Laura raises her eyebrows in surprise when we tell her that Evan owns a few department stores around Arizona. "Really? By his appearance, I thought he would have been a lawyer or a doctor. That's interesting. There's obviously some sort of connection there, Tibby."
"Yeah, Laura there is. That's why tomorrow we are taking a girls trip with Evan's mom Berty to one of his department stores. Mom, Berty invited you to come with us."
"Sure, Tibby. I will come."
"Well, there is no way I am missing an opportunity to go. Is there room for all of us to go? Laura asks.
I nod my head and pet Happy at the same time. "We can take my mom's Lincoln Navigator. It's big enough for everyone to go." I glance down at Happy as she's licking my hands. I frown when I realize she would have to stay here. "I wish Happy could come with us."
"Tibby, it's okay. She'll be happier here," my mom reassures me.
"Okay." I bend down and give her a kiss. I am glad I have made friends with Laura and Chaney, but my bond with Happy is different. I would be lost without her. It's like there's a piece of my sister inside her.
"That settles it," My mom says, sounding a little more elated now that she's in on the plan.
"Let's get some sleep. It's getting late," Laura says, yawning.
"Yeah, I'm tired. Mom, do you still want me to sleep in your room tonight?" I ask.
"Yes, please. I've missed you."
"Okay, goodnight girls. Come on mom." Happy follows and I shut the door behind her. My mom smiles at me and gets into bed. She falls asleep almost immediately. I, on the other hand, can't sleep. I pace her master bedroom quietly, trying to decipher what Evan's department stores have to do with the murders.
I go over all the clues in my head so far. All the girls he kills are red haired and younger, in their mid teens. He was storing the bodies, not disposing of them. He had several mannequins inside the shed, along with a sewing kit and articles of clothing. There was also formaldehyde left in the shed. They're obviously related, but I still haven't figured that out. Tomorrow's trip has me anxious. I wish we could go tonight even though they're closed.
A door creaking distracts me from my train of thought. I tiptoe my way from my mom's bedroom, out into the hall. It's Laura. Her back is turned and she clearly doesn't know I'm standing behind her. "What are you doing? I ask. She jumps and says, "dammit, Tibby! You scared me! What the hell?" She whispers.
I laugh quietly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. What are you doing though, seriously?"
"I'm going to go to the shed. I have to find out if that asshole went back or not."
"I'm going with you."
"The hell you're not. You need to stay here and keep an eye on Chaney. If we let our guard down, he could snatch her up just like that. I don't want her being another addition to his collection."
I shake my head in disagreement. "I'm not staying here. She can sleep in my mom's room. My mom doesn't want to sleep alone. I am not letting you go by yourself." She gives me a look that says she doesn't want me to go. I raise my eyebrow at her and cross my arms, letting her know I'm going.
"Okay, let's go get Chaney and tell her to sleep in your mom's room."
I nod my head and we go to wake up Chaney. Luckily, she's groggy with sleep, otherwise she would want to come and I don't want my mom here alone. As we make our way down the stairs, Laura grabs my arm to stop me. "Tibby, do you think he's still there, at the shed, I mean?"
I take a deep breath and close my eyes before I answer. My heart rate accelerates faster than usual and my palms start to sweat. The idea of having a face to face encounter with him is both exciting and terrifying. I don't think I'm ready to kill him yet. I need to find out what he's been doing with the girls he's taking before I put him in the ground. Laura shakes me impatiently. "Tibby! Hello?"
"I don't think he's still there, if that's where he went in the first place. He usually doesn't take that long when he does go there."
"Should we take the RV?" Laura asks, biting her lip.
I shake my head no and I grab her arm and pull her down the stairs, not wanting to wake my mom. I take my mom's car keys from the hooks on the kitchen wall and say, "let's go."
"Tibby, his car is back in the driveway." Laura states, as we back out of my mom's garage. I turn to see that she's right. Right in the Center of their driveway is the black Mercedes, meticulously parked so the tires are perfectly aligned in middle,
"Good," I smirk and accelerate my mom's white Lincoln Navigator above the legal limit out of the neighborhood.
The blue truck is still in front of the shed which means he will be back at some point to pick it up. Laura and I approach the truck. I peek inside and attempt to open the door, but it's locked. "Damn!" We say in unison.
I approach the shed cautiously, not sure what to expect. As I get closer though, upon inspection, I notice a piece of paper sticking out of the cracks of the door. It has my name on it. I open it and scan the note. L:aura grabs my shoulder to see what I'm reading. "Tibby, what's it say?"
I hand it to her and watch her eyes get bigger as she reads it. "Shit! He's always one step ahead of us. How the hell are we supposed to see what's inside when he has a lock on it?"
"We break in," I smirk.