There's an unsettling quietness in the room after Chaney's revelation. Laura's expression is nothing short of terror. I glance at the two of them and break the awkward silence that's floating through the RV. "That's why I need your help catching him. He is cunning and ruthless and will eventually take you Chaney, if we don't stop him."
"What will we do when we catch him?" Laura questions.
"We either find some way to turn him in, or we kill him."
"We can't kill him,'' Chaney says, appalled by the notion.
"If he lays one finger on you, I will kill him," Laura says, protectively.
"To be honest, I want nothing more than to kill him, but I'm not a murderer. It's a catch 22,"
"Okay....Tibby. I will help you. I want Chaney to stay out of it. That means she stays here."
I nod my head in agreement. "Fair enough, I just ask that Chaney be aware of her surroundings and stay away from shady characters like your friend Jeff."
"Do you think it's him?" Laura sounds horrified.
"No, I know it's not him; however, I don't trust him. Happy doesn't like him either. Dogs are a great judge of character and she can tell he's a piece of shit." Happy lifts her head and grunts in agreement. Chaney pets her and sits on the floor to get closer to her.
"He kind of gives me the skeeves mom."
"Well, we're not that close. I will keep my eyes on him, okay?" She runs her fingers through Chaney's red hair lovingly.
"Chaney, I'll do my best to protect you. Laura, I could use your help to figure out what to do next."
"Mom, I want to go. You can't leave me here. What if he comes for me when you two are gone?" Chaney argues.
"Good point. You're coming with us. How do you want me to help, Tibby?"
"Well, maybe we can use your RV to do a stakeout on this guy. I haven't gotten a close look at him. I'm not sure what he looks like. I want us to be prepared in case something goes wrong and he does get to Chaney when we're not with her."
"You're really scaring me, Tibby," Chaney's voice trembles with fear.
"Good." I tell her. "You should be. My sister was taken. If she would have been more aware of her surroundings, she would still be here today."
"Where are we going to do the stakeout?" Laura asks, changing the subject. She smiles and rubs my back. Her motherly instincts and her kindness are what drew me to her in the first place. My sorrow is blatantly obvious, as I wipe a single tear from my eye.
I clear my throat and say, "the ghost town, near the shed."
"Tibby, the RV is too big. We can't be out in the open. We would be like sitting ducks."
"I was thinking behind one of those buildings. There are a couple buildings where the shed will be within view and we should be able to stay hidden from the road."
"Okay, when do we go?" Chaney asks.
"I was thinking about tomorrow. The chances he will be back tonight are slim, unless he plans on making another drop off."
"We can't risk not going tonight, Tibby. Let's do it tonight. You and Happy can sleep in the RV. I'm actually pretty excited to help. I've always wanted to be a private investigator. Here's my chance slapping me right in the face." Laura exclaims.
"Yeah, let's go tonight." Chaney agrees.
"I guess it's settled. We go tonight." Laura's right. We can't risk it. At least I won't be alone this time. I've been on my own for weeks and I miss the civilization that comes with being around people. I was beginning to feel like a savage who never showered.
For the next few hours Chaney and Laura gather supplies for our stakeout tonight, while Happy and I get some much needed rest. Happy is snoring away as I gently stroke her fur. The smooth sensation of her fur relaxes me. I slowly drift off into oblivion.
The smell of plastic hits my nostrils like a ton of bricks as I descend the winding escalators. Where am I? The escalators continue on without stopping at the bottom. I pass every floor of the building unaware of my destination. There are bright lights overhead, shining down on blank, colorless faces of mannequins that stare back when I go down. Even though they're lifeless, they seem as if they are filled with secrets. Secrets they want to get out.
A scream echoes throughout the place, distracting me from my reverie. I make an effort to climb over the side of the escalator, but fail. My pant leg gets stuck in the teeth of the escalator's stairs and I fall. A girl needs my help. Her screams get louder, more desperate and I am unable to stop whatever's happening. My pants get caught further in. The escalator is consuming my pants. I let out a wail of frustration and struggle to yank my pants free.
Boisterous footsteps, start to descend the escalator. The confident gait of the approaching figure is familiar. He is coming for me. I panic and frantically pull on my pant leg, glancing up every few seconds to see how far away he is. He is coming down fast. He will reach me before I can get my pants out. His chin is tucked into his neck, so I can't make out his face. His hands are behind his back, concealing something. He brings his hand forward with a swinging motion. He's gripping a girl by her red hair. I gasp when she lets out a scream of agony. It's Chaney.
He reaches me before I have time to react. With sheer force, he grabs me by my shirt and throws me over the side of the escalators. I yell out Chaney's name as I fall, hitting the mannequins on the way down.
"Tibby!!! I don't want to die!" Chaney screams.
I wake up abruptly, to Chaney shaking me. "Are you okay?" Chaney asks, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Bad dream?"
"Yeah, but don't worry about it."
"Okay..." She drops it. "Mom and I got everything we need like sandwiches and stuff."
I smile and pet Happy. Her head is on my lap, providing me comfort. I give her a kiss and clear my throat to speak, but no words come out. I don't know what to say to Chaney after the dream I just had. Laura walks in at the right moment, saving me from talking about it. Her arms are full with bags of food and drinks to keep us satiated while we wait for him to return to the shed.
Laura gets in the driver seat and starts the engine, jovially. "Alright girls, let's go spy on this fucker!"