Signs I've missed.

"Alright Ma'am, as much information as possible please." Said Officer Daniels.

"My name is Indy and I lived in a small town south of Ohio. I lived in a 2 bedroom apartment with my boyfriend of 2 years. We had a dog named James and a parrot named Charles. I worked at a local restaurant most days, but my boyfriend Loyd worked from home as a YouTuber.

Lately, Loyd and I had been hearing the news report on these missing girls who were last seen near the main street of our small town. Loyd would express his concern for me as the restaurant I worked at was close to the locations which these girls were last seen. I explained to him that there's nothing I can do as we needed money and Loyd didn't earn much yet as a beginner YouTuber.

I headed out to work as I did most days and for some reason this one day I felt as though someone was following me. I was taking the night shift so it was dark outside with only the street lights illuminating the path ahead, and I didn't drive so I walked to work every shift. I became uneasy and slowly reached for the keys in my pocket then shifted them around in my hand until they were between each finger like a knife fist. I glanced behind me quickly with the intention of catching the person off guard in the instance there was someone encroaching on my space, but I saw nothing. I was 5 minutes from work when I started to run the rest of the way, still with the keys locked in my grip, ready to strike if need be.

I was 4 hours into my shift when I heard the news outlet on the TV start talking about another missing girl. Me, at that moment was mopping the floor, but I stopped to listen to the report. At that stage the only people in the restaurant was the Cook in the back, 2 customers at separate tables and myself.

I heard the news reporter state "Another girl has been reported missing tonight. The girl's name is Sandy Trescott. It was reported that Sandy worked at Wendys Tavern on Ulihead Road and started walking home at 6pm tonight after her shift had finished. Sandy's parent's said that it only takes their daughter 15 minutes to walk home from work and it's now been 4 hours since they've heard from her. The Police say this brings the total number of girls missing to 7 within the last 4 months, that total was 8, but earlier today missing girl Jennifer Stevens' was found dead 3 days after being reported missing. Police say Jennifer was found under a bridge with wounds matching that of a dog mauling victim."

As a state of shock covered my body I involuntarily dropped the mop and as the wood handle produces a loud smack on the tiled floor both customers turn to face me, with one shouting "What's your problem?!".

As angry as that remark would've usually made me, all I felt was sick. My place of work, the restaurant I was in a right then, was Wendys Tavern. Sandy worked the shift before me, I even said bye to her on her way out. I ran to the kitchen to tell the Cook what I just heard, but I couldn't find him. I looked out the restaurant's back door window to see if he was outside having a smoke and I was confronted with the sight of my boyfriend talking with the Cook. Normally seeing my partner at the restaurant would be a nice surprise, but something about this just felt so weird. As far as I was aware, my boyfriend didn't know the cook.. and why would he be at the back of the restaurant where it's 'Staff Only'? and on top of that, Loyd made it very clear to me that he'll be gaming on his computer that night and he wouldn't be contactable during my shift.. which I suppose in it's own way was strange as he consistently expressed his concern for my safety when walking to work yet made himself uncontactable. I thought that I must be overthinking though.

I ran back to the floor and left my apron on the counter with a note for the Cook saying that he'll need to call someone to cover my shift as I've fallen sick (which was a white lie as the truth was I just needed to get out of there). I grabbed my things, placed my keys between my fingers and I ran the fastest I've ever ran before until I reached home.

I unlocked my home door with lightening speed, got inside and locked the door. I changed clothes, washed my hands and walked to Loyd's gaming/recording room, but he wasn't there. I thought he'd of bet me home. I happened to glance at his computer and see the last webpage he was on. It was a news channel page reporting on the latest missing person. Then an object wrapped in brown paper to the right of Loyd's computer caught my sights. I felt an urge to open it to see what's inside, and although I was intrigued, I refrained from touching it as there's no possible way for me to have unwrapped it without ripping it, and at that stage I didn't think I had any reason to be suspicious of anything. As I said, I thought I was just reading into things as Loyd's said I'm prone to do.

Then it dawned on me that Loyd must have read the article and came to my work to check I'm alright. I thought this was a classic case of normal things being made to seem illegitimate.

I headed the kitchen to heat up some noodles and shortly after I heard Loyd coming through the front door and he was on his phone. I overhear Loyd say "I'll give it to you tomorrow, it's on my desk". I gathered that was regarding the object wrapped in brown paper.

Loyd walked by the kitchen and got frightened, he wasn't expecting anyone to be in the house. I laughed and said hey. Loyd quickly hung up the phone without even saying bye, as if he was trying to act like the call didn't exist and in total astonishment Loyd asked why I was there. I explained what happened and asked where he was, not in an interrogation type way, but more like general conversation. Loyd said he went to a friends house to pick up a computer game he left last time. And just like that, as he finished his sentence a sickening feeling filled my stomach, I started to feel really unsettled with the fact that he didn't mention being at my place of work.. I asked Loyd in a curious manner what the object wrapped in brown paper was on his desk and after a few seconds of silence with a clearly forced laugh Loyd said, "Oh that, yeah that's nothing.. ooo are you cooking noodles?" He was clearly doing a poor job at thinking on his feet. I asked Loyd who was on the phone and he responded in a manner as if he was caught off guard, he said it was his brother then quickly corrected himself and said "I mean my friend".

I said, "I didn't even know you have a brother?"

To which Loyd said, "Well that's because I don't. I just told you I said the wrong thing, it was a friend."

Loyd had never spoken so harshly to me before. Well aside from this one time when I'd come home and heard Charles our parrot shouting "she was wearing a lavendar coat, she was wearing a lavendar coat" on repeat, I thought it was super unusual for Charles to be saying that particular string of words and Loyd snapped at me saying he must have heard someone on the news reporting on the missing girls.

I guess I never really thought too long on that event as I didn't want to dwell on such an uncomfortable moment, but thinking on it now.. the report happened an hour after I heard Charles shouting that sentence, I suppose at the time I was just assuming there was a different report that I had missed.

The next day, the day after Sandy was taken, I didn't have work, so I stayed home with Loyd. And as I was pottering around the house I was trying to push out any concern in my mind that my partner could be doing something wrong, I kept thinking up reasons as to why certain things occurred, but all the reasons I was desperately trying to think of were crumbling under logic.

My curiosity kept growing until the point it erupted, leaving me spying and awaiting the moment when Loyd would leave his gaming room to go to the toilet. As soon as that moment rose I leapt from the couch and scurried into his gaming room. I saw the object was no longer on his desk. That object went from seemingly harmless to suspicious really quick. I checked his desk draws and couldn't find it, then upon hearing the toilet flush I swiftly left the room.

Abnormal occurrences throughout our relationship that I had overlooked in the past started to return to my thoughts as if I had unlocked something in my brain.

It's as though I was in an internal fight with this puzzle I seemed to be piecing together and the thought that maybe I was making it all up in my head.

Our dog James ran up to me and licked me on the hand. I kissed James on the head and when James smiled at me I noticed one of James' teeth were missing, a tooth about 3 teeth from the front, this triggered me to remember the news report from yesterday about the formally missing girl Jennifer Stevens' who was found dead with dog mauling wounds. In that moment, although I felt I would have noticed prior, I thought to myself has James always had this tooth missing? With the desire to relinquish the notion that my dog was used to maul this person I searched up if any dog teeth were found at the scene. Results came back that there was a dog tooth found at the scene that was currently being tested. It listed on this Police website to call or come into the station if you have any evidence or knowledge that may be useful for the investigation.

With intentions of taking James to the Police station I went to the bedroom and grabbed James' leash and clipped it onto his collar. I happened to notice that Loyd's jacket was bulging in the pocket, so I checked it out and it was the object. I quietly peeled off the brown paper, trying to keep the ripping sound to a minimum. I accidently screamed and dropped the items that were inside the paper as I saw it was Sandy's name tag and a couple other trinkets, presumably items the missing girl's had on them.

I frantically picked the items up and shove them back into Loyd's pocket as I heard Loyd running down the hall. To leave these in such an obvious place as his Jacket left me feeling as though he wanted me to find them.

Loyd ran into the room, I apologised and said that I shouted after seeing a spider.

Loyd could see me shaking.

Loyd looked at me and it was as if he changed persona within seconds.

Then he killed me. I missed the signs, no, I seen them, but I ignored them.

Alright, I think that's all she has to say officer, I can't hear anything else" Said the Psychic Detective assisting with the investigation.

"Thank you ma'am." Said Officer Daniels.