Page 61 of Love Undecided
Chapter 25
Kat
Even though I often get up early, I’m not a good early morning person. I wake up groggy and cranky until I do my morning meditation or get my coffee and preferably both. At the same time.
Which is why when the buzzing of my phone wakes me up mere hours after I get to sleep, I’m not amused. I grab it without even looking at who is calling.
“This had better be good, you’re interrupting my beauty sleep,” I croak.
“He’s got another girl, he took her from her house while the family was sleeping, and patrol on the house didn’t see a fucking thing.” Bauer sounds despondent. “I’ll be there in ten to pick you up.”
That wakes me up immediately. I throw on a baseball cap and thread my hair through the hole in the back, grab jeans, flip-flops and one of Brad’s old SSFD sweatshirts. Needing the sense of security that I know it will bring me. I hear Bauer ring the front bell just as I finish brushing my teeth. He fills me in on what he knows while we drive to the scene.
“Dad wakes up around three a.m., goes to get a glass of water in the kitchen. Notices the front door is open, checks the rest of the house, notices that the daughter is gone and her bedroom window and screen are missing from the frame. He wakes everyone in the house; no one has seen or heard anything. He calls the cops.”
We pull onto Hudson Street a few minutes later; it’s easy to tell which house is the Taylors’ with all the cars and flashing lights in front. I immediately recognize Engine 82, Brad's rig.
Multiple times in one day. How did I get so lucky?
I can’t tell if I’m excited or scared. I just know that I don’t want to see him when I’m with Bauer again. Or maybe it’s that I don’t want him to see me with Bauer again. It’s hard to know the difference.
Bauer pulls up to the house and parks, I look around to make sure I don't see Brad anywhere. Even though the coast seems clear, I crouch as I get out of the car and run to the cover of a shrub, look around again and bolt straight for the house.
We get inside and I realize this is the multi-generational family whose file I’ve studied so many times. I smack Bauer on the arm. “Holy shit! Do you realize who this family is?” I hiss.
“The Taylors,” he replies.
“The Taylors whowereThe Shower Stealer’s first victims, except that now we know he really targeted the Carters first thanks to Martina the merry maid.”
“Fuck!” he roars. I shush him and pull him back outside, forgetting all about Brad and Engine 82.
“Okay, okay,” I start talking excitedly. “So we now know that the Carters were the first Shower Stealer target, and it seems that Sofia Carter was the first to be kidnapped and then, thank God, returned. The Taylors were the second Shower Stealer target and Madison Taylor has just gone missing.”
“I think it is safe to say we already know all the targets and who will be next. And that The Shower Stealer is our perp!” Bauer says, before he turns to rush back into the house.
