“No surprise there,” Alex replied dryly.
Alex had contacted Fred to see if they had found any information regarding Nick’s whereabouts. They hadn’t. Fred and his team had obtained Nick’s medical chart from Sacred Light Hospital, and apparently the address Nick had given to the hospital staff upon discharge was phony.
“Why the fuck didn’t they actually check the address?” Alex growled angrily.
“No shit.” Fred was just as frustrated as Alex. “And listen to this – Nick’s shrink, Dr. Samuel Grayson, was found dead in his house a couple months ago. Ruled as a suicide.”
Alex mulled over this news. “So, first his psychiatrist, then his ex-girlfriend.”
“Look, we’re gonna find him, Alex. It may take some time, but we’ll find him,” Fred said. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Ale
x.
Alex hung up the phone. He checked the feed on Katherine’s security camera again. Nothing suspicious, just a couple of neighbors walking by. He wanted to leave the office and stop by her place now, but he had a meeting in half an hour.
Maybe I should cancel the meeting, Alex thought. No, I’ll wait. Besides, MI-5 is on this, they can handle it.
Nick carefully glued the mustache to his face, patting in down so it would stay in place. He then put on a pair of dark horn rimmed glasses, along with a baseball cap. Almost ready. He opened his bag, an old torn up duffel bag, rummaged around, found what he was looking for. Nick slipped his gun down the waistband of his pants. He pulled a baggy sweatshirt on, covering his weapon completely. Now he was ready.
He caught a glimpse of himself in the broken, cracked mirror. Nick liked seeing himself in the fragmented mirror – there was no longer a complete image, but rather a thousand little fragments of himself reflected back. It was how Nick felt inside – not as a whole, complete person, but as a thousand broken, disjointed pieces, with sharp edges ready to slice into anyone who dared to reach out and touch him.
Nick checked the time – 4:56 pm. He would leave for Katherine’s place soon. The bitch usually got home around seven, Nick thought. That would give him plenty of time to get in, look around, make himself at home. Nick liked the thought of making himself at home at Katherine’s flat. He imagined her place would be warm and homey, with a feminine touch. Perhaps she would make him some Southern sweet tea, and they could sit down and chat awhile, Nick thought, laughing out loud. Or perhaps he would just kill the bitch and be done with it.
Yeah, that sounds like a better plan – after all, this wasn’t exactly a social visit.
Alex rushed the meeting, impatiently keeping the conversation to a minimum. He answered questions quickly and to the point. He checked his watch – 5:10 pm.
“Okay, everyone, that’s all the time I have today.” Alex stood up, began gathering his things. Everyone else followed suit, and filed out of the conference room.
Alex quickly grabbed his briefcase and locked his office. He told Sandra to forward all calls to his voicemail.
Antonio was waiting outside with the Range Rover. Alex slid into the back of the SUV. He leaned back on the cool leather seat, removing his tie.
“Let’s go over to Katherine’s place. I want to have a look around,” Alex said.
Antonio nodded, and said, “I’ve driven by the building a few times. Didn’t see anything unusual.”
They rode in silence. Antonio parked the vehicle at the end of the street. Alex got out, while Antonio remained in the driver’s seat.
Alex punched the code into the keypad at the entrance of the building, casually looking over his shoulder. A buzz went off and the door unlocked. Alex walked inside, heading straight for the stairwell. He climbed the stairs two at a time, quickly arriving to the third floor.
He slipped the spare key inside the doorknob, heard the click of the lock unlatching. Alex quietly walked inside, locking the door behind him. He stood in the entryway for a few moments, listening.
It felt strange to be inside her flat without her here, Alex thought. The place felt empty.
God, I miss her.
Alex walked around the flat, looking for anything suspicious. He looked in cracks and corners for hidden cameras, picked up various objects and knick knacks, inspecting them. He searched the entire flat from top to bottom. Alex found nothing.
He sat down on the edge of her bed, bent forward, staring at the hardwood floor. Maybe he was over-reacting coming to her place. Still, he felt it was the right thing to do. You couldn’t be too careful or too paranoid.
As Alex was contemplating all of this, Nick Stone expertly picked the door lock. Within thirty seconds Nick heard the lock unlatch. Bingo! he thought, as he stealthily opened the door and walked inside.
Nick looked around the flat, his beady eyes darting back and forth. Katherine’s flat was just as he imagined – floral and feminine, with a certain charm to it. Nick imagined the look of shock and horror on Katherine’s face when she returned home to find him there. Nick didn’t think she would be too keen on making him some sweet tea after all. This thought caused Nick to laugh, a loud, obnoxious laugh. He felt so powerful and in control. He felt unstoppable.
Alex heard the loud, crazy laugh and knew instantly who it came from. Nick. Nick was here, in the flat. Alex’s instinct had been correct. He knew Nick was after Katherine. Alex stood up from the bed and walked to the bedroom door. The door was cracked open, just an inch. Alex peered through the door and watched Nick. He was opening doors, looking in cabinets, his back turned to Alex.
Alex slowly pulled out his phone, quickly sent Antonio a text to call the police. He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket, taking a small step away from the door.