Twenty/Twenty

Chapter 31 | The First Time I Fall Apart In The Bathroom

Well, my Tuesday started with a conversation with my boss. Where I tried to do this entire train wreck of a situation justice in summary form. The highlights being that someone wants me dead and someone wants me dead. Okay, so I may have gotten hung up on that point. Who can blame me? Once he heard about my upcoming meeting with a detective to do a walk through to see if a stalker has stolen anything, and our plan to file paperwork related to a restraining order, he gave me the rest of the week off on paid emergency leave. With so much going on that can be a distraction, coupled with Avery's appearance at my place of work last week, they felt it best to let me step away for a few days. Bless them. They're truly being exceptionally compassionate in the midst of my bizarre circumstances. Either that or they don't want an employee murdered on site in the reception area by a crazy woman. It might be bad for business. But I'm choosing to go with a more positive take on things.

With that task checked off of my to-do list I'm now pulling into the driveway of the house. I feel a strange disconnect. It really is lovely. I had been excited to call it home. However, it was always just a bit too large for my taste. But Jax adored it. If you're paying to read this story, it's been stolen from the original author, BlueGranite. You can find it for free on Wattpad. This was going to be a place I shared with him. Where we would start a family. That more than compensated for any negative factors in my book. Now that I won't be living here with him it's just another piece of real estate. I'm anxious to get through this and arrange for my belongings to be moved into storage. Until I can figure out another more permanent living situation. I can't stay with Daphne forever. I need to figure out my life. And the choices I need to make to do that are not small ones. I'm feeling the weight of everything that's happened and everything in front of me so keenly right now. Crushing. Compressing. It's so heavy I'm finding it a bit hard to take a deep breath.

I'm the last one here. As soon as I step out of my car we move together as a unit towards the front door. Cautiously we make our way through the house. There's nothing that's obviously out of place. Jax heads towards his closet and I head toward some of the boxes in the guest room. They're mine. Still packed. Full of things like books. Winter sweaters. Odds and ends. Something strikes me as odd. These had been brand new boxes. But there were portions of the box, around the tape, that had been pulled away. On closer inspection I realize the boxes had been opened then resealed with a second layer of tape. When Avery did this she tried to put the new tape directly on the old tape. If I hadn't been looking for things that didn't seem right I probably never would have noticed it at all. There's just a bit of a musty smell lingering in the room and as I open the boxes that odor gets stronger. Mold is growing in every single one of them. Most likely, she trickled some form of moisture in each of them then closed them back up. In the great scheme of things it's one of her smaller tactics. But it still makes me upset enough that I smack the wall in frustration Which brings Detective Black and Jax my way. Seeing the concern on their faces makes me feel bad. The apology comes quickly and easily, "I'm so sorry. I'm fine. I shouldn't have hit anything. It's really not a big deal. Not compared to some of the other things she's done."

The detective starts taking some pictures as I explain how I noticed they had been opened then resealed. We're in the middle of talking when we hear Dan call out, "Guys, you may want to come here."

It's the tone. Immediately, I know this is going to be so much worse than mold. We follow his voice to the bedroom where we find him looking at two objects on the bed. With a gloved hand he picks them up one at a time. An alarm clock. A USB charging station. Seeing the confused glances happening between me and Jax he spells it out for us.

"These are more than they appear to be on the surface. There's hidden cameras in each of these items. How did they come into your possession?"

My mind stutters. Caught on a scratchy replay of two words. Hidden cameras. My brain comes out of this glitch in time to hear Jax slowly say, "They were gifts. From Avery. Given at different times. I've had them both for several years. I know I got that clock at least three years ago."

Several. Years. Before I ever came into the picture.

But Dan's not through rocking our world in the worst kind of way. He crooks his fingers and motions us towards the master bathroom. Where we learn two more cameras have been found. One in the shower head. One in an outlet by the sink.

Dan continues. As though he's trying to make sure we fully grasp the situation, "These are a bit different than the gifted items. They had to be installed in person."

I'm, for the most part, mentally frozen. Not so with Jax. He manages to ask a question. His voice is shaking but he gets the words out.

"How is the footage being gathered?"

Once again, Dan's knowledge comes through for us as he explains, "The cameras are connected to Wi- Fi and live stream footage is going to directly to someone. Twenty-four hours a day. Seven day a week. For how long we're not sure. The devices in the bedroom were plugged into a main power source so they were easily able to work continuously. The cameras in the bathroom need battery support so they work as long as they have battery life. There's a need for ongoing replacement so they can continue to function.

I anticipated this might be the situation so I engaged a signal blocker device when I arrived. Theoretically, she doesn't know we are here or that we've found them. However, if she is carefully monitoring the live stream she'll see they're not working. I'm sure it will raise some suspicion."

Finally, I find words. "Are these four it? Are there more?"

"These are what I've found so far. I haven't had the time to do a thorough inspection of the whole house. I called y'all in here to let you know what's going on and because I think it changes things pretty significantly."

So. far. Two more words that rock my world.

At that Detective Black steps forward. "He's right. It does change things. In light of everything you shared with me last night and our ever increasing awareness of the magnitude of her stalking efforts we need to get an Emergency Protection Order in place. We also need to clear the house as of now. This is a crime scene. We'll look for more devices. Dust for prints in all of the areas where they're found. If you're paying to read this story, it's been stolen from the original author, BlueGranite. You can find it for free on Wattpad. Get someone with technical expertise to look into the live streaming side of things. You'll get the opportunity to come back later to continue looking for the kind of tampering or theft that only the homeowners would notice but, for right now, we're going to pause your walk through. Finding all of the cameras and gathering any evidence we can to pinpoint who placed them from a DNA and technical standpoint will take precedence."

I watch in the bathroom mirror as they walk out of the door behind me. Dan and the detective talking about logistics. A very visibly shaken Jax following behind them. But my feet won't move. I'm wondering if there was a camera in the shower at Jax's condo. I'm thinking of that USB charger. That alarm clock. I know they were there. In his bedroom. In my mind I envision exactly where they were placed.

I think of everything she's, most likely, seen through her livestream feed. Every detail of Jax's body exposed to her. Every detail of my body exposed to her. Over and over again. She's probably watched me while I was sitting on the toilet. She probably watched as I cried in his shower after I had a difficult conversation with my mom on the phone. She probably saw me throwing up that time the stomach flu hit me like a Mack truck on a movie night with Jax. Or was that the flu at all? Did she try poisoning me before the wedding day? Everything in my life is exposed and suspect.

And the conversations. Deeply vulnerable things said to one another in what we assumed was private space. The things she knows about me. She didn't get all of that from a private investigator. Some of it came my own lips. She was telling the truth when she told Jax she heard it from me. She just lied about everything else. I've had the thought before that no one on earth knows me like Jackson St. Alban does. Because I've told him things I've never told anyone. But that's not true, is it? Someone else knows me exactly like he does.

Avery. Of all people. Avery.

I hear a guttural sound and realize it's coming from me. An agony pouring out from deep within. My legs give out and my knees hit the cold tile of the bathroom floor. The next segment of time escapes me as I retreat deep within myself and when I, finally, return to some sense of awareness I sense strong arms around me. Jax. Rocking me back and forth.

It's a few more minutes later when I realize he's crying. With me.