Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

For a Sunday morning, the weather felt very unforgiving. The thick grey clouds had completely concealed the sun and there was an icy wind in the atmosphere. The kind of wind that leaves your face feeling like an ice cube at each gush it takes at you. This was completely different to Justin's funeral. Justin's funeral had many willing participants but this time, people looked like they would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Doreen, Trevor and even the teachers were there. Just two days ago, Inspector Charles had announced on the news the death of the notorious Axe Killer. The inspector had not looked as excited as Clarissa had expected. It almost sounded like he had been pronouncing the worst news ever. She had not even wanted to watch the news. As soon as the inspector had begun talking of finally getting rid of the "plague of the nation", she immediately left the room. She even felt that her parents understood her pain. They had apologized to her non-stop, trying their best to comfort her. But Clarissa did not want to be comforted. She did not want flowers, sorries or even the sweetest chocolates they had tried to offer her. She just wanted to be alone.

She looked towards the road. More people were just arriving. People she did not even recognize. She blew into her frozen hands and rubbed them vigorously together. A bouquet of roses was at her feet. She was dressed in a black fur coat, a black wool hat and a long, black dress and black high heels. His casket was just a few metres from where she stood, wide open. She could not bear to even try to look inside. She decided to wait until everyone had their turn. There was no tombstone erected for him, as if he

did not deserve it. She saw Doreen walking towards her. Her face looked heavy.

At least she's playing the part well, thought Clarissa.

Doreen stopped right in front of her. She was wearing layers and layers of jackets to try to combat the cold. 'Hi,' she greeted her.

Clarissa nodded. She did not feel like she was in the mood for a conversation.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

Just go away! Clarissa shouted in her head. 'I'm fine,' she replied, mumbling.

Doreen sighed. 'I'm sorry.'

Clarissa wondered how long Doreen intended to keep up the act. 'What do you want here, Doreen?'

'I know we've had our disagreements, Claire, but…'

'Disagreements?' Claire sneered. 'You broke our friendship..!'

'And wasn't it for a good reason?' Doreen said pointing at the casket behind her. She lowered her voice, 'Claire, your boyfriend turned out to be a bloodthirsty murderer! And not just your ordinary shoot-a-couple-of-people-with-a-gun killer, but an axe, Claire! An axe! Do you realise how demented that is?'

'So, did you come here to gloat or is there a reason for you disturbing me right now?'

She folded her arms. 'I came here because I was worried about you, Claire. And yes, to say we told you so. His aunt and mother are both nowhere to be found. His entire family was just suspicious from the beginning.'

Clarissa narrowed her eyes. 'You're saying "we" told you so but I don't see Sabrina anywhere.'

'She couldn't make it. But you know if she could she would.'

'Yeah, but she won't because she hated his guts…and mine.'

'Sabrina will come around, Claire. I promise. Especially now that…he's gone, maybe we can be the friends we used to be. The three female musketeers, hey?' she smiled then poked her gently in the shoulder.

Clarissa let slip a slight smile. 'Thanks for coming over but…I need to be alone right now,' she said.

Doreen nodded understandingly. 'It's fine. I'll call you, okay?'

Clarissa nodded as she watched Doreen walk back to Trevor's gang. Trevor looked excited as he conversed with his crew.

Viola came and stood right beside Claire. She was wearing her oversized sports jacket and for probably the first time in history, she was wearing a pair of blue jeans. She was chewing on a piece of gum, her hands buried deep in her jacket pockets.

The old and bald reverend opened the casket then stood behind it. It was now time for the viewing of the body. People began to line up.

'Murph was a cool dude,' said Viola while slurping and smacking her gum in Clarissa's ear. She too was looking at the people as they each took their turns to view the casket. Some of them did not even bother to look inside but would just nod in its direction and then walk past it. No one wanted anything to do with him especially after the fear and paranoia they had been put through. It was as though them coming to the funeral was a last laugh at him. A triumphant gesture towards the black teenager that ruined their lives. The families of Miss Bale and Justin were not present though.

'What?' Clarissa turned her attention back to Viola. It was as if she hadn't noticed her until that moment.

'He was a cool dude…Murph,' Viola said.

'You tried to sell his mother out, remember?' Clarissa said. She sounded irritated.

Viola smiled reminiscently. 'Yeah…but he let it slide. He could have grabbed his axe and made short work of me but…he played it cool. I'm grateful for dat.'

Clarissa had heard enough. Without a word, she picked up the bouquet and walked away from her and joined the line. She had wanted to be the last one. At each step that drew her closer, she felt like she could collapse at any moment. She wanted to turn away and leave but she knew this was going to be the last time she would ever see him. The last time she would get a chance to say goodbye.

Finally, her turn came. Tears were already starting to make their way down her cheeks. She looked aside and she placed her hand at the edge of the casket. It was so cold. Most people were already beginning to leave. Only a few were just loitering around. They had had their last laughs.

Clarissa felt a heavy pain in her chest. Her tears continued their journey down her face. She opened her mouth to speak but saliva choked her. She cried. She did not know if anyone was looking at her. The girl that was in love with a serial killer: the person who had haunted their minds and lived among them for so long. She didn't care. She continued to let it all out. This was her last chance.

She said, 'You know…when I was still dating Justin, I did so many things that contradicted who I really am. I felt myself changing so much that I could no longer recognize myself. I felt like…I felt trapped, Sin. But somehow…somehow, from nowhere, you came along. You were the one who set me free. But now that you're gone…' She wiped more tears from her face. She felt a hand on her shoulder from behind her. It felt gentle.

'Games, Clarissa. Games…'

That voice! That voice! Her heart stopped for a second. It leapt, then began to beat faster. She froze when the hand let go of her shoulder. She dropped the roses and turned her head slowly around. She only saw the back of a hooded figure walking past Trevor's crew. She regained her strength. She chased after it. She wanted to yell; "Stop! Stop!" at the top of her voice but no sound was willing to come forth from her mouth. She only opened it but released nothing.

Trevor stepped in front of her. He laughed directly into her face. 'I can't believe you came here, Clarissa. I can't believe you came to say goodbye to the same deranged maniac that killed Justin. Were you in this together by any chance?'

'Get out of my way, Trevor or I swear I will kill you myself!!!' she shouted into his face, looking over his shoulder at the hooded figure. It had reached the sidewalk.

Trevor looked awestricken. He pointed a finger at her, 'I knew you two were in this together!'

She violently shoved him to the side, almost knocking him to the ground and continued her chase. She looked towards the pavement. She saw the passenger seat of a black BMW close shut from the opposite side of the road. The car pulled off the sidewalk and began making its way up the road. Her heart still beating frantically, she ran back towards the casket, bumping past a bitter and raving Trevor. She looked inside.

Something brown was peeking from right under Deputy James' face-mangled corpse, just underneath his shoulder. She leaned in and yanked it out. It was a brown envelope. She wasted no time in opening it.

The photos were crystal clear. Deputy James' nude body on top of Mrs. Charles Hemnar's. There were copies and copies of copies and so much more. Some had been taken from what looked like a bedroom and others in a kitchen. Clarissa turned around and looked towards the road.

The BMW made a left at an intersection further up the road and vanished out of sight.

She wiped the last tear from her eye. She couldn't help it. She smiled.