| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted August 5, 2019 | Chapters: |
2 3 -4- 5... 
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Things are disturbed in Rob and Sarah's home.
A chapter in the book Monica
Monica Chapter 4
by Roxanna Andrews
| Background A narcissistic young woman invades the lives of newly weds, Rob and Sarah. She is determined to have Rob for herself. |
Ending of Chapter 3 - Monica stood in the shadows outside Rob and Sarah's home. She could see them through the window and cringed when she saw Rob kiss Sarah. What does he see in her?
After thirty minutes of watching, the garage door opened and a car pulled out. Oh, what luck. The house will be empty.
Monica waited until she was sure they wouldn't return and used the key she had made to open the front door. She smiled. It is amazing the things you could get people to do for the right amount of money. A payoff to the builder's assistant and she now had a key to her beloved's home.
She stood in the foyer and took a deep breath. It smelled like earthy musk, just like Rob. She looked around the living room, touching things as she made her way to the master bedroom.
******
Looking around the master bedroom Monica sneered. Sarah had no taste at all.
She went to the dresser and started opening drawers. It upset her to see Sarah's underwear so close to Rob's. She pushed Sarah's undergarments further away and took a pair of Rob's. Folding them into a tiny square, she put them in one of her purse pockets and zipped it shut.
A picture of Sarah and Rob sat on the nightstand and Monica took it as well, holding it close to her heart. She could always cut Sarah out of the picture.
She wandered into the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet. There was nothing of interest, but she couldn't resist the urge to rearrange the shelves, exchanging the top row for the bottom. Sarah would think she was going crazy.
She went into the kitchen. It was so neat, not a dish out of place. Sarah must be a neat freak. Over the stove was a magnetic strip with different size knives stuck to it. Rearranging them, she took a small knife with a wicked-looking curved blade. Wouldn't it be ironic if she stabbed Sarah with her own knife? She dropped it in her purse.
Measuring spoon and cups also hung on the wall and she put them in reverse order. Opening the refrigerator door, she examined the contents. A rather pathetic display. Sarah must do all the cooking. Poor Rob.
Opening a door just off the kitchen, she found herself in a small office. Going to the desk, she looked through the drawers. She found the letter from Michael Lawson, telling of the money the family was giving Sarah. A million and a half dollars was a nice amount of money but it was chicken feed compared to what her daddy made every year. She replaced the letter and turn on the desktop computer.
Monica had a high IQ and had excelled in her tech classes at Harvard University. She had been sought after by different firms upon graduating, wanting to hire her as a programmer. But Monica was above such things as making a living. She had no wish to be saddled with a mundane job as she had seen happen to so many of her peers. She was too important to be a run of the mill computer programmer. They had to be joking, seeking her out for such a job.
Getting past the security program and cracking the password was a piece of cake. She did a quick search to see what kinds of things Rob liked to look for on the internet. Most had to do with crime, boring, recipes had been searched, even more boring, and decorating ideas. Dear little Sarah wanting to make her home a showpiece, no doubt. She seemed a wee bit pathetic to Monica. She saw they had a security system and a camera had captured her tour through the house.
She erased the footage that featured her and shut off the camera so she could leave the house without it triggering the motion activation.
Another picture of Rob and Sarah sat on the desk and Monica help herself to it as well. She left the office, turning out the light and shutting the door.
The sun would be down in minutes and Monica wanted to leave before it got dark. She couldn't risk turning on lights. Going out the back door, she locked it behind her.
Monica walked home, staying in the shadows as much as possible. She had to pass three houses on the way to hers and didn't want to be seen. It was dark now and she reached her home undetected by the neighbors.
"Hey, did you move the picture I had of us on the nightstand? The one we used for our engagement photo?" Sarah asked. She was getting ready for bed and noticed the missing picture.
Rob came out of the bathroom and crawled under the bed covers. "No. Never touched it."
"Maybe it fell." Sarah looked under the bed. "It's not down here. Where would it be?"
"I'm sure it will turn up. How come you rearranged the medicine cabinet? You didn't like the way I had it?"
"The medicine cabinet? I never touched anything in there. What are you talking about?"
Rob stared at her. Sarah went to look. "I swear to you, I didn't do this. I left it just the way you had it. I don't care how the medicine cabinet is arranged. This is just too weird. What's going on?"
"Maybe we have a gremlin. That's why the house was so reasonably priced, it's haunted."
"This isn't funny Rob. The picture is missing, things have been moved around. Did you move all my underwear over like this?" She opened the dresser drawer so he could see. Rob got out of bed to look.
"Not that I remember." He and Sarah stared at each other. "Let's look at the rest of the house."
They scanned the living room and saw nothing missing or out of place. Sarah went into the kitchen. She did a full turn looking at all the counter-tops and walls. "Rob, come here. Look at the knives, they're all rearranged and one is missing. And the measuring spoon and cups are in the opposite order. Who would have done this? Who could have gotten in?"
"I don't know, but the picture I had on my desk in the office is missing and I think someone was on the computer. I'm looking at the security tape."
Sarah followed him into the office. There was no footage of a stranger in or outside the house.
"Someone has erased this," Rob said. "It's been turned off."
Sarah sat down. "You've got to be kidding me. David Lawson is dead, isn't he? I saw his body, I know he was dead. Who's doing this?"
Rob knelt in front of Sarah and took her by the shoulders. She was shaking. "It's okay. We'll find out. Don't worry." He pulled Sarah into his arms. She stared over his shoulder, feeling sick. Please, Lord, I can't do this again.
"You don't think it's connected the human trafficking ring Don Russell is working on? Could someone think we're still working with him?"
"I don't see how it could be related. Why would they come in and move stuff around and take our photos? They'd be a lot more direct I'd think, like beating me up in a dark alley. No this doesn't have anything to do with that. This is personal. I'll have things dusted for prints, maybe there's DNA. I'll bring the guys over tomorrow. For now let's go to bed."
Sarah laughed. "Yeah, like I'm going to sleep."
"I doubt I will either, but you have to be up and at the bakery by five. You need to try to get some sleep, but let's get our guns out just in case."
They put their guns on the nightstands and got into bed. Rob pulled Sarah close and held her through the night. They finally fell asleep in the wee hours, but it was a restless sleep. Sarah kept jerking awake, visions of David Lawson in her head.
After thirty minutes of watching, the garage door opened and a car pulled out. Oh, what luck. The house will be empty.
Monica waited until she was sure they wouldn't return and used the key she had made to open the front door. She smiled. It is amazing the things you could get people to do for the right amount of money. A payoff to the builder's assistant and she now had a key to her beloved's home.
She stood in the foyer and took a deep breath. It smelled like earthy musk, just like Rob. She looked around the living room, touching things as she made her way to the master bedroom.
******
Looking around the master bedroom Monica sneered. Sarah had no taste at all.
She went to the dresser and started opening drawers. It upset her to see Sarah's underwear so close to Rob's. She pushed Sarah's undergarments further away and took a pair of Rob's. Folding them into a tiny square, she put them in one of her purse pockets and zipped it shut.
A picture of Sarah and Rob sat on the nightstand and Monica took it as well, holding it close to her heart. She could always cut Sarah out of the picture.
She wandered into the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet. There was nothing of interest, but she couldn't resist the urge to rearrange the shelves, exchanging the top row for the bottom. Sarah would think she was going crazy.
She went into the kitchen. It was so neat, not a dish out of place. Sarah must be a neat freak. Over the stove was a magnetic strip with different size knives stuck to it. Rearranging them, she took a small knife with a wicked-looking curved blade. Wouldn't it be ironic if she stabbed Sarah with her own knife? She dropped it in her purse.
Measuring spoon and cups also hung on the wall and she put them in reverse order. Opening the refrigerator door, she examined the contents. A rather pathetic display. Sarah must do all the cooking. Poor Rob.
Opening a door just off the kitchen, she found herself in a small office. Going to the desk, she looked through the drawers. She found the letter from Michael Lawson, telling of the money the family was giving Sarah. A million and a half dollars was a nice amount of money but it was chicken feed compared to what her daddy made every year. She replaced the letter and turn on the desktop computer.
Monica had a high IQ and had excelled in her tech classes at Harvard University. She had been sought after by different firms upon graduating, wanting to hire her as a programmer. But Monica was above such things as making a living. She had no wish to be saddled with a mundane job as she had seen happen to so many of her peers. She was too important to be a run of the mill computer programmer. They had to be joking, seeking her out for such a job.
Getting past the security program and cracking the password was a piece of cake. She did a quick search to see what kinds of things Rob liked to look for on the internet. Most had to do with crime, boring, recipes had been searched, even more boring, and decorating ideas. Dear little Sarah wanting to make her home a showpiece, no doubt. She seemed a wee bit pathetic to Monica. She saw they had a security system and a camera had captured her tour through the house.
She erased the footage that featured her and shut off the camera so she could leave the house without it triggering the motion activation.
Another picture of Rob and Sarah sat on the desk and Monica help herself to it as well. She left the office, turning out the light and shutting the door.
The sun would be down in minutes and Monica wanted to leave before it got dark. She couldn't risk turning on lights. Going out the back door, she locked it behind her.
Monica walked home, staying in the shadows as much as possible. She had to pass three houses on the way to hers and didn't want to be seen. It was dark now and she reached her home undetected by the neighbors.
"Hey, did you move the picture I had of us on the nightstand? The one we used for our engagement photo?" Sarah asked. She was getting ready for bed and noticed the missing picture.
Rob came out of the bathroom and crawled under the bed covers. "No. Never touched it."
"Maybe it fell." Sarah looked under the bed. "It's not down here. Where would it be?"
"I'm sure it will turn up. How come you rearranged the medicine cabinet? You didn't like the way I had it?"
"The medicine cabinet? I never touched anything in there. What are you talking about?"
Rob stared at her. Sarah went to look. "I swear to you, I didn't do this. I left it just the way you had it. I don't care how the medicine cabinet is arranged. This is just too weird. What's going on?"
"Maybe we have a gremlin. That's why the house was so reasonably priced, it's haunted."
"This isn't funny Rob. The picture is missing, things have been moved around. Did you move all my underwear over like this?" She opened the dresser drawer so he could see. Rob got out of bed to look.
"Not that I remember." He and Sarah stared at each other. "Let's look at the rest of the house."
They scanned the living room and saw nothing missing or out of place. Sarah went into the kitchen. She did a full turn looking at all the counter-tops and walls. "Rob, come here. Look at the knives, they're all rearranged and one is missing. And the measuring spoon and cups are in the opposite order. Who would have done this? Who could have gotten in?"
"I don't know, but the picture I had on my desk in the office is missing and I think someone was on the computer. I'm looking at the security tape."
Sarah followed him into the office. There was no footage of a stranger in or outside the house.
"Someone has erased this," Rob said. "It's been turned off."
Sarah sat down. "You've got to be kidding me. David Lawson is dead, isn't he? I saw his body, I know he was dead. Who's doing this?"
Rob knelt in front of Sarah and took her by the shoulders. She was shaking. "It's okay. We'll find out. Don't worry." He pulled Sarah into his arms. She stared over his shoulder, feeling sick. Please, Lord, I can't do this again.
"You don't think it's connected the human trafficking ring Don Russell is working on? Could someone think we're still working with him?"
"I don't see how it could be related. Why would they come in and move stuff around and take our photos? They'd be a lot more direct I'd think, like beating me up in a dark alley. No this doesn't have anything to do with that. This is personal. I'll have things dusted for prints, maybe there's DNA. I'll bring the guys over tomorrow. For now let's go to bed."
Sarah laughed. "Yeah, like I'm going to sleep."
"I doubt I will either, but you have to be up and at the bakery by five. You need to try to get some sleep, but let's get our guns out just in case."
They put their guns on the nightstands and got into bed. Rob pulled Sarah close and held her through the night. They finally fell asleep in the wee hours, but it was a restless sleep. Sarah kept jerking awake, visions of David Lawson in her head.
Monica-a spoiled narcissist obssessed with Rob
Rob Mitchell-Sheriff of Big Sky, Sarah's husband
Sarah Mitchell-Wife of Rob, ex-detective, now a bakery owner
Nathan-Sarah's brother
Janelle-Nathan's wife
David Lawson-Sarah's stalker, now deceased.
Don Russell-Sarah's partner when she was a detective. He is working to bring down a human trafficking ring.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Rob Mitchell-Sheriff of Big Sky, Sarah's husband
Sarah Mitchell-Wife of Rob, ex-detective, now a bakery owner
Nathan-Sarah's brother
Janelle-Nathan's wife
David Lawson-Sarah's stalker, now deceased.
Don Russell-Sarah's partner when she was a detective. He is working to bring down a human trafficking ring.
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