“I know, I get it,” Jeri softened her voice. “But it’s over now, and you’re safe. Now that you know it’s possible, you can protect yourself in the future.”
“I hate him!” Allison drew the covers up to her chin.
“You have every right to feel that way. But, Allison, you survived this. Don’t let that creep keep you from living your best life. Don’t give him that power. You’re a strong, brave, young woman. You’ll get through this, I promise.”
“Thanks.” Allison wanted to believe her.
“I hate to ask you to remember anything about your abductor, but I do need your help. Did he ever speak to you? Do you remember anything about his voice?”
“He always whispered, or he spoke really low. I know that he was white, and that he seemed tall. He wasn’t fat, but he wasn’t skinny, either. Does that help?”
“Yes, it does. What did he say to you?” Jeri prodded, hating that it was necessary.
“He told me I was beautiful,” Allison shuddered again. “He said that I looked like her, but I don’t know who he meant.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Not that I can remember. I think he drugged me, I slept a lot.”
“Yes, he did, according to the doctor’s report. That’s another reason why you need to stay in the hospital, for at least twenty-four hours. They want to make sure that the drug is out of your system, with no bad effects for you.”
“I just want to go home.”
“I know, and you will, soon. Is there anything else you remember, anything specific about the man? Did he ever mention a woman’s name, the one you looked like?”
“No, at least I don’t think so. He only mentioned her when he touched me, touched both of us….I don’t want to talk about that.” Allison shut down, crossing her arms over her chest.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to,” Jeri rushed to assure her.
“The doctor said she didn’t think Allison was raped,” Trudy interjected. “Whatever he did, it’s over now.”
“Yes, it’s over now. He can’t hurt you again.” Jeri looked between Trudy and Allison. “You’ve both been through a lot. You should really think about talking to a therapist, someone who can help you understand the feelings that may come up as you heal.”
Trudy nodded, Allison didn’t move.
“Allison, if you remember anything else, please call me. Your mother has my number. I’ll be around, until we catch him.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Jeri squeezed the girl’s hand before walking to the door. Trudy followed her out.
“Are you sure that she’ll be safe?”
“Yes, I am.” Jeri waited for Allison’s door to close, before she continued. “Here is the card of the company who will be watching over you. The guard will be here within the hour, and we’ll be here until he arrives.” Jeri motioned to Ethan, who came to stand beside her.
“I don’t know how to thank you, for this, and for finding my little girl.”
“No thanks necessary,” Jeri assured her. “Please call me if Allison remembers anything else, no matter how small it may seem.”
“Yes, yes, of course we will.”
“I’ll be in touch, as soon as we catch this guy.”
“Thank you.” Trudy disappeared back into Allison’s room.
“How’s she doing?” Ethan asked when they were alone in the hallway.
“She says she’s fine, but she refuses to talk about what happened to her. She remembered him telling her that she was beautiful, and saying that she looked like ‘her’,” Jeri explained.
“Looked like who?”
“Exactly. It reinforces the theory that he’s selecting the girls based on one woman from his past. I just wish I knew who she was.” Jeri began to pace.
“We should look into the women in Clevestone who resemble the girls.”
“Definitely, as soon as we leave here,” Jeri agreed. “But first, I need to speak with Diana. Good call on hiring private security, by the way.”
“I agree with you that it’s unlikely for Grant to target them again, but better safe, you know?”
“Absolutely.” Jeri stretched up to kiss his cheek. “You’re a keeper, Barnes.”
“As are you, Forbes.”
“Okay, here goes.” Jeri took a deep breath, then headed into Diana’s room.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“It would be so much easier if we could slap a monitor on his leg,” Monique shifted in the car seat, trying to get more comfortable.
“It would be better if we could throw the bastard under the jail,” Chloe agreed. “I’ve been trying to understand how someone could kidnap, rape, and murder innocent teenagers, all because he loves someone he can’t have. It really makes no sense.”
“I don’t get it either, but Jeri says it’s possible, so I’ll buy it. I know that people do strange things in the name of love.” Monique reached into the back seat for her bag.
“You’re French, aren’t you supposed to be the experts on love and romance?” Chloe watched as Monique searched the bag for something, she didn’t know what.
“I may be French, but I’m no expert on love, believe me.” Smiling, Monique pulled out a canister of nuts. “Care for a snack?”
“Always, thanks.” Chloe accepted the nuts as Monique dove back into the bag. “Sounds like there’s a story there. Care to share?”
“What, you want to hear my love story? It’s not pretty, and it’s definitely not unique. I can sum it up for you in a few words. I fell for a serial cheater, who also happens to have a fear of commitment. A real catch, right?”
“Sounds to me like you’re well rid of him. My mama always told me, once a cheater, always a cheater. As for the commitment thing, that could change, over time. But cheating, that’s a whole different animal.”
“I agree with your mother,” Monique passed Chloe a small thermos, then took one for herself. “But I don’t agree about the commitment issue. If you have to convince a man to be in a relationship, then he’s not worth it. That is the lesson I learned from Charles. Looking back, I can’t believe I put up with him for as long as I did. He was incapable of saying ‘I love you,’ he never paid me a compliment, and he monopolized my time. It was as if he didn’t want me, but he didn’t want anyone else to have me, either.”
“I never pegged you for someone who would accept that behavior from a man. Look at you, you’re smart, pretty, and you can kick some serious ass, when necessary. Why did you put up with it?”
“I do not know. Maybe I thought things would change, but they only got worse. Once I learned that he was cheating, I left. It was the last straw.”
“Good for you. No point in wasting time on a lost cause.” Chloe’s words were harsher than usual.
“Do you speak from experience?” Monique poured black coffee from the thermos.
“Yes, and no. I’ve dated my share of dogs, but I’ve never been in love to the point that it was all consuming. I’ve never lost myself to a man before.”
“Ah, well. I hope that when you do find an all-consuming passion, that he is worthy of you. Love like that is difficult to walk away from.”
“I want what Jeri and Ethan have,” Chloe said, wistfully. “Have you seen the way he looks at her? Like she hung the moon. Where do you find that kind of love?”
“I think it finds you, if you’re very, very lucky. Jeri and Ethan had their share of troubles, before getting engaged. They were apart for years. Ethan was so driven to get back to her, it was really something to see.”
“I wonder if he has a brother,” Chloe threw Monique a sideways grin.
“If he does, I call first dibs,” Monique grinned back, then shifted her eyes to the Grant’s driveway. “Will he be dumb enough to make a move tonight?”
“Probably not. He’s scared, surely, but if he’s smart enough to cover his tracks so far, he’s smart enough to know that we’re watching him.”
~~~
“Yes, Mot
her, I’ll bring tea to your room. It will be my pleasure,” Graham said between gritted teeth. “You go on up, I’ll be along shortly.”
He had spent the evening reassuring her over, and over again, that the police merely wanted to speak to him, Grants were in any way culpable.
Once she had finally understood that, she had to have a pity party about Thomas leaving them under such a cloud. Forget that he was apparently a kidnapping murderer, he had left Belinda Grant to fend for herself when the doorbell rang, truly an unforgivable sin. His mother truly surprised him with the shallowness of her character.
Listening to her go on and on had given him the time to formulate a plan of his own. It was apparent that the FBI believed him guilty, they just couldn’t prove it, yet. Why else would they request to monitor his internet? They had boxed him in with it, too. To decline after offering to help, any way he could, would have sent up a red flag.
That woman, that Jeri Forbes, she thought that she was so clever. Trying to rattle him with her questions, each one delivered in such a pleasant manner, that he couldn’t possibly accuse her of harassment.
They were probably watching the house, would follow him if he left. It was to be expected. Too bad for them that they weren’t aware of the back exit. He could still come and go as he pleased.
And it pleased him to visit Aubrey tonight. He’d been unable to drop by for a few days, given everything that had happened. But he could see her tonight. No one would stop him.
Adding a few drops of a special sleeping elixir he made with benzodiazepine to Belinda’s tea, he smiled at the thought of seeing his beloved Aubrey, even from a distance.
~~~
“So, no activity since the lawyer left?” Jeri confirmed with Monique.
“It’s been completely quiet. No traffic of any kind, in or out of the Grant’s estate.”
“It’s too late to start visiting the women in Clevestone. We’ll start first thing tomorrow. We’ll grab a sandwich, then spell you guys. Do you want anything?”
“No, thanks. We can grab something on the way in. Are you planning to keep watch all night?”
“Yes, but we’ll be fine. We can take turns resting. If you and Chloe can be back by eight in the morning, we’ll grab a shower, then head over to Clevestone.”
“How will finding the woman he loved help us nail him?”
“If he’s doing all of this for her, then she has to figure in to his end game. She’s part of this, she just doesn’t know it.”
“Are the police searching for the butler?”
“Yes, even though I told them they would do better if they searched for his body. Make no mistake, the Grants have a ton of pull around here. No one local thinks he’s guilty. Luckily, we have some pull of our own. Anna is monitoring the situation. If a dead body turns up anywhere in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, or Nebraska that remotely fits the butler’s description, then we’ll know about it.”
“Something tells me that Grant won’t make it easy to find.” Monique glanced up as a truck drove past them, flying. “Somebody’s lucky we’re not out here patrolling for speeders. He had to be going ninety.”
“You’re in the country, it comes with the territory,” Jeri shrugged it off. “We’ll be there in thirty.”
“See you then.”
~~~
Graham didn’t even notice the car parked off the road as he headed for Clevestone. After making sure that Belinda was asleep, he drove his truck across the field to the back entrance. The dirt road was overgrown, and had not been used in years, but it had certainly come in handy today.
Once he hit the pavement, he opened it up, trying to make up for time lost dealing with Belinda. He would be in Clevestone in fifteen minutes, and outside Aubrey’s window in twenty. It still amazed him at how country people never closed their blinds, not even at night.
Aubrey’s farm was close enough to town for easy access, but large enough to enjoy the privacy of having no neighbors close by. Up until he’d had to hide his laptop today, he’d been keeping track of her through the cameras on her laptop, the family desktop, and recently, through the camera on the smart-television she’d given her husband for his birthday.
He never went a day without checking in on her, but he especially enjoyed the quiet evenings he shared with her, outside of her window.
She might be baking tonight, he thought. It was a pleasant notion, her in the kitchen, whipping up cookies, brownies, pies, or whatever she planned to take to the church bazaar tomorrow. It was Friday, so the two brats would be allowed to stay up later than usual, a practice he understood, but would never condone. Children needed discipline, and a rigid schedule. Aubrey’s had neither.
He blamed it on the husband, the spineless twit who did not appreciate what he had. He took Aubrey for granted, never brought her flowers, or gifts. To him, she was a work-horse, a help-mate. Someone who cooked, cleaned, and took care of the kids, but who did not deserve anything special.
He would never treat Aubrey that way. He would place her on a pedestal, lavish her with jewelry, clothes, shoes, whatever her heart desired. If she’d married him, she would never have to slave away in the kitchen, baking brownies to hawk at some ridiculous party. He would have given her the best of everything, offered her the moon and the stars, if that’s what would make her happy.
But she chose to scorn him, she turned away from him like he was yesterday’s trash. Try as he might, he would never understand how she could give up everything, for the nothing she now had.
Foolish, foolish woman.
But she would be his again, soon.
Pulling off into the woods at the entrance to Aubrey’s farm, Graham turned off the ignition and quickly walked along the driveway. It was a moonless night, but the stars were so bright that he felt that he could touch them, if he only tried.
“What a fanciful notion, touching the stars. See what you do to me, Aubrey?” Laughing lightly, Graham jogged along the long driveway, until the house came into view. Slowing to a brisk walk, he scanned the windows, looking for the object of his affections.
Upstairs, the daughter, Jessica, but Aubrey called her Jessie, sat in front of a television screen, holding one of those infernal game controls. It was something she did often, but Graham had never understood the appeal. It was a total waste of time. If she were his daughter, she would be reading a book, not playing mindless games.
Moving his eyes to the lower level, he saw the husband sitting in the same chair as always, watching yet another ridiculous television show. It was all the man did, watch television, and drink beer. Useless.
Walking around to the back of the house, he saw the light shining through the kitchen window. Aubrey would be there, all alone, working her fingers to the bone for her ungrateful family. He almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
Taking his position beside a large oak tree, Graham leaned into the trunk, effectively becoming one with the tree’s shadow. Between his dark clothing, and the ski mask he kept for these occasions, she would never see him, should she bother to look.
But he could see her clearly. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from the heat of the oven. She was smiling as she rolled out dough for something or another, the effort causing her arm muscles to flex as she moved.
Enchanting, Graham thought. Even in the midst of such drudgery, she was beautiful.
She glanced up then, looking straight at him. She did that often, when he watched. He knew he was invisible, but she still seemed to know that he was there.
~~~
“God, there’s that feeling again,” Aubrey shuddered slightly as she peered into the darkness. Inside her warm, cheery kitchen, the aroma of fresh baked cherries wafted through the air, and the sounds of Bonnie Raitt, singing softly on the radio, had her swaying slightly.
Until she felt like someone was watching her.
Again.
“That’s ridiculous,” she told the dough as she spread it into the pie pan. “Who would be watching me,
all the way out here?”
Trying to shake the feeling, she slid the pie fixings over, so that she stood with her back to the window.
“Who are you talking to?”
The sound of Joe’s voice startled her, so much that she jumped.
“What? No one, I’m just being silly. I decided to make a few more pies. Had to, seeing that you and Jessie demolished a whole one after dinner.” She tried to sound angry, but couldn’t’ pull it off.
“Can’t help it,” Joe came up behind her, putting his arms around her waist. “You know I love your cherry pie. Among other things.” Nuzzling her neck, Joe began to move them both to the beat of the music.
“Stop that, or I’ll never get through with these,” Aubrey protested, but she loved it. Joe had been her one and only, ever since they met in college. It still surprised her how he could make her stomach flutter, and her skin tingle, with just one touch.
“Put the pies on hold, Baby. Let’s sneak upstairs.” Joe slid his hands up, causing Aubrey’s heart to skip a beat.
“Put your libido on hold, and help me finish. Then we can go upstairs.” Aubrey rested her head back against his shoulder, wishing she could stop everything, and melt into his arms.
“You know I’m a klutz in the kitchen. I’ll just leave you to it, but I’m holding you to the upstairs part. Later.” Giving her one last squeeze, Joe kissed her forehead, and moved to the fridge. “You were saying something when I came in, about someone watching you. What did you mean?”
“It’s nothing, really. I sometimes get the feeling that someone’s out there, in the dark. It’s just me being silly.” Aubrey tried to shake it off.
Joe moved over to the window, stared outside. He saw nothing.
“Did you see something? I can check it out, if you like. It could be a stray dog, or a possum,” he offered.
“No, I’m sure it’s nothing. Who would come out here, just to watch me?” Laughing it off, Aubrey infused her voice with confidence. With Joe in the kitchen, the eerie feeling had fled.
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