“My bad honey. I am a little jumpy today.”
“I saw the detectives by the door last night. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, sort of. Miss Nancy was actually a victim of violence, and they are trying to figure things out. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, honey. Just go to school and do good. M-kay?”
“How was she killed? I mean, you must know something, right? No?”
“She was hurt really badly, and if you must know, her hands were severed off.”
“Dang, intense stuff,” Belinda added.
“Don’t act like that, Belinda.”
“Like what?”
“You know, she had her faults, but she didn’t deserve that.”
“Mmhmm.”
Camille rolled her eyes at Belinda before turning her back to her. She put on a red apron and slowly made her way to the cabinet to grab pancake mix. She hated how detached both she and Belinda had become. She wanted to blame it on her age, but she knew it rooted deeper than that.
After finishing breakfast, Belinda picked up her empty plate and placed it in the sink. When she started to walk away, she thanked her mom and said, “You know, in a way, she will be buried with Betsy.” Belinda gave out a grim smile and walked away.
Camile’s blood turned cold, and her hands trembled, causing her to drop a plate in the sink, breaking it. “She did it.” She fought the thought in her head, but she couldn’t.She wouldn’t believe that her daughter would do such a thing.
The mere thought took her to the jug cap she had found under Belinda’s bed the day Jenny died. What made her think that her daughter would never hurt anyone again? It seemed to be a family curse.
Antonio ran downstairs; he was late for work. He quickly kissed Camille on the lips, grabbed his coffee mug, and poured it into his thermos.
“Are you okay?” he asked Camille as he watched her stand still for too long.
“Do what now?” Camille answered.
“What’s going on? Your face looks pale.”
“Something is wrong with our daughter.”
“She is about to graduate; her emotions must be at an all-time high right now. Just let her be.”
“And that fucking doll?”
“Whoa, one problem at a time. I do agree that shit is weird, but I am trusting that she won’t take it to college. Or maybe I do; it might keep some boys away.” Antonio tried to laugh it off but quickly stopped once he saw that Camille didn’t react to his silliness.
“I gotta go. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye” She kissed him again and watched him run out the door.
She left the kitchen dirty, with a broken plate still in the sink. Camille walked outside to breathe in the air and let out a loud gasp. She could see how her entire world was finally beginning to implode along with her.
Chapter Nine - The Last Lullaby
A loud knock startled Camille, who was already anxious and on Valium. She hurried downstairs to see who it was, not surprised to see the detectives on the other side of the front door. Her hands began to shake, and her skin felt clammy to the touch, but she managed to remain calm.
“How can I help you, detectives?” Camille asked after opening the door.
“We have a few questions for you, Mrs. Santos. May we come in?” Detective Brown asked.
“Are you this persistent with the other neighbors, too?”
