Ghost Trail

”Tonight at 3:30am the body of Mrs. Josephine Sauveterre was found in Sawtooth national forest in Idaho. She was found mutilated in a cabin deep into the woods that looked to have been abandoned for years. ” The news reporter droned on with the usual fake concerned look on her face. Thats at least what they all looked like to Joel Sauveterre. It took the police a whole year to finally find where he had stashed his sister away. He expected it to be a little longer but he wasn complaining. 365 days was a long time to keep a body hidden in his mind.

He stood in the doorway of the little kitchen that led to his living room, sipping coffee from an old chipped whiskey tumbler. It would be a waste of money to purchase specific types of cups like mugs just for coffee. Joel crossed the living room and sat on his old spring mattress that was only covered with a singular thin blanket and an old pillow. While he watched the news on the small tv screen a small smile broke out on his face.

”Any fingerprints on her would be long rotted off her right?.. ” he chuckled sleepily, sipping his coffee. He remembered wearing gloves anyway so his fingerprints wouldn be on anything anyway. Joel smiled more as he realized that there was no way that any evidence could be directed at him. His parents were long dead as well, their bodies found. They had died of natural causes is what the news had said. That was what the public believed.

He watched the interview of the teenagers that had found the old cabin in the first place. ”Probably ran off to ** around in peace.. ” Joel mumbled to himself, his eyes never leaving the screen. It was a group of four teens, three guys and one girl. As he watched his smile faded when the girl of the group was being interviewed.

She had shoulder length brown hair, defined jawline, tight lips and puffy red eyes from crying. She wore a heavy blue coat with the furry hood over her head. When the interviewer asked what her name was her response damn near made Joel drop his cup.

”Josephine Maes. ” She sniffled, a Belgian accent traced her cracking voice. A simple coincidence is what he told himself it was but he quickly set his glass down on the carpeted floor and got up. He rushed to the tiny closet and yanked out an old cardboard box full of pictures and dumped them onto the floor. He searched for a specific one of a girl with a shoulder length brown hair, small lips, olive colored skin, and a define j