CHAPTER 55

         Dylan looked around in her apartment. Just some few hours ago it was just her and Kenny but now it was a full house. What contrasted that fact was the silence in it as if she was alone. They had spent the last two hours working together, grasping at straws and in the end hadn't come up with much. She looked at each one of them,Kenny was still at her desk,the pen he had been using to illustrate his theories tapping on the wood. Emily was huddled in a corner alone with her arms crossed and gripping firmly at the sides of her belly almost as if she was trying to stop herself from shivering. Her gaze was focused on one spot. Carly was standing by the window facing the back. One could say that she was observing what was going on outside but really her thoughts were probably far away. Her head was leaning against the window pane and her arms were crossed too. She herself was sitting on the edge of a couch unsure of what to do or say next. She felt like it was expected of her,to say something and maybe uplift their spirits on what was to happen next. She stood up and walked a few paces away from them. It was Emily who spoke first.

               "I can't believe you all thought it was me who was doing this," she said and stood up then began to pace around the room. That caught everyone's attention. It was the first time she was commenting about the first theory they had come up with. She however didn't sound like she was angry. It was more remorseful and sad. She exchanged a glance with Carly who now walked back and sat where Emily had been sitting. 

                  "You can't really blame us Em. You are the only person who knew about us and had shown real hate towards our relationship,"Carly said calmly.

                  "I didn't hate your relationship. I was just jealous of how crazily cute you were and the fact that you were so in love and I couldn't have you." They both looked at her proving that that was an enough motive and she sighed with realization. "I know, you were right in doing so but I swear to God,I wouldn't reach that point of stalking and sending threats." She looked at Dylan,"Or even murdering your mom?"

                   "We are yet to prove whether the person sending these threats is the same one who murdered my mom but we believe you Emily," she finally said then sat back down,"Maybe if we can find out the reason the person is after you we can have an idea who it is."

                  "Yeah, that's where the problem comes in. I was a horrible person who to almost everyone and we might take forever to know who exactly it is. Let's see," she frowned as if trying to remember something. "Sending someone to a crack house,he came back with a broken neck. Gluing someone into a toilet seat, she ended up undergoing surgery then transferred schools. Unleashed a swarm of wasps during recess on the playground-"

                "What?" Carly cut her off in shock. "All that was you?"

                 "I liked joking around and at times I couldn't differentiate between jokes and causing serious bodily harm. I seriously regret doing all that." Her statements left them open mouthed and speechless. They looked at her as if she was some sort of monster except that the person sitting right there was a face full of regret and vulnerable. Even as much as they wanted to judge her,they couldn't. Well,not all of them at least.

               "You sure were a bitch," Kenny said as a matter of factly. 

As she stood there, she didn't know what to say about all that. She shook her head, snapping out of the shock,"I'm gonna go make coffee. Anyone want a cup?"

They all nodded and she turned to leave.

     Kenny joined her in the kitchen a minute later and sat on a stool at the counter. She turned to him but threw her glance past him. She could see the living room clearly where Carly was seated and as Emily joined her. Kenny followed her gaze then turned back to her.

                "You are worried about her." It was more of a statement.

  She nodded,"Yeah."

                 "And she is worried about you."

                  "I don't know,"she lied. "Maybe more about her son and family." At least that wasn't a lie. 

                 "She cares about you,I have seen the way she has been looking at you all the while. Now I have stopped questioning why you would not cut the ties with her family."

   She didn't know what to say about that so she said what she thought would be right for the moment.

                  "We met during our highschool sophomore year and she is the only person I have ever had a real connection with. It's still there I think and that's why it would kill me to let some psycho ruin her life."

                 "Wow,I can see that,"was all Kenny said. "Anyway, what about the other one? She was a real devil I'm guessing?"

    She sighed deeply,"Oh yeah. She liked my girlfriend- I mean Carly." Kenny grinned but she ignored it. "She broke us up once and it was messy. That's why we first thought it could be her but I'm convinced we were wrong. It couldn't be her, she is changed and I'm a witness to that. Otherwise she wouldn't have let that husband of hers to boss her around the way he did until he threw her out."

               "Wait,are you saying that we might get some more roommates?" She didn't know what Kenny thought about that and so she tried to test him.

               "I haven't thought about it yet,"she said. "Would you be against it?"

   His face brightened,"Are you kidding? The more the merrier. I don't date women but I love being around them."

She chuckled,"I'm not surprised."

                  "What,I just love the drama."

                   "Yeah, right." They both laughed. 

The smell of the coffee she had been brewing alerted her. She took out the pot from the cooker and emptied it into four cups. She then placed the cups on a tray and headed back to the living room,Kenny following at her heels with some biscuits in another tray.

                      ★★★

   They all sat again around the table after they had had their coffee listening to what Kenny had to say. Dylan was sitting closest to him while Carly and Emily took the other chairs. Kimmy and Lex were still in the other room sleeping,  evidence that indeed they hadn't slept the previous night. 

            "So,we all agree that since we think all this is connected, Kelley wouldn't have any reason to hurt Emily. She might probably not know her. Also if she killed Wendy Lewis then, she must have used someone who knew her and that someone was who Ethan Powell had heard that night talking with Peterson. Of course Peterson is dead so he can't tell us who it was," Kenny went on and turned to Dylan. "You said you thought Kelley would come after you because you maimed a person who was close to her?"

                "Yeah, I'm not sure how close they were but I'm guessing that was why she approached Carly in the first place."

               "Fact,but how did she know the relationship between you and Carly? She must have known about her beforehand but Carly wasn't in the country the entire time, seven years you said?"

   Carly nodded,"And some months."

                 "I think it's safe to say that Kelley has an informant. And this informant is someone who you went to school with, someone who Emily must have really pissed off, and I mean really and also someone who hated that you two loved each other and just can't stand seeing you getting closer to one another again. After all,these threats started when Carly got back in the country."

                 "So,we have to work out Emily's victim's from highschool  first and see if they shed some light?" Carly asked.

                "Yep, let's just hope it wasn't the entire school," Kenny nodded and looked at Emily,"Do you think you can remember everyone who might be so angry enough to want to kill you?"

                 "I can try."

                    "Alright, let's get into it."

   The next several minutes passed as Emily narrated everyone that was likely to be on their lists. The names came to her easily almost as if they had been in her head the entire time. Maybe they had been in all her life. It was true that the bad things one did followed them even into the next life time, haunting them and making them pay in all sorts of ways and that was probably what was happening to Emily. When she was satisfied she had exhausted all the names,they all sat back in thought. Ten names, the victims probably distributed all over the world. Now the remaining step was to investigate them,do some research on them and see if anything would give away. Some real hard work because the internet wouldn't be enough. That needed them to be fresh and their minds clear to operate properly. Some of them like Emily needed sleep,Carly needed to go make sure her son was okay,talk with her parents about her and Teddy going to stay with Dylan temporarily. They had to come up with an excuse since they hadn't told them about what was happening yet but that was easy especially because Carly's parents wanted nothing more than seeing them spending much time together. And then there was something else she had thought of and that needed her to go see Carl about it. She wasn't sure how he would take it but she knew she had to try. She would have loved for all of them to stay together but she didn't have enough space for all of them to sleep in.

                       ★★★

    Carly had  still been hesitant about lying to her parents about why she was going to stay over at Dylan's for a few days especially when it came to the point where she had to explain why Teddy needed to go with her. They were all in for her and Dylan spending some time together but thought Teddy would be a distraction. They had offered to stay with him until she had sorted everything out with Dylan as they thought it was what was happening. How could she begin telling them that some crazy person was after them? They would go hysterical and probably lock her up with Teddy at home and that wouldn't help anything. Teddy was excited the most  and couldn't keep calm when he heard that he would be staying with Dylan. She couldn't help herself but melt with joy at the pure love and adoration that he showered her with. What she wondered was how he would be if things were different between them. Would you he still be as happy if they were together? She didn't dwell on that part most because she didn't even have any idea if there was a chance for that. They had kissed,yes,but that didn't mean that they would get back together. She had kissed Dylan but they hadn't talked about it. There was no telling what Dylan wanted even though she had responded to it. She smiled as she recalled the moment, soft but sensual even if they were in the middle of a crisis. 

               "Mommy, aren't you happy that we will be staying over at Dylan's?" Teddy asked as she drove back to Dylan's apartment.

                "I am happy baby," she replied.

                   "But you are not smiling."

   She chuckled,"I am just thinking baby but don't worry,we will be fine." Why had she just said that?

  He frowned,"Why wouldn't we be? Dylan is a nice person."

   She nodded and smiled,"Yes she is."

    Minutes after she had arrived at Dylan's,Carl also came by to get Emily and her kids. She still wasn't sure how he had agreed to that or how Dylan had convinced him but here he was. Kenny was the first one to talk.

             "Oh hell, Dylan,why are all your friends so good looking. This one right here looks sumptuous," he commented when Carl got inside the apartment. She laughed when he frowned not knowing what was going on and why everyone was looking at him. She looked at Dylan who had an amused grin on her face. She was sure she was thinking exactly what was in her thoughts. Kenny turned to her then back to Carl at the door,"But why does he look exactly like you?"

    Now that had them all laughing, the expression on his face rather.

                "That's because he is her twin brother pretty boy," Dylan replied with a smile.