My Sister's Murder

“Beware of the ravenous wolves who come to you, wearing sheep’s clothing.” Matthew 7:15

Tuesday, March, 1st, 2011

Dear Diary,

My name is Jenna Johnson. I just turned eighteen today and you are a gift from my sister, Tracey. I had a wonderful birthday party. My friends and I had a great time. Mom and Dad really surprised me with an iPad. I’ve been begging for one for the last few weeks. Everyone showed up, including my Uncle Ronnie and his buddy, Dean. Everyone was here except for my sister.

March 31st will be her twenty-first birthday. Oh, dear diary, where is she? She left last night for a party. After arriving, her friends said she took off a couple of hours later, without telling anyone where she was going. She never returned.

Doesn’t she realize how worried we all are about her?  I’ve got a bad feeling about this. God, I hope she’s okay. I thought she’d be back by now. I can’t believe she actually missed my birthday. Why doesn’t she just come home?

***

Wednesday, March, 2nd, 2011

Dear Diary,

Tracey still hasn’t shown up yet. We called her boyfriend, Sean Eagan, but he said he doesn’t know where she is. He told Dad that the last time he saw my sister was around 9 o’clock. He confessed they had an argument over a girl who was throwing herself at Sean. Tracey thought he wanted the other girl’s attention. When he denied it, my sister slapped him and stormed off into the night.

He tried to follow in his Ford pick-up truck, but she’d vanished in her Toyota Corolla. After Dad got off the phone, he said something didn’t seem quite right with Sean’s story. Then he called the police to report Tracey missing. Since she’s been gone for nearly 48 hours, they told him to come to the station and fill out a missing person’s report. Mom has been so upset for the last two days. I guess I won’t tell her that I had a strange feeling come over me at 9:45, Monday night.      

***

Thursday, March, 3rd, 2011

Dear Diary,

Whenever I got home from school, Mom met me at the door and grabbed me. She hugged me so tightly that I almost couldn’t breathe. Then she began crying while mumbling my sister’s name over and over. I know she’s afraid that something bad has happened to Tracey. And honestly, so am I.

She’s never been irresponsible before. She’s never spent more than one night away from home. Where can she be? My sister and I have always had an inexplicable connection to one another. I wish it would work for me right now.

***

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Tonight was a really weird night. My best friend, Courtney, came over for a sleepover. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, at first. We ate a nice dinner with Dad and Mom. Uncle Ronnie and his pal, Dean, dropped in for supper, too. Those two always show up tired and hungry, wanting a good meal. They operate out of Ronnie’s garage, doing mechanic work for a living. They mentioned they were at the same party Tracey was, but they left before the argument started with Sean.

Once they’d gone home, my parents went to bed. Courtney and I sat up a while longer, just chatting about life in general. She went to bed and left me to do the same. As I put on my nightgown and housecoat, I thought I heard someone calling my name. It sounded like Tracey’s voice. I walked through the house and even stepped outside to look around. But, there was no one there. I guess it was just my imagination.

***

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Mom is still fretting over Tracey’s disappearance. I feel really bad for her. I considered telling her I thought I heard my sister calling me last night, but decided not to. I mean, I only imagined it, right?  I’ll bet it was the wind. I do wish Tracey would hurry up and come back home. I’m really starting to miss her. It just isn’t like her to leave us hanging, without a word.

Maybe she was mad at Sean that night, yet that’s no excuse for her to simply drop out of sight. I keep listening for her to call my cell phone. I’m waiting for her car to pull up in the driveway. It’s weird, not seeing it parked out front or finding her somewhere in the house.

***

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Dear Diary,

My parents and I went to church today. Many people there watched us curiously, as if hoping for some word of my sister. But, no one has heard from Tracey since Monday. After we got home, we ate a simple meal and I came to my room. I had quite a fright earlier tonight, while I was brushing my teeth. I was facing the mirror and I glanced down briefly into the sink. When I looked back up, I nearly jumped out of my own skin.

There in the glass, I saw Tracey staring back at me. “Jenna, help me,” she whispered. She was wearing the pink heart-shaped necklace Sean gave her for Valentine’s. She had it on the night she went to the party. I blinked quickly and her reflection disappeared. I guess it was my imagination acting up again. I remember when we were both kids. She got lost in the woods and used mental telepathy to help me find her. But, I don’t suppose she’s doing that this time or is she?

***

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Dear Diary,

It has now been exactly one week since Tracey left this house for a party. She hasn’t called or returned since that night. Dad called all of her known friends and coworkers to ask about her. But, none of them could tell us where she is.

I’m wondering whether or not I should let my parents know I saw my sister in my bathroom mirror last night. Probably not, I mean, who’d believe me anyway? Besides, it couldn’t have been her, could it? Am I losing my mind or what? I think I just miss my sister so much that I’m hallucinating or something.

***

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Today was a gloomy day for my parents and me. A farmer plowing his field came across the burned-out shell of an automobile. Police discovered it was registered to a Tracey Johnson, my sister. They had it impounded for evidence. Nothing was found among the ashes, no personal items and no body.

What happened to my poor sister? Why was her vehicle burnt beyond recognition? This doesn’t bode well for her being safe and sound. Oh, God, I’m so scared! I cried when I heard the news report on TV earlier today. I just want to know where Tracey is.

***

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Dear Diary,

A search party was organized and sent out to comb the area surrounding the farmer’s property. He had been away for two weeks and just returned yesterday. So, he never noticed anything amiss until now. There were many volunteers who joined the search. Dad, Uncle Ronnie and his friend, Dean, to name a few, lent a helping hand.

Sean Eagan even offered his assistance as well. He came by to extend a gesture of compassion to us. Mom wouldn’t have anything to do with him. I think she believes he did something terrible to Tracey. However, Dad was more accepting of Sean’s friendly gesture. 

***

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Dear Diary,

The search continues and so far, it has turned up nothing. Detectives are branching out to canvas the neighborhoods. None of us want to consider this possibility, but we know that because of Tracey’s car being set afire, she may be dead. Police are treating her case as a possible homicide, they told us.

It was suggested by a family friend that she may have been kidnapped. We kind of rule this out because there have been no demands for ransom. Dear Lord, my sister can’t be deceased, can she? What would I do without her in this world?

***

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Today, we put up flyers all over town. It was truly a labor of love, for our beloved Tracey. Hopefully, someone who knows something will see one and give us some information. If she’s out there injured, maybe we can find her in time. We haven’t given up on that prospect. If she ran away for some reason, perhaps she’ll at least call to ease our minds.

And even if she’s no longer in this world, we still want to find her and give her a proper burial. Gosh, I don’t want to think like that. Please, let her be all right. I miss hanging out together and joking around, with her just like we used to do.

***

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Dear Diary,

I feel so helpless these days. I wish I could do something to help find my sister. But, I don’t know what to do. Since I couldn’t think of anything else, I went into Tracey’s bedroom across the hall from mine. The police have already been in there and bagged up some of her personal items.

When I snooped around earlier, I didn’t find anything of value at first. Then I remembered how Tracey kept a diary herself. She showed me where the hiding place was and told me if anything ever happened to her, to read it. She didn’t want anyone else to know where she’d hidden it. I slipped in her closet and located the small, brown leather-bound volume hidden under a thick quilt. What a treasure I’ve uncovered! I plan to start reading it tomorrow to see what, if any, important information it might reveal within its pages. 

***

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Dear Diary,

After church, I began reading the diary. It made me feel a connection to my sister. We’ve always been so close, Tracey and me. We could talk about anything, no matter what it was. Even so, I still feel like an interloper. It’s like I’m eavesdropping and intruding in on her personal thoughts; her private moments. She writes about Sean a lot. Here is a sample of her words:

“Sean is my one true love, the kind some people wait a lifetime for. I knew when we met that sparks were flying. He is so good to me. He listens when I speak and doesn’t interrupt. He surprises me with little gifts and showers me with affection. He makes love to me with his whole heart. We love each other so much. I believe we’ll be happily married someday.”

***

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Dear Diary,

It has been two weeks since she disappeared. The search for her continues and I’m still reading her diary. I’m looking for clues, yet I don’t know what I hope to find. Tracey talks about how much she likes her job at Croft and Turner. She’s a secretary at a prestigious law firm in town.

Her dream is to be an attorney. She wants to defend those who’ve been wrongly accused of crimes and help exonerate them through DNA. She writes about her fondness of family and friends. After reading this, I don’t believe she’d ever willingly walk away from us. There must be a darn good reason why she hasn’t come home. If she was able to return to us, I know that she would. Here is a sample of her words:

“I adore my family and I hope to make them so proud. They mean everything to me. Mom and Dad are the best parents anyone could ask for. Jenna is my best friend and the sweetest sister in the whole world. Dad’s brother, Ronnie, is so funny and cool. He hangs out with a guy named Dean Maguire. My friends are awesome and I enjoy spending time with them. Life’s good and I’m so happy.”          

***

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Dear Diary,

The first half of my sister’s diary seemed cheerful and upbeat. I expected the rest of it to be the same way. But half-way through it, her words took on an ominous turn. I’m not sure who she was referring to in her nervous scribbling, but I think Tracey was very upset and worried. Here is a sample of her words:

“He makes me very uneasy. I feel so edgy whenever he’s around. I don’t like the way that he looks at me. It’s as if he’s a hungry lion and I’m his intended prey. No one’s ever watched me the way he does. It scares me sometimes. I don’t want to be alone with him. I’m afraid of what he might try to do to me. I believe he wants to hurt me. But, I can’t be sure of what he’s thinking.”    

***

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Dear Diary,

I feel as though I’ve stumbled across something very significant. Whatever I hoped to find in her diary, I never anticipated this. Tracey was obviously frightened of some unknown individual. Was it Sean, her devoted boyfriend? Whoever it was, she said she didn’t want to be alone with them. Well, she was by herself with Sean a lot. She never seemed uptight around him. I mean, they were intimate together. She said so in her diary. He’d never have harmed her, would he? Here is a sample of her last entry, dated February 28th, the night before she vanished:

“He kept staring at me during dinner tonight, but no one else even seemed to notice. His pupils felt like two daggers slicing through me. I could tell he was undressing me with his eyes. Those cold, dark, black eyes of his give me the creeps. I know he wants to have sex with me. I’d rather die first, before I’d ever allow him to touch me. He makes me sick the way he salivates over me.”       

***

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Dear Diary,

The search was called off today, since nothing was ever found. After I read my sister’s haunting words, I knew I must turn her diary over to our parents. So I gave it to them this morning and they took it to the police station, after reading her cryptic entries. I also shared with Mom and Dad how I felt like Tracey had been trying to communicate with me. Mom screamed, “You’re lying!”

She ordered me out of her sight, so I went to my room. Later she came in, apologizing to me. We both cried and held each other close. Dad walked in to join us in a group hug. Later, I was in for another scare, much like the other night in my bathroom. Again, I was brushing my teeth. I glanced down at the water swirling down the drain. The lights flickered off and on a couple of times.

When I looked back up, Tracey appeared in the mirror, this time her hair was wet and her head was bleeding. The pink heart-shaped Valentine’s necklace Sean gave her was missing. I screamed in fear, yet I couldn’t move away. “Catch him, Jenna!” she pleaded, as her image faded. When my parents entered the bathroom, she was no longer visible.    

***

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Somehow I know after seeing Tracey in my mirror last night that she is dead. She has been murdered by someone yet undiscovered. I still hold out hope that I am wrong. I told Mom and Dad what I saw, but I don’t think they believe me. The police took Sean to the station today for questioning.

They suspect him of foul play and hope to get a confession. He maintains his innocence and denies any involvement. God, where is my sister? We need some closure. This not knowing is so agonizing. Does Sean know what happened to her? Is he lying or telling the truth?

***

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Tonight I knew true terror. The day began normally enough. We had company over to try and cheer Mom up. She’s been so gloomy lately and so have I. Courtney came over to visit for a few hours. Ronnie and Dean dropped in for a while, too. A couple of Mom and Dad’s mutual friends showed up as well.

After dark, when everyone went home, we all turned in for the night. I was lying snug and warm in my bed, about to drift off. I realized that I hadn’t yet written my entry for tonight, when all of a sudden I heard Tracey whisper. She called out, “Beware of the danger!”

I heard a noise at my window and glanced over. I was startled to see a man peering in at me, while trying to raise my locked bedroom window. I couldn’t make out who he was. I started yelling at the top of my lungs. I jumped out of bed and bolted for my parents’ room. Dad searched the house and ground, yet found no one. He called the police to file a report. They came to look around, but the prowler had already gone. However, some DNA was recovered from a sharp nail protruding from my windowpane. I hope we’ll be able to identity whoever he was and nab the pervert.

***

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Following church services, Dad decided to set up a booby trap underneath my window. If the stranger ever shows up again, he’ll be in for a big surprise. One false move and he’ll have his foot caught in a mouse trap. Along with that, Dad put up a motion detector by my window as well. If someone tries to come near it, the light will illuminate the area.

He will not be able to operate under cover of darkness. I feel really nervous about sleeping in my room. But, hopefully everything will be fine. I believe God will protect me and keep me safe from harm. I only wish that Tracey had been so fortunate.

***

Monday, March 21st, 2011

Dear Diary,

It’s been three weeks since Tracey went missing. No one has seen or heard from her, except for my visions and hearing her voice. I know she warned me of the man attempting to gain entry into my bedroom. I told my parents and for once, I think they believed me.

It all adds up, especially when one considers how she used mental telepathy when she was a child. By communicating with me, we were able to find her back then. I keep concentrating hard and hoping to reach her somehow. Maybe she will contact me again soon with vital information.

***

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

Dear Diary,

I didn’t have to wait too long for my wish to be granted. So much has happened over the course of one day. It is a sad and grim day of mourning and grief, pain and despair for my family. After school, I came home to sit in the den while watching TV. As I looked at a rerun of ‘Friends’ and thought of Tracey, she appeared to me suddenly. I could see her face staring back at me from the screen. Her hair was matted with dried blood and her eyes were dull; devoid of life. “Old Mill Road,” she whispered. “Find me.”

I immediately told Mom and Dad. The next several hours were a blur of activity. They summoned the cops, who then conducted a search on Old Mill Road. There is nothing out there but a dirt road and an old windmill, which has long since been abandoned. The authorities combed the surrounding fields and ventured inside of the windmill to investigate.

At first, they noticed nothing amiss or unusual. But, upon further inspection, one of the officers noticed something in the water, near the wheel. He hopped into the frigid water and explored underneath it. There, pinned down by a large stone, he discovered the body of my sister, Tracey. She’d been in a watery grave for three long weeks.     

***

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Dear Diary,

I can’t contain my tears as I write this entry. I was allowed to take a few days off from school. My precious sister is dead, murdered by someone unknown. I never thought this could happen to my family, not us. It’s always supposed to occur in some other family, but not my own. Nothing ever prepares you for the shock of losing a loved one, especially when you know they were deliberately killed.

So many questions remain without answers, needing to be resolved. Why Tracey, when everyone seemed to love her? Who’d ever want to hurt my dear, sweet sister? She never did anything bad to anyone. She was so beautiful and smart, my role model. How could some monster just end her life? 

***

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Mom is inconsolable and had to be heavily sedated. She can’t cope right now with losing one of her daughters. I can barely comprehend how we’ll make it through another day of pain. Dad has thrown himself into his work to try and deal with his grief. What will we do without Tracey’s smile, her laughter, her warm presence in our lives? Oh, dear God, she’s not coming back to us, ever again, this side of Heaven. Life will never be the same anymore. How could it possibly be?

Police arrested Sean for my sister’s murder. They are pretty sure he killed her. They believe he followed her from their friend’s house, after the argument over that girl. They think he got her off somewhere secluded and did away with her. So far, there’s no real evidence to back up their theory. If he did it, he has hidden his tracks well. I thought he loved Tracey. How could he do this to her? What kind of twisted love is that? He says that he’s innocent. But, I wonder, is he really? 

***

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Dear Diary,

The results of the autopsy came in today. My sister’s body will be released for burial soon. Investigators believe she was struck over the head twice with a tire iron. Once she was unconscious, she was sexually assaulted and then strangled to death. The assailant carried her body to the old windmill and pinned her under the wheel there.

Although she was submerged in the water for three weeks, they found DNA underneath her fingernails. They also located semen inside of her body, from the rape. How horrible that this would happen to poor Tracey! She was an angel, who never hurt anybody in her brief life.   

***

Saturday, March 26th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Mom is still under medication and hasn’t said very much in the past few days. I feel so bad for her and even worse for Tracey. Dad is handling things better than Mom and I. He tries not to show it, yet I know he’s hurting inside, too. He’s just being strong for the only two women left in his life now. We need him and depend on him for guidance. He is our solid rock, just as Jesus Christ is also.

We had some visitors today, well-wishers offering their condolences to us. I could barely conceal my tears as they were here. I cry so much nowadays. I can’t seem to stop the river constantly flowing from my tired eyes. I’m not sleeping well and I have almost no appetite. Friends and family brought over casseroles, yet we’ve barely touched the food. Who could eat or sleep at a time like this, when one feels like their whole world has been torn apart? How could we ever manage to piece it back together again?

***

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

Dear Diary,

I just want some peace, Lord. We found love, warmth and open arms in church today. Kindness, caring and understanding poured out from everyone at the funeral. Tracey was interred today, after church services ended. Due to decomposition, the casket had to remain closed. A picture of Tracey was placed upon her coffin in memoriam. I felt so sad, realizing it was the last time I’d ever be near her. The pastor said she would be at peace now. But, I believe she won’t rest until her killer is caught.

Sean was allowed to attend her funeral, since he had been released on bail. Mom was ready to claw his eyes out. It took Dad, Ronnie and Dean to hold her off of him. Sean looked like he was about to cry. He stared at Mom in anguish and said, “Mrs. Johnson, I didn’t do it. I swear I didn’t kill Tracey. I loved her and she loved me.”

I doubt Mom believed a word he uttered though. As for me, I’m not so sure he’s guilty. I want so much to accept what he’s claiming is the truth. But, one mystery still remains, if he didn’t murder my sister, then who on earth did? And who tried to climb into my bedroom window? Were the two incidents related or were they separate events?  

***

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Dear Diary,

An ongoing investigation into the death of my sister ensues. Police are still canvassing neighborhoods, probing into what happened. A witness came forward today and said she was driving past Old Mill Road on the night in question. She noticed a beat-up pickup truck slowly ambling down the dirt road. Sean has a pickup, but his is practically new. There was also a Toyota Corolla parked off on the side, with a flat tire. It must’ve been my sister’s.

The cops believe the eyewitness inadvertently saw the final moments of Tracey’s life. Although the body of the car was burned out, the tires were okay, for the most part. A tire expert determined that someone lightly punctured the tire, so that it would leak gradually.

The expert estimated the distance from the house party to the entrance of Old Mill Road, two and a half miles. He said the killer was anticipating Tracey being stranded, after her tire went flat. He probably drove up and offered to help, but instead he tricked her into riding to the secluded spot nearby with him.     

***

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Dear Diary,

It has been one week since Tracey’s body was discovered. Mom is able to function a bit better now. They have cut back on her sedation and she manages to get through another day. The pain is still so raw; the wound so fresh, for all of us. Dad is our foundation, our brick wall of support. Without him and our faith in Jesus Christ, I don’t know what we would do. I believe we’ll see my sister in Heaven again someday. We’ve only lost her for a little while, but not forever.

All we want now is some closure and justice for Tracey. If we could only know who murdered her and put them behind bars, we could rest. The burden that weighs heavily upon us would seem to lift some then. In her diary, she indicated that the individual who scared her ate dinner with us. If not Sean, who was he? And was the man her killer?

***

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Dear Diary,

We didn’t have to ponder over the questions long. Today, dear diary, we received the blessing we’ve longed for. For this afternoon, we learned just who it was that ended my dear sister’s life. We had company over for dinner and afterwards, I went into my bedroom to rest. I sat back on my bed meditating over the depressing situation, wondering what, if anything, I might do to catch the killer.

Suddenly, I heard Tracey’s voice again. She whispered, “Go outside, pickup truck. Pink necklace, underneath seat. Find it, don’t touch.” I raced out the front door and glanced around, spotting Dean’s truck parked in the driveway. They’d come in his vehicle because Ronnie’s car was out of commission. No, it couldn’t be Dean! Not my Uncle Ronnie’s best friend.

I carefully slipped inside and searched under the seat. There it was, Tracey’s Valentine necklace, with a broken chain. There were a few drops of blood on the carpet as well. I hurried into the house to secretly alert Mom and Dad. While I distracted our guests, they went out to Dean’s pickup to check it out. They quickly called the cops, who arrived in a flash, before Dean even knew what was going on. We identified the necklace.

The police had to restrain Mom, Dad and Ronnie from attacking Dean. He was carted away and his truck impounded for evidence. I’m pretty sure that is my sister’s blood under that seat. I’m also certain that Dean is the one who tried to come into my window. I believe his skin was on the nail we found. I’m sure his flesh and DNA will be matched to what was retrieved from Tracey’s fingernails and body. What a monster he is! He had all of us fooled. He killed my sister and he planned to kill me, too.          

***

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Dear Diary,

Sean was released from jail today. All charges against him were dropped, considering the facts that came to light. Maybe one day, we will be able to be friends with him again. It will take some time.  At least we know who was truly responsible for my sister’s death. I believe she’ll finally be able to rest in peace at last. She appeared to me earlier today, briefly. She materialized as a hologram image before me. I was awed by her radiance and beauty. Her former glory had been restored and she seemed luminous. She only spoke three words to me before she evaporated. “Thank you, Jenna.”

I believe this nightmare is over; at least, the unanswered questions have been resolved. I am sure the DNA evidence will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dean Maguire stalked, raped and murdered my sister that fateful night. I have a feeling he has done this before. His other crimes have yet to be discovered. I believe that somewhere out there, other innocent, young women have been killed. They are waiting for justice to be served, just as in this case. Dean will answer for his horrendous deeds against them.

He was a trusted friend of the family. We never once suspected him of any wrongdoing. Yet Tracey knew deep down inside that he was evil. She didn’t tell us, for whatever reason and now she’s gone. Because of him, we’ll never see her smile or hear her laugh ever again. She wanted to exonerate the innocent through DNA, as a lawyer. She would be equally glad to know that DNA will prove the guilt of the man who coldly premeditated her demise.

Today would have been her 21st birthday. How fitting that her killer would be apprehended just in time for her special day. I miss her so much. Her life on this earth may be over, yet her memory will never die for us. We will continue to keep her alive in our thoughts and our hearts. I believe in immortality of the soul; so did Tracey. And I believe somewhere up in Heaven, she will be watching over us, until we join her. Only God can determine when that reunion will take place. But, I know when it happens, it will be bittersweet.

***

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 11.04.2011

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