A Killer's Watch

by Tallulah Grace

  “We didn’t pass any vehicles on the road leading from town to here, either. Means he went the other direction.”

  “True. That’s something.”

  Jeri’s phone rang before she could call Joe Watson.

  “Jeri, we got a hit on the BOLO,” Anna told her. “He left the truck with a dealer, and picked up the new one he purchased yesterday. It’s a Ford, same make as the first one, but one model year newer. This one is green, not red.”

  “Good job, Anna, issue a new BOLO, with a focus on the road leading north from Aubrey Watson’s home in Clevestone.”

  “Is she the one?”

  “Yes, and he’s already taken her. Notify all four states in the quadrant, but tell Nebraska to be especially vigilant. Given his penchant for crossing state lines, it’s very possible that he’ll do it again.”

  “Right, anything else?” Anna revised the information on the BOLO as they spoke.

  “Yes, he’ll need a place to go to ground. Look for private property sales in the last year, no, two years, in the name of one of Grant’s shell companies.”

  “I’m still peeling that onion, but I’ll run checks against the ones I know. He has seventeen dummy corporations that I’ve found, so far.”

  “Do what you can. Let me know.” Jeri disconnected, then took a deep breath. She dreaded the phone call she was about to make.

  Joe Watson answered on the first ring.

  “Mr. Watson? This is Jeri Forbes again. Could you come to your house, right away? And if you can leave your children with friends, it would be best.”

  “Why? What’s happened? Where’s Aubrey?” Joe demanded, the uneasiness he’d felt since speaking to Jeri the first time intensifying.

  “We’re trying to locate her now. Please come home, Mr. Watson.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  ~~~

  “I’m telling you, I’m fine. I do not need to stay here for observation, or anything else. Tell my partner what to look for, if you like, but I’m leaving.” Monique jumped off of the examination table, then grabbed hold of the edge to keep from falling.

  “Monique, you can barely stand. Listen to the doctor, will you?” Chloe couldn’t imagine a worse patient than Monique, unless is was herself. She abhorred hospitals, almost as much as Monique apparently did.

  “No! You both need to listen to me. I. Am. Fine. I have a headache, but it’s nothing that I can’t handle. Thank you very much for stitching me up, Doc, but I’m leaving.” Straightening her shoulders, Monique let go of the table, and managed to stay upright. “Chloe, you can drive.”

  “Damn straight I’m driving,” Chloe tossed an apologetic glance at the young doctor, then followed Monique out of the room.

  “Watch out for dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, nausea…” the doctor called out as they left.

  “You are as stubborn as they come,” Chloe commented, rushing to catch up with Monique. “You should stay in bed.”

  “I will not. Call Jeri, see what we missed.” Monique was trying very hard to keep it together. She refused to let a bump on the head, even if it did require ten stitches, to keep her out of the game.

  “I will, on my way to the car. At least wait here, let me pull it to the door. I had to park in the north forty.”

  “What does that mean, north forty?”

  “Oh, it means that I had to park really far away,” Chloe explained. “Stay. I’ll bring the car to you.”

  “Fine,” Monique gave in.

  Chloe nodded, then reached for her phone.

  “Jeri, Monique is okay. We’re leaving the hospital now. Where do you need us?”

  “Did the doctor give his blessing for her to leave?”

  “No, but Monique insisted. She’s walking, and talking, and I know what to look for. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “Go back to the hotel, insist that she rest. Tell her I said that she’s fired, if she doesn’t. We need you both in top shape, once we locate Grant.” Jeri stopped, took a breath. “He kidnapped Aubrey Watson before we could get to her. We think we know what he’s driving, and we think he drove north when he left. That’s all we know. Until we get something solid, you two stand down, but be ready to move at a moment’s notice.”

  “I’m pretty good with the computer,” Chloe offered. “Is there anything I can do, while we wait?”

  “Call Anna, see if she needs help. Tell her I want a deep background check on Aubrey Watson, starting when she was fourteen. Maybe you can help with that.”

  “Will do. I assume you’re looking for any connection to Grant.”

  “Yes. Or his family.”

  “Got it. Jeri? I’m really sorry that I lost him. That woman’s abduction is on me.”

  “No, it isn’t. It’s on Grant. All we can do now is find him.”

  ~~~

  Graham eased the truck into the freshly painted garage, pleased to see that the contractor installed the security sensors as instructed.

  Stretching as he got out of the truck, he took a moment to inspect the handiwork, before going to open the door. Aubrey was fine, she was probably still unconscious. He would take a moment to look around his new home, temporary though it may be.

  The key went into the lock smoothly, opening the door to a spacious room that the realtor called a mud room. Who came up with such things, he wondered as he browsed through to the kitchen.

  Everything looked as it did in the final pictures the contractor had sent. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, glass tiles on the wall, the kitchen was an upgrade to the one Aubrey was accustomed to using. Graham was sure that she would love it.

  Opening the doors to the refrigerator, he noted that both sections were well stocked, as per his request. Moving to the pantry, he approved of the shelves, lined with all manner of ingredients, snacks, and canned goods. He had instructed the housekeeper he’d hired to fill the pantry with all the necessities, along with particular foods that he’d seen Aubrey enjoy with her family.

  From the kitchen, his inspection took him to the dining room. Understated elegance with a modern design, it was perfect. Exactly as he’d instructed. The downstairs living room, den, and office also met with his approval. The designer had successfully completed her task.

  Upstairs, Graham immediately went to the master bedroom. Opening the doors, he found a more traditional setting, with a large, four-poster bed dominating the room. Tastefully elegant, and clearly opulent, the room would give Aubrey a taste of what she had been missing in her pedestrian life.

  With a cursory glance in the other three bedrooms, Graham headed down to the basement. He had saved the best for last.

  Downstairs, the finished rooms were pleasant enough. Originally designed to be a game room, the main space would still appeal to a family. Graham had no desire to roll a ball across the pool table, or to turn on the massive television, hanging above the fireplace.

  Instead, he walked to the closed, locked door, leading to a private hallway. Here, he would learn whether or not the contractor had earned his bonuses.

  Opening the first door, Graham was pleased to see the stainless table, sitting beneath a very bright overhead light, and above a very large, grated drain. The walls were lined with shelves, so many that he had room to add to his tool collection.

  “Wonderful,” Graham exclaimed, closing the door and moving on to the next room. Inside, he found five huge boxes, all unopened, and each one containing something special for his time with Aubrey.

  The first box contained cameras, but Graham had yet to decide whether or not to use them fully. He would certainly record their activities, but he didn’t think he would risk sending the feeds to the web. His clients would surely be disappointed, but they would survive. His bank account would suffer, but it didn’t matter. He had enough money stashed away to last him three lifetimes.

  One by one, he opened all of the boxes, checking to ensure that the contents were undisturbed, and that they met with his approval. It would take some time to out
fit the room with the accoutrements contained within the boxes, but Graham looked forward to it.

  Next, he moved on to Aubrey’s bedroom. Miles apart from the chamber where he’d held Allison and Diana, the small room was beautifully decorated with Aubrey’s favorite colors.

  The bed, another four-poster, sat along one wall, opposite another large television screen. Graham congratulated himself on this one touch, something that would help keep Aubrey in line, and torture her at the same time. He planned to stream live footage of her family, going about life without her. When she was in this room, secured to the bed, she could be the spectator, an outside witness to her former life.

  The live feed would also help him control Aubrey. It was proof that he could get to her children, her husband, as easily as he got to her. It was an ingenious part of his plan, one that he knew would tear out her heart, just as she had torn out his.

  Whistling, Graham closed the door to Aubrey’s room. It was time to bring her inside, time for their relationship to begin anew.

  ~~~

  “I can’t believe that Grant took another victim, and I’m supposed to have a rest. It’s preposterous!” Monique fumed, not for the first time.

  “Look at it this way, if you rest now, while there is nothing that you can do, you’ll be better able to help when we get a break.” Chloe had been trying to reason with her all the way to the hotel room.

  “But surely there is something we can do now! We should be on our way to Clevestone.” Monique dropped into the chair nearest the door of their room. She hated to admit it, but her body was screaming for her to lay down.

  “Jeri thinks he’s headed for Nebraska, or at least out of state. Our being in Clevestone wouldn’t help anything. We need to wait here, see if they get a hit on the BOLO, or find some other clue as to where he’s taken her.”

  “But…”

  “Just go rest, will you? I get it, you want to be doing something. So do I. But Jeri said to rest or you’re fired. I think she meant it.”

  “No, she didn’t,” Monique grumbled, then stood. “Okay, I’ll go. But you promise to wake me, as soon as anything happens.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” Chloe watched as Monique made her way, unsteadily, to the bedroom. She would die before she would ask for help. Chloe got that, too. As soon as the bedroom door closed, she was on the phone with Anna.

  “Jeri wants a deep background check on Aubrey Watson. I can help with that, if you tell me which interface to use.”

  Within moments, Chloe was up and running, digging into Aubrey’s life with a very large shovel.

  ~~~

  Jeri slipped through the back door of Aubrey’s home, leaving Ethan to deal with the forensics unit, and the local police. Joe Watson was wearing a hole in the living room carpet, along with his brother, and Aubrey’s mother. The family had gathered almost immediately, peppering Jeri and Ethan with questions that had no answers. At least not ones they were at liberty to divulge.

  Thanks to Graham Grant’s political clout, Nate had received a call from the governor and some high muckety-muck in Washington, advising EJB Global to avoid mentioning Graham Grant’s name in relation with the disappearance of Aubrey Watson, or anyone else. Without some way to connect Grant to the crimes, their hands were tied. Jeri couldn’t even ask the family if Aubrey knew Grant. It was ridiculous.

  Needing time to think, Jeri found her way to the same lounge chair that Aubrey had used, only a few hours ago. Something was off, she knew it, but she couldn’t put her finger on it, especially with so much going on inside the house.

  Outside, the only noise came from the birds, flitting from tree to tree, calling out to their mates. For the first time since arriving in Kansas, Jeri took a deep breath, and noticed her surroundings. Aubrey and Joe had done a beautiful job with the landscape. Mature trees created a private border, enclosing the yard like an oasis. Cheery plantings, offset by small solar lights, encircled a rock patio. Cushioned outdoor furniture created a variety of seating options, opening the space to entertaining, and family fun.

  Closing her eyes, Jeri could imagine Aubrey out here, laughing with her children, relaxing in the sun, hosting parties with her friends. From everything she could see, Aubrey had a wonderful life. But Graham Grant was determined to steal it.

  “Not if I can help it,” Jeri whispered softly. “There is a connection, Grant. And when I find it, you’re mine.”

  Connection.

  The meaning hit her like a ton of bricks. It was what she had been missing, the one thing she knew about Grant’s connection to the other girls.

  Reaching for her phone, she dialed Anna as she walked back to the house.

  “Anna, we need to check video feeds from the computers in the Watson home. What do you need?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “You’ve aged well, my lovely Aubrey,” Graham whispered as he removed the last of Aubrey’s clothes. He wanted her to feel vulnerable, needed her to fear him, as soon as she awakened.

  He’d already attached the shackles to the posts on her bed, now he quickly secured one to each of her limbs. She would have slightly more range of movement than his other victims, but that would only increase her frustration. Finally, he covered her with his version of a veil, a transparent slip of fabric that hid nothing.

  Stepping back, he positioned the cameras, one to her left, and one to her right. Together with the one in the television, he would be able to see her from every angle.

  “What did we ever do without this technology?” he mumbled, leaving the room.

  Now that he had Aubrey squared away, he could focus on his playroom, the place where he would spend wonderful hours with his beloved. Watching Anson’s videos had awakened a taste for blood that he never knew was part of him. Now that he’d experienced it first hand, he couldn’t seem to get enough.

  There was something about watching a woman’s eyes as he lowered the blade that made him feel power like he’d never felt before. Cutting them was better than abduction, better than sex, better than anything he had ever known.

  “And to think that the others were only practice runs. You are the real thing, my sweet, sweet Aubrey.”

  ~~~

  Aubrey opened her eyes slowly, the mountain of pain in her head intensifying as light hit her eyes. Instinct had her reaching for the pain, but the shackles stopped her halfway.

  “What the…” Momentarily forgetting her discomfort, Aubrey tried to pull her hand loose from whatever held her, but it didn’t budge. Raising her head, she was shocked to find that she lay naked in a huge bed, covered in only a sheer piece of fabric, reminiscent of a curtain, her legs and arms chained to the posts.

  Flopping her head back against the pillow, she closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened.

  She was in her kitchen, getting ready to leave for the bazaar. She was carrying the pies to the car when something stopped her.

  A man.

  Someone familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Try as she might to conjure his image, she couldn’t. Her brain was too fuzzy to focus.

  Darting her eyes around the room, she saw the cameras first. Again, her first instinct was to cover herself, but she couldn’t.

  “Creep,” she spat, looking directly into one of the lens.

  Her eyes traveled beyond the tripods to the rest of the room. Under different circumstances, she would have appreciated it. The furniture was lovely, and a vase of fresh flowers stood on the dresser, in front of the mirror. She could see part of a bathroom through an open doorway, and a very large television, hanging directly opposite the bed. Hanging in the center of the wall, with no furniture around it, the television seemed out of place.

  Twisting her head back, she looked for windows, but there were none. The realization made her feel more trapped than she already did, for some unknown reason.

  Next, she examined the shackles. Large, heavy chains attached to metal rings around each of her wrists, and her ankles. They looked like something a pris
oner wore in the movies. She could move her limbs a little, but not enough to sit up, or get comfortable.

  Throwing her head back in frustration, she considered screaming, but an inner voice told her it would do no good. And it might bring her abductor into the room, something she was definitely not ready to do.

  She needed to get her wits about her, needed to come with a way to escape.

  Since the shackles were impenetrable, she considered her surroundings. He obviously meant for her to be comfortable, in a way. The flowers, the bathroom, even the television spoke to the fact that he, whoever he was, had considered her conditions carefully.

  Maybe he wasn’t a monster, maybe she could talk her way out of it. She knew from watching crime shows that she should make him think of her as a person. She would tell him about her family, about her kids, try and tug on his heart strings, assuming he had one.

  She would be pleasant, not fearful. She would try and gain his confidence.

  But what if he tries to rape me, what will I do then?

  Given the way she was tied to the bed, it wasn’t a stretch to think that her abductor wanted her for sex. Instantly, tears filled her eyes, but she did her best to contain them.

  For twelve years, Joe had been the only man to touch her. He was the only man she ever wanted to touch her, for the rest of her life. The connection they shared was more than physical, it was spiritual, mindless, all-consuming. How would she ever let another man have her body that way?

  “I’ll do what I have to, to get back to my kids, back to Joe,” she whispered, resigning herself to the unthinkable. Not fighting him may win him over faster.

  She shuddered at the thought.

  ~~~

  “He’s tapped into every computer in the house, and the television in the main living area. It’s a smart television, with a camera that he can use to watch the family.” Anna gave Jeri the report in a monotone, it was the only way she could contain her disgust.