Page 128 of Brassy Bigwig

“Does this have to do with Chloe?” he nods his head toward the picture of Shelby in my hand.

I hold up the picture and look more closely. No, that’s definitely Shelby.

“This girl’s name is Shelby. She’s Chloe’s best friend. What do you know about Chloe?”

The boy takes a deep breath and puts his backpack down.

“About six weeks ago, he comes home from the club acting strange. I asked him what was going on, and he tells me he’s met the girl of his dreams. I didn’t think much of it, and we both went to sleep. After that, he started staying at her house more often. He would come home from time to time, but not for long. But then, he started getting… weird. Every time I saw him he would say things like ‘he’s trying to take what’s mine’, or ‘I need to take her far away from here and save her.’ I kept asking him who ‘he’ was, but that made him angry. Like, violently angry. I don’t know, things just didn’t seem right.”

Before I’m able to speak, he starts again.

“I’ve been searching for a new place for about two weeks now. He’s been really unstable lately, and I’m scared to be under the same roof as him. Don’t tell him I told you that, though!”

“I won’t. Promise. I’m the ‘he’ Reed was talking about. And Chloe is my girlfriend, and he has been stalking her since the night they met. I need you to think. Has he ever mentioned family or friends? Maybe someone out of state where he can stay off the radar for a while?”

“Umm…” I try to be patient while he’s thinking, but the longer I wait, the more hopeless I feel. Finally, he speaks. “The only thing I remember him saying is he grew up somewhere in Brooklyn.”

“Brooklyn. That’s great. Anything else? A street? A neighborhood?”

“No, I’m sorry. He didn’t mention it.”

“That’s okay, you’ve been a big help…” I just realized I never got his name.

“Andrew.”

“Thank you, Andrew. I really appreciate it. I’ll send you money to repair the door I broke.”

Exiting his room, I pull out my phone and call Travis, with Ivan on my heels.

“Travis.”

“See if you can find anything linking him to Brooklyn.”

“On it.”

Ivan and I make it to the ground floor of the apartment building before Travis comes back with any information. Just as I’m about to tell him to call me back, he speaks up.

“Got something here. He lists some references on his resume. Walter Baker, 8293 72nd Street, Brooklyn. And Gloria Watkins, 5236 64th Street Brooklyn.

“Thanks, keep digging. In the meantime, Ivan and I will go and check it out.”

* * *

I told Ivan to go to visit Gloria Watkins while I checked out Walter Baker’s house. With both Watkins and Baker in Reed’s name, I’m assuming these two are his mother and father. If I’m right in my assumption that he would take Chloe somewhere familiar, then I’m hoping she’s at one of these locations.

She fucking has to be.

I called Officer Huntington from the cab on the drive from downtown to Brooklyn. I explained Blake isn’t the one who has been sending the letters this time. When I gave him Reed’s name and the addresses Ivan and I are each headed to, he put a call out to the nearest precinct. After telling me someone would be out as soon as possible, he instructed me to wait outside until they got there.

Like fucking hell I’m waiting.

I toss whatever bills are in my wallet to the cab driver before practically throwing myself from the car and running to the front door. For the second time today, I kick the door open in search of the woman I love.

“Chloe!” I shout.

I listen for noise, and I hear what sounds like muffled screams coming from upstairs. I take them two at a time, running directly into Reed on the landing between the two floors.

I don’t miss the large knife in his hand before I throw him back against the wall into a picture frame. It crashes to the floor and shatters into a thousand pieces. His hands circle my neck, the knife dangerously close to my face, and he pushes me backward so I lose my grip on him. I swing my fist and land a right hook to the side of his face, causing him to lose his footing just long enough to push him to the side and run up the remaining steps.

---