A Cold Breeze

by Corinne 22

-Winner of Judge's Pick-Women are disappearing in Forks. A serial killer lurks in the shadows. A town is upset by tragedy. Can the madness be defeated? A one shot for the "Whodunit?" A Murder Mystery Contest

"Whodunit?":A Murder Mystery One-Shot TwiContest

The Case: A Cold Breeze

Alias: Corinne 22

The Suspects: Bella and Charlie

Liability: SM owns all things Twilight and I so do not :)

To see other entries in the "Whodunit?" contest, please visit the C2:

http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/Whodunit_A_Murder_Mystery_Contest/74419/

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Killer POV

I slammed the walk-in freezer door shut. My elbow jerked down quickly as I turned the large lock. The sound echoed off the walls of the dimly lit, empty room. I was wearing only jeans and a T-shirt, but the cold never bothered me.

I held a small smile on my lips as I thought of what was in there. My prize. I was now relaxed. A calm feeling was now rushing through my veins after the force of the adrenaline. I was high on the joy of the kill.

I was made to rid the world of it's lies. The filth. I was doing them a favor. Why did these bastards not see that?

I slowly walked over to my steel table. I lightly grazed my fingers along the edge of it as I walked by. The blade of a knife reflected the dim light and caught my eye. One more thing needed to be done. One more thing to complete the task of the night.

I laid my right hand, palm down, onto the table's cold metal surface. My hand inched it's way up to the knife and my fingers pressed themselves around the black handle. I breathed in and held it as my hand steadily made it's way back to my body with the knife in tow. I hovered the knife at the top of my arm, below my shoulder. I gently placed the tip of it at my skin and marveled at the beauty of it. The point pressed harder, causing my skin to slightly sink down from the pressure of it. I let out my held breath and quickly drew in another. At the same moment, my hand quickly jerked itself towards my body. The knife cut into my skin, leaving one small gash. Not deep enough to cause excessive bleeding but also enough to leave a slight scar when it healed.

For every kill there was a scar. A right of passage. A ritual. A reminder. Something to look back on and reminisce about. Every scar held someone's face of terror. Every scar held someone's horrified scream. People got tattoos of tears, I had this.

I stared at my new cut, basking in it's glory and everything that it signified. With a small chuckle escaping my throat I walked over to the three tub sink and dropped the knife into sanitized water. Pressing a paper towel against my arm I glanced around the room to make sure everything was where it should be. Satisfied, I grabbed my keys and walked to the back door to leave for the night.

My eyes drifted over to the shiny, silver freezer door. She could wait for twenty-four hours. She's not going anywhere. Real life duties call. The facade of the human race must be done.

Charlie POV

I slammed the newspaper down on my large, wooden desk, making a loud sound with the palm of my hand.

"Who the fuck leaked this shit to the press!" I yelled out to the other cops surrounding me. They all stood with their heads bent down towards the floor. Nine looks of shame.

"They're going to have a field day with this shit! Now they're going to be following us around and asking questions." I was now pacing and throwing my arms around in the air.

I picked up the paper and screamed out it's words for effect.

"An inside source claims that the past three killings of women are connected. Furthermore, it is also connected with the eleven other cases of woman in the past three years. Our source has pointed out that these killings are suspected to be from a serial killer who his now uping his game and the killings are becoming more frequent over time."

I slammed the paper down again and then started waving my finger back and forth in the faces of my co-workers.

"If I find out any of you fuckers spoke to someone about this then you are instantly being discharged with no pay."

I studied each one of their faces for some clues but found none."Just fucking go," I wearily said while waving them off. They all dispersed as I slammed into my seat and roughly ran my hands over my face.

I have been on the police force for almost twenty years now. I knew that I wanted to do this my whole life. I had finally become sheriff four years ago. The job had taken a lot out of my life. My wife had left me because she couldn't take the fear anymore and I rarely got to see my daughter, Bella. But still, the job gave me satisfaction and a sense of purpose. I tried to convince myself that if I couldn't go to things like Bella's dance recitals, then at least I was keeping her safe from scumbags.

That was until this fucker. He took that all away from me. Any security or confidence was thrown away every time he slipped through our fingers. It took up all my time and thoughts. Even robbing me of the time that I was able to spend with Bella, because I was always searching for some sort of clue. We had discovered that they were all linked only eight months ago. But besides that, we had nothing. This guy had left everything clean. No fibers, no hair and no fingerprints. Nothing to go on at all. This shit was getting really frustrating.

He seemed to like women between the ages of seventeen to twenty-two, with brown hair and petite body frames. Nothing to be found of how or why he captured them. They would just disappear. And, this fucker was smart, too. He always avoided places with cameras and somehow there were never any eyewitnesses.

I called it a night and went home. I was hoping to finally find relaxation in front of a game. Maybe if I took my mind off of it then something would come to me. Kind of like how you can't think of who sings a song until you stop thinking of it and then it hits you.

That night Bella had made me dinner. She was a great cook. Although, I don't know where she had acquired that skill. My expertise was a grilled cheese and everything her mother cooked just got burned.

I sat in front of the game while shoving my mouth full of Bella's stuffed shells. When it became commercial time I noticed that she was looking at me with concern.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

She squinted her eyes at me and hesitated.

I sighed around a mouthful of food and rolled my eyes. "Just go ahead and say it."

"This job is stressing you out too much, dad. I swear, you're getting gray hair and permanent worry lines on your forehead. You don't seem to sleep well, either. I'm just getting worried about you. Maybe you should take a couple of days off." She had rushed her words out, afraid that she would hurt my feelings.

I set my plate down on the coffee table and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid to tell me things, Bella." I let out a deep sigh. "Besides, I may have to agree with you on it. It's like I can't think of anything else anymore. This is slowly consuming me." I gave her a small squeeze and smiled. "Besides, how can I keep you safe if I can't figure this out?"

She rolled her eyes and gently shoved me. "Dad, I'm eighteen now. I can manage."

****

The following day I found myself having to shove my way through a crowd of reporters. Dozens of microphones were being shoved in my face while questions were being thrown all around me. It took everything in me not to shove one of those microphones down a reporter's throat as I tried to get through the double doors of the station.

I spent my day hovering over all of the files for the past three years, trying to find some clues. Nothing stood out. Fucking nothing. Any time that someone tried to talk to me I just shouted at them to leave me alone. Couldn't they see that I was working here?

Before I knew it, it was eight in the evening and almost everyone had left. I was still in the middle of looking at the last file. A woman who was twenty years old. She was supposed to be meeting friends for the movies and she never showed up. Her parents were the ones to call in the report. I couldn't imagine how that would feel if that was Bella and me having to make the call. It angered me even more. I had to find this guy. I had to.

I was vaguely aware of someone standing at my desk and I slowly lifted my head to see the Commissioner looking at me with a stern face. I stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

"I need you to take a couple of days off of work," he said with furrowed brows while rubbing the back of his neck.

I was stunned. "Uh...no fucking way. Sorry."

"This isn't a question, Charlie. It's a demand. It's only Wednesday. Just take the next two days off, plus the weekend, and come back on Monday. You're becoming too wrapped up in this, you need a break."

Forgetting who I was talking to, I yelled, "Fuck you! I'm perfectly capable of handling this."

"There's your proof, Charlie. Go home," he said quietly.

I quickly stood up and violently shoved my chair into my desk. "Fine. But you better call me if something new happens."

"I will"

We stood for a moment in a stare down. Me with anger and him with determination and authority. I grabbed my jacket off of the back of my chair and stomped my feet towards the door.

****

By Saturday Bella was shoving me out of our door. She had enough of my moping around the house and constant pacing. I couldn't help it, though. If I wasn't working, then I didn't know what to do with myself. Bella had called up my friend, Billy, and demanded that he take me out to the lake to go camping and fishing for the night. She swore that it would finally relax me and refresh my mind for Monday.

"Go dad. It'll be fine," she said with a laugh as she pushed me into the car.

I looked at her with a stern face. "You call me if anything happens, ok? Keep the doors locked and don't let anyone in that you don't know. I'll be calling you."

"God, dad. It's only for one night, I'll be fine. Go." She shut the car door and gave me a small wave as she walked towards the house. I hated to admit it, but she might be right. As much as it pained me to be gone for the night, I guess I did need this. I drove away from the house as I stared at her through the rear view mirror. I hated having to see it, but my daughter was really starting to grow up.

Killer POV

I would wait for them. Watch for them as I sipped my coffee on the corner. Anticipate their arrival with every trip to the grocery store. Plan their demise by following their routines. I was good at this.

I had to watch myself in a town as small as Forks. But more filth just kept on arriving in more over time. It used to be peaceful in this small town. Until her. But they just kept on coming.

****

Sweat beaded off my skin despite the freezer's five degree temperature. I was trying to pull out my most recent conquest and was breathing heavily from her weight. I dragged her body over to the mop hole and placed her bottom half into it. I partially lifted her up to put a large bowl under her to catch some of the blood. My eyes paused to admire the icy crystals that were now melting off of her skin. It wasn't her fault, it's just genetics. Cruel fate that brought on her untimely death. Poor girl was all alone and I bet nobody had called her in as missing yet. It made it easier on me, though.

I plugged in the saw and started it up. I couldn't decide if this was my favorite part or if it was the capture. My heart began to quicken and adrenaline shot through me again. To watch her perfect body become marred and destroyed was a beautiful thing. I watched the blood run down the drain as it spilled over the top of the bowl. My wonderful sacrifice. The blood splattered against the walls as I tightly held the saw. I pushed her body further into the mop hole with every dismembered part.

Satisfied with how small the pieces had become, I started to pick them up and place them on the steel table. I had to concentrate on my footing so I wouldn't slip and fall on her blood. I made several trips back and forth. The pile was becoming larger with each trip. I carefully bent down and grabbed the bowl that held her blood. Careful not to spill any of it, I walked back over to the table and placed it next to the mountain of flesh and bones.

The sun was starting to peak through the windows in the front room. It was slowly chasing away the shadows that made me feel safe. I was going to have to hurry before anyone showed up and discovered my recreations. I squinted into the direction of the interruptive light and let out a breath before I began.

The meat grinder turned on with a flick of my finger and penetrated the silent room with it's shrill sound. I started to shove her body into the grinder, piece by piece. The sun was now covering the tile floor with full force by the time I had the last piece shoved through. I didn't need to have the meat fully finished but I did have to, at least, have it ground up.

I quickly made my way over to the mop hole and started to spray it down. I extended the hose and sprayed down any loose blood drops that had made their way to the floor surrounding it. After I felt the room was clean enough, I jumped into it and sprayed myself down. I always did this ritual naked so I never had to worry about clothes having to be destroyed. I shut off the hose after the last blood tinged water made it's way down the drain.

I reached in my bag and grabbed a towel to dry off and got dressed for the day. My body felt nothing but serenity every time my eyes caught sight of what was on the table. My muscles felt slightly fatigued, but my mind was awake and alert.

The front door's bell chimed right as I finished pulling my shirt on. The facade begins.

"Hey!"

I quickly looked around the room to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

"In here," I called out.

"Man, you're always here super early in the morning. Are you sure you're not an insomniac."

I looked over at my co-worker, Alice, and flashed her my all-winning smile. "Nope. Just a hard worker."

She pointed to the freshly ground up meat in the bowl. "Already starting your blood sausages?"

Another smile as I pulled my apron over my clothes. "Yup. Need an early start on it."

"Those have been really popular. I think we sell more of those then anything else in here. You'll have to share your secret family recipe with me one day."

"Not likely. Stays in the family," I stated with a small laugh.

"Do you want any help with it?"

"Sure, if you don't mind the blood," I replied with a shrug.

We worked our hands in silence for about fifteen minutes. She suddenly broke the silence with a gasp.

"Oh! Have you read the newspaper recently?"

I shook my head.

"Well," she began with animation like a gossip queen. "Turns out that all the murders are connected. The police seem to think that we have a serial killer running loose in Forks."

Her eyes seemed to get bigger with every word she spoke. This bitch must truely love being the center of attention.

"Why do they think that?"

She notice my shoulders tensing up. "I know! That's some scary stuff, isn't it? They had some tip or something. The cops aren't releasing any information on it though."

My mind began to reel. How the fuck did they figure this out? My brain quickly went into overdrive and tried to remember if I had left any evidence anywhere. I was pretty sure that I left everything clean.

She kept blabbing on and on about how scared she was to go out at night. All of her incessant babble made me want to just go ahead and kill her right then and there. But, no matter how annoying she could be, she didn't fit the profile. Maybe I should just fire her....

"So, anyways," she continued. "I heard that the sheriff, Charlie, has been taking it pretty hard. They even made him take time off of work. I'm telling you, he won't stop until he gets this guy."

I nodded my head while I continued to make the sausages. Little did this stupid chick know, she was wrist deep in the next newspaper headline. Bitch sausages. That's what I liked to call them, anyways. Seemed fitting enough.

She left to go turn on the open sign as I continued with my task, thinking of what she had told me. Something was going to have to be done. Something huge. Something that I could taunt them with as they scramble their little pig butts around trying to figure out who could do such a thing.

And then it came to me. I didn't care what the rules were anymore. I wanted results. Screw everything else. I knew what had to be done. I knew who needed to be next.

Bella

Bella POV

Finally! I thought it would take forever to get my dad out the door. I had my boyfriend, Edward, waiting for my call to come over. It was going to be our first night alone together. I was so nervous and wanted everything to be perfect.

I took a quick shower, making sure to shave every nook and cranny. I planned on us finally having sex tonight. I had been fooling around with him for what seemed like ages and I was beyond ready to take it to the next level. I couldn't help the giddy feeling that overcame me as I thought of what tonight could hold.

After I dried off and put on my cutest outfit, I called Edward and told him to come on over. I planned on making him a nice, romantic dinner to help set the mood.

He showed up about an hour later with a bottle of wine.

"Planning on doing anything bad tonight, are we?" I asked with what I hoped was a sexy smile.

"Maybe," he replied with a smile to rival any other.

I grabbed the bottle from his hands and let him enter the house. I found myself nervous and self-conscious around him tonight. I walked over to the stove to start preparing the dinner in an attempt to calm my nerves. He sensed my awkwardness and I felt him walk up behind me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and whispered into my ear, "Bella...calm down. It's just me and you. We've got all night and there's no pressure."

I turned around and pressed myself against his chest. "I know," I sighed out as I pouted. "But I just want everything to be perfect. I love you and I want tonight to be something you'll always remember."

He lifted my chin to his face and stared intently into my eyes. "Stop. I promise, no matter what happens, you could never disappoint me."

I playfully shoved his chest and laughed. "Lies. Now go sit down before you distract me from cooking you dinner."

He grabbed my face between his hands and leaned towards me. His lips hesitated and hovered over mine. I could feel his warm breath across my face and it took everything in me to hold still.

"Are you sure?" he whispered out in a rough tone.

I had to lean against the stove to hold myself up. "Mmhmm..," I pathetically whimpered out.

His tongue darted out and licked the length of my bottom lip. I sighed into his mouth, beyond ready to feel his lips crush against mine. He started to grin and suddenly jerked back away from me.

"Ok," he declared with a cocky grin. "I'll be over here at the table."

"Ass," I angrily huffed out while he continued to laugh at me.

****

We sat on the floor with our backs resting on the couch in front of the fireplace. Our stomachs were full and the wine was starting to kick in. I wasn't a drinker, so the alcohol was already loosening me up after just one glass.

"I feel like I should thank you for dinner," he said quietly.

My heart skipped a beat, wondering what he could be getting at. I turned my head to look at him and he had a mischievous grin across his face. My heart skipped again.

"What's that?" I barely whispered.

He quietly stood up and sat on the couch. His legs straddled my back and he brushed my ponytail to the side.

"A shoulder massage," he whispered into my neck as he softly placed an open mouth kiss.

Shivers ran up my body and I nodded my head, unable to speak.

His fingers glided over my skin, finding any tight spots to loosen out. I was instantly relaxed and my shoulders started to slump. He slipped the hair band out of my ponytail and my hair fell onto my back. He started to brush his palms up my neck to the back of my hair and slid his fingers through my hair. I embarrassingly let out a small moan as cold chills ran up my arms and legs. My head fell back into his lap as he continued to rub my shoulders. I looked up into his face and smiled.

"Close your eyes and relax," he whispered as he placed a kiss on my forehead.

****

I woke up in a daze and glanced over to the blinds. The sun wasn't coming up yet, but I could tell that it was about to. I blinked my heavy eyes and wondered what the hell had happened. I grabbed the back of the couch and pulled myself up. I instantly regretted it and grabbed the sides of my head as pain shot through my forehead and eyes. A groan escaped my lips and I noticed that my legs were covered with a blanket. I went to swing my legs over the edge of the couch and noticed that Edward was laying on the floor asleep with numerous blankets surrounding him.

Fuck.

I must have fallen asleep while he was giving me a back massage.

Way to fuck up the "special" night Bella.

I shakily pushed myself off of the couch so I could run to the bathroom upstairs.

I figured I could run down to the diner and grab him some breakfast to make up for last night. I felt awful for falling asleep, especially after all the preparation that I had put into it.

I quickly changed my clothes and headed back downstairs. I tiptoed back over to Edward's sleeping form and smiled down at his face. He looked almost like a child as his eyes fluttered around with his dreams. I pushed a small piece of his hair out of his face and smiled again.

"I love you," I whispered out to him before I stood up to head to the door.

I slipped on my shoes as quietly as I could and grabbed my keys off of the counter. I placed one hand on the doorknob and another on the door frame so I could gently open the door. I opened it only half way and slipped through the crack. I turned the doorknob before I shut the door so it wouldn't make a clicking noise and wake him up.

I breathed out a sigh of relief at my sneaking skills. I was quite proud and surprised that I was able to pull it off without waking him up. As I turned to walk towards my car I suddenly felt a hand clamping down over my nose and throat. There was a small towel held between my face and the stranger's hand. A strange scent pierced through my nose as I frantically tried to breath in. My keys fell out of my hands and I tried to claw my way loose from the tight hold. But my hands were weak and felt as though I didn't have full control over them. My muffled screams were now becoming light sounds as my eyelids became heavy. I tried to scream for Edward or to kick the door but my body was being pulled backwards. The last sight that I saw was the living room window. My tears were streaming down my face as I thought of who was sleeping in there. What if I never got to see him again? What if this was it?

Killer POV

I knew I was risking it. I knew the timing wasn't right. But if this was going to be done then it had to be done now. Her poser boyfriend came over to spend the night and I thought my plans were going to be ruined.

I waited all night.

I camped out in her bushes, waiting for the chance to strike. I impatiently watched through her window as her sleaze boyfriend and her ate their dinner. The gave disgustingly loving looks from across the table and hesitated glances as they sat on the floor.

The only enjoyment that I got from having to wait so long was after Bella had fallen asleep. I watched him as he placed her on the couch and covered her up with a blanket. But he didn't lay down with her. He didn't succumb to the sleepy effects of the alcohol. No, he decided to use his time by snooping around her house. Someone seemed a little untrusting to me. His greedy hands searched through drawers and cabinets, trying to find only God knows what. He disappeared upstairs to, what I assumed, was to look through her room. I briefly thought of making my attack then, but thought better of it. I was already risking enough, I didn't need to push it even more.

I had almost given up when I heard something stir and moan inside of the house. I watched as she slowly woke up. She made her way around the house, completely oblivious to the fact that her precious boyfriend's fingers had roamed over every surface of her house. When I saw her come down with fresh clothes on, I could tell she was getting ready to leave. I quickly made my way to the front door as she bent down to Edward's side.

I crouched between the porch and a bush, waiting as the dawn's light was slowly creeping through the sky.

Way too risky.

I glanced around the neighborhood with expert eyes. All of the windows facing me were drawn with no light coming through them. It was a good thing that today was Sunday and nobody was going to work. It was also a good thing that she lived at the end of the road.

I didn't have to think. My actions just took over. It's like an out of body experience when it happens. The adrenaline takes over and my mind shuts off. I succumb to the power of the other side of me that I hide. I always thought it was ironic that I had to hide this side of me when everyone else in the world got to show their evil side freely. Lies. The whole world is full of lies. Every day I am met with an empty smile or an empty promise. People made me sick.

I dragged her limp body over to her car and shoved her into the backseat. I made another quick glance to the house across the yard and ran to the front porch to get her keys.

I drove away from her house and allowed the laughter to finally escape. I was fully satisfied, even though I knew what was going to come. There was going to be yelling. But I didn't care right now. This is what I wanted the whole time.

Bella POV

My eyelids felt heavy, much like they did from the alcohol, only worse. Before my eyes could even open I was throwing up all over myself. I tried to move my arms to aim to my side and realized that I was restrained. My eyes flew open and everything was blurred. I felt dizzy and not sure of where I was. My head fell back as I groaned from the pain pulsing inside of my head. The nausea returned and I fought back against the bile rising in my throat. I tried to open my eyes again and rubbed them on my shoulder to try to get them to focus. I squinted against the light, trying to remember how I even got here or what the hell was going on.

Flashes of memory passed before my eyes as I remembered suffocation and stench. Fear.

My head jerked to the right and pain shot through my skull again. The sudden movement made me throw up all over my chest again. That's when I became aware of the cold. The piercing cold that was making my toes, fingers and nose tingle. The pile of puke that was on my chest was now making me colder and the stench was enough to make me want to throw up all over again.

I pulled my arms down again, trying to get loose. Rough and prickly fabric dug into my skin. I rolled my head back again, clenching my jaw and trying to ignore the pounding in my head. I could see that my wrists were tied up with thick, brown rope. The other ends of the rope were tied to two eye bolts in the wall. I gently rolled my head around some more to see my surroundings. There were boxes of food stacked up against both sides of the freezer walls and a large thermometer hanging above the door. The door was large and silver and must be locked from the outside.

I pulled again on the ropes as a new wave of fear washed over me. I was sure that I was going to die. No college and no future. My mind quickly thought of my father and Edward. Sobs racked through my body as I thought of their faces and how I would never be able to see them or hold them ever again.

Killer POV

I called Alice to tell her that business was slow and I wouldn't need her help for the day. She, of course, was happy and way too talkative. Stupid bitch was probably just going to spend the day fucking her boyfriend. People cared about sex way too much.

The fact that we were slow really wasn't a lie. I had only one customer come in so far. When I felt like it would be safe enough, I put a sign up on the door saying that I would be back in five minutes.

I slowly made my way towards the back of the shop. I purposely stomped my feet, hoping that she could hear me coming and that it would bring her more fear.

I unlocked the freezer door and slowly pulled it open. The stench of vomit overthrew me and made me want to wretch.

"Well, I see you're finally awake," I said in a cool, calm voice.

Her eyes flew up to mine and I could see her wince from the pain. "You," she breathed out in a weak voice with her eyes wide open in fear.

A small laugh escaped through my wide grin. I walked up to her and knelt down while placing my hand on her leg.

"Yeah...chloroform will do that to you. Nausea, headaches, dizziness...I don't envy you." I stuck out my index finger and started to stroke it up and down her leg. "Bella," I sighed out dramatically. "What will I ever do with you? Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused me for the past three years?" I stopped my hand at her upper thigh and dug my nails into her skin through her jeans. My voice became harder. "No, I guess you don't do you. Always living in your own little world. Nobody else matters unless their actions effect you." My grip became harder as I leaned my face within inches of hers. "Well, it's caught up to you bitch and believe me, you're going to pay for your selfishness."

"Fuck you!" she screamed out as she tried to kick me off.

I drew back my hand and swung it hard at her face. The back of my hand struck her cheek with a loud smack that made my grin larger.

"I'd think twice if I were you, Bella. You're not in the best position, you know." I walked over to where her wrists were tied and leaned up against some of the boxes by the wall. I raised up my hand and ran my fingers up and down the rope. "Either way you're going to die. If you keep acting out like this you're just going to make it more painful for yourself."

I heard quiet sobs coming from her and had to laugh at her weakness. She was always a mousy, weak one. I never understood what anyone saw in her. I, personally, found her repulsive. Or maybe that's just because...

Ding

My head jerked over to the open freezer door with wide eyes. I must have left the door unlocked. How could I have been so careless?

Fuck. Fuck.

I grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her head backwards. My mouth was touching her nose as I bared my teeth. "Don't even think about doing anything stupid, bitch."

I roughly let go of her hair and shoved a rag from my pocket into her mouth then walked out of the freezer door. It wasn't often that I got nervous, but my stupid mistake did manage to get me worried. I had to hurry to reach the front counter before anyone decided to come back here.

"Hello?" A man's voice called out.

Shit.

I wouldn't have time to lock the freezer door.

I plastered on my fake smile and ran to the front. I just wanted this man gone. The only reason why I didn't close up the shop for the day was because I was scared it would cause someone to be suspicious. I should have done it anyways. But, that's all hindsight now....

Charlie POV

I had to admit, the camping trip really did seem to have helped me calm down. Billy and I sat up all night and talked about life and caught a few fish. The noises of the forest had always seemed to ease away any stress that I had. It didn't hurt that I had also caught a bigger salmon then Billy had. We always had an unspoken competition of who could always get the best catch. Billy normally won, but this one was mine. I rubbed it in his face all morning.

I was driving over to Sunrise Meats in Vancover. People could drop off their fish and they would prepare it for you. They specialized in gourmet salmon and other smoked fish. It had always been a family owned business and I loved that. The owner had died three years ago, but the business was passed on down to his two children. It opened back in 1970 and my father started to take me here back when I was twenty. It held a special place of nostalgia for me. It was only eight-thirty in the morning but, if memory was correct, they opened up at seven.

I pulled into the small parking lot and grabbed my cooler out of the backseat. I pushed open the door with my back as I clutched my over sized cooler in my arms. I was still grinning about the fact that I had finally beaten Billy.

I turned around and placed the cooler on the counter and looked around. I didn't see anybody. I glanced back at the front door to make sure it was open, even though I was already standing inside. The open sign was flashing but I noticed a be back sign taped to the glass. I decided I should check if anyone was in here. If not, I could always wait.

"Hello?" I called out while searching around the shop.

I heard a scuffling sound coming from the back. I kept a hand on my cooler so it wouldn't fall as I tried to look around the corner.

"Is there anyone in here?" I raised my voice to make sure someone could hear me.

"Yeah, yeah," I heard as someone came around the corner. I was then greeted by one of my most favorite smiles in the world.

"Hey Angela. I was afraid that nobody was here."

"Nope," she said with a grin. "I was just finishing up some things in the back. Didn't you see the sign on the door?"

"No, sorry," I replied with a sheepish grin. "Not at first." I started to pat my cooler with the palm of my hand. "I guess I was too excited about my catch. I actually beat Billy this time."

"Well, it's about time, Charlie," she laughed while patting my hand that was on the cooler. "Do you want the usual?"

I started to get my wallet out of my pocket. "Yeah, just weigh it for me and let me know the cost."

As she was carrying the cooler over to the scales my phone started ringing.

"This is Charlie." Bella always made fun of me for how I answered the phone.

"Charlie!" Edward screamed into my ear. "I can't find Bella anywhere. I don't know where she went to. I just woke up and she was gone. I have no idea where or when she left. I'm so sorry Charlie."

"Whoa, slow down Edward. What do you mean you woke up and she wasn't there?"

"Well, um..,"he stuttered out. "I kind of spent the night last night. But nothing happened, I swear. Then I woke up this morning and she was gone. She didn't leave a note or anything. I don't know what happened. I tried to call her phone but there was no answer."

The cop in me took over and I started to go through everything he had told me. It wasn't like Bella to just leave. Although it wasn't like Bella to go behind my back and have Edward spend the night, either.

"Ok," I said in a calm and stern voice. "I'm going to call around and try to find her. You need to stay right there in case she comes back. If she does then you call me right away."

"Ok, yes sir." I could tell that he was trying to hold back tears.

"And Edward?"

"Yes, sir?"

"We will be having a talk about this spending the night thing."

"Yes, sir," he replied with a sad voice.

I hung up the phone and turned to Angela, who had been staring at me this whole time.

"Angela, I need your phone book."

"Of course. Is there something wrong?"

I noticed her hands were shaking as she reached under the counter for the phone book.

"Yeah, Edward says Bella is missing. I figured I could call around to her favorite places and see if she's still there."

I called around to her favorite coffee shop, the book store and the diner. But nobody had seen her. I stood at the counter, tapping my fingers in thought.

"I can watch over this and keep it fresh for you if you need to leave."

I looked over at Angela and noticed that she was slightly shaking again. She was trying to close the cooler shut and her fingers kept fumbling. I thought I heard something banging and stopped the tapping of my fingers. My eyes left Angela's hands to look at her face. Her eyes locked with mine and what I saw in her eyes looked like fear. The detective side of my brain briefly caught it but I had more pressing issues at this time.

I looked down at my phone and pushed the button to call Bella's phone. Even though Edward said there was no answer before, I still had to try. The calm side of me was starting to lose control and I didn't know how much longer I could hang on to rational thought. I raised my phone to my ear and absently started to tap my fingers again. Bella's phone started to ring. On the second ring I noticed something different. It rang a third time and I realized what was so different about it.

It was somewhere in this shop.

My eyes locked with Angela's from across the room. What was once a kind face had now turned into something I never seen before. The face was pure evil.

I slowly took the phone away from my ear as Bella's voice mail picked up.

"Angela," I said softly, trying to keep my voice calm. "Why is Bella's phone here?"

Anger flashed in her eyes as she lunged for the carving knife that was on the small table next to the scales. But my reflexes were faster then her's and within that split second I had thrown down my phone and drew my gun.

"I'll ask you again! Why the fuck is Bella's phone in here?" My voice was no longer under my control.

The knife in her hand started to shake and she was slowly backing up.

"Don't fucking move, Angela!"

Every step that she took back, I took one forward. The banging sounds were now becoming louder and I realized that it was coming from within the shop. My eyes glanced over to the freezer door and I saw that the door was slightly cracked open.

But looking away from Angela turned out to be a mistake. Just as my eyes left her, I heard her screaming as she ran towards me. I tried to dodge her but she was able to stab the knife into my right leg as she fell. I cried out in pain and stumbled to the ground. I stared at my leg, that was now spilling out blood, and grabbed the knife to pull it out. I screamed as the blade left my flesh. Angela had already stood up and was running to another table to grab another knife. I tried to stand up and instead slipped on my own blood. She was now running at me again with a large knife held above her head in both of her hands. I swung my arm around and cocked my gun as a warning. But she kept running towards me with a wild look in her eyes. I aimed and shot the gun at her stomach. The sound echoed off the walls and momentarily deafened my ears. She fell to the ground, clutching her side and screaming out in pain. I slowly stood up and hovered over her with my gun pointed at her head. I noticed the knife laying on the floor and kicked it across the room.

"I said, don't fucking move," I harshly breathed out. My breaths were coming out in pants. What the hell just happened here?

I heard more banging behind me and remembered the freezer door. I kept my gun pointed at Angela's writhing body as I slowly backed up to the freezer. I reached behind me and blindly searched for the door. When I found the handle I slowly opened it and glanced inside. What I saw nearly made me lose the grip on my gun.

Bella arms were outstretched and tied to the walls, her legs were banging into the ground and her skin was a sickly shade of blue. The smell of vomit hit my nose as I noticed her whole chest was covered in a frozen pile of vomit.

"Oh my God, Bella," I cried out as tears began to fall.

I ran to the side of the room and pushed some boxes over to the door to keep it held open. I then ran over to Angela and dragged her body next to the boxes so that I could keep an eye on her. She screamed and tried to kick me. Keeping my eyes on Angela, I ran over to Bella and took the gag out of her mouth and started to untie her. She was sobbing and her hands felt like ice. I quickly ran around to the front of her and grabbed her hands, rubbing them to try to warm them up. Her head fell onto my chest as she cried and gasped for air.

"I heard you, dad. I could hear you and tried to make noise. I heard you," she constantly sobbed into my chest.

"It's ok, honey. Everything's fine now," I whispered into her hair.

****

Bella and Angela were taken away in separate ambulances. It killed me to leave Bella but I had things that needed to be done first. I had already called Edward and told him what had happened and to stay by Bella's side until I could get there. I had to find out why Bella was here and what Angela had to do with it.

By the time I had reached the hospital they had already started an interrogation. I burst through the door, anger taking over me now that I knew that Bella was safe. Angela was laying in the hospital bed, with fresh stitches and doped up on drugs.

Once Dr. Cullen heard me burst through the door he grabbed my shoulders to lead me out of the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" I screamed at him as I tried to break free. "She has something to do with Bella disappearing and I want to know what the fuck that is!"

He gently shoved me down into a chair outside the door. "They already questioned her and she admitted to everything. You're too personally involved in this. You know they won't let you question her yourself."

I smacked his arm off my shoulder. "I don't give a crap what they say. That's my daughter she tried to kill."

Just then the commissioner, Sam, came out of the room and sat next to me while nodding at Dr. Cullen to leave us alone.

Dr. Cullen glanced down at my leg. "You know, you should really get that leg checked out. You're probably going to need some stitches."

"I don't give a fuck about my leg right now," I angrily spat back at him.

"I'll just go check on Bella," he mumbled as he walked away.

He placed a hand on my shoulder as he breathed out a sigh.

"Charlie, thank God you're sitting down cause you won't believe this."

I looked at him in silence with a questioning look.

"Well, you're not going to believe it but she's the serial killer."

"W..What?" I stumbled out.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. I don't understand how she did it. It doesn't seem like a person her size could have killed fourteen people. But, she described the woman and some details. She also won't explain why she did it. But, I'm telling you, it was her."

I sat in stunned silence, staring at the floor as I tried to understand it all. It just didn't make sense. She had always seemed so sweet.

"Twenty-one and her life is thrown away," I sighed out to the floor.

"Yeah, her brother's coming down to see her before we take her off to the jail's hospital."

"God," I sighed out. "First he loses his father and now he's losing his sister. I mean, they aren't blood related, but still that has to be hard."

"That's right, I forgot about that. Their parents got married when he was fifteen. He's twenty-two now. Right?"

I nodded my head right when I noticed her brother, Mike, coming down the hall. We both stood up to greet him.

"Hey guys," he said softly.

"How are you holding up?" I asked him.

"As well as can be expected. Can I go see her?"

"Sure," Sam replied. "Do you want some time alone? I can maybe give you ten minutes. But the guards will be here soon and they'll kick you out by then."

He mumbled a thank you and went into her room.

"So sad," Sam said while shaking his head.

Mike POV

I walked into the room and saw her sleeping. Her body was propped up with pillows and her head was resting on her right shoulder. I quietly walked up to her and watched her sleeping for a moment. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were moving behind her eyelids. Her hair was sticking up in knots and she had blood smeared in random places all over her body. She looked so fucking stupid.

I reached my hand up and quickly slapped her across the face.

"What the hell?" she cried out while placing her hand across her cheek. Her eyes focused onto my hard face and she instantly shut her mouth. I stared her down, hate seeping out of my every pore.

"What the fuck did I tell you?" I lowly hissed out across her face. "Bella was off fucking limits. I told you to never lay a hand on her. What the fuck were you thinking?"

She stared back into my face, speechless. Her hand was still cupped over her cheek and her mouth was hanging wide open.

"Answer me before I give you something to really scream about, bitch."

"I thought I would be helping you. Just get it done and over with. No more reminder. I swear, I was just trying to help you," she pleaded out.

I gave a low laugh in her face and grabbed her hair to pull her head back. I bent my face low enough to where our noses were touching.

"Don't you ever think that you're doing me a favor. All you have been is a setback. You live in your fantasy world, Angela. What? You thought this would bring us closer together?" My grip became tighter on her hair and she whimpered out in pain. "I never liked you, you delusional freak. Hope you have fun rotting in jail."

I quickly turned away from her and walked out the doors. The stupid pigs were still sitting out there, just dying to make themselves feel better by giving me kind words. I knew what they were saying as I was walking up to them earlier. I heard every word. But what they didn't know was that I was the one who had killed my dad. It's a good thing that Angela's mom left us four years ago or she might have suffered the same fate.

I faked my way through their sympathy and acted the part. It never ceased to amaze me how naive and stupid most of the world was. I allowed Charlie to give me a small hug as he tried to sugar coat the situation.

"Where's Bella?" I whispered out in mock sadness. "I want to make sure that she's ok."

"She's in room 214. Tell her I'll be there in about an hour. I need to finish up some loose ends and get my leg looked at. Tell her I'll also bring her favorite food, pancakes."

I nodded my head with a small smile that I hoped didn't seem like a grimace. "Sure thing, Charlie."

I made my way down to the elevators and thought about how we even got to this fucked up situation.

It had all started back in high school. I was a senior and Bella was a freshman. I followed her around like a sick puppy dog, just begging for her attention. I became her friend, her shoulder to cry on when her mother had left them. But she never saw me as more then that. I was never something more in her eyes. I asked her out constantly and she always shot me down. I was so fucking in love with her and she didn't see it. Or if she did, then she didn't care.

Then a year ago she started dating that Cullen fucker. I don't know what she ever saw in him. I knew I could treat her so much better then he could. I definitely wouldn't have been a wuss about sex like him. I would have taken her the moment she said yes to ever going out with me. It was hard enough not to take her when she said no.

So, instead I continued to follow her around, trying to break her down. Then it became a thing where I would find myself outside of her house in the middle of the night. Everywhere she went, I followed. Lurking behind in the shadows. I knew every single move that she made. I knew when she took a shower. I knew when she went to bed. I even found a place close to the college so I could be with her when she left to go there.

Angela, was a whole different thing. Our parents had married when I was fifteen and she was fourteen. I always knew that she had a crush on me but she was never my type. Now that we were related by marriage it really felt sick.

She took it really hard when she found out how I felt about Bella later on. She would try to tell me that I was being stupid with how hard I was trying. But I just knew that I could change Bella's mind. I could feel it.

Angela started changing over time. She became more bitter and closed off. Some nights she wouldn't come home until five in the morning. One night I waited up for her in her room and caught her as she was crawling back through the window. She came in and looked wild with energy. She explained to me how she had a plan for us both to feel better.

She had been at a local party and she saw a girl that looked like Bella. She was drunk and walked up to her, wanting to yell and start a fight. When she turned the girl around she realized that it wasn't even Bella. She stood staring at her face, swaying in her drunken stupor, and decided to punch her anyways. After she hit her she ran home. But she felt elated. Like something was lifted off of her chest and she could breath a little easier. In the act of punching the look alike, she had let out some of her pain.

It sounded like a good idea at the time. So we formulated our plan and decided that whenever a look alike came our way then we would act out on it. I only set one rule that she had to follow. She could never hurt Bella. I didn't realize that it would help fuel Angela's obsession with me, though. She thought that doing this together would help to bring us closer. We came to some unforeseen problems one night when I had taken it just a little too far and killed the bitch. In a moment of clarity, I decided the best idea was my father's store. We stayed up all night dismembering the bitch's body and used the meat grinder.

It was then that I decided that my father had to go. I knew that the business would go to me and then I could have full reign over the kitchen to do whatever I wanted with it. Angela and I could use it to dispose all of the bodies. The icing on the cake was turning them into sausages. Angela had come up with that brilliant plan. Then, in the most ironic twist, our sausage sales grew. With every one that I sold I had to hold back a laugh. If only these stupid people knew what was in them.

Over time Angela started to go out on her own. It seemed like she was purposely looking for someone that looked like her now. Not just a chance in passing anymore. She would leave and stay out all night. Later on I would hear something on the news about another woman missing and I knew what she had been doing. I felt like she was starting to lose control. I decided to call the cops one day with an anonymous tip. Angela had to be stopped in one way or another and she wasn't listening to me. It was controlling her, taking over her every action.

I now stood in front of Bella's door and braced myself for the great act.

I pushed the door open and stopped dead in my tracks. Edward was sitting next to her bed, clutching onto her hand, as they laughed at some joke. It made me want to choke him. Bella looked up at me and smiled as she waved me over.

"Hey Mike. Come have a seat." Her voice sounded rough and she looked like hell. Still beautiful. It made me want to go back into Angela's room and beat her for what she did.

I gave a small smile to Edward as he pulled up a chair for me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry for what has happened to you. I had no idea what she was up to. I can't believe that she was the serial killer."

She raised her shaky hand up to my cheek and held her palm there. It took everything in me not to close my eyes and kiss her fingers as I felt her warmth radiating into my skin.

"No," she whispered out. "It's ok. It's not your fault, Mike. How could you have known." Her hand fell from my face and I wanted to grab her arm and place it back. She looked at me with a worried expression. "How are you doing? This must be so hard for you."

I pulled the mask on tighter and faked sadness over my "psycho" sister.

"I don't know, Bella. I can't wrap my mind around it, you know. You think you know somebody and then..."

"Shh. It's ok. I'll help you through this." Her hand was back and it lightly grazed through my hair, sending chills up and down my arms.

Edward, the asshole that he is, cleared his throat and interrupted our moment. I think a man can always tell when competition walks into the room. Damn right I'm competition.

"Why don't you go get something to drink, honey?" Bella said to him. I didn't fail to notice the way that she looked at him. They way that her voice changed to a softer, loving tone despite her damaged voice. Her eyes glassed over with love when her focus changed to him. She never gave me that look. Three and a half years of trying and she never looked at me in that way.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" he asked while brushing her hair back from her eyes. I wanted to choke him even more.

She briefly glanced at me and patted my hand. "Sure, I have Mike here to keep me company." Her look at me was short and then she was instantly transfixed back into his eyes.

Maybe Angela was right. Maybe I was stupid to keep chasing her around. I mean, here I was with the psycho sister and no other family around. My father was dead and my sister was getting ready to spend her life in jail. Yet, I had to sit across from this disgusting display of affection and she still couldn't give me the time. How could she not see how fucking beautiful we could be together?

I realized they were both looking at me and expecting an answer.

"Uh, yeah, sure. It's no problem, man. I'll stay here until you get back."

He gave me a smile and then turned back to Bella. Her hand ran down his arm and she locked eyes with him again. My hand. He slowly leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips. My lips. She smiled and gave a small laugh. My smile. She whispered words of I love you. My words.

"I'll be right back," he said to me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Sure, man."

The door softly closed and I turned my attention back to her. This woman had no idea the pain she had caused me. She was so damn selfish. I don't think that she ever cared about my feelings or how her actions made me feel. Anger raged up in me as I thought of their kiss. That should be my lips pressed against hers as I tried to console her.

"Mike, are you ok?"

My eyes focused on her face as I realized I was staring at her with anger written all over my face.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."

"Really, I can't imagine what you're going..."

"Hey," I blurted, interrupting her. "You and Edward...Are you guys really all that serious?"

Her face grew into a wide grin and her eyes sparkled. That should be me who makes her feel that way.

"Yeah," she replied. "I mean, I'm going to marry that man." All of the sudden she gasped and grabbed my arm. "Oh my God, Mike! You should be our best man. That would be so perfect."

I looked at her excited face and fought the vomit threatening to come up my throat. Perfect.

Everything just snapped and all of Angela's words came flooding back. Every one of them rang true. I was a fucking idiot. How did I become so stupid. This was never going to end. I was going to follow her until the day I died. I would watch her from a distance as she ripped my fucking heart out and started her life without me. The stupid friend to always stand in the shadows as he watched her live her fucking fairytale. I couldn't do this anymore. I don't think I could take another day of heartache.

"Yeah, that would be great, Bella," I said with the most fake smile I had ever made. My heart was in pieces. There was no more hope left inside of me.

I stood up and leaned over her, keeping my smile in perfectly in place.

"Here, let me fix these pillows for you. These stupid hospital beds are always awful and uncomfortable."

"Oh, thanks, Mike," she giggled out.

I slipped my hand behind her back and raised her upper body up so I could adjust the pillows.

If it was never going to end then I had to end it myself.

My hand became a fist over the edge of the pillow and my mind shut off.

I laid her back down and clenched the pillow in my hands on both of the edges.

"I love you, Bella," I whispered out.

Her eyes shot to mine with confusion and before she could say a word I pressed the pillow over her face. She started to scream so I laid on top of the pillow to suffocate her more and muffle her sounds. Her hands clawed at my back as she continued to try to yell through the pillow. I put all of my weight onto her face and prayed that her death would come quick. I didn't want her to suffer. Her fingers became weaker as they tried to pull at my shirt and hit my back.

Eventually her screams stopped and her arms fell onto the bed. I layed on top of her for a moment more to make sure that she wasn't breathing. When I was sure that she was dead I slowly lifted up and moved the pillow from her face. My body felt heavy and my limbs felt like they were moving through water.

I took a good look at her face. Her hair was pressed against her cheeks and forehead. Sweat dewed on her skin and her eyes were open. I reached my hand up and gently closed her eyes. I brought my other hand up and pushed back her hair with both of my hands as I stood over her body.

A tear fell onto her cheek. I wasn't even aware of the fact that I was crying.

Another one followed and fell right next to the first one. It rolled down and the two blended together to become one.

I leaned down and placed my lips gently on her cheek, over the one large tear. The moisture soaked my lips and brought salt to my tongue.

"I love you," I whispered out one last time to the empty room.

*****

AN: Doing this one shot was just awesome. :)

Thanks so much to Alitriona for taking the time to read this and for seeing/fixing my dorky mistakes. Really, you're so much help. You have no idea. And, for everyone who doesn't know, she makes amazing videos and you should check them out. (Including the awesome one for the Whodunit)

I don't know if anyone reading this will notice this so I'm pointing it out. I purposely had the whipers of I love you come full circle. From Bella saying it to Ed while he slept and Mike saying it to Bella as she had her own deep sleep. I like to have hidden things in all of my stories. There's more then that one. But I just wanted to point that one out. :)

The shop is real and all the details about it are real...so, that being said, sorry for whoever really does own it :) lol

Good luck everyone!! And to all of the readers for all of the stories...Please review :)