A soft knock at the door snaps me out of my reverie. "Tibby, please come down stairs. I miss you. I thought you would be happy to hear that the cops are actually doing something." I sigh and open the door. Her makeup is smeared down her cheeks, revealing her true shade of skin. Underneath the makeup, her skin is weathered and pale from all the stress and sadness. I wish I could take away all her stress and worries, but I can't bring Solia home.
"Listen, I'm sorry mom. I've just been going through a lot of things." I don't bother mentioning my investigation, or the fact that I know who Solia's killer is. "You look tired mom. Why don't you go lie down and take a nap?"
She inhales and exhales deeply, while nodding her head. "You aren't going anywhere are you Tibby?" Her eyes tell me she's scared to be alone.
"I am going to take a walk when you take your nap, but I will be back, okay?"
"Okay, Tibby. Be careful." With that being said, she goes into her master bedroom and shuts the door.
I walk over to Solia's door and open it. The walls are the same as when I still lived here. A shade of purple so bright and vibrant that matched Solia's personality is the first thing I notice. Everything in her room pops out at you. Nothing about this room fades into the background. There is one thing; however, that stands out among the rest. Her diary. It's sitting open on her white, pristine desk. Was mom snooping through her stuff? Something the cops should have done a long time ago
Her diary entry is dated the day before she was taken. I scan the words on the page, hoping for clues.
Dear Diary,
Today was a weird day. I woke up in the morning and my window was wide open. I never opened it. There were a few things taken. Some of my clothes and shoes are missing. I'm not sure what to make of it. Should I tell mom? She'll worry too much if I do. I also heard what I thought was an animal outside my room, but maybe it wasn't an animal. I feel like somebody's watching me. My gut tells me that I'm being followed to and from school, also. I just hope I'm being paranoid.
Tomorrow is going to be great, hopefully. I get to see Tibby. I am so excited to move in with her. I can't wait to be out of this house. I am ready to start the next chapter in my life. Unfortunately I have to wait until I graduate. I just hope it doesn't hurt my mom's feelings when I move out. It was hard enough for her when Tibby moved out.
Anyways, I'm going to be optimistic about tomorrow. It's a new day, but I'm a little worried something bad is going to happen. I will definitely be on the lookout for anything that's suspicious. Sorry if I can't write tomorrow. I may not be here.
"OMG! She knew someone was watching her!" I exclaim, a little too loud. "Fuck," I say, quieter. I wish she would have told mom, or at least me. She told me everything. I would have been able to help. I take a deep breath and exit her room. My determination to catch him is stronger than ever. After reading her diary, it leads me to believe he knows I'm her sister. If he's been following her, he had to have seen me at one point.
I go to my old closet and pull out a hoodie, it's starting to get cooler, so I should go unnoticed. I put the hood on and step outside, inhaling the fresh air. I take his address and head down the street. He lives five houses down. I stop when I see the black numbers above the garage door matching his address. The house is large, but more modest than my parents house. A ranch style house with a white picket fence in front. There's no rusty blue pickup in the driveway which makes me think it's not his truck in the first place.
I decide to take my chances and go knock on the door. I'm hoping he isn't home and someone else is home to let me in. I knock several times and ring the doorbell once when no one answers. "Damn!" I whisper in frustration.
I glance around and spot several cameras surrounding the property. I'm going to have to go home and come up with a new plan. I can't just break into his house. If they have cameras, then they have an alarm system as well. Maybe my mom knows the neighbors and I can go in with her. Unless he lives alone. In which case, I won't be going inside.
I begin walking towards my house right as a black Mercedes Benz pulls into the driveway. A tall man with broad shoulders, steps out. "Well, well, well...what do we have here?" I whisper. I should have figured he wouldn't park that shit heap in front of his nice house. He turns toward my direction and I turn my back and walk at a normal pace back to my house. I don't want to seem like a shady person who was lurking outside his house. Chances are he did see me with all the cameras surrounding the property
I reach my front porch and turn my head when he calls my name. "Hey Tibby! So Glad you dropped by. I'll be seein ya," he says with a smirk.
"Shit!" I step inside and swiftly lock the door behind me. I run to the phone and call Chaney and Laura. 'Hey!" I shout before Laura can say hello. Laura, guess what? We've got problems. , fuck, fuck, fuck," I repeat in her ear.
"Calm down. What is wrong?"
"I went down the street while my mom was taking a nap and saw where he lives. It's only five houses away."
"Okay, and?" She questions softly.
"He pulled up. Not in his truck by the way and he talked to me. He knew my name. He also said he'll be seeing me."
"Well, that explains why you're so frantic. How does he know your name?"
"According to my sister's diary, he's been watching her for a while."
"Damn!"
"Yeah, damn." I say, worried now more than ever
"Hey Tibby, I have to go, but I will call you later. Chaney and I are a little busy."
"Um...okay," I tell her, confused. What are they doing?
"One more thing before we hang up."
"What?" I ask
"His blue pickup truck isn't there because it's parked in front of the shed. Bye!" She hangs up.