CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Nate had only been gone a few minutes when Olivia’s phone rang. She smiled as she answered the phone, fully expecting it to be Vince on the other end.

“Is this my babysitter?” she said.

“No.”

It was only one word, but Olivia knew that it wasn’t Vince. Yet it had been his number that had flashed on her screen before she answered the phone.

“Who is this?” she demanded, rising to her feet.

“Olivia, you don’t recognize my voice? I’m hurt.”

The voice was familiar enough that Olivia felt like she should know it, but her brain couldn’t make the connection. “Sorry to hurt your feelings. Maybe if you had shown your face while you were stalking me, I might know you.”

“But I did, Olivia.” The man chuckled softly. “You were even more beautiful up close than in all those pictures I took of you.”

Olivia tried to remember anyone she had crossed paths with in the last few weeks whose voice might match the one rasping in her ear. “That didn’t stop you from hurting Emily.”

“Emily was not an innocent victim. But I’m sure you already knew that.”

“Where is Vince?” Olivia asked, forcing panic out of her voice. She knew how important it was that she stay calm.

“He’s here. Not really up for a chat right now, though. Maybe later when you get here.”

“You want me to come to you? I don’t see that happening.” Olivia’s eyes landed on Nate’s gun, still resting on the coffee table. She was comforted by its presence.

“If you want Detective Monroe to live, you’ll happily make an appearance.”

Olivia’s jaw clenched as she contemplated her next words. “Where are you?”

“That’s the good news, Olivia. I’m very close.”

“Where?” Olivia repeated as her chest tightened painfully around her lungs.

“Right across the street.”

It felt like a punch in the gut even though it wasn’t unexpected. Nate had said that Vince was interviewing someone nearby and it didn’t get much “nearer” than across the street. It also made sense that Olivia’s stalker had set up shop so close to her apartment. That was how he had been able to watch her so closely.

“Come alone and don’t bother calling your boyfriend. Remember, Olivia, I’m always watching and listening. If you break my rules, I will kill Vince.”

“I’ll be right there,” she said after taking a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to worry for her own safety. If there was any chance at all that she could save Vince, Olivia had to try. “Just don’t hurt him.”

“That’s entirely up to you, love.”

Olivia felt bile rising in her throat at the sound of him saying that word. A man capable of such violence and cruelty couldn’t possibly understand the word love. Only after she had tucked Nate’s gun into the back of her waistband and pulled her shirt over it did Olivia wonder what she should do next. It was clearly stupid for her to walk right into the psycho’s lair, but did she really have a choice? Vince was counting on her.

She thought hard about calling Nate and ultimately decided she couldn’t risk it. If the killer really was always listening, or hacking their phones in some way, she would be sealing Vince’s fate. But she also knew that she had to find some way to let him know where she was going. Olivia scribbled a quick note and left it in the now-empty spot on the coffee table. She knew that would be one of the first places Nate would look.

The apartment building across the street had been vacated months ago. Investors were planning to tear it down and build luxury condominiums in its place, but they had run into issues with city permits. As far as Olivia knew, it had been sitting empty this entire time. It had never occurred to her that someone might be lurking inside, watching and waiting.

Olivia stood in front of the abandoned building and studied the darkened windows for any sign of someone staring back at her. Again, she tried to put a face to the voice on the phone and this time something sparked. She could clearly see Tanner Gilliad’s face as he spoke to her at the gas station in Mercy. Olivia was certain that the voice she’d heard then was the same as the one that he spoken to her through Vince’s phone.

She was so relieved to finally make the connection that the fear didn’t come right away. In her head, Tanner was still the awkward teenager she had gone to movies and football games with. It was impossible to see him as a stalker and murderer. In fact, even as she climbed the stairs of the old front porch, she was convinced that it was all going to turn out to be some big mistake. Either it wouldn’t be Tanner at all, or it would be Tanner but he wasn’t the killer.

The door opened easily with one big push and she was facing a massive foyer. The building wasn’t much larger than a three-story home, though it had been divided into multiple residences when it was still a functioning residence. It was still in decent shape, though a little dusty. If she hadn’t known that it was no longer used as a residence, it would be easy to think that people still lived on the other side of the closed apartment doors. Olivia stared at the staircase in front of her as she tried to decide what her next move should be.

If Tanner, or whomever had been stalking her, really had been watching her apartment their best vantage point would have come from the east side of the building on the first or second floor. Any higher than that and he wouldn’t have been able to see in her windows. When she heard a loud creak in the ceiling, her question was answered.

Olivia climbed the stairs slowly as she braced for what would be waiting upstairs. It was possible that Vince was already dead and she was pointlessly marching to her own death. There was no reason to think that a man that had killed multiple women already could be held to his word. Still, Olivia kept moving forward. If there was any chance at all that Vince was still alive, she had to keep going.

On the second floor, there was just one door on the east side and it was cracked open. Olivia didn’t bother being quiet since Tanner knew she was coming. Walking on tiptoe wasn’t going increase her odds of survival, so she went in the opposite direction and swiftly kicked open the door. The door flew open with such for that Nate would have been proud to see it. Olivia hadn’t stopped to think about what she might find on the other side of the door, but she definitely hadn’t expected to hear a girl’s voice. Even more surprising was the fact that Olivia recognized that voice.

“Rosie?” she said disbelievingly, moving quickly into the room.

It was dumb to be so reckless, but Olivia was in shock. She was certain that it was Rosie’s voice she heard inside the room, even though she knew that wasn’t possible. The room that she entered was a combined kitchen and living space. There was no furniture and the walls were covered in obnoxious wallpaper. In the very center of the room, an old television sat on a cardboard box. An even older camcorder had been connected to the television. Olivia recognized it instantly– it was hers.

She had never even noticed that it was missing, probably because she only used it once a year on the anniversary of Rosie’ death to watch old home movies. The same home movies that were now playing in front of her.

Rosie was there in the center of the screen, laughing as she twirled in a pale pink dress. She was young, maybe ten, and her laugh was pure and innocent. Olivia’s chest tightened in a familiar way as she stared at her dead sister, laughing. She had watched that tape dozens of times and knew that in a few seconds, a young Olivia would appear in the background.

Just as she pressed her hand flat against the screen, a tiny Olivia skipped into view. She was laughing as Rosie continued to twirl.

“You were an adorable child. Both of you, but I’ve always been a bigger fan of the younger Thompson sister as you know.”

Tanner’s voice snapped Olivia back to the present. She whirled to face him, any fear long gone and only anger in its place.

“You sure have a strange way of showing your fondness for me,” she said. “First, you cheated on me in high school and now your stalking me and murdering people, not to mention kidnapping Vince.”

“Yeah… sorry about that.” Tanner smirked. “I just can’t control my urges.”

“You really should work on that.” Olivia spoke through clenched teeth. For the first time, she looked around the room and noticed that what she had thought was wallpaper was actually hundreds of photographs. “Are those all of me?”

Tanner shrugged. “I told you I’m a big fan of yours. I’m also really into photography.”

“And murder.” Olivia glared at him, annoyed that he was acting so casually. “What happened to you, Tanner? How did you become so cruel?”

“You’re calling me cruel?” Tanner growled. “That’s pretty ironic considering you’re the reason my brother is lying in a hospital bed in a coma.”

“Mark is in a coma because he kidnapped me and try to kill Nate. Your brother is a sick man. Just like you, apparently.” Olivia noticed the knife in his hand for the first time.

“Nate Tucker is an arrogant asshole and he deserves to die.” Tanner’s eyes flashed hotly. “My brother was ill. He was depressed and dealing with health issues. I’m sorry if he hurt you, but your boyfriend should’ve been able to handle the situation without Mark getting shot.”

Olivia slowly inched her hand behind her back, carefully avoiding a sudden movement. “So you’ve been stalking and threatening me to get back at Nate?”

“It started that way, yes.” A slow smile spread over his face. “But the more I watched you, the more I understood why Mark had become so obsessed with you. I’m not sure you realize it Olivia, but you are quite lovely. It’s not just your beauty, which has always been undeniable. It’s the way you navigate the world.”

“What is it with you Gillian men and your disgusting way of rationalizing your behavior?” Olivia’s fingertips brushed the handle of the gun, making her feel slightly better. “Having a crush on a girl is one thing. Stalking her and killing other women that are remotely connected to her is insane.”

“How else was I supposed to get your attention?” Tanner was completely unaffected by her words. “One thing that is different about me and my brother is that I have no delusions about us living happily-ever-after. I’m going to enjoy my time with you now and then put an end to all of this once and for all.”

Olivia swallowed hard. “Nate will never let that happen.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he yelled and his face turned bright red. “You have blind faith in a man that has done nothing but ruin your life. He sent your mother to prison and killed your father. Yet somehow you still choose to spread your legs for him. You think I’m insane, but I don’t know exactly trust your judgment, Olivia.”

“Where’s Vince?” Olivia said, trying to distract him from his anger by changing the subject. There was no sign of Vince in the room they were in.

“Vince?” For a split second, Tanner looked confused. Then he smirked. “Sorry, Olivia. I lied to you. Vince isn’t here. In fact, he’s probably out looking for you right now. Too bad that when he finds you, you’ll be dead.”