Chapter 14
The last thing Caleb felt like doing was venturing outside when the spirit of Christmas was thick in the air. People strolling down the town streets, arms linked with each other as they gossiped animatedly about their plans for that day. A loud speaker from somewhere in a gift store proudly blasted traditional Christmas hits. A few flakes of snow hit the windshield of Caleb's truck as he rounded the corner to the police station. His wife used to love all that came with the holidays, and always looked forward to dressing up, and decorating her home. In fact, quite a few of their decorations were still displayed in the home. As the sight of the police station came into view, Caleb wondered if he would ever be brave enough to go back inside.
He had things to pack of hers that would become treasured items later when his pain was not as harsh as it was now. In her excitement over the pregnancy, Katie had splurged on several items for the nursery. Cute onesies hung on a rack in the baby's room. The crib had been gifted to them from someone on the force, and had prominent themes of pink and a light purple that Katie claimed was peaceful. The wall, on the other hand, was painted in shades of white and cream. Whenever she was not around, Caleb would often go into that room and fantasize about what kind of kid he would soon be the father of.
None of that mattered now. His baby girl had been killed before she even got the privilege to draw breath on this earth. He would never know what she would turn out to be like: Would she be like him? Or would she be a mixture of both of her parents? Would she get into the same things her parents did? Or would she develop her own interests? Those questions had made themselves at home in Caleb's mind as he steered the car toward the small office. One big question that had come into his mind, was the appearance of the man on the security footage, and if he was possibly related to what happened.
"His eyes were glowing?" Nathan repeated, his second or third time voicing the same question as he regarded Caleb with a look that he had only ever seen when his father proposed something truly outlandish. Even though he had dreaded going out with the spirit of Christmas heavy in the air, Caleb knew that their talk would be better served in person.
"That's what I saw," Caleb affirmed, leaning forward to switch on the TV. "They were white like orbs, and had a brightness to them that I can't even explain." His training as a crime scene investigator was starting to kick in, but he knew that this would likely be something that was not covered in the material.