Ghost Peppers Chapter 2

Part 1, Chapter 2

The morning sun cast a cold light over the quiet houses on Heritage Lane as Detectives Penelope Peppers and Tony Clifford arrived at the crime scene. Penny took in the somber, tidy street, her instincts tingling with the heaviness of what awaited them inside. Jasmine Carter, the couple’s daughter, had returned from a sleepover to find her parents dead, and it fell on Penny and Tony to untangle the horrific details.

As they approached the house, an officer lifted the yellow tape. "It’s rough in there," he muttered grimly.

Penny exchanged a look with Tony, then they stepped inside. The house was eerily quiet, the living room untouched, filled with faint morning light. A few steps down the hall, the smell of blood hit them, metallic and sharp. They continued to the master bedroom.
Adam Carter lay zip-tied on the bed, his face turned to the side, eyes closed. His neck showed deep bruising from where he’d been strangled. Next to his head, a white pillowcase monogrammed with a “J” lay carefully placed on the bed. But what caught Penny’s eye was Alice Carter.

Alice lay positioned on the other side of the bed, dressed in a striking red lace bra and panties, arranged with a meticulousness that sent chills down Penny’s spine. The color and style were eerily familiar. Only a few weeks earlier, Jackie had bought her an identical set, a gift that had been given with such thought and care. Seeing it now, staged in this cold and clinical way, was a jarring contradiction that unsettled her deeply.

Her pulse quickened, but she kept her composure, moving closer to examine the scene. She caught Tony’s eye, and he seemed to pick up on her reaction, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if she was alright. She gave him a slight nod, tucking the memory away as best she could.

A forensic tech snapped photos of the bodies, and another carefully bagged and tagged an empty Amazon box found on the dresser—unmarked, no labels or addresses.

Tony leaned toward her, keeping his voice low. “No forced entry. Whoever did this either had access or was let in.”
“Agreed,” Penny replied, scanning the room. “And whoever it was, they weren’t rushed. Everything’s too… deliberate.”
Penny glanced over at the forensic tech. “Make sure you get prints, fibers—anything off that box,” she said. The tech nodded, moving to collect further evidence.

As they finished their sweep of the scene, Penny and Tony stepped back outside. Jasmine Carter sat alone on the curb, her face pale, eyes rimmed red. Penny felt a tug of empathy as she approached the girl, who looked up at her with a haunted expression.
“Jasmine?” Penny’s voice was gentle as she knelt to meet the girl’s eyes.

Jasmine nodded, hugging her knees tightly. “I… I came home from my friend’s, and… I thought they were sleeping. But they… they were…”

Penny offered a slight nod, giving Jasmine a moment to process. “I’m so sorry, Jasmine. I know this is incredibly hard.”
Jasmine’s face grew tense, her lips pressed into a thin line. “My dad was… a hard man. Strict. He… we didn’t always get along. But my mom… she didn’t deserve this.” Her voice broke, and she looked away, her gaze distant.

Penny’s heart ached for her. “It’s okay. I understand,” she replied, her voice steady and calm.

Jasmine sniffed, wiping her nose. “I know they argued sometimes. Mostly because of him. He always wanted things done his way. Mom used to tell me… she used to say she wished he was different.”

Tony, standing nearby, stepped in gently. “Jasmine, do you remember if your parents had any visitors recently? Anyone who might’ve seemed out of place?”

Jasmine shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so… Not anyone I saw, anyway.”

Penny nodded, feeling Jasmine’s frustration and loss. “You’ve been very brave, Jasmine,” she said softly. “If you remember anything, even the smallest detail, please let us know.”

Jasmine managed a shaky nod as she was led to a waiting officer’s car, her face turning blank with the weight of what she had seen.
Penny turned back to Tony, and they both shared a grim look as they surveyed the house once more. There was something intimate, almost taunting, in the way the scene had been staged—the identical lingerie, the careful positioning, the pillowcase monogrammed as though to make a point. Penny’s mind whirled with questions, her own personal connection to that red lingerie set gnawing at her in the back of her mind.

“This feels personal,” Tony muttered, breaking the silence. “Someone’s sending a message.”
Penny’s jaw tightened. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning, that they were about to step into something far darker than they could have anticipated. The lingering memory of Jackie’s gift was unsettling in a way she couldn’t yet articulate. But she knew one thing for certain: the clues in this case were closer to home than she would have liked, and that fact alone made her blood run cold.