I sit on my couch with a glass of wine in my hand, twirling the contents inside absentmindedly as I watch the fish in my tank. I glance at the clock, it's only three but it feels like I've been sitting here for days.
After Austins confession to me I skipped the rest of my classes and came home, I was in no mood to try and sit through lectures pretending to pay attention when I know damn well I wouldn't.
I hear the front door unlock and Aimee comes walking in like she lives here, which lets be honest she basically does. She shrugs her backpack off her shoulder and unzips it, tossing a calculus book onto the table. I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose, I had completely forgot about meeting her after school.
"There I was, standing all alone in the parking lot waiting for Riley to show up when she never does!" Aimee says dramatically as she helps herself to a coke from the fridge. "You were supposed to fill me in on what happened with Austin, and we were supposed to pretend to do homework while we gossiped about it."
She sat down beside me on the couch, placing her can on the coffee table in front of us. I brought her up to speed on what happened after she left, her mouth gaping open by the time I was done.
"You're fucking with me, right? You're telling me that we've been sitting here, assuming Kane is the murderer for the recent incidents. When he was accused of murder several years ago also?"
My eyes widen, I was so focused on Austin and Valerie I never even thought about what this had to do with Kane. I felt so stupid I didn't see it earlier.
"Holy crap you're right. We have to prove it, if we can catch him now Valerie won't have anything to hang over Austins head anymore."
"When is Taylor supposed to be off work?" She asks as she looks at the clock.
"It's three thirty now, her shift isn't over until five so she won't be home until about five thirty. But there's no way I'm doing homework." I click the TV on and switch inputs to my xbox.
"Wanna play until she gets home?"
-
Taylor walked in as I beat Aimee's ass in a race, again. She threw her hands in the air as her car spun around in the street and mine whizzed past hers and across the finish line.
"You cheated!"
"I did not, you sore loser!"
I saw Taylor roll her eyes playfully at our banter as she goes into her room to change out of her uniform, a few minutes later she comes back in and Aimee and I are sitting there waiting. Taylor pauses for a second, hairbrush frozen mid way down her hair as she looks between the two of us.
"What?"
"Austin is only married because his wife is blackmailing him into staying with her, if he leaves Kane will be arrested for murder." Aimee says nonchalantly with a shoulder shrug, Taylor cocks her head confused so we elaborate. Once we're done with the story Taylor has the same reaction as Aimee did a few hours ago.
"Wow, so we were right about Kane?" Taylor asks and Aimee nods enthusiastically.
"So we need to follow him again, get some evidence, and get this to the police. It could all be over."
"The only way I'm going to get my boyfriends divorce is if we throw his little brother in jail, this doesn't sound promising for me." I say skeptically, looking at the other two. I throw myself back onto the couch dramatically and stare at the ceiling.
At that moment my phone buzzes, I swipe the screen and bring up my texts and I have one unread from Austin. I read over it and sit up on the couch.
"Uhm, Austin just texted me. He said he wants to talk tonight, that Kane is leaving in about an hour so it'll just be us two." I toss the phone on the cushion beside me, forgetting to text him back.
"This is our chance, Kane is going out, so here's the plan. Aimee and I will leave with you, Taylor, whenever Corbin picks you up, we drive around the block and park far enough away from the building that Kane won't see us, but close enough to see when he leaves. When he leaves we follow him just like Taylor and I did last time, following our route on the map so we don't get trapped in a dead end. We make sure to have our phones charged so we can take a video or pictures to get proof, and we stay with them all night if we have to. Tonight's the night, Kane's going down."
-
"What do you think they're doing?" Aimee wonders out loud, and I just shake my head.
We followed the black car the same direction Taylor and I did last time, however this time they passed the last exit and crossed the river. After another twenty minutes they had gotten off the highway, after several side streets we came to what I can only describe as an abandoned industrial park of sorts. Several old buildings and warehouses sat on one side of the street, the other side was all open from what I could see over the fence and belonged to a company. The car was sitting at the entrance with a large sign that said Lyndell Shipping & Construction.
We've been sitting down the road, behind another building for a few minutes waiting to make sure the car isn't coming back out before we get out and walk over. We nod to each other and open the doors, the chilly air greeting us as we make sure we have everything we need before quietly shutting the doors. I hear thunder in the distance and I pull my black jackets tightly around my body, it was abnormally warm at thirty eight degrees for Maine this time of year but the wind would still cut through you.
We get to the end of the building, looking both ways to make sure no one's coming we run across the street to the entrance of the gate. We step inside and I let out a groan.
Inside the gate sitting to the left is the white office building and a large shop building, past that the road splits in three different ways; left, right, and straight. The roads are lined with large steel shipping containers that seemed to go on for miles.
"Fucking Christ, they could be anywhere." Aimee rubs her forehead with her hand frustratingly, the other hand on her hip as we contemplate our next move. Thunder rumbles the sky again and I see Aimee look up concerned.
"Well we know from horror movies we don't ever split up, so which way are we going first?" I ask as I try to look down each road, trying to spot anything for a clue.
"Straight, maybe if we go to the middle we can hear them wherever they are if they make any noise." I shrug in agreement and we head straight down the isle, different colored steel containers lined both sides of us and we kept to the left of the road in case anyone turned down this way. We walk for a few minutes in silence, the darkness only interrupted by an occasional light on a pole casting a white circle in the road. As we near another light we slow down and move closer to the containers, trying to stay out of the light as much as possible.
The only noise I hear is the slight breathing coming from Aimee and I, and the crunching of our shoes against the dirt and gravel. No cars, no machinery, no voices of any kind pierced the air. After a few steps I hear an all too familiar noise behind us, a noise that can stop a burglar in their tracks and make a grown man freeze in fear.
A mechanical click of a slide being pulled back and snapping in place, it was faint but it carries through the air with purpose. Aimee didn't hear it but my ears did and I stop in my tracks, the hair on my neck stood straight on end as I turn around slowly.
"Aimee." I whisper, getting her attention. I hear her stop and turn and it's silence after that.
I'm staring right into a silencer that's attached to the end of a pistol, held only a foot away from my head. Aimee and I are standing underneath the light, as is the gloved hand and gun; however, the person holding it is standing just outside the ring of light, shadowed by the hood over their head.
Slowly I raise my hands and hold them in the air beside me, my mind wanders to the Glock tucked in my chest holster just inside my jacket. I'll never get it out in time before they shoot so I wait for my chance.
"The least you could do is show yourself before you shoot me." I stall confidently, my insides are shaking but my voice somehow comes out smooth and strong. I hear a low chuckle as the person steps into the light. Slowly they take off their hood and I'm meeting their icy gaze, my heart jumps at the familiar face and I let out a small gasp and I hear Aimee do the same.
"Where's Kane?" I question, curiosity and surprise lace my voice.
Mae cocks her head at me and smiles menacingly, keeping the gun steady at my head.
"I don't think you're in any position to be questioning me, Riley."