Ch. 3 Epilogue
Melanie Puckett paced back and forth as she talked on the phone. "Sir, I've told you 5 times, When I left for school, Sam was home. In fact, she was just getting ready to take a shower. When I got home later, I found her cell phone broken outside. When I got in the apartment, she was nowhere to be found."
Freddie quietly entered the apartment during the conversation. "Yes," Melanie said into the phone, trying in vain to keep calm, "I know that Sam was a delinquent when she was younger. I don't see how it's revelant when I'm trying to report her missing!" Whatever was said on the other end caused Melanie to explode in anger.
"Look, are you gonna send me an officer, or do I have to come down there myself to report my sister missing?" she demanded, her voice rising with every syllable. "Thank you. Good bye!" she said, hanging up the phone.
"Any luck?" Freddie asked. Melanie shook her head. "I swear, if one more police department operator tells me that Sam may be playing a prank because her record would suggest it, I'll lose my mind," she said, frustration evident in her tone. For his part, Freddie stood firm in the face of her anger, knowing it wasn't directed at him.
Her tone softened as she realized that Freddie and Spencer were in the same boat regarding Carly. "How about you?" she asked. Freddie scoffed. "They keep telling Spencer that Carly's too famous from her iCarly days to suddenly go missing without a trace," he replied. Melanie laughed at the notion. "You know, you'd think that with both Sam and Carly," she said, trying to bring of an air of levity to the situation. She was just as worried for Carly's safety as she was Sam's.
"And yet, they are," Freddie finished. He truly hopped they just took a day off. But Spencer had come home to a similar situation. Remnants of Carly's cell phone were found on her nightstand, alongside a hammer. Carly herself was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of forced entry, no evidence of a break in.
Freddie eyed the tv just at the right time. A picture of someone he recognized was on the screen. "Hey Melanie," he said, a sudden tone of urgency in his voice. "Turn the tv up real quick," Melanie nodded.
"I'm Heidi Fisher and this is a Seattle 5 News special report. An all points bulletin was put out earlier this morning for one Nora Dershlit, who escaped from the Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women 3 days ago."
For a second, Freddie and Melanie felt their hearts stop, Melanie's out of fear for her sister and friend, as she had been told about Nora, and Freddie's, out of fear for not only the safety of his friends, but from personal experience, being held twice by her. "No way..." Freddie whispered. "There should have been no way that nut ball could have got out."
"Ms. Dershlit was serving a 5 year sentence for the kidnapping of the stars of a local web show, iCarly, two years ago," the news anchor explained. A picture of Freddie, Carly and Sam briefly replaced Nora's prison photo. "Ms. Dershlit has been reported as being extremely unbalanced. If seen, it is best advised to not approach her, as she could be armed, and she is considered to be very dangerous." Freddie stopped paying attention as the anchor provided a number to call regarding the escaped prisoner.
"Call them back," Freddie instructed, "right now. Tell them you wish to report the kidnappings of Sam and Carly." Melanie was already in the process of dialing when Freddie's own phone rang.
"Spencer, please tell me they found her," he begged. Melanie stopped in mid dial, watching Freddie's reaction to his own phone conversation. "Slow down, Spence," Freddie said. "Repeat that please?" After a brief moment of silence, Freddie nodded his head in agreement to whatever Spencer said on the other line. "We'll be right there," he said before hanging up.
"What is it?" Melanie asked slowly. A small ray of hope lit up her heart. She hoped this was good news. Freddie's expression was solemn. "They found..." he paused. He didn't know how he was going to word this. "What?" Melanie asked. "What did they find?"
Freddie embraced her in a hug. "They told Spencer they found two bodies, both female, fitting Sam and Carly's descriptions," He said slowly. The hope left as quickly as it had entered. "You don't mean..." Melanie's voice trailed off. It was as though she couldn't will herself to finish the thought.
"They tried to call your mom, apparently, but they got no answer." Melanie stared at the ground. If this was true, she decided, she was disowning her mother. No matter what had happened between them, if her mother could not be bothered to pick up the phone when one of her daughters was missing, then as far as Melanie was concerned, she was not her mother.
"They asked Spencer to come down and identify at least one of the bodies," Freddie explained. "I told him we'd meet him at the morgue. Melanie nodded. "Let's go," she said. She suddenly didn't care that a police officer was due shortly.
In less than 15 minutes, Melanie and Freddie arrived at Seattle General Hospital. Spencer was already there waiting with a doctor whom Freddie guessed was the coroner. "Right this way, gentlemen, miss," the doctor beckoned.
As they neared the morgue, Freddie stopped Melanie. "You wait here," he instructed Melanie. "But...I'm her sister," Melanie protested. "I know," Freddie replied. It was clear he was trying to both keep hope alive that it wasn't Sam while at the same time, protect her in case it was.
"I can identify her in case..." he didn't finish his sentence. Melanie nodded her acceptance. He glanced at Spencer, who he might as well have considered to be a big brother. "Let's get this over with," Spencer said, trying to sound optimistic.
With deep breaths, Freddie and Spencer slowly opened the double doors to the morgue and walked to the nearest table. The bodies of two recently dead girls lay upon it, one a blonde, the other a brunette.
"Oh my god," Spencer said as soon as he got near enough. At first Freddie thought it was due to the smell, which was admittedly pretty bad. But then he realized it was more realization. "It's...it's Carly," he said, and with that, tears flowed down his face. His baby sister was dead.
"And that's Sam," Freddie confirmed. As he turned to exit, he found Melanie standing at the door. "No..." Melanie said softly. "No, no, no...it can't be," she continued, hot tears flowing down her cheeks. Freddie crossed the room in three strides and took Melanie in his arms.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, not even trying to stifle his own crying. "I'm so, so, so sorry," he said, stroking the blonde's hair. Spencer collapsed to the floor. "How?" he asked. "Why?" Freddie steeled himself.
"I don't know how," he replied. "But I think I know why and who." Spencer tried to compose himself. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Freddie looked right at him. "There was a special report just before you called me," he said slowly. "Nora Dershlit escaped from prison. "That crazy girl who locked us in her house?" he asked. His eyes began to burn with sadness and rage.
"I am sorry for your loss," the coroner said. "I think I know how they died, but I could perform autopsies to confirm it." Freddie looked at the doctor. As much as he didn't want to, part of him had to know.
"Where were they found?" he asked, struggling to keep the anger and sadness at bay. The doctor shook his head. "There's a remote stretch of beach not too far from here," he explained. "I was told they were found about a mile apart from each other."
He paused to let it sink in. "They were buried at the tide line." That solved the cause of death for them. "Oh my god," Freddie replied. Melanie couldn't take it anymore. She rushed to a trash can and emptied her stomach. Spencer wiped the tears from his eyes. "Thank you, doctor," he said slowly. The doctor shook his hand. "I am very sorry for your loss."
As they turned to leave, a call came across the radio. "We found another body," a female voice explained. "She was found between them. We're bringing her in now." It couldn't be. "You don't think it's?" Melanie questioned.
Though tears still streamed down his face, Spencer steeled himself. "I hope so," he growled. And it was. In no time, the body of Nora Dershlit was wheeled into the very same morgue. Her body was in an even worse state than that of her victims.
Freddie sighed. "It's time," he said softly. He adjusted his tie as Melanie turned to face him. She struggled with the buttons on her black dress. "Let me help," Freddie offered. He gently did the last few buttons as Melanie choked back her tears.
"Sam was going to propose," she said softly. Her appearance was simple enough. She wore no makeup and her hair was down. "Sam bought the engagement ring two days before..." her voice trailed off. She still didn't want to accept that her sister was gone.
She grabbed the case off the counter, and opened it to show Freddie. "Oh, wow," he said as he eyed the ring. It was a simple ring, not too expensive. It bore a small sapphire in the center. "Blue always was Carly's favorite color," Freddie mused. "I'm going to place it in Sam's coffin," Melanie said.
Freddie hugged her. It was the right thing to do. They were denied what could have been a very long and happy life together. "You know, Carly told me that Sam was her center," Freddie said softly. "She said she couldn't imagine being with anyone else."
Melanie nuzzled his shoulder as they headed out to the car. "Sam said the same thing," she replied. "It's not fair that they're gone." Freddie looked in her beautiful eyes. "No, it's not," he reasoned. "But their memory will live on in our hearts." It was a cold comfort, but it was the best that could be given.
It was a small ceremony. Melanie had tried to call her mother, to no avail. Maybe it was for the best. Carly's father had taken leave to attend his daughter's funeral, and Freddie noticed that her grandfather had also come in from Yakima. As they joined the gathering, the priest spoke.
"Today...is a most solemn one," he said softly. "Two young lives were tragically cut short. It is with heavy hearts and much sadness that we say goodbye to Carly and Sam. Words cannot express how much they will be missed."
As the priest continued, Melanie silently put the engagement ring in Sam's coffin. If they could not be together in life, at least they would be together in death.
The End
