Tibby, are you okay?" Laura asks, with a sympathetic expression on her face.
I shake my head and hold Solia's hoodie close to my chest. I run without saying another word. I need to see Happy. Right now, she's the only one who can comfort me. Her purple hoodie brings a flood of emotions too hard to handle in front of them.
I enter the back door of the building and see Happy wagging her tail, waiting for me. "Hi baby!" I whisper, excited to see her. She starts circling me, sniffing the purple hoodie. I bend down and let her smell me and the hoodie. Her smelling me is oddly comforting. I sit on the floor and she sits on my lap providing me with much needed deep pressure therapy. "I love you, Happy." She continues to sit on my lap and kiss my face.
There's a soft knock at the door and I sniffle, wiping my nose. "Come in," I say softly. Chaney and Laura enter, cautiously. They walk over to Happy and I and sit next to us on the floor. We all sit in silence for a few minutes before Chaney speaks up.
"It's a great sweater. She had awesome taste in clothes." I smile and grab her hand. Laura puts her right hand on top of ours and pets Happy with the other. "Tibby, I don't have a sister, so I don't exactly know what you're going through, but I can tell you were the best sister and Solia knew that. I wish I had a sister like you."
I wipe my eyes and stare at her. She really could have been my sister. They both have the same shade of red hair and the same blue hue in their bright eyes. "Consider it done. You're my sister now and I will do everything in my power to protect you."
"Thank you Tibby. I'm not sure I can protect her on my own."
"I will do my best to protect both of you," I tell Laura. I consider you one of my best friends. I know I haven't known you for very long, yet I feel like we've known each other for a long time." She returns my smile, but doesn't say anything for a while.
"Tibby, what are we going to do? I mean, he's clearly a professional at what he does. He hasn't faltered in his task at hand which we need to figure out. What are his intentions for us? What is he doing with the girls he's taking? I have a hunch, though I'm not sure."
"What's your hunch?" I question.
"He's obsessed with mannequins and wants his victims to look like mannequins."
I frown and shake my head. "No, why would he want them to look like mannequins if he has a set type in the girls he chooses to take? It doesn't make sense."
She sighs, defeated, "yeah, I guess you're right."
"That's a good guess though."
"Tibby, what should we do? You said he knows who you are and he lives down the street from your parent's house?" Chaney asks.
"Yeah and?"
"Well, are your parent's safe? Should we check on them or something?"
My eyes go wide and I stand quickly. My mom is by herself and she could be in danger. This guy is cunning and ruthless. I wouldn't put it past him to hurt my mom just to prove he's always a step ahead. "Let's go...you girls can stay with me for a few days. We have a very large backyard where we keep our boats. You can store your RV back there."
"Boats?" Chaney raises her eyebrows at me.
"Yeah, my parents are well off."
"Don't be so surprised, Chaney. When we dropped her off, we saw her parent's house."
"Chaney, stop staring at me like that. I'm still the same Tibby. Besides, my parents are rich, not me. I'm homeless, remember?"
"By choice," Laura snickers. "I get why though, you had to lay low."
"Exactly." I nudge Chaney's arm as we step inside the RV. Chaney smirks a little. I can tell she's jealous, so I don't mention anything else about our boats.
Happy lays on my lap as we make our way back to my parent's house. My mom loves dogs and the fact that Happy is a boxer will bring her some joy. "She's a great dog, Tibby. Maybe Solia sent her to you as a gift. She knew you were lonely."
"Funny, that's exactly what I was thinking when I first saw her."
"Hey Tibby, can we see where this guy lives?" Laura asks, bringing me out of my daydream. She would have been a great detective. Her curiosity and ability to stay inconspicuous is something that the cops have been lacking throughout their entire investigation.
"Yeah, when the Mercedes that's in his driveway is gone, I thought you and I could casually take a walk down the street. He has cameras all over though, so we shouldn't go onto his property. He already saw me snooping earlier."
"We can use the binoculars I have to get a better look."
"I want to come too," Chaney complains.
"How about you hang out with Happy and my mom," I suggest.
"Good idea. Chaney, we really shouldn't be giving this guy any more ammunition to take you."
"You said so yourself, he's probably watching me."
"She has a good point. I thought you would want to use the pool in my parent's backyard, though."
Her eyes widen at the mention of a pool, "your parents have a pool?"
"Yep."
"Okay, I think I'm just going to stay and hang out with your mom like you suggested."
"Good idea. You deserve it," Laura states.
We pull up to the house and my mom steps outside. It's as if she's been expecting us. All of us pile out of the RV, including Happy. "Tibby, when did you get a dog?" Happy runs over to my mom as if she knows her already. My mom laughs and kisses her head.
I walk over and hug her. "Hi mom. These are my friends Laura and Chaney and you already met Happy. She stops petting Happy and walks over to Laura and Chaney. "Hi, I'm Lillian. It's nice to meet you." She shakes Laura's hand and turns to Chaney. Her eyes start to water. I'm not the only one who sees Solia when looking at Chaney. She pulls Chaney in for a long hug and doesn't let go.
"Mom, we're hungry," I say, pulling Chaney away. "Can we get something to eat for dinner?"
"Sure honey. I already ate, but we can order some takeout." She shoves me aside and takes Chaney's hand, walking her in. Laura and I give each other a look and follow closely behind. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I turn to see the black Mercedes drive down the street.