Butterfly’s Flutterings

A couple days ago I decided to stay up late and clean my house. It was a huge mess and it needed to be done. I was in a good mood about it but doing anything and everything i could to procrastinate folding laundry. I decided to go through some old papers I had in a shoe box in my room. You know the type. Old tax returns,old love letters and bills. Every one has some thing along those same lines. I was digging through it when I came across something that made me sit down and think. It was two small little booklets. The type you get when you go to a funeral or memorial service. One was for a girl that I had worked with at the grocery store for almost two years and really liked. The other was for her brother. He had also worked for the store before but had been at college for the last couple years. Coming across them without even thinking broke my heart.

Last May both Jenny and Billy Carrigan died. Not by the same hand or circumstances, but both in the same horrific few days.

Jenny was a really sweet girl. She was one of the hardest workers that I knew and she was only in highschool. She was 18 years old.  We shared a lot of fun times while working together. I could always count on her. She was very popular. A cheerleader, softball member and school band member. I believe she was also in the after school band for excellerated members. Over all she was one of those all american girls. The last I saw her was, I think, the day before she was murdered. All we said to each other was something along the lines of “hey,whats up”

Jenny Carrigan

I don’t remember Billy very well. I know he started out at the grocery store as a courtesy clerk. Bagging groceries and helping people to their cars. He moved to the meat department a little while after he started once he turned 18 .  I do remember that he was so happy about that. He was a cheeky little guy too. Always around with a joke or sarcasm. He was 20 when he died I believe.

Billy Carrigan

I didn’t know Reyes very well either. Just that he and Jenny had been an  on and off again couple for years. All throughout high school. I do know that the times I had talked to him were ok and I did like him. He had started at the grocery store just a little while before everything happened. Things were strained between him and Jenny when they both worked the same shift. They had recently broken up again.

Reyes Carrillo

I didn’t know Steven Furtado at all.

Steven Furtado

Here are a few links to their story. I don’t feel up to typing the whole thing out.

http://411chatter.com/51/jennifer-carrigan/ This person did not know Jenny. As you can tell by their continued use of the name Jennifer. Also some of the facts are a little off.  please read the comments. I do not know if what heather says at the bottom is true or not.

http://www.kcra.com/news/16355184/detail.html This covers most of the highlights

http://www.lassennews.com/News_Story.edi?sid=4782&mode=thread&order=0 This was written by a local newspaper

http://cbs13.com/local/jodie.Carrigan.Chester.2.725498.html This is a video interview with Jodie. Jenny and Billy’s mother. Tonight is the first time I’ve been able to watch it.

I remember the day very well. I was at work and had no idea of anything. It was May 11th, mothers day . Prom night was the night before. I had just went back to working at the grocery store as a part time second job.  I worked the summer as a Cake Decorator. I worked at the store all morning then had an hour break, changed then went to work at the hotel. I remember that hearing that Jenny hadn’t shown for work and I also remember that the store was unusually quiet for May. That is the beginning of tourist season. But I didn’t know what was going on. Around six o’clock that night is when I heard the news. My assistant manager at the hotel came to me and brought the subject up.  She was under the impression that I already knew. It was a very hard way to find out that a friend of mine was dead. I was shocked. At first I thought that it was a mistake. I thought Jenny was maybe just in the hospital or something and they thought she might die. I had gotten the facts backwards. After it sunk in I sat down and waited for my shift to be over. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done recently. I dealt with guests all night and never shed a tear until I got home. The next week was really hard as well. Guests at the hotel found out of course. It was on news channels every where. Almost every guest I dealt with asked me what happened, if I knew them and did I think Reyes did it. I always told them I didn’t know and could we please not talk about it. Working at the store was hard as well. The atmosphere was strained. Not just the employees that had loved and worked with Jenny, Billy and Reyes, but also with the customers that came into the store. We  all wore the same strained expression.

I’m not exactly sure how to end this post. Except to say that last May rocked this town to its core. And I’m surprised we’re still here.

Rock at highchool. Usually filled with "Go Team" or used as school pranks from rivals.