A Killer's Watch

by Tallulah Grace

  “Can you trace the feed?”

  “No. Not yet, anyway. It’s the same as the ones coming from the girl’s computers. He’s routed it all over the world, and hidden the servers behind a dozen firewalls.”

  “Do what you can, it may be the only way we stop him,” Jeri lowered her voice. She didn’t want Aubrey’s family to hear her side of the conversation. “Have you turned up anything on the background check?”

  “Chloe’s on it, but I don’t think she’s found anything yet.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Jeri hesitated a moment. “Anna? We can’t let this bastard win. We have to find him. Get me a clue, anything that will lead us in the right direction.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Was that Anna?” Ethan asked, joining Jeri in the laundry room. It was the only room downstairs that wasn’t filled with people.

  “Yes. He was watching the family through all of the computers, and the television in the living room.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Ethan swore. “Don’t tell me that Anna can’t trace the feeds!” He, too, spoke softly.

  “She’s working on it.”

  “This gag order is making me sick to my stomach. How can we operate, if we’re unable to ask the right questions? Aubrey’s family is here, not forty feet away. Her mother would know if she had a problem with Graham Grant when she was a teenager.”

  “Trust me, if I thought that knowing that would tell us where he’s taking her, I would ignore the gag order. I don’t care who issued it. But we already know it’s Grant. We just need to know how to find him.” Jeri paced around the small space.

  “The connection would help us get a court order to open his finances.” Ethan moved out of her way.

  “We’re not going to find what we need in his stateside bank accounts,” Jeri reminded him. “And we’ve been working on the offshore accounts for days, with little luck. Anna’s searching for property in the name of each shell corporation that we know of, but we’ve got nothing yet.”

  “As adept as Grant is in layering his companies, that’s a real longshot. But at least it’s something.”

  “We could search any surveillance videos along the route he took out of here. I doubt that there are any, until he hit the main road, but it’s worth a look.”

  “I’ll get Dylan on it. We’ve got a pretty decent timeline to narrow down the search. Good thinking!” Ethan took his phone outside.

  Jeri’s phone rang, seconds after he closed the door.

  “Jeri, you’re not going to believe this,” Chloe began. “Aubrey took out a restraining order on Graham Grant when she was sixteen years old. Apparently, he was stalking her.”

  “Why didn’t we know about this?” Jeri stopped pacing, shock holding her still.

  “They were both minors, at the time. With Grant’s connections, it was easy to have it sealed and buried. Don’t ask me how I found it,” Chloe said, not wanting to talk about her methods, which weren’t exactly by the book.

  “I don’t care how you found the information, having it is what’s important. Forward a copy to me, and to Anna, please. Good work, Chloe.”

  “I’m on it. Thanks.”

  Jeri met Ethan at the door.

  “What’s up?” he asked as she joined him outside.

  “Grant stalked Aubrey when she was sixteen. She took out a restraining order, which Chloe just unearthed. The bastard had it buried, thanks to Daddy and his money, I’m sure.”

  “If we’d known this before, we could have protected Aubrey. Dammit!” Ethan’s voice rose with the curse.

  “Get with Nate, see if this is enough to have the gag order lifted, and officially make Grant a person of interest. Then we can blast the media with his picture. I’ll speak with Aubrey’s mother, get the details.”

  Ethan nodded, already calling Nate.

  Jeri approached Dorothy Bates quietly, and asked to speak with her alone. The room was filled with cousins, uncles, aunts, and a myriad of friends, all of whom had come to lend support.

  Jeri had made it to the hallway with Dorothy, when Joe joined them.

  “What’s happening, did you find something?”

  “Nothing that tells us where your wife is, Joe. Something has come to light about Aubrey’s past, which is why I need to speak with her mother. Is there somewhere we can go? Somewhere private?”

  “Yes, the bedroom. But I’m coming, too.”

  “Of course,” Jeri nodded, following Joe and Dorothy up the stairs.

  Joe led them to the room he shared with Aubrey, their sanctuary from the outside world. After seating his mother-in-law in a chair by the fireplace, he turned to Jeri.

  “What? Tell us.”

  Jeri ignored him, choosing to take a seat beside Dorothy. The elderly woman was obviously distressed, but she had remained outwardly calm, almost stoic.

  “Mrs. Bates, do you remember when Aubrey was sixteen, and she had a restraining order issued against someone who was stalking her?”

  “Oh, my word, yes!” Dorothy breathed a heavy sigh. “What does that have to do with this?”

  “Maybe nothing, but we think it’s possible that the man who was stalking her back then may be the one who kidnapped her today.”

  “Graham Grant? But why? He’s kept his distance, for years. After Aubrey got the police involved, he disappeared from her life.” Dorothy’s face was a mask of confusion.

  “Wait, wait, wait just a minute,” Joe interrupted. “What are you talking about? What stalker? Who is Graham Grant?”

  “Would you share the story, Mrs. Bates? It might help us to know the details,” Jeri encouraged.

  “Yes, yes, of course,” Dorothy frowned with concentration, for a moment. Then she began to tell the story.

  “Aubrey was always a good girl, even when she was a teenager. I always counted my blessings that we didn’t have the fights, and problems, you hear about with so many other teenagers.” Dorothy smiled at Jeri. “We lived in Falling River then, a subdivision just outside of Topeka. During the summer, Aubrey and her friends liked to go to the River Walk, a popular spot with all of the teenagers. It was there she met that Grant character.” Dorothy’s voice turned dark with the memory.

  Jeri kept silent, but she nodded and smiled, encouraging Dorothy to continue.

  “At first, he seemed so nice. He was well-bred, the Grants are a leading family in the area, you know. And he treated Aubrey with respect. Her father and I met him several times, and though we thought they were too young to be serious, we didn’t see any harm in them dating. We were very, very wrong.”

  “Why haven’t I heard about this?” Joe asked, crouching on the floor between them.

  “I can’t answer that, Joe, but I know that Aubrey wanted to put the whole thing behind her.”

  “What happened, Mrs. Bates?” Jeri asked.

  “They had been seeing each other on and off during the summer. Like I said, it was nothing serious. Aubrey enjoyed Graham’s company, but she was far from being ready to settle down. He became very possessive, so much so that she broke it off entirely. But he refused to give up. He would call, come by the house, always begging to speak with her. We rode it out, assuming that things would get better, once he went back to that fancy boarding school in New York. But they became worse.”

  “How so?” Jeri asked softly.

  “He would call, at all hours of the night, checking to see if Aubrey was home. He would send flowers, sometimes daily, asking her to give him another chance. He flew home, more times than you would think, and parked outside of our house, sometimes all night long. It got to the point where Aubrey was afraid to go outside, afraid to answer the phone, so we told the police. We didn’t want any trouble, we just wanted him to leave Aubrey alone.”

  “And after the restraining order was issued, he backed off?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry we didn’t think of it sooner. We never heard another peep from him, after issuing the order.”

  “What makes you think Graham Grant is
the one who took her?” Joe had listened patiently to Dorothy’s story, but now he wanted answers.

  “I’m sure that you’re aware of the young girl whose body was found in Clevestone, a few days ago. Her name was Shelby Torrent.”

  Both Joe and Dorothy nodded yes.

  “Are you also aware of two girls who were abducted this week, one from Kansas, one from Missouri?”

  “I I heard something about it on the news. What does that have to do with Graham Grant? Or with Aubrey?” Joe answered.

  “First of all, we found the abducted girls on Grant’s property. All clues lead to his butler, Thomas White, being the perpetrator, but I, and my team, don’t buy it. We think Grant set up the butler to take the fall. Whoever is behind the kidnappings, and the murder of Shelby Torrent, watches his victims through the cameras on their home computers, prior to their abduction. Every computer in this house, including the smart television in the living room, have traces of being hacked. In other words, the perpetrator has also been watching Aubrey, and your family.”

  Joe was speechless, so was Dorothy. They both stared at Jeri as if she had two heads. Joe found his voice first.

  “That’s crazy. How can someone watch us through the computer? And the television? How is that even possible?”

  “Apparently, it’s quite simple for someone with the right skill set. Our technical department is working on tracing the signal, but so far it’s proven impossible.”

  “You’re telling us that someone has been watching my family, for God knows how long, and that same person killed one girl, and abducted two more. Why in hell isn’t Grant, or his butler, behind bars?” Joe stood, raising his voice in indignation.

  “Please calm down, Joe. I know this is difficult to hear, but you have to stay calm. We’re doing everything we can to find Aubrey. Grant is not under arrest because we have nothing that ties him to any of this, except the restraining order. That’s a connection to Aubrey, but not the other crimes. He’s smart, he’s covered his tracks very, very well. He’s pulled strings in Kansas, and even Washington, to keep his name out of the investigation.”

  “I don’t give a damn who he knows, or what strings he’s pulling. If he took my wife, I’ll kill him myself.” Joe marched toward the door.

  “Joe!” Jeri stood. “That’s not helping. I need you to focus, think of anything out of the ordinary, recently. Anything that would give us a clue about where he’s taken Aubrey.”

  “How the hell should I know?” Joe stopped, but ran his hands through his hair. He’d been holding it together pretty well, so far. But he was nearing the end of his rope.

  “Come and sit down, please.” Jeri walked over, led him to the chair. “I know we asked you before, but can you think of anything, anything at all that was out of place lately? Anything unusual that happened, maybe a phone call that Aubrey received, or a strange meeting she told you about.”

  Joe sat, trying to get his mind around everything Jeri was saying to him. Finally, he remembered walking in on her in the kitchen last night.

  “She felt like someone was watching her,” he said, cursing himself for not checking it out when he had the chance. “Last night, she was in the kitchen, making pies for the bake sale. When I came in, she was talking to herself. She told me that she had the feeling that someone was watching her, but she thought it was silly. She didn’t want me to look into it, she attributed it to scary movie we watched together last week.”

  “You said she was in the kitchen?” Jeri pictured the Watson’s kitchen, pictured Aubrey standing at the counter, preparing pies. If someone was watching her, it would be through the window, over the sink. “That’s good, Joe. I’ll check into it. There’s something else we need to speak about. Something that will be very difficult for you, and your kids.”

  “You mean something more difficult that having Aubrey disappear?”

  “No, but difficult, nevertheless. We need to keep things the same in the house as far as the cameras on the computers, and the television, are concerned. He doesn’t know that we’re onto him about that video feed. Our best chance to trace it is when it’s active.”

  “You want me to let that pervert spy on us? Are you out of your mind?” Joe stood again, both hands clenched into fists.

  “It’s totally your choice, and I understand what I’m asking. But it could help us find Aubrey. Isn’t that the most important thing?”

  “Why would he keep watching them, if he has Aubrey?” Dorothy asked.

  “He’ll want to keep up with the investigation, have the inside scoop on what law enforcement is doing.”

  “I’ll not let him watch my kids!” Joe was adamant.

  “What if your children stay with Dorothy, or some other family member? That would be a reasonable action, given that their home is now a crime scene. And he won’t be able to watch them, if they aren’t here.”

  Joe considered her proposal.

  “That works, I guess. If you really think it will help.”

  We have to try everything, Joe. I’m sorry that this particular measure is so invasive.”

  “Will I know when he’s watching? Is there a way to tell?”

  “I’m sorry, but no. The camera light doesn’t have to be on for him to be spying. In fact, the only way to prevent it is to cover the cameras on the computers, or to close the laptop. The desktop and the television offer direct views into your home as there is no way to close them. Even if you cover the cameras, the microphone is still recording audio, so you have to be careful of everything that you say. We don’t want to tip him off.”

  “I still don’t get why Grant is free to kidnap my wife. Why didn’t you keep him under surveillance, at least?”

  “We did, but he disguised himself, and managed to get away from our agents. We know the kind of truck he’s driving, and we know the direction he’s heading. We’re searching the camera feeds along his most likely travel route, trying to track his movements.”

  “He’s obviously obsessed with her, does that mean that he won’t hurt her?” Dorothy held her breath, waiting for Jeri to answer.

  “It’s possible that he only wants to spend time with her,” Jeri answered, knowing full well that Grant wanted to do much more than visit with Aubrey. He was obsessed, alright, but his obsession had already led him to murder. Once someone crossed that line, it was difficult to predict what they would do. She hated lying to Aubrey’s mother, but there was nothing Dorothy could do to prevent Grant’s actions.

  Joe looked at Jeri sharply, saw that she was telling his mother-in-law what she wanted, needed, to hear.

  “What do we do now?” Joe asked, his heart sinking.

  “Go back to your friends, your family. Act normally, and do not mention anything that we’ve discussed about Grant, or the restraining order. That’s very important for Aubrey’s safety.”

  They both nodded agreement.

  “I’ll check the backyard, see if he left anything behind when he watched her last night. Even if he did leave something, I doubt that it will help us find her. But it could be another nail in his coffin when we do.”

  ~~~

  “How did it go?” Ethan asked when Jeri reappeared in the laundry room.

  “As well as you would expect,” Jeri sighed. “Aubrey’s mother confirmed that Grant stalked Aubrey, but seemed to back off when the police became involved. Joe didn’t even know about it, Aubrey had totally put it behind her. You and I both know that an obsession like that doesn’t just go away, but Grant was smart. He stalked her privately, like an insidious spider, waiting to pounce.”

  “Did you mention the video feeds?”

  “Yes, he didn’t like it, who would? But he agreed to leave everything as is. Oh, Aubrey felt that someone was watching her, when she was in the kitchen last night. Grant could have been on site, we should check it out.”

  “Let’s do it now,” Ethan led the way through the kitchen. Once they were outside, he picked up their conversation. “Nate’s not holding out muc
h hope for the old restraining order having any impact on the gag order. Grant’s lawyer, and cronies, will argue that it’s irrelevant, that one mistake as a boy cannot be counted against him.”

  “God, it’s amazing what money, and a little bit of power, can do. What about the BOLO, is it still active?”

  “Yes, but we can’t publicize Grant’s face, or use his name. Sorry, Love, Nate’s doing his best.”

  “I’ll send Chloe and Monique over to the Grant estate. At least he won’t be able to claim that he was there, all along.”

  “Sure,” Ethan agreed. “Look at this.” Squatting down by the tree closest to the kitchen window, he pointed out two perfectly preserved footprints. “He was here, alright.”

  “Never doubted it. At least we can get forensics, not that it will do us any good until we catch him.” Standing, Jeri pushed away from the tree. “I hate how this is going. We’re getting no help from the locals, no help from the FBI, all because our killer is well connected, and smart enough to cover his tracks.”

  “No one is that smart,” Ethan stood beside her. “How many times have you told me that smart leads to arrogance, which leads to getting caught? We’ll get him. Between Dylan’s search of the cameras, and Anna’s search of the property records, we’ll find him.”

  “That reminds me, we should have our forensics team do a search of Grant’s old truck. There could be traces of his former victims.”

  “That’s already underway. EJB Global is now the proud owner of said truck. It was the only way we could legally perform the search. The dealership wouldn’t cooperate any other way.”

  “You’d think the fact that three women are dead, two girls were kidnapped, and another woman’s life is on the line would be enough incentive to cooperate,” Jeri fumed.

  “Without a shred of evidence against Grant, there was no way we could compel the dealership to allow the search. But it doesn’t matter, we’re getting the job done.”

  Ethan’s phone rang.

  “Dylan, what have you got?” He put the call on speaker.