Chapter 1 Repay No Evil

I apologize for the delay - it has been a very busy week! I hope to have the second Chapter 1 in the next few days but forgive me if I don't :)

Ashley Parks’ feet hit the pavement. One foot in front of the other. Steadily moving forward. Her chestnut brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, the bottom of the tail swishing at her neck. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. It was a warm day for spring and it made Ashley long for the warmth of summer. It had been a mild winter for Virginia and for that Ashley had been grateful.
“Mama! Mama!” The screams came out of nowhere.
Ashley stopped mid-run and looked around. The neighborhood was quite. Large brick homes dotted the landscape to her left. To her right were trees waiting to be cut down and developed but no small children.
Breathing heavily, Ashley turned in circles to scan the area but came up empty. No screaming children anywhere. After a few more circles Ashley resumed her run. She ran by houses with brick fronts and houses with siding fronts. Some houses had porches and some did not. While the houses were not completely uniform Ashley knew they all came from the same builder therefore every third or fourth house was the same with a few minor exceptions.
Ashley had been in and around the neighborhood three times already. She felt most comfortable running close to home but needed the work out only five miles could give her. It was still growing on her. The idea that a suburb was now her home. The idea that she had moved from Maryland to Virginia and was living in a house, a real house. Currently it was by herself but she hoped that soon she would get to add a few more family members.
“Mama! Mama, help! Help Mama!”
Ashley stopped short.
The screams seemed so real but yet somehow they were only coming from her head. She scanned the area again. This time there were only houses, no trees but still no people. Where was everybody anyway? Ashley checked her watch. It was approaching mid-morning, the stay-at-home moms should have been out in their yards by now but yet there was no one.
Scanning the area and still finding nothing Ashley continued with her run. It had to be in her head. It had to be a reminder of the past. Though her son had not been old enough to talk when he died he still screamed for help in her dreams. Maybe her nightmares were haunting her during the day.
For once she was trying to find a way to move on with her life. Was it possible that she was wrong? Should she not try to leave Donnie and Aidan in the past? It has been twelve years since her husband and son were murdered on their front lawn. It had been six months since Ashley had decided to move on with her life and to move on with another man.
Nate Zimmerman was nothing like Donnie Parks. While they were almost equal in height at six feet the similarities ended there. Donnie had been an IT guy into computers and the internet and making money in business. He was low-key and mild-mannered. His blonde hair had begun receding at an early age but it hadn’t bothered Ashley. It had given Donnie a more mature look.
On the other hand, Nate looked more like a football player with broad shoulders, thick arms and muscular legs. His brown hair was thick and always well groomed. Ashley knew Nate kept it cut short because it would curl if it grew too long. His blue eyes were inviting but could also be cold when he was on a serious case. Nate was a Special Agent for the FBI and it had only been six months since she had seen how cold those eyes could be.
“Help Mama! Mama!”
No, she couldn’t be imaging things. She had heard something. And it didn’t sound like Aidan. No, this voice was older.
Breathless, Ashley paused her running again and leaned over with her hands on her knees. She took deep, slow breaths to force herself not to pant. In, out. In, out. With her breathing under control Ashley stood to look around again.
Expecting nothing she was surprised to see a small boy sitting across the street from where she stood. But he didn’t appear distressed. Instead he sat on the front porch of what Ashley assumed to be his home. He wore a red baseball cap with nothing written across the front. A matching red long-sleeved tee read “Cardinals” across the front. It looked like a baseball tee. His gray sweatpants were covered in mud mostly around the knees. His white socks were also covered in mud. He wore no shoes. Ashley couldn’t see his face.
“It’s all in my head,” Ashley whispered to herself. She was once again projecting her past on to real life situations. This boy was fine.
But when he looked up Ashley wasn’t so sure he was fine after all.
Tears streaked down his face forming tracks in the mud that was caked there. Had the boy bathed in mud?
Ashley considered continuing her jog home but thought better of it. Maybe this little boy was calling her. Seemed strange but stranger things had happened. Ashley walked across the street and approached the boy slowly. While most homes in the area had fences in the back almost none of them had any in the front. Ashley easily walked up the driveway to a large house similar to hers except this one had a brick front and the front porch extended from the garage, around the front and partway down the back. The boy sat on the top porch step.
“Hey, buddy, you okay?”
The boy looked up at Ashley and now she could see his very large brown eyes. They widened as he looked at her but he said nothing. He was a cute kid, probably around six or seven. He had a small nose and ears that were a little large for his head. Small, brown tufts stuck out from under his ball cap.
“I saw you sitting here and I thought I would come and say hi. I just moved into the neighborhood and I haven’t really made any friends.”
Still no response. The boy looked back down at the ground.
“Are you okay? You seem sad.” As Ashley knelt down to get at his eye level the front door opened. A woman not much shorter then Ashley stepped through the door. Her brown hair was cut in a bob to just below her chin. Blonde streaks were layered with red and Ashley knew it was a professional job. Her nails were also recently manicured. She wore a swing top and jeans and the outfit had a very slimming effect. Her blue eyes registered shock at the sight of Ashley on her front lawn.
“Can I help you?” The woman asked revealing perfectly white teeth though slightly crooked in the front.
“I’m sorry, I was jogging and came over to introduce myself,” Ashley said. The shocked look turned to disbelief and confusion. “I’m sorry; I’m new to the neighborhood. Just moved in around the corner. This little guy looked sad so I came over to check on him.” Ashley flashed her widest smile hoping to prove her sincerity.
The woman looked down at the boy. “Drew, why don’t you go inside and find your sister. I’ll be in shortly.” Drew glanced up at Ashley, then back at the ground before slowly standing and walking towards the house. The woman placed her hands on Drew’s shoulders and directed him inside. Ashley expected the woman to follow Drew inside but instead she shut the front door and stepped closer to Ashley.
“I don’t know who you are or why you are here but we have been through enough and we don’t need strangers snooping around.”
“I’m…I’m sorry, what?”
“I assume you are a reporter.”
“No. No, I’m actually a Forensic Psychologist…”
“And you’re here to get information out of Drew?” The woman’s voice as accusatory. Ashley took a slow, deep breath and prayed for guidance. Though she’d only been praying for a few months it was becoming more natural in all situations.
“No, I’m not here for information. I was running across the street and I thought I heard someone calling me. When I stopped I saw the boy, um Drew, and I came over to talk to him. In my practice I work with children so it seemed natural to come and talk with him. Is he okay?”
The woman sighed then looked Ashley up and down as if to determine whether or not she was telling the truth. Finally she must have believed Ashley because she said, “His mother was murdered here six months ago. I’m a friend of the family. I’ve been helping out when I can. We get reporters calling all the time. Some have tried to be friendly to get information.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that. My name is Ashley Parks and really, I just moved in around the corner. Off of Lariet Lane.”
“I’m sorry to be rude. I’m Ellie Johnson.” Ellie extended her hand and Ashley reached out to shake it.
“It’s fine. I completely understand. Is Drew okay?”
“He and his sister Laney were here the night of the murder. We think one of them may have seen the murderer but so far they haven’t said anything. In fact, Drew hasn’t spoken a word since the night of the murder.”
“Would you let me talk with him?”
Ellie again looked at Ashley slowly. Not that Ashley could blame her. She would’ve become suspicious in her situation as well.
Ashley continued, “I’m a Forensic Psychologist which means I interview children for the courts…”
“Not serial killers?”
Ashley smiled. “I get that a lot. No, I work solely with children; child witnesses, abuse victims and in custody cases. I may be able to help.”
“Really? I have been praying for someone to help for months. A maniac is on the loose. Who knows when he may strike again?”
“Why would you say that?”
“The brutality of the murder. I just can’t believe that this is the only time this man has murdered.” Ellie shrugged and Ashley let the comment go but she would certainly be following up with Nate.
“Then maybe I’m the answer to your prayers.” Maybe it wasn’t Drew that called her. Maybe it was God getting her attention. And if that were the case then Ellie just might be right. Ashley could only pray she could be of help before any more women lost their lives.