Friday, October 28, 2016
Suspect 01: Kasey

It was 9:59 pm and Bailey Ramirez was ready to go home. 

Halloween was like Christmas in Greyson. Houses were lined with skeletons and skulls and the minute that the sun went down, kids would fly out of their houses to get whatever candy the neighbors stockpiled in the weeks before. For the students at Greyson University, it meant the biggest part of the year. There was something about Halloween that everyone in town seemed to latch onto.

This is why invitations to the party were set up in the form of a scavenger hunt. If you found one, you were lucky enough to witness the greatness that was the holiday. But every year, someone broke tradition and personally delivered invitations to people that were invited to the smaller, more personal party that took place upstairs.

Rumor had it, that was the place more secrets were told than there were at mass.

An hour earlier at 8:59 pm, Peyton Richardson broke tradition and handed Bailey his invitation.

To be handed your invitation was an elite treatment. It meant you'd earned the right to say you were a Greyson Grizzly. If this had been any other year, Bailey would have jumped at the chance.

But with Liberty Emerson missing, having a party felt wrong.

Two weeks had gone by since the mayor's daughter had gone missing. But to Bailey, Liberty was much more than just the mayor's daughter. She was one of the few people that had taken the time to get to know him when he moved to Greyson almost three years ago. Wherever there was Liberty, there was Bailey and Halloween was always something that they'd spent together.

Bailey lowered the music as he pressed the call button at the gate of the house where the party was being held. There was something about houses in South Greyson that bothered Bailey. There was way too much room for people to get into trouble with.

It was Peyton who met him at the door.

"A little late, aren't you?" he asked as he clapped his hand on Bailey's shoulder.

"I did my best," Bailey replied as they began their handshake. The boys had come up with the stupid handshake in seventh grade after they both got sentenced to detention. It was like a ritual at this point. It only seemed to improve as they got older.

"Welcome to the party, dude."

And a party it was.

Girls lined every wall in the dark painted living room. The music was blasting loud enough for there to be a noise complaint. There were at least three cans of beer and four shots of alcohol per person in the room.

Everywhere you turned, there was someone with a red solo cup in their hand ready to take the next sip of whatever was being poured into their cup. Gold, orange and black decorations lined the foyer as bodied bobbed to the music that surrounded them. Halloween lived up to his expectations and as usual, it was all because of Peyton.

"You brought your invitation?" He asked as he handed Bailey a cup.

He'd never been a drinker, but he swallowed the contents without hesitation before waving the black invitation around. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and a Halloween without Liberty was desperate.

Without hesitation, Bailey followed Peyton up the stairs where they were met with a door that could only be unlocked with a numerical code. Rich people hated the idea of getting robbed and Bailey couldn't complain. His house had a key to everything including the attic and the basement.

Everyone in the room turned to look at them as they walked into the room. A few of them waved before going back to their conversations. It smelled like citrus, which was welcoming, considering the entire floor below them smelled like weed and sweat.

Bailey had attended the annual party before this one and now that he was in his last year of college, saying he had seen both sides of the Halloween party made him feel like he was accomplishing something. Unlike downstairs, everyone fit in the room without having to be all over each other. A few kids sat at the bar rolling papers. Others filled the chairs and sofas with hushed conversations taking over them.

The TV turned on as soon as Peyton closed the door behind them. 

"What the fuck?" Kasey whispered as he dapped Bailey up.

Kasey had been living with Bailey and Peyton since their freshman year of college. They were almost like brothers and a lot of it had to do with the fact that their mothers had grown up together. For all it was worth, Kasey and Peyton were the older brothers Bailey needed. They'd kept him out of trouble more times than he cared to admit.

The screen was black with white words plastered across it;

Pick a card, any card. Welcome to Greyson's very own Poker Night.

On the table in front of them rested a deck of cards. Bailey looked over at Peyton who made a face before picking a card. This must have been a part of that tradition they'd been going on and on about. The rest of the room followed their lead and soon there were twenty-three cards taken from the table. 

"King of Spades." Kasey showed off his card.

"King of Hearts," Bailey replied.

"A suicide king," Peyton titled his head to the side.

"A what?"

"Suicide King." Peyton pointed to the designs on the card. "It looks like he's stabbing himself. Never played cards before, Ramirez?"

"Not as much as you apparently," Bailey chuckled. "What card did you get?"

"Nothing as fancy as you." Peyton showed Bailey his card. "Four of Diamonds."

Soon, everyone had moved around the room to find the people who had the same suit of cards as them. Twenty-nine cards were still on the table when their friends walked over to be nosey.

"Ace of Diamonds." Christee threw her card down.

Christee was their little ringleader. Emphasis on the little. She only stood at about five feet even, but she had what Liberty once called "tall people energy". It basically meant that if she was taller, people would probably find her scary. Most people assumed that she wasn't smart because of her blonde hair, but little did they know, Christee was the brains of the group.

"King of Clubs." William laughed as he nudged Stella.

"Queen of Clubs," Stella replied. "I swear this was coincidental."

William was the first-person Bailey met when college started. William oversaw recruiting for their University's soccer team and the minute he found out that Bailey played the defender position, he would not leave him alone. It took three weeks for Bailey to give in and join the team.

Stella was his girlfriend slash Liberty's older sister. That was the hard part about staying in your small town for college. It was only a matter of time before friendship groups started to coexist. William and Stella were apart of that coexisting friendship.

"What about you, Luna?" Bailey asked as she threw her card out.

"Ace of Hearts." She threw the card out. "Just as boring as Peyton's."

Even though the girls were twins, they couldn't be more different. Stella was the decision-maker while Luna was the planner. Stella was a morning person whereas Luna preferred the night-time. But the big difference between the twins was Luna was one of the people in Greyson to believe Bailey when he told police that he didn't believe that Liberty ran away.

The screen flashed again as a door on the opposite side of the room slid open. The kids standing near it jumped as they ran across the room the door they'd entered through.

"Nice game, Peyton!" One of the girls yelled. "Let us out."

"I'm not doing anything!" Peyton yelled back.

"Well, we are locked in!"

"Uh, guys?" Christee pointed at the screen.

King of Spades, it's your time to choose. Reveal your sins, or share someone else's secrets with the rest of the group? Beware, each choice has its own consequence. The only question is which one is worse?

Please select your choice.

"We aren't really doing this are we?" Kasey asked with a frown.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Peyton shrugged. "Someone is taking the holiday game a little too serious this year."

"You don't say."

Kasey walked up to the screen and clicked the box that read Sin. The screen turned to static before it went black.

State your name.

"I'm out of here," Kasey laughed as he walked towards the door. "You're kidding me, right?"

A siren began to blare so loudly that Bailey could feel it in his teeth. He covered his ears as some of the kids in the room began to yell. It was an annoying sound that resembled the drill dentist used to clear your teeth. Only louder and a lot more nerve-wracking.

"Go click the fucking screen, Kasey!" Luna yelled as she nudged him with her body.

Kasey cursed as he made his way back to the screen.

"Kasey Hendricks."

A play symbol showed up and Kasey hit it as hard as he could. When the siren stopped, he made his way over to the group and sat down on the bean bag without a sound. The lights dimmed around them, and everyone waited as the video began to play. It was one of those old ones that came from a VCR. You could tell from the way the number and the date showed in the corner.

The camera had been set up in a girl's bedroom. Her bed wasn't made but the room wasn't sloppy. It was somewhere in between. Pictures lined the walls; LED lights lined the mirror that hung on the wall. The only light on in the room was the one that was illuminating from the girl's computer screen that reflected in the mirror.

"You can't be in here." A girl laughed as she stumbled into the room. "We're supposed to be packing. My mom would kill me if she found out you were here."

Eyes grew wide as Liberty stepped into the camera.

"Did you know about this?" Luna pointed at the screen as Peyton moved closer.

"Who allowed this?" Stella questioned, folding her arms across her chest in anger.

"Oh, come on." Kasey appeared from the doorway. "Your mom probably isn't leaving the office until later. Don't the twins have that recital tonight? No one will be mad that you went to a party, Libby."

"Luna and Stella are still at the party." She laughed as she struggled to keep her balance. "Ryan and Riley will be home before we know it. Johnathan isn't going to let them stay out late."

Kasey smiled down at her before wrapping his arms around her waist. Liberty looked up at him before Kasey closed the space between them. Liberty broke the kiss and began to speak but whatever she was going to say, Kasey cut her off with the swiftness of his kisses.

Bailey's eyes grew wide as he looked side to side. Someone had to be as shocked as he was. Even though they were all friends, no one knew that Kasey and Liberty had something going on. Kasey stood up and was now pacing. Christee looked up at the commotion from her place on the bean bag in the corner as Luna stood up and placed a hand on him.

It was the first time all day he'd noticed what Luna had on. She wore jeans and a black tee-shirt that read This is My Costume. It was kind of funny. She had the Emerson humor. All of them did, in their own ways.

The screen suddenly shifted until it showed Kasey and Liberty hours later, the time stamp in the corner proving it. Bailey covered his eyes. He was about to lose it.

"What happened?" Liberty stammered; her breathing had picked up.

Bailey stood up and grabbed her arm. Her social anxiety was starting to kick in. Bailey was probably the only one outside of her siblings to know she even had it.

He'd noticed it in their sophomore year of high school. Luna got nervous and crowds and even more nervous when she was angry. She didn't want people to know, however. As far as they were concerned, Luna and Stella were just as outgoing the rest of their siblings.

Liberty sat up and placed a hand on her stomach. "I don't feel too good."

Suddenly, the music around them seemed too loud. Everyone downstairs had it lucky. They were celebrating Halloween in their cheap, revealing clothes while everyone upstairs was trying to figure out what in the hell they'd gotten themselves into. Bailey looked away. He didn't want to know what Kasey had done.

"You dated my sister?" Luna yelled out as she and Kasey stood face to face.

He was trying to cover his tracks, the look on his face said it all. Gone was the timid girl who was afraid to speak in front of crowds. In her place, stood an angry woman and there was nothing like a woman scorned. Especially when that woman Luna Emerson.

"We were kids. It was high school."

"Kids?" she spat as she angrily poked his chest with her finger. "You never told me any of this!"

"Luna," Stella placed a hand on her sister. "It's still going."

Kasey grabbed her hand as he wrapped her in a sheet and led her to the bathroom. Even though you couldn't see them anymore, you could still hear their voices.

"I feel like shit," Liberty cried through her sniffles. "What was in the drink you gave me?"

"It was your first time with alcohol," Kasey reassured her. "You'll be fine."

"I know what alcohol tastes like, dumb ass," she grunted. "And that wasn't it."

"Liberty!" a new voice rang out. "Liberty! Are you here? Christee told me you left. I'm sorry you didn't have fun. We don't have to go to any more parties. I promise. I shouldn't have dragged you along. I just wanted you to have fun after what happened with Enrique."

"Oh, God." Liberty stammered. "Aleigha's home."

"I'll go talk to her."

"No..."

But there was nothing Liberty could do. The camera caught Kasey closing the bathroom door just as Aleigha finished climbing the staircase.

"Uh," She started as she stood face to face with him. "Why is your car outside my house?"

"Just dropping off Liberty." He replied with a head nod. "She's asleep now."

Aleigha raised an eyebrow as Kasey smiled at her.

"You know, Luna is still at the party, surprisingly." She began as she adjusted the bag on her shoulders. "Maybe tonight you'll make a move on her."

"Only if you make a move on my boy Ramirez."

Aleigha frowned and folded her arms as Kasey made his way down the stairs. "I'm serious, Kasey. Go!"

"Later Little Emerson!" he called out as Aleigha shook her head and opened the door to her room.

"You didn't," Christee whispered.

Recognition flashed across her face as she walked over to Kasey. "You fucking piece of shit."

Christee continuously pushed him until Stella stood up and separated them. Christee yelled as she kept throwing punches across Stella. There was nothing Stella could do, so Bailey rushed to his feet and grabbed Christee around her waist before Kasey could retaliate.

"Do. Not. Move." Bailey pushed her back, her body colliding with the wall. She grunted as he pointed a finger at her. "Do. Not. Fucking. Move."

Christee fought under him as he pushed her back against the wall again.

"Let me go," She forced out. "Bailey, let me go."

"No," he grunted.

Bailey stared at her, her hazel eyes pleading with him to change his mind as the tears began to run down her face. He hadn't even realized that he had balled up his fists until Luna locked into his gaze. Kasey was her boyfriend. If anyone had the right to be mad, it was her.

"Tell them what you did," Christee's voice shook.

"I can explain." Kasey began as Bailey made his way over to him.

Christee tried to move again but this time Bailey stayed in front of her. Stella shook her head. They were not going to get into a fight at a party.

Not yet.

Not until Kasey explained what happened.

"The little tease deserved it." Kasey looked over at Bailey. "Her and her little facade. All it took was a party and I was finally in those sweet little pants of hers. Don't you wish you knew what an Emerson tastes like?"

Before Bailey's fist could collide with Kasey's jaw, Luna stood in the middle of them, forcing Bailey to put his hand down so she wouldn't be on the receiving end.

"Kasey, stop it."

She looked back and forth, letting each boy know she was equally disappointed in them before she turned around and punched Kasey in his face herself. Before she could throw another punch, Bailey managed to slip his arm around her and pull her back.

Kasey threw his hands up in surrender and stepped back.

He shook his head, blood trickling down his nose. "He's got it."

"What's going on?" a girl's voice emerged from the back of the room.

Bailey turned around to face the voice. Aleigha stepped into the room closing the door behind her. Her eyes scanned the room as she took in the sight that unfolded moments before she'd entered. She still had her car keys in her hand. Aleigha opened her mouth to speak, but the sounds of static filled the air as the screen went back to black. One by one, their heads began to turn as they waited for the words to finish forming on the screen.

Welcome, Queen of Hearts.