"So... be honest... tell me, if the story of how I killed him was told from my perspective... would you still think of me as the villain?"

7:11 a.m
    Beth began the day by looking for solutions. Anything, no matter how minor, that might help her get back in our good books. She embarked on a mission to atone for her crimes because she felt terribly guilty. It seems like that was such a big recurring feeling in her life these days.

    Recurring almost like the back to back calls Dustin's mother was making to find a lawyer to represent him. But whilst she was worrying about the lawyer he was worrying about Carson. He was aware that he had said some outlandish things to Carson, and he was uncertain whether Carson would now testify against him or take any other actions that may put him back in the spotlight of the investigation out of spite and resent. He was terrified, and biting his nails only made matters worse. So in order to try to keep on track with what Carson was going to do next, he fled his house to spy on him.

    On the other hand, I spied with my little eye, a call coming to my mother's phone. She was in the shower and when I let her know, she told me to answer and tell whoever it was that she would be with them soon. But as I answered the phone, I quickly slipped outside as it was the police. I placed on my feminine voice pretending to be my mother as they let me know that they would like me to come down to get questioned within the next three days and that if I didn't they would "take action". So I nervously drifted back inside where my mother questioned me on who it was and I lied, naturally, telling her it was someone who had the wrong number.

"Oh, okay. But Tony, remind me to get into contact with your school to speak to the principal about this whole investigation!" She said.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I already settled things with him on your behalf!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Ok good. Well, let me hurry I have to get to that lawyer then to work. I don't know how I'm going to pay for a lawyer but..." that statement left a great worry to my face.

   Mandy's expression was also filled with concern as well as she approached her mother, who was pulling garments from their cottage's clothing line. She'd just completed watching a slew of various interviews, press conferences about recent events, and people with little followings blog speculations that somehow connected everything to us. Yes, they didn't use our names or pictures when making their theories but it was pretty obvious. And Mandy forgetting to put her phone to charge the night before didn't help her morning.

"Mommy... Can we please start looking into a lawyer or something? I'm really scared something bad is going to happen. This entire investigation is becoming ten times worse!"

    Her mother sucked her teeth.

"If you didn't do anything then why the fuck are you worried? Or did you do something and is fucking hiding it?!"

"No, no! That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is-"

"Child! Get the fuck out my face! And take these damn clothes inside! You know your stepfather pissed me off this morning so don't come and full my head!"

   Mandy grabbed the basket from her and walked back inside furiously.

9:11 p.m
That same evening Gob sat with his parents dining. In front of each of them laid on their plates were a portion of jollof rice and wat. They had only started eating a couple minutes ago and Gob had already stuffed his down and had seconds then absorbed his juice and was attentively watching a video on his phone. Though Gob didn't notice, his mother had been digging her vision into him as she pondered deeply with each bite of her meal. And for some reason she couldn't escape the vision of the two of us hugging.

"Mother!" Gob said snapping her from her trance.

"Yes?"

"Do you like these?" He said pushing in his glasses and placing a bouquet of floral roses he bought next to her.

"Wow! These are super pretty! You got me these?"

"Oh, no. These are for Toy. But I can totally get you a bunch tomorrow if you want. It's just that with all of this news circling around with her and the investigation I wanted to at least do something to bring up her spirits!" He uttered smiling gorgeously revealing his pearly whites.

"Oh..."

"Thank you for your feedback" he scooped up each of their empty plates, utensils and cups along with his and walked to the sink "I just thought I needed a woman's intuition on this, you know?"

"Yeah... um... Can I... ask you a question... son?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"Are you sure about this... girl?"

"What do you mean?"

"Toy"

"Yeah, why?"

"She just doesn't seem like the type of... girl I would want to bring around my church friends and say 'this is my son's girlfriend!' You know?"

"I'm still not getting what you mean"

"Haven't you heard her voice? Seen her chest? There's something off about that... girl"

"Can you not do this AGAIN?"

"What? Look out for you AGAIN?"

"How was bringing up my FIRST girlfriends' suicide attempt at a dinner looking out for me?" He answered dropping a huge amount of soap onto a plate from squeezing the bottle too hard.

"Because I didn't want to see my son's mental health decline because he was suffocating under the weight that a girl held?!"

"And why are you the one that gets to make those choices FOR ME?" She was stilled. "Why do YOU want to dictate EVERYTHING that happens in MY LIFE?!"

"Are you talking back and undermining me?... For a GIRL?... MY son?... Bring me your phone right now!"

"Seriously?"

"BRING! ME! YOUR! PHONE! I will NOT allow disrespect from YOU in MY house!"

    Gob peered over to his father with eyes begging for him to step in and help.

"Just do what your mother says Gob"

Gob feverishly balled his fingers into a fist. He grinned with anguish behind his eyes as he gazed at his father with displeasure. He paced the floors while gazing at his mother's unsettling expression and fighting back tears. He was only able to surrender his phone and retire to bed while silently sobbing.

8:28 a.m
   Babylon was sitting at his desk. All he could think about was his first twenty years on the force. He aspired to be the one who was always called upon and handed the most prestigious cases and expertly solve them. And his light was always turned on. But that doesn't mean his spirits weren't dashed at times.

   Last year, there was a female commander who retired. The two had a terrible relationship. She basically singled him out and made him feel like he could never achieve anything or advance above the ranks during her time working there. That, combined with the fact that his father gave little to no attention to his minor successes since he was a toddler, shaped him into the recognition hungry individual he is today.

He recalled the times when his father was seated in front of the radio when he returned from school with his mother and his grades in hand. And despite his best efforts, his father would never even check at his stellar transcript. The saddest aspect, though, was that his father never once expressed his pride in him, despite the fact that he passed for the school we attend over twenty years ago, and instead spent the celebration party drinking with his cronies and bragging about the achievement. And didn't even when he was on his deathbed.

    He wasn't even thanked for being the only person to visit the hospital everyday to care for him. He missed those times when he was a tiny infant when he would get dressed in a snazzy outfit and run to his father and see his face light up in awe as he hugged him. And one day everything changed.

9:30 a.m
    Beth briskly stepped towards Mandy's front door. She gave two knocks to it and waited until someone answered. Mandy's mother let her in and she made her way to Mandy's room, excited but nervous. She had papers with her newest finds inside her sidebag. She had spent the last two days digging and she had hit the jackpot.

   Mandy gave her a thick glance to let her know that she wasn't really thrilled to see her. Mandy was crocheting a colorful outfit while sitting at the desk and gulping pink lemonade. Beth donned a brown romper and a brown leather bucket hat, while she was dressed in a royal blue unitard and a stunning slicked-back ponytail with a knitted rose headband.

"Okay. Before you say something, I just wanted to clear up everything!" Beth started.

    Mandy, intrigued, put down her needle and thread and gave her her undivided attention.

"My father was trying to save me and only me. And yes that's messed up as hell. And I don't know what he's conspiring with Babylon but trust I will try my hardest to end it... Next. I was under a huge amount of pressure when I told my father the stuff about Dustin. And I know that isn't an excuse and I'm sorry for all of it"

    Mandy opened her mouth to speak but Beth cut her off. "Wait, wait, wait! I don't know if you're about to say yes or no but I have a few things that could make it up to everyone!"

"I can't really judge any of you guys... I have my own stuff hiding. But, what is it?"

"Okay" she sat on the carpeted floor and began removing a few newspaper articles from it. "I started thinking... We don't have much clues but we only have one that we don't have much of an explanation for"

"Which is the storage room, right?"

"Exactly! And I thought even deeper. And questioned 'What if the green couch is so much more crucial than we thought?' So I looked at the pictures we had taken of it on my phone and noticed the branding to the side. It's from a company that shut down over a decade ago. I looked up the company and it was started by a sofa manufacturer in BerkVille. That's when I came to a dead end"

"Seriously?"

"Wait! There's more! I went to the library and gathered old newspapers and articles. But before I tell you what I found on the couch I would like to show you something else"

"What?"

   Beth gave her a newspaper article with a sizable image on it. She glanced at it and saw a photo of our principal holding a baby boy with his family standing around him full of smiles. She looked to Beth in confusion and inquired about the importance of this.

"You remember the stuff I told you about what Gary did?"

"Yes and I remember the part where you got him expelled. That was funny. I've been praying on his downfall!"

"Good! Because... the kid the principal is holding is Gary!"

"Which makes them relatives. Which explains why he was so defensive of Gary!"

"Exactly!"

"Okay but what did you find out about the couch?"

"It's better if you see for yourself!" She said handing her another newspaper.

"This is from the early 2000s!" She read through the first three paragraphs "Oh my God! A mother and her two sons were brutally shot on this couch!" She said arousing goosebumps and looking at Beth shocked.

"Uh huh! Keep reading!"

"This says she had another son who survived! And... what?! His initials! HE HAS THE SAME INITIALS AS DEEJAY!"

"YEP!"

"So that explains the initials on the watch and the couch!"

"Yes but I thought deeper! That watch looked way too put together to have been there before the day DeeJay was murdered!"

Mandy smiled at this revelation. "So the question is 'What were they both doing in the forest at the same time and why did his watch come off?!' And 'Was there a struggle?!'"

"Bingo!"

"Okay! This is really good Beth! Amazing work!" Beth twinkled "But we need to get more solid proof that this person was there for sure!"

"Okay. Then let's go straight to the source!"

"What do you mean? You know where this person lives?"

"Of course I do! It's easy to find where someone is when your father deals with shady people!"

Mandy grinned before grabbing her bag from the closet door handle and departing the house with Beth. She was wearing high heels while Beth was wearing black kitten heels. Two girls on a mission. But would the mission be completed?...

10:04 a.m
    Whilst on their way to the suspect's lair, Beth and Mandy decided to stop to each get a Roti from the street vendor. But Beth noticed something inside Maraj, the place that stitched together the glamorous uniforms for infant, primary and secondary school students at outrageous prices. She stepped towards the building and looked inside the open door to discover Gary and his mother. They were purchasing a uniform in Gary's size for the private secondary school not too far from ours.

   Unbeknownst to them, I sat down with Gob at Dominoes a few streets down. We had already placed our orders and were sitting on one of the few metallic chairs, waiting for our pizza. Gob bought us each our own pizza boxes, his half pepperoni and half pineapple. And, of course, I gave him a filthy look because he chose pineapple. I, on the other hand, ordered half cheese and half pepperoni.

The indoors was a little stuffy and humid, and the children running about didn't help. My motions were mirrored in the freshly scrubbed flooring, and the brilliance of the silver lighting accentuated the stubble of developing hair Gob had slowly sprouting from his chin to his sideburns. And I could tell by his stomach churning that if we didn't get our orders soon, he'd go feral. The aroma of freshly baked crust with gooey tomato spread and freshly spread cheese didn't help either.

"So, you know when she's gonna give you your phone back?"

"Nope" he answered rattling his laugh through the building not trying to make the situation bother him. I loved his jokester personality but I could tell at times on serious topics about himself he would use a joke to end the conversation.

"Hope you don't mind me saying this but I really don't like her"

He smiled. "Let's not worry about her. In a couple of years when we graduate we can get a little apartment together in New York and get two cats!"

I smirked smitten, dreaming of that. "Okay but we're getting a grey one and a tuxedo one!"

"No! We talked about this! The grey ones aren't as cute as the calico ones! We're getting THAT one!"

All I could do was smile. Had I met my prince charming?

11:15 a.m
Beth pulled Mandy under a tree as they drew nearer to the dilapidated flat Cole called home. Mandy was confused because they had reached their destination but Beth had noticed something. It was something that left her unsettled.

"What? What's wrong?!" Mandy queried.

"Look at the guy that's standing outside knocking on the door!" She said pointing.

"Oh my god! Is that... Dallo?!"

"It has to be! I recognize him from pictures!"

"Wait but how is he here? And why?"

"I don't know and I don't think its a coincidence!"

"I agree! And why is he going to Cole's? And why does he look so suspicious all in black with a black hat?"

"I don't know, but I bet if we follow him we can find out!"

"I'm game!" Mandy said as they said both handed out mischievous smiles to the other.

11:53 a.m
Yes, I was due at the police station tomorrow for questioning. But, I didn't want to wait. I wanted to clear things up right at the moment. I knew Babylon was trying to formulate theories around my identity and why I began transitioning and I wanted go clear the air. With my heart pounding, I walked to the police station, and once I got there I couldn't help but marvel in it's sturdy sterling beauty before nervously entering.

Babylon was the only other officer present and once he saw me he came rushing towards me.

"Came to make a statement? A confession even?" He asked as he snickered.

"No. I came to talk" I answered.

"Well, come into my office, take a seat. There's no one else here but you and me plus this isn't a questioning so we can discuss whatever YOU want to discuss!"

So I sat down at his desk.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Who I am"

"Oh?... and who is that exactly?"

"A transgender woman!"

"Hm. A transgender woman who's handwriting almost perfectly matches the one on the note found in DeeJay's decimated grave"

"I don't know nothing about that and I can assure you it wasn't me. Believe me if you want. But I came here to say and explain to you what being transgender is and how impactful it is!"

"So you're saying your... identity... isn't a manifestation of the trauma of let's say... killing someone and wanting to escape from the burden of being a murderer so bad that you switched your entire personality?"

"Listen... I fought with accepting myself for a long time. I didn't want to show an ounce of femininity because I knew how growing into and accepting myself would change the experiences I have. Over the summer I figured out my transness and finally accepted it for what it is and started transforming myself into the portrait I saw of myself unconsciously for a very long time but didn't want to accept. And even as I sit here now telling you all of this with no script, all off the top of my head. I'm still understanding who I'm chasing to become" I said, a tear hurling down my right eye.

Babylon briefly considered my statements before examining my eyes, my spirit, and other components of my body. I could also see a change in his body language as he oozed lower into his chair and seemed less threatening. Not just in him but in me.

"You know... I've never sat, listened and understood someone like you. And I'm glad you came to make me listen. A lot of people, even me are scared to transcend over the line of normality that society pushes onto us. And that's why they're intimidated by you and so was I to be honest. Being trans is brave!"

"It is. Its the bravest thing I've ever did. It was just me flipping through my phone in my dark room at three in the morning. That's when I took a good deep dive into myself and thought and by the time the sun came peaking up I had realized that my entire life I was a woman. And since I hadn't ever been explained the basics and different people that exist within the LGBTQ community I had fixated on being a gay man but I wasn't. I had always seen myself with breast unconsciously. And when I realized all of this I muttered who I was under my breath and was brought to tears. I am a woman. A woman of trans experience. That's what being transgender means!"

"Good to know! You're amazing!"

A sigh of relief washed over my face.

"Thank you!"

"But I have a question for you..."

"Yes?

"Don't you think you're going too fast?"

"Huh?"

"Slow down and digest everything that's blossoming in you. I feel like once you do that you can finally get over all those insecurities and fears... fully. Do it for the benefit of you!"

Brought to tears I screamed "Thank You! I'll try!"

12:33 p.m
    For the past hour, Beth and Mandy had been tailing Dallo. From Cole's house, they followed him to the market where he picked up a wide range of fruits and spices. And from how he moved quickly and kept his hat on and his head down to not be seen they knew that he was up to something. They followed him through a clutter of streets and back roads until he dived into a section of galvanize houses that had dirt roads within that led to a small wooden house surrounded by grass in a yellow hue setting.

   As he entered the shaky cabin, the two went around the exterior to the front window, which provided a perfect aerial view of the interior. They observed Dallo unpack his bag of belongings before he threw himself onto a torn-up reclining chair and fell asleep soundly. They stayed and waited, curious to see if he would ultimately awaken and act naughtily or depart. In order to prevent their clothing from being dirty, the two sat on the dirt below the window with a towel under their buttocks.

     After a while of sitting there and looking off into the ombre distance Mandy let out a sigh because of her worries.

"What's wrong?" Beth asked.

"Gibbs"

"Did he do something wrong? I'll throw rocks at him!"

    Mandy chuckled. "No. He didn't do anything"

"Then what's going on?"

"I'm afraid of going forward into a relationship with him"

"Why?"

"Not only because things could change and become disastrous at any moment and possibly leave me stuck. But because... most if not all men expect sex when going into a relationship and it's not something I really want partly because I'm scared of motherhood"

"I'm sure if you get contraception and practice safe sex nothing like that would happen!"

"Yeah... but... I don't know... sex is off-putting for me"

"Oh!... I see! You've never really had an attraction to someone plus you're scared of sex. You ever thought you might be asexual?"

    At that moment everything made sense to Mandy.

"You... might be onto something"

    Laughing and giggling joyfully, Mandy and Beth hugged. But at that moment they heard a knock come to the door. Turning around instantly and peaking at the scene in a camouflage stance they watched as Dallo opened the door for DeeJay's eldest sister and the two began a cryptic conversation.

"Dallo! Why are you popping in and out of town?"

"None of your business!"

"Don't tell me that! Is something going on? Everything around here has been sketch!"

"I said mind your business!"

"No! Tell me why you wanted to know who I gave the box to? And why were the voice recorders in them so important?"

     Mandy and Beth gazed at each other sharply.

"I said mind your business and leave!"

    Angrily, she banged the door as she left.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Mandy whispered to Beth.

"I don't know but- OH MY GOD MANDY LOOK!" Beth whisper-shouted as her eyes fell onto the scene for a quick second.

   Dallo knelt, grabbed a duffel bag, unzipped it, and extracted the voice recorders left by DeeJay. As they stared at each other, cold shivers ran down their spines. What was he doing with those?

1:48 p.m
Currently, Dustin was placing on his socks and sneakers to head out to spy a bit on Carson. He wanted to apologize and take accountability but he was scared of extremely serious interactions. Plus he hated showing emotion. At that moment, his sister emerged into the room. The two both shared the room so on either side of the door was baskets with their clothes, pink for her, blue for him. They shared a bunk bed which Dustin made sure to make the top his and to never allow her up there. On the walls of the room was Dustin's artworks which were all different, some being horror sketches, paintings and realism. And lastly, their shared dresser had multiple different scents of perfume handmade by Dustin.

Dustin was irritated when his sister went up to him and begged him to prepare her a bowl of ramen since he "does it good." He told her to ask their cousin, whose room was next to theirs, even though he knew she would say no. Dustin snuck out of the house while his sister burst into sobs on the floor as their cousin told her to leave her room. Why was he unbothered by her crying? Because that was her reaction to mostly everything. You should've seen her after Dustin broke the news to her that cats and dogs can be either gender and cats are not just girls and dogs aren't just boys.

Whilst Dustin was on his way to his house, Carson was on his way to Cole's. The stress of schoolwork and everything from the past couple of months had sent Carson back into a dark mindset. Plus that and his parents contemplating moving if anything gets too serious had sent his anxiety through the roof. And the only way he knew he could calm himself down was going back to his old roots.

Even though the sun was still glaring down on the rural areas with intense heat, with his hands in his hoodie pockets, he strolled into Cole's ajar door. He spotted Cole hurriedly packing a bunch of duffel bags with his belongings. He seemed to be packing his entire life and hopping ship.

"Um.. hey!"

Startled, Cole turned his head and let out a sigh of relief when noticing Carson.

"Close the door! What you want lil bro?" He asked as he returned to packing his toiletries.

"Um... I came over because um... I wanted to see if this watch had any value so I can trade it in for some... oxy" he said removing the watch with DeeJay's initials from his shorts pocket.

His dad had left earlier than normal this morning to attend a conference, so he wasn't able to get his dad's card out of his wallet. He was left helpless and broke as a result. He thus seized the watch and hoped it was valuable.

"Why you asking me for that shit bro? I thought you said you was done?" Cole said, not even turning around as he was folding his shirts.

"I was... but... might as well get high before I go to jail for something I didn't even do, you know?" Carson answered as tears built up in his eyes.

   Cole whirled around. He broke down when he saw the desperation and agony on Carson's face. His conscience and remorse prickled into his skin like a thousand needles, making his heart feel bitter. He screwed up by giving him narcotics and making him become who he is today, and he wasn't going to let him, an innocent person go to jail and completely ruin his life.

His face turned chilly when he realized the watch he was holding. Although his heart started beating rapidly, he suddenly sighed with relief. He was sobbing and as he fell to his knees and carefully removed the watch from Carson's palm.

"Where did you get this?" He asked sniffling.

Confused, Carson replied. "Somewhere"

"Sit" Cole said still on his knees, tears soaking into the floor.

"What?"

"I said sit down!"

Carson sat down on his crusty couch still a bit twitchy.

"What's going on? Why do you want me to sit?"

"Because I'm going to tell you exactly why you're not going to jail. I already fucked up your life one way. I can't let you take this one too"

Dazed and freaked out, Carson replied with "What are you talking about?"

"I own a storage area-"

"That the key in that watch unlocks" Carson said, gulping.

"You know about it? Good"

"I don't like where this is going..."

"You won't. But keep listening. I'll start from the beginning"

Carson became tense in his seat.

"When I was a kid, I grew up in a house a few houses down from this one. One day, my mother was making some food when she realized she needed a can of mackerel. Because I was the oldest, she sent me to get it in the shop lower down. But as I set my foot into the shop, I heard gunshots. Then, I heard the screams of my two little brothers" Carson's interest peaked. Brothers? "I ran back to the house and came through the back door to find my mother and two brothers filled with bullets on the green couch we always ate together on" Carson placed his hand on his mouth as tears came rolling down his eyes "When it looked like I was going to become another child in the system, the head of the gang around here took me in. And I was so so so grateful. Plus, I was never one with a father figure considering mine left. So I dubbed him my father. Then, he told me that the gang they were in an active war with was the ones who shot up my mother and brothers as a way to send a message because they thought she was in a relationship with him. And for a long time, that fueled my anger. It was what made me join the gang and began on the path of "Cold". Yes I said Cold. That was my original gang name but one of my homies accidentally said "Cole" one day and it stuck. All I wanted was revenge and I vowed to never kill anyone until I killed the boss. When I was old enough, I got that storage area and the green couch from police evidence and made it into my own little memorial to my mother and brothers. I went there anytime I was stressed to feel more connected to them. Then I found out something that changed everything last year. I found out from Jigsaw who just can't keep his mouth shut which can be both a good thing and bad thing. He told me in a fit of rage after an argument that the boss that took me in, was the one who murdered my mother and brothers" Carson wore a widemouth expression. "He killed them because my mother WAS in a relationship with him and she left him because he was too aggressive. So he... put a bullet through her skull. And when my little brothers tried to fight back and help her... he shot three bullets into each of their necks" taken aback, Carson gasped. "Once I learned all of this everything made sense. He turned me into his little puppet. He ruined my entire life and had me dealing drugs. He saw you and many other kids around here as a market and taught me how to get y'all hooked on this stuff by lacing it with extra stuff. Over six kids died because one of the batches had too much. I almost gave you a part of that batch. AND IM SO SORRY CARSON!" He bolted out in a fit of tears. He began to experience hyperventilating-crying as he fell to the floor for the moment. Carson didn't know what to do and as his heart pounded, and his tremors heightened, he sat back and let his tears fall onto the floor. Once Cole stopped crying, he stood up and leaned against the wall breathing excessively.

"I'm confused though. How does any of this keep me out of jail?" Carson finally muttered.

"I haven't gotten to that part yet... and brace yourself, because this one's gonna be a heavy hitter"

Cole skimped over to his half packed duffel and took something out of it then tossed it into Carson's lap. Looking down, Carson's eyes bubbled in awe as he took a heavy gasp. He picked it up and couldn't believe his eyes. It was an eleventh member of the collection of voice recorders DeeJay left. It was a prestige shiny black color with carnations painted to the back.

"I'm guessing by that reaction you know about the tapes?"

"Yes. But how do you know?"

"I'm getting to that... When I found out the truth about my mother I started looking for ways to get out of here. I even took a few classes in the medical field because I was trying to get into a college or get a job. But my criminal record just held me back. But I knew for sure I wanted to get out of here. But all the money I had was dirty or tied to that motherfucker so I didn't want anything to do with it. So I started to look for easy jobs to save up. Whilst doing that I got a buddy of mine to get me a new passport and identity with a clean record so I can get out of here. All I had to do was pay him and I'm out. I didn't know where I was going to get the money until the day of DeeJay's death" Carson began listening attentively. "I got a call from someone telling me they needed me for something. When I got to the location I saw DeeJay's body. They needed me to get rid of the body" Sweat dripped into Carson's socks. "I wasn't gonna do it. That kid had so much life to live and so much to do. I wished I could've saved him. I saved him from coming around here when I realized how fucked up it was that we were allowing a kid to be around all those drugs and harsh lifestyle. That's why I scared him and made it look like I killed Jigsaw. So he could stay away. I made him fear me so he wouldn't get no ideas for revenge for his father and turn out like me. And I'll say again, I really didn't want to do it and wanted to go straight to the police but I needed the money to get out. They were paying me over three hundred thousand. And I figured... the police would try to pin this on me anyways. So... I taught them how to clean up the blood and everything. I then went to a friend's house who called up your friend, Beth's father, to ask for supplies so I can get rid of the body. I had done business like that in the past with him" Carson eye twitched "That's why I guess he's been haggling Babylon because he's afraid his part to play in all of this came back to haunt her. After I went to his place to get the supplies I went back to the location, and started to device a plan with them. And we decided to make it look like a suicide. It made sense since children who have guns at home typically have a higher suicide rate. Plus DeeJay wasn't doing too well at all, evidenced by the stuff he posted on his social media" Carson sulked "I wrapped up Deejay's body, got the gun and drove to the forest. When I got there I noticed the tapes in his pockets and listened to them in the car, crying. I pocketed the one with the murderer on it to ensure I get my money by blackmailing them with it. The others I would place in the box later. Another reason why I put them there is because I wanted the police to find it if they did find out it wasn't a suicide and have them sniff a different trail than the real culprit. I used my intuition and knew Mr. Chooloo was nosy and very sharp. So I used the car to throw over a tree nearby to see if he was home and he was, so I had to move more stealthily. I screwed a silencer onto the gun and shot DeeJay. Well, I used his hand to make him shoot himself in the head. With gloves of course. I then carried the body in shady and hidden spots of trees and sunk him into the river. And after that, every couple of weeks I would collect my cash and start paying and planning for what I needed to do to leave. I came back to the forest every couple of days or weeks at night, guilty, begging for DeeJay's forgiveness, hating myself. The only thing was, I dropped my watched on my way back out of the forest one night and I don't know how I did that. I was always so careful. Inside that watch held the key to the storage room with all the remainder of money I had. So I was now short money and feeling stagnant. When I came back to try to look for it, it was gone. And I thought the cops found it. Or I lost it. And I wouldn't forgive myself if I did because that was the watch my mother bought for me a week before she died. I always kept it in prestige condition. But now I know you had it. And thank you. I was packing my stuff to bring somewhere safe for tonight but... you arrived. Like it was fate"

Carson lost feeling in his legs as a result of hearing all of that. He was exhaling really violently and could feel his skeleton being punched by his heart. His mouth trembled, and sweat began to accumulate on his underarms, neck, and palms. He was only able to grab onto the armrest of the sofa as Cole ran to help him. He assisted him in calming down and urged him to swallow a tablet with some water to revive him. Although he could see why he did it, Carson wasn't about to swallow a tablet from someone who had just acknowledged to being a part of a murder. Instead, he held it under his tongue until Cole took a glance elsewhere before putting it under the couch cushions.

Once Carson calmed down he looked Cole into the eyes and said "Tell me who the murders are, please!"

Cole wore a serious array on his face and leaned into his ear and whispered the answer. And Carson's eyes popped out of their sockets.

2:22 p.m
Babylon had gone out and gotten us both lunch. An enormous platter of breadfruit, lentils, stewed chicken, green fig salad, dasheen, fish (no fish for me because I don't like seafood), and guava juice. We sat at his desk, nibbling and crunching while speaking like peers and getting to know each other better. Having an adult see and accept me for who I am for once had a profound effect on me and left me feeling gender euphoric because I hadn't in a long time.

   My phone started to ring on the right side of the desk, and when I looked up and saw it was my father, I rolled my eyes. We hadn't spoken since the summer, so he was arguing and being unpleasant to me. He claimed that I was unappreciative and would fail without him. Because neither my mother, sister, nor I had notified him about the pending case and how I had been included in it, he then continued to type lengthy paragraphs while cursing. I blocked him and continued the chat since I didn't want to ruin my wonderful mood.

"Who was that?"

"My sperm donor"

    Babylon smirked.

"By that I'm guessing you don't like your father?"

"It's not that I don't like him. I just don't like how he treats me like he doesn't like me"

2:58 p.m
Carson could barely walk out of Cole's with everything he'd just learnt. Plus, he had noticed a small dosage of oxy laying around and gobbled it and its effects were starting rather early. After revealing the perpetrator, Cole informed him that he was taking a ride from Kendrick to a foreign country where he would vanish for a while doing "a job". After apologizing repeatedly, he finished packing his luggage and vanished through the bushes telling Carson to get proof and fix all of this but to "pretty please" keep his name out of it.

    Carson felt dizzy and was stumbling a bit so he held the walls of the house for support.

"Oh my god! What's wrong?" A voice from across the road said.

As Carson realized who it was, his eyes widened and his blood grew wintry. DeeJay's mother had just parked her brand-new vehicle across the street. As she drew closer to him, she grabbed him in her arms and moved him slowly toward her car.

"Are you okay? I'm going to drive you to my place to call your parents to come and pick you up!"

Dustin, who had just arrived on the scene after trying to follow Carson's footprints, became suspicious when he observed him getting into her car. Because of the thick automobile tint, he couldn't see what was going on when they got in. Meanwhile, Carson's heart began to beat wildly once more because he had little choice but to succumb as he was driven away on the verge of a panic attack...

3:33 p.m
Babylon started tidying up his office for him to leave as the day came to a close. Curious, I walked about the station prancing about while feigning to be a businesswoman entering her own establishment.  I soon found myself in the room containing all the proof, hints, and ideas surrounding DeeJay's murder, where I just stood there and regarded the murder board. Looking up at the images of DeeJay's damaged chamber, I noticed something. I was unaware of my surroundings as I sank further into my thoughts, and was startled by Babylon.

"What are you doing in here? You're not supposed to be in here! Are you trying to destroy evidence?"

"Oh no, no! I just noticed something... When DeeJay was alive his mother kept dragging her feet to buy him a new phone. How does she have all this money all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean?"

"The chamber. The expensive funeral. None of those things are cheap, right? Maybe insurance?"

"No... I don't think insurance covers all of that" Babylon said beginning to see my point. "Let me try something..." he said in a somber tone.

     I followed behind him as he moved about the office making calls and soon got faxed a batch of papers.

"Come look at this Toy!"

"What is it?" I said leaning my head over his shoulder.

"It's all the financial transactions and payments from DeeJay's funeral. All of it is in the name of some guy 'Dallo'"

"That's DeeJay's half brother!"

"Really? I guess that sort of explains why all their bills and everything from last year have been paid by him also"

"Damn, what kind of salary he makes?"

"I don't know... let me see..."

    He got to typing on his computer, made another call then called me back over to him.

"Looks like he works at a hospital in his home country. Makes a standard salary but not nearly enough for all that even with a huge loan!"

"What hospital is it?"

    Babylon searched the hospital only to find something else.

"Wait... It says here that the hospital filed multiple police investigations"

"For what?"

"Because medications, equipment and drugs have been stolen. Over four hundred thousand dollars worth of everything in total!"

"Woah!"

"Not to mention that it was stolen a couple days after DeeJay is believed to have been killed!"

"Okay. Let's say he stole it. Why did he need that much money?"

"Well the funeral arrangements and the chamber easily come to roughly seventy thousand!"

"Okay. And the three hundred and thirty thousand?"

"Well the bills almost add up to thirty thousand..."

"Uh huh that's true!"

"...Wait!"

   He stood up from his desk and browsed through some papers. He took out photos of many males, ranging in age from young to elderly, who all had tattoos of the same star sign. I glanced at the images as he spread them out on the desk, imagining myself as a detective.

"This is a case we've been working on for a while. There is this gang here, mostly all the members we have mugshots of. They've been suspected of making people and dead bodies 'disappear' but we haven't been able to get proof to lock them up. They normally charge like two to three hundred thousand for their disappearing acts according to our sources. Only thing is I can't prove that any of them and Dallo have ever even been in the same room!"

"Yes you can! Cole, the guy in the bottom left photo sold drugs to Dallo!"

"How do you know that?!"

"Let's just say DeeJay told me"

"Well... looks like we have to pay Cole a little visit!"

4:45 p.m
The sky threw off a gradient that not even an artist could paint as the sun's rays changed into a stunning golden tuxedo. Adults who had just concluded their workday were either heading home or to the supermarkets to buy groceries. As busloads of passengers arrived on their way home, traffic in the streets rapidly became the scene. Naturally, tensions increased as a result of the irate and irritated bus drivers.

Dallo was strolling down the waterfront that overlooked the choppy water. Since there were no rails, dipping one's feet in was, though risky, quite simple. The air was calm and pleasantly free of pollution as cruise ships with several guests partied or relaxed in the harbor. Birds scooped up fish, while a homeless man washed his clothing in the calmer part of the ocean.

Beth and Mandy were not far behind Dallo, not making their presence known. They had been following him for more than an hour and had no idea where he was going. It was getting late, but they needed to know where he was headed with those tapes.

5:15 p.m
Babylon attracted the attention of the neighborhood by raging his truck around the area in a dramatic manner. He pulled up directly next to the cluster of homes where Cole's apartment was located, and as he got out of his truck, he glared evilly and menacingly at the gangsters. They gave me a resentful look, and I squirmed beneath the seat fearfully to see if the doors were locked.

As several neighbors started to swarm closer to the apartment to see what was going on, Babylon kicked down the door while carrying his revolver strapped to his waist and peered around. Babylon quickly returned outside and got into his truck after discovering only empty cabinets and furniture. He now understood why Cole didn't respond when he knocked: Cole had vanished. But why now? So we started driving back to the station.

5:45 p.m
As they rolled into the driveway, Carson could feel the jerks and bumps, which didn't calm his anxiety. He exited and took a glance around. He could easily get lost because the surrounding forest was too dense. Additionally, it would be more difficult to contact anyone in this neighborhood due to the scant distribution of houses. Plus, one of the roads are still blocked due to the road collapsing in on itself during the storm and the government still hasn't fixed it. No hope. He thought that if he just remained calm that he would soon be out of her clutches.

DeeJay's mother came out the car and smiled.

"Go inside whilst I take in the groceries from the trunk!" She said in a joyous tone.

On the edge, still looking around, Carson stepped inside. He wandered around for a moment hoping to not get caught looking for some sort of weapon. But as he was reaching for the knife in the dish rack, she came through the door.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

Quickly pulling his hand to his side, Carson then replied "Just wanted some water, my throat feels really dry!"

"Sit. Sit. Let me get that for you!"

Carson reclined on one of the unique couches while she rushed through the dishes and fridge to make him some ice cold water. He felt about in his pockets but remembered he'd left his phone at home. The only thing he had on him was the tape Cole had given him. She came back into the scene holding a large glass of ice swishing around in spring water, startling him and leading him to drop the tape into the carpet as he gripped it in his fingers, yearning to hear the story behind it. He dove onto the carpet and grabbed it up, only to unfix the carpet, causing it to twist in all directions. That's when more sweat began filling his clothes.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she sat down diagonal to him placing the glass of water on the side table.

"Yeah, yeah! Sorry about your car-carpet!" Carson said fixing the carpet.

   But she couldn't respond right away because she heard a commotion outback. Cookies & Cream, DeeJay's pet bulldog named after its dark patchy black and white fur, was wheedling in the soil that surrounded her rectangle garden. It was digging for something it was convinced was buried there. She turned around after shooing it away from the garden to discover Carson peering over her shoulder at the scene, and the two both became stiff and terrified.

"Um... let me get the house phone so you can call your parents"

"Sure"

Carson glanced out the window as she trudged along in her high heels and noticed Cookies & Cream trying to slink back over to the dirt. The streetlights were starting to flicker on as it became quite dark. Less cars were starting to travel down the route, and the environment was more quiet and foreboding than previously. Carson decided not to stay any longer because there was clearly something sinister and shady going on. He went to DeeJay's room, which had an open window from which he could quickly jump out of and take off. However, when he started to remove his leg from the window, Cookies & Cream began barking and acting aggressively below him, which prompted him to turn around and go back inside which made him knock a bunch of books over.

   DeeJay's mother stormed into the room at that point. Her left side was pressed against her shoulder as she supported the home phone. She held a crimson apple in her left palm and a large sharp knife in her right palm as she sliced the apple to nibble on.

"What's going on? Are you okay?!" She said as she drew nearer to him with slow steps.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Carson shouted, tears running from his face as it became red and he began shaking from fear.

"What? What's going o-" her face melted as she noticed the voice recorder he held in his palm.

"JUST LET ME GO!" Carson said as he glazed onto the blue wooden walls towards the door.

"Just stop and listen to me Carson"

"NO I WANT TO LEAVE!"

"Okay, I understand that. But if you leave you're going to do or say something that's going to ruin my life. Just listen to me"

    At that point, Carson had stepped back into the living room still facing her, nervous of her next move. Anger boiled onto her face and she dropped the home phone and the apple. And her sadistic shadow showed the threatening aura and shading of her body language as she lifted the knife and yelled "WHY CAN'T YOU CHILDREN EVER FUCKING LISTEN?! I SAID SIT! SIT AND FUCKING LISTEN TO ME CARSON!"

   Tears circled on Carson's cheeks, and he started to tick and shake like a stopwatch as the shouts practically pushed him back into the seat he had been in earlier. He was too terrified to act. He did nothing more than let his gaze follow her movements as she closed the windows and locked the door. When she was finished, she sat back down, which caused his heart to beat more rapidly. With the water she had just poured for Carson, she took two tablets from a bottle on the center table. She then exhaled deeply and started speaking. Thinking quickly, Carson took a gamble and deleted the story on the voice recorder and began secretly recording what she was saying.

"Two years ago, my entire life started going down the drain. The husband that I once adored brought a child into my home that he made with another woman WHILST we were married. Then he expected ME to accept this child with open arms and treat him like one of my own. And how exactly was I supposed to do that? Every time I saw that child I was reminded of the horrid memory that over seventeen years ago I wasn't good enough for my husband. I was reminded that a woman he met for a couple of hours was more deserving of him that night than me. I always secretly snickered at my friends when they mentioned infidelity in their relationships but I had to go to them for solace with my tail between my legs. That was what I thought was going to be the biggest embarrassment and sorrow he was ever going to let me lay in. Then, he died. After I warned and pleaded with him that night to not leave. He left me. Then left me... forever. With five children. I had a dream of him where I was asking him why he left and why he would do that to me right here in this house. But all he did was walk away from me. And then I was awakened by the children crying at the obituaries of their father on the television. I had to console them AND myself. Not only did I have theirs plus my grief but now I had expenses all on me. A house mortgage. School books. School uniforms. School shoes. Groceries. And SO MUCH MORE. With a job that could barely pay for more than three bills. And I couldn't take it. During that time I had gotten so depressed that it seemed like a couple of months was just one... long... day. A blur. The only way I found myself escaping from all my problems was drinking. Wine. Beer. Vodka. I was consistently inside rum shops and barely with my children. My children had to get meals from their grandmother's house and would go there to wash their clothes when I forgot to pay the bills because I was consistently missing work and passed out drunk somewhere. DeeJay was the one who stayed with me most of the time though even though I treated him the worst and threatened to kill him because he resembled my husband the most. He was a blessing. And what didn't make anything better was that I found myself crying and venting to the child my husband had behind my back on a phone call. I was at one of my lowest moments. And the tears wouldn't stop. And at that moment I realized I was horrible for having this vendetta and jealousy towards him. And I practically begged with snot running from my nose for his forgiveness. But the thing is he had no issue with me. He told me my apology was not needed. He even began sending me money from the job he just got. And it was thanks to that money that I was able to get by and finally see light in my business once again. And yes I was thankful for it but I still felt so ashamed and guilty. That kid practically put himself through college and now that he had a well paying job and was supposed to be enjoying his hard earned money I was practically sucking the life out of him. But he still didn't mind. He was willing to help. And over those couple of months, we had became so close. I felt like he was my son. So I invited him here last summer to apologize in person and try to make amends. He arrived the day of the storm by boat. DeeJay left and he arrived five minutes after and we sat inside with the house locked up sipping wine. And we had an amazing time. But I wasn't watching my drinking and became intoxicated really quickly. Of course, he didn't know I was an alcoholic because I didn't want to add to the embarrassment. But as we spoke he began telling me about DeeJay and something about him being gay and saw DeeJay posting stuff on his social media that was disturbing. I didn't know what was going on with my son or anything so naturally I became suspicious. At that moment DeeJay came in soaking wet from the rain and saw the bottles and got a bit irritated with me for drinking although I promised him to stop. I was so abashed and became angry at him for telling my business out loud. I started to argue with him and began asking him why was he posting this stuff and what was wrong as I grabbed the wine bottle he picked up off the floor from him. DeeJay walked towards his room and at that moment Dallo was trying to get me to explain the stuff about the alcohol but I didn't want to hear it then and walked towards DeeJay. Dallo kept at me trying to get me to talk but I just wanted to speak to my son. I tried to talk to him once again but he turned around and started walking toward the front door. And at that moment I became so enraged. Why? Because he walked away exactly how his father did in that dream. EXACTLY how he did that night when I told him not to leave. AND EXACTLY how he walked away when I confronted him about his infidelity. And that made me even angrier at him. He looked exactly like him. Their mannerisms were the same. And I started to shout at him. 'STAY RIGHT THERE! WHY WON'T YOU FUCKING LISTEN TO ME?!' And he walked up to me and said 'You've had too much too drink' and started trying to take the bottle from me. That's when we got into a tug of war match over it. And that brought me back to the exact night that his father walked off on me because he couldn't face me when I confronted him about the infidelity. My drinking had started a month before that and hadn't became as serious as it is now. He walked in the house and into our room and I began arguing with him. He didn't want to hear it and tried pulling the bottle away from me and I tried to hit him in the head and missed. He then said to me 'Next time have better aim' And those two parallels looped together in my head. I shouted 'YOU WANT IT SO BAD THEN HERE, TAKE IT!' As I bashed him in the head with an empty Yellow Tail bottle. I didn't miss this time." Carson's fear grew as he began to sputter and cry. "Deejay went out of it. He fell to his knees. Then fell backward onto his head. Blood began gushing out of his head. His eyes became bloodshot red. And, blood began spilling out of his nose" Carson practically threw up in his mouth as he imagined the scene. "I called to Dallo begging for him to help him because I thought he was a trained doctor so of course he could help. But by the time Dallo checked his vitals, he was gone" Carson's heart broke. "I fell to my knees crying in Dallo's arms begging for him to get help. Begging that what just happened was all a dream. But it wasn't. I still screamed for help but Dallo put his hand over my mouth and explained to me softly that I would go to jail if anyone saw the scene. That I would never see my other children again. I couldn't loose any more children or let anymore of them down. And at that moment I knew I had to dispose of the body and live with the guilt. What else was I supposed to do? Ruin my life and reputation? I got a second chance to make it all right with my other children and do better and I wasn't going to pass up the chance to rewrite all my wrongs." She began crying "I got a do over... Dallo called one of his old friends, Cole. He came, taught Dallo how to clean up and Dallo suggested that he uses the gun in the room to make it look like a suicide. He takes it and then leaves. Dallo then cleans up the place and buries the bloody things in the backyard where Cookies & Cream was digging earlier. He then hugged me tightly whilst I cried on the floor until Cole returned. To make sure he got his money, Cole began blackmailing us with that tape which made everything worse. But Dallo promised to handle it. He handled everything whilst I mourned in-fact. There were so many times I wanted to blow and tell someone like when I spoke to you and your friends at the school what happened but I couldn't. That's what started driving me crazy. That's what made me unable to walk for some time. It had gotten so bad that I spiraled and was on so many drugs that I went to DeeJay's chamber and dug up his casket apologizing and trying to get him back" she screamed falling into deeper tears. It was her! She destroyed the tomb! "And yes I knew the direction the case was going and who was beginning to be looked at. I planted the seed and pulled the police towards the trail because I realized DeeJay wasn't talking about his friends much anymore. And I thought that would end after a couple of weeks because it's just kids and the case would go cold and I could go on forcing myself to live with what I did. But it didn't. And I'm so so so sorry. So fucking sorry. Even if they weren't friends anymore DeeJay's friends didn't deserve that. Sorry...." She laughed whilst sniffling her tears "And my cover was genius. No one would suspect the grieving mother... But, just put yourself in my shoes... Can you imagine having a house birth and giving birth to a child who had so much creativity and love inside him and, you ask God everyday to guide and protect him from outside harm, only for you to be the greatest harm that would ever come against him? That you were the one who killed him in the very spot you gave birth to him?... So... be honest... tell me, if the story of how I killed him was told from my perspective... would you still think of me as the villain? WOULD YOU?!"

Carson's scared and judgmental stare through his teary eyes caused her to burst into tears. Carson couldn't believe what he had just heard and moved his head to the side, tears streaming down his cheeks. He thought the oxy had him seeing and hearing things. He surely did, however, spot Dustin approaching the window.

    His saving grace had arrived. Dustin was terrified of him seeing him and wanted to flee, but Carson flashed him a look that said, "Get me out of here!" He'd only seen Carson with that expression once before, when he forced him to listen to DeeJay's tape. He was conscious that something was wrong. And he realized he had to act quickly. He took out his phone and dialed the police as Carson mouthed to him "Call the police!"

6:54 p.m
Babylon and I had been waiting for the officers to return to start their shifts and of-course they were late. So we sat there waiting for them as the phone came to a ring. Babylon answered it and it was Dustin telling him to hurry to DeeJay's NOW. And as he drove off I was in the passenger because I didn't want my friends to be hurt or I left and didn't help.

7:15 p.m
Dallo arrived to the cemetery and proceeded to DeeJay's chamber. Beth and Mandy were observing his every move from behind a white tomb. Being in a graveyard at night made them both uneasy, but they had to put up with it. They crawled closer to him while still attempting to remain undetected after noticing his lips moving but being unable to hear.

"Hi DeeJay" he said stooping down and smiling.

"Where's your phone?" Mandy whispered to Beth.

"Here, why?" She said pulling it from her pocket.

"Record this"

And that she did.

"You know why I'm here right? After all you've been looking down at everything that's been happening. Or maybe looking up!" He giggled. "I came here to confess something that happened right before you died. And something after. You ready?" He started, then made a suspenseful pause. "When our mother whacked you over your head with that bottle-" Mandy and Beth practically gasped as they covered each other's mouths. "-and killed you. And she called me over to save you I placed my two fingers onto your arm and I could still feel your pulse. In fact I could still see the possibility of more life in your eyes. You were still alive. I could've saved you. But I chose to let you die. Because I rather you dead than you ever taking the attention and love from me ever again. Your mother became like a second mother to me. She deserves the world. And ever since then I've been doing everything to make her happy. Paid for the funeral. Paid for this chamber. Bought her a new car. Paid off the bills. Everything!" Mandy and Beth peered at each other, their eyes practically popping out like popcorn. "I was always jealous of you. You were the one showed off by father the most because of how close you resembled him and how good your art skills were. I was the fuck up that had him paying off my debt which made him so angry that he called me on the phone one night angrily and told me 'this is why DeeJay is my favorite'. You and the rest of your siblings were the ones he returned to and fathered. I was left alone in an abusive home after my mother died. And every time it was my time to show him how great I was, like at my graduation, he stood me up because he was scared to admit to his infidelity. So whilst he was like an angel to everyone he was the devil in my story. Building a relationship with your mother and her venting to me made me feel seen. And you remember those tapes you made? Cole told me about them after he got rid of your body and was using one of the tapes as blackmail. He said he buried the box of them in the box you had with all the stuff of your friends. But by the time I did find out about them your dumbass sister had brought the box to your friends. So I had to break in to their houses and steal them to protect mother"

"What the fuck?!" Beth said a little too loud.

Turning his head to the right, Cole's eyes fell on them. He then leaped towards them, tearing up the grass as he went. The girls, however, had already changed into flat shoes earlier and were prepared to dash, so he would be in for a surprise. And they put the pedal to the medal as they tried to escape his sinister clutches exploding through bushes and other obstacles like they were in Subway Surfers.

7:30 p.m
Dustin knew the cops would take a while to arrive, so he needed to act quickly. He went around the house, and his expertise of dogs allowed him to play with Cookies & Cream and then set him in his kennel quietly. He started seeking for a way inside the house and came across a shovel resting against an electrical box. But his gaze was drawn back to the dog, who's focus was locked on the area of earth it had been digging up earlier.

He crept up to the soil and began digging with all his might, eventually discovering the gory things. Everything made sense to him at that point. He grabbed up the shovel again, trudged over to the electrical box with the speed he thought he left behind when he retired from sports, and crushed the box, causing the electricity in the home to go out, Carson and Delia looking up at the dark bulb.

Carson and DeeJay's mother sat in the darkness, her eyes glinting in the slivers of streetlight that crept through the window. She stared at Carson, unblinking. He considered abandoning his escape plan, but steeled himself and crept towards the door. But DeeJay's mother pounced, clawing at his hoodie and shrieking that her children would despise her if they found out she murdered their brother. Dustin heard the scuffle and staggered to the door, ramming it with the shovel, trying to break in as Carson was pulled to the floor. He crawled desperately trying to escape but she sank her nails into his ankles, dragging him back into the shadows.

    All Dustin heard was his grandmother's words to him saying that maybe he could save someone else if not her. He couldn't do anything to save DeeJay, feeling like his summer fling endangered him and had carried that burden since listening to the tapes. But maybe just maybe he could make everything right rescuing Carson. He was the one.

Babylon and I were hurrying to DeeJay's house that was insight at the same time. Beth and Mandy were about to come through the clearing of trees that led to the road we were traveling down, with Dallo immediately behind them, bloodthirsty. This is a formula that could only result in disaster.

Dustin burst in the door and went towards Carson, yanking him away and flinging him onto his back. For a split second, the lights in the home flickered on, displaying him towering over her, holding the shovel. And he remarked, "Say goodnight, biatch!" As he slammed the shovel into her neck, knocking her out.

The sound of the shovel hitting her clashed with the sound of the full force of Babylon's truck just barely missing Beth and Mandy but slamming right into Dallo. As Babylon and I exited the car and Carson and Dustin snuck out the front door and started running towards us, Beth and Mandy stopped in the middle of the road, frozen with the fear of almost loosing their lives lingering in their memory.

8:10 p.m
Carson approached the rest of us as we stood next to Babylon's truck. The ambulance had just finished patching him up for the scratches DeeJay's mom left on his shoulder and ankle. We were all quite perturbed and couldn't stop talking about the situation and the revelations we'd found today.

DeeJay's mother was being carried into a second ambulance that would follow the first ambulance carrying Dallo to the hospital. Forensic was unearthing the bloody items from the soil. Several police vehicles had gathered around the site with their red and blue emergency lighting and a few nosy neighbors had begun to congregate. The night was frigid, and I could hear a neighbor dialing news stations to alert them to make their way to the current scenario.

   Even though everything that had happened was awful, Dustin was glad Carson was talking to him again and no longer gave a damn about what had taken place. Men can push things aside and keep them inside, which he found to be one positive aspect of male relationships. And that was all the majority of feeling in his brain was wired to do.

After finishing talking to a fellow officer, Babylon strolled over to us.

"You kids okay?"

We nodded.

"Okay, you ready to give your statements?"

"Actually..." I started.

"We've decided that we want no parts in any of this. We just want our names cleared and this situation to be buried away" Carson began. "We're giving you the recordings we have of Cole and Deejay's mother and you can take all the glory for this situation. Please?"

Babylon practically exploded into celebration but had to control himself. "I will. You kids will be fine. Just get in the truck and give me a minute, I'll drop you guys home. And thank you! You guys don't know how much this means to me!"

"You're welcome!" We said in unison as we piled into truck.

But Babylon still had more to say as he ushered himself over to the driver's window and peered at as with satisfactory and peaceful eyes. "And I also want to express how sorry I am to all of you. I should've never hounded you guys that much. I was stupid and couldn't see what was right in-front of me. You kids are all brillant and without you I don't think this case would've ever been solved. Thank you. And if y'all ever need anything just call me. I'll have to give you my phone number though because I'm retiring soon!"

"We'll THINK about forgiving you" Dustin said making giggles escape from our lips.

As he left, we all grinned. It had finally ended. Our life was all we had to think about as of now. And as we all relaxedly reclined, we felt the air conditioning envelop our moisturized skin. And for a couple minutes we talked and made jokes before Babylon came back to drop us off then return to the scene.

   We all came to the realization that, aside from the murderer, everyone had all learned something today, as we sped off into the stubbly night. I realized I was moving too quickly. Carson recognized his own addiction in DeeJay's mother and knew he didn't want to end up like her. Mandy discovered a completely new aspect of herself. Dustin realized how much he desired Carson's affection and how much he was willing to fight for him. Beth also discovered that she needs to start honestly assessing who she is and doing more adventurous things she likes like all the snooping she did prior to today. There's so much she doesn't know about her young self and Mandy's revelations showed her this.

   We stared outside, taking in the scene of shrubbery and magnificent treescapes. We drifted off content in the knowledge that everything would be fine but still a little exhausted from everything that had happened today as the truck fell silent. We could rest easy knowing that our parents wouldn't nag us for staying out so late because we had texted them earlier to let them know "we were going to the movies". In addition, my mother and sister were already working late. Although our minds were more steady, the murder and how it happened remained in the back of our minds. We thought of DeeJay. His memory. We were sorry for how he passed away and believed he was now at peace, slumbering beautifully. And that he had been avenged.