Desire Ch. 61 - The pretty girls

[itztigress3]

Chapter 61- The pretty girls

POV: Zac

Word Count: 4059

May 24, 2010; Monday

Emily and I originally planned to spend the day at 3CG and knock out as much as we could, promotional tours were coming up and we had just released information about the release date for the album and a special weekend in July where fans can come and hear the album. It was Hanson day in July and this time, open to all fans with a special member’s only listening party with us.

However, this did not happen. Detective Duncan called me a little after ten and asked if she and I could come down to their office to talk, he wouldn’t explain about what but said it was important so I excused myself again and we left the studio at 10. We arrived and were taken to a conference room on the fourth floor where both Duncan and Walker had offices. We waited in the room about ten minutes before they came in and sat down, we exchanged pleasantries and then Detective Walker sat up straight.

“I’m sorry we would have come to you but we knew that privacy is best and this is the best way to ensure that.” Detective Walker said.

“No problem, we understand. We’re just not sure why we are here.” Emily said.

“We have a few reasons why we asked you down, we are starting with this.” She replied.

She got a folder and retrieved a photograph which she laid on the table in front of us, the photo was of a man who was clearly dead and it was also very clear, this was Paul Robertson.

“Is that Paul?” I asked.

“Yes, Paul Bernard Robertson, DNA and fingerprints have confirmed his identify along with relatives. He was found mid-April by some hikers in a wooded trail outside town. He was shot, point blank in the forehead. His death was quick. The time of his death is estimated to be around your wedding day, we saw him the morning of your wedding so we know that he was alive that morning.”

Detective Duncan sat forward a bit. “We do not suspect either of you or anyone you know in his death, for starters the two of you were under full time surveillance at the time.”

“We were?” I asked.

“Yes. Based on her story we were hoping that her father or Adam would show up, but we never saw them.”

“They were in town. My father called my oldest brother.”

They both nodded and she removed the photo, placing it back in the folder with what I assumed was more photos of him in his final state. Paul being dead was a blessing and a curse, because we knew he wasn’t watching but it was possible someone we didn’t know was now watching us.

“Because we now have fingerprints and DNA we compared those with prints taken on the first two globes you received and your house the night the power went out, Paul was responsible for being in your home and his prints matched those on the globe. However, the last one you received had no prints or DNA it was wiped clean.” She said.
“I told you who was stalking me.” Emily said.

She nodded. “Yes, but this is proof that he was. We did call you down to inform you of his death but that was not our primary objective. After finding his body we obtained a warrant to search his home here in town, it had been cleaned and we are suspecting he died there. There is evidence that blood was cleaned up in the living room.” Duncan said.

“If Adam went there he probably killed him for not knowing about our wedding or whatever twisted reasons he felt.” Emily said.

She nodded and then got some more folders and produced several pictures of Emily, fairly recent ones as well.

“We found pictures of you, Zac, his family and friends, your brothers and your friends as well. Most of the printed images were you and they were dated. The ones of your family and friends you are in some of them, but not all of them. It is very clear that Paul was indeed been watching you and by association everyone you knew. There were pictures of your employees, studio, home, and the song writing retreat you attended.” She said.

“He’s been watching me for like two years! I tried to tell you that!” Emily said.

The two detectives exchanged looks and I for one did not like that, Detective Walker then slid another photo across the table and I did not recognize it nor had I ever seen it.

“Ems, is that you?” I asked.

Emily pulled it closer. “Uh…Yeah, it is.”

“Do you remember where or when?” She asked.

Emily looked at the picture. “I was seventeen living with Craig and his family. Um, I don’t remember the month but it was summer and I had gone out with his sister to a party. I let her dress me.”

That explained the super baggy pants, tight black shirt, and chains everywhere. Not to mention the dark make up and black fingernails. I’d never seen a picture like this of her and honestly it kind of scared me and intrigued me at the same time.

“How come you have none like this?” I asked.

She looked at me and blushed. “I only let her dress me once and no one was around. She took pictures but I asked her to keep them private or destroy them. This was at the party though.”

She slid another one and I felt my heart skip a beat, felt the moment it took for me to breathe again. Same Emily, but her lips were attached to a woman’s; she’d never told me about that.

“I’ll assume this is you?” Detective Duncan asked.

I saw the blush on her face. “Yes. That’s Craig’s sister Tiffany Ann Stevenson. It was um the only time that ever happened and it was at that party.”

I made a note to ask about that later on but they were showing her other pictures, ones I hadn’t seen before she could remember some either the place or something similar such as her graduation party, when she came to Tulsa, there were pictures of her at the concert that year and there was pictures of her backstage including one where we’re looking at each other.

“Where did get all of these?”  Emily asked.

“Paul was a very meticulous and well organized man, aside from the hundred or so printed images of you there were thousands on his computers and some of the dates go back to when you were about 16. We dug around in his background and it seems he has followed you since you were 16.”

“Seriously? You mean he’s been watching me that long and I just know found out about it?”

I detected the stress, shock, and anger in her voice when she spoke and I didn’t like the implications on that either.

“Yes. We do not believe that he consistently watched you because his images are dated and sometimes days past before new ones were presented. We believe he kept tabs on you for a while, up until you began working at the studio the dates were infrequent and random. After that they were more precise, closer together and by the time Zac filed for divorce he was recording images daily.”

“Are there any of us alone inside the studio or out home?” I asked.

“No. Not until last year when you experienced the power outage. But there are some of you alone in your apartment asleep dated in December of 2007 and January of 2008.”

Emily sat back and sighed. “So you’re telling me that Paul has been watching me since I was 16, inconsistent until I started working at the studio and then consistently. Is there anything in those that I should be worried about now?”

“No. There were none that were sexual in nature nor were there any of you nude or changing clothes. Oddly, there are none of you taken the week that you were hurt.” She said.

“Adam was there, he didn’t need Paul.”

She put away the photos and Detective Duncan retrieved bottles of water for us all, there was a brief pause as everyone kind of let that news settle in. I couldn’t believe that jackass had been watching her for so long, I guess him being dead really was good for us, but it was bad for his family and friends. Emily sipped her water slowly and looked defeated.

“Is there any evidence that Adam asked Paul to watch her?” I asked.

“Yes, Paul also kept a meticulous journal and it does state that his friend Adam asked him to watch Emily.” Detective Duncan said.

Detective Walker shot him a nasty look. “There is no point in lying to them Rebecca.”

“I agree with him, I’d rather we know the truth than be lied to. It seems I’ve been lied to enough.” Emily said.

I didn’t like her tone and I also didn’t like the implication that Adam had known her every move since she was 16, that meant the wedding was not going to stop him and her safety was more important now than it was before.

“Mrs. Hanson, I have some photos I would like for you look at. I would like to know if they look familiar to you at all. I’ll provide their names as well and if you know them, please let us know.” She said.

“Call me Emily and ok.” She said.

She laid three photos down all women all of them had brown hair but their eye color was different, brown, grey, and blue. However there was something I noticed about them all, there was an uncanny resemblance to Emily. The same complexion, same general shape of the mouth and the face, same basic body type and I could bet that they wore the same size as she did. The only difference for two of them was there eyes, but one had the same eye color as well. I looked at Emily and waited.

She tapped the picture with the blue eyes and indicated her name was Rebecca Jane Reid, the brown eyed girl was Jasmine Rose Jacobs, and the one with grey eyes was Grace Marie Franklin. I watched Emily study each picture carefully before shaking her head.

“No. I haven’t seen any of them and their names do not sound familiar to me.” She replied.

“You do know about Kailin Johnson right?” Det. Walker asked.

“Yes. She was in one of those albums we turned in; she was a girl that Adam killed when he was 18. I am not familiar with the full details of how she died or what the conditions were. I was not given those details.”

Det. Walker frowned and glanced at her partner. “Did you never ask for those details?”

“I never wanted to know really. I was eight when she died, I didn’t know her or have a reason to be told.”

“Understood, the next set of photos maybe disturbing, please brace yourselves.”

She then removed and replaced the photos that were on the table, it was the same women but these were different because each of the women were nude, tied up and gagged, and their bodies were covered in marks and bruises. Emily gagged a bit and turned away from them and I turned the images over on the table, clearly they upset her.

“You said their name was, indicating past tense, there dead?” Emily asked.

“Yes. Grace has not been found but she is presumed dead. Paul watched all of them; we suspect he was watching them for Adam. These are not the worst images of these women.”

Emily looked up at her. “All of them? Were there more than just these three?”

“Paul has pictures of twelve women, you included. He has them named but we don’t have any other information beyond that. We are trying to track down the other names through missing persons or cold cases. So far, only two were confirmed but Paul said Grace was killed.”

“Does he say when?” I asked.

She opened her notes and looked for a moment. “September 8^, 2007 is when Paul indicates that Grace was killed.”

“That was a few days after I hit him; he tried to take Emily from the venue in Atlanta.” I said.

“I’m sure I don’t want the answer to this question, but did Paul say why she was killed?” Emily asked.

She laid the folder down and she was quite for sometime before looking at us. “He said that Adam returned from the hospital and he was very pissed, he took that out on Grace. I’m not sure you really need or want details.” She said.

“I disagree with you Rebecca, I believe they do.” He replied.

“I agree with him, it might he hard on us but we deserve to know what Paul said and what happened.” I said.

She got something from the folder and slid it across the table, it was a copy of what looked like a diary and Emily pulled it closer. The highlighted section is what we read.

Paul returned from the show without Emily, he was not pleased. He looked pretty rough, apparently one of the Hanson brother’s had jumped him and broke his nose, gave him black eyes and a busted lip. I can bet it was Zachary, considering Emily was involved and he seems to be very close to her.

He hasn’t let up on Grace since he arrived, I am not sure how much more she can handle but he has consistently referred to her as “Emily”, even though she is not. I feel like Grace was taken as a substitute for Emily because he’s called her that before as well.

He killed Grace today (8^th, Sept). I came to bring supplies and she was lying in a pool of blood in the basement. It was gruesome and much worse than anything he has done before. I am not sure if he had a disposal plan yet, but I suppose I’ll be assisting.

Emily slid the photo back to her. “I’ll assume that he took notes for them all or at least some on them?”

“He did when he was present, he wasn’t always there though.”

“Are all of them dead?” I asked.

“No. Based on what we learned from Paul’s journals of the eleven taken, only three were killed. The other eight were sold to men to either be their wives or to be a sex slave. It may take time to find them because if they were married out, we have no idea what their names would be. It appears that Jasmine and Rebecca were killed because there new owners were not pleased and they could not be reprimanded for it. He indicates that both were sold and then returned.”

“When were they taken? Do you know?” I asked.

“Reid was taken in 2000, Jacobs in 2003 and Franklin in 2006.”

Emily got up and walked out of the room but I remained sitting and so did they. I could see her just outside the glass window, she was just standing there. Fifteen minutes later she returned and sat down.

“So, I assume that these women were taken to be trained? Adam has mentioned it to me.” Emily said.

“Yes. Paul indicates that the women were kidnapped, trained to be obedient, and then sold to the new owner for a price he never knew. We actually asked you about the girls and the names because Paul mentioned your father in several of his entries.”

“My father?” She asked.

“Yes. He references double D, and in one entry he put David Daniels with two D’s beside the name. Those entries indicate that this person helped Adam in breaking the girls. He helped him train them and get them ready to be sold. We wondered if he went after friends of yours or people you knew. The girls were all under 18, most being around 15 and 16 when they were taken.”

She looked kind of pale but steadied herself, that couldn’t be news she was pleased to hear.

“So, what is the theory?” I asked.

“Well, you told us before that Adam mentioned a deal between your father and himself. Our idea or theory is that your father agreed to let you marry Adam in exchange for Adam training one of the girls for him as a new wife. You were his payment and because Adam has not gotten you, then your father has not gotten his new wife. The problem we have is that while Paul’s written words are concrete there not going to hold up in court without more proof. We have no idea where the girls went or who has them, the two known victims did not have enough evidence to link them to Adam.” Detective Walker said.

“Likewise, we don’t know where the girls are kept or how their chosen. We believe Grace was taken as a substitute for you because she was the only one with grey eyes and the only one that Adam never mentioned selling. We believe that your life may be in more danger than you think and that you should be very careful.” Det. Duncan said.

Emily sat quietly before she suddenly got up, knocking the chair over in the process.

“What do you want me to do? Lock myself in my home and remain there forever? Put my own life on hold because you can’t find proof that he’s a fucking murderer? I told the police then he wouldn’t give up, I told them when I started getting e-mails, packages and text messages that Adam was behind them and they insisted that he couldn’t be. I told you all months ago that he was after me and no one believed me until I was shot. What will he have to do before you stop telling me what he’s doing and you fucking do something to stop him?”

She left the room quickly and I gave them helpless looks, I had no idea what to say but found some words.

“I’ll do what I can to make sure she’s not alone, but she’s getting fed up with us following her around all the damn time. Stop him. Do whatever you have to but stop the son of a bitch before he finally finds a way in.”

I then left the room to find her and she’d gone all the way to the car and was inside waiting on me.

“Emily?” I asked.

“I’m ready to go, there’s nothing else they can tell me.”

I got in and sat there. “Do you want to go somewhere else for a bit? We don’t have to return to the studio.”

“Where are we going to go Zac? According to them I am only safe behind locked doors and alarms. Did you know Casey turned down a date last week? Really nice gentleman too and he said he couldn’t, when I asked him why he said he had to watch me. Do you even care how that makes me feel? He gave up a date that could very well be his soul mate because he felt he would have to baby sit me, likewise you don’t seem to mind dumping me on him when you, Taylor, and Isaac need to do something.”

“No, I didn’t know that he did that. I’ve told him many times Emily that if he wants to go out or do something or be with someone he can, all he has to do is let me know. You can stay with us at the studio; it’s not a big deal. I’m not dumping you on him Emily.”

“Yes you are. You told him last week that the three of you had a radio show last Friday and I would be with him. You dumped me on him and it was the night the guy offered and I could have gone with you, I could have spent time with Nikki, I could have spent time with Natalie, I could have gone to stay with Aaron or Christopher or Craig, but no you specifically told him that I’d be with him. You didn’t even ask if I wanted to stay with him or if he had plans. I know you don’t mean too, but you are. At least ask if he has plans because I feel bad enough that I am fucking up everything you guys planned because you have to have me there. I feel bad enough that while I get to enjoy all of these things, Natalie and Nikki and their children don’t.”

I sat there in the driver’s seat stunned because I had no idea she felt that way. No idea that I was really just making Casey be the one watching her and not asking either of them if they wanted to do something else. I’d also dumped her on Casey every time I’d met Layla for a lunch because Layla insisted I come alone, but really I didn’t get why she cared because she knew I wouldn’t keep secrets from Emily.

“Do you trust Velma?” I asked.

“Are you going to dump me on her now?” She asked.

“No. But you two had plans Saturday right?”

“Yes. She and I were going to the zoo to see the new tiger cubs, our contributions to them give me access and since you guys were going to be busy preparing I asked her. You told Casey he was going with us.”

“Do you trust her?” I asked.

“Not like I do you and Casey, Zac she’s a woman like me.”

Which meant sending them alone wasn’t an option, but really it was supposed to be a few hours on Saturday.

“I’ll go. I’ll tell Casey to take the day to himself, hell the whole weekend. How many tickets did we get?”

“Six, why?”

“What if we took the kids with us? I am sure Ezra, Penny, and Everett would be thrilled for that experience and neither of us have had much time to spend with them. I’ll tell Taylor and Isaac to take some time to spend with Natalie and Nikki.”

“Would Taylor and Isaac mind that Velma is going?”

“No. They like her actually, they think she’s nice.”

“Can I ask her if she minds the kids going?”

“Definitely ask her first, before I ask them.”

“You know this don’t solve the problem and first chance you get I’ll be dumped on Casey.”

“No. I will try to not do that so much and really if it’s just the studio you can stay with me.”

She sighed heavily.

“I know that’s not what you want to hear Emily but you heard them and read what Paul wrote. If he’s that obsessed then you’re not safe without someone there that you know will protect you. You’re not safe alone.”

“Let’s just get back, I’ll ask Velma and then let you know.”

“Emily.”

“There is no use Zac, I know I’m not safe alone. But, none of us can keep putting our lives on hold for him.”

“We can until he’s caught.”

She looked at me and I cranked up the car and started back.

“Actually, why don’t we go by the car lot, you’ve wanted that truck and really your car is as old as mine was.”

“We can go Sunday, no plans. Although, when were you planning to tell me you kissed a girl?”

She actually smiled some. “I wondered when you’d ask. I kissed her once and I didn’t much get anything from it. I would much prefer to be kissing you than some girl.”

I smiled. “Great way to boost a guy’s ego Ems.”

“I try.”

We returned to the studio and about an hour later she said to ask Taylor and Isaac if they cared if the kids went and I was glad they didn’t. I then told Casey to call that guy and ask him out for the weekend, because really he deserved that. I however didn’t like that he told me to buy earplugs for ourselves.

What had I done?