Six barrels of death

Dear Diary

If I die tonight, I hope someone good finds you and reads my story.

I shoved my little black book that say’s recipes back into my pocket. I leave my keys in the car as I close the door, knowing I’d probably never see it again. I was getting tired and my feet were sore. It was a long time since I had to walk six miles. My head was going a mile a minute. My plan was solid. I hoped. I just had to keep going.

“Wait,” I yelled. I was late and the bus was about to leave me. A woman in a blue dress stopped the bus. She eye’d me suspiciously as I thanked her and took a seat. I could just imagine what people thought of me. It was a nice summer day and here I was wearing jeans, a hoodie, and oversized sunglasses. How could I be so stupid. If he came looking for me and i was sure he would, he would know it was me immediately. I had to find a way to blend in better. I got off a few stops away and left my hoodie on the bus. Before I disposed of my cell phone, I got on another bus and used it to purchase a one-way plane ticket to Florida. The bus dropped me off at the train station and I rode it into the city and not the one where the airport was. All I could do was hope the unused plane ticket would buy me some time. I walked until I found a store that sold camping supplies. Using only cash I purchased a small pop-up tent, a sleeping bag, a flashlight, and batteries. I knew he wouldn’t expect me to be hiding with homeless people in Tent city. I could barely believe I was doing it myself.

I started walking again. How did I not know? There had to be signs I missed? All the sudden, I heard a muffled scream coming from in front of me. Stupid, stupid, me. If I was going to survive I had to start paying more attention. I was standing in a darkened alley. There was a scrawny man pushing a young girl against the wall. Yup, this would be my luck. I would die on the run, in some dark alley like I was in a bad book.

“Hey!” I yelled, running towards them brandishing my flashlight like a weapon. When would I learn to mind my own business. Luckily for me, the man ran away.

“Are you hurt?” I asked. I stood before a dirty, brunette girl that didn’t look older than ten.

“I’m fine,” she said meanly. She looked down and shuffled her feet. “Thank you.”

“Are your parents nearby?” I asked.

“Yeah, sure.” she said, starting to walk away. She stopped and turned towards me, “are you lost? What’s with the sleeping bag?” she said. I didn’t want to tell a ten year old I was trying to hide-out with homeless people, but I didn't see any other options.

“I’m looking for Tent city,” I said.

Her face scrunched up, “okay. I’ll take you there, but then we’re even.” Even, what did that even mean? I wanted to tell her she owed me nothing, but then she might not help me. As we walked, I could feel her eye’s scrutinizing me and my clean clothes.

“Are you looking for someone?” She asked.

“No.” I said simply.

“Are you looking for drugs?”

“No.” I said, a little louder than I meant too. “I’m sorry. You know what would be great? Some food. Are you hungry? I’m buying.”

“Listen lady, I don’t know what you’re into but I’m not it.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said stunned.

“I’m not some poor lost little girl. I'm thirteen and I know what I’m doing. I’m also not going to be your play toy either. So, go find some other…”

“I don’t know what you think I want.” I said, cutting her off. “I just want something to eat and thought you might too. You don’t owe me anything.” I saw a man selling hotdogs a few feet ahead of me and started to pick up my pace.

“Well, are you coming?” I said. She reluctantly took the food I offered her. We walked the rest of the way in silence. We walked by six tents with people covered in dirt sitting near them. I turned and saw the girl was cleaning her nails with a knife.

“It’s good for them to see you have weapons and aren’t easy prey,” she whispered. I found a spot between two tents and quickly set up mine. The girl sat leaning against a nearby pole finishing her food. I was exhausted and I figured after what happened to her she would be too. I waved her over.

“Do you have somewhere to go tonight?”

“What's it to you?”

“If not, I have room in here.” What was I doing? I didn’t know this girl. She could rob me or kill me in my sleep. Maybe that would solve all my problems. She walked inside the tent.

“Look, I don’t have any drugs or credit cards. Hell, I don’t have much of anything left…”

“I ain’t a thief.” She said, cutting me off.

“Good.” I unzipped the lining out of the sleeping bag and tossed her the comfy part. My mind racing, I laid inside the liner till I fell asleep.

Dear Diary,

Karen introduced me to the perfect guy! How lucky am I...

Dear Diary,

I love him so much….

Dear Deary,

I can’t believe he proposed to me...

Dear Diary,

I found a hidden door in the closet at Erin’s house today. It led to an attic I didn’t know he had. Plastic covered the floor, walls, and ceiling. There were six barrels full of salt with hair sticking out the tops. I think my husband is a serial killer!!!

Dear Diary,

I’m so scared. I had to pretend nothing was wrong. He almost caught me coming out of the closet. I pretended to go to bed early and snuck out of the room to see what he was doing. He was sitting naked at his computer. He didn’t see me.

Dear Diary,

I found a secret file on his computer, I saved it on my memory stick. I saw what he did to those women. I was going to go to the police when I found a package in my mailbox. There’s no return address. It had 20,000 dollars and a note that read

The police are on his side.

He knows

Run

I guess if you're rich no one cared what you did.

Dear Diary,

If I die tonight, I hope someone good finds you and reads my story.

“What are you doing?” I snatched my diary out of her hands. “You said you weren’t a thief. You have no idea what you’ve done.” I didn’t notice I was so close to her until she pulled out her knife. I stumbled backwards and fell on my bottom.

“I’m not a thief.” she yelled, throwing my diary at me. Tears were streaming down my face. “And I won't hurt you.” she said calmer. I giggled at the thought of this tiny girl being able to hurt me.

“Need some company” A gruff voice slurred outside the tent.

“Mind your business,” said the girl. “I’m going to regret this; but I can get you in touch with someone who can help you.”

“No. You don’t know his reach. How could you? What are you ten?” I rambled.

“I can help you. I already took down an abusive ring of foster parents.”

“Foster parents? Are you a run-away?”

“Let’s call it an orphan.”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Call me Kat,” she said. I didn’t believe that was her real name, but I understood her lie.”

“I’m Margo.” I said, lying. We laid next to each other whispering through the night.

I awoke the next day to Kat and a man standing next to me.

“You let her go.” I screamed, knocking him down by his legs. With a hard thwack, he hit the ground.

“Stop! I’m here to help.” The man said, rubbing his side.

“I’m so sorry. I thought… well, nevermind.” I said rubbing the crust from my eyes. He looked to be in his mid twenties like me.

“My names Chris Ross,” he said. “I work with the press.” Oh great, a reporter. That’s when I noticed him carrying my little black book. I tried to snatch it.

“Woah, now.” He said, handing me my book. “That's quite an interesting story you’ve got there.”

“What about it?” I said, sounding more like Kat.

“I get it now.”

“Get what?”

“Kat doesn’t help or trust many people.”

“Who said I trusted her?” Said Kat.

“Let me get right to the point Miss?”

“Just Margo.” I said, sounding tired.

“If you give me that book of yours and anything else that might help my investigation, I promise I’ll find what I need to lock him away for life.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you help me?”

“That’s my job. That’s what i do.”

“Plus it will advance his career,” said Kat. “You can trust him.” The only way I could see it was I had three options:

1. Erin would find and kill me

2. I could try and hide forever

3. I could trust Chris the reporter

20,000 was a nice start to running, but it wouldn’t last forever.

“What do you need me to do?” I asked.

“I need your recipe book. Do you have the note still?”

I handed him the note and the wrappings the money came inside. I pulled a memory stick out of my bra and handed it to him.

“This is all the proof you’ll need.” I hoped.

“My friend has a cabin in the woods about forty-five minutes from here. I think you’ll be safer there. It can’t be traced back to me if something goes wrong; and he’s currently out of the country.” I agreed with the conditions if Kat would come with me. We only made one stop for two months worth of groceries.

“You’ll hear from me in one month unless it's over sooner.” He said, leaving us at the cabin. The cabin was comfortably furnished and had a canoe and fireplace. Kat and I spent the month learning to trust each other.

However, Chris spent the month meeting with an FBI friend he trusted. After seeing my evidence, the FBI raided the house and did a full scale investigation of my police department and any missing persons. Erin was arrested. With the evidence they collected, he had no option but to confess.

“I have one question,” I said. “Where did the money and the note come from?”

“We traced the finger prints back to the father of one of the dead girls. He found a way to install cameras into the house. What he did was illegal and inadmissible in court.”

“He saved my life,” I said. “How would I ever thank him?”

“Under the circumstances, he wants to stay anonymous and is grateful we finally got that bastard.”

I allowed Chris the full rights to publish the story. I was on my way home and Kat was coming with me. It was an odd feeling to go back to my normal life. To see my family and friends again. I decided to move to a place where no one would recognize me. Kat and I had a new chance at life and I wasn’t going to let myself down.

Some years later

I adopted Kat who lived with me until she was twenty-three. She became an amazing advocate for children in foster situations; and visits me often. Although I never did marry, I lived a long, happy, full life.