[A nosy neighbour.]

Mrs. Henkins had been gone for three days before anyone noticed. It quickly became the gossip of the town, and as expected, rumours arose just as quickly as fire.

While some merely discarded it as her decision to move away, some were more...grisly.

Mrs. Henkins had never been one of the most well-received neighbours. Not a week after she moved in, she began to mingle with the ladies-which was nothing unusual. However, things quickly became out of hand. They realised she was extremely nosy. Wherever they went, even just a short stop to chat with another family, she would be there, either swiftly barging in to the conversation, or just opting to stay partially hidden in her corner to eavesdrop.

Her behaviour had quickly veered from gregarious to creepiness, which elicited enmity from most of the neighbours in no time. People began to shun her, and minority weren't afraid to display malice towards her. Ridiculous stories on her eccentric behaviour circled the town, some claiming her to climb over fences to stalk their children, while some professed getting followed as they traversed back home.

Hence, the more callous theories on her disappearance, ranging from her getting chased out of the town to brutal murders of people she had enraged.

Reports had been made after a week, and not too long after, the case was declared close for she was nowhere to be found. The stories died down, because everyone knew that in their hearts, the talks and discussions on her disappearance was nothing more than an interesting topic to prattle about in humdrum of their lives.

I was part of the fictitious fear that Mrs. Henkins could harm me. My parents constantly warned me to always keep an eye out and if steer clear of her if I could. I obeyed, believing what was accused by the majority, but never resorted to senseless hostility.

Instead, I watched. I observed her daily routines, slowly acknowledging that this woman perhaps may have just been lonely, and her queer habit brought no actual harm unlike the conspiracies that escaped the residents lips.

And I was the last to witness her leaving her house in the dead of the night.

The next week the police came to question potential witnesses, I made a huge fuss, demanding I was a potential witness, but who would trust a child? My parents had pulled me aside, and the words that flew out from their mouths had me stunned, an unknown jab in my chest.

"Do you want to be another nosy neighbour?"

That day onwards, I never uttered a word on Mrs. Henkins again. Her kind deeds were never known, and neither the fact she had saved my life was divulged.

*

"Why do you say she saved your life?"

I glanced at the woman smartly clad in blue in front of me, before letting the secret I had kept for a decade spill.

"I was about to get kidnapped. It just so happened- or perhaps it was planned- that she was following me. There was this guy, dressed in those trench coats you see on TV, with a mask and sunglasses. He was around six feet tall. He was about to grab me from behind, when she had snatched me to the side before he could get his hands on me." I then leaned in, linking my fingers on the table. "I'm pretty sure you know this guy."

The woman held my stare for a lingering second. I could see the doubts flickering in her blue irises, but eventually she broke away to stand up. "Of course. I see you have enough reason. I will notify the headquarters, however, and you will be on our records."

I eased back into my chair, a triumphant smirk on my face. "Thank you, chief."

A file was soon placed in my vision. As I flipped through the pages, the chief spoke up again. "So, detective, can I ask why are you so intrigued in a closed case even after all these years?"

I could only chuckle. "Actually, I don't know. I guess it's like the desperation someone would indulge themselves in chasing someone they know they'll never get. Homicide, drug addict, carotid artery severed... Oh, what's this?"

The file held the records of the notorious serial killer that plagued the city with his heinous crimes. His identity was never known, not until two years ago when he was finally caught, and most unsolved murder cases were finally disclosed.

Including Mrs. Henkins.

However, what had caught my eye was not the killer's profile, neither Mrs. Henkins' death report, but the picture of a young boy whose surname was also-

"Fred Henkins." The woman concluded my thoughts. "Holly Henkins' son, who went missing three years before her death."

The abrupt realisation sent a jolt within me, but I kept my voice neutral when I replied: "I surmised just as much. She was searching for the killer."

The report was nothing out of the usual, something one would expect from a sadistic killer, but somehow, my insides were slowly twisting- a mix of guilt and sadness.

"And," my voice wavered a little, "you're certain that this killer is dead?"

Her affirmation was immediate. "The officer in pursuit had shot him straight through the heart. There's no doubt he's dead for three years."

I snapped the file shut, having heard enough. With a sigh, I pushed the file back to her. "So, no one will accept my hypothesis on the recent cases."

Her jaw tightened ever so slightly. "I've heard from the sergeant. Those killings are not of a group. It is individually performed, thus, I'm afraid your thesis will have to be rejected."

I merely hummed, before getting to my feet. "I expected just as much. Well then, I will take my leave. Thank you for taking time to entertain me, chief."

No reply was spoken, but I could still feel her steely gaze boring into my back as I left the office. I wasn't backing down, though. I could tell something wasn't adding up. There was more to these killings. I needed to find out more.

"I guess it's my turn to become the nosy neighbour."

♧[21/5/2020]♧