Fans of classic soul will know the song.

Oh, Jimmy Mack, when are you coming back?

In another world it would be funny, but for years I asked that very question.

You see, my fiancé’s name is Jimmy Mack. He disappeared without a trace in 2018.

How do you disappear without a trace these days? It just doesn’t seem possible in a modern world, where almost everyone is somehow connected. Yet he did; he vanished. The police were baffled, private investigators were a waste of money, and my own attempts at sleuthing were futile.

If it wasn’t for the fact that we were ridiculously in love and things were so perfect, I wouldn’t have tried so hard. But everything was a vomit inducing fairytale for us. Even our names were cute af; Jimmy & Jessie sittin’ in a tree… I know he loved me as much as I loved him, and he would have done anything for me.

I heard all the theories. ‘Jess… Maybe he has a secret family… He might have been involved with criminals… Perhaps he took his own life…’

They didn’t know Jimmy like I did. I know you can never really know someone fully, but I knew those things could never be true of him. So I became estranged from family and friends, my life consumed with finding Jimmy. Every penny was spent on expensive investigation and cheap booze.

But then came the intervention. My mom, brother, and best friend Lori came to my apartment one evening. Mom took my hands.

“I want my daughter back,” she cried. And as I met the eyes of those closest to me it was like a weight had lifted. I dropped to the floor and cried for hours, releasing years of internal pain. It was exactly what I needed.

It wasn’t that I never thought of Jimmy again, but I began to move on. I even went on a couple of dates, and attended therapy sessions. There’s a whole psychology behind mourning an unexplained loss. I found it all very helpful.

Then I received a handwritten letter:

Dear Jessie,

You don’t know me but I have information about the disappearance of your fiancé James Mack in March 2018.

If you are interested in finding out more, meet me at Marcy’s Diner off [redacted]. I will be there between the hours of 20:00 and 22:00 every evening from Monday 13th - Friday 17th.

Come alone and sit in a window booth. I will make myself known as soon as I feel it’s safe to do so.

I repeat; come alone. If there’s any indication you have alerted the authorities, or discussed this with friends/family, the offer is void.

This offer is time sensitive. If you don’t visit the diner between those dates and times I will assume you are not interested. This will never be offered to you again in future.

Regards,

Anon

My hands trembled as months of progress began to unravel. I poured a shot of vodka and downed it, followed by one more to take the edge off. I was so close to calling Lori, her number ready to speed dial. I needed someone to talk sense into me, to tell me it was a hoax.

‘Don’t go through with it Jessie, it’s just some sicko taking advantage of your grief. Let’s go for cocktails!’

But I put my phone down and read the letter again. And again. I read it over and over, looking for something I might have missed despite the contents being clear.

◈

Monday came around. I pulled into the Marcy’s Diner car park just after 20:00, observing the patrons from the safety of my car. It looked pretty empty. Some tourists, a few trucker types. It was a convenient rest spot due to its location off the highway. No one screamed I have information about your beloved Jimmy Mack, like there was a physical description for that type of person.

I hung around for an hour or so before I chickened out and drove home. Rinse and repeat Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. On Thursday I didn’t even think about it. I parked up just before 20:00 and stepped out of my car, hesitating for the slightest moment before entering the chrome and candy stripe diner.

A few people observed me briefly before going back to their hot mugs and oversized burgers. As instructed I found a vacant window booth. They were all vacant. I chose the one furthest from the entrance. As I sat down I thought why the fuck did you think that was a good idea? My anxiety stopped me from switching seats regardless.

“Evening darlin’,” said a blond 40-something waitress wearing a blue gingham dress. She held a pot of coffee as she smiled down at me. “What can I get for you?”

“Oh, erm,” I was going to say nothing but realized that would be weird. “Coffee is good, thank you.”

She turned over a white mug that was on the table amongst novelty condiment bottles and laminated menus.

“Can I get you a slice of pie darlin’?” she said as she poured the coffee. “Cherry or chocolate-pecan.”

My stomach was in knots but I didn’t want to appear rude, so I opted for a slice of cherry pie. It arrived barely a minute later and I thanked her, then proceeded to tap my fingers on the table as I discreetly looked around the diner.

After an hour had passed I was three mugs of coffee down and had finished the pie, which was delicious. For a moment I’d forgotten my purpose for being there, beginning to relax a little. Then the door opened and a man walked in, giving me a quick glance as he headed to the counter. He wore a camo parka and what I’d call worker jeans, with a black baseball cap. He turned around after being handed a mug and I averted my eyes, looking out of the window. I could see his reflection getting closer to my table. When he stopped in my peripheral vision I turned, and he slipped into the seat opposite me.

“Jessie,” he said with a nod. “Pleased to see you inside the diner this evening.”

He had chiselled features and a little stubble. I put him in his early 40s. I cleared my throat.

“And what do I call you?”

He smiled. “You can call me Mike if it makes this easier for you.”

I shifted in my seat, trying to get comfortable. I folded my arms, then unfolded them, then put them on the table.

“Relax,” he said.

I let out a quick laugh. “That’s easy for you to say. I have no idea who you are. I don’t even know why I’m here, you gave no proof that you actually know anything about Jimmy.”

“I know everything,” he said deadpan. “And I’ll tell you if you want to hear it.”

I stared into his eyes until I felt mine glaze over, then cleared my throat again. “Let me guess; for a price?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want your money, Jessie.”

“Why now?” I snapped. “Do you know what these past 5 years have been like for me?” I felt tears coming on and he went to reach for my hand, but I recoiled. He pulled his hands away and looked apologetic.

“Unbearable, devastating, frustrating…”

“All the above!” I said as tears started to fall. “I couldn’t function at times. I stopped looking after myself. I abandoned my friends and family. It’s crazy how someone can do that to you.”

“Because you were in love,” he said.

“We were in love. We were the fucking Shutterstock image of love. And when that ends abruptly without explanation…”

“Everything alright darlin’?” the waitress interrupted, holding out a tissue. She glared at Mike. I took the tissue and nodded.

“Yes, thank you. I’m fine. Sorry, I’ll keep it down.”

“Don’t be sorry darlin’, you just let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“I will, thank you.”

She walked away and I wiped my eyes, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I can only apologize for how you’ve been feeling,” he said. “But I’m here to make it right. You could say I developed a conscience, or moral compass. I don’t know. I’m a changed man.”

I looked at him with confusion. “I don’t understand?”

“It’s easier if I show you,” he said. “But not here. You have to ask yourself if you trust me enough to go for a drive.”

“In your car?” I said. “Absolutely not!”

“Okay, how about if you drive?”

“To the middle of nowhere I bet?”

“Look Jessie,” he said, his eyes burning into me. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m really trying here, but if you’d rather leave it I get it.”

Call me stupid or naive, but something in his eyes made him appear somewhat genuine. I took a crazy chance.

“No… I need to know what happened to him.”

Mike nodded then raised a hand. “Say, could I get a slice of pie to go?”

◈

As predicted we were driving further into the wilderness than I would have preferred. The passing cars were few and far between.

“How much further?” I asked. “I might need to stop for gas.”

“Not too far now,” said Mike. “If you don’t mind sharing, do you remember the last moments you spent with James?”

I sighed. “I do, but I can’t remember the last time anyone called him James outside of the media. He hated it. He’d been Jimmy since elementary school.”

“Sorry,” he said. “Tell me about that last day you spent with Jimmy.”

“It was an ordinary day. A Wednesday. We woke up, had breakfast. I went to work, Jimmy worked from home. He called me on my lunch break like usual, just to hear your voice he always said. God, we were insufferable.” I let out a laugh.

“Take the next left,” said Mike. “I’m listening.”

“So yeah. We had a little chat, then I went back to work. I got home and Jimmy had already started dinner. He was a much better cook than me. We drank wine, watched a movie.”

“What movie did you watch?”

“The Notebook,” I laughed. “For the umpteenth time. I know, I hate us too.”

“Keep driving straight,” said Mike. “It’s a few minutes away.”

“What is?” I asked.

“What happened after the movie?” he said.

“Nothing, we went to bed.”

“Did you make love?”

I briefly turned to him in disapproval. “Excuse me?”

“Did you fuck?” he said, unflinching.

I shook my head. “No, sorry to disappoint you. Now where the hell are you taking me?”

“It’s just up here,” he said. “So you went to bed and then you never saw him again?”

I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Jimmy had already gone when I woke up. No note, no text. It was strange but I didn’t think too much of it at the time. I sent him a text asking where he was. When half the day went by with no response I started to worry.”

“And the rest is history, as they say.”

I nodded as I fought back tears.

“We’re here,” said Mike.

I looked around. It was dark, but from what the headlights illuminated I couldn't see anything but trees.

“What’s here?”

“Just stop the car. It’s a short walk.”

I felt my heart race as my vulnerable situation became apparent. I really was in the middle of nowhere with a strange man, one who had withheld information about my missing fiancé for 5 years. I stared at him wide eyed.

He shrugged. “I’m not really sure what I can say to make you more comfortable?”

I slowly reached for my bag and pulled out a pocket pistol. Mike let out a surprised laugh.

“Maybe I don’t need to say anything?” he said.

“This makes me more comfortable,” I said.

He nodded. “Fair enough. Let’s go.”

◈

After walking for several minutes, feeling grateful that I’d opted for comfortable footwear that evening, we came to a cabin within the trees. The porch was lit.

‘Jessie; you know better than this girl’ I thought to myself, my hand clutching the pistol inside my bag.

“Why did it have to be a cabin in the woods?” I said, Mike a few feet in front of me.

“I like solitude,” he said. “I can’t think of anything worse than living in the city.”

We walked up the steps to the porch area. At one end there was a single chair with a blanket on it, and a small table with some beer bottles. At the other end I spotted some deep red patches on the floorboards. Mike noticed me looking.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s deer blood. I’m pretty self sufficient out here.”

We entered the cabin and Mike turned on the lights. It was quite basic, not overly decorated. There were some framed pictures on the walls, a dinner table, and a living area with some chairs, a small television and a log burner.

“I’m kind of disappointed there’s no stag’s head mounted on the wall,” I said as I took in my surroundings.

Mike shrugged. “I don’t see the animals as a prize. It’s food, survival. There are a few skulls out back if you want to check them out?”

I shook my head. “I’m good.”

Mike put the slice of pie he’d got from Marcy’s on the kitchen counter.

“Water, beer?” He opened the fridge and pulled out a beer bottle.

“This isn’t a social visit,” I said. “And call me paranoid but that would make me very stupid."

He nodded. “You’re right, I hope you don’t mind if I have one though.” He screwed off the cap and took a swig. “Let’s sit.” He motioned to the living area and I followed him.

“You know it’s dangerous to leave your fire burning when you’re not home,” I said, feeling the warmth from the log burner as I took a seat on an armchair. I kept my bag by my side and my hand on the pistol.

“It gets cold in here,” he said, sitting on another chair. “I’ll take my chances.”

He spoke about his cabin for a while, the whole time I became increasingly more uncomfortable due to the fact that I’d needed the bathroom since leaving the diner.

“I’d like to get straight to the point,” I said. “But I really need to use the bathroom.”

“Sure,” he said, pointing to a door down a hallway. “Over there.”

The bathroom was clean enough, though I did my business without touching the toilet seat. Something that had become a habit when using strange or public bathrooms. As I washed up I heard a groaning noise that sounded like it came from another room in the cabin. My heart jolted.

“Mike?” I said, creeping out of the bathroom. I had my bag over my shoulder and my shaking hand gripped the pistol. “What was that sound?”

I peeked over to the living area and couldn’t see him. I started to panic.

“Mike?” I said loudly. “This isn’t cool. Where are you?”

I heard that muffled groaning noise again and jumped, turning on the spot. There was another door further down the hall. Against my better judgement I crept closer to it, flinching each time the groan was emitted. It got louder the closer I got to the door.

“Mike?” I said, my whole body trembling.

“Sorry Jessie,” I heard Mike say from behind, and suddenly a cloth covered my mouth. My bag slipped from my shoulder but I still had the gun in my hand which I lifted as I struggled. Mike brought his other arm around me and squeezed tight, pinning my arms to my body. I became lightheaded as I breathed in chemicals.

“Shush,” he said quietly in my ear. “Just let it be.”

As I blacked out I was screaming inside my head. ‘You stupid girl!’

◈

When I came to my vision was momentarily blurred, but as I focused I saw Mike opposite me. We were sitting at the dinner table.

“Welcome back,” he said. I attempted to stand but my right hand was cuffed to the table leg. I pulled on it several times until pain shot through my arm. “That’s solid oak. I mean, you might get free but probably at the expense of your wrist.”

“You bastard!” I screamed. “Let me go. Help! Help me please!”

“Calm down Jessie,” he said. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you there’s no one out here to help you.”

I started to cry as I shook. “Oh God… What are you going to do to me? Are you going to…”

“I told you already, I’m not going to hurt you! Though that wasn’t completely true because I’m sure you have a splitting headache right now?”

He got up and retrieved a small bottle from a cupboard, then filled a glass from the faucet. He placed the glass in front of me as well as two pills from the bottle.

“Paracetamol. You’ll thank me later.”

“I’ll never thank you!” I screamed, then moaned as my head pounded. I reluctantly picked up the pills and swallowed them with water. “Why am I cuffed?”

As he spoke he walked across the cabin. “Because I believe what you’re about to hear would cause you to run. When I’m done you’re more than welcome to leave, you have my word.”

He returned with a MacBook and placed it on the table. It looked alien amongst the cabin interior. My surprised expression must have been clear.

“I’m not a Luddite,” he said. “I have WiFi and Netflix just like you city folks.”

“Great,” I said sarcastically. “But you really need to start talking.”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to give demands,” he said. “But very well. Here’s the first thing you’re not going to like hearing: I’ve been inside your apartment.”

My jaw dropped. “Wha… What?”

He opened the MacBook and tapped on the keyboard, then showed me the screen. There were several images of my apartment interior. I picked up the glass and took a swig of water, wishing it was something stronger. “Why were you in my apartment Mike?”

“Well, here’s the next thing: I’m a serial killer.”

I shifted back on the chair and pulled on the cuffs, starting to hyperventilate. “Oh God oh God oh God…”

“Calm down Jessie,” he said.

“Give me a fucking break,” I shouted. “Jesus Christ!” I clung onto the cuffs with my free hand and pulled hard, groaning. The table only moved ever so slightly but I felt like I’d run a marathon. I sat up and stared at Mike as I breathed heavily. “You killed Jimmy?”

“I target lovers,” he said. “I observe them for months before I take things further. When the time is right I abduct one. Which one I choose is more down to opportunity than anything else. Then I pose a question: Are you prepared to sacrifice yourself for the one you love? Make a choice; you or them.”

I covered my mouth with a trembling hand. “Oh Jimmy… You sacrificed yourself for me.”

Mike tapped on the keys some more. “I install secret cameras in the lovers’ homes when they’re out. Like I said, I observe them for months, and not just outside. I need to get a feel for their relationship before I intervene. It has to be true love or it just doesn’t feel right. And you only get to see the real deal when no one else is looking. Excessive PDAs are often a sign of insecurity, they mean nothing really.”

He turned the screen back to me and a video was playing. “I edited this just for you.”

It showed Jimmy and I sitting at our breakfast bar. In the corner of the screen was Mar 7th 2018, 07:54.

“Wait!” I said, pausing the video. “I don’t think I want to see this.”

“You have to, Jessie. I’m sorry. You’re free to leave once it's over.”

I felt my heart through my chest. “Can I at least take you up on that drink?”

He got up and walked to the fridge, taking out a beer.

“Do you have anything stronger?” I asked.

He nodded and reached under the kitchen counter, then returned with a whisky bottle and two tumblers. He poured two measures and pushed one towards me, then sat back down.

“We’re all out of ice unfortunately.”

“Fuck the ice,” I said, downing it in one gulp. I closed my eyes as I felt my chest burn inside, then signalled for Mike to top me up. After a moment I hit play on the screen.

◈

Mar 7th 2018, 07:54

Jimmy and I eat breakfast. He picks up a strawberry and rubs it against my lips.

“Stop it,” I say, giggling as I slap his arm. “I have to leave shortly.”

“Come on Jess,” he says. “Open wide.” He puts the strawberry in my mouth then gently kisses my lips.

“To be continued,” I say, getting off the stool and grabbing my things.

“No fair!” he sulks.

“Have a good day babe,” I say, kissing his cheek.

“I love you, Jess,” he says, momentarily holding me against him.

“I love you more,” I say, pulling away to run to the door. “See you this evening.”

09:11

Jimmy comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around him, then goes to the bedroom.

10:36

Jimmy sits at the table on his laptop and takes a few work related calls.

12:05

Jimmy takes another call. “Hey you. Yeah. No, she won’t be back until like 7 at the earliest.”

I took another sip of whisky and briefly met Mike’s eyes as he watched me. I held the glass close to my chest, my knuckles white.

Jimmy continued. “Absolutely, I’d love to see you… Great, see ya soon.”

12:48

The buzzer rings and Jimmy uses the intercom. “It’s open.”

I downed the whisky and pushed the glass towards Mike. He leaned over and poured another measure.

Jimmy opens the door and in comes my best friend Lori. She embraces him.

13:09

They sit on the couch together.

“Shit, I’ve got to call Jess,” says Jimmy. “It’s our thing.”

“Seriously?” says Lori.

“Yep, every lunch break without fail. She’ll get paranoid if I don’t.”

Fucking asshole. It was never something I asked for or insisted on. Whatever makes him feel better.

He makes the call and puts a finger against his lips. In the meantime Lori unzips his fly and feels inside.

“Hey baby, how’s your day going? Ah, that’s awesome! Yeah, it’s been a productive morning. I’m gonna heat up some soup, what are you having?”

He puts his other hand behind Lori’s head and pushes it into his lap. His head slowly tilts back.

“That sounds amazing. Okay, well I just wanted to hear your voice baby. And you, can’t wait to see you later. Love you too. Bye.”

16:32

They come out of the bedroom and Lori puts on her shoes. Jimmy puts his arms around her from behind and nuzzles her neck.

“Do you have to leave already?” he says.

“What if she comes home?” says Lori.

“I promise you she won’t be home for a while. Come on.”

She turns and slaps his chest. “You’re a bad boy, Jimmy Mack.” They kiss.

17:43

They chop vegetables in the kitchen.

“I wish we were cooking for us,” says Jimmy.

“Me too,” says Lori. “We really should tell her soon. It’s gone on long enough.”

Tears stream as I finish my third whisky.

He nods. “I know. I keep trying. I already know how tonight will go. We’ll eat dinner and then she’ll want to watch some shit like The Notebook.”

Lori laughs. “I feel so bad for you.”

“She’s such a hopeless romantic,” he says.

“Hopeless being the operative word,” laughs Lori.

“Me-ow!” he laughs.

Mar 8th 2018, 01:22

The door to our apartment opens and in comes a tall figure dressed in black. They slowly open our bedroom door and creep inside. After a few minutes Jimmy leaves the room in a t-shirt and boxers, his hands up as he’s followed by the figure at gunpoint. They leave the apartment.

◈

I sat in silence staring at the screen.

“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through Jessie,” said Mike. “But as you can see he didn’t deserve your pain and suffering.”

I put the glass on the table and wiped the tears from my face. “Maybe not. But he didn’t deserve to die.”

“Would you say the same if you knew he chose you?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, like I said. I take one of the lovers and give them a choice. I’d never experienced something like this, having only observed genuine love. It threw me. He was a lying piece of shit but I still posed the question.”

Mike found another video and played it.

Jimmy is sitting on a chair in a dark room under a hanging light, his arms tied behind his back. He struggles to free himself.

“James Mack,” says Mike offscreen.

“Who are you?” screams Jimmy. “I’ll fucking kill you when I get free!”

“How much do you love Jessie?”

“What?”

“Would you die for her?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jimmy shouts.

“Would you die for her?” Mike roars, coming into shot and putting his forehead against Jimmy’s. He holds a gun at his side.

Jimmy recoils. “I… I…”

“It’s you or her James!” Mike cocks the gun and holds it against Jimmy’s head. “Make your decision.”

“Her!” Jimmy cries. “Take Jessie! You’ll be doing me a fucking favor you psycho!”

Mike stopped the video as I covered my mouth. “How does that make you feel Jessie?”

I shook my head. “I’d like to see what your response would be if someone held a gun to your head.”

He nodded. “Fair point. But just so you know, I’ve targeted 5 couples so far and they all chose to sacrifice themselves.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I hate him for this but he still didn’t deserve to die.”

Mike came over and took a key out of his pocket, then released the cuff around my wrist. I gripped it with my other hand and held it against my chest.

“Oh, he’s not dead Jessie,” said Mike, walking to the kitchen counter. He picked up the box containing the pie.

“What?”

He walked across the room down the hall, then stopped at the door at the end.

“You’re free to go Jessie,” he said. “Or you can come say hi.”

He pushed open the door then disappeared. I got up and frantically looked around the cabin. I saw my bag sitting on a coffee table and rummaged inside. My gun, my keys, my phone were all there. I ran to the main door and breathed in the cool night air, then hesitated. I looked over my shoulder.

You stupid girl I repeated in my head over and over as I approached the door down the hall. There was a staircase leading down into a dimly lit basement. I could hear Mike’s voice and some groans as I slowly began to descend, my body trembling. There was a vile smell that got worse with every step. It made me retch.

When I got to the bottom I saw Mike standing over the figure of a pale man that sat with his back to me. He was wearing rags, and the skin I could see was dirty and covered in sores. His skin was impossibly stretched over visible bones. He was eating noisily as he groaned.

“Is that good James?” asked Mike, and I saw the figure nod enthusiastically. The back of his head revealed long thinning hair with bald patches.

Mike looked over his shoulder and smiled when he met my eye. “Oh my, James. You’ll never guess who’s come to visit?”

The figure looked up inquisitively, then turned his head in my direction.

I could see it in his eyes. His handsome features had been buried under a pale, gaunt complexion. But I could tell it was Jimmy by his eyes. It took him a few seconds to acknowledge who he was looking at but suddenly his eyes widened, the thin skin of his forehead flaking as it wrinkled. He had pie smeared across his mouth. He had some teeth missing and the ones I could see looked jagged and broken.

“Jessie?” he said, in a voice that wasn’t quite the same. It was weathered, like that of a senior citizen with a bad smoking habit.

My lips trembled as I nodded. “It’s me Jimmy.”

He suddenly stood and lunged towards me, his hands outstretched. I flinched but he was held back by shackles around his ankles.

“Jessie!” he groaned. My heart couldn’t take it, feeling like it was going to explode. I fell to my knees as the 5 year mystery was solved in the most horrifying way.

“Isn’t it nice of Jessie to stop by?” said Mike. “Even after the way you treated her.”

Jimmy became restless, pulling on the shackles. He kept groaning like he was in pain.

“How could you do this to him?” I cried. “Even a rabid beast doesn’t deserve this!”

Mike shrugged. “I guess I felt bad for you. I’d never really considered the feelings of anyone else until I saw just how much you loved this man. And when I witnessed his betrayal day after day I just grew to hate him more. I knew a bullet to the brain wasn’t enough for this piece of shit.”

Mike turned to Jimmy and started rubbing his back. “But you know, over the years this piece of shit has grown on me. We’re like family now, aren’t we James?”

“No!” Jimmy screamed, making me fall back. “No no no!”

He buried his face in Mike’s neck, making him scream in pain. Dark blood cascaded down Mike’s shirt. Considering Jimmy was wasted away to nothing, Mike's attempts at freeing himself were useless. He fell to the floor and pushed himself against the wall, holding the gaping wound on his neck.

“James… Don’t…” he managed before Jimmy pounced. It sounded like a wild animal devouring its prey. I covered my ears as I watched in horror, my body refusing to let me look away.

Before long Mike was silent and still, his eyes remained open as he slouched against the wall. Jimmy turned to look at me, at first appearing shy or embarrassed. His face and chest was covered in Mike’s blood. He licked his lips and attempted to wipe it away with the back of his skeletal arm.

Eventually he started to crawl towards me, only stopping when the shackles wouldn’t allow him to get any closer. He groaned, but it wasn’t in anger. His eyes became glassy and he started to cry.

“Jessie,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

My hands trembled as I reached out to him, scared beyond belief but my heart was breaking all over again. I was in two minds, but eventually my hand met his and I felt his bony fingers between mine.

“Oh Jimmy,” I said breathlessly. “I forgive you.”

We held hands for a moment before I stood up. “I’m calling for help.” I made my way to the stairs.

“No!” Jimmy shouted. His eyes pleaded with me. “No Jessie. Please.”

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I think most people would have done the same from a place of love.

Jimmy Mack is never coming back.

dd

DB