Chapter 2

Fawn POV

The chill of their indifference seeped into my very essence. I was a ghost, unable to feel the cold marsh water, yet their words, their dismissive glances, they cut deeper than any physical sensation. I was here, right in front of them, and for them, I was nobody. Just another Jane Doe.

Erasmo, his eyes narrowed in concentration, turned to his wife. "Deb, what are we looking at here? Initial findings?"

Deborah gestured towards my body with a gloved hand, her voice a low, clinical drone. "Blunt force trauma to the head, extensive. Multiple stab wounds, post-mortem mutilation to obscure identity. Body was dumped here, not killed here. Rigor mortis is fairly advanced, but the water temperature complicates an exact timeline."

She didn't miss a beat. She described the horrors inflicted upon me as if she were reading from a textbook, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. I was a specimen, a case study.

"This is professional work, Erasmo," she continued, her gaze sweeping over me once more. "Or someone trying to make it look professional. They wanted her unrecognizable, wanted to make sure she couldn't be easily traced."

Erasmo nodded, his jaw tight. He pulled out a cigarette, his movements jerky, a rare sign of agitation. He lit it, the flame a brief, defiant spark against the creeping dawn. He inhaled deeply, the smoke a grey plume against the pale sky.

Your daughter is dead, I thought, my voice a silent scream in the vast emptiness around them. And you're worried about the case. About the professional challenge.

"Detective Hood," a younger officer said, stepping forward cautiously, "smoking is prohibited within the crime scene perimeter."

Erasmo glared at him, a silent command to back off. The officer stammered an apology and retreated.

"This victim... does she look familiar to either of you?" the officer asked, hoping to appeal to their human side.

Deborah scoffed. "Hardly. Most young women with tattoos and dyed hair tend to blend together in this city. She looks like all the others who frequent those underground clubs, the ones who think rebellion is a fashion statement."

Erasmo exhaled a stream of smoke. "Rebellious, ungrateful. Always running off, getting into trouble. Probably another one who ghosted her family because she couldn't handle responsibility."

Sergeant Miller, Erasmo's long-time partner, stepped in. His face was etched with concern. "Erasmo, maybe you should take a break. You look exhausted. It's been a long week, and this... this is a rough one."

Erasmo waved him off. "I'm fine. Just... sick of seeing these tragedies. Kids these days, no respect for anything. My Fawn, for instance. Always chasing after some fleeting artistic dream, ignoring her responsibilities."

He paused, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. He coughed, a dry, hacking sound. "She used to bring me coffee, you know. When I worked late. Strong, black, just how I liked it." He trailed off, his gaze fixed on the muddy ground.

You remember that? I gasped, a surge of something akin to hope, then a fresh wave of despair. You remember the coffee, but not the child who made it for you.

Sergeant Miller gently put a hand on Erasmo's shoulder. "Erasmo, Fawn is different. She's got a good heart, just... a bit lost sometimes. You know how these young artists are."

"Lost?" Deborah sneered, pushing a stray hair from her face. "She's deliberately choosing to be difficult. Missing Hope's recital. Again. The biggest night of Hope's life, and Fawn decided to vanish. Just like she always does when someone else needs the spotlight."

"Honestly, Erasmo," Deborah continued, her voice rising slightly in exasperation, "I don't know why you even bother with that child. She never appreciates anything. Hope, on the other hand, she' s grateful, she' s talented, she' s everything we hoped for."

My non-existent heart twisted. That was it. My place in their world. The shadow, the disappointment, the one who couldn't measure up to the golden child.

"She knew how important that recital was," Erasmo chimed in, his voice hardening. "She knew. But no, Fawn always has to make a statement. Always has to be the problem."

I wasn't making a statement, I screamed, a silent echo in the marsh. I was trying to call you. I was trying to tell you I was in trouble. But you ignored every call, every text, because you thought I was acting out again.

The chilling truth was, I wasn't just missing Hope's recital. I was already gone. When Hope was bowing to thunderous applause, accepting flowers and accolades, I was already cold, already broken.

My body, lying right there, disfigured and unrecognizable, was the silent testament to their neglect. They were complaining about my absence, about my "ghosting" the family, while the very ghost they were speaking of lay at their feet. The irony was a suffocating blanket, heavy and final.