Dear Edward - Heather Parsons (smart books to read .TXT) 📗

but it was dark and there was no one home. Of course he'd knocked a couple of times before coming to that conclusion then bounded down the porch steps in search for some other place John might be at.
The last place he'd searched was where he'd found him. Sitting on the porch steps of the Sampson's residence with Christopher and Ella out there as well.
“John, I've looked all over for you.” Edward voiced breathlessly.
“Come sit down. You look as if you've seen a ghost.” Ella said and ushered Edward to the porch swing. “I'll get you something to drink.”
When she was inside the house and the front door was securely closed behind her Edward spoke again. “Since you didn't flinch the last time I told you what I can see and hear. I figured that you'd be the only person who would believe me now.”
“What are you talking about?” Christopher asked. He still stood quiet a distance away from them but was curious still the same.
“I thought I was dreaming.” Edward whispered, his eyes tearing up at the thought. “I thought I'd wake up. But it was her, she'd taken me there for something. I tried to help...something else was there...something evil...death itself.” His body shook still hearing the menacing growl that sent his heart racing in his chest.
“Where did you go? Where did she take you?” John asked in a rushed tone. His own heart was beating fast just hearing Edward talk. Did Edward see who killed Brianna? Did he come face to face with him?
“John this is insane. Who is he talking about? Who is she?” Christopher snapped out, stepping closer. In his heart he knew they couldn't be talking about his daughter. She was dead, she'd never talk to anyone ever again or see anyone again.
“We can talk about this now and not do anything or we can all take a walk and both of us will explain this with you. But I don't think Ella would appreciate this kind of conversation this close to the funeral.” John explained. Standing up with Edward braced against his shoulder, they walked down the porch steps and waited to see if Christopher would follow.
Christopher slipped into the house for a moment. “Darling I'm going to take a walk to clear my head, I'll be home later.” He kissed her check and shut the door behind him. Unsure if he really wanted to be apart of whatever John and Edward were up to but at the same time he didn't want to be left out.
They all started walking and halfway down the drive Edward started talking. “Mr. Sampson, Christopher, ever since I've been here I've been able to see and hear, your daughter, Brianna. That's how I found her body, she took me right there. And at the funeral I thought and I think she did too that once her body was in hollowed ground that she'd rest but that's not the case. She's still here with us and still needs our help in finding the person responsible for her murder. Tonight I found myself back at the cabin or at least I thought it was the cabin. Anyway she was trying to tell me something when a shadowy figure took her away.” Edward stopped talking and looked at Christopher. His face was pale and tears ran down his checks but he was nodding, yes. He understood.
“You really see my daughter?” He asked in a whisper.
“Yes I do.” Edward replied.
“You know her memorial service, where we always hold a candlelight visual for her is coming up in a couple days. The day she disappeared and I prayed she'd be returned.” Christopher's knees weakened, slightly shaking but he stood tall.
This kind of news was unbelievable but somehow, somewhere deep in Christopher's heart he always knew Brianna was special that if ever something happened where she wouldn't be able to say goodbye or that she loved them that she would find a way to do that. So he believed every word Edward spoke and knew deep in his heart even though he was unable to save his daughter that he could at least help her this way. By believing in this man and his word. By believing in someone she believes in.
“You mentioned the cabin. Are you sure Brianna took you to the cabin? Could it have been some place else?” John questioned. “The police searched and found nothing there, nothing that would tell them who did this.”
“I'm sure it was the cabin we were in but she'd whispered something about a cave right before she'd disappeared and that thing growled at me.” Edward said.
They'd started walking in the direction of where the cabin was. One beside the other all the way there until the cabin lay out in front of them. That's where Edward stopped and his heart started beating faster. “I can't go back inside,” he whispered.
“We're not going inside, but around it in search for the cave. It has to be close to this place, it just has to be.” Christopher said. Even though he'd not said what they'd all dreaded, that the cave had to be within walking distance of the cabin in order to transport Brianna, they'd all thought it. And it was better left unsaid.
Together with only an arm length apart the men walked around the cabin leaving quiet a distance between them and started searching the woods. Soon they came upon a rock wall that none of them knew was there. It was only one hundred yards away from where the cabin sat and along side it was a dark cave.
Out of the pocket John produced a lighter, striking it once he was able to light the darkness and see what was in front of him. The others followed behind in close proximity. And at the far back corner there was a sleeping bag, one that had seen better days.
Christopher grabbed a stick from somewhere inside the cave and poked at the bag. It happened to be one of the biggest mistakes he's ever made. Inside the sleeping bag were a dozen rats all feeding off the blood that had soaked within.
“Oh. My. God.” Christopher muttered and dropped the stick. Quickly his hand covered his mouth as the bile rose causing him to turn around and run out of the cave blinded.
After he'd left both John and Edward stood silently, both with their hands covering their mouths. For a minute John allowed his finger to loosen on the lighter and the light to burn out. Standing in the now darkness of the cave and hearing the rats claws scrap against the rocks and scurry outside.
A few seconds later when all sounds had dissipated and all they heard were their own breaths both John and Edward joined Christopher outside the cave but they weren't empty handed. Inside the sleeping bag lay Brianna's car keys. This was one of the biggest finds that anyone had ever made. And even though Christopher had not found it himself, he still held on to them with all his might.
Sickened and despaired all three men held on to one another for support, for strength and for heartfelt sorrows. They'd found the place where Brianna had first been brought and tortured before she'd been taken to the cabin and killed.
Christopher held the keys to his heart, the last remaining item that his daughter held and could almost feel her holding them too. A sense of peacefulness came over him and he found himself walking away from the cave with a smile on his face. The first one he's had since Brianna went missing two years ago.
Edward was crouched over holding his stomach and trying to calm himself down enough to move again. The scene still flashed behind his eyelids, the horror she must have felt when her killer took her there.
“Edward, there's nothing more we can do here. We need to leave. Look Christopher is already leaving us behind and we can't afford to have him walk away alone. Not after him seeing what he did.” John said as calmly as he could. And flinching whenever he'd blink his eyes.
There was at least twenty yards between them when Edward and John finally were calm enough to move. They kept their eyes trained on the back of Christopher's back to make sure he was never out of view.
“Christopher!” John yelled, he'd blinked and his friend was gone.
“Mr. Sampson!” Edward screamed and took off running in the direction he last saw him.
Stumbling over rocks and loose roots, dried dead branches and anything and everything one could possibly trip on both Edward and John did. Until they both came to a complete stop and saw Christopher standing perfectly still, staring straight in front of him.
Cautiously Edward stepped forward, he didn't want to scare Christopher and cause him to run away screaming but at the same time he wanted to know what had made him stop walking. And when he finally was close enough to him, Edward stopped as well and stared. Not believing what he was looking at.
Under two years of dried dead branches, years of fallen leaves lay the car everyone couldn't find. A 1968 Chevy Impala, two door, convertible with Brianna's name written across the hood in red airbrush paint and the exterior a midnight blue color. The car itself looked new except for the debris laying on top of it and it was unmistakable just as the officer had told Edward. Someone had gone to great lengths to cover this up and keep it hidden from the public.
Not one of them had the stomach to approach the car itself, in fear of what they might find. But they also couldn't walk away and leave it there either. Not since they finally found it.
And standing so close to Brianna father was heartbreaking. Edward found himself in tears just watching Christopher go through this a second time. John was standing on one side while Edward stood on the other with Christopher in the middle and all were crying, but neither could tear their eyes away.
There on the drivers side door, on the inside was a hand print in blood. And seeing that only confirmed what they all knew to be inside. A heartbreaking plead for justice.

TWENTY-THREE

Hearing the front door close and watching her husband walk to his friends and being able to talk to