The Evidence

I remember that day. It was cold, grey, and damp. I stood out there looking for one specific thing: the evidence. I had no idea what it would look like or the shape it would be in, but I knew, I just knew it was there. As the wind swirled around that little white shack, I knew it would be a matter of time before it was gone. Why was this piece of evidence so important you might ask? Well, here's the story of what happened to me.

It was a warm sunny night in July. You know the kind of night where the sun does not set until nine o'clock and you sit outside chatting with the neighbors. Well, I hardly knew this night would change my life. I was 15 years old and some of the neighborhood kids decided to walk down to the local swimming hole. I remember it so vividly that I can almost feel myself walking through the fields. Anyways, while we were down at that swimming hole, something happened. I remember Johnny yelling for me to get over there, that he had found something. I remember he was so excited yet so surprised.

Well, I walked over there and saw the girl. She was about 10 years old and so beautiful. She looked so peaceful laying there in the deep brush. I think her name was Allie or something like that. We ran back across the field to Mr. Matthew's house and called Detective White. Boy, what an interesting individual he was, all pompous and talking in his Dixieland accent. I can hear him now "Ya'll fellas git o'er here or ya'll be fixin' to be goin' down to that hole yourselves". Anyways, we took him down to where we found the girl and he investigated and looked around. It had been five months and no word from Detective White on who had done this to poor Allie.

By now I was 16 years old, had a birthday in September. I decided to search for the evidence Detective White always needed. Now at 35, I was still searching for the evidence. Detective White passed away a few years before so I was on my own. That's how I ended up at that little white shack. I searched up and down that little shack many times before, but had a feeling I missed something. I didn't know what it could be, but maybe just maybe I could find it and bring justice to poor Allie.

I walked around the house to the back and peered into the window. I didn't see much just a few old dishes, some books, a wood stove, and some old clothes. Nothing seemed to jump out at me so I continued to survey the land around the shack. By now it was beginning to get dark. I knew I only had a short time to continue my search. As I turned every leaf and rock over, nothing came about. I was feeling as if poor Allie would never have justice. I didn't find anything, but I kept thinking about those books. I knew there was something inside that shack that would lead me to the evidence.

I broke open the door at the front of the shack and worked my way through the dark with my flashlight to those books. I opened one and nothing. The second book was full of writing. I had seen this particular handwriting before, but who's? That's when it struck me. These books had belonged to Detective White, but why were they at the shack? I began reading the passages. There were names of people, one of whom was little Allie. Next to Allie's name there were two dates - one of which was the day Johnny found her and the other appeared to be her birthday. But why would Detective White have these dates in his book? I decided to take the books home with me so I could analyze the information.

As I walked back to my car, it was dark, no clouds in the sky. It was sort of eerie so I began to walk a little more briskly, as my car was parked at the edge of the property. As I went along, I tripped and fell. When I looked up, I found a little silver locket with the letter "A" inscribed on it. I knew this is what I had been looking for at this little white shack. I opened up the locket and found two pictures - one was Allie smiling probably about 8 years old. The other was Allie down at the water hole. My heart sunk and a tear ran down my face.

Why had this little shack gone so long without being looked at as part of Detective White's investigation? That's when it hit me. I had to find out who owned this property. I rushed home and pulled up the county archives and to my disgust, I knew I had identified Allie's killer! But why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it have been a stranger or a vagrant? Why him?!!!

I picked up my jacket and headed out the door. I drove for what felt like an eternity until I found for who I was looking. I knocked on the door. "Daniel?" he said. "Johnny, we need to talk. I found the evidence", I said. Johnny just looked at me as if he saw a ghost. I knew he knew everything was over.