Don't Close Your Eyes (Don't Look Series Book 2), page 17
He’s thinner than I remember. More gray hairs thread through ashy brown. His skin is washed out, like someone sucked all the blood out of his veins and filled them with water. I wait, hoping he’ll go on. Not knowing what to say. His hands wipe on his thighs. He clears his throat again.
“I just wanted to tell you personally I was sorry. For what I did. I knew helping my brother was wrong, but you have to understand. All my life, they were all I had. Our parents, they weren’t good. I grew up knowing my brothers were the most important thing. I was the oldest, and it was my job to protect them. I would do anything to keep them safe. You understand that, right?”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. I thought a lot about what Mr. Baugh would say when I met him today, but I never thought I’d agree with any of it. But he’s right. Family is the most important thing in my life, and I’d do anything to protect Taryn. To protect Karen and Justin. Noah and Esau. Fiona, Marisa, and Viv. “I do.”
He nods. “So you understand why I had to help Albert. You have to know, I had no idea he’d been talking to you over the app. Had no idea he was posing as a teenage girl. I didn’t know he was… When I showed him your photograph, it was purely as an excited teacher. I love…” he swallows, “loved working with teenagers. And you, Audrey, your photography is excellent. I just wanted to share it with someone. I was shocked when he told me what he’d done. That he’d been talking to you. He convinced me that you understood him. He said if I helped him meet you, everything would work out. I wanted to believe it, since the alternative was that he was wrong somehow. Nobody wants to believe that their younger brother is… not normal. So I agreed to help him. You understand.”
My hands grip the edge of the chair tighter as I resist the urge to pop out of it. “I can understand wanting to protect your sibling, someone you love, but Albert killed people. He murdered my parents. He tried to murder my sister, my only family left. You had to know that was wrong.”
Mr. Baugh’s feet shuffle under the table, the toe of one shoe dragging over the floor. When his eyes meet mine again, there’s something ominous in them. Something that makes my insides recoil. “There’s something you don’t know,” he grits out.
The room darkens, a chill worsening the morose atmosphere, making it sepulchral.
Abruptly, nerves assail me. I don’t want to be here. Don’t want him to say anything more. My instincts are blaring that whatever else he utters, it will not be good. It’ll turn my world upside down yet again, shaking the ground underneath my soles and leaving me without a foundation to stand on. I shoot out of my chair.
“If you’re ready, we can go. Just say the word.” Karen’s reassurances manage to slow my frantic heart. I came to find out what Mr. Baugh has to say. I have to see this through. I sink into my seat so achingly slowly.
“Audrey?”
I drag my attention back to my former teacher, trying and failing to ignore the dread screaming between my ears. I hold myself still. I don’t want to hear this. I have to. I don’t have a choice. If there’s something he needs to say that I don’t already know, I should listen. The part of me that wants to finish this needs to hear it. “Go ahead.”
Mr. Baugh glances at the guard in the corner. “Ever since they were toddlers, my brothers enjoyed tricking people. They were identical, and they loved using that to their advantage. Teachers. Family friends. Uncles and aunts we didn’t see often enough to be able to tell them apart. Our friends at school could tell, of course, but no one else could. They’d switch places at doctor’s appointments. In classes before the teachers got to know them. It was a game, to see how long they could go before they were caught and switched back. The first time they got into trouble with the sheriff, Robert convinced Albert to switch places with him. He wanted to see if they could fool the police. It worked.”
Dread expands in my gut. I have a strong feeling about where Mr. Baugh is going with this story. Part of me wants to tear out of my chair, out of this place and never come back. But I’m glued to the seat. Its edge digs into the backs of my thighs. My fingers grip it so tight they begin to ache.
“Earlier this year, Albert called me. He’d been arrested for public drunkenness. It wasn’t serious, so I didn’t worry about him. It wasn’t the first time. He’s been. . . he’s had a hard time, since our mom died. They both did. But then he laughed, and told me that he’d been arrested as Robert. That he was locked up, and they thought they had Robert Baugh in custody. It ended up happening a handful of times. I didn’t understand why he kept telling them he was Robert, or why they would have exchanged ID cards, until. . .” He stops talking, waiting for what he just said to sink in.
I blink, unable to believe what I’m hearing. Not wanting it to be true. It can’t be true.
Karen looms over my shoulder. “You’re saying your brother Robert wasn’t arrested a single time last summer? That it was your other brother, Albert, who was in custody all those times?”
His solemn nod is like a death knell. I know. I know why he wanted to talk to me. He’s letting me know the sick and twisted game that has entangled me is far from over. Too bad for me, his confession clobbers my peace. The sense of closure I’d begun to embrace vanishes without a trace.
“When—When was this? What were the dates? Do you remember?”
Mr. Baugh’s eyes lock on mine. He doesn’t say another word.
The blood drains from my face as the truth dawns. He doesn’t need to say it. “It wasn’t Albert who killed my parents, was it? He didn’t kill any of them?” Before the man sitting across the table even opens his mouth, I have my answer. I would stake my life on the fact that every time Albert was arrested last summer and fall, pretending to be Robert, it would coincide with one of the Gemini Killer’s attacks. Every single one.
His head shake is slow. “He couldn’t have. He was in the drunk tank that day. His words, not mine. Robert, he was the one who… He was the one who was free.”
My vision tunnels. I jolt upright, the chair behind me teetering. Karen catches it just before it clatters to the ground. I can’t hear this. I can’t. Why would I believe a man who tried to kidnap me and deliver me to his brother? I can’t trust a single thing this man says. “You’re lying. You’re just trying to mess with me! I never should have come here.”
“Audrey, please.” I ignore the resignation in his voice. The pain. Whirling, I brush past Karen and bolt. She will follow.
Mr. Baugh yells for me to come back, that he’s not finished, but I don’t comply. I’m one hundred percent done. I don’t care what other twisted lies he prepared. My mind leans off its axis as I snatch my coat from the security guard in the lobby and yank it onto my arms. Cool air hits my flaming cheeks when I step outside. Stomach churns and my speed picks up. I amp up to a jog, then a run. My vision narrows darkly as I streak across the parking lot to the car. Its tail lights flash as Karen unlocks it. Tugging the passenger door wide, I throw myself inside. Leaning my head back against the headrest, I squeeze my eyes closed. Focus on slowing down the inadequate breaths that stutter out of me.
My door opens, and cool air filters into the stuffy cab. Warmth skates over my knee before Karen’s palm alights there, the faintest of touches. Then more firmly. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
The gentleness in her tone is what does it: breaks me into a million pieces. A sob escapes as I collapse into her arms, soddening her jacket with tears. She wraps her arms around me and lets me cry, shushing gently until I’m able to calm down. It’s comforting, maternal. Which makes me want to cry even more. But I wrangle my overwrought emotions and sit up, sniffing harshly. “Thanks.”
Karen doesn’t let go right away. Her hands rest firmly on my shoulders. Brown eyes steady on mine. “You’re welcome. And I meant what I said. I’m here for you, if you ever need anything.”
I thank her. Wipe my cheeks with the back of one hand. “I’m ready to go.”
The agent’s mouth is grim. “I need a minute to make a call, first. Let my boss know what Mr. Baugh said about his brother.”
Riding toward home, we’re both quiet. Karen slows to a stop at a red light in the middle of town, right across from the diner. Inside, the place is packed. It’s Saturday, so Viv should be working. I should be working. It would have been so much better than visiting the prison and blowing up my life.
The light turns green and Karen eases forward. Her hands tighten on the steering wheel when I ask the question that’s buzzing in my head. “Did you ever get information from the app people? About the IP of the original CuteAshlee? Do you know where the messages originated from?”
The tension in her hands gives her away.
“We did,” she finally says. “The IP address indicated that the user who was messaging you was located in the same city as the prison. We didn’t think a lot of it, assuming that Albert must have been visiting his brother while he was incarcerated. We looked into it, but didn’t find a rental or where he might have been staying at the time. Now, after hearing what Mr. Baugh told us, it makes sense. Albert must have been spending a lot of time in this area, causing trouble on purpose when he knew his brother was preparing to… act. The IP address connected to his account reflects that. It also sheds light on why he was spotted in the grocery store.”
My brain stutters and starts again. “It does? How?”
Karen sneaks a look at me as she turns the corner into our neighborhood. “The man we thought was Robert Baugh was arrested multiple times over last spring and summer, and was released the final time two days before the man we identified as Albert Baugh was caught on the security footage in our grocery store.”
I remember that day. It hadn’t made sense to me that a man who had evaded law enforcement for months would suddenly parade himself on a local store’s cameras. I had assumed it was because the Gemini Killer was closing in and had wanted to scare me. It had worked. I’d known from that day that he was coming for my sister and me, and that he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt anyone who got in his way. But if that was Albert, and he wasn’t the murderer… “Robert let Albert take the heat, even though he was the true killer.”
“If what Mr. Baugh told us today was correct, it seems that way. Yes.”
My chest tightens. If all of this is true, then the only crime Albert was guilty of was kidnapping. “Albert was Robert’s alibi. This whole time, he took the blame. He died for his brother’s crimes. The Gemini Killer... He’s still alive.”
My hands clutch at the seat belt strap holding me upright. Almond trees slide past in a blur of brown and gray. It’s fitting that my eyes won’t focus, since my brain isn’t registering any of it. It’s honing in on one terrifying truth: the Gemini Killer is still out there. Right now. Biding his time.
I’m suddenly certain of one thing. He’ll come for me eventually. Knives sharpened and ready to carve out my heart.
The only recourse I have is to sharpen knives of my own.
Chapter 27
Day 336, Monday
Audrey
“Table five is calling,” Viv whispers as she skirts toward the drink station.
“Thanks,” I say, thankful I have a normal job to do today. Because waiting around at home for Karen or Justin to update us on the manhunt for Robert Baugh was driving me out of my mind. Sunday’s vigil stretched so far that it felt like an eternity had passed when I finally crawled into bed, even though Noah and Esau came over to hang out for most of the day.
“Yoohoo!” One of the little old ladies in the corner booth waves her hand in the air, trying to get my attention.
Sliding the hot plates onto another customer’s table with a smile, I brush off my hands and pivot toward the booth. “Is there anything I can get you ladies while you wait for your dinners to be ready?”
All four of the blue-hairs boldly give me a once over, sending each other pointed looks. One retrieves a newspaper article from her purse and points to the headline. “Is this you?”
Tilting my head, I read it upside down.
Thomas Twins’ Nightmare Isn’t Over—Inside Source Claims Albert Baugh Was Innocent
Fisting and unclenching my hands, I manage to keep a pleasant smile plastered to my face. Looks like Mr. Baugh’s lawyer spoke to the press. Probably hoping to spin his client’s story to garner public sympathy. Good freaking luck with that. “Yes, that’s me and my sister. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
If they get the vibe that I don’t want to talk about the Gemini Killer, they blatantly ignore it. The one with the glasses skims over the article. “This says that one of the previous victims came after you. What I’m wondering is, this Nate fellow, was he in contact with Robert?”
Any answer I can give to her question would be a guess. Because Nate still hasn’t said. Karen, however, doesn’t think Nate had any idea Albert was innocent of the murders. When she mentioned it to him, apparently he blanched.
I don’t have to put up with this, but these four ladies are mostly harmless. Annoying, but harmless. So I answer. “I don’t know.”
Emboldened, the woman speaks louder. “If he was the one writing the messages, what did those initials mean? What were they?” Between the four of them, they can’t come up with the letters.
Twenty years ago, you ruined four girls’ lives. Now I’m going to ruin yours. This is for Y, D, T, and L.
It’s the same question I’ve been wondering. Nate wasn’t even alive twenty years ago.
When Karen told Nate that the Gemini Killer was out there, he almost fainted. Then he started talking. Nate confessed there was someone else he was working with, but he swore it wasn’t Robert Baugh. Agent Biel pressed, but the guy refused to tell her. Instead, he said he’d set up a meeting. Help them catch his partner.
Taryn did not react well to any of it. She insisted that we couldn’t trust him and that he was only doing it to manipulate us. I tend to agree, which is why I’m sort of glad our agents didn’t go into details about how Nate said he’d contact his accomplice. I do not want to be fixated on that. I didn’t mention that if the messages Nate was sending were exclusively for Robert Baugh, they’d sounded awfully antagonistic. Why would he send such angry, threatening messages to a guy he was helping? And why would Nate work with the man who killed his parents? It doesn’t make any sense.
I mull it over as I steer between the tables. Nate is a huge liar. What if he’s lying about the messages? What if the murder notes he sent to the newspaper were a red herring, meant to throw off the authorities while he stalked and tried to kill us?
Taryn and Esau come in, my sister grinning as she picks a booth in my section. I greet them, taking their drink order. As I approach their table with cups in hand, I slow. Taryn is scrunched into the middle of the booth, whispering heatedly to her boyfriend, a single finger prodding his chest.
I try to back away, but she spots me. “Are those our drinks?”
“Uh, yeah.” I slide them onto the table, and get two absent, “Thank yous,” before they’re focused solely on each other again. Taryn glances toward the kitchen when a clatter of breaking china rings through the diner.
“I have something to tell you,” Esau says once he’s taken a long, fortifying gulp of his iced tea.
Taryn’s eyes narrow, her hand ringing around her own glass. “Okay?”
My heart squeezes. The two of them have been arguing about the play a lot. It’s taken a toll on Taryn so much that I’ve considered asking if maybe she should drop out to keep the peace, but I like my head where it is, so I haven’t.
Esau’s eyes fall to her hand resting on the tabletop, and he takes it. “The reason I’ve been… a perfectionist at play practice.”
“Understatement of the year,” Taryn bites off.
Presenting my back to them, I tiptoe away, not wanting to make it obvious that I am totally listening to their conversation.
Esau tsks. “It’s because. . . my parents are coming to visit. They’re coming to see the play.”
“. . . Your parents. The parents you haven’t seen in literal years.”
I stop in my tracks, even though the guy at table nine is waving me over.
An affirmative hum. “That’s them.”
“Wow,” is all I catch my twin say before my manager points to table nine, eyebrow raised.
I’m returning table nine’s burger to the kitchen for the second time when my phone vibrates in my back pocket like a rock dropped into a motionless pond. I halt and then push forward slowly. Taryn and Esau are still in their booth, looking decidedly more chummy than they were when they came in, so it’s probably not them texting me. Which means it’s likely an update on the manhunt.
Like a robot, I collect the food for table five, careful to maneuver through the packed diner without whacking anyone in the back of the head with a ceramic plate. My phone is like a lead weight in my jeans, but I can’t take my break yet. There’s a queue at the hostess station of groups waiting to be seated. Table three needs their drinks. Table seven needs the check.
Any updates about the Gemini Killer will have to wait.
The humidity pumped into the alleyway from the industrial fans over the diner’s stoves makes my hair frizz as soon as I step outside. I slump against the brick wall, positive that Justin will be out in a sec to check on me.
My hands shake as I pull out my phone. The photo sharing app I use appears on the screen. I’ve got so many notifications I’ll never be able to get through them all. Even though I’ve set my profile to private, the barrage of follow requests is constant. A lot of people want access to me after they heard my name splashed across their TV.
Chewing my lip, I scroll mindlessly. What if Nate stole my phone not to freak me out, but to get access to my social media? He knew that I’d been messaging back and forth with Albert Baugh for months. Everyone did. So what if he took the phone thinking he could use it to get in touch with Robert instead? My hand tightens around my phone. Only one way to find out.
Scrolling through my inbox is like running through a field that I know has a single land mine in it. The odds of getting across safely are good; there’s just the one mine. But if I step on it by accident? Boom.
