Stalk Me

“Okay.”



“My job is to figure out all the possible ways he could find you, think of them first, and then do something different. One way we often find people is through social media. I know James took your phone and your computer.”



I nod while he reaches into his bag. He pulls out a new phone, iPad, and laptop. “These are your new toys. We’ve preloaded your phone and email list with the only people you are allowed to contact.”



I scroll through the list and read. “B, D, Garrett, Grandpa, James, Kim, Mom, Sam, Spa, Tom. Not very many. Are the B and D for Brooklyn and Damian? Why did you spell Kym’s name wrong, and who is Sam? And did you already find me a good spa to go to?”



“Both Brooklyn and Damian have unusual names and are in the public eye. We didn’t want to list Tom as Tommy or make Kym stand out with the unusual way she spells her name. We don’t want anyone to connect any dots. We’ll talk about Sam in a minute. Notice I added myself. You need anything—help, advice, anything, anytime, twenty-four hours a day—you call me. No question is too stupid regarding your safety. If for some reason I don’t answer, call the spa. The spa is code for my security firm. They will always answer the phone and can get you whatever you need very quickly.”



“Okay, thank you.”



“Now, for social media. I know it’s part of your world, but trust me, with facial recognition software, finding any new account you might form on the sly would be detrimental to your well-being. Just don’t do it.”



“Okay. What else do I need to know?”



“Money is the other way to track people. Your being a minor complicates the issue, so we had to take a few drastic measures.” He reaches into a file folder and hands me an official looking document. “You’ve been emancipated from your parents and are officially an adult.”



“How does that help?”



“It helps us in quite a few ways. You know all those notes you bring home from school that your mom has to sign?” I nod my head yes. “Obviously, they can’t know your mom is Abby Johnston, so we can’t have her signing anything. With this, you are able to sign for yourself.”



“All right.”



“This is a lot of responsibility that we’re putting on you. James seems to think you can handle it. Can you?”



“Considering the alternative, I don’t have much choice, do I?”



“Are you scared?”



“Um, yeah. Shouldn’t I be?”



“I want you to stay scared. The problem is, once you get there, you’ll probably start to feel a level of safety. That’s when people slip up. You can’t slip up. This is your life.”



“I won’t slip up. I promise.”



“Good. So, back to money. James and I have been working closely with your grandfather. He says you are aware of a trust fund he set up for you. You were supposed to get part of it when you turned eighteen and the rest when you turned twenty-five. You’re getting it now. I’ll give you your new identification and account information later, but it’s important that you understand how it all works. Your grandfather asked a friend of his in Atlanta, Sam, to come out of retirement to handle your accounts. All your bills for school, your phone, your credit cards, etc., will go through him. Your grandfather trusts him completely, but it’s my job to not trust anyone. We had his background completely checked, and I feel comfortable letting him handle your accounts, but I couldn’t allow him to know who you really are. The story your grandfather told him is that you are the granddaughter of a friend of his. Your parents recently passed away, you have a large trust, and he was afraid someone unscrupulous would rip you off, so he asked Sam to handle it. Sam only knows you as Keatyn Monroe. Your trust money was run through numerous accounts, a few shell corporations, multiple countries, scrubbed clean, and finally, put back into a trust in your new name.”



I nod my head and try to absorb everything he’s saying. Keep memorizing my new script.



“Any questions so far?”



“What about a car? Am I going to need to get around?”



“As soon as you get settled at school, you will need to buy a vehicle. Be sure to do that right away. I want you to have a car at school. Keep your gas tank full and your keys with you at all times. Your car is another way for you to escape, should he find you.”



I smile. “So I can buy whatever car I want?”



He grins back at me. “Yes, although I would avoid buying the same car you got for your birthday. There aren’t that many of them and it’s easy to run DMV reports. Remember, you’re going to have winter to deal with up there. I’d suggest something with all-wheel or four-wheel drive.”



“I drive a Range Rover now. Would that be a good choice?”



“Absolutely. I also want you to get to know the train routes.” He reaches in a file and hands me train schedule print-outs. “Traveling by train means you’re not alone, and it’s a quick way to travel anonymously.”



“Okay.”



He pulls out the locket James got me for my birthday.



“Why do you have my locket?”



“James gave it to us to modify.” He opens it up to show me a picture of a young boy. I’d recognize those eyes anywhere.



“It’s my dad, but James told me I couldn’t have a picture of my dad.”



“No one will recognize him at this young age. And after what you went through, I know it’s important.” He leans over to clasp the necklace around my neck.



I get tears in my eyes. “Thank you. It really does mean a lot to me.”



“You’re welcome, but this is more than just a locket now. We’ve inserted a tracking device in it. Don’t take it off. Ever.”



“You’re going to track me?”



“Yes. Our computer programs will be constantly comparing your GPS coordinates with those of your campus. If you go off campus, we’ll be alerted.”



“And then what?”



“Well, if you haven’t told us you’ll be off campus, we’ll assume you’ve been kidnapped and send in the calvary.”



I smile. “That’s reassuring. At least if he did find me and take me, you’d be able to find me. So how do I let you know if I’m going off campus?”



He holds up my new phone. “See this application? The compass with the black background?”



“Yep.”



“If you leave campus of your own free will, click the app before you leave. If something happens on campus, click the app icon three times, and we’ll know you’re in trouble.”



“Three times. Just like Dorothy? Click your heels together three times?”



Garrett smiles. “Obviously, it’s important to keep your phone charged and with you at all times. Try to always sit with your back to a wall, not with your back to the room. Try not to go off campus alone. Be sure to look inside your vehicle before you get in it, and if you leave campus, vary the routes you take. Don’t be predictable. No standing nail appointments.”



“Okay.”



“Now I want you to look at these.” He hands me a stack of photos.



I look down, shudder, and then take a deep breath.



“That’s Vincent,” I say. In the photo he looks happy. He looks nothing like he did the night he tried to kidnap me. Even with his sunglasses on, he was holding his jaw differently. “Why do I have to look at a photo of Vincent?”



“Keep going,” he says.



I flip to the next photo. It’s a different guy. He’s blond and . . . wait. “This is Vincent too. Only he’s blonde, right?”



“That’s right. Keep looking through the stack. There are Vincents with different hair colors. With facial hair. Without. We’ve even changed the color of his eyes. And notice the one with him in a ball cap?”



“Yeah. He looks different in all of them. Some of them I don’t know if I’d recognize him.”



“That’s the point. Keep going.”



“Oh, wow. You changed his clothes and his hair.” I flip to the last one and laugh. “Oh my gosh, a girl? Do you really think he’d dress up as a girl?”



“We don’t know what he will do, but remember there are a few things he can’t change. His height. He’s six-four. The most he can do is change his posture and slouch. Also, most people who don simple disguises won’t change their teeth. Study his mouth. You seem okay looking at these photos. James was worried you’d freak out a little.”



“The first picture made me feel kinda sick to my stomach, but he was smiling in it. I guess I have mixed emotions about him. For a long time, I considered him sort of a friend. It makes me feel stupid not to have known. Like all the stuff he told me. Especially the part about me being prettier than my mom. How could I have ever believed that?”



Garrett studies me. “Keatyn, you’re prettier than your mom in the ways that are important to Vincent.”



“What if he thought I was a whore? What if I did a slutty video? Wouldn’t he hate me and stop being interested in me?”



Garrett is shaking his head at me.



“No, Keatyn. That’s a very bad idea. Something like that would probably send him way over the edge. We don’t want that. There’s no telling what he’d do to you if you made him that mad.”



“Can I ask you a question? But you can’t tell my Mom.”



Garrett studies my face then agrees. “Okay.”



“If he had gotten me in the van, what do you think he would have done to me?”



“I really don’t know. You know him better than any of us. What do you think he would’ve done?”



I think about it for a second. “He was obsessed with remaking A Day at the Lake. I think he would’ve kept me and made me shoot some version of it. I’m pretty sure sexual things would have happened too. I think he thought we’d fall in love or have an affair on set. When the movie was done, I’m not sure. He may have re-written the ending. Like, into one where I die.”



“I think you’re probably right. Okay, now back to our list. I’m also giving you pepper spray. Keep one on your keychain and one in your purse at all times. You’re getting a crash course in all this. Do you have any questions?”



“Is it safe for me to talk to the people you loaded in my phone? I was worried I wouldn’t get to.”



“Let’s bring everyone else in. We need to discuss that with them.”



I’m not sure who was listening to our conversation, but Mom, Tommy, James, and Brooklyn walk into the living room and sit down next to us.



Garrett hands everyone a phone. “These are your old phones. We’ve added a dual password protection system. If someone stole your phone, it would be very difficult for them to access your information. Always remember that whenever you talk, text, or email Keatyn, someone could be watching or listening to you. Never, ever mention her real name, the name of her school, or her location. In your phone, she is listed as M. Monroe. I’d suggest getting in the habit of calling her Monroe.”



I look down at my new phone. It doesn’t even have a normal passcode on it. “Why doesn’t my phone have all that password stuff?”



Everyone turns and stares at me.



And it sinks in.



I give them all a wry smile. “Oh, right. If he finds my phone, it’s too late anyway.”



Mom gets tears in her eyes, but Garrett continues. “So that’s pretty much it. I’ll personally be with the security detail tomorrow and make sure she gets to school safely. Keatyn, be sure to work on your backstory today. Figure it out. Memorize it. Own it.”



“You sound like a director,” I say. “You ever think of switching careers?”



I get a hearty laugh from both Garrett and James. “I don’t think so. I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow.”



I go in my room, look in the mirror, and practice.



“Hi, I’m Keatyn Monroe. I’m from L.A. My parents, uh . . . shit.”



What about my parents? I can’t tell people they’re dead. It’s too horrible to even pretend.



What should my backstory be?



I run to the kitchen to grab a Red Bull. Maybe I need a little quick energy to jumpstart my brain. It seems I’m not the only one trying to concoct a story, though. Millie, Mom, Tommy, and Mr. Moran, who are all in the business of making movies, are sitting at the kitchen table throwing around fake lives like dollar bills at a strip club.



I pretend to scan the fridge for food, but instead I’m listening to their cringeworthy ideas. I swear, they want my life to be some bad teenaged sitcom.



We should all thank God that they’re not writers. Hollywood would go down in flames.



Millie says, “I know, she could be a scholarship student. A ritzy school like that, everyone would avoid her like the plague. No one would guess she’s your daughter.”



I try to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t.



I keep my head glued to the fridge, but say, “Millie! I’m not pretending to be a scholarship student. Kym is in New York styling my uniforms as we speak!”



Mom says, “I still don’t understand how we’re going to get you money. James, how are we going to take care of her financially, if we can’t give her any money for fear of having it tracked?”



“The less you know, the better, Abby. But we’ve got it all worked out,” James replies. He walks behind me, stares into the fridge, then whispers, “How about we order some of your favorite Chinese? You haven’t eaten anything for days.”



I turn around and hug him tightly. “I can’t thank you enough for everything, especially for letting me wear my locket. I trust Garrett. He seems to know his stuff. I just want you to know that I listened to everything he taught me today. Do Mom and Tommy not know about the trust fund?”