I click on the picture, and it enlarges with a caption and a link. Then, my body freezes cold at the words.
Girl, 17, Murdered on Prom Night
Murdered?
She was murdered? Surely not. It can’t be the same girl.
I look at the words on the back of the picture.
HALEY HALLIWELL. PROM. 2009.
Prom.
She was murdered after that picture was taken.
Oh God.
Hand trembling, I glide my finger across the trackpad to move the arrow over the link and click.
The screen fills with a news story dated June 7, 2009, headed with the same line as the caption.
Girl, 17, Murdered on Prom Night
To the right is the picture of Haley that I found in Kas’s nightstand. Beneath that picture is a caption.
Haley Halliwell, 17, body found in Hyde Park.
I scroll down to the article and start reading.
Late Saturday evening, a dog walker discovered the body of Haley Halliwell, 17, along with another unidentified person, who is currently in the hospital in critical condition, sources say. Halliwell had been attending her high school prom at the Marriott Hotel on Park Lane. Reports are not detailing much at the moment, and the police are remaining tight-lipped, but the unofficial report is that Halliwell was sexually assaulted, and the cause of death is assumed to be a result of multiple stab wounds. Police are urging any witnesses to come forward.
I cover my mouth with my hand, feeling sick. She was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death.
Oh God.
My eyes scan back over the text.
Late Saturday evening, a dog walker discovered the body of Haley Halliwell, 17, along with another unidentified person, who is currently in the hospital in critical condition.
Another unidentified person, who is currently in the hospital in critical condition.
Who was the other person? Who was she with? Did that person die as well?
Desperate to know, I open up a new window and type, Haley Halliwell, murder, 2009.
My screen fills with countless news stories. I skip the first link, as it’s the one I already read. I click on the next link.
Police reports now state that Haley Halliwell attended her high school prom on the evening of Saturday, June 6, 2009. At approximately eleven p.m., Halliwell and her companion—who will remain unnamed but has been identified to police and is not listed as a suspect in the case—entered Hyde Park to take a stroll after the festivity. Shortly after entering the grounds, Halliwell and her companion were approached by three unidentified males. Halliwell was sexually assaulted by more than one of the assailants. She also suffered from multiple stab wounds, but the actual cause of death was strangulation. Her companion—who was also attacked, suffering from multiple stab wounds to the torso—is currently in the hospital in critical condition.
It is still uncertain if they expect the victim to live.
I swallow back hard. Backing out, I go to another link.
Police are still searching for clues in the Haley Halliwell murder case. Authorities are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward.
All the reports seem to say the same. But there’s nothing about the other victim, if he or she survived, or if they caught the bastards who had done it.
Was the other victim Kas?
Bile rises in my throat at the thought.
I open another window and type in, Kastor Matis, Haley Halliwell, murder, 2009.
I scan the news stories, but Kas’s name isn’t mentioned in any. I delete the search and type in, Haley Halliwell, 2009, murder solved.
I click on the first link. It’s dated June 6, 2010.
A year later, police are still appealing for any witnesses in connection to the brutal rape and murder of Haley Halliwell to come forward. Halliwell, 17 at the time, had been attending her high school prom and then left with a friend to take a walk in Hyde Park. Her body was later found by a passerby. She had been raped and murdered. No suspects have been found so far in the horrific crime that has rocked the community.
They never found them. Her murder went unsolved. It was never mentioned if the other person lived or died. But I’m assuming that person lived; otherwise, they would have named him or her. It wouldn’t have just been known as the Haley Halliwell murder.
Kas knew and quite possibly loved a girl who was murdered in such a brutal way. And he might have also been with her on the night she was murdered.
My phone rings, startling me.
I scoop it up to see that it’s Jesse calling.
I take a few breaths to make myself sound normal. “Hey you,” I answer. “How are you doing?”
Things have been going well between Jesse and me since the shoplifting incident. We talk almost every day, and we text regularly.
“Hey, what are you up to?”
My eyes flicker to the laptop screen. I shut the lid down. “Uh, just watching TV. Cece’s working late. What are you up to?”
“Just got back from footy practice.”
“Yeah? How did it go?”
“All right.” I can just imagine him shrugging as he says it.
“What are your plans for the rest of the night?”
“Just gonna chill. Watch some TV. So…I was wondering…well, I was wondering if you’d fancy doing something tomorrow?”
My heart lifts. “With you?”
“Yeah.” He chuckles, and that laugh touches my heart and makes it soar.
“Of course,” I say, my voice pitching higher with excitement. “I would love that. What were you thinking?”
“I thought we could catch a train down to Brighton—you know, like we used to. Hang out on the beach, as the weather’s supposed to be good tomorrow. And there’s a fair on at the moment as well.”