Chapter Six

Phillip's point of view 

"Maybe it's not just a coincidence, or you need to not go into work today," my wife Karen tells me, in the midst of one of her panic attacks.

"It's going to be fine."

"The child, the girl. Strangulation and drowning I mean, you have to see the similarities here Phillip."

I love my wife tremendously, but she was starting to get on my nerves. I feel like she has a tendency to overreact. Although this is scary and bizarre, I'm sure these type of things have happened in the workplace before, and I'm not just going to quit my job over it. Not when we rely on the income, and not when I don't have much of a choice, I need to provide for my kids. 

"Look, I'll be careful, and if there's another murder, then I'll quit."

She nods. "Promise?"

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?" 

She smiles, and even after all this time, it makes my heart skip a beat. 

"I told Kim, I'll get to work early."

She nods. 

Minutes later, I park my car into the McDonald's parking lot. The news coverage was completely insane. Cars and more cars are everywhere, some are police officers, some homicide detectives. It's starting to sink in that police think there's a murder here. 

 I open my door and get out. This is so unreal, and I was glad the lobby/dining area of the restaurant would be closed tonight, maybe longer. Law enforcement agreed to leave the drive-thru open, since it didn't impact the investigation. 

 Rubbing my eyes, I need to make sure I have seen the images correctly that it shows me. Across the parking lot, I see Ronald McDonald, his smile huge, he watches everyone. This is starting to get very peculiar, wasn't he just at the last drowning of the little kid? 

Walking into the lobby, it was so quiet, you can hear a pin drop. Everyone looks like they have lost a family member. I see Kim sitting at the table, her hands over her face. I feel so bad for her and the girl who lost her life. 

"It's going to be alright."

She looks up at me with her eyes red and puffy. 

"What if we are being targeted, Philip?"

I swallow hard, that's what everyone seems to think. I wish I could offer her some more clarity and more information to make it all better.

"Let's just wait and see."

She nods. 

"I'm sure the police will do their job."