Chapter 5

On her ride home Iris felt happier than she ever did in the last four years. With Esty going missing there wasn't much that could make her happy, but this woman she had just met accomplished something Iris thought she'd never feel again. The wind flowing through her hair, Iris leaned her head back and took in the cold breeze, her smile never wavering, until she spotted something on the side of the road that made it falter.

It was an odd lump, black and unidentifiable, getting closer she realized it was just a fast food back someone threw out their window. The sun was setting faster now, the dark scared Iris a tiny bit and she peddled faster, never getting any closer to her destination.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket but didn't dare take it out, she had to focus on getting home before it got any later. When she got to her house she sat down on her couch and resumed her usual routine of going through Esty's diary and looking through photos of her. She missed her best friend, it was a reaction that would be obvious to someone going missing, but for Iris it was something deeper.

Iris was new to this town, just starting out on her own away from a family that didn't love her. Esty was the first person she met in this new town, the first one to make her feel welcome, without Esty it felt like she no longer belonged there. She found one picture, the most recent one before Esty disappeared. Iris wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek and smiled at the memory.

"Esty!" Iris yelled, spotting her friend. "Hurry up, over here!"

"Iris, can you believe it?" Esty laughed. They were at the local fair, laughing and talking as they watched people get on rides and trip over little kids. Somehow, when Iris looked back, she missed the big teddy bear Esty was holding.

"Where did you win that?"

"Over by the bottle game, you had to knock them down and if you got them all you got a big stuffed animal." Esty was grinning and hugging the bear as if it would disappear into thin air if she let it go.

"Let's go on that ride." Iris pointed at a big yellow ride that was swinging back and forth, as if it were trying to shake its passengers off.

Iris hooked her arm under Estys as much as she could and they walked to the ride, arm in arm. In the line Esty looked terrified, she was never that good with these kinds of rides, but Iris was bouncing up and down on her heels as if riding this ride was the mark of her life.

Looking at them you wouldn't be able to tell that these two girls were twenty-two year old adults.

Iris couldn't stomach going to fairs after that, she had no one just like before. Living in this town was starting to remind her of her hometown, she had no one there and now she had no one here, was she bound to be sad her entire life? She hugged a couch pillow and cried harder than she had in the last four years, the memories of Esty were too much to handle yet she couldn't stop thinking about her.

After a few minutes, Iris remembered her phone vibrating in her pocket and pulled it out. It was a text from an unknown number reading, "This is Arrow, real name Denise." with a smiley face next to it. This had managed to make Iris smile just a little, but she could still feel the tears on her face as she replied back with a smiley face and set her phone on the coffee table.

Iris didn't eat that night, she had a hard time keeping an appetite since Esty vanished and ran into unhealthy eating habits. Sometimes she would eat too much and other times she wouldn't eat at all.

The next morning Iris woke up to the blaring of her alarm, she slammed it with her hand and it shut off. She got out of bed reluctantly, pulling on a silk blue robe as she walked to the bathroom. She had to be at the police station for more questioning, which was taking a toll on her because she was forced to review the events of Esty's vanishing act all because she was the last to see her.

Although the case was cold there were still detectives trying to crack it. Iris appreciated this, but she wished they would just give her a break. After the bathroom she went into the living room where her phone was going crazy on the coffee table, she didn't have anyone to talk to and left her phone on vibrate at all times.

When she picked up the phone she saw it was Dainella calling, multiple times throughout the night, and Denis, or Arrow, telling her good morning. She opened a voicemail from Dainella and felt her blood run cold at the voice speaking on the other end, a voice that sounded terrified and helpless.

"He's coming for you next, get to safety. He's already got me, I thought after Esty he would stop but he's just starting. Please save yourself Iris-" who was she talking about? Why had the voicemail cut off? She opened another one and felt fear strike her once more.

"Please, please, why must you do this? What did I do?" It was Dainella, who was she talking to?

"Don't you see?" A male voice cut in. "It's all part of the plan, you know too much. You have to die."

"No, no I won't tell anyone I promise. I promise. PLEASE!" There was the sickening sound of something squelchy and the wind whipping before the voicemail was cut off.

Iris put the phone down, her hands shaking, the males voice sounded familiar, almost sincere when he mentioned her dying. Iris ran to her room, dressed quickly, and was almost out the door when she remembered her phone. She got on her bike and peddled as fast as her legs would let her.

Once Iris reached the police station she rushed in, everyone in the room looked at her as she frantically looked around. She found a lady at the front desk and swiftly walked up to her.

"I need Officer Lee." She tried to catch her breath as she talked but couldn't get rid of the stitch in her chest.

"It's seven in the morning, you don't have an appointment with him for another three hours." The lady said in her sweet voice. "I can sit you in the waiting room."

"You don't understand, this is important." Iris pleaded.

"Very well." The lady said, picking up her phone.

Iris couldn't wait a minute more, she needed to relieve what she had just heard over the phone. She took a running start at Officer Lee's door, she collided with it and it hit the wall behind it with a loud bang.

"Iris!" Officer Lee was standing up, a look of shock and surprise on his face. "You're not supposed to be here for another three hours."

"It's important." Iris said shortly, pulling out her phone. "I just got these voicemails from Esty's sister."

With that statement she pressed play on the two voicemails she saved and watched Lee's facial features drop. After the voicemails ended they sat there in silence, Lee was processing what he heard and Iris was thinking of what had happened to Dainella, was she dead? Was she missing like Esty?

"We need to get someone to her house." Iris said gravely, stowing her phone in her pocket.

"Yes, I think we do. Where does she live?" Lee asked, picking up a pen and paper.

"189 Parkway Avenue, it's a red house, big red house. She lives in Fargo." Iris said, sitting in a chair. "Could I go with them?"

"Of course, let me round up our best guys and fill them in." Lee stood up, taking the paper with him and left. After a few more minutes he came back in, there were four officers trailing behind him.

"Oh, hey Iris." An officer with purple hair waved to her.

"Arrow?" Iris said, not believing her eyes.

"I see you two are friendly." Lee smiled, only allowing it to be seen for a second before getting stern again. "Ok, Iris has just brought to me a possible murder. Do you mind playing the voicemails again?"

Iris complied, pulling out her phone and pressing play once more. She didn't bother looking around, she knew the reactions the officers would have, in her mind's eye she could see Arrows face pale.

"We're on the case?" The officer by the window asked, his arms folded over his chest.

"Yes, Arrow, since you know Iris she will be in your car." Lee said, he turned to the others. "You three will take your partners with you, we don't know what we'll find there or who. We need to be prepared."

"C'mon." Iris turned to see hair holding out a hand that had a fingerless glove on it. "It's gonna be ok."

Iris took her hand and slowly followed her out of the station with the other officers. The ride to Dainellas went by in a fast blur, another person she lost, another connection to this town lost. Would she need to move or would Arrow be her connection to this town?

Dainellas house looked untouched, as perfect as the last time Iris had seen it, but the feeling was still there. Something wasn't right. Arrow got out of the car and motioned for Iris to stay put until the coast was clear, she saw them walk around the back of the house with their guns out.

Iris sat in the police car for a few minutes before she saw Arrow making her way back around the house looking grave. She knew it, deep down she knew and the look on Arrows face confirmed it.

Iris stepped out of the car and closed the door softly. "It's not gonna be ok is it?"

Arrow reached her, not once looking at her. Iris stared blankly, not noticing the arms wrapping around her or the sniffling.

"I don't…I'm so sorry." Arrow mumbled into Iris's shoulder. "I want you to see but it's so bad."

"I want to look." Iris said, removing herself from Arrow. "I'm taking her cat."

Arrow didn't try to stop her, instead she followed. When Iris saw it she wished she hadn't asked to come, she wished she was back in the police station. There was blood everywhere, splattered on the walls, pooled on the floor, and soaked into the rug Dainella loved. Her legs couldn't hold her anymore and Iris collapsed, tears spilling down her cheeks, she felt arms under her armpits and felt herself being lifted up easily.

"I've seen some stuff in the field, but this, this is the worst." Arrow said, holding Iris in her arms as she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Iris choked out. "I should've seen this coming."

Arrow didn't say anything else until there were sirens outside. When Iris was free of Arrows embrace she found Dainellas cat, Luna, and picked her up. She slowly walked out of the house, petting the cat as she went, Iris sat back in Arrow's patrol car and waited as she did her job. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks, just seeing the body being wheeled into the ambulance made her want to curl up and die.

Iris stopped looking up from that moment on as the detectives and news reporters went in and out of the house. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and finally looked up, it was Arrow, she was moving around the car and the driver door opened.

"I can't believe it." Arrow said once she was sat in the car, Iris only nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"I want to go home." Iris said shortly, not once looking at Arrow. The woman in the driver seat had a weird power over her, just one look and the tears she was keeping at bay could spill over.

"Tell me where." Arrow said, shifting the car into reverse. "They said I can leave to take you home anyway."

The drive to Iris's wasn't as fast as the drive to Dainellas. Nothing was said between the two besides when Iris would give her directions, it was about eleven when they had reached Iris's.

Arrow opened the door for Iris and helped her to her door. Something stirred in Iris as she watched Arrow walk away, something that made her call out to the woman.

"Wait! Please, please, stay with me." She called, staying on her doorstep.

Arrow turned around slowly and nodded, walking back to where Iris stood. Iris took in the awkwardness for a moment and opened the door, her home wasn't big nor was it too small but she still felt embarrassed when Arrow stepped in after her.

"Big plant lady I see." Arrow said, flicking the leaf of one of the many plants on the wall.

"At least I can breathe." Iris muttered walking slowly to her room. "I'm going to shower, I feel I can smell the blood on me."

"I understand, I'll wait in the living room." Arrow said, settling herself onto the couch when Iris shook her head. "No?"

"You can wait in my room. I'm going to take a nap after, I just don't want to be alone right now." Iris said, still petting the cat in her arms.

"I understand. I couldn't deal after my first murder case." Arrow said, standing up once more.

"Is that where you got the scar?" Iris asked, leading Arrow to her bedroom.

"No, that was something less noble." Arrow chuckled. "It was a bank robbery, I got in a fist fight with the main suspect, they had a pocket knife and cut me enough to give me this."

"Oh, wow." Iris said, setting the cat on her bed. "I think you look kinda like a rebel."

Iris finished gathering her things and left the room. After a maybe twenty minutes Iris walked back in, her hair wet and swaying as she walked. She spotted the smile on Arrow's face and smiled back, Iris climbed into bed and pulled the covers to her shoulders.

"Do you want me to stay in this chair or join you?"

"Whatever you want."

Arrow carefully moved the cat in her lap and sat beside Iris in the bed. Arrow placed a hand on the part of Iris's head that was visible and began rubbing her head softly.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"What is there to talk about?"

"What's been happening in your life the last four years."

"You're a cop, you already know it all." This time she heard it, the way Iris's voice broke when she spoke.

"I wanna hear it from your side."

There was silence for a minute or two, Arrow knew Iris was crying silently judging by the shaking of her shoulders. She didn't push her to speak, she knew she would when she could, so she sat there rubbing her head softly. She was infatuated with this woman, she knew from the moment she saw her on the beach that she was in trouble.

"We were twenty-two." The statement was said so fast and clearly that Arrow had to recover from her thinking fast enough to catch it. "She's still twenty-two, I know she is."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's like Alex said, people never come out of cold cases alive. She's missing and hasn't been found in four years, she's either dead, which is very likely, or doesn't want to be found. Speaking on the dead part, she's still twenty-two."

"How can you be sure she is?"

"Everyone's sure we'll find her dead, and the note I found ripped out of her diary is solid proof of it." Iris pulled the blanket down, her eyes were red and cheeks stained with dry tears. "So, we were twenty-two, in Olive Garden, when she said something even I was hurt to hear."

"What did she say?" It was clear Iris said these things to have Arrow asking questions before she continued.

"She said she suspected Alex of cheating. I didn't put it past him, I could see right through him, I knew he didn't love her anymore. I was supposedly the last one to see her alive but I know differently, he saw her that night. She went home to confront him and the next morning she didn't tell me what happened with Alex, she didn't show up to work and the next Tuesday she didn't show up at Olive Garden." Iris took a breath, her voice shaking at the end of the sentence. "He reported her missing, it had already been forty-eight hours he should've reported it Thursday night. He waited. I know he had something to do with her disappearance just like Dainellas murder."

"What makes you say that?"

"No one waits an entire week to report the supposed love of their life missing."

"If I could investigate him I would, I wasn't put on Esty's case."

"Why not?"

"I'm still relatively new in the field."

"He did it. I know he did. Her last note mentioned her worst fears coming true and the last piece of the puzzle being in the jewelry box." Iris started playing with Arrows shirt, not paying any mind that she was doing it. "She knew something. So does he. I have to find Zyrian and Susan."

"I hear they know something about that."

"They do?" Iris's interest peaked.

"Mhm, heard them talking about it at Dainellas."

"They told me they had no leads."

"Must've found something, now, sleep. You need it, I know you haven't got much." Arrow leaned down and, without thinking, kissed Iris's forehead. "I can see it on your face."

Iris nodded and scooted closer to Arrow, closer to the person that made her feel safest.