There were two skeletons wrapped in a sheet, partially covered by dirt, that drew my attention, and I couldn't look away, afraid they might vanish. My grandmother's words echoed: "They are going to take us away. Please help us." The anguish that was in her voice made me sob, nearly breaking me. We came to preserve my grandparents' remains, but seeing them in their makeshift resting place made me fall to my knees. A flood of emotions—sadness, anger, relief, and fear—ran through me. Whoever buried my family in this dark, damp ground was a monster. I cried not just for myself but also for my grandparents, my mom, her siblings, and the family we lost, torn apart by someone's greed.
"What is it?" Andy asked, peering over me into the grave. His surprise was clear as he staggered back, almost tripping over me. "A-a-are those skeletons?" he asked, trembling. "Roxanne, step back." Andy grabbed my shoulder. I heard him, but his voice felt distant; my body and mind were disconnected. All I could do was stare and keep crying.
"Skeletons?" Zeke asked, looking between us. My brain was in a fog, but I managed to nod in acknowledgment of his question. "Rocky, is this why you woke me up. Did you have another dream?" Words wouldn't form, and again, all I could do was nod.
"We need to call the police and get her inside. She's in shock," Zeke said anxiously. I couldn't understand how he remained so calm. I was a wreck, even though I knew what we would find in the woods; my mind refused to accept it. Zeke crouched down to help me up from the cold, damp ground, trying to soothe me. He scanned the woods again, making sure the men weren't returning to finish what they started. He hugged me, resting his chin on top of my head, rubbing my back in small circles. After he was sure I was calmer, he handed me over to Andy, who held me tightly.
Zeke walked away from us and called the sheriff's office, explaining the situation and what we found. The deputy on the line was surprised to learn that a grave had been found in the woods. The whole town thought that the Catalano family may have been buried there, but no one was brave enough to look. The deputy told him to meet them at the tree line so he could lead them to the grave.
"Andy, why not take her to the kitchen and make her some tea or coffee? If they need to talk to you, I'll send them to the house," Zeke said. He approached me, gently pulling me away from Andy and kissing my forehead. "Everything will be fine. Stay warm with your dad. I love you, Rocky."
"I-i-I Love you too, Z." was all I could say. Andy grabbed my arm and guided me out of the woods into the house. My body felt like it was on autopilot; it was functioning and doing everything it was supposed to, but my mind hadn't caught up. It was still in the woods with the unmarked grave. A blanket was draped over my shoulders; it was warm and comforting. Andy made me a cup of coffee, and we sat at the kitchen table in silence, listening to the sirens approaching and watching Zeke take them into the woods. Luckily, the kitchen windows faced the backyard, so we could see everything happening.
We sat staring out the window for a few hours, watching people walk in and out of the woods – crime scene technicians, a coroner, and several sheriff's deputies. Finally, Zeke emerged with the coroner and his assistant, not far behind him, with a body bag between them. Standing up, almost knocking my chair over, I was overcome by the overwhelming urge to stop them from taking the remains. I didn't want them to lose or mistreat my grandparents; they deserved a proper and respectful burial. Andy quickly stood up and guided me back to my chair, knowing there was nothing more I could do. It was now in the law's hands. The deputies said they couldn't confirm it was the Catalanos until the DNA test results were in. That test didn't matter to me; I knew it was them deep in my bones.
"Oh no, oh no," I whispered as tears started to form.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Andy asked, stroking my back.
"Donovan doesn't know. He has no idea we found their grave. We have to call Uncle Donovan before he finds out from someone else," I pleaded.
"Honey, it's 5 in the morning. Don't you think it's too early?" he asked, trying to reason with me.
"No, He has to know. It's going to break his heart," I sobbed.
"Roxanne, we don't know for sure it's them. We should wait for the reports," he reasoned.
"I know who they are. Please trust me. If I explain why, you'll think I'm crazy. Please call Uncle Donovan and tell him what we found. Please," I pleaded again.
"Ok, ok. I'll call him. Just stay here," he stated.
I watched him hurry out of the kitchen, his phone pressed roughly to his ear. Knowing he was calling Donovan only heightened my rising anxiety. Sitting at the table, my knee jittered uncontrollably, nerves fraying with each passing second, waiting for Zeke to return. Unable to bear the tension, I abruptly got up and marched to the front door. Andy was conspicuously absent. I swung the door open and stepped onto the front porch, heart pounding as I watched everyone scurry around in chaos. The whole situation felt utterly surreal and overwhelming.
The cold, sharp air felt both intense and oddly welcoming. As I looked around, I sensed I was being watched. My eyes immediately went to Ted's house, where he stood on the porch, staring directly at me while talking on his cell phone. His anger was evident, spilling out as he spoke to someone on the other end. It was definitely not a friendly conversation. His cold, piercing gaze made my skin crawl, yet I couldn't look away. At least I knew where he was, and he wasn't lurking outside my house.
My instincts told me he knew what we had discovered. We already suspected he was involved in the disappearance. He must have been behind tonight's event, or at least knew who was responsible. Zeke jogged up the porch towards me, breaking my eye contact with creepy Ted.
"How are you holding up?" His voice showed how concerned he was.
"I'm ok, maybe a little overwhelmed. I mean, this is what I wanted to find out where they were, but there was a small sliver of hope they survived like mom and Donovan," I said truthfully.
"I know, baby, but at least we found them," he says, trying to comfort me.
"Andy said we shouldn't be sure it's them until they can properly identify them, but I can feel it in my gut that it's them," I stated.
"He's just trying to make sure you don't get hurt. He really cares about you. Where is he anyway?" Zeke asked.
"He went to call Donovan to let him know about our discovery."
His ears must have been burning because he exited the house. "I got a hold of Donovan and explained the situation," Andy explained to us.
"How is he?"
"He's shocked and upset, as expected. He said if it's them, he will come here to help you bury them properly." If he came back, then the people involved would know he was alive and possibly try to hurt him. I needed to defer this until we got some answers. No more people would die in this family.
As if the night couldn't worsen, Sheriff Dawson sped into the driveway, nearly hitting one of his deputies' cars. He flung open his driver's door and quickly stepped out, scanning the area. When he saw us on the porch, he headed straight for Andy.
"Son, are you OK?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"I'm fine," Andy replied briefly, his gaze turning to me.
"You couldn't just leave it alone—you had to keep poking. Now you've unleased a whole nest of hornets. Can you handle the consequences, little girl?" The Sheriffs tone was full of sarcasm and anger.
"Is that a threat, Sheriff?" Zeke demanded angrily. Before Dawson could respond, Andy grasped his arm and yanked him off the porch, pulling him away from Zeke and me. We watched as they argued fiercely by his squad car until Andy suddenly threw his hands up in frustration and walked away. No one got any more sleep that night. Honestly, I was afraid to sleep, afraid another dream would come. We all stayed in the living room scanning the news for any coverage of tonight.
The next few days were intense as we waited for news of the identity of the remains. Uncle Donovan had called several times to check on us. I promised to call as soon as I knew something. By the end of the third day, there was a knocking on the front door. I opened it to see a sheriff's deputy and a man in a black suit. He definitely wasn't from the Sheriff's office.
"Hi, Miss Sleighton, I'm Deputy Henderson, and this is Agent Williams. We came to talk to you about the remains you found. Is this a good time?" he asked. Opening the door, I ushered them into the house to our living room. Zeke was sitting on the couch, looking surprised, when they walked in.
"How can we help you?" I asked, curious to see what information they had for us. The tall man in the black suit sat down and turned to us.
"We heard you found the remains in the woods. Could you tell me how you knew they were there?" He asked.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and saw flashlights shining from the woods behind my home. I thought someone was messing around on my property, so we naturally went to see if we could catch them." I explained, leaving out my dead grandmother, who came to me in a dream and told me someone was moving their remains. I'm sure he would think I had lost my marbles and have me locked up for being psycho.
"Recently, someone has pushed to have the Catalano case reopened. Do you know who they are?" he was fishing for answers; it was apparent.
"I'm well aware of the story. It was disclosed to me when I bought the house, but more than that, I have found out I'm related to them." Zeke squeezed my leg as if to say, "What are you doing?" He was scared that if it got out, they were my family, and someone would come to kill me, too.
"How did you come to that conclusion? Your surname is different than theirs." He was genuinely curious.
"There are pictures of my mom in this house, and I found my father in a journal she left here. We did a DNA test," I explained. My safety should have been my priority, but I wanted, no, I needed answers for my family.
"Who's your father?" The agent didn't let on what he was thinking. His face gave us no clues.
"Andy Dawson, the sheriff's son," I stated matter-of-factly.
Deputy Henderson's face was comical when he heard the news. He sat, looking back and forth between us, making me uncomfortable. Agent Williams must have noticed my discomfort with the deputy. He leaned over and asked him to wait outside.. When he was sure the deputy was gone, he leaned over towards us.
"Ok, I'll get straight to the point. We have been looking into the Catalano family's case for a long time. Donovan Catalano brought to our attention that foul play may be involved. We have also identified the remains," he stated.