Page 37 of Don't Speak
“No, actually. I haven’t gotten one since right before Ben died. Maybe they got bored,” I say with minimal confidence. Honestly, with everything that has been going on, I haven’t thought about it much. It’s hard to keep track of things when your life is a shitshow. But now that I think about it, why haven’t I gotten any envelopes? I guess I should just take this as a win?
“I still think it’s weird. And I’m still not happy with you not calling the cops.”
“Yeah, I know. Dean was with me when I got the last one. They’ve weirdly always had the two of us in them. I had told him that I had been receiving them during a shift at the bar. I told him a lot of things, actually…” I trail off. Amelia’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I already know what you’re going to say. Trust me, it’s nothing I haven’t said to myself. I opened myself up for heartache with this one, but he has this weird pull on me.”
“I just don’t want you going into anything too fast. I don’t want you to get hurt.” She looks at me, concern clear across her face.
“I’ll be fine. I promise,” I reassure her. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel safe with him.”
“Well, if he hurts you, I’m cutting his balls off and feeding them to him,” she deadpans.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Me: Are you alive?
An image of Simba curled up next to Dean comes through.
Dean: We’re surviving. We both miss you. Hope you’re having fun.
Me: A blast. We’re watching horror movies and drinking wine. Amelia is shockingly a little tipsy. I don’t get to see her this way often. She’s always the responsible one.
Dean: I hope I can meet her soon. She seems important to you.
Me: Very much so. And me too. Just wanted to check in and see how you were. Thinking about you.
Dean: Thinking about you too, little lioness. Sweet dreams.
Me: Goodnight
Amelia looks at me from her spot on the couch. We’ve been home for a few hours and are already about two bottles deep, with two more on the counter. Insidious plays on the TV, but we’ve both seen it a few times already.
“Oh, you’ve got it baaadddd,” she teases.
“Shut up!” I laugh, throwing the couch decor pillow at her. I pull up the photo I just received and show it to her. “Isn’t this the cutest? Even Simba is falling for his charisma.”
“What do you know about him?” She cuts right to the point.
I think for a second. “Well, his mom was basically non-existent, his dad left when he turned eighteen, and he had a sister whom he cared for very much, but she passed away. He told me he does freelance work. ‘Jobs no one else wants to do,’ were his words actually. He had his own apartment before several of the unit’s pipes burst.”
“I am happy that you are happy. But I do find it a bit odd that he strolls into town when those photos occur and happens to be in them.”
“Well, he obviously can’t be the one taking the photo if he’s in them,” I say, feeling a little defensive. I grab the box of Reese’s Pieces from the pile of snacks we purchased earlier and open it to occupy my mouth before I say something I can’t take back. I know she’s concerned for me, and I love her for that. But I refuse to believe Dean has any involvement in the crazy shit that has been happening in my life lately. After the time we’ve spent together and the connection we’ve built, I really want to believe he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. I haven’t felt like this for anyone in a long time, if ever. This strange feeling keeps tugging at my heart, and I don’t know what to think about it. I want to believe that for once in my life, I’ve found someone who wants me. Someone who willloveme.
“No, I know that. I just… I don’t know. I have an odd feeling about something right now. It’s been affecting my mood all week,” she tells me.
“Well, let’s not worry about it right now,” I say. “Right now, let’s just eat, drink, and be scared.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” she agrees, although I can tell by her tone she’s not fully convinced about Dean.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
It took longer than I expected to get here. Since Ben’s death, Nikki has been in and out of sadness, stuck between wanting to help Sarah but also wanting to give her space. I haven’t had a moment to leave Nikki without raising suspicion until now, since she’s with Amelia for her girls’ night. I’ve been going crazy, knowing where James is but unable to get to him. But I’m here now.
The cabin is dark, and there are no cars outside. After saying goodnight to Nikki, I hopped in my truck and made my way here. I parked in the same spot as before and have been waiting in the woods with my binoculars. I haven’t seen any movementsince I got here thirty minutes ago, so I choose this moment to make my move and head toward the back. The leaves of the forest floor crunch underneath me as I make my way to the run-down wooden steps, pulling out my lock-picking kit.
After picking the lock on the back door, it opens slowly, and I make my way inside. I close it quietly behind me, looking around and letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I won’t be able to turn on the lights in here, so I pull out my flashlight. The cabin is pretty bare. I’m standing in what appears to be the kitchen, which has minimal utensils and cookware. Making my way to the living room, I notice a couch, a recliner, and a small stand with a TV on top. There’s a hallway on the left, so I turn down it quietly, making my way to each door. There are three, and the first one is a bathroom. I make my way to the second and open it slowly. It’s empty, with nothing but a bed, a nightstand, a small TV, and a dresser. Taking a closer look at the bed, the sheets look like someone has been sleeping in them, but there isn’t much else in here. I close the door and make my way to room three. Opening its door as quietly as the others, I quickly notice that it is also empty, only this room looks a bit more lived in. The furniture in here matches that of bedroom two, but there are tons of clothes on the floor, a guitar leaning against the wall in the corner, an MP3 player on the nightstand, and tons of papers on a wooden desk in the far right corner.
I make my way inside, pointing the flashlight directly on the paper-covered desk. Everything is so spread out that I don’t even know where to begin. I pick up a few, noticing that a few of them are drawings from what looks like a child. They depict a young boy and a grown man on a fishing boat, a fish hanging from both of their hooks. Some of the other papers include newspaper articles about Sean and the trial. I notice my sister’s name is circled, along with several of the other named victims. My blood instantly boils. Choking down the rage, I pick up a few others.One of them is a deed. It looks like it is for the cabin, and I see it has James’ name listed as the owner. I don’t know how this property hadn’t shown up in any of the searches I did on him. I would have found this place sooner if it had.
