The Stranger Behind My Orgasm novel Chapter 19

Chapter 19: A LIE

Abigail

My throat went dry as a desert as I read the words on the screen. There was a picture of an old newspaper.

LOCAL COUPLE KILLED IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT.

The headline screamed across the page in bold black letters. Under it, was a photo of my parents, so young, so happy. My Dad’s arm around Mom’s shoulders, both of them looking at the camera like they had their whole lives ahead of them.

My vision blurred.

I blinked. Big fucking mistake. The moisture gathered at the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"I know they died in an accident, Annette," I said thickly, swallowing a laugh. "Everyone knows that,"

It was raining that night. I had been in the back seat of the car, playing around with my stuffed bunny, while mom and dad talked in the front seat. They said my parents were speeding above the limit and the bad weather conditions contributed to the single-vehicle accident.

I was nine. My memories of the accident were pretty hazy but it was what, fifteen years ago?

"Why are you showing me this?" I asked Annette and she sighed.

"I found this, linked to the address on the package. There was a dummy website and well," She tapped on the down arrow button, pushing the page up and on the screen was another document that had the official letterhead of the police department seal embossed at the top.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT - CASE #04-7721

The words swam on the page.

"Brake line tampering... evidence of forced entry... The existing damage is inconsistent with impact... recommendation for further investigation..."

There was a photo attached. It was black and white, and grainy, but I knew it was a picture of my parent’s car crumpled like a crushed soda can. Glass scattered across asphalt like diamonds. Dark stains...Blood. Their blood.

My stomach lurched, acid rose up my throat.

I couldn’t look away. The passenger door hung open, all shattered to bits and the front of the car was completely destroyed, where my parents were.

"Conclusion: Strong indication of vehicular homicide. Case transferred to Homicide Division for further investigation."

Homicide? What the hell did they mean by homicide? Were the papers in the box right all along?

A sound escaped my throat. My chest constricted, tightened until I couldn’t breathe like there was a fist gripping my lungs.

"Abby-"

"No, okay, this is probably just another prank," I muttered, shaking my head.

"I ran the dates and checked the database-"

"No, okay, Annie-"

"It’s real Abby!"

I closed my eyes and I was back there again in the car that night.

The windshield wipers going swish-swish, catching the droplets pouring from the sky.

Mom’s laugh from the front seat, Dad saying something I couldn’t hear over the radio. My fingers gripping a stuffed rabbit, watching something out the window.

Then suddenly we were spinning.

Glass exploded, metal screamed and groaned as the car turned upside down. My head hit something hard and Mom’s weak voice called for me as I sobbed in the backseat. My seatbelt cut into my chest, holding me suspended in the air, Dad gave a low groan and finally went quiet.

Even in my memories and dreams about that night I couldn’t see the images of my bloodied parents. The therapist Meemaw made me see all those years ago had said it was my brain’s way of coping through trauma by blocking those awful memories.

Homicide. My parents were murdered. It wasn’t a car accident. Then why would it be announced to the public that it was? And why did my grandparents tell me it was a car accident?

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