Page 45 of Watch Me
I pulled my head back to look up at him. “What if it is? What if I somehow caused all of this?”
“Why would you think that?”
I shrugged. “Because a murderer broke into my condo and gave me a wood plaque.”
“You didn’t cause this, but I’m going to figure out why they’re fucking with us.”
“I know.” I placed my head on his chest, my arms still around him, and both of us still holding our coffees. “I just hate this.”
“Me too, Buttercup. Me. Fucking. Too.”
Everything was going as planned.
I watched Detective Valor and Detective Jones assess my handiwork while Reagan looked around Daisy’s townhouse until a tech found Daisy’s laptop and closed it, blocking me out. I didn’t care. The excitement flowing through my veins was electric because it was time for the second part of my littlegame.
I’d already accessed the school’s database, retrieved Reagan’s address, and made a key to her condo with my 3D printer. Getting my hands on her keys had been tricky. She didn’t hang them up by the door in her living room, and she didn’t leave them sitting around on a table. Plus, Detective Valor had put black tape over the webcam. I’d tried to see if I could get a picture when I went into Judy’s, but again, she didn’t have her keys laying around, so I had to be even sneakier.
Because I wasn’t going to lose thisgame.
My heart rate sped up when I saw her in the coffee shop on campus because I knew what she looked like under all of her clothing. I tracked her and knew she went there every day before class for her coffee fix. I’d watch her ass as she walked in through the door, and I’d picture her naked as she walked outside, imagining my tongue running along her breasts as she poured her cooling latte down her body formypleasure. I’d watch her as she walked to class, not knowing I was behind her. I’d watch her from the tiny square window of the classroom door as she sat in the same seat every day and sipped hercoffee.
I wasgood.
So good that I was able to get into her classroom and take a picture of her house key while the students were in the lab part of the classroom. Once they were out of sight, I slipped in and went straight for Reagan’s purse. I was so good that and I would never becaught.
I took a quick picture and left, smiling the entire time. Everyone let their guard down at some point; all I had to do was wait for my opportunity. Reagan leaving her purse in the lecture hall with her book bag was herdownfall.
While Reagan was on her ride-along, I’d slipped into her condo and hung her keepsake from me on her wall. I’d written #2 on the back because, after Amy, Reagan was the second girl I was watching. I had no desire to cross her name off of my list, but Ididhave plans for my favorite couple, especially when I saw them walk into the coffee shop on campus the day after her ride-along.
I’d heard how pissed Detective Valor had been when they saw my woodworking skills on her wall, and I’d heard everything until the crime scene unit took her laptop, so I was surprised to see Reagan was still going to class. Still, she had a police escort, even if he was herboyfriend.
That didn’t matter though because Reagan McCormick wasn’t my nextvictim.
While Reagan went into class, I leaned against the wall near her classroom door, waiting for Shawn. I’d texted him where I was, and thirty minutes later, he showed. My father had already come by and got my key to Reagan’s place and was handling that situation. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought to change her locks, though there was no way in hell she’d stay there until this guy was caught—oreveragain.
I liked having her in my bed every night and day. When we were teenagers, I only got to experience waking up next to her once when we went out of town for a weekend her senior year of high school. I didn’t realize then how much the older me would want such a small thing to be a regularoccurrence.
“Walk with me to the coffee shop?” I asked Shawn. I needed every cup I could get. Reagan still had at least thirty minutes of class, and I knew she wouldn’t leave without me, so I felt comfortable leaving for a few minutes. Plus, the MO of this guy seemed to be killing the women at their homes, and I didn’t think Reagan was stupid enough to be alone rightnow.
“Yeah,” heagreed.
“What’s the word?”
“Talked to Judy. She showed me where she keeps the employee files. They’re locked in a filing cabinet, and no one has the key except her.”
“And the lock wasn’t broken?”
“No.”
“Do you peg her for this?”
He shook his head as I opened the door to the coffee shop. “No. She seemed genuinely devastated when I told her that someone had broken into Reagan’s place.”
“Okay,” I replied as we took our places in the shortline.
“Okay? That’s all you’ve got to say?”
I turned and lowered my voice. “I have a hunch.”
