THE CASE OF BRIDGETTE HAWTHORNE 2

He was staring at all the photos of the crime scene from the year when Bridgette was killed.

It was gruesome and unimaginable. Her body was soaked with blood and water as she was in her bathtub.

Her palms were wide open as well as her eyes staring into the ceiling.

He surveyed every single detail of the photos. Then he flipped another folder containing another set of photos taken from her sister's crime scene.

Her body was cut in half while her eyes were closed and her head was almost deformed caused by the Blunt Force.

He took the photo from Bridgette's crime scene and set it beside Elizabeth's.

Tell me your story. What happened to both of you? Tell me.

Then in a blink of an eye, he noticed a very odd resemblance.

He grabbed a magnifying glass as he wanted to make sure he is not mistaken.

He switched his vision back and forth of both photos. He took a deep breath as he started typing down something on his computer.

Unfortunately, his searches did not result in anything.

He grabbed both of the photos and placed them in his side pocket.

He stood up as he got out of the station quick enough for anyone to ask. He found himself treading the way back to the coffee shop where he had just come from this morning.

His eyes wandered around and saw Yvette just about to get out of her shift. She was hanging her apron up and was saying goodbye to some of her colleagues.

He decided to wait for her outside. As soon as she opened the door, he stood up and met her eyes.

She halted as she saw him. They looked at each other as though through that they'd understand what each of them is thinking.

She slowly walked towards him.

"How can I help you?"

It must have been the look of exhaustion on his face that gave him away. He sighed as he handed her the photos he had stolen from the files he was working on.

"I saw something, and I think I really need your help."

She reached out to grab the photos and lightly stared at them.

"Do you want to go somewhere we could maybe sit down? So I could take a look at these photos?"

"Sure."

"I live nearby, we can stay there. I also have a coffee maker. It's a big help if we have really good coffee."

He smiled. It was definitely his exhaustion that gave him out. As she started walking towards where her place is, he followed along.

They were having light conversations as they were walking and he started to relax around her. Something about her just felt really comforting.

He learned that she has a lot of things going on for herself.

In a bit, they turned into a narrow alley not far away from the coffee shop.

Regardless of how hollow the alley was, he didn't feel threatened nor did he feel any danger while treading its rustic pathway.

As they walked along, he found an altar at the side of the pathway where some sage was burning.

He got curious but didn't bother asking.

Just a few more steps and they reached a small corner with a bright-colored blue paint.

It was to him an odd color in a door.

She opened it and got in without looking back at him.

As he entered, a soothing feeling attacked his senses. His nostrils were filled with an enigmatic aroma.

He closed his eyes as he tried to remember where else did he get to smell that same aroma.

As he opened his eyes slowly, he was bewildered by what he saw.

The place seemed really spacious and looked like it has homed multiple people. He didn't expect to see such a spacious area.

From the outside, one would think that it was a rowdy place. Yet what he saw was the opposite. The whole place shouted feminine.

Her kitchen and bathroom were set up across from each other. The moment you open the door, you'd see a small corner where her coats and keys were hung.

As he closed the door behind him and turned the corner from the small alley of the house, he found the kitchen. It was neatly organized, that he thinks he may have seen this entire set-up in a TV program about home organization.

She started brewing coffee while he remained astounded with what he was seeing. His apartment was too crappy to even compare to hers.

She smiled as she leads him towards her living room. As spacious as her kitchen is, her living room was also surprisingly very light-looking. It was painted with a pastel blue color. The space did not really even have a window but it didn't feel suffocating.

There were displays of small paintings that seemed customized. Some Cast Iron plants were also displayed in most corners of the house that seemed to have added more elegance to the place.

There was no television in that nook of the house. A simple sofa and a bean bag filled the space with an acrylic table in the middle displaying three different succulents.

"You can head on upstairs, I'll take our coffee there."

He nodded as he stared out to a narrow staircase by the end of the hallway.

Something about the entire place seemed so familiar to him but he can't quite wrap his fingers around it.

He walked towards the stairs and started going up. The stairs were set up in a spiral that he got even more curious about what he would see on top.

As he ascended towards the end of the stairs, he was welcomed with a really light space. This time around, there were windows covered with glasses.

The space was partitioned conservatively yet there were modern touches to the entire space.

As he walked on, he noticed how an altar was displayed in a small corner just before the bedroom door. He thought it looked familiar.

He came closer to the altar and took his time in checking out what else was there. Sage. It was the same thing as what he saw in the alleyway.

There were also remains of incense from a small pot filled with ashes.

"Sage. I use them to cleanse my place now and then."

He looked back at her. She was setting up the cup of coffee on the small table that was set up in another corner just beside a window. If you look beyond it, there's a small area for a porch that would allow you to look out and view the city streets.

"Cleanse? From what?"

She gave out a hesitant smile as she sat down on one of the chairs.

"I love your place."

"Thank You."

"It's really cozy and spacious."

"I do my best. I wanted to make it as spacious as it can be. For my mental and spiritual health."

"Well, that's something new. At least they're not about some feng shui. It seems overrated."

She took a sip of her coffee as he sat on the chair across her and started sipping out of the cup.

"So what was it that you saw?"

He pointed out a part of the photos that he noticed just a while ago.

"Is that what I think it is?"

He nodded.

"A pentagram tattoo?"

"Both of the sisters have it. It was tattooed behind their left ears."

"So you think it has something to do with their death?"

"I had a hunch. The moment I saw it, I can't explain how I felt. It was like a message that I could not convey yet."

She stared at the photos once more.

"It's a common symbol but only a few really know what it means. Take a closer look at the symbol. What do you see?"

He looked at them even closer. Then his brows furrowed.

"They're inverted stars."

"That's right. The pentagram is known for its many symbolism. But one of the most notable ones is that it's the symbol of the five wounds of Jesus. They also defined it as the Five Joys of Mary for Jesus and that it exemplifies the five virtues of knighthood. Friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety. But those definitions were of the usual belief. The inverted pentagram though is a different symbol."

"Well, what does the inverted one mean?"

"It's a symbol of evil. It's a symbol that attracts sinister forces because it overturns the proper order of things and demonstrates the triumph of matter over spirit."

He looked at the photos. Strangely he felt that there's more to these incidences than he would ever know.

"Are these girls associated with any cults before?"

"I can take a deeper look at their files and see if they've been associated with any."

"That could be a good start for you. And maybe we can call Jamie next time. If you'd like to know more, we can try to visit the past again. Though I'm not exactly sure if these gifts can go as far as that but I think that with the three of us together, it is possible."

He bowed his head down as he tried to think of what he would like to do next.

"All of this is very new to me. I didn't even know that I have this gift."

"We feel the same, Darius. Jamie may not be here but I know this is all too strange for her too. We are constantly God's work in progress."

He stood up after finally emptying his cup. He smiled as he looked at her.

"I can't thank you enough for your help"

"You can talk to me anytime. You know where to find me now." she meekly smiled.

"Thank you again, Yvette. I better get going if I'd want to solve this case."

"Okay then."

He walked back to the station as soon as he got out of Yvette's place.

In his mind, there were so many questions that started to arise. He is unsure if he'd ever be prepared with all that's coming. He can sense danger but he doesn't know where it would be coming from or when it's coming. All he knows is that his mind has perceived so much danger in the future.