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Not sure why she’d bring that up out of the blue, but I nodded. It was a silly story, a story made less silly by the fact that it’d been one big branch and if he’d been standing a few inches over, it would’ve hit something vital. It’s why you should always be careful when trimming trees, never do it alone.
When it was clear I wasn’t getting why she’d brought it up, Claire explained, “You know dad. He hates taking medicine longer than he has to, even if it’s against doctor’s orders. I bet he still has some of his antibiotics. Check his medicine cabinet. If I can’t get you anything, at least it’ll be something.”
“It doesn’t matter that the pills are a few years old?”
“Everything supposedly loses its efficacy after the date, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll call you after I get off, if I’m able to figure something out without getting fired.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, telling me goodbye before ending the call.
I set my phone down. I’d showered and changed out of my pajamas, and I now wore a set of jeans with large holes in the knee area and a short-sleeved red t-shirt. I didn’t get a wink of sleep, mostly because I couldn’t stop thinking about Brett.
What was I doing? This was a stupid plan.
But at the same time, it hardly felt like I was living sometimes, so why not go out with a bang? Enlist the help of a deranged killer, take care of my stalker, whoever the hell he was, and settle everything before…
Well, before the end, I guess.
Slipping my phone into my back pocket, I tiptoed out of my bedroom and went down the hall. The house was a smaller, two-story home. All the bedrooms were upstairs, along with a single shared bathroom. Downstairs was the kitchen, the living room, and an even smaller bathroom with just a toilet and a sink.
My mom worked crazy hours like Claire; the hazards of being a nurse practitioner. Usually she had off weekends, but every so often, she had to cover a coworker’s shift. My dad, on the other hand, was a driver for UPS, and he didn’t work weekends. He always got up at the butt-crack of dawn and went for a brisk walk around the neighborhood, then he cooked breakfast and sipped coffee for an hour or two, rocking on the back porch if the weather was decent.
Since it was smackdab in the middle of a semester, I wasn’t working. My parents preferred me working summers only, so I could focus on my studies—as if getting perfect grades would matter to employers in the future. The rate this country was going, I didn’t think any employer would really care if I got all A’s.
I heard not a sound in the house as I walked toward the bathroom across the hall. Once I was in, I shut the door and flicked on the light. I reached for the mirror and pulled open the medicine cabinet, searching for orange bottles.
I found the ones I’d been prescribed when I’d had my wisdom teeth taken out; let’s just say mom and dad split my pain pills in half and only gave them to me the first two days after the surgery, even though I’d gotten all four taken out at once.Didn’t want me getting addicted to them or whatever.
But, the same idea applied to these. I could bring these to Brett; they’d help with the pain a lot more than Advil and Tylenol. I set the bottle on the counter and kept digging until I found a bottle amongst the mess with my dad’s name on it. The instructions said to take the pills twice every day, with food.
I shut the medicine cabinet and took both small bottles in my hand, holding them close to my chest to stop them from rattling as I walked. After peeking my head out of the bathroom to make sure my dad wasn’t around, I hurried back to my room, where I stuffed the pills into a small purse.
I’d get out of here, go to the store, buy some food for him, and then go back to the motel. With any luck, Brett would be exactly where I left him. If he was good, I’d let him go. If he wasn’t… well, then maybe I’d just leave him to his fate. Call in a tip and sic the cops on him.
With my purse close, I went downstairs. The smell of bacon lured me into the kitchen, and I swiped some off the counter, munching on it as I wandered to the back door. I poked my head outside and found my dad rocking on his favorite chair, a steaming hot mug of coffee in his hands.
“I have to run to the library for school. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” I stuffed more bacon into my mouth, so hopefully he wouldn’t ask me any questions.The university library was open all the time, with students running the front desk.
My dad’s head rolled in my direction, and he gave me a smile and said, “Have fun.”
“I will not, but thanks.” I left my dad on the porch, and before I left, I grabbed more bacon from the kitchen, eating it on the way to my car. The house had a two-car garage, attached near the kitchen, but my parents parked in there. I got the turnaround just outside of the garage.
I grabbed my keys from the key rack and headed out. In the light of the morning sun, I could see the front of my car a lot better than I could last night in the light of the convenience store. Never thought I’d be grateful to have a tiny, rinky-dink car, but I think the size of the car was the only reason Brett went up and over and not down and under. There was a tiny dent in the bumper, but besides that, you’d never know I’d hit someone with it less than twelve hours ago.
I hit the grocery store and bought things Brett wouldn’t need a stove or an oven to make. That motel room didn’t even have a fridge or a microwave, so while he was there, he’d be extremely limited. Granola bars, cereal, warm water and pop. No home-cooked meals, that’s for sure.
How long would he have to stay in that motel room? I didn’t know. Until he could climb up into the treehouse, I guess—and that meant I’d have to fend for myself until then. That was fine; I was used to it by now.
Not used to having a stalker whose identity I didn’t know, though. Not sure how to handle that. I didn’t think most people resorted to getting a killer’s help with their stalkers. Then again, I also didn’t think most people hit a killer when they were driving aimlessly in the middle of the night, either.
This whole thing was crazy.
I’d be lying if I said my nerves weren’t jittery when I finally pulled up to the motel. As I parked in front of the room, I tried to calm myself down as much as I could. Before bringing in the bags from the store, I should go in there and see for myself if he was where I’d left him.
If, by some chance, he’d escaped, I’d go from there.
And if he escaped and killed me… oh, well.
I got out of my car, steeling myself for the worst, and headed to the door. My purse hung over my shoulder, and I fumbled to get the room key out of it. Once I stood before the door, I could hear the TV going inside, and that put me at ease.
A mistake, because when I unlocked the door and walked in, I saw Brett wasn’t on the bed anymore. The sheets I’d used as makeshift restraints had been loosened somehow, the bloody towels I’d put beneath him untouched.
