Chapter Twenty-Four: Closing That Damned Door:

I drove up to 117 Granton Drive. Bree stood on the porch, pacing around. I took a breath and climbed out of the car. She looked up when she saw me.

“Hello,” I said.

“Hi,” Bree said. We stood silent for a moment. She looked down at the ground.

“Ready to do this?” I asked. Bree lifted her head.

“Yes,” she said. I walked up to her.

“What is the plan?” I asked. Bree turned and walked into the house. I followed behind. I had to cover my nose.

“Oh god! You smoke now?” I asked.

“No,” Bree said, annoyed. She whipped around with her face turning red. Her expression on her face turned me everything I needed to know.

“Oh,” I said. Bree snorted.

“Danny thinks that Lanie will call here and get her things,” she explained. “Dan and Ed will do everything else.”

“Okay… And what do I do?” I asked. She shrugged and shook her head. I only frowned.

“Right… And you don’t know how to call her yourself, do you?” I asked. Bree wrinkled her nose, frowning.

“Right, right,” I said. “When do you think she’ll call?”

“I don’t know,” Bree said. She walked over to her couch and started to pick the butts out from between the cushions.

“Hang on, let me help you,” I said. She said nothing as I pulled the butts out with her. Somehow, it started to calm me down.

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Around six in the evening, the phone rang.

“I’ll get it,” Bree said. I watched her jog over to her cordless phone. My heart started pounding against my chest.

“Hello?” Bree asked. I walked over for a listen.

“Hey bitch!” that familiar voice shouted on the other line. My blood ran cold. Many memories of misery, torture, and anxiety rose up in my head. I started to sweat and felt like throwing up. I barely could keep up with the conversation. I ended up sinking down onto the couch. What am I doing here? I can’t do this. Danny shouldn’t have called me. I can’t do this. I can’t do this!

“Okay, thank you,” I heard Bree said. I turned my head and looked up as she hung up. I stared at her with big eyes.

“What happened?” I asked. Bree held her phone to her chest.

“She’s coming,” she said. “She’s been down at the liquor store. Lanie didn’t have any money and tried to rob the place.”

“Oh…” I said. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised. Bree grabbed me by the hand. I gave her a blank stare.

“You’re trembling,” she whispered.

“What?” I asked.

“Take a breath,” Bree said. “Breathe in.” I took a deep breath.

“Breathe out,” she said. I breathed out. We did this about five more times. Bree finally let go of my hand.

“Better?” she asked. I slowly nodded. Suddenly, my phone rang. I looked into Bree’s eyes.

“I think you should get that,” she said. I nodded again.

“Right, right,” I said. I pulled out my phone. “Hello?”

“Look out the window,” Daniel said. I jumped up to my feet and moved over to the window as if my legs were moving on their own. I pushed back the dull white lace curtains. My jaw dropped. Danny and Edwin were outside handcuffing Lanie.

“Look!” I shouted. Bree ran beside me and took a look.

“They actually did it,” she said. I bolted out the door.

“Celeste?” I heard at my back. Lanie, Daniel, and Edwin looked up when I stepped onto the porch. I stood, panting. There she was. She looked so much rougher than I remembered her. Her face was covered in bruises and scratches. Were her teeth always that crocked? Her clothes looked like they had seen better days. Her dark brown hair hid her face. Lanie growled at me. I managed to check my breath.

“Uh… hello… Lanie…” I mumbled. She glared at me, smirking.

“Oh, if it isn’t the retarded little mommy’s girl,” she said. “Aw, are you going to run home and cry to mommy?” I folded my arms around as my nerves turned into steel beams.

“Bold of you to insult a detective while you are in handcuffs, isn’t it?” I asked. “Don’t you have the right to remain silent?” Lanie bore her crocked teeth, growling.

“You!” she screamed. She tried to run towards me but Daniel tackled her to the ground.

“Get off me!” Lanie shouted as she tried to crawl out from under her. Bree walked out when she heard our former bully yelling and getting more dirt all over her. My lips curved into a little smile. This was the girl that bullied me back in junior high. This was her? Boy did I try but I couldn’t stop laughing. Bree ended up joining along with me. It took about twenty minutes for Daniel to subdue Lanie and drag her back to the car. I walked up to the cop car as they shoved her inside. I leaned into the window. Lanie looked like a demon in the squad car.

“What, bitch?” she asked.

“Hm… You aren’t as big as I thought you were,” I said. The sad pathetic woman tried to lunge at me from where she sat. I smiled and shook my head. The police climbed into the front seats. Another thought crossed my mind.

“Oh and the definition for ‘retard’ is to slow down or hold back,” I told her. “And where you are going, your life has become retarded.” My last image of her was Lanie glaring at me as the car pulled out of the driveway. I couldn’t help but to give them a little wave with a goofy smile on my face.

She’s definitely going to be charged with drug possession and fraud. For now, she will be questioned for the murders. I don’t know what will happen next. But that is fine with me. I closed that part of my life. And now I can just move on.