Dream Catcher

Chapter 30

Tammy stared at the last text message she had received from the father of her unborn child hours earlier.

I gave you the money for the abortion. You kept it. It's your problem now.

"Bastard," Tammy mumbled.

After describing him to Dolores, the older waitress knew exactly who he was. She had even given Tammy directions to the apartment building he lived in. If the older woman found it odd that Tammy didn't know the address of her unborn child's father she kept it to herself.

After swallowing her pride and circling the neighborhood a few times, Tammy found herself standing in front of his apartment building. The street lights were on, illuminating the run down complex. She could see the paint was peeling on the outside and the few plants that adorned the entrance were now withered and dead. She understood that the father of her unborn child was working his way up in his family's law firm. They had met several times after their night of passion and she distinctly remember him telling her that he was living on his own to show that he could survive without the financial help of his parents. At the time, Tammy thought it was admirable. She still did. What she didn't appreciate were all his lies.

After hearing what Dolores had to say about the man Tammy thought she loved...it seemed as though she didn't know anything about him. She didn't blame him for being upset that she wound up pregnant. She could understand his anger. She thought he would eventually come around and want to raise the baby with her. After talking with Dolores, the idyllic dreamland she had conjured up in her mind of them living together as a family was crushed and she was pulled back into reality. Had she been an experiment to him? Tonight Tammy was determined to give him a piece of her mind and maybe even hit him a few times.

As if fate were stepping in to help her, she spotted him once she reached the fourth floor. He was leaving his apartment and heading towards the staircase at the opposite end of the hall. Tammy took a deep breath before tightening her resolve and quietly following him.

Meanwhile, Dani was already on the roof...waiting. According to the landlord, the rooftop was dangerous. The sign posted on the door that led to the roof was hardly intimidating.

Enter at your own risk.

There were no railing and there was a rumor that years ago a resident had accidentally fallen to her death. Despite this, there was a small greenhouse on the roof that Billy maintained. Small carnations in yellow plastic pots lined the greenhouse along with a shovel and some bags of soil.

"Billy?" Dani knocked on the door of the greenhouse. "Billy?" She twisted the knob of the door, not expecting it to be unlocked. She was surprised when the door easily swung open, "Billy? I got your text message. Are you in here?"

Plants of all sizes surrounded her. A single hanging lamp illuminated the small space. According to the landlord, this was Billy's domain. He was to take care of the plants and allowed residents up there if they wanted to see them. Dani looked around the collection of mismatched flowers, trying to spot her friend.

"Billy are you here?"

Dani exited the small greenhouse and wondered why Billy had asked her to meet him here.

"You came?" a familiar male voice asked.

Dani whirled around to see Derek standing a few feet from her, a knife in his hand.

"Derek? What are you doing here?" Dani asked, taking a step back.

Derek smirked, "I never took you as a smart one but you really are dumb. Did you actually think it was Billy texting you? He's been gone for days. Why would he text you to meet him here in secret? Are you that big of an idiot? I guess you are since you're here."