Wicked Girl (THE FIRE Book 1) Read online

  However, I didn’t like that bit either. I was concerned and confused mainly because I was sure I never went to the woods for whatever reason. Even my hunting habit was only alive in my past. I dropped it when I left Houston – when I got rid of almost all my guns – when my dearest father and hunting partner died of prostate cancer. In New York, I hardly came into contact with the natural – the soil, plants, and the game. It’s a world of cash, cards, and the menu.

  I opened WhatsApp again and was surprised that words of encouragement were still pouring in from relatives, friends, and church folks. Even strangers.

  Nick proved he was a friend even in need, not only by forming the MISSING SISTER GRACE TURNER group on Facebook but also by mobilizing the group members to flood the city with the MISSING SISTER GRACE TURNER posters he designed himself. Already, the group had attracted over twenty thousand likes. And it was active. People sent encouragements and clues for the police to take advantage of.

  I also deeply appreciated Pastor White’s efforts. I knew they would support me, but coming to my house with his wife and dozens of church members to pray every evening exceeded my expectations. I felt loved. Truly loved. Yes, Chloe didn’t like the idea of them coming every day.

  She had a point though for she stressed that I had to focus more on searching for Grace physically. She warned me against trusting and relying on the police only.

  I switched on the television just to see if they had something positive about Grace.

  There was nothing – just a music program. It crossed my mind that being called to the morgue for the wrong body was really tough – it almost killed me, but it did have a good thing about it. It forced me to think in the right direction. It helped convince me that the cops were not doing enough to find Grace. Chloe was absolutely right. The police were looking for either Grace or her body. Clearly, I had to rise as one who would only look for her, not her body. To them, Grace was just data, a statistic. If found dead, they would stop all MISSING GRACE alerts and record that one Caucasian woman was found dead – then it would be over. But for me, a dark winding road could be starting. There is nothing as painful as losing a lovely wife. Nothing.

  I was also glad Chloe came to help me. I couldn’t cope with what lay in front of me and taking care of the house and Kim. And she was in good hands because Chloe loved children, and Kim loved “Aunt Chloe.” The occasional visits Chloe would pay us were obviously working in our favor even though Grace despised them. Otherwise, Kim wouldn’t know Chloe. They would play like old buddies on the lawn. That’s why when she saw her next to the cab, she forgot her friends and almost flew in the air.

  Kim screamed sharply outside. I jumped to my feet and in a second, I was at the window. There was nothing bad though. Chloe and Kim were chasing each other in the snow. I learned with awe that they had rebuilt the snowman I crushed three days ago. I wondered what Karen and Jane would think. Probably, they would assume I was the one who told them to rebuild it as a way of saying sorry.

  The clouds were dark and the night was taking over, but it was lovely watching Chloe and Kim enjoy the snow. But I also felt ashamed since I couldn’t afford the snow removers. And I was too devastated to clean it up myself as we always did. Unfortunately, all our neighbors had hired the removers and their yards were neat like it never snowed. My lips pressed together; I shook my head for not having forty dollars. Forty dollars! The little I had was for keeping the company and us afloat whilst Grace’s salary took care of debts and rent.

  I also felt guilty I hadn’t worked for several days, yet, my online course was still new. My new students had to have dozens of questions. And they would email me when they couldn’t find the solution in the FAQ. But I was too messed up to read even one email. I couldn’t even mail my weekly newsletter to my two thousand subscribers.

  “Oh yes.” I recalled that the other thing I wanted to tell Detective Howell and Reid the other day was that I suspected Karen.

  But with the new conviction and direction, I thought it wise to forget about telling them anything and investigate on my own.

  I only had to get a notebook for writing important stuff I shouldn’t forget. Telling Chloe all my plans would also help. I believed she would try her best to do the job well like Grace. Grace excelled; I even nicknamed her “my brain.” And she wouldn’t get tired of me, even when I called her asking stupid things like, “Who is the person I wanted to see in town?” Or when ordering food for us, “What’s the name of our favorite dish?” A classic case was when I boarded a bus and left our car at Wal-Mart simply because I had forgotten I had driven to Wal-Mart. In fact, I had forgotten that we even owned a car.

  But it was hard for me to stomach that suspect number one was, indeed, Karen. The same Karen who acted as our friend. The same Karen I protected with my life. At times, her husband would come back at three in the morning and start beating her. I would jump off my warm bed and run to protect her. At times, I would be awakened by the same Grace she was all out to destroy.

  “People!”

  The telephone rang. I paced, hoping once again.

  I held my breath. “Hello.”

  “Still nothing promising, Elijah?”

  I released my breath. “Nothing yet, Mom. The cops only called me for a body. I guess I told you. But it wasn’t her.”

  “That was great. We don’t want a body; we want Grace safe and sound. And yes, you told me.” She cleared her throat. “You know I was thinking about Kim. Why don’t you bring her to stay with me for a while?”

  “Oh, Kim. Thanks, Mom, but a miracle happened. Chloe saw the story on TV and came back to help me.”

  “How can you say that?” She screamed. “You call that a miracle, not a curse. How can you bring back somebody who almost destroyed your marriage? If Grace shows up now, she could leave you with that good for nothing girl.”

  “I will think about it. But for now, she will stay.”

  “What is there to think about Elijah? I can’t believe you want my granddaughter to –” A loud crashing sound forced me to distance the receiver from my ear. She smashed the receiver on the phone.

  I was deeply confused about Chloe and all the women who didn’t like her. First, it was Mila. She also didn’t want to hear anything about her. She even threatened not to come here to support me. Elizabeth, Grace’s mom, it was the same thing. Now, it was Mom. They all called her a whore who wasn’t fit to take care of a six-year-old. But I knew Chloe more than they – she wasn’t a whore at all. Probably Karen, not Chloe. Yes, she didn’t like dressing modestly, but she wasn’t a whore. She was the housekeeper who put a big smile and laughter on Kim’s face. She was the housekeeper who made my house smell and feel like a six-star hotel suite. Even her cooking was unparalleled.

  7:02 PM

  Concealing the truth about Grace’s disappearance from Kim appeared to be working until I asked her to bless the supper Chloe had prepared. She jumped off the wooden chair and closed her eyes with her tiny hands. “God please bring Mom back. Help her run away and leave the monsters having her. Amen.”

  “Amen.” I gazed at Chloe across the table. But she was also staring at me, asking the same question I had with her eyes. Just like her, I thought she was the one who told Kim the whole truth even though we had agreed that we would hide it from the child.

  Instantly, I suspected Karen. She was the only one celebrating Grace’s disappearance. So she had to ascertain everyone feels the pinch including Kim. A six- year-old.

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s eat,” Chloe said as she rose and dished Kim’s food first.

  I forced a smile, appreciating her brainpower. Somebody else would probably rush to the living room, pretending she was checking on the fire or wanted to drop the volume of voices from the television. But she quickly came up with a plan to act fast and make sure Kim didn’t follow up the prayer with tough questions. Smart girl.

  I picked a white plate and dished the rice, beef stew, potato and lettuce salad. Lots of sal
iva ran down my throat as I added the fried chicken. It was golden brown and crisp. It heaved me back to the dining room since Kim’s prayer had thrown me out. I kept on thinking about who really told the child such disturbing news about her mom when Chloe and I hid the whole thing from her. My mind kept on shouting, “Karen! Karen…”

  Unfortunately, her charm was working. It was affecting Kim deeply. She couldn’t even remember to pray for the food for the only thing buzzing in her head was her endangered mom. Even her concerned teacher had called, alerting me that she did something she outgrew ages ago. She peed whilst sitting on her chair in the second class of the day. Her peers laughed at her.

  With my lips sealed, I laughed unintentionally. My mind was still refusing to register that it was Karen doing all those things to me.

  Simultaneously, Chloe and Kim gazed at me.

  “What is funny Dad?”

  “I’m laughing at you,” I said and began eating. The food was superb, but I couldn’t enjoy it. I had to push myself to eat; my appetite was nonexistent. I ate to fill up my stomach as everybody advised me.

  Kim scanned her little body. “What’s funny on me, Dad?”

  “You are eating the meat only.”

  “Start with the rice and salads, Kim,” Chloe said, smiling.

  She glanced at her and laughed. “What if I eat the rice and someone comes and steals my meat?”

  Chloe and I laughed. “Where will that person come from?” I asked, thinking how much of a burden a child could be. The mood ought to be somber, but we had to create a simple one for her. And that was demanding for me. I wished I was in my bed, crying. Or strategizing how I would descend on the evil Karen.

  “Even the people who stole Mom can come,” Kim said.

  Chloe and I quickly concentrated on our dishes. In no way, could we entertain her questions. She was better off with the questions than hopeless answers.

  “When are they going to bring Mommy back?” Kim asked. “Why did they take her from us in the first place?”

  Chloe raised her eyes to my face. I coughed even though there was no irritation of my throat. “What did you do at school today sweetheart?”

  “At school?” Kim said.

  “Yes. At school,” I said.

  “We were singing the song, which says, White Snow.”

  Chloe gazed at Kim. “Don’t stop eating. Eat and talk at the same time baby.”

  Kim bit a piece of the chicken. Quickly, she glanced at us as she recalled she wasn’t supposed to eat the meat first. She spun her eyes like a cartoon, not knowing what to say since we caught her red handed. Chloe and I laughed.

  “White Snow, Dad. You don’t know that song. You didn’t sing it when you were young?” Kim said.

  We laughed again. It’s always funny to see a child trying to outsmart you and cover her tracks.

  I gazed at Kim still laughing. “Remind me of the song; I’ve forgotten it.”

  She jumped off her chair and sang very loudly:

  The snow on the road is white, white, white, white

  We see it, it’s white

  White, white, white, white

  White, white, white, white

  But we, we play, and play, and play

  Wooooo, we play, and play, and play

  Wooooo, we play, and play, and play

  The snowman is white, white, white, white

  We made it, it’s white

  White, white, white, white

  White, white, white, white

  But we, we play, and play, and play

  Wooooo, we play, and play, and play

  Wooooo, we play, and play, and play

  Chloe winked at me and joined her. I wished, but I couldn’t pretend that much. Talking and forcing a laugh was all I could do; otherwise, I had to be in bed sobbing myself to sleep.

  Granny says you will catch a cold, a cold, a cold

  But we run to the white, white, white, white snow

  And we play, and play, and play, and play

  Wooooo, we play, and play, and play

  Wooooo, we play, and play, and play

  She comes, we run, run, run, run, run

  They sang and danced all over. I enjoyed their singing. However, I had to hold my tears when they reached the part where it says Mommy on the phone says, you will catch a cold. I love you. I love you. I love you.

  I hoped Kim only recited the lyrics without digesting them.

  I gave them a round of applause when they finished the song.

  They sat down and proceeded to eat. I held tears again when I realized that the child was trying to act strong like an adult. At the same time, anger burned within me. I was angry at Karen. I couldn’t wait for dawn. I was burning to haunt her like a crazy ghost. There was no alternative.

  In the bedroom, I pushed the curtains and gazed at Karen’s house through the eastern window. They were still up; many rooms were still lit. I slapped the wall when it clicked that she was happy with her kids whilst she made sure Kim lost her mom and I lost my dear wife.

  I opened the closet to hang my jacket. But the light switched off. I concluded there had been a power outage, but when I looked through the window I learned I was wrong. Streetlights, neighbor’s lights, and my veranda lights were still on. Only my bedroom became dark. Darker than before. And it felt haunted, like there was somebody in the bedroom, somebody staring at me, watching my every move. My temperature rose when I thought it was Grace’s ghost, probably. They murdered her and she was after me, wanting to kill me for not protecting her.

  I bent and took my pistol from the closet.

  But I ignored the crazy intuition and fear and tried to concentrate on planning my next day. I couldn’t. My thoughts kept flying off my grip. I ended up cogitating about what had just hit my head – Grace’s death. I feared even why the thought came to mind and why I entertained it. There was no way I could entertain anything about Grace’s death. She had to remain alive for me to see all tomorrows.

  Suddenly, the bedroom became bright. I looked at the light thinking somebody had turned it on. But it was still off and there was no one at the door. Instead, there was a big, glowing human being standing near the bed. He shone like yellowish lightning. Promptly, I raised the gun and fired three shots at him. However, it was as if I was spraying him with a toy water gun. The bullets literally melted as they approached him.

  I quickly pulled the comforter from the bed and covered my face. I collapsed on the floor. But the comforter could not block his brightness from flooding my eyes. I closed them. But my eyelids could not block his brightness either. My eyes saw him as if they were wide open.

  The bedroom was hot like an oven. Rivers of sweat broke on my skin. My heart hammered my chest so strongly. I thought it was over. I thought the ghost had come to finish me for my sins. I cried, feeling bad. Feeling bad I would never see my lovely kid and mom ever again. And they would never see me. In my head, I could see the two of them on the couch crying with no one to comfort them. I quickly decided to talk to the ghost and explain that I did all I could to save her life – there was no point in killing me. What about Kim, our baby? Who would take care of her if she kills me? But when I opened my mouth to speak, I discovered I had no strength left – I couldn’t formulate any words with my mouth. I only mimed inside the comforter.

  The big, burning human being started walking towards me. When she walked, I almost jumped out of my skin – it was like an army of millions marching towards me. I cried so helplessly on the carpet. As she drew closer, even the brightness and heat amplified. I sweated the more. The comforter was drenched already. Then I sensed her standing next to me. I imagined her sword like fingers already up, ready to pin me on the carpet.

  “Elijah,” he said. It wasn’t Grace; it was a man.

  My stomach boiled within me and was hard as a rock. I was shocked he even knew my name.

  “Elijah,” he called again, touching the comforter. I wasn’t different from a dead man – I couldn’t move – I couldn
’t talk. His hand was hot as a furnace, but somehow, it didn’t melt my skin and the comforter.

  He put away the comforter. There I was exposed – on the carpet like a corpse. “Elijah, don’t be afraid. The Lord, Christ Jesus, sent me to you.”

  I opened my eyes slowly. It was as if the sun shining in all its power was standing beside me. His brightness was impossible for my eyes.

  He stretched his hand and touched my eyes. Then I was able to look at him. He was dressed in a super white robe fastened with a belt of gold. His body was made of yellowish-green chrysolite rock. His arms and legs were made of polished bronze. His face shone like lightning. His eyes flamed like huge torches. And his voice was like violent sea waves. When he spoke, the entire house and neighborhood shook.

  He stretched his hand again and touched my lips and my stomach. Strength came back to me.

  “Elijah, rise, I must talk to you.”

  “Yes, my Lord.” I quickly sat up.

  “Don’t call me Lord. I am also a servant of the Lord like you,” he said. “Elijah, the glory of the Lord has shined on you. You must continue on your calling, praying for the children and people of God. Pray for America. Pray for all the countries of the world. Never stop praying. Never lose focus.” Then he touched my stomach again. My stomach boiled the more. I thought it would explode and spill my intestines.

  But I was confused because I didn’t hear people running out and screaming due to the earthquake his presence caused. Even the houses did not collapse.

  When he removed his hand from my stomach I knew I was a different person. I didn’t know how, but I knew I was different. Then he disappeared. Suddenly, the bedroom became cool and light.

  Just when great unspeakable joy ruled my heart, a big wave of disappointment swept through too. I figured quickly that the angel didn’t say anything about Grace. He wasn’t there to help me find her as I thought. His message sounded irrelevant for my ordeal. Great message, wrong timing.