The Christmas Darling

Chapter 12

Detective Phillips led the team into the house.  His stance was like the head rooster in the hen house.  The fact he was able to make it to Virginia from San Diego in such an expeditious way combined with the fact that Jennifer's parents had turned on her made him feel like a God among men.

Grumpy stood beside him, same scrunched face, same always hungry look, a gut that ensured he would not be able to see his genitalia when taking a shower.  Maybe that is why he always had a coldhearted demeanor; the world may never know.

Jennifer's Mother and Father stood in the living room practically with their hands out expecting that one hundred-thousand-dollar reward payday.  They would soon find out that was not the way this process worked.  Betraying your own flesh and blood for a little coin, coin that would be taxed and delayed at all costs.  The city governments had a way of making collections painful, especially when it was family they were dealing with.

The U.S. Marshals stood guard, dispersing through the house ensuring all exits were covered and the suspected Christmas Darling would not be able to escape again.  They large AR-15 style rifles and think flak jackets made this feel like more of a warzone than a simple nonresistant arrest.  Jennifer was ready to get the proceedings over with and get away from her family.  The jail seemed like a better option than being around parents that would turn in their only child for a little bit of money.                                           

With a confident, shit eating smirk on his face, Detective Phillips announced, "It is with great pleasure that the state of California hereby places you, Jennifer Hunt, under arrest for the murders of eight men."

Detective Phillips left the area for a moment to go find the go bag.  It had to have things of interest inside of it to solidify the case against her.

Grumpy let out a tired hiss, "I knew it all along.  I am not easily fooled.  She clearly was the culprit the entire time.  Happy holidays to you Jennifer."

Her parents stood still, careful not to spook any of the agency officers populating her house.  Neither of them engaged in eye contact with Jennifer, even though she was staring deeply at them.  The shame seeping from their bodies was filling the room, causing an aroma that was absolutely sickening.

In a short time, Detective Philips returned with a dejected look dragging his face down.  He had hoped to find the murder weapon, especially since there were numerous postcards matching the Christmas Darlings mementos.  The knife was gone, it was not in Virginia, and it wasn't in Jennifer's possession.  He had nothing but that mattered not.  He was still going to arrest her and transport her back to San Diego.

The faint murmur of the television could be heard as the talking stopped and started.  Still on the news, typical for old folks.

Grabbing her by the forearm, "I, Detective Phillips of the San Diego Police Department, hereby formerly place you, Jennifer Hunt, under arrest."  He slapped the handcuffs on her soft skinned wrists with a fury that really showed how angry he was that he had not figured this case out without having to give out a reward to the parents of a serial killer.

With a painful grunt, Grumpy knelt and placed leg shackles on Jennifer, "That'll keep you from slipping away again.  If not, I'll just shoot you."  The room did not even flinch at that comment.  They all had it in their minds that she was a masochistic monster that enjoyed the murder of "innocent" men.

Once Jennifer was fully shackled, the Marshals exited the house and took up posts in the front yard.  They talked about their weekend plans and how much of a waste of time this was.  These guys wanted a big hunt with clues, something exciting.  Not the arrest of a one-hundred-pound woman.

Jennifer focused her eyes on the television, watching the stories pass by every fifteen seconds.  Robberies, carjacking, and stolen bicycles spread through the Virginia area.  It was not long before a 'Breaking News' story popped up on the screen with national connotations.

Jennifer asked politely, "Can you please turn that up before we begin our new journey down to the jailhouse?"

Her mother obliged, "I guess, it's the least I could do for my serial killer daughter."  She cranked it up and the room paused to watch.  The headline read 'Another Christmas Darling Slaying'.

The reporter, male but feminine announced, "Last night, Jeffrey James Dobbins, recently acquitted from a litany of charges, was found murdered in an abandoned warehouse on the Southside of town.  His throat had been intricately opened, right at the jugular area.  A postcard was also found on the body, a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge.  This is the same postcard that was found at all eight previous Christmas Darling murders.

The postcard was shown, 'You're Welcome! -J'.  This was certainly a wild turn of events.  The Detectives looked at each other with the most 'Oh, shit' looks.  The case they were trying to build now had a large gaping hole in it.  The fact that another murder, the same as the previous eight, had occurred with Jennifer on the other side of the country would be a hard sell to any prosecutor or District Attorney.  Those folks never enjoyed losing, but who does?

The room filled with different cell phones singing out.  The officers in the room seemed to deflate.  Their excitement and glee in arresting the Christmas Darling quickly turned to dejection.

Leaving Jennifer alone with her parents, the few officers remaining exited the home and huddled outside.  Many statements of concern could be heard, "How do we have a murder matching the exact details of all the Christmas Darling murders happening last night when we know for a fact that she was her in Virginia?  How is that possible?"

Jennifer smiled, more excited about the confusion of it all, "Well, well, well.  Looks like you greedy backstabbing humans that created me will not be getting any reward at all.  I do appreciate the effort, but you disgust me."

Her Mother and Father looked at each other, dropped their heads, and seemed to die on the spot.  Not only would they likely not get the reward money but now they had truly lost their one and only child because of their insatiable greed.

Mentally accumulating all the facts, "Boys, you mind taking these barbaric shackles off me?  Seems like you got the wrong girl."  A wild laugh filled the air; Jennifer was truly having fun with this.  "You boys really screwed the pooch on this one.  Someone's gonna get fired for sure."  She turned and glared at Detective Phillips.

He nodded his head at her, and it seemed as if he was absolutely defeated.  The arrest that made a detectives career was right at their fingerprints and somehow they fucked that up, "Good luck trying to keep your jobs boys!  Love you bunches...pricks!"

She stood in her living room, free and full of rage.  Her parents refused to look at her, "You are officially dead to me.  Never, ever contact me again.  This is the last time you will ever see your daughter."  Jennifer's stance was one you would see right before a big brawl between drunken men outside of a bar they went to every Friday night.  She desperately wanted to change the way her Mother's face was constructed, permanently.

Her Mother began to weep as her Father fell back into his chair, "Don't you dare cry!  Who do you think you are?"  Jennifer stepped up directly in her Mother's face.  The heat emanating from her enraged body melted her Mother with a ferocious painfulness.  Every muscle that Jennifer used caused her Mother to flinch and recoil as if she were about to be viciously attacked.

Without warning, Jennifer's Mother drew her arm back and unleashed a power slap which Jennifer purposely did not block.  The pain from it only solidified the fact that she was done with her forever, for eternity, "When I see you in hell Mother, I will reveal in the burning pain you feel everyday forever.  Watching you in agonizing pain will make my time down there with you the most gleeful experience of my life."

Free from the law's grasp, Jennifer ran down to the corner store and bought a burner phone.  Dialing Derrick's number quickly, "Derrick, what's happening?  How is this happening?  What did you do?"  She had rushed from the home with no shoes and only thin shorts and an undershirt on.  The chill in the air did everything it could to take bites from her body but in this moment, Jennifer was immune.

Jennifer didn't know it at the time, but Derrick had swiped her blade when looking for the phone charger in her go bag, "A tradition is a tradition Jennifer.  Merry Christmas to you."

It turns out, Jennifer and Derrick made a hell of a team.

A Christmas Darling duo.