Total pages in book: 185
Estimated words: 172387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 862(@200wpm)___ 690(@250wpm)___ 575(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 172387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 862(@200wpm)___ 690(@250wpm)___ 575(@300wpm)
That is until I headed into the store and saw what looked like a familiar face. I ducked down behind the aisle thinking that he might’ve seen me, but when he walked down another aisle without looking around I was sure that he hadn’t.
My heart raced in my chest and I reached for my phone before realizing that I’d left it in my room before leaving home with Todd earlier. What to do? I grabbed the Tylenol, all the while trying to keep him in my sights. I was scared and strangely calm at the same time. And all I could think is what would daddy do in this situation?
So, I paid and headed out the door to my car while the man was in the back of the store. I hopped in my car with my heart in my lungs, staring back at the entrance all the while. I needed to use the bathroom, my nerves manifesting themselves in the sudden urge to pee when he came out and got into his truck.
Now I was almost certain that it was the same one. I felt sick to my stomach but before I knew it I was following behind him. I had the good sense as nervous as I was to keep a safe distance between us, doing my best not to give myself away. But I had a good idea of where he was going.
If he was who I suspected him to be, then he wouldn’t be going far. I drove down the street slowly after he pulled up to a house and kept going when he looked around as if suddenly noticing me. I looked at the house numbers and made note and hadn’t made it to the end of the street when I saw the same car pulling out of the driveway again.
Oh shit, is he following me? Fear like I’ve never known washed over me and I stepped on the gas, but he went by me, didn’t even stop. Now my heart was thundering in my ears as I made the turn and headed back around.
He was gone, not following me. I wish I had my phone to call daddy or Todd, but… Shoot-shoot-shoot. Could that girl still be in there? Was there even someone in the back of that truck or were we all imagining things? I hadn’t imagined what happened to Leslie.
I slowed down when I reached his house again and this time decided to park a few doors down. There were lights on in the house but no car in the driveway so maybe he lived there alone. I sat for a few minutes more giving serious thought to what I was about to do, but I had to know.
I wasn’t planning on breaking and entering of course I just needed to peep into the windows around back to see if I saw anything that might be of use. So with this purpose in mind I kept to the shadows of the hedges that bordered his property and the one next to his.
There was a little wooden gate that was easy to open and walk through. The backyard was in full darkness and the one window that lead to the basement was dark and covered with grime. I walked as close to the house as I could get, keeping my ear pressed to the wall to see if I heard anything inside.
I knew that I’d be able to see him pulling into the driveway, that the headlights would be enough to alert me, so I wasn’t really afraid of being caught. But being this close to the danger that he posed had my knees about to give out.
Then I heard a sound, someone was back here with me. I didn’t stick around to find out, I just ran, knocking into the side of the house in my haste and couldn’t hold back the yelp from the pain. I hopped into my car in so much fear that I’m not even sure how I made it, and sped the ten minutes or so it took me to get home.
TODD
Shit, he’s back! Not enough time. I heard the car pull into the driveway of the man we’d hunted down. Catalina had given her dad a sketch earlier that bore a striking resemblance to the man I’d seen the night before and Mancini had worked his magic to find him.
We didn’t call the cops because… I don’t know why, but Mancini seems to have a hard-on for anything with a badge which is crazy because as I’d come to learn, his wife is one of the FBI’s most prolific profilers. But I figure if anyone would do that shit, it would be him.
I parked a ways away from the house which was on the street that I’d been staking out without much success the last few nights, having shown up here after leaving my girl at home. I’m selfishly hoping that this all ends soon so she and I can have our summer free of the bullshit.