October 8th, 1981
Sometime I wonder why you do these things to me
Sometime I worry girl that you ain't in love with me
Two teenagers stand in a hallway as classmates and teachers walk to their classrooms. One of the teenagers, a boy in a Letterman jacket, leans against a locker, blocking a red-haired girls path.
Sometime I stay out late, yeah I'm having fun
Yes, I guess you know by now you ain't the only one
Baby, sweet things that you promised me babe
Seemed to go up in smoke
"Come on, Danica. Who cares if you miss one English class, there's nothing interesting going on anyway." The boy says, smiling at her as his blond hair falls in his eyes.
The girl, Danica, rolls her eyes "I care, Shawn. I need to pass the class. And Mr. Lineman cares too."
"Pete? Nah, I had him last year, he didn't give a shit" Shawn laughed, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her away.
Danica yanked her arm from his grasp. "Well, 'Pete'," Danica said, using air quotes around the teachers first name "may not care what Shawn does, but Mr. Lineman hates me."
"Oh please, he doesn't hate you."
"Really? Most days he's calling me names or pulling my seat from under me, and when he's not, he's ignoring me. He doesn't like me."
Yeah, vanish like a dream
I wonder why you do these things to me
Cause I'm worried
I just can't seem to find my way, baby
"Oh, no, that's just how Pete is. It means he thinks your worth it enough to tease!" Shawn said, moving as Danica made her way to class "Don't think about it too much, Carmichael!"
Danica just sighed as Shawn ran down the hall and she held her head high as she continued her way to class. She cringed the bell rang and sighed heavier.
Ooh, the nights I spent just waiting on the sun
Just like your burned out cigarette
You threw away my love
Why did you do that baby
I wonder why, why you do these things to me
Danica walked into class, looking around at her classmates who just watched her. She glanced at the teacher's desk, but instead found him sitting in her desk. Peter Lineman, the English teacher who couldn't be a day over twenty-five, smiled at his student with his hands folded over her desk.
Swallowing hard, Danica pushed her hair behind her ears "Sorry I'm late" She muttered "I was held up."
"I saw," Mr. Lineman replied, his smile widening "How could anyone miss someone who's head looks like some sort of siren?"
I'm worried
Lord, I'll find out anyway
Sure going to find myself a girl someday
Till then I'm worried
Yeah, I just can't seem to find my way
Danica blushed a tomato color and untucked her hair, letting her waves of hair cover her face so she didn't have to see the class laughing at her. She looked at her feet and felt the tears well in her eyes. She didn't know why her teacher picked on her, or why it bothered her so much even if it was something as stupid as what he just said. She silently made her way to the desk, Peter making siren sounds with each step.
"May I please have my seat?" She whispered, daring not to look at him
"Sure, Danica." Her teacher stood and pulled the seat out "Sit."
Danica looked at the seat and at her teacher through her red shield. She reached to grab her seat, but her teacher hit her hand away.
"I won't pull it from under you. Promise." She could feel the young mans million watt smile beam down at her, and she shivered.
Yeah, I'm a hard working man
When did I ever do you wrong?
Yeah, I get all my money baby
Bring it, bring it all home
Yeah, I'm telling the truth
Sitting down, Danica smiled to herself when she saw that, for once, her teacher was telling the truth. She started to slide her seat towards her desk when she felt herself falling off. She landed with a thud and looked up to her teacher smirked, her seat tipped over. Her lip quivered as the class laughed again, and she stood up, brushing off her shirt.
Sweet things, sweet things that you promised me
Well I'm worried, I just can't seem to find my way, baby
"Why did you do that?" She asked, getting frustrated.
"Carmichael, this is the fourth time your late to my class. You think you can get off that easy?" Peter laughed and walked to his desk. Danica watched as he wrote something and walked back, handing her a paper.
Her eyes scanned it before looking at him, horrified "Detention?"
I'm worried about you
I'm worried about you
Tell you something now
Worried 'bout you, child
Worried 'bout you, woman
"You know the rules" Peter answered as he went to his desk again and sat down "You have to report here after school for a week." He smirked and put his feet on the desk, waiting for Danica's reaction.
Huffing, Danica stood up and sat in her seat, pulling it to her seat. She looked at the paper once more and rolled her eyes. "What a dick." She muttered.
"Did you say something, Carmichael?" Peter said, looking at her from across the room.
"Nope." Danica snapped, finally making eye contact with him, keeping the tears from spilling out "Where are we on Macbeth?"
Peter stared back as he pulled out his copy of Macbeth, as did Danica "Act two, scene three" He answered, and as the class retrieved their books, the two never broke the gaze.
Yeah, I'm worried
Lord, I'll find out anyway
Sure as Hell I'm going to find that girl someday
Till then I'm worried
Lord, I just can't seem to find my way
A silver car pulls down a rainy street, sending the water flying as it speeds to the end of the street. It pauses for a moment before driving again, around the corner and down the block again. This time, it stops again and the passenger side door opens, and a body falls out. The car drives away again, leaving the body laying in the middle of the street, it's red hair fanned out, letting the blood on it's face be washed away.
A white box is carried past shelves and shelves of other white boxes with names printed on them. The police officer holding the box pauses at an empty space and puts the box in.
Carmichael, D. is listed on the box.
November 7th, 2013
Lilly Rush sat at her desk at the Philadelphia Homicide squad office as two women walked in. One is in her late forties, the other is a teenage girl, both with long red hair. The younger one clutched a piece of paper to her chest.
Lilly stood and approached them "Hi there, I'm Detective Rush. Is there something I can help you two with?" She asked, eyeing the paper in the girls hand "Are you here to report a murder?"
The older woman smiled "I'm Alina Carmichael, this is my daughter, Kas." She gestured to her daughter, who just smiled wearily. "I... back in 1981, I had an older sister, Danica. She was murdered just before Christmas." Alina cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair "They didn't try to look for who could have done it. The case went cold pretty quickly."
Lilly smiled at Alina "Well, we're pretty good at cracking cold cases. Why did you wait this long to come here though?"
Kas spoke up this time "After my aunt Danica died, the school had locked up some lockers since they weren't used anymore, and hers was one of them. But this year a lot of kids transferred over and they opened the lockers up again. I happened to get Danica's. " Kas smiled a bit "I thought it was cool, having my aunts locker. Like I knew her a little. But um, last Friday I was reaching in to get a book when I found this" Kas handed the paper to Lilly "It was tucked in a opening in the locker, I don't think anyone saw it when it got cleaned out."
Lilly nodded and opened the note, reading it aloud "'My morning star, I hope you aren't still mad at me. I must talk to you. Meet me outside in the parking lot by seven tonight. I'll see you there. Your Rock.' What does this mean?"
Alina shrugged "I don't know. I don't believe she had a boyfriend. But that was the last time anyone heard from Danica. Is that... enough? To reopen the case?"
Lilly looked at the letter, rereading it "Yeah, because someone brought her to her death. Someone who's been hiding for thirty-two years from justice."