My mom was sad to see me go after only a few hours of visiting, but the plans changed because of his truck being left in front of the shed unattended. I told my mom that I had to leave and would be back in a day or two to come visit. She didn't understand why I was leaving again and I felt bad;however, I had to go back and see what was in this asshole's truck. He obviously left it there so that I could look through it.
He knows my name and where my family's house is and probably more about me than I know about him. I can't focus on that though. I have to focus on what's in his truck and what he is trying to tell me. I grabbed some money from my mom's purse and took an uber to the gas station near the desert. I was thinking about having the uber drop me off at the abandoned ghost town, but it seemed too risky.
After I get dropped off at the gas station, I walk the last couple of miles back to the shed. My stomach is in knots as I replay mine and Evan's encounter in my head. I'm worried that my parents are in danger. I wasn't too worried about myself, just the people around me. I have to definitely be more cautious. How long has he known that I'm the one that's been following him? The smirk on his face when he said my name makes my blood boil.
Now that Evan and I are on a first name basis, I might pay him a visit. It may be one of the stupidest I've considered doing or the smartest. I guess I will find out as soon as I discover what clues he left for me to find. I pick up my pace as the glare from the buildings' windows
Chaney and Laura's RV is not in front of the shed, the blue trick is still there with the driver side door left wide open. My heart is pounding in my ears as I approach the truck. "Chaney! Laura! Where are you?"
I peer my head inside and examine the inside. The truck is clean or at least appears that way. Just like Evan. There's nothing inside that is suspicious in any way. The smell of the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror catches me off guard. I expected it to have a faint smell of death, not a clean, cotton fresh scent. Like recently washed laundry on a warm spring day. It doesn't fit with the image I have associated with Evan Billings.
I shut the door and peek in the back of the truck bed. Nothing. No black trash bags, no dead bodies, festering in the evening heat. How odd? Why would he leave the truck, then. I frown and spin around on my heels, looking for Laura and Chaney. I glance at the shed, the door is cracked a few inches revealing nothing but darkness inside. The door slowly creeks open, as Laura and Chaney step out. "Hey Tibby!" Chaney squeals. "I didn't expect you to be here."
"I'm here." I say, a little annoyed. What are they doing here without me?
"Tibby...listen to us before you get mad, okay?" Laura says rationally.
"Alright , what is it?"
"We came here without you because when we got back to the RV park, we noticed the blue pickup drive by and on a whim, decided to follow him. We waited like ten minutes before we left so he didn't suspect anything."
"It was my idea, Tibby. Not's mom's. She didn't want to go without you. I just thought he needed to be followed. What if he stored more dead bodies in there and we were too late to witness it?" Chaney rambles.
"Well, he knows who I am, Chaney and he probably knows your names as well." He left his truck here intentionally for us to snoop through it."
"Why would he do that? How does he know our names? She asks, sounding panicked.
"I don't know for sure if he knows your names." I shake my head. "Where's Happy?" I ask, noticing she's not with them.
"She's sleeping in the RV. She's okay," Laura says, reassuring me.
I nod my head and breathe a sigh of relief. "What's in the shed?"
"Nothing too scary. Just more mannequins," Chaney shrugs her shoulders.
I walk past them and step inside. The smell of the shed has a faint musty smell, like dirty clothes. There's a big black garbage bag on the floor that wasn't in here the last time we came in here. I walk over and open it. "It's old clothes. That's it." Laura says.
"Why the mannequins?" Chaney asks. "I don't get it."
"That's what I haven't figured out yet." I start throwing clothes out of the bag, looking for anything that belonged to Solia. I have a hunch that these clothes belonged to all the girls that were killed at the hands of Evan Billings. I get frustrated and scream, not finding anything that;s hers. There are so many articles of clothing in this bag which tells me the number of girls he's killed is higher than what I thought.
"Damn!" I yell, throwing the clothes all over the shed.
"Tibby, calm down!" Laura puts her hand on my shoulder and I shake it off.
"I can't! WTF is this fucker trying to tell me!"
"Not sure," Laura states matter of factly.
"My sister must have some clothes in here that belonged to her. He is clearly a collector and these clothes are all different styles and sizes. I get that he would want to keep them as a memento of the killings, but why so many?" I stare at both of them and they shake their heads in confusion.
I reach the bottom of the bag and find nothing that belonged to her. I spin around and stop when I notice one of the mannequins in the corner wearing a purple zip up hoodie. This purple hoodie is not just any hoodie. It Belonged to Solia. She always wore that hoodie, even in the hot summer months.
"Tibby? Is that Solia's?" Chaney's voice trembles.
I nod my head and take it off the mannequin. I inhale and smell the familiar fruity smelling perfume, still present after all this time.
I start to cry in frustration and scream, "What are you trying to tell us, mother fucker!"