”
“If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” he smiled.
Ashley gave him a hard slap on the shoulder, just as her cell phone rang. She stood up and walked the table in the other room of the apartment to grab it.
“Hello?” She answered in a perky tone. She quickly became horrified and quiet. The silence drew Mark’s attention. He looked at her and mouthed:
“What’s wrong?”
Ashley began to cry and she dropped to her knees. Mark was instantly by her side. “What’s wrong, Ash?”
“Carly’s dead!” Ashley cried, and buried her head into Mark’s chest as he hugged her tight.
5:59 PM
Sheriff Carter sat in his office, typing up his report. Deputy Reed entered the room with a knock. He leaned in and dropped the mysterious envelope on his desk.
“Any luck?” Carter asked with little hope in his voice.
“Aside from us and a few postal employees, there are no other fingerprints on it. Same with the pumpkin - it’s clean.”
“Well then.” Carter said, disappointed with the results. “I’m going to head over to Brandon Becker’s house, ask him a few questions. You want to come?”
“Can’t. I need to finish my report then I told Bethany I’d give her a ride home.”
“Suit yourself.”
6:20 PM
Carter arrived at the Becker house at dusk. The sun was setting and the air had cooled down quite noticeably. Leaves blew across the yard as Carter made his way to the front door. He knocked then looked off to his right where he could see the Simmons house across the field.
The door opened up and a young man in his twenties stood on the other side. He dressed in a red hooded sweatshirt and jeans torn at the knees.
“Can I help you?” he asked, confused by the sudden police presence.
“Are you Brandon Becker?”
“No, I’m his brother, Aiden.”
“Is Brandon home?”
“Sure, hang on.” Aiden turned and called for his brother. Moments later, Brandon arrived in the doorway. He was taller than Aiden, and wore an oversized white v-neck and kakis.
“Yes?” Brandon asked.
“Brandon, I’m Sheriff Ben Carter with the Stewart Hollow Sheriff’s Department. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your neighbor, Carly Simmons.”
“Sure, why?” Brandon’s eyes began to shift in an uncomfortable manner. “Is everything alright?”
“She was murdered last night. The time of death appears to be around midnight,” Carter said, noticing Aiden looming behind his brother in the doorway.
“Oh my God.” Brandon appeared to get weak in the knees. He took a step back.
“I understand you frequently visited Carly. Is there any chance you were there last night?”
“No, no.” Brandon tried to settle his thoughts down. “I didn’t leave the house last night. I was here with Aiden the whole time.”
Carter glanced back at Aiden, who nervously nodded in agreement. Carter’s eyes returned to Brandon. “I was told you had a crush on Carly. Is that true?”
“Uh, yeah, kind of.”
“Are you aware that Carly’s family was thinking about relocating to Portland in the spring?”
“Yeah, she told me.” Brandon said.
“Did that upset you?” Carter asked.
“A little bit. But not enough to kill her, if that’s what you’re implying, Sheriff.” Brandon was obviously offended by Carter’s questioning.
“Okay, okay, calm down. I’m not accusing you of anything.” Sheriff Carter looked at Aiden once again, who strangely kept quiet. “Well, if either of you guys can think of anything you’d like to say, or maybe if you saw someone strange hanging around the farm lately, just give us a call.”
Brandon nodded, as did his brother.
“Take care, boys.” Carter tipped his hat and retreated to his car.
Brandon shut the door. He stood inside with Aiden, who looked at his brother curiously.
“You weren’t here last night,” Aiden firmly stated.
Brandon looked into his brother eyes and then walked in the other direction.
“Where were you last night, Brandon?”
Brandon stopped in the hall, with his back still facing his brother. “Just mind your own business, Aiden.”
Brandon walked down the hallway and out of sight.