Inventing Shadows

Chapter 25: Light In Your Eyes- Marcey

August 6/2015 8:18am

Marcey turned over onto her left side and squinted at the brightness that seeped through the musty curtains. Her lower back throbbed and she tried to stretch it out but it only made it worse. Her dark chocolate eyes forced their lids open and she took in a steady breath as she surveyed her surroundings. What? Where am I? Marcey tossed her legs over the edge of the rock-hard bed and let them dangle as she stared through the light curtains. A groan came from behind and she cocked her head slightly to take a peek. The sleeping form mumbled something before drawing the blankets to cover up his eyes. Carl was still dressed in his clothes from the day before and Marcey realized they must have fell asleep when they were searching through the phone book. Well that is just a tad bit embarrassing. She carefully lifted herself off the bed and tiptoed her way over to her purse that sat on the lone armchair in the solemn room. She unzipped it and reached down to grab her phone. 8:18? I'm supposed to be in at the office at 8:30! Marcey stared at the screen saver and noticed the red dot in the middle that had a 5 in it. 5 missed messages. Shit. All five of them were from Ryan asking if she was okay and how did going out with Carl go. The latest one consisted of many exclamation marks and asking where the hell she was since they had to go over some notes before her client came in at 8:30. Marcey sighed and typed back quickly, Sorry. It went well but I'm not exactly feeling too hot. Mind covering for me today? She clicked send and knew the answer before Ryan even messaged back less than a minute later. Of course I will cover for you, love. You're not dying are you? Lol. I will come by to check on you after I'm done work all right? P.S I'm sure there is more to this Carl story and you will be telling me. Marcey reread the last sentence two times before clicking out of her messages and shoving the phone back into the bag. Good ol' Ryan. I'm sure he'd love to hear how I fell asleep in Car's hotel room. He'd probably turn it into one of those weird soap operas he loves to watch. She silently moved her purse down underneath the chair so she could sit on it. She leaned forward on her knees as she observed Carl's sleeping form. She watched as his even breaths pushed out his chest and let it fall again and how a bit of drool escaped the corners of his mouth that was curved slightly up. I hope he is having peaceful dreams. He deserves some sort of escape. She started to recollect the events from last night. The notebook by the television had a list of all the Max's that were in close vicinity of the Groovy Cat and that would also be able to reach other clubs without much traffic. The list consisted of 21 people, and given the size of the city was a pretty good outcome. Carl had said something about checking out other clubs today but she couldn't remember if she had agreed to help him out again. Probably not. I didn't think I would be skipping work today after all. Nothing wrong with a little white lie. Something tells me this is more important anyway. Plus my back does hurt. Marcey sat up straight again and winced as she heard a crack. She brought her left hand behind and started to rub circles on her lower back. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out as she continued her circular motion; and tried to convince herself that her reasons for missing out on work were not because Ryan was right. "Been awake long?" Marcey's eyes fluttered open and she brought her hand back to rest on her knee.

"Not at all."

"Alright," Carl's husky voice seemed to ring in her ears as she stared at him. "The good thing about this place is they have a breakfast buffet." All she did was nod as she was unsure of what to say. Might as well bring up the elephant in the room.

"I didn't mean-"

"Could you pass me the remote? Oh, what were you saying?" His glossy ocean eyes tried his best to focus on her in his still hazy state.

"Nothing." She got up off the chair and stood beside the television and grabbed the chunky remote. "Here." She tossed it to him. He tried to grab it but missed.

"Hate mornings," He mumbled. I didn't mean to fall asleep with you last night. That isn't so hard to say. I'm sure he knows that but I still have to say it and- "Are you kidding!?" Marcey looked over at Carl who was now alert and intently watching the news. Her eyes rolled to the screen and she gasped at the content it showed. Britney Sanders was standing on Sterlington Bridge and reporting that an accident had taken place. A car appeared to have driven on the edge; as of now it was unknown whether it was an accident or not.

"Police," Britney drawled on, "are currently blocking off the bridge until further notice."

"Well," Carl started, "Look at that. That bridge should've been fixed years ago. Wasn't there an accident like this last year?"

"I think so." It was in the summer as well. Weird. Carl grabbed the phone and called the front desk to see if he had any messages. Probably from his daughter. Carl frowned slightly as he set the phone down back in the holder. He looked over at Marcey and shrugged,

"Nothing." He got up off of the bed and started to make his way to the bathroom, "She has trouble sleeping, you see. So, she's probably resting in. I'll be back." He shut the door and left Marcey alone. I wonder if he was trying to convince me or himself. She plunked herself down on the hard mattress and continued half-heartedly watching the news but let her mind wander off. I hope we can accomplish something today; It would be nice to see some light in Carl's eyes. Just a glimmer of hope can make all the difference. The last time he ever seemed genuinely happy was when he and Brandi first booked in with me. Shame. Marcey laid back on the sofa and closed her eyes as the weatherman rambled on about how it was supposed to be hot again today. Like that is any surprise. She heard the water shut off and wondered how he could take such a quick shower. She was still when he came out in in some fresh clothes; a grey tee-shirt and beige shorts. She could feel his ocean eyes stare at her and his next words surprised her, "You know if you are more comfortable on the right side of the bed you could've kicked me over and switched places. I don't sleep much on either side." Marcey sat straight up with a look of disconcertion. Carl let out a shy laugh and continued, "Don't worry much about it. We got through all the Max's before you crashed. By the time I finally settled down it was around four and by then I wasn't going to force you out." Oh dear God! Carl shifted uncomfortably on his heels at Marcey's silence. "Anyway, I was thinking that Max is probably a fake name. That is if this Max is the 'Crimson Kisser'."

"You're right. If this is the guy, which may not be since it is just a guy Melody had gone out with that night and it may not have been the last person she saw, he wouldn't be so obvious. This guy is smart and covers his tracks."

"Yeah," Carl mustered as he sat down beside her on the bed. "I'm checking out the other clubs today." He grabbed the remote and turned off the television. "The girl before Melody was last seen at a club called 'Karma'. I'm going there. I'm also going to check out 'The Clove' where Melody's body was found. Isn't is strange that the bodies were found at clubs that they weren't last seen at? I was thinking that maybe that would be an indication of where the 'Crimson Kisser' lives since he would want to drop them off quickly without being seen. I'm going to go pick up a map as well today." He really thought this through last night. Determination can do wonders. His ocean eyes fell onto her and he added, "I can't sit around and do nothing while my daughter may still have a chance to be saved. They said it was approx five to seven days after the girls go missing that their bodies show up. Kaylee went missing on the third."

"You may only have until the eighth."

"I can't not do anything anymore."

"I've never seen you so alive before." Carl flinched in surprise at the words. His brow crinkled as he fell into a deep thought. I shouldn't have said. Marcey, you are so stupid! It's called a filter for your words and you obviously don't have one. Carl started to nod slowly and in a voice barely audible he said,

"I haven't been in a really long time." He bored into her deep chocolate eyes, "I almost forgot there was a person in there." She held his gaze. I know exactly what that is like. He was the one to break the rising tension in the room and he cast his gaze to the ground. "Not since Anita." Marcey recoiled at the mention of his deceased wife that she had heard about; mostly from negative snarks from Brandi during meetings. I don't want this to get uncomfortable. Although, I think we may be dancing on the borderline.

"I'm off today so if you'd like, I mean, I could join you again today. That is if," she dumbly rambled on.

"Yeah," Carl thankfully interrupted her. "That'd be nice. I'm not very good with people." He went over and grabbed his keys and opened the door that let the heat pour in. "I think we should start at Karma since it is the farthest." Marcey nodded and retrieved her bag and followed him out. The heat penetrated her skin and she started to perspire. Her eyes watched as Carl's biceps twitched as he stepped down the stairs and noticed how his arms had a slight burn. Burn? Why are the victims burnt? Is that the cause of death? They never specify that on the news. If it is, then how is that possible? Wouldn't a fire leave evidence? She stared at the back of Carl's head as he turned the corner to the parking lot. I wonder just how much information the police are withholding from the families? Why 5 days after would the bodies turn up? Are they already dead before that time frame? Are the police given families false hope? Marcey opened up the passengers side and got into the leather seat. She heard the engine roar to life and she cocked her head to Carl who was focused on backing up. I think he also needs to stop by the police station one more time. There are some questions that need answers.