A Killer's Watch (30 page)

Aubrey didn’t know why, but the fact that Graham kept the
recordings, could re-watch them at will, elevated the creep factor of his
voyeurism.

“These are ready.” Aubrey placed everything in a bowl,
stacked it on the cutting board, and walked to the table. She chose the seat to
the right of Graham, so that her dominant hand was closest to him.

“That’s a large knife for chopping vegetables,” Graham
observed, still completely comfortable with his superior position.

“It’s for the carrots, they’re difficult to cut,” Aubrey
explained as she emptied the bowl. “You seem to know a lot about my life, why don’t
you tell me about yours.” She wanted to ingratiate herself to him. Having him
speak about himself seemed like a good way.

Graham looked at her for a moment, then smiled. Things were
moving along better than he had hoped.

“Certainly, what would you like to know?”

“What do you do for a living?” Aubrey thought she’d found a
neutral topic.

“I have several lucrative businesses. One of which is
selling video footage to like-minded connoisseurs.” Graham watched carefully
for Aubrey’s reaction.

“Do you mean that you make money from selling videos of my
family to strangers?” Aubrey stopped tearing the lettuce and stared at him.

“Relax, my dear. I never sold footage of your family, not
yet. My clients prefer something not quite as wholesome. Now, if your daughter
ever left the laptop open in her bedroom, I could probably obtain video that
would please my customers.”

“You’re a digital peeping Tom, but worse. Selling videos of
young girls, what, getting dressed, undressed? That’s beyond sleazy, Graham.”

“You would be surprised what these young girls do, when they
think no one is watching,” Graham grinned. “Think whatever you like of me, but this
one enterprise has increased my wealth, many times over.” Graham decided not to
share the side of the business that brought in the real money. Selling views to
a murder had proven more profitable than he had ever dreamed possible.

“So, it’s okay, as long as you’re making money? But you were
already wealthy, Graham. Why do you need to exploit the innocent, just to make
more money?” Aubrey tried to monitor her tone, to keep it civil, even though
she was disgusted inside.

“My family’s wealth began to dwindle, thanks in large part
to my father’s conservative investments. After he died, I knew that I had to do
something to prop things up. Thanks to my long-term infatuation with you, I
knew a little about surveillance. I simply expanded my knowledge, and soon my
new business was booming.”

Aubrey refused to let herself feel responsible for Graham’s
perverted actions. In an attempt to move away from the topic, she purposefully
changed the subject.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father. I know how difficult a
parent’s death can be. Is your mother still alive?”

“Yes, dear Belinda is alive and well, thank you. I must say,
she would be very happy to know that I’ve finally settled down,” Graham
laughed. “The old bat’s been fixing me up for years, trying to get me to marry,
and produce offspring.”

“You never wanted children?”

“Heaven’s no!” It was Graham’s turn to shudder. “I can’t see
the appeal in changing dirty diapers, wiping snotty noses, or anything that
relates to caring for a child.”

“It is a lot of work,” Aubrey tried to sound sympathetic.
“But it can also be very rewarding.”

“Not for me,” Graham glanced down at the cutting board. Noticed
that Aubrey had picked up a cucumber and some strange looking tool. “What’s
that?”

“It’s a peeler, for the cucumbers, and the carrots. Unless
you prefer to eat the skins?”

“No, however you prepare it will be fine, I’m sure. As I
said before, this is all very new to me.”

“So, you’re not a cook, do you have any other hobbies?”
Aubrey held her breath, hoping he would not tell her more about his perverted
businesses.

“You have been my only hobby, sweet Aubrey. For as long as I
can remember.” Graham’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Now that I have you with
me, all of my free time can be devoted to you.”

Aubrey couldn’t contain the shudder that ripped through her
body.

“It’s Anna,” Jeri told Ethan as she answered the phone on
speaker.

“Hi, Anna, you’ve got us both.”

“Hi, guys, I think I’ve found something useful, finally. I
crossed checked the accounts used in the cash transactions for purchasing the
properties, and I found a link to Grant.”

“That’s more than useful, Anna. What’s the address?” Jeri
sat up straighter with excitement.

“I’m sending it to your phone now, but you have to know that
it’s not a direct link. The account from which the payment was made came from a
bank in England. The account in England received funds from the same bank in
Samoa that we know Grant uses. It’s not a direct link, but it’s a link.”

“That’s close enough for me,” Ethan told her, pulling the
car off to the side of the road. “Good job, Anna. Thank you.”

“It’s what I do,” Anna’s smile came through the phone.
“Anything else you need?”

“Yes. Call Nate, see if he can finagle a warrant, based on
this new information. Maybe he can use international banking laws to get us in
the house.”

“Be sure and tell him that we’re not waiting on the warrant,
but it would be a nice touch,” Jeri added.

“Got it. Be careful, guys.” Anna disconnected.

“Where is it?” Ethan asked, eager to move.

“About half an hour from here, if you drive the speed
limit.” Jeri glanced up at him and grinned. “I’ll call Monique. She and Chloe
can meet us there. We may need backup.”

“Good idea. We need an aerial view of the property, I’ll get
it.” Ethan reached for his tablet. “It looks like the house is set at least a
mile from the road. Tell them to meet us at the end of the drive. Someone had
the good sense to plant trees along the property line, so we should have
adequate cover.”

“See any trees near the house?” Jeri asked, waiting for
Monique to answer.

“A few. Can’t tell how large they are, though. The good news
is that it will be night soon. Hopefully, he’ll never see us coming.”

~~~

“Why are you making so much? It’s just the two of us, after
all.” Graham found it fascinating to watch Aubrey work, in person. He loved the
way her hands moved as she expertly peeled the vegetables.

“I suppose it’s a habit for me to make a large salad. It
will be good tomorrow, we can finish it then.” Aubrey sent him a slight smile,
praying that it didn’t tremble. Holding her fears inside, trying to act normal,
while peeling carrots wearing a silk peignoir, with a spiked collar around her
neck was taking every ounce of courage she possessed.

“Yes, I suppose.” Graham frowned slightly. He’d heard of
leftovers, but he’d never actually eaten them.

“It will stay fresh, trust me.” Aubrey picked up the butcher
knife to chop the carrots. Every nerve in her body tingled at what she knew had
to be done. Nothing short of a mortal wound would do. Anything less than death
would only make him angry. But how to do it? Plunging it into his chest was her
best bet, but she would have to use all of her strength to send it deep. She
couldn’t risk the knife hitting bone, stopping before it reached his heart. Or
his lung. She supposed either would do.

~~~

“I can’t believe that you beat us here,” Ethan told Chloe as
she and Monique joined him and Jeri.

“We were closer,” Chloe explained, with a grin.

“This one drives like she’s on a race track. Or the
Autobahn,” Monique explained.

“Hey, we’re here. That’s what matters,” Chloe shrugged.

“Right,” Jeri agreed. “Pull up an aerial on your tablets.
Let’s make a plan.”

“Are we sure that Grant is in there?” Monique asked.

“As sure as we can be. Looks like there’s a cluster of
trees, to the left of the garage,” Jeri pointed out.

“And not much in between that point, and the property line,”
Ethan remarked sourly.

“We can follow the boundary line, until we’re across from
the garage,” Chloe showed Ethan the enlarged image. “There’s good tree cover
till then, and I doubt that he’ll see us if we approach from that side of the
property.”

“Good plan,” Ethan nodded. “Once there, we split up. We’ll
go to the back, you both go to the front.”

“We go in quiet, but hot,” Jeri told them. “The element of
surprise is our best chance at taking him in without incident.”

“I have a lock-picking kit in my bag,” Monique offered.

“Why am I not surprised?” Ethan smiled. “I happen to have
one as well. Once inside, we clear the rooms, quietly, until we find Grant.”

“Yes, even if we find Aubrey, remain silent. We can’t tip
him off that we’re here,” Jeri added.

“Wouldn’t a techie like Grant have a surveillance system?”
Monique asked.

“Yes, that’s very possible, but we can’t let that stop us.
Once we cross the threshold, we move fast, and as quietly as possible.
Remember, never go off on your own.”

“Okay, that’s it. Are we ready?” Ethan looked at each
woman’s face. “Let’s go and get this bastard.”

~~~

“Why are you chopping so slowly?” Graham noticed Aubrey’s
hesitation as she cut the carrots.

“I told you, carrots are hard,” Aubrey tried to smile, but
her stomach was in knots. She had to make her move soon, the carrots were
nearly chopped. If she didn’t do it now, she didn’t know when she would get
another chance.

If he would only stop watching her so closely. It seemed
that he was enthralled with every move she made. She had to divert his
attention, somehow. Getting a better grip on the knife, she looked up, hoping
Graham’s eyes would follow.

“You wouldn’t want me to cut myself, would you?”

Graham’s eyes did follow hers, but the glazed look of
longing she saw there rocked her to the core.

“No, my dear. I wouldn’t want
you
to cut yourself.”

His meaning was clear, too clear. Taking a deep breath,
Aubrey tightened her grip on the knife.

A millisecond before she raised it to his chest, a long, low
beep sounded throughout the house.

Startled from his instant daydream, picturing Aubrey on his
table, he immediately stood, sending the chair crashing to the floor.

“It seems that we have uninvited guests,” he growled softly,
jerking Aubrey’s arm, pulling her towards him.

The knife clattered to the floor, her one opportunity, lost.

~~~

Ethan and Jeri heard the beep only seconds before Chloe and
Monique. All four recognized the sound as that of an alarm.

Jeri and Ethan reached the edge of the kitchen first, saw
Grant backing toward a door, holding Aubrey by the throat.

“Stop, Grant! Or we’ll shoot!” Jeri demanded. Both she and
Ethan had their guns trained on Graham.

“I don’t think that you will, Ms. Forbes,” Graham drawled,
much too confident for the circumstances. He was using Aubrey as a shield, with
both hands covering her neck.

Terrified, Aubrey stood absolutely still. The chain linking
her to Graham hung behind her. Graham’s grip was firm around her neck, but
managed to keep the spikes from penetrating her skin.

“Why is that, Grant? Are you under the impression that we
care whether you live or die?” Jeri asked, unable to see the chain, or the
collar, from her viewpoint.

With a flourish, Grant dropped his hands from Aubrey’s neck.
The sudden movement sent the chain swaying, enough to cause several of the
spikes to pierce Aubrey’s skin.

Her scream stopped Chloe and Monique dead in their tracks,
as they eased to the kitchen doorway behind Grant.

Jeri and Ethan didn’t so much as look their way. Grant and
Aubrey had their undivided attention.

Blood trickled down both sides of Aubrey’s neck, heading for
the silky fabric covering her shoulders. In an instant, Aubrey grabbed the
collar with both hands, trying to pull it away from her throat.

“It’s quite simple, Ms. Forbes, Mr. Barnes. If you kill me,
my dear, sweet Aubrey will also suffer with my fall. I’m sorry to tell you that
the spikes are long enough to sever her carotid, especially if I turn the
collar like this.”

With his eyes boring into Jeri’s, he grabbed Aubrey’s hands,
and wrenched them to her back. Holding them securely with one hand, he used the
other to turn the collar so that the spikes were positioned over each major
vein in her neck.

“Not that it makes much difference. She will perish no
matter where the spikes enter her throat. I assume that you care whether or not
Aubrey lives or dies, hmm?” Graham smiled as he looked between Ethan and Jeri.

“I thought that you cared for her as well. Hasn’t all of
this been so you can be with Aubrey?” Jeri didn’t lower her gun, or change her
stance. But she tried to focus Grant’s attention on her. Ethan had the best
angle to shoot through the chain, eliminating Grant’s threat. The fact that the
bullet would also go into Grant’s side was of little concern.

“Very perceptive, Ms. Forbes. But I wouldn’t expect any less
from a former star of the FBI.” Graham’s smile broadened as Jeri raised her
eyebrows. “Ah, you didn’t think that I would do my homework? I can assure you,
I know all about you, and your friend, Mr. Barnes. I considered Howard Anson as
more than a tutor, you see. He was a like
-
minded
soul, who opened a world of possibilities to me. His death, at your hands,
created a void in my life, and the lives of many others. A void that I have
tried to fill, in my own way.”

“Howard Anson was a narcissistic psychopath who deserved
what he got. My only regret is that I couldn’t prolong his agony. It would have
been my pleasure.” Jeri baited Grant, hoping to throw him off guard.