Whelp, guys, this is the last chapter of 'Chasing The Dark'. Thank you so much to those of you who have bothered reading & reviewing it. It really means a lot. I'm going to be doing a Maltara one-shot or fanfic (or both) soon, so keep a watch out for that. C: But yeah, I hope you enjoy this last chapter; reviews or ideas for more fanfics would be awesome. Thank you so much for the support. C:
Chapter Eight (Last Chapter) - Case Closed
Natara awoke the next morning to her cell phone ringing. She was momentarily confused as to why she was still in her work clothes; then all the events of yesterday came flooding back, instantly making her tired grabbed the phone from where it must have fallen out of her pocket beside her. The screen flashed Incoming call from Mal Fallon.
"Hello?" she said groggily, shifting to a sitting position.
"Hey, it's Mal," He sounded tired, too. "I just called the Wilson's and said we'd be over in an hour. That's not too soon, is it?"
Natara quickly glanced at the mirror, suppressing a sigh. "No, it's fine. I'll see you in an hour."
They hung up, and Natara tiredly walked into the bathroom, washing make-up off her face from the night before. She quickly showered, trying to untangle the knots in her hair. She re-applied her make-up, and grabbed her phone, checking the time. She had 25 minutes to get over to the Wilson's, which was about a 20 minute's drive.
She walked around the corner, and was momentarily startled to see Oscar, sleeping like a baby, on the couch, before she remembered she'd told him he could sleep there. She felt bad since she kept having to cancel on him, but she didn't want to wake him up, so she left him a note.
Oscar,
I had to go in early this morning for work. I'm really sorry, but I'll make it up to you; I promise.
Love, Nat
She set it on the table by the couch, hoping he'd see it there. She genuinely did feel bad for canceling on him twice in the past 24 hours, but she didn't really have a choice.
[line break]
Natara pulled into the Wilson's drive way with 3 minutes to spare. Mal's car was already there, and she could see movement inside. Taylor was outside watering some plants.
"Hey!" Taylor said, standing and shifting the hose to another plant. "My parents are in the kitchen."
"Hi," she said smiling, "Is Mal in there, too?"
"Assuming Mal is the tall one that says 'hell' a lot and is always with you, then yes, he's in there, too."
"Yeah, that's him," Natara said with a laugh. She walked in and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, who were sitting at the kitchen table opposite of Mal.
"Goodmorning!" Mrs. Wilson said, sounding chipper. "Would you like coffee or anything?"
Natara shook her head. "No, I'm good, but thanks." She pulled out the chair next to Mal.
"Mr. Wilson was just asking how you knew the guy..." Mal said, trailiing off. He didn't know how much Natara had wanted to share.
Natara nodded, and proceeded to explain what had happened years ago, not bothering to leave nothing out. She didn't feel like trying to avoid it anymore. Taylor and Mal were right; she needed to forgive herself. The more she tried hiding it, the more it ended up hurting in the end.
They were all silent for a few seconds after Natara finished, so she sat awkwardly, examining the wooden table. When they did talk, they spoke quickly, one after another.
"Wow," was all Mrs. Wilson could say.
"I see why he... disliked you." Mr. Wilson commented.
"I'm sorry," Taylor said.
Mal sat quietly staring out the window, as he already knew the story. Natara looked down and half smiled, suddenly shy.
"Any other questions you guys have?" Mal asked, quickly chaning the subject. Natara shot him a grateful smile, and looked back up at the Wilsons.
"Just one," Mrs. Wilson said. "How did the guy get in initially, you know for the... murder... part? Then the second time... was a lock problem, right?"
"Well," Mal started, pulling out a photo of the downstairs patio door. "Both times, we believe, the same entrance was used. The lock on your patio door downstairs was picked and broken."
"Unless your front door was wide open that night, that's really the only way he could have gotten in. No windows were broken, and they were all locked from the inside, anyways. The only thing disturbed was the patio door. You might want to invest in something a little more durable for the downstairs especially. The one you had was very easy to break open; and since it's facing the back, you would've had a hard time seeing or hearing anyone down there. That's probably what that guy was counting on."
"We should probably look into something a bit more... dependable." Mrs. Wilson said, turning to Mr. Wilson. He nodded in agreement.
"Well, unless you have further questions..." Mal said, standing up. Natara followed suit.
Mrs. Wilson shook her head no.
"Thank you so much for all your help with this," Mr. Wilson said, getting up as well. Mrs. Wilson rose too, thanking them profusely.
"Yes, thank you very much. I'm glad that man was brought to justice."
"You're welcome," Mal said humbly, "Just doing our job."
They said goodbye and walked out of the house. Taylor was still outside. This time, she was sticking two mini angel statues into the ground, right in the middle of newly-planted flowers. There was a boy and a girl angel; one had Brynne's name on it, and the other had Aaron's.
"Leaving?" Taylor asked when she saw them walk out.
"Yeah," Natara replied, "We got the guy; looks like the case is closed."
Taylor set the tools she was using down, and brushed her hands on her dirt-streaked jeans before walking over. Mal motioned that he'd be waiting in his car.
"Thank you for everything you and Mal have done for us, really," Taylor said, tilting her head up to look Natara in the eyes. "You have no idea how much it means to all of us. My parents might have seemed pulled-together in there the past couple of days, but they're honestly floored by this. And not in a good way."
Natara smiled. "You're welcome, Taylor. Believe me; I was just as happy as you to see that guy brought to justice. And honestly, their reaction is completely normal. I wouldn't be too worried."
"And I'm, uh, sorry about Shawn, though it really wasn't your fault."
"Thanks. I'm starting to realize that."
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, before Taylor hesitantly stepped forward and gave Natara a quick hug. Natara hugged her back.
"Well, thanks again. I'll see you around." she turned with a smile, and Natara headed back to her car. Mal was still in his, waiting for her for some reason. He leaned out the window as she approached.
"So, it looks like case is closed," he said with a broad smile. "I'm glad we got that guy."
"Looks like it," Natara said, smiling back. "I"m glad we got him, too."
"Wanna grab something to eat?"
Natara hesitated. She wanted to, but she had blown off Oscar for work twice in the past 24 hours. "I'd love to, but I uhh, kind of canceled on Oscar twice because of dinner last night and work... and I, um, promised I'd make it up to him." She stumbled through the sentences that should have been simple. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn. She looked down and fidgeted with her keys.
"Oh, right," Mal said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "No problem. I'll, uh, see you later, then," Mal turned back to the wheel, backed out of the drive way, and drove off.
Natara got in her car and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. Why was that so awkward? she wondered to herself. Focus on Oscar right now. He deserves it. She looked down at the engagement ring on her finger, briefly questioning the promise the ring symbolized. Stop it, Natara! she thought, Oscar loves you, and you love him. You're going to marry him.
She sighed, pushing Mal to the back of her mind. She turned on the radio and spent the rest of the drive home trying to concentrate on anything but Mal or the now-closed case, or the night years ago that had caused her so much guilt. She concentrated on the lyrics, and the road in front of her.
[line break]
Once she got home, she pulled her cell phone out from her pocket and dialed Oscar's number. After a couple rings, Oscar picked up.
"Hey, Natara," he said passively.
"Hey! Are you busy right now?" she asked.
"No, I'm not. Are you?" he asked, a bit cooly.
Natara quickly got the feeling Oscar was mad at her for backing out of their plans yesterday. She did feel bad.
"I was actually just calling to ask if you wanted to meet me at the café and grab something to eat." Her reply came out a little colder than she had intended.
Her offer was met by silence on Oscar's line.
"Oscar..." She then remembered the several times the week prior that she had to back out of. Now she really felt bad. She stumbled over what to say next, choosing her words carefully.
"I can tell you're mad at me, and I really am sorry I've had to back out so much. I have realized I am a horrible fiancé, but I promised I'd make it up to you, didn't I?"
"It's okay. I'll see you in 20." he replied, a hint of a smile in his voice. "I love you."
They hung up, and 20 minutes later, Natara met Oscar at the café.
They had a wonderful evening, but the doubt in the very back of her mind never left. She still wondered.
