“She needs pretty things.” He mumbles, still not looking away. I can’t blame him; she has woven her very essence into our lungs.
“What do you mean by pretty things?” To Teddy, pretty things can range from a severed tongue… like he gifted her on her first day at the manor, or a set of rare jewels. And knowing him, the jewels would have most likely been found while he’s out doing his favorite hobby… Grave robbing.
“Her room is boring. She needs some pink or something. Girls like pink right?” He asks, seeming to second guess himself, but I don’t see it until he finally looks up at me and I see a little hint of worry in his eyes.
Oh, he’s got it bad.
“Sure. Most girls like pink, but Zoe isn’t like most girls.”
He looked out the window contemplatively and I almost thought the conversation had ended until he said, “She likes green. And she likes music. We can stop and get her some things on the way home.”
“We still have a hostage in the trunk.” I remind him.
“Good, maybe he’ll learn his lesson the longer he’s in there.”
“You make a valid argument,” I say, not that any argument was needed, I’m sold on the idea of buying the princess some presents. “We can stop at the mall on the way back. Send a message to the guys and see if they have any suggestions too.”
Teddy has never been a gift giver, he more so an ‘acts of service’ type of person when he’s being affectionate. For example, two years ago I broke my hand when I punched a wall out of anger, and then he tore down the wall for hurting me.
We walk into Zoe’s apartment shortly, and I already want to leave. We have continued paying her rent in case we needed to flee here as a last resort safe house. But this apartment is horrible. The wallpaper is always peeling off, the locks don’tactuallylock, and the bars on the window can be pulled off with one hand. I know she was in a tough spot and only made enough money to survive by doing odd jobs, but the thought of her ever needing to live in this hell hole makes me want to burn the shit to the ground.
Teddy jumped into her bed and rolled himself in her sheets. If I were anyone else, I’d be surprised or maybe disturbed by his actions. Even though it’s not something a particularly sane person would do, I still completely understand.
It smells like her.
“We shouldn’t be here too long Teddy.” I say as I open her deep freezer that’s shoved in the corner of the room.
Right on top of a frozen pizza, is a vacuum sealed bag with an easily identified human heart. “Hello, Kahl.” I hum to myself when I grab it. I rummage through her cabinets to find a bowl, then I fill it with ice. If we are planning on stopping for a quick shopping spree, we don't need this thing defrosting in the back seat.
“Little devil kept a diary.” Teddy piqued, and when I turned, I found him still perched on her bed, waving a little black journal in the air.
“Go ahead and grab it, but don’t look in it.” I warned him. Despite how curious I am to read her inner thoughts that were dark enough to be written and not said out loud, I refuse to breach that level of privacy.
“I wouldn't dream of it.” He said and tucked it into the inner pocket of his jacked. When he moved it, a little piece of paper fell out of it.
“What’s that?”
Teddy bent over to pick it up and unfolded it. I’ve never seen Teddy pale before, but I can feel the panic radiating off of him. I know that if I listened close enough, I might hear his heart trying to beat out of his chest. “Teddy?” I ask warily.
He passes me the paper, and my blood runs cold.
In my hand is a note that reads,“You’ll never escape me. -KH”
“Okay,” I breathe, trying to understand the situation. “Take this too, it may be old. We’ll just ask Zoe about it when we get home.” I fold the note back up and slip it into my poster.
Teddy just stares at me for a moment. I know the gears in his head are turning and now I need to do everything in my power to be sure that he doesn’t freak out. Not while we are out in public.
“The initials.” He frowns. “Kahl Hera?”
Sighing and tugging at the hair on the back of my head I respond, “That’s what I was thinking too. But we should go. We have that shopping spree for your little devil, remember?” Hoping that reminding him of her will help him remain stable.
He clenched and unclenched his fists before taking a deep breath with a nod. He’s close to the edge, but I know I’ve talked him down a bit.
Obviously, the note is old. But reading a threat to Zoe in writing after knowing what he’s done, raises the hair on the back of my neck too.
We get back in the car after making sure Deangelo is still secured in the back. “Just pull up the cameras,” I hand him my phone, “See what she and Dean are up to.”
It doesn’t take us long to get to the mall. Our drive over was silent, and the air was thick. Teddy seemed to calm down more and more the longer he watched the cameras.
