The final chapter of this shitshow. I am not proud of this series, or the previous one. I now know I excel at only one thing: sci-fi. And so there I will stay, for the most part. There is one good thing I will say about this series, though. Chapter two and three are pure genius [citation needed]. I don't know what it was, but getting inside the head of Leanna really worked. I think there's potential to have a novel that is entirely the journal of Leanna, but made for the real world and encompassing a much wider span of time. It would be good misery porn. Some people like that.

Anyway, David and Hal finally meet up with Mark.

---

Michael was mowing the lawn when David and Hal pulled up the next morning. He paid them no heed at first, thinking they were nothing more than a couple of lost people from the suburbs. However, when they pulled into the driveway, he stopped mowing and walked over to them. “Hey, are you a friend of mom?”
“No, Michael, we’re here for you.”
He stepped back. “What’s this about?”
They stepped out, and David smiled while extending his paw. “I’m detective David Barnaby.”
Michael shook his paw. “This is about Leanna, then?”
“Yes, it is. May we come inside?”
Michael took off the gloves he was wearing and beckoned. “Sure.”
The moment the entered, Michael called out. “Mom! Don’t be alarmed, but there are a couple… police officers here.”
She came bounding down the stairs. “Police? What have you gotten into young man?!”
Hal chuckled. “We’re not here to arrest your son, marm. We’d just like to speak to him.”
She eyed Michael for a moment, then smiled at the two detectives. “Well, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll make some tea.”
She left before either could object. Michael led them to the living room, and they sat. David cut to the chase. “We were told Mark was staying with a friend. Is he here?”
Michael shook his head. “No, he’s staying with Dan. I can give you the address if you want.”
David waved his paw. “In a moment. You are good friends with Mark, correct?”
He smiled. “Yeah, we’re best friends. Since middle school. He would be here, if my mom had allowed it.”
David looked at Hal and gave him a hard look. He then turned back to Michael. “I assume you’ve heard Mark’s… suspicions?”
Michael nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard them.”
“Any thoughts?”
“I…”
Michael looked at the floor, fiddling with his paws. “I think… there’s no way anyone, uh, murdered Leanna. But…”
He looked back up, and his face showed no doubt. “If Mark says it, I believe it.”
David nodded. “Thank you. Now if you’ll write down that address so we can be on our way…”
“Of course! Hang on…”
Michael’s mother came in the fussed about with some tea while Michael wrote down the number. The two detectives sipped the tea politely, took the number and went for the door. Michael stopped them. “So, are you guys going to see Mark now?”
“Yes. We are. Why?”
“Can I… tag along?”
Hal and David exchanged looked. David shook his head. “I think it’s better if you don’t.”
He averted his eyes and nodded. “A-alright. Have a nice day, officers.”
“You too, Michael.” David said with a smile.
As soon as they started stepping towards the continental, Davis growled. Hal tapped him. “You alright there, partner?”
David shook his head. “Sorry, just a little annoyed is all.”
They climbed in and peeled away from the curb. “David, you know as well as I do not to let cases get personal.”
“Hey, I didn’t know the kid, why would it be personal?”
Hal nodded. “I get that but… Jesus, even with this Cliff character we’re on thin ice. Why are we still doing this, Dave?”
David didn’t take his eyes off the road. “To catch the scumbag responsible, is why. Hal, this girl deserves to have justice done.”
Hal nodded slowly. “That’s what I thought.”

Mark stared at the wall, the weight of recent events weighing on him. Lance, who had that day off, was watching him from the other room, and walked over slowly. “Hey, Mark?”
“Huh?! Oh, Lance. What is it?”
He was holding his phone, and he sat down next to Mark. “I want you to hear this song by that band I told you about.”
“What, Red Vox?”
“Yeah. It’s not exactly a Red Vox song, it’s from the guitarist/lead singer’s solo album, even before their first album came out. It’s a pretty rusty album, but this song stuck out to me.”
He pressed play, and a sad melody started playing. “It’s called… Lyanna.”
Mark froze. The song was about a girl named Lyanna. To him, it was about her death. He broke down. He cried harder and longer than ever before. Lance hugged him the moment he started and rubbed his back until his sobs of pain died down. Mark clutched his face and drew ragged breaths from his mouth. “God Lance! She never hurt anybody! She was so fucking perfect, Lance! S-she loved me, and I loved her, there’s no way! She had to have been murdered, there’s just no way!”
Lance rubbed his back. “Mark… I know it’s hard to accept. Some people… you just can’t tell what they’re really feeling inside.”
What Lance was saying made sense to Mark in some way. Leanna was extremely difficult to read. But to think he missed suicidal depression for all that time made him shudder. “No, Lance. I would have noticed. I-I…”
He stayed quiet for a long time. There was a jingle at the door, and Dan entered. “Hey…”
He put down his groceries and sat on the other side of Mark. “How are you, buddy?”
Mark still didn’t answer. His paw slowly went to his side, and he drew out a crumpled-up piece of paper. Dan looked at it. “Hey… what’s that?”
Mark shook his head. “I have no idea. It’s mostly in Spanish.”
Dan uncrumpled it and held it out to Lance. They studied it. “Mark, these first lines…”
“I know.”
The English part of the note read:

d a miscarriage. I don’t know how to break it to Mark. That I failed him again. Will he finally get it? Will he finally stop being so fucking understanding and tell me what I am? Trash! Garbage! What fucking worth am I to him now, huh?! I can’t have a kid. I can’t get an education and I can’t talk to people and I can’t satisfy him sexually and I can’t ride my bike every day and I can’t…

The note switched to Spanish at that point. Mark shrugged. “She thought she was worthless. But… I keep telling myself over and over that after she told me she lost the baby I somehow convinced her otherwise.”
He put the paper down. “I’m afraid of what it’ll say, guys.”
Lance looked over to Dan, who was shaking. He opened his mouth shakily. “Mark, that stuff about murder…?”
Mark shrugged. “I don’t believe that now. Hell, neither do the police. You should have seen the guy’s face when I… when I yelled at him. He wrote everything down and said, ‘we’ll look into it’. Bet you dollars to doughnuts they never touched the case.”
It was at that moment the doorbell rang. All three were startled. Dan stood. “That… It might be Jill.”
It was not. “Detective David Barnaby. May I speak with Mark Taylor, please?”
Dan took a step back. “U-uh, yeah, sure thing. Come in.”
The two detectives found a couple chairs and sat facing Mark and Lance. David only had to take a single glance at Mark to know he was not in a good place. Nonetheless, he still tried to be polite. He sat up, drew a shaky sigh. “So… detectives, huh?”
David nodded and leaned forward. “Yes. I’d just like to say that I am very sorry for your loss, and I know you already spoke to my colleagues, but I’d like a few minutes o-”
“No.”
Dan grabbed Mark’s arm. “Mark! You… you have to talk to them!”
David looked apologetic. “Well, he can refuse if he wants to. I certainly wouldn’t hold it against him. However, in the interest of the investigation, I urge you to-”
“No thank you. Please leave.”
Hal looked at David. “Dave…”
Dan stood shakily. “Officers?!”
His nerves caused him to raise his voice. “I have some information!”
He snatched the paper from the table and handed it over. Mark stood. “Hey! Dan, what the hell?!”
Dan faced Mark. “I’m sorry, Mark! You have to face this! Y-you can’t just jump to conclusions and withhold things!”
David’s paw shook as he read the note. “Hal…”
His voice was shaky. “Yes? What does It say?”
“It’s in Spanish, I think. At least… this part.”
“I can read it, Dave. I might be a bit rusty, but I can give you a ballpark.”
He handed it to Hal, who read the English portion. His face whitened somewhat, and then he continued, translating the Spanish portion.

September 21, 2026

This will be my last entry. After my first… Miscarriage, we tried again. We tried a lot. For like two entire torturous years. Mark thinks I had maybe two more miscarriage after the first. But it’s been maybe twelve. It’s hard to tell sometimes. It’s been wrecking my body. I’ve been on the weak pills for too long, and I feel every ache and cramp. Every time I tell myself “next time”. Mark does too. He tells me it’ll be alright, that it’s not my fault, and that he still loves me. I don’t believe him anymore. Why does he love me? I don’t get it. I cannot have children. That was the one thing I had left. I’m sorry Mark, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re wrong. I am a burden to you, and that is all I am, all I ever will be. It is my sincerest belief that you will be better off without me. Goodbye, Mark. I hope these pills will be strong enough to free you from me.

I’m sorry if I upset you, Mark. I do this because I love you. I really love you, Mark. Have a happy life. Please.

There was total silence in the room. David stood up and walked across the room. Mark was silently crying. He opened his mouth. “That’s why… Oh, God…”
“NO!”
David slammed his paw on the wall. Hal shot up. “Jesus, Dave-”
“It can’t be! It must have been that Cliff creep! He must have left that note to throw off the scent! Jesus Christ… she can’t have killed herself!”
Hal walked over to David and grabbed his shoulders. “David what the hell are you going on about?! That’s Leanna’s handwriting! You’ve been acting irrational this entire case, what is wrong with you?!”
David pushed him away. “How could you, Hal. She was just a sweet, innocent girl. She deserves justice!”
“There’s no justice to be had here, Dave! This…”
He glanced back and Mark, Dan and Lance’s scared and shocked faces. He finished in a hushed tone. “This is a suicide open and shut. There Is no one to blame here. That sucks. I know. But you can’t go flipping out and wasting time chasing leads that aren’t there!”
David gave Hal a look which Hal could only describe as lost, then stormed out of the apartment. Hal turned. “We’re very sorry… He’s never done this before… I have to go.”
He dashed after David. The three sat in silence for a long time, Dan only moving to go close the door. Make eventually nodded. “She’s right.”
Lance shook his head. “No, she’s not.”
“I mean… A-about living a happy life. She’s wrong about everything else. God…”
He rubbed his eyes. “I need to be alone for a while, guys. Go get lunch.”
They both nodded and left. Mark drew a heavy sigh and dried his eyes. “Goodbye.”

Hal had been searching all day. He hadn’t told anyone about Dave’s outburst. It was now midnight, and Hal had one last place to check. David’s house. Of course, that was the first place Hal had checked, but now that it was late there was a chance David had returned there. And according to the car in the driveway, Hal was right. He knocked on the door. “David it’s me. Can we please talk?”
There was no response. “David, your car is in the driveway.”
“It’s unlocked.”
Hal sighed and walked briskly inside the small abode. He was struck by how barren the place was. There were no pictures, very little furniture and almost no mess. David sat on the floor in the living room. He apparently spent most of his time there, because a TV and mini fridge was set up in the center of the room. “Jesus, Dave. I joke about you living at the station, but this is extreme.”
David didn’t answer. He was looking at a picture which was framed in a simple wooden frame. It was of an unassuming young girl in her early twenties. She was sitting next to David. “Dave… who’s that?”
“That’s my daughter.”
Hal sat down next to him. “You never mentioned her before…”
David nodded. “Well she’s not around anymore, Hal.”
“So… this is why.”
“I’m sorry, Hal.”
Hal put an arm around David’s shoulder. “You should have told me sooner, Dave.”
“I know.”
They sat in silence for a while. “It’s late, Dave. You should get to bed.”
“Yeah…”
He got up and went for the door. Before exiting, he stopped and looked back. “Hal, could you do me a favor?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t.”

Three days passed, and Mark still couldn’t bring himself to re-enter his apartment. He was standing in Dan’s kitchen cooking something for dinner when there was a soft knock on the door. He answered it, as Dan and Lance were engrossed in “So You Think You Can Dance.” It was Jill. “Mark, hi. How are you doing?”
“I’m… a little better, I suppose.”
There was a loud sizzle in the other room, and Mark dashed back into the kitchen. “Oh, shit. Come in, Jill.”
Mark poked around in the oven as Jill said hi to Dan and Lance. Her reason for coming was not them, so she joined Mark in the kitchen. “Mark, I have a favor to ask you. Like, a big one.”
“Yeah?”
She fiddled with her claws. “My sister is moving out. She finally got a decent job, and she can afford to live on her own. But…”
Mark pulled out a meatloaf that looked a little charred. “But what? Oh no, you can’t afford it, can you…”
Jill raised her paws. “I’m not asking for money! I-I just wanted to know, since you don’t want to go back to your apartment t-that you could come and stay with me for a while? I could really use the help with rent…”
Mark leaned on the kitchen counter. “I think… Yeah. Okay. I’ll have someone move my stuff over.”
She hugged him briefly. “Thank you! Oh, this is such a relief.”
He smiled a little. “If you need to get back to work, I can watch Josh too.”
“That… would be so sweet. Thank you, really.”
He waved his paw. “It’s fine.”
He turned and started cutting the meatloaf. Jill was slightly off put by his passiveness, but she wasn’t about to pester him about it. “When do you want to come over and check the place out? It’s really not that big, but you’ll have all the privacy you’ll need…”
“Tonight?” he said, not turning from the meatloaf.
“Um… sure. Yeah, that’s great. My sister’s still there, but… yeah.”
“Great. After dinner then.”

Mark and Jill sat on the living room couch watching Josh play with some toy cars. “So, how do you like it?”
“It’s cozy.”
Josh made a whooshing sound as he had one of the cars fly through the air. Jill looked over at Mark. “Mark, if you don’t like it you don’t have to move in. I just thought you needed somewhere more permanent and I had a space opening up…”
He shook his head. His voice was quiet. “No, I like it just fine here.”
Jill leaned back and watched Josh. “I know I’m being a little selfish… if you really like it here, then- Eep!”
Mark suddenly passed out and slumped against her shoulder. He breathed deeply and involuntarily nestled into her side. “Mom?”
“Nothing, sweetheart. Uncle Mark just fell asleep is all.”
“Okay.”
Jill tried to make Mark more comfortable, but to do so she needed to stay there with him. So, she just let him sleep next to her while she watched Josh. “You deserve a break, Mark. Sweet dreams.”




FIN