It was late at night, and the traffic around the neighborhood was slow.
The moonless night was illuminated by the yellow street lights and porch lights of the sleeping houses.
Gail parked her car near the sidewalk, in front of her home. She made sure her sedan was locked, before walking through the lawn and towards the front door.
Just as Gail was about to unlock the door, she heard shuffling footsteps coming from the other side of the door. A minute later, her mother opened the door.
"You are late," Margaret said in a stern voice, but the smile on her face betrayed the seriousness of her voice. She was wearing a floral night gown, that quite resembled a large frock.
"Maa," Gail said, as she locked the door behind her, "how many times have I told you not to wait up for me."
"Ah, it's no big deal!" Margaret answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Thanks to my job, I never got the chance to be around while you were growing up. But now that I'm retired, I love being around." She called out as she made her way towards the kitchen.
Gail had known the emotional reply she was going to get. It had been the same since the last five years.
"Maa," Gail sighed in defeat. She placed the brown files in her hand on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa with her head leaning back on the head rest.
"So, how was your first day back?" Margaret asked, her voice full of excitement, as she returned with a glass of water for Gail. "And, did you meet Clarissa? How is she?"
Gail took a grateful sip and slowly answered, "Normal. Yeah. She's fine."
"By the way, I never asked you. How did that uptight boss of yours react, when you told him that you were going to help the Special Task Force with The Unborn Killer's case?" Margaret asked, sitting down next to Gail. She had never really liked the District Attorney. He was honest, but the man had an ego the size of a planet!
"Stiffly pleasant," Gail said with a smirk, "The D.A. didn't exactly have a say in the matter, as it was an order from the Mayor."
Margaret had a lot of questions she wanted to ask her daughter, but couldn't. This was the longest conversation they had had in years. Gail had locked everyone, even Margaret out of her life. She had been dealing with her grief alone.
"So, what have you decided?" Margaret finally asked, a tinge of hesitation lining her voice.
"About what?" Gail asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she placed the empty glass on the coffee table.
"About what you are going to do, once you solve this case," Margaret answered, "Are you going to continue working with the Special Task Force or go back to working at the D.A.'s Office?"
"I don't know." was all Gail said.
There was a few minutes of much needed silence, at least for Gail.
There was another thing Margaret had wanted to tell Gail since a long time, but had never been able to.
"You should try talking to him, you know." Margaret said, before she could stop herself.
"Maa, you know," Gail suddenly found it hard to speak. It was as if she was choking on her own words, "I can't."
"Why can't you? He's your father." Margaret said softly.
"You know what happened the last time I talked to him, right? He had a heart attack!" Gail said, struggling to hold back her tears.
"But--"
"Maa," Gail held her mother's hands in her own, "I understand what you are saying. Trust me, there's nothing more in this world that I want more than to be able to spend time with Dad, just like old times. But you know how dangerous that is for him. He hates me."
They just sat there, silent. The emotions in their eyes spoke louder than any of their words could.
"I'll get dinner ready for you. I made your favourite pasta." Margaret said, clearing her throat, as she got up from the sofa. "You should go change."
Gail nodded, as she made her way towards the wooden stairs at the end of the hallway.
"And Maa," Gail called out, just as she was about to climb up the stairs. Margaret came out of the kitchen, and gave her a questioning look. "Don't wait up for me." Gail continued with a smile, before heading upstairs.
Gail walked with soft steps, trying not to make any noise. She stared at the door at the far end of the landing for a few minutes, before entering her own room.
Gail took off her blazer and dropped it on her bed. Her gaze fell on the other bed at the right side of the room, it's covers neatly made. It was as if a sudden fog of loneliness had wrapped itself around her heart.
Gail's room consisted of a medium-sized study table just next to the door, that was overflowing with books and novels, two beds separated by a small table along with a dresser table next to a walk-in closet.
Gail felt a reminiscent smile forming on her face, as she looked at the closet. It had been her sister's dream since always, to have a walk-in closet. It was the place she spent most of her time in. She had practically lived in it.
Every part of the room, piece of furniture and photo frame reminded Gail of the happy memories she and her sister had shared here. Now, those memories just haunted her.
Gail stepped into the bathroom and peeled the layers of clothes that clung to her body like a second skin.
She entered the shower and let the hot water, fall on her face. She closed her eyes and stood like this for a few minutes. She hoped the warm water would wash away her sorrows too.
Gail reluctantly stepped out of the shower and dried herself. She put on a pair of grey pyjamas and a black top.
She stepped out of her room and walked towards the room at the end of the landing, her parents room. She noiselessly turned the doorknob and opened the door. The light peeping in from the window cast a soft glow on her parents' sleeping faces. They looked peaceful. She hoped that unlike her, they were having happy dreams.
Gail softly shut the door, before heading downstairs.
She collected the case files lying on the coffee table and headed to the kitchen. A plate with generous helpings of warm lasagna had been waiting for Gail in the microwave, placed there by Margaret.
Gail removed the lasagna from the microwave and placed it next to the files on the kitchen island. She settled down in a chair in front of the island.
There were six case files. Each file containing information on each one of the victims.
Annette Brown, was the name of the first victim. She was brunette with dull grey eyes. She was a financial consultant and had just started working at Goldman Sachs. She had gone to the hospital for a routine check up and had never returned. She was 25 weeks pregnant. Her unborn child had been a boy.
Jamie Lewis, was an artist. She had a short white blob with light green eyes. She ran her own art gallery at the Upper East Avenue. She was on her way home after closing her gallery for the day, when she went missing. She was 19 weeks pregnant. Her unborn child had been a girl.
Pamela Steele, was a fashion designer. She had light auburn hair with black eyes. She was the founder of her own successful fashion label 'ELLA'. She had gone for an evening stroll, before she had gone missing. She was 28 weeks pregnant. Her unborn child had been a girl.
Gina Taylor, was a lawyer. She had jet black hair that brought out her hazel eyes. She worked for a law firm Campbell & Smith, and was based in Zurich. She was in Krystal City, to attend a cousin's marriage. She had stepped out for some last minute shopping, according to the hotel staff, before she went missing. She was 18 weeks pregnant. Her unborn children, were twins, a boy and a girl.
Victoria Rivers, was a doctor. She had strawberry blonde hair with warm black eyes. She was a neurosurgeon, working at Krystal City General. She was on her way to the hospital for her night-shift, when she went missing. She was 24 weeks pregnant. Her unborn child had been a boy.
Candice Morgan, was the most recent victim. She had chocolate brown hair with deep dark eyes. She was a kindergarten teacher. She was on her way back home after school, when she went missing. She was 28 weeks pregnant. Her unborn child had been a girl.
By the time Gail had finished going through the files, it was pretty late. The plate of lasagna was sitting on the kitchen island, untouched.
She had seen many murders, much gruesome ones too, but killing unborn babies, was just pure evil.
What she didn't understand was why.
What had the babies done?
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