Henry sighed, taking a sip of his cooling coffee as he sat down at the breakfast table. "Hey, Nora," he murmured, sitting next to his wife. She didn't speak, instead giving his hand a squeeze as he took his seat. Things had been difficult for them both since Charlotte's funeral last weekend, and Eleanor was taking it especially hard. Charlie was their only child after all...and Henry hadn't told anyone the truth about her murder.
The man picked up the newspaper on the table and flipped it open, scanning through the latest events before one of the bigger stories caught his eye.
"Four children missing at local pizzeria in Richfield, Utah, police looking for suspects as investigation..."
He stopped at that headline, heart thumping. Henry suddenly felt sick as he read on. No witnesses to their disappearance, no clues to their whereabouts, no cameras were on to catch anything...and it happened at a Fazbear's Entertainment location. This can't be a coincidence. Were the children's names listed?
His eyes scanned further down the page where four black and white school photos with names and identification information lay printed underneath the story with phone numbers to call. He read over it, trying desperately to remember that list he found in William's workshop. But that was months ago and his mind only drew blanks.
He clutched the paper tightly in frustration-this had to be William, it had to be...and now Henry just let him get away with four more murders.
Eleanor took his hand, looking at him in concern. "Henry? Is everything alright, dear?" She asked. He clutched the paper tightly, teeth clenched. "Yeah...I've just...I've got to make some calls."
William left the restaurant at 6:15 that morning. He wasn't as satisfied as he'd have liked to have been from the night's occurrences... the robots didn't even move. But they did make sounds he knew wasn't programmed. Which was something.
He walked to his car, the town around him quiet as he unlocked it and stepped in. He loosened his tie a little as he started the car, turning on the radio on his way out of the lot. His eyes flickered from the road to the dials, switching through channels as he continued southward. Ugh. Only hippie music...that stuff was terrible.
He rolled his eyes, changing the channel again until finally, a news station came on. Better than the hippies, he thought, placing his hand back on the wheel. For a half hour, the only things that played were weather reports, a bit about a new kangaroo at a local zoo, and a take the latest political controversy.
At this point, William had zoned out, feeling somewhat tired as he continued down mostly empty roads home. The sun was bright on his left, shining painfully into his eyes as it rose. What re-awoke his attention was a missing-child report...four children exactly.
William listened as the newsman gave descriptions of the kids along with a call for the community to be on watch for them. Search parties had commenced and they were asking for more volunteers.
He listened to all this with smug satisfaction...and began to laugh. It started as a low rumble in his chest and gradually grew into a full guffaw, making his shoulders shake and breath spasm. He was the mastermind, he was the genius behind it all, he was the killer. He almost wanted to call the station and tell them himself. I did it! He thought. All underneath their parents' noses, no less! They didn't even know their own children were dead!
William's being soared in elation and in pride, a contented smile growing widely on his face. No, they'd never find their children. Not until it'd have been too late, him gone with all the information he needed, their little darlings well dead.
He smiled all the way home. He did it...and it felt wonderful...
"Sure thing, Ray. No, it's no problem...uh huh. Thanks. Yep, see you tomorrow." Dana hung up the phone, returning to her late breakfast. She picked up the newspaper and skipped to the comic strips and crosswords in the back, picking up a pencil to start solving the puzzle. She had gone about three questions in, just having answered "Part of Santa costume?" (beard) when the phone rang again.
"Hello?" She questioned, holding the handset between her ear and shoulder as she continued the crossword. "It's Allan," the man on the other end replied. "Oh-good morning sir," she said, setting down her pencil. "Yeah, whatever. Hey, I'm switching you to night-duty stuff with the new guy," he said.
"What-why?" Dana asked, taken aback. "With all this police crap, I want security tighter. Jay's movin' to night-cleaning too, so he'll be there an hour or so into your shift. I've got two guys hired to take your places as day-guards."
"Oh," Dana murmured. "What...am I supposed to do, then?" She asked. "Patrol, duh. Be grateful, it's gonna be like free money for you, nobody would want to break into a dumpy kid's place anyway. Your badge and shirt will be in the office. First day is Wednesday," he answered.
"Thank yo-" she began, cut off as Allan hung up. She raised an eyebrow in annoyance and looked at the phone for a minute before putting it back on the hook. Great...shifts with Mr. Weirdo-Guard. She hummed as she picked up her pencil and went back to her crossword. Allan was right though...free cash. Better than picking up after kids' party messes.
Dana grabbed a sticky-note stack from the center of the table.
"First shift-Wednesday at 11:40pm-don't be late," she wrote, turning to stick it on the fridge.
"Well, Dave...looks like we're gonna get to know each other better."
