Chapter 22. Tessa #2
My fault. It’s my fault for not helping her sooner, for not figuring this out.
Reed puts a steadying hand on my arm. “Let’s clear out of the doorway.
” He still sounds ticked off about our argument on the lawn, but he ushers me to the opposite corner of the room anyway.
It’s a good thing, too, because Tilly’s dad rushes in, the overnight bag slung over his shoulder.
He drops it to the floor and with two long strides he’s beside her bed, brushing some hair back from her face.
“She just arrived from recovery,” Alicia, Tilly’s mom, says. “She’s still out from the painkillers.”
“Any word from the surgeon?”
“Yes, he came by after we hung up. He said her collarbone fractured in two places and was severe enough to require metal pins. They had to pull glass out of her skin.” She grabs a tissue from her purse and dabs her eyes before continuing.
“She’ll need to use a sling for six to eight weeks, but should be better in time for freshman orientation.
They’re keeping her overnight, but then she can come home. ”
Reggie, Tilly’s dad, shakes his head. “I don’t understand why she took your car instead of hers or why she left so early. If she was heading into the shop, why go the long way around? You said the accident was near the bridge, right?”
“The police said she took the corner too fast and rolled. The car was teetering on the edge of the bridge, Reg. A couple jogging by pulled her out of a broken window before it went over. I can’t even imagine if she’d gone into the river in that state.”
Reggie sinks down onto his knees, hands folded on the edge of her bed. “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for keeping my baby safe.” His shoulders shake.
Tilly’s mom grasps his hands as they cry together.
It feels like we’re intruding on their private moment. I nod for Reed to follow and slip through the wall into the hallway.
My heart aches so much for Tilly, it’s hard to focus. But I know she needs me to solve this. “What do you think really happened?”
“It’s hard to know for sure, but if she saw Carl step into the street last night as she drove away, she might have thought it was smart to use a different car. It’d be harder to track her.”
“That makes sense.” I pace in the close confines of the hall, trying to re-create the situation in my mind.
“So she drives off early, avoiding him, or avoiding her usual routine, and then what? He’s driving after her or something, and she ends up flooring it to get away and hits a tight corner and flips? ”
“Could be.”
“God, I wish we could talk to her.” I slump against the wall, defeated.
Reed rubs his temples over a deep sigh.
“Wait.” I snap forward. “She’s going to wake up and then she can explain everything. They can get the police involved and finally stop this madness.”
“And get him on what charges?” Reed flings a hand in the air.
“No one knows about us. As for Tilly, she can prove he called her a few times. Or tell them she saw him when she was driving. I don’t think that’s enough.
I’m not sure a restraining order would stop him, either.
When I passed through him …” He shudders.
“He was determined. He was thrilled by the chase. That fucker likes her scared. I don’t think he’s going to stop unless we stop him, Tessa. ”
“But how?” I pull the phone out and flip it open, the numbers always ticking down, time slipping through our fingers.
I snap it shut with a groan. There’s a rough goodbye as Tilly’s father heads out to take care of their store, walking past the nurse’s station.
Her parents have no idea what’s going on.
“She never told her mom and dad about him. All I can think to do is to stay close to her. We’re the only ones who know what’s happening. ”
“Maybe …” Reed rocks on his feet. “We’ve been so focused on her, right? But what if we stay closer to him instead? We find out where he lives. Learn his patterns. When does he follow her? Where does he hide?”
I nod. “Okay. That’s a start. We follow Carl. Then we look for a weakness, for some kind of advantage, and we exploit it.”
But first, we return to Tilly’s hospital room.
I need to know she’ll be okay in this vulnerable state.
I wish I could hug her mom, too. Alicia’s always been so kind to me.
She used to drop groceries off at our place when my family struggled to make ends meet, saying she got too much at Costco and needed to hand off the extras.
I hate seeing her in pain, especially after all she’s been through with her health this past year.
I hate that she has no idea how much danger her daughter’s in.
We spend the day with them. Tilly rouses at one point, but besides drinking some water and hugging her mom, she doesn’t say much before she’s out again. Nurses come and go throughout the day to check her vitals, adjust her bandages.
I’m so sorry, Tills.
I hope somehow the thought can reach her, that she might feel my presence here and know I’m close, know I’d do anything for her.
Little by little the tension bubbling between Reed and me dissipates. Maybe he takes pity on me for having to see my friend in this state. But whatever the reason, he moves closer as the day progresses, until at last, our pinkies overlap as we lean against the window.
The sky grows dark outside as we keep vigil. Eventually, an announcement rings out that visiting hours will be over in fifteen minutes. Though it doesn’t affect us, we should probably head home anyway. I’m starting to get that hollow, washed-out feeling.
Out of nowhere, Reed grabs my arm, his fingernails digging into my skin.
“Ow. What are you—?” I turn to look at him, but the color has leached from his face.
His hand is still clutching me tightly, his eyes fixed on the entrance. “It’s him,” he whispers.
I follow his gaze to the doorway and almost jump out of my skin to find Carl. How dare he show up here? He’s holding a bouquet of purple flowers as if he belongs in her life, as if he has the right to intrude on her privacy.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt.” He runs a hand through his messy red hair. “I wanted to bring these for Tilly. One of the nurses lent me the vase.” He gives a bashful shrug. Oh, silly me, forgetting the vase.
“That’s so sweet. How do you know Tilly?” Alicia stands to greet him.
“I’m just a friend. Carl.” He offers his hand to shake.
I step forward, preparing to launch myself through him if he tries to hurt either of them.
“I heard about the accident and wanted to make sure she’s okay.”
“That’s very kind of you. I didn’t realize news had spread. Come on in. We can make some room on this table for your flowers. They’re beautiful, and so unusual with the berries, what are they?”
“No idea. There was something about them. They reminded me of Tilly.” His smile is slow and cruel, but Alicia doesn’t catch it as she busily arranges the bouquet.
“Those are from our greenhouse. That’s the plant he poisoned us with,” I say.
“You know what that means?” Reed turns to me. “That means he was at our place this afternoon.”
Here we’ve been wondering where to find him, and he’s been out lurking on our grounds. I don’t want him anywhere near us, or those plants, or Tilly.
With a quick knock on the door a nurse pokes her head inside. “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over.” She nods at Carl. When Alicia begins to gather her things the nurse adds, “She’s a minor, so you’re welcome to stay the night if you like, Mrs. Sanderson.”
“Thank you,” Alicia says, relieved, glancing at Tilly’s battered frame on the bed.
“I’ll grab you a blanket.” And with that she heads down the hall.
After a few final pleasantries, Carl excuses himself as well.
As much as I hate to tear myself away, I know we need to follow him.
At least we know Tilly’s mom will watch over her tonight.
I take off after Carl as he heads for the stairwell.
Reed falls into step beside me. “I’ll track him through the lobby, but in case I lose him, you pick up the trail in the parking lot.”
I nod once, imagine the sprawling lot out front, and send myself there to wait.
A few straggling visitors walk to their cars, but so far, no Carl.
Then I remember the mustard-yellow Kia he drove the other night.
I search the aisles until I spot it under the soft glow of a streetlamp, toward the back of the lot.
When I turn, Carl is walking toward me, with no Reed in sight. What do I do?
He gets in the car and starts the engine. Maneuvering toward the exit, he takes a right on Elm.
Still no Reed.
I want to go back and find him, but I’m afraid I’ll lose my chance at this.
Having no idea where Carl’s headed, I do the only thing I can think of.
I project myself to the corner of Elm and Montgomery and wait.
He should be headed this way, and then I’ll be able to see his next move.
Within a few moments his headlights approach.
Neglecting the stop sign, he swings right on Montgomery.
I try my trick again, imagining the intersection of Montgomery and Franklin.
In a breath, I’m standing under the awning of a drugstore, now closed for the night. I wait again.
My eyes search the horizon for his car, but he never rolls up. Shit. What did I miss? I send myself back about half the distance, but he’s not there, either. Did he pull into a garage? After about ten minutes I reappear in the hospital parking lot, only to find Reed stumbling through the aisles.
“Whoa. Are you okay?” I jog over to him.
“I was following him,” he gasps. “But it was crowded, and then this EMT blasted through me, and Carl got away.”
“You have to be more careful. That’s another day off the door. And for what?” I reach my hand out to steady him.
“Don’t you think I know that?”
He leans his weight on my shoulder, his teeth still chattering. “Please tell me you had better luck.”
I recount the events of the last ten minutes.
“Tessa, that’s great. That means he stopped somewhere on Montgomery between those two intersections. There are lots of houses there, some apartments, too. Now we have a pretty good guess at where he lives.” He playfully checks me out. “Look at that. My girlfriend is a badass ghost detective.”
I can’t help my smile. This feels like the first lucky break we’ve had in a while. “Come on, let’s get you home.” I tuck my arm under his.
I’m not sure the exact moment it happened, when home ceased to mean the house I grew up in and instead became the van der Born estate. But the mansion does feel like a home of sorts now. It’s hard to know if that has more to do with the house itself or the boy beside me.