"Hello, you must be Faith?" Nick asked as he stood above her nervously. She was sitting at a table in the small Italian restaurant, a manila folder in front of her, containing a notepad, a tape recorder, and a pen.
Faith looked up from the table to find an attractive, young man standing above her. He looked nervous. Throwing him a reassuring smile, she stood and shook his hand warmly, "Yes, I'm Faith. You're Mr. Carter?"
"Yes... Well, Nick. Call me Nick."
She nodded, "Take a seat, Nick." She watched as he sat in the chair across from her, before she sat down in hers, suddenly growing serious. Cutting right to the chase, she looked at him from across the table, her eyes meeting his, "Mr. Carter... do you mind if I take some notes, or possibly record this?"
Nick's eyes widened. He felt like he was being interviewed. He was interviewed far too much for his liking already, "Um... I'd rather you not, is that okay?? I just..." he wanted to tell her that this was not something that he wanted for the public to get their hands on... but then he would have to tell her he was famous, a Backstreet Boy... and for some reason he didn't want to do that... not just yet.
Faith nodded; she'd heard that answer more than a few times, "That's fine, Mr. Carter... I mean, Nick. Nick," she repeated his name one more time, trying to remember to call him that in the future. She released her folder from her hand, placing it back on the table. "You have my word, Nick... everything you tell me here is confidential."
"What do you mean? I know you're a murder investigator... you sounded so urgent when you found out my story about my aunt... obviously this must be important to one of your cases? Faith, I understand the police station is going to know everything I say here."
"Not necessarily," Faith looked at him, directly in the eyes again. Nick shuddered. She had captivating eyes. "This case means a lot to me... I keep as much as I can about this case to myself."
Nick sighed and fiddled with his fingers. He hated talking of the death of his aunt. It was rather haunting. "So what is it you need to know from me, Faith?"
She looked at him, and could tell this was hard for him. She was struggling too, for her own reasons. "Nick... I'm going to tell you something that not very many people know about me, aside from f-family and close friends. I don't know you, but I think this might ease your discomfort around me-"
Nick cut her off, "No! I'm not uncomfortable with you... just the situation. And I'm a little confused about what is going on here."
"Don't stop me from telling you my background... if I don't tell it to you now, I never will... and it may help you to understand," she paused, waiting for him to answer - but he stayed silent. Nodding, she continued, "I worked in a dentist office. I was just one of the receptionists... nothing too important. I was married to this wonderful man, his name was Alex... we had three beautiful little girls. They were my world," she smiled at the thought of them, before continuing, "I loved my husband very much, just as I'm sure you loved your aunt." She watched him nod, and she noticed by his eyes just how close he had been to his aunt. "Nick... I came home one night, late. The house was dark and quieter than it usually was. I felt the weirdest feeling in my stomach."
Nick cut her off, knowing that feeling, "Faith... if you're about to tell me what I think you are-..."
Faith acted as though she didn't even hear him... her eyes were staring off into space as she seemed to get lost in that night all over again, "I followed a trail of fingers, Nick... Fingers of my family. There were small ones - they were my daughters's... there were larger ones - they were my husband's," her eyes teared up as she felt her body beginning to shake with emotion. "They were scattered in a trail... a trail that led up the stairs, and split into two directions... the first one leading to me and my husband's bedroom... the second to our daughters's."
Nick's eyes were swelling with tears, his aunt's death coming back to him again. He'd been the one to find the pool of blood in her home, the key, and his aunt's body missing.
"I was shaking so hard... I was becoming hysterical, but I had to know what had happened... I walked into my bedroom first. My husband was sitting in a chair by the window... but he wasn't breathing... he'd been stabbed through the chest. I screamed so loud, the whole house seemed to shake. I ran from the room and into my daughters's bedroom... I found them in their beds, they looked peaceful, as though they were sleeping. But their sheets and bed comforters were drenched in blood. I rushed to Alexandra first - she was the closest to me - and pulled back the sheets... I tried covering her wound, but I realized she was no longer bleeding. She'd already bled every ounce of blood in her tiny body."
Nick didn't know this woman, but he reached across the table and grabbed her hands tightly in his. They were both crying, and they suddenly felt this deep connection between them - they shared something together... the death of people that they loved dearly.
"I became a murder investigator after that," Faith finished.
Nick sighed, "Doesn't that just haunt you, Faith?? To see murdered people, children, every day?? How do you stand that?"
She shrugged, "It's hard... but I know I'm making a difference. Every time we catch a guy, I know I've done something good... and I get newfound hope that maybe I'll find the beast that killed my family. Every now and then, somehow a finger is detached from a body... that freaks me out... but... it's my job now. It's my life; catching monsters. Nick, I need you to help me find this guy!"
Nick gulped, releasing her hands as he ran them through his hair, before wiping the tears from his face, "Faith... how do you know the guy that killed your family, killed my aunt?"
"I don't. I don't even think that. But Nick... the man that killed your aunt might be the man that I've been searching for. The man that killed my family - I know nothing about him... he went down the entire street that night, killing at least one person in every other house, leaving trails of their fingers to their bodies. Nick, he was impeccably clean at doing these crimes... I don't know if I will ever catch him. But what I do know is that the man that killed your aunt is the man that for seven years has been making a trek across the country, breaking through his victim's windows and shooting them in the head. Every now and then, he takes their body, leaving a key-"
"-The way he killed my aunt," Nick muttered quietly, his body beginning to shiver.
Faith nodded, grabbing Nick's hands in hers again, "Nick, please... you have to help me."
