This story is part 4 of The Pine Creek Murders, a 6 part series that started in The Girl In The House
Brooke Mirra stood outside her sister’s house, the police tape still hanging from the doorframe. It and been almost four months since the investigation into her sister and brother in law’s death, with no new clues uncovered. As leads dried up, the investigation died down as well. The death of Levi Basso a week later, as well as Will Tennant and Carole Piper soon after hurt as well, drawing officers away from the investigation. While the case was still listed as ongoing, it was no longer considered active. The police had given up any hope of finding their killer.
She took a breath and opened the door, entering the house for the first time. Except for the items classified as evidence, everything was as it had been found.
Brook climbed the stairs, avoiding the living room. Taylor’s chair was gone, but his blood covered the floor. They had torn up the carpet, but it had soaked into the plywood below, and that was considerably harder to remove.
She entered the master bedroom. The blankets and mattress had been taken as evidence, as had a large part of the carpet. Brooke choked back tears as she looked at a picture of Mary and Taylor on the bedside table.
Her mind filled with memories. Of snowball fights growing up in Thunder Falls. Of summers spent at Grandma’s beach house in Bayside. Of serving as maid of honor at each other’s weddings.
Movement at the foot of the bed brought her back to the present. Sitting there was a wooden chest, supposedly something from the Ullrich House. According to local legend, Bradley Ullrich hid in there as his father went on a murderous rampage. It was in that box that he had been killed.
Of course that was the legend. She had heard a lot of them since Mary’s death, including the one about Old Man Ullrich returning from the dead to kill. But no one with half a brain believed them. It was an old wives tale, told around the campfire and to scare little kids. “If you don’t behave, Old Man Ullrich might come and get you in your sleep.”
She bent down and saw a small boy on the other side of the chest. She figured it must have been some local kid that had wondered in. The doors were locked, and she had the only key, but he might have found some other way inside the house. An open window or something.
She tried to talk to him, to tell him it was ok. That she wasn’t here to hurt him. But he his on the other side, fear in his eyes.
After a few minutes, his eyes grew wide with terror and pointed at something behind her. Brooke started to turn and felt something hit her in the back of the head.
Stars filled her vision, and the last thing she saw before darkness overtook her was a black mass beside her, and the boy trying to hide in the box.
