Page 3 of Carnival
Rose
I ’m anxious.
Noelle and Hudson think we’ve gone to the Bahamas.
All I’m praying for is they trust Aria enough not to check where their daughter has gone.
The trip is set to finish the day after her birthday, the day after Halloween night.
The bravado I had before coming here seems to be slipping the longer we’re in this place.
Aria rented us a small house and then made sure we had all the evidence and knowledge about the murders and about the killer himself.
The first night of the carnival is tomorrow.
“Okay, here’s everything.’’ Aria takes a deep breath and sits down in front of the pile of papers and evidence that we’ve compiled. She hands me a glass of whiskey that I take with gratitude, and then we just… stare at all of it.
“The murders started the year I turned eighteen, right?”
Aria nods.
“Alright. What about the victim profile?”
“Well, from what I could find out since everything was wiped clean, the victims were all wealthy men. Though they share no connection except the fact that their wealth was generational.’’
“So very old money?”
She nods. “Some of the families even date back to the early 50’s. So pretty old.’’
“And the state of their bodies?”
She winces. “Mutilated beyond recognition. The only reason they were identified by their loved ones was because all of them had something. For example, the first victim, Aaron Brooks, had an eagle tattoo with his wife and children’s birthdates, so his wife used that to recognize him.
The last year’s victim, Everett Davidson, had a wrist-watch that was handed down to men of his family since the seventies, so that’s how they figured it out. ’’
“Isn’t it weird?” I take a sip of the whiskey. “All of them had something recognizable. If their bodies were mutilated, why not carve out the tattoo or take off the watch?”
“My guess is as good as yours,’’ she leans into the couch, pondering. “Why go to such lengths to remove all of their digital footprint and paper trail and then leave a watch? It makes no sense to be as organized in one aspect, yet so sloppy in another.’’
“Maybe they wanted them to be somehow recognizable. Maybe it was to send a message.’’
“The message being…?”
“I don’t know!” I finish the whiskey in one big gulp, put the glass down, and run my fingers through my hair in annoyance. “Well, all of the victims were wealthy, so maybe it’s one of those ‘eat the rich’ situations.’’
“Oh, don’t tell me you think this is some vigilante, Robin Hood shit?”
“Well, not necessarily that, but I think the murders were definitely money motivated. Noelle and Hudson don’t know who these people are, so they’re not an assassin organization; otherwise, they would’ve known.’’
Aria nods. “Correct. The only thing I managed to pull out of Hudson was the fact that whoever these people are, they have high connections in law enforcement. That’s why the culprit hasn’t been caught.’’
“Right, so it just means they're protected. It still doesn’t explain why they’d pick a Halloween carnival. Or why the murders are exclusive to New Orleans. Maybe they have some sort of history here?”
“Most likely. I’ll bet my money that the victims wronged the culprits one way or the other, and this is just… bad karma.’’
“Yeah, but without knowing anything on the victims, we can’t exactly know that.’’
Aria pours us a glass of whiskey each, again, then grabs some papers. “Tonight, I’ll go and ask around. There are a few exclusive pubs here, and at least one of these men were bound to frequent it.’’
“If it’s exclusive, how do you plan on getting in?”
Aria winks. “I’m Aria De Santis. There’s no place I can’t get in.’’
I snort, roll my eyes, and drink the whiskey, then grab a few of the papers off the floor and start skimming through them.
“Now, I need to ask you something.’’ Aria turns to me, suddenly too serious for my liking. “Back when you fucked the clown, how did it go down?”
My cheeks flush in embarrassment. “Well…’’
“Come on, spill.’’
“Fine,’’ I cave, looking away from her. “Basically, you and I got separated, and I got scared shitless. Then, I ran into the fucking clown, and he scared me. He noticed that I was on the brink of tears and offered to escort me out, but…’’
“But what?” She asks, leaning forward.
“I may… or may not… have begged him.’’
She frowns. “Begged him? Begged him to do what?”
“To, uh– take my virginity.’’
You could’ve heard a pin drop in the utter silence. My cheeks heat up even further, and I avoid eye contact with Aria like my life depends on it. It takes her a few moments to process and swallow down the information, then she bursts out laughing hysterically.
My eyes close shut, and the embarrassment makes me want to crawl into a hole and die.
She continues to laugh, not caring about my embarrassment. It’s loud, obnoxious, and definitely well deserved. I cannot believe that she got me to admit that out loud.
“You,’’ she laughs. “Begged a stranger to fuck you?” She throws her head back, laughing uncontrollably.
“Yes, yes! I get it. It’s pathetic. Can we move on now, please?”
“Okay!” She laughs once more. “Now, can you tell me, uh, how it actually happened?’’
“He was baffled, to say the least. I don’t think he expected it to happen. Then he agreed. He took me to a room in the terror house, assured me that there were no cameras around, and, well, we did it. Happy?”
“It’s odd, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
She chuckles again, wiping the tears off the corner of her eyes with her thumb. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re hella hot, but isn't it odd that he just… complied with your request?”
“If a hot girl comes and begs for you to take her virginity, would you say no?”
She thinks for a moment. “You’re right.’’ She pauses then adds, “hey, another question… You said that he didn’t take off his mask, right?”
I nod.
“Is there anything that is semi-recognizable about him?”
“I just vividly remember his gorgeous brown eyes.’’
“Your biological parents… they were from New Orleans, too, right?”
I nod. “What are you getting at?”
Aria bites the inside of her cheek. “Something here isn’t adding up, and I can’t quite place my finger on it. But rest assured, by the fifth night of the carnival, I’ll figure it out.’’
“Okay?”
“Do you know why no one from your paternal or maternal side took you in and left you at the adoption agency?”
“No, people at the agency never told me. And I don’t think Noelle and Hudson know, either. Why?”
“I’m just thinking… why would a young child from New Orleans be sent to a New York agency? There are few in Louisiana.’’
“All I know is that before my parents died, they moved to New York.’’
“They died in a car crash, right?”
I nod. “A drunk truck driver hit them.’’
“And where were you at the time?”
“I don’t know. I was four. Why are we suddenly jumping from the carnival to my parents death?”
That seems to shake Aria from her train of thoughts, and she forces a smile on. “No reason. Just thought I’d ask.’’
I narrow my eyes. “Uh-huh. You do realize I know you like the back of my palm, right?”
“It’s stupid.’’
“I can guarantee that it is,’’ I snort, “but let me hear it.’’
“The murders started on the first night you came to New Orleans for the carnival. And they haven’t stopped since.’’
“Are you saying you think I’m somehow connected to this? That my arrival here started it?”
Aria shakes her head. “Not exactly. From what I know about your biological parents through Noelle, they were wealthy as fuck. Your father, I mean. Generational wealth— his entire family was in oil industry.’’
“Okay, and?”
“And… they died. As in, generational wealth suddenly gone, dead. And you were left the sole heiress to it all, and the murders start the moment you come back to New Orleans?”
“You’re grasping for straws here. Firstly, I’m not inheriting anything. I didn’t even know any of this until now.’’
“Maybe not because of the way they died, but had they lived, you would’ve gotten it.’’
“Probably? How would I know?”
“See, when I asked Hudson and Noelle about your biological parents, they were very vague,’’ she shifts in her seat. “Not in the ‘we’re hiding something’ way, more in the ‘we don’t know much’ way.’’
“Yeah, I know. I did ask them a few times, but they didn’t have a solid answer.’’
“But, you see, back then, when they failed to give me answers about your biological parents, I took it upon myself to look it up. And… nothing.’’
“What do you mean, nothing?”
“I mean absolutely nothing. No mention of the car crash anywhere, and no trace of your parents. Almost as if their information was wiped clean. Does that seem familiar?”
Chills run down my spine, and a sense of terror washes over me. Goosebumps tug on my skin, and I wrap a blanket around me, suddenly feeling all too observant of my surroundings. The eerie feeling lingers in the air, and I struggle to let the information sink in.
“You think that my parents may have been the earlier victims of this?”
Aria slowly nods.
“But they died in a car crash. This killer is using a butcher knife. And if the killer is the man I slept with, he’s definitely not older than 25. That would’ve made him… around seven years old at the time of the crash.’’
“Murderers evolve, Rosie. The longer they kill without getting caught, the bolder they become. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they started off by staging car accidents. Besides… if it’s an organization, I bet that there are more killers, older ones, too.’’
“But that was over a decade ago. Why would they stop killing and then start again two years ago?”
“Maybe they never stopped. Maybe they just shifted their focus onto the carnival.’’
“Why?”
Aria groans, lying down on the couch. “I don’t know. I can’t figure it out, and it’s pissing me off. One thing’s for sure, though.’’
She stops and looks at me, and I can’t help but shiver under her intense gaze.
“I feel it in my bones; you are somehow connected to this. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but I know that this whole thing just became a whole lot more dangerous. I’m on your side, Rosie, but the moment this even starts to feel too much, I’m calling Hudson.’’
With a deep breath, I nod. “Yeah, that’s probably the smartest thing to do.’’
“And I’ll be calling Arlo. He won’t tell them, but he’ll be on standby if we ever need anything.’’
“I’m feeling creeped out, by the way.’’
Aria snorts. “Don’t worry, I’ve got my weapons on me. I’m the best shooter in my family, so I’ve got you covered.’’
“Better than Arlo or Hudson?” I tease, grinning.
She flips me off but doesn’t say much, to which I laugh. They’re all exceptionally good at shooting, with the exception of Noelle, who’s more into knives and daggers. As the night goes on, we laugh, chat, and have some sort of relief after the heavy information she shared with me.
Eventually, she makes sure I’m locked inside, with the security high, as she goes to investigate the victims to see if she can find out something at that pub.
And once I’m left alone, I manage to fall asleep, yet somehow, deep down, I can’t shake off the feeling that someone’s watching me, that someone’s inside with me.
Locked in.