Jake's body folds in on itself as he continues to sob in his chair, trying hard not to picture the mutilated mass of woolly fur with his sad brown eyes. Jake then recalls the screech of his tires as he swerves to miss a fatal collision with an oncoming truck. It was either him or me, he bawls, wishing he hadn't sped that night.
Rachel leans forward, her elbows resting on the table. The sergeant's face pulls taut when she asks, "Whose blood is it, Jake?"
Jake gazes up trembling in terror. He drags his hand against his cold, wet cheek. With fear in his eyes, he sniffles and says, "I killed a freaking dog. The blood is from a mangy mutt, alright?" He sobs. "I tried to miss him; I did, I did…"
Rachel studies him for a measured beat. His sobs are raw, uneven waves of jagged bursts. His body heaves with every wail. He's either a fantastic actor or his story is legit, she thinks.
Rachel's tone is as sharp as a new blade. I suppose you have nothing to do with Millie's killing spree?" The sergeant asks, sliding a paper across the metal table; she taps the page and says. "We found this in your apartment." Her tone is rigid and accusing.
Jake glances at the paper and looks up, shaking his head. "That's Millie's. Seeing the skepticism in the sergeant's eyes, he continues to explain. "She probably left it a few weeks back when we were trying to figure out who's behind all of this."
Still skeptical, Rachel removes a second larger document from the folder and slides it towards him. "So, then you can explain why the list is in your handwriting and not Millie's, since you claim it's hers and not yours?"
"I took notes while she analyzed," Jake softly mutters, a look of defeat on his face.
He's almost ready to break, the sergeant thinks.
A sharp knock disrupts the tension between them. The door cracks open, and Kirk steps inside, his expression rigid as he glares at Jake. Turning, he asks, "Got a minute, Sergeant?"
Rachel rises from her seat; she smoothes out her uniform as she turns toward the back of the room. "That's probably the DNA results from the blood we found," she says, her voice cool and calculating as she raises her brow. "Which means we finally have the last piece of evidence we need to put you behind bars for the rest of your life."
Jake slams his hands on the table with a violent clang. "But I didn't do anything!"
Rachel's posture stiffens. With a stern look, eyes narrowed, she says, "So you claim."
With tears clouding his eyes, Jake slams his hands down again. "I didn't, I swear."
The sergeant leans across the table to where her warm breath pelts against the suspect's face. In a stern voice she says, "This is your last chance, Jake. Confess to what you did and I'll take the death penalty off the table, or keep lying and die—your choice."
Muscles bounce in his cheek as Jake clenches his teeth. "I didn't do anything." He growls.
Shaking her head, with a look of disgust on her face, Racel steps out of the interrogation room door. "What do you have for me, Kirk?"
He hands her a folder. "Three thousand dollars was recently withdrawn from Millie's checking account. I reviewed the security footage and found out it was Jake who withdrew the sum, not Millie."
Opening the folder, the sergeant glances at the photos of Jake standing in front of the ATM. "This happened when?"
"In between his last two visits to Millie on Friday."
Rachel stares at the man through the one-way glass. With a scowling look on her face, she turns and says, "So the two planned her escape all along."
Josh slips out into the early morning sun, carefully closing the door behind him. Millie's faint snores trailing behind him reminded Josh of how late the two worked trying to piece this ruse together. Threading in lies with the truth almost had Josh convinced it was a setup, but the longer she talked, the more unsure he'd become. So, he decided to do his own investigation, starting with the mysterious package, despite having the undercover on his tail. My package was sent to my brother by mistake, he'd claim if asked.
The drive over was breathtaking, with the sunlight sparkling through the leaves while glittery ribbons danced across the desolate road. It felt like the world around him was magical as it slowly came to life. The picturesque scenery is the reason Jake has remained in the Ozarks for so long.
Pulling into the post office, Jake turns off his car. Grabbing the slip from the dashboard, he heads towards the front. The odor inside was a mix of paper, ink, and dust. An older, gray-haired gentleman is sorting mail behind the counter when he steps through the door. He has a dark blue button-up shirt that is a little snug around his middle, as are the matching pants.
The man glances up. His eyebrows raise when he asks, "Can I help you?" The worker smiles.
He was postmaster when I was a kid, Josh thinks. A flash of nostalgia comes to mind. Both he and his brother felt grown up being given such an important task of picking up the mail. As Josh gets closer, he sees that the man's appearance remains practically unchanged. Like most of the men his age, his well-groomed, ear-length hair is thinning to the point of almost nonexistence on top. And like most comb-overs, it does more to announce than to conceal the fact.
Handing the receipt over, Josh explains in a casual, even tone. "I received this package the other day but don't know where it came from."
The man gives Josh a weathered smile as he takes the slip from his hands. "Well, I hope it was something good," he says, taking the glasses from his head. Adjusting his glasses, the worker quickly scans the barcode.
"Oh, it was," Josh replies. "That's why I'm trying to figure out who sent it—so I can send them a thank you note."
The postmaster moves closer towards the screen. Glancing up, he smiles and then nods. "Looks like it came from an address here in town. Want me to write it down for you?"
"Yes, please."
A short while later, Josh steps back into the sunlight with a small slip of paper clutched tightly in his hand as confused thoughts race through his mind. "Why would Millie send a package to herself? And why send it to Jake's place instead of her own?"