The Haunting of Secrets (13 page)

Though I don’t share her enthusiasm for
following around a stranger, I’m happy to finally have a break.
After all the setbacks, we’re finally moving forward. Progress is
good. “Ok, Leah. I like the idea,” I say just before I hear Dejana
let out a squeal of joy behind me. I guess I wasn’t the only one
frustrated with the current progress of our nonexistent plan to
catch the killer. “But just to clarify, if either of you see
anything out of the ordinary or manage to actually see the killer
abduct one of these girls, you call the police. We would finally
know who he is and give it to the professional to finish. I don’t
want either of you mixed up with this sick bastard. Believe me, if
you had seen what I have, you wouldn’t get within ten feet of
him.”

Both Dejana and Leah agree with my reasoning
and we make a plan to begin our clandestine stakeouts tomorrow.
They voice concerns about my returning to school so soon, but I
brush them off. The last thing I need to do is sit here all day
drowning in what might have been. I need to do something. I need to
act. If following one of these girls leads me to the killer, then I
will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Chapter
Twenty-One

~ No One Knows What You Did In The
Dark ~

The meeting takes place at the cemetery an
hour before school starts. The deserted grounds offer shelter from
probing eyes. Anonymity is the key to survival. The consequences of
being overheard would be disastrous.

He waits amongst the tombstones, the stench
of rotting corpses and stale air stinging his nostrils. He shifts
his weight back and forth on his feet, the repetitive motion
calming him. He looks around trying to ascertain from which
direction his companion will come, but to no avail. The darkness
blankets everything. The fear of being revealed as a killer is ever
present, but he’s not worried. He’s the master of disguise and
methodical. Each minute of this meeting has been planned
meticulously. If anything were to go awry, a backup plan is already
in place. The risk of being spotted matters not to him; complete
privacy is the key. No one can know what he and his companion have
planned.

A few moments later, a figure emerges from
among the gravestones. He’d recognize him anywhere. Even the
darkness can’t conceal the glint of green in his eyes. He stops
pacing—the time has finally arrived.

“It took you long enough. I’ve been waiting
here for ten minutes,” he berates his brother in evil.

“I couldn’t get away without notice. Everyone
knows I don’t get up this early,” his companion replies.

“Were you able to find out if our plan was
compromised?” he inquires eagerly.

“There is a slight complication, but I’m
taking care of it. The timetable still stands. Sharpen your
knife—she’ll be ripe for the taking very soon.”

“Excellent. I’ve waited long enough and I’m
tired of this façade. Not a day goes by where I don’t hate myself
for not killing her the instant she touched me. If so much weren’t
at stake, I would have taken her the moment she stole my memories.
She’s a threat, a risk to everything we’ve built.” He takes a deep
breath before continuing, “But I’m a patient man.”

His companion smiles widely. “I expect no
less. Don’t worry. She still has no idea who you really are. But,
there’s no telling when she’ll figure it all out.”

He chuckles sinisterly. “All the more reason
to up the schedule. It’s time for her to understand the scope of
our capabilities.”

“Agreed. There’s no time like the present,
right?” suggests his companion.

He laughs heartily, his thoughts consumed
with images of her lying on his bed, tied up and afraid. He can
almost feel his knife sliding into her, imagine the helpless look
in her eyes, the eyes that know entirely too much. The orbs that
hold the secrets to his soul.

“I couldn’t agree more. I can lead her to
you; I just need more time. You know what to do, right?”

“Do I look stupid to you? Of course, I know
the plan. And I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”

“A plan is only as good as its creators. Text
me when it’s done,” he states, elation plain in his voice.

The light of dawn begins to break through the
darkness signaling the companions that they’ve already lingered too
long. The hedges behind them suddenly erupt as birds jet out in all
different directions, fleeing some unknown assailant the two boys
can’t see. It’s a clear reminder of the fact that the success of
the plan depends solely upon stealth.

“This should be the last time we meet. If
anything goes wrong, you know how to reach me. Until then, I have
work to do,” states his companion, clearly eager to leave so he can
begin.

“As do I. If there’s an emergency, you know
where to find me.”

Each boy picks up his discarded book bag,
preparing to head out in different directions, sticking to the
darker areas to aid subterfuge. He looks at his friend, his brother
in carnage, and feels lucky that he’s the one that holds the key to
solving everything for him. After a lifetime of working alone, he
has a real brother. Together, they are invincible.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

~ OMG ~

Six hours after my stakeout began, I want to
shoot myself just to make the torture stop. After a lifetime of
staying away from people, I am now actively following Brenda Miller
around school. Between classes, before and after school, to club
meetings and cheerleading practice, there is no break from the
insanity. How does a person live that kind of life and still have
the energy to text every five seconds? I am exhausted just watching
her go about her day. I have no idea how she actually does it. The
one thing I’m good at is blending into the background. The whole
day Brenda never knew that I was watching her; no idea I was
scrutinizing every person she met. She was oblivious to the fact
that I watched her every move, trying to decipher if she actually
could be the next victim. I watched the boys interact with her,
wondered if any one of them could be capable of the kind of evil I
have experienced in the killer’s memories. The problem is that it
could be any of them. Evil takes so many different forms and is an
expert at deception. I have to rely on my powers of deduction and
just hope that the memories I hold give me some indication of when
he is around.

I attended all my classes, but any free
moment I had during the day was dedicated to following Brenda
around to all of her classes. The day before, Leah had given each
of us a copy of our person’s schedule. I didn’t ask how she
obtained the schedules, but my guess is that Leah hacked into the
school’s computer system. By the time I make it to cheerleading
practice, my head is about to explode. It hasn’t even been one full
day and I am already regretting the decision to follow anyone
around. I decide to text Leah and Dejana, to see if they are having
any luck, when I spot a boy coming towards Brenda and the other
girls currently practicing a pyramid in the middle of the football
field.

I am far enough away that no one on the field
will notice me. My perch high up in the bleachers gives me some
concealment. Besides, even if a person does come up here to see
what I’m doing, I have my books with me. I will pretend to study.
This is a free country; studying in fresh air is not a crime. I
don’t recognize the boy heading toward the group of girls, but
there is something in the way he walks that makes me take notice.
He has a confidence that not many teenage boys have when walking
into a group of not only popular, but also, pretty teenage girls.
Sadly, I don’t recognize this boy at all, even if I had wanted to.
It’s just part of the package when you ignore almost everyone in
school. He has brownish, blond hair and the muscular build of an
athlete. He charges into the group of girls, strutting as if he
owned every one of them, just like the popular kids do. He acts as
if he owns the school.

He slows in stride just long enough to say
‘hello’ to other girls before he stops directly in front of Brenda
and engages her in conversation. I’m too far away to hear what
they’re saying, but I can tell it’s flirtatious. She laughs at
something he says—a little too heartily—and tucks her hair behind
her ear. Ugh, disgusting. It’s like watching the G-rated version of
Fifty Shades of Grey
. I decide I need to hear more, so I
pack up my book bag and begin to head down the bleachers. I try and
look casual, taking each step firmly, but quickly as I make my way
down to the edge of the fence where the entrance to the field is
located. There is a small, locked gate that blocks the entrance to
the stairs that lead down to the field, but it is low enough that I
think I can jump it. I put my hands on either side of the rails and
place my foot at the top of the gate. I dare a quick look to my
left at Brenda and her potential would be lover/killer; they are so
engrossed in their conversation, they don’t notice me.

Using my arms, I hoist myself up and swing my
feet over the edge deftly and quickly, certain that I look as
smooth and cool as Tom Cruise does in all his
Mission
Impossible
movies. I am half way over the gate when suddenly,
my book bag gets caught on one of the barbs on the chain link
fence. I am stopped in midair and pulled back violently. My vision
of coolness completely shatters as my forward momentum is shredded
and I slam hard, back into the gate. My back begins to sting with
cuts from the chain links. Feeling stupid, I begin to assess the
damage to my back, when the shoulder harness of the book bag breaks
and I begin a loud and expletive-f tumble down the stairs. My
screams seem to get the attention of the players and cheerleaders
on the field, if their laughter was any indication. It is painfully
obvious that none of them care if I was injured in the fall or not.
Gathering my pride and my book bag, I hightail it off the practice
field as fast as I can and head towards my car in the student
parking lot. I know I should stay and watch Brenda, but my back and
shoulder needs tending. Besides, her life seems pretty normal and
fairly drama-free. She should be fine until I take care of the
bleeding on my back.

Once I reach the parking lot, I jump into my
car and head back to Dejana’s house. I shoot a text to Dejana, to
let her know that I am on the way and see if she can meet me there.
The doctors said that Mary would be in the hospital a few more
days, so I am staying with Dejana until she’s out and we can figure
out what to do about our half burned half-burned house. Ten minutes
later, I pull into Dejana’s driveway, but instead of seeing her
blue Prius in the garage, I see Logan, arms crossed, leaning
against his black Ford Mustang. He is looking sexy as ever in his
Levi jeans and fitted black t-shirt. He’s wearing his letterman’s
jacket, adorned with patches from so many sports that I lose count.
A smile immediately appears on his face the minute he sees me. I
can’t help but to smile back. I pull in beside him and turn off my
car. He opens the door for me and slides back a bit, allowing me to
get out of the car. Smiling still, he is about to say ‘hello’ when
he notices the cut in my shirt from my graceful display where the
blood has soaked through. His face immediately darkens.

“What the hell happened to you, Aimee?” he
asks, furious for some reason. I step back a bit, confused by his
reaction. I want to tell him about how the three amigas are tailing
a murderer at our school, but something holds me back. I can’t be
sure what stops me; the three of us are a lot like Charlie’s Angels
and we could always use a Charlie, but I still hesitate.

“It’s nothing, Logan. I just fell down. I was
just getting ready to go in and clean it, until I saw you waiting.
Why are you here by the way? Did you want to see Dejana?” I ask,
hoping the change of topic gets his mind off my injuries.

His face softens, but I can still see the
anger glow like a fire around him. He seems to get control of it
quickly and his smile returns. “I’m here for you actually. I wanted
to ask if you would like to go to dinner with me tonight. Nothing
fancy, just hang out at Taco Mac by the mall for a bit. We could
eat there and then maybe go to a movie. I might even let you pick
which one. You up for it?” he asks. I bite my lip, unsure of my
answer. This is the first invitation for a date I have ever had and
if I blow it, certainly my last.

Sensing my hesitation, Logan adds, “And for
the record, I won’t take no for an answer.” He leans against the
car and flashes the sexy, sideways smile that makes my heart skip a
beat. As much as I want to say no and wipe that egotistical smile
off his face, I can’t find it in me to do it.

“Sounds good, Logan. Just give me minute to
clean up. But since Dejana isn’t here, you’ll have to wait outside.
I’m not sure I trust you alone in the house while I am in the
shower,” I finish, happy to have some control back to help slow my
heartbeat, however meager that control may be.

Logan laughs, a deep musical sound. “For you,
Aim, I’d wait anywhere,” he says leaning over and closing the car
door behind me, encouraged by his success.

My heart beats a bit faster as I make it up
the stairs to the guest room I currently call home. I run to
Dejana’s room first, to grab some of her clothes since mine were
burned in the fire. As I dress in a more formal version of my black
ensemble, I can’t help but feel elated by the idea of my first
date. I have never felt excitement mixed with so much nervousness
before. Nor have I ever before felt the need to look pretty. I
choose a fitted, long sleeve shirt that accents my figure and
matching black jeans. I leave my hair down as per my usual look,
but I take the time to put on some makeup and matching black
earrings. I don a lacy black scarf and gloves before looking at
myself in the mirror. I have to admit, I clean up pretty well.
Before I turn to leave the room and meet Logan outside, I decide to
wear Dejana’s high-heeled boots because hey, a girl only has her
first ever date once. Maybe I’m glad no one shot me today after
all.