A Killer's Watch (21 page)

“I think it finds you, if you’re very, very lucky. Jeri and
Ethan had their share of troubles, before getting engaged. They were apart for
years. Ethan was so driven to get back to her, it was really something to see.”

“I wonder if he has a brother,” Chloe threw Monique a
sideways grin.

“If he does, I call first dibs,” Monique grinned back, then
shifted her eyes to the Grant’s driveway. “Will he be dumb enough to make a
move tonight?”

“Probably not. He’s scared, surely, but if he’s smart enough
to cover his tracks so far, he’s smart enough to know that we’re watching him.”

~~~

“Yes, Mother, I’ll bring tea to your room. It will be my
pleasure,” Graham said between gritted teeth. “You go on up, I’ll be along
shortly.”

He had spent the evening reassuring her over, and over
again, that the police merely wanted to speak to him, Grants were in any way
culpable.

Once she had finally understood that, she had to have a pity
party about Thomas leaving them under such a cloud. Forget that he was
apparently a kidnapping murderer, he had left Belinda Grant to fend for herself
when the doorbell rang, truly an unforgivable sin. His mother truly surprised
him with the shallowness of her character.

Listening to her go on and on had given him the time to
formulate a plan of his own. It was apparent that the FBI believed him guilty,
they just couldn’t prove it, yet. Why else would they request to monitor his
internet? They had boxed him in with it, too. To decline after offering to
help, any way he could, would have sent up a red flag.

That woman, that Jeri Forbes, she thought that she was so
clever. Trying to rattle him with her questions, each one delivered in such a
pleasant manner, that he couldn’t possibly accuse her of harassment.

They were probably watching the house, would follow him if
he left. It was to be expected. Too bad for them that they weren’t aware of the
back exit. He could still come and go as he pleased.

And it pleased him to visit Aubrey tonight. He’d been unable
to drop by for a few days, given everything that had happened. But he could see
her tonight. No one would stop him.

Adding a few drops of a special sleeping elixir he made with
benzodiazepine to Belinda’s tea, he smiled at the thought of seeing his beloved
Aubrey, even from a distance.

~~~

“So, no activity since the lawyer left?” Jeri confirmed with
Monique.

“It’s been completely quiet. No traffic of any kind, in or
out of the Grant’s estate.”

“It’s too late to start visiting the women in Clevestone.
We’ll start first thing tomorrow. We’ll grab a sandwich, then spell you guys.
Do you want anything?”

“No, thanks. We can grab something on the way in. Are you
planning to keep watch all night?”

“Yes, but we’ll be fine. We can take turns resting. If you
and Chloe can be back by eight in the morning, we’ll grab a shower, then head
over to Clevestone.”

“How will finding the woman he loved help us nail him?”

“If he’s doing all of this for her, then she has to figure
in to his end game. She’s part of this, she just doesn’t know it.”

“Are the police searching for the butler?”

“Yes, even though I told them they would do better if they
searched for his body. Make no mistake, the Grants have a ton of pull around
here. No one local thinks he’s guilty. Luckily, we have some pull of our own.
Anna is monitoring the situation. If a dead body turns up anywhere in Kansas,
Missouri, Iowa, or Nebraska that remotely fits the butler’s description, then
we’ll know about it.”

“Something tells me that Grant won’t make it easy to find.”
Monique glanced up as a truck drove past them, flying. “Somebody’s lucky we’re
not out here patrolling for speeders. He had to be going ninety.”

“You’re in the country, it comes with the territory,” Jeri shrugged
it off. “We’ll be there in thirty.”

“See you then.”

~~~

Graham didn’t even notice the car parked off the road as he
headed for Clevestone. After making sure that Belinda was asleep, he drove his
truck across the field to the back entrance. The dirt road was overgrown, and
had not been used in years, but it had certainly come in handy today.

Once he hit the pavement, he opened it up, trying to make up
for time lost dealing with Belinda. He would be in Clevestone in fifteen
minutes, and outside Aubrey’s window in twenty. It still amazed him at how
country people never closed their blinds, not even at night.

Aubrey’s farm was close enough to town for easy access, but
large enough to enjoy the privacy of having no neighbors close by. Up until
he’d had to hide his laptop today, he’d been keeping track of her through the
cameras on her laptop, the family desktop, and recently, through the camera on
the smart-television she’d given her husband for his birthday.

He never went a day without checking in on her, but he
especially enjoyed the quiet evenings he shared with her, outside of her
window.

She might be baking tonight, he thought. It was a pleasant
notion, her in the kitchen, whipping up cookies, brownies, pies, or whatever
she planned to take to the church bazaar tomorrow. It was Friday, so the two
brats would be allowed to stay up later than usual, a practice he understood,
but would never condone. Children needed discipline, and a rigid schedule.
Aubrey’s had neither.

He blamed it on the husband, the spineless twit who did not
appreciate what he had. He took Aubrey for granted, never brought her flowers,
or gifts. To him, she was a work-horse, a help-mate. Someone who cooked,
cleaned, and took care of the kids, but who did not deserve anything special.

He would never treat Aubrey that way. He would place her on
a pedestal, lavish her with jewelry, clothes, shoes, whatever her heart
desired. If she’d married him, she would never have to slave away in the
kitchen, baking brownies to hawk at some ridiculous party. He would have given
her the best of everything, offered her the moon and the stars, if that’s what
would make her happy.

But she chose to scorn him, she turned away from him like he
was yesterday’s trash. Try as he might, he would never understand how she could
give up everything, for the nothing she now had.

Foolish, foolish woman.

But she would be his again, soon.

Pulling off into the woods at the entrance to Aubrey’s farm,
Graham turned off the ignition and quickly walked along the driveway. It was a
moonless night, but the stars were so bright that he felt that he could touch
them, if he only tried.

“What a fanciful notion, touching the stars. See what you do
to me, Aubrey?” Laughing lightly, Graham jogged along the long driveway, until
the house came into view. Slowing to a brisk walk, he scanned the windows,
looking for the object of his affections.

Upstairs, the daughter, Jessica, but Aubrey called her
Jessie, sat in front of a television screen, holding one of those infernal game
controls. It was something she did often, but Graham had never understood the
appeal. It was a total waste of time. If she were his daughter, she would be
reading a book, not playing mindless games.

Moving his eyes to the lower level, he saw the husband
sitting in the same chair as always, watching yet another ridiculous television
show. It was all the man did, watch television, and drink beer. Useless.

Walking around to the back of the house, he saw the light
shining through the kitchen window. Aubrey would be there, all alone, working
her fingers to the bone for her ungrateful family. He almost felt sorry for
her.

Almost.

Taking his position beside a large oak tree, Graham leaned
into the trunk, effectively becoming one with the tree’s shadow. Between his
dark clothing, and the ski mask he kept for these occasions, she would never
see him, should she bother to look.

But he could see her clearly. Her cheeks were flushed,
probably from the heat of the oven. She was smiling as she rolled out dough for
something or another, the effort causing her arm muscles to flex as she moved.

Enchanting, Graham thought. Even in the midst of such
drudgery, she was beautiful.

She glanced up then, looking straight at him. She did that
often, when he watched. He knew he was invisible, but she still seemed to know
that he was there.

~~~

“God, there’s that feeling again,” Aubrey shuddered slightly
as she peered into the darkness. Inside her warm, cheery kitchen, the aroma of
fresh baked cherries wafted through the air, and the sounds of Bonnie Raitt,
singing softly on the radio, had her swaying slightly.

Until she felt like someone was watching her.

Again.

“That’s ridiculous,” she told the dough as she spread it
into the pie pan. “Who would be watching me, all the way out here?”

Trying to shake the feeling, she slid the pie fixings over,
so that she stood with her back to the window.

“Who are you talking to?”

The sound of Joe’s voice startled her, so much that she
jumped.

“What? No one, I’m just being silly. I decided to make a few
more pies. Had to, seeing that you and Jessie demolished a whole one after
dinner.” She tried to sound angry, but couldn’t’ pull it off.

“Can’t help it,” Joe came up behind her, putting his arms
around her waist. “You know I love your cherry pie. Among other things.”
Nuzzling her neck, Joe began to move them both to the beat of the music.

“Stop that, or I’ll never get through with these,” Aubrey
protested, but she loved it. Joe had been her one and only, ever since they met
in college. It still surprised her how he could make her stomach flutter, and
her skin tingle, with just one touch.

“Put the pies on hold, Baby. Let’s sneak upstairs.” Joe slid
his hands up, causing Aubrey’s heart to skip a beat.

“Put your libido on hold, and help me finish. Then we can go
upstairs.” Aubrey rested her head back against his shoulder, wishing she could
stop everything, and melt into his arms.

“You know I’m a klutz in the kitchen. I’ll just leave you to
it, but I’m holding you to the upstairs part. Later.” Giving her one last
squeeze, Joe kissed her forehead, and moved to the fridge. “You were saying
something when I came in, about someone watching you. What did you mean?”

“It’s nothing, really. I sometimes get the feeling that
someone’s out there, in the dark. It’s just me being silly.” Aubrey tried to
shake it off.

Joe moved over to the window, stared outside. He saw
nothing.

“Did you see something? I can check it out, if you like. It
could be a stray dog, or a possum,” he offered.

“No, I’m sure it’s nothing. Who would come out here, just to
watch me?” Laughing it off, Aubrey infused her voice with confidence. With Joe
in the kitchen, the eerie feeling had fled.

“If you’re sure, I really don’t mind taking a look.”

“No, truly. I’m fine. It’s probably residual creeps from
that movie we watched last week.” Aubrey didn’t mention that she’d been getting
the same feeling, on and off, for months.

“Maybe so, you
are
a lightweight when it comes to
thrillers,” Joe chuckled.

“I seem to remember you jumping straight up off the chair,
when the killer came around the corner,” Aubrey teased.

“At least I wasn’t hiding my face behind my hands.” Joe
dropped a kiss on her cheek, before taking his beer to the den.

“Lightweight,” Aubrey repeated with a smile. “Can’t argue
with that.”

The feeling of safety Joe brought into the room lingered as
she finished preparing the pies. It helped that she never once looked out of
the kitchen window.

“Mr. Grant, there are people driving to the back field,”
Marie wiped her hands on the dishcloth as she came through the dining room
door. “It looks like the same ones who were here yesterday. You know, the
police. They’re in a black van, just like yesterday.”

“That’s fine, Marie. Thank you.” Graham dismissed her with
his tone.

“Graham, shouldn’t you go and see what they want?” Belinda
sipped her morning tea with care. For some reason, her head was splitting open
this morning. The most she could swallow was tea.

“No, Mother. I’m sure it’s the forensics people, trying to
find a clue to help them locate Thomas. They don’t need me down there getting
in the way.” Graham appeared cool and collected, totally unfazed by the
activity on his property. Inside, he was seething. If they stayed more than an
hour, he would have to alter his plans.

Plans he’d carefully constructed last night, after seeing
Aubrey with her husband. She let that barbarian put his hands on her,
everywhere. It was unseemly. They had made out on the couch like teenagers,
late into the night. He’d had a front row seat to it all. Just the thought of
it sickened him.

“I have an appointment in town today, Mother. I’ll be out
for most of the day.”

“What? But how can you leave, with so much unsettled? Police
and who knows who else are roaming the property, at will. And we still have no
butler. Aren’t you going to do something about that?”

“Yes, Mother, of course I am. I’m meeting with suppliers in
Topeka, then I am personally going to the employment agency and speak to them
about the caliber of people they recommend to work here.”

“Oh, well then. In that case, I’m sure that we’ll muddle
through.”

“You have Marie and Sophie here with you today. I’m sure
that between the three of you, everything will be fine.”

“When will you return?”

“I’m not sure, you know how these meetings go. If I’m not
home for dinner, start without me.” Graham had no intention of being home for
dinner, ever again.

~~~