Chapter Thirty-One
Noah
Three and a half hours later, Noah and others were exiting the plane in Phoenix and quickly moving through the main terminal so they could get to the front where a car would be waiting for them. They hopped in the car and he turned to Theo who had his laptop open and was crunching away on the keyboard. “Where do we go, Theo?” Noah asked.
“Looks like his last known address was a house in Riverdale. It’s about forty-five minutes from here.” Theo clicked a few more buttons. “Oh boy.” He said.
“What?”
“Check this out.”
We all turned to look at the screen he showed them—minus Zach, who was behind the wheel.
“What are we looking at?” Zach asked, signaling to get over a lane so they could get out of the airport.
“It’s the guy’s house,” Eli said, confusion on his face.
“Okay…”
“It’s in Bree’s favorite color.” Noah choked out, looking at the unassuming two-story.
“And the garden is full of Aubrey’s favorite flowers,” Theo added, looking a little green.
“This guy’s level of obsession is way higher than we thought,” Zach said, checking his blindspot before hopping on the interstate.
“If he planned his life and identity around Bree and what she likes he isn’t going to be willing to let her go. Not without a fight.” Noah said.
“Her deciding to step away from the industry was probably the catalyst.” Theo reasoned. “If he made her his entire identity, then her suddenly not being on socials or producing more music would leave him feeling adrift. He doesn’t know who he is without her. This has the potential to go bad.”
“But there is a plus side.” Eli chimed in.
“What’s that?” Noah asked, staring at the picture of the house as though he could see Bree. Reach her. I’m coming, Bree. He thought, desperately wishing he could communicate with her. Reassure her that he was on his way. He wouldn’t leave her behind.
He could hear her desperately whispered confession. I love you. Like she didn’t think she’d have the opportunity to tell him again. He wished she had hung on a moment longer so he could’ve told her that he loved her too. Her feelings weren’t one-sided. She was his life.
“If she is his identity, he is going to be less likely to hurt her as long as she plays along.”
“There was blood on the balcony,” Noah argued.
“Yeah, but that was probably to gain compliance or get her into the car. As long as she plays along, he probably won’t kill her.”
“I can’t believe someone probably not killing Bree is the silver lining,” Noah muttered, handing the computer back to Theo.
“We’ll take what we can get,” Zach said.
“Have the local police been informed?”
“Yes, they’re getting in touch with our local department and seeing what they can do. They”re working to coordinate it. They were waiting on evidence transfer of the video last I heard. They also have to prove she”s out of state.”
“Couldn’t they watch the video from the gas station and interview that employee?”
“The employee never showed back up for work,” Eli said meaningfully.
“So he knows that Bree talked to someone.” Noah postulated.
“Let’s just hope he doesn’t know she talked to you,” Zach said darkly.
***
Aubrey
The valet unlocked the door to the garage and came around to Bree’s side of the car to open her door. They walked into the house, and she was taken aback by the large, warm living space. A fireplace and two-story ceilings immediately captured her attention. Above the fireplace was a signed photograph Aubrey had sent out earlier that year. She walked over to it and read the dedication in the corner. Skyler. His name was Skyler. Memories of different things she’d signed—several in the last six months alone—all made out to Skyler flashed through her mind.
“You like it?” He asked, standing behind her, the warmth of his body making her skin crawl.
“I do. I love getting to connect with my fans in different ways.” She said. Which was true. “It looks nice on the mantle.” She added—another truth.
“I thought it would help you feel more comfortable here.” He said, gesturing to the living space. “Would you like a house tour?” He offered as though she was just another guest visiting his home.
“I’d love one,” Bree said, forcing a small smile and hoping it reached her eyes. She looked around the room for ways to escape, but there wasn’t anything that immediately stuck out. The kitchen was off to the left, a large island making up the dining space. A glass door to the backyard that had a large tree could be seen, but there was fencing all the way around it. She wondered if there was a gate. Or if she could hop the fence. It looked taller than normal. Now would have been a great time to not be spatial reasoning challenged. Ugh. She turned to look at the entryway and grimaced. The front door looked like it was also locked from the inside with a key. What if there was a fire? She shuddered. That would be an awful way to go.
“This is the living, kitchen, and eating area.” He said, gesturing to the open space. They walked down a small side hallway. “Here is the laundry room—” Bree peeked in and noticed a door to the outside that was bolted and locked. It required a key on the inside. Who does that? They continued down the hall, where there was a small bedroom and a guest bath.
“Let’s head upstairs.” He said, gesturing to the staircase and waiting for Bree to go first.
She nodded, the hair on her neck rising as his body stayed close behind hers. She walked up the steps carefully, keeping an eye out for any way to escape. Who was this guy? The only door so far that hadn’t had the same lock seemed to be the garage, but she hadn’t exactly had the chance to make sure.
“The first door on the left is the recording studio,” Skyler said, opening the door to show a room that had been covered with soundproofing materials. There was a stool and mic in the center of the room and a guitar sitting in the corner, waiting for Bree to play it. The soundboard nearby looked to be a professional quality and a computer—currently turned off—sat on the desk next to it. It was actually a really nice setup for a small home studio.
He backed out and closed the door before moving to the one across the hall. They walked in, and her heart tripped in her chest—what didn’t this guy know about her? The room was set up in the exact same manner as her art studio at Noah’s house. From the art on the wall to the easel placement to where she normally sat her brushes down to dry. Bree shuddered. He had been watching her. “Now you can paint too!” He said gleefully. “You’ll just be painting for us, of course. You need to focus on your music. But it’s a good outlet to have nonetheless.”
Bree nodded, unable to form words.
“The last door on the left is mine. It has an attached bath, so we won’t need to share right now.” He said diplomatically. Bree”s blood ran cold. Right now? She would never share a bathroom—or anything else—with him. She”d rather die first. Skyler continued the tour, oblivious to the internal panic attack Bree was experiencing.
“The door at the end of the hall is the shared bath for all these rooms, so it’s just yours. And the room on the right is yours.” He said, moving over and unlocking it from the outside with a key. Bree walked in and a tear rolled down her cheek while bile simultaneously rose in her throat. The cream-colored bedspread was gorgeous and inviting—and it looked identical to the one on her bed back at Noah”s house. Worse yet, a small teddy bear head was placed neatly in front of the pillows. The stuffing was coming out of the bottom which made it sit strangely lopsided. Devastation swam through her. She wanted to go home. She wanted Noah. Bree wiped the tear away quickly. The rest of the room was beautiful. Because it was exactly the same as her room at Noah’s house. “It’s just like my room at home.” Bree croaked.
That seemed to make him angry. “NO! This is your home. I copied his rooms so you’d be comfortable while you adjusted.”
“Of course. That was…very thoughtful…of you.” She managed to get out. She closed her eyes so she didn’t have to stare at the room in front of her.
“It was.” He agreed, his voice edged with the mania that she was confident would be on display in his eyes—if she cared to look. “It took a lot of planning. A lot of work. A lot of trips back and forth while I waited for you. A lot of time spent looking in windows from a distance. Watching. Waiting. I paid a lot of attention to you, Aubrey Gray. And how did you repay me for that? For building you a paradise?” He gestured to the house around them. “For rescuing you so you could go back to doing what you loved?”
Was this rhetorical? Was she supposed to answer? She teetered back and forth, uncertain of whether to engage or if he was hitting the villain monologue stage.
“You brought someone else into it.”
Bree furrowed her brow, confusion etched on her face. “I didn’t—”
“Do not LIE to ME!” He half shouted, grabbing a small silver rectangle out of his pocket and slamming it down on the dresser in front of her. “Read it.” He said in a calm yet deadly voice.
“Ashley.” She read aloud before all the blood drained from her face. The gas station attendant.
“You told her you were in trouble. That you had been kidnapped. After everything I did for you.” He slammed his hand against the door. “I couldn’t just leave her—risk her going to the police. Risk them taking you away from me. No. So I did what I had to do.”
“What did you do, Skyler? Where is Ashley?”
“Dead.” He replied. “And it’s all your fault. Because you couldn’t follow directions. Couldn’t do as you were told. I knew you were taking too long in the bathroom. I heard you talking to her. ‘Go pretend to be sick,’” He sneered. “It didn’t take much—keeping my head down and going back into the bathroom where she was still waiting. Afraid to leave. A quick, quiet snap of the neck was all it took for poor Ashley to never be able to help someone again.”
Bree gasped, tears filling her eyes as she thought of the young girl who had just been trying to help. “You’re a monster,” Bree whispered, anger taking over the fear.
“You made me into this Aubrey. You did.” He looked around the room and seemed to be satisfied that there wasn’t anything she could use to escape him. “I need to clean up and rest. You’ll be staying in here. I’ll see you for dinner.” He closed the door, and the lock clicked as it slid into place.
Bree listened for his retreating footsteps and then rushed to the window that overlooked the backyard. She tried to open it, but it didn’t work. He had permanently sealed it. It looked to be thicker than your average window. She looked down and considered the height. If she jumped—if she even made it that far once he heard the glass break—would she be able to walk for help after she landed? She probably wouldn’t be able to jump the fence, so the gate would have to be unlocked…if there even was one. It was a bad idea. She needed to wait for an opening. It was starting to look like she’d only have one chance.
Come on, Noah. Come and find me. She mentally begged, sagging onto the floor and letting all of the tears of fear, and pain, and heartache pour out of her. She sobbed quietly for a few minutes and then stood, wiping the tears resolutely. She would stay alert. She would find a way out of this. Or she would die trying.