Page 12 of Little Horrors & Deceptions

“Of course,” he replied, his eyes searching mine. “You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded, already backing away. Liam was drawn into a conversation with the party hosts, likely smoothing over the ruffled feathers caused by the uninvited brawlers. Our eyes met one last time, and I saw the question there, the silent ‘what if’ that lingered.

But the night had taken its toll, and the what-ifs would have to wait. With a final wave, I slipped out into the night.

Chapter 8

Olivia Bennett

“Hey, Oli, I’ve dug up everything I could on Liam.” Johnathan’s voice crackled through the phone line. My fingers paused, a small lock of hair held tight in my grasp.

“Go on,” I urged, threading the needle with precision honed by countless nights of meticulous work on Cynthia. The name Johnathan had given her was starting to grow on me.

“He was adopted around fifteen, not sure why, but his file doesn’t go back any further than that. It looks like it’s just been erased.”

“How long was he in the system?" I asked.

"What part of erased didn’t you get?”

“Whoa, okay, settle down, sassy pants. I was just asking.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Boss has been down my neck. I’ll look more into it, but it shows him only being in the system for about 2 weeks before he was adopted by Nina Asher. I’m not sure what happened prior to that.”

“Look more into Nina for me?”

“Will do.”

“Thanks, Johnathan,” I murmured, my eyes never leaving the delicate task before me as I threaded more hair to my doll’s head. The TV droned on in the background, a white noise to our call—until it wasn’t.

“...new body has been found,” the anchor announced, the casual drop of a bombshell. That was fast. My hand stilled and I looked up. The man from the haunted house that day popped up on the screen. Marco Croix.

My heart sang as I pieced it all together. The MO matched perfectly. That could easily be the executioner. I could connect all of it. I could get my case back and, if I was lucky, close it.

The phone was cold against my ear, a stark contrast to the heat flaring within me. “Johnathan! I think I can get back on the executioner case. What if it’s all connected.”

“Wh—” he started. The TV’s glow washed over me, its blue light flickering like the pulse of a dying star.

“Oli, explain.” Johnathan’s voice cut through again, sharp and seeking an explanation.

I squeezed the doll in my hand, felt the prickle of hair against my palm. It grounded me, kept the excitement from boiling over into madness. I had to focus, had to make him see the full picture emerging in my mind. Well, at least most of it.

“It fits, Johnathan. The executioner killings—I think they’re connected to Dead Man’s somehow,” I went on excitedly.

“Oli, slow down.” His words tried to catch me, hold me back, but I was already sprinting ahead.

“Turn on the news, channel four. There was a Croix murder in town. The same man I saw my first day on the job. The way the news anchor is describing the murder, it sounds like our perp. What if the executioner is connected to the haunted house?” I stated, sounding convincing.

“Oli, that’s a stretch…”

“Trust me,” I said, and I meant it. I needed him to trust me. The line hummed with his hesitation before he finally blew out a breath, and I knew I had won. “Pack your bags,” I commanded, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I’m calling Clemens to send you down here with me. I’m getting my case back.”

The line went dead before Johnathan could doubt me, hell, even say anything. My fingers danced over the keypad, punching in the number that would connect me to the man that could give me the power to chasemy hunch.

“Chief, it’s Bennett.” No pleasantries. Not like he ever gave us any anyways. My pulse hammered in my ears as I waited for his grunt of acknowledgment. “Listen,” I said, each word sharp, deliberate, and confident. “There was a Croix body found down here and the MO matches the executioner. I think it’s all linked.” There was a long pause.

“Are you sure?” Skepticism laced his tone, and I braced myself against it.

“Dead sure,” I responded, my conviction a steel blade slicing through any doubt. “Please, sir, I wouldn’t have contacted you if I didn’t have anything, and I think this could all be connected to something big.”

---