My Sister's Murder by Melissa Willingham (book recommendations website .txt) 📕

“Beware of the ravenous wolves who come to you, wearing sheep’s clothing.” Matthew 7:15

Tuesday, March, 1st, 2011

Dear Diary,

My name is Jenna Johnson. I just turned eighteen today and you are a gift from my sister, Tracey. I had a wonderful birthday party. My friends and I had a great time. Mom and Dad really surprised me with an iPad. I’ve been begging for one for the last few weeks. Everyone showed up, including my Uncle Ronnie and his buddy, Dean. Everyone was here except for my sister.

March 31st will be her twenty-first birthday. Oh, dear diary, where is she? She left last night for a party. After arriving, her friends said she took off a couple of hours later, without telling anyone where she was going. She never returned.

Doesn’t she realize how worried we all are about her?  I’ve got a bad feeling about this. God, I hope she’s okay. I thought she’d be back by now. I can’t believe she actually missed my birthday. Why doesn’t she just come home?

***

Wednesday, March, 2nd, 2011

Dear Diary,

Tracey still hasn’t shown up yet. We called her boyfriend, Sean Eagan, but he said he doesn’t know where she is. He told Dad that the last time he saw my sister was around 9 o’clock. He confessed they had an argument over a girl who was throwing herself at Sean. Tracey thought he wanted the other girl’s attention. When he denied it, my sister slapped him and stormed off into the night.

He tried to follow in his Ford pick-up truck, but she’d vanished in her Toyota Corolla. After Dad got off the phone, he said something didn’t seem quite right with Sean’s story. Then he called the police to report Tracey missing. Since she’s been gone for nearly 48 hours, they told him to come to the station and fill out a missing person’s report. Mom has been so upset for the last two days. I guess I won’t tell her that I had a strange feeling come over me at 9:45, Monday night.      

***

Thursday, March, 3rd, 2011

Dear Diary,

Whenever I got home from school, Mom met me at the door and grabbed me. She hugged me so tightly that I almost couldn’t breathe. Then she began crying while mumbling my sister’s name over and over. I know she’s afraid that something bad has happened to Tracey. And honestly, so am I.

She’s never been irresponsible before. She’s never spent more than one night away from home. Where can she be? My sister and I have always had an inexplicable connection to one another. I wish it would work for me right now.

***

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Tonight was a really weird night. My best friend, Courtney, came over for a sleepover. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, at first. We ate a nice dinner with Dad and Mom. Uncle Ronnie and his pal, Dean, dropped in for supper, too. Those two always show up tired and hungry, wanting a good meal. They operate out of Ronnie’s garage, doing mechanic work for a living. They mentioned they were at the same party Tracey was, but they left before the argument started with Sean.

Once they’d gone home, my parents went to bed. Courtney and I sat up a while longer, just chatting about life in general. She went to bed and left me to do the same. As I put on my nightgown and housecoat, I thought I heard someone calling my name. It sounded like Tracey’s voice. I walked through the house and even stepped outside to look around. But, there was no one there. I guess it was just my imagination.

***

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Mom is still fretting over Tracey’s disappearance. I feel really bad for her. I considered telling her I thought I heard my sister calling me last night, but decided not to. I mean, I only imagined it, right?  I’ll bet it was the wind. I do wish Tracey would hurry up and come back home. I’m really starting to miss her. It just isn’t like her to leave us hanging, without a word.

Maybe she was mad at Sean that night, yet that’s no excuse for her to simply drop out of sight. I keep listening for her to call my cell phone. I’m waiting for her car to pull up in the driveway. It’s weird, not seeing it parked out front or finding her somewhere in the house.

***

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Dear Diary,

My parents and I went to church today. Many people there watched us curiously, as if hoping for some word of my sister. But, no one has heard from Tracey since Monday. After we got home, we ate a simple meal and I came to my room. I had quite a fright earlier tonight, while I was brushing my teeth. I was facing the mirror and I glanced down briefly into the sink. When I looked back up, I nearly jumped out of my own skin.

There in the glass, I saw Tracey staring back at me. “Jenna, help me,” she whispered. She was wearing the pink heart-shaped necklace Sean gave her for Valentine’s. She had it on the night she went to the party. I blinked quickly and her reflection disappeared. I guess it was my imagination acting up again. I remember when we were both kids. She got lost in the woods and used mental telepathy to help me find her. But, I don’t suppose she’s doing that this time or is she?

***

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Dear Diary,

It has now been exactly one week since Tracey left this house for a party. She hasn’t called or returned since that night. Dad called all of her known friends and coworkers to ask about her. But, none of them could tell us where she is.

I’m wondering whether or not I should let my parents know I saw my sister in my bathroom mirror last night. Probably not, I mean, who’d believe me anyway? Besides, it couldn’t have been her, could it? Am I losing my mind or what? I think I just miss my sister so much that I’m hallucinating or something.

***

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Today was a gloomy day for my parents and me. A farmer plowing his field came across the burned-out shell of an automobile. Police discovered it was registered to a Tracey Johnson, my sister. They had it impounded for evidence. Nothing was found among the ashes, no personal items and no body.

What happened to my poor sister? Why was her vehicle burnt beyond recognition? This doesn’t bode well for her being safe and sound. Oh, God, I’m so scared! I cried when I heard the news report on TV earlier today. I just want to know where Tracey is.

***

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Dear Diary,

A search party was organized and sent out to comb the area surrounding the farmer’s property. He had been away for two weeks and just returned yesterday. So, he never noticed anything amiss until now. There were many volunteers who joined the search. Dad, Uncle Ronnie and his friend, Dean, to name a few, lent a helping hand.

Sean Eagan even offered his assistance as well. He came by to extend a gesture of compassion to us. Mom wouldn’t have anything to do with him. I think she believes he did something terrible to Tracey. However, Dad was more accepting of Sean’s friendly gesture. 

***

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Dear Diary,

The search continues and so far, it has turned up nothing. Detectives are branching out to canvas the neighborhoods. None of us want to consider this possibility, but we know that because of Tracey’s car being set afire, she may be dead. Police are treating her case as a possible homicide, they told us.

It was suggested by a family friend that she may have been kidnapped. We kind of rule this out because there have been no demands for ransom. Dear Lord, my sister can’t be deceased, can she? What would I do without her in this world?

***

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Dear Diary,

Today, we put up flyers all over town. It was truly a labor of love, for our beloved Tracey. Hopefully, someone who knows something will see one and give us some information. If she’s out there injured, maybe we can find her in time. We haven’t given up on that prospect. If she ran away for some reason, perhaps she’ll at least call to ease our minds.

And even if she’s no longer in this world, we still want to find her and give her a proper burial. Gosh, I don’t want to think like that. Please, let her be all right. I miss hanging out together and joking around, with her just like we used to do.

***

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Dear Diary,

I feel so helpless these days. I wish I could do something to help find my sister. But, I don’t know what to do. Since I couldn’t think of anything else, I went into Tracey’s bedroom across the hall from mine. The police have already been in there and bagged up some of her personal items.

When I snooped around earlier, I didn’t find anything of value at first. Then I remembered how Tracey kept a diary herself. She showed me where the hiding place was and told me if anything ever happened to her, to read it. She didn’t want anyone else to know where she’d hidden it. I slipped in her closet and located the small, brown leather-bound volume hidden under a thick quilt. What a treasure I’ve uncovered! I plan to start reading it tomorrow to see what, if any, important information it might reveal within its pages. 

***

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Dear Diary,

After church, I began reading the diary. It made me feel a connection to my sister. We’ve always been so close, Tracey and me. We could talk about anything, no matter what it was. Even so, I still feel like an interloper. It’s like I’m eavesdropping and intruding in on her personal thoughts; her private moments. She writes about Sean a lot. Here is a sample of her words:

“Sean is my one true love, the kind some people wait a lifetime for. I knew when we met that sparks were flying. He is so good to me. He listens when I speak and doesn’t interrupt. He surprises me with little gifts and showers me with affection. He makes love to me with his whole heart. We love each other so much. I believe we’ll be happily married someday.”

***

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Dear Diary,

It has been two weeks since she disappeared. The search for her continues and I’m still reading her diary. I’m looking for clues, yet I don’t know what I hope to find. Tracey talks about how much she likes her job at Croft and Turner. She’s a secretary at a prestigious law firm in town.

Her dream is to be an attorney. She wants to defend those who’ve been wrongly accused of crimes and help exonerate them through DNA. She writes about her fondness of family and friends. After reading this, I don’t believe she’d ever willingly walk away from us. There must be a darn good reason why she hasn’t come home. If she was able to return to us, I know that she would. Here is a sample of her words:

“I adore my family and I hope to make them so proud. They mean everything to me. Mom and Dad are the best parents anyone could ask for. Jenna is my best friend and the sweetest sister in the whole world. Dad’s brother, Ronnie, is so funny and cool. He hangs out with a guy named Dean Maguire. My friends are awesome and I enjoy spending time with them. Life’s good and I’m so happy.”          

***

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Dear Diary,

The first half of my sister’s diary seemed cheerful and upbeat. I