Tangled Up in You (The Story of Us Book 2)

Chapter 40- How Long Has It Been?

TW: Sexual Assult/ Rape and Character Death

Amanda Hotchner officially hated pigs. The team had just finished a case where a man had been manipulating his mentally handicapped brother into kidnapping homeless drug addicts and then torture them as a way to find a cure for him by making his brother think it was his fault he was paralyzed. It kind of was but to fair, his brother was a dick and if he were her brother, Amanda probably would've pushed him off the top of the barn too.

But back to the pigs, after the people died from the experimentation, he fed them to the pigs and then ate the pigs. It was like an elaborate form of cannibalism and Amanda was not here for it. She tries to shake the memories off as she drives back to her apartment, practically bouncing at the idea of taking a shower and washing this case off of her. Things still weren't good with Aaron. He hadn't come to a decision about his feelings for Kristen and Amanda was pissed that he was hurting her best friend.

They could still work together but things were tense and awkward between them and the team could only hope that they would make up soon. This is why they were disappointed when Amanda made her quick escape while Aaron decided to stay and do some paperwork before heading home. Amanda shakes the thoughts of her brother off as she unlocks the door to her apartment and walks in. She heads to her kitchen after setting her gun in her bedroom, not bothering to turn on the light and reveal the broken glass on her bedroom floor. She opens the fridge, pulling out the pitcher of lemonade.

She sets it on the counter when she hears someone behind her. She turns to ask Lacey if she wants some, only to see someone that was not Lacey. "Hello, Amanda Hotchner," a chilling voice says as she tries to figure out who he is when it clicks. "Spencer said that he said that the reaper stabbed his girlfriend 26 times. Do you know how long it takes someone to stab someone 26 times, Aaron, because it takes at least half an hour, especially if he's impotent like most killers with an affinity for a knife are, then the stabbing would be more important and he'd take more time to let it last. He made the 911 calls after the murders which makes Foyet's story plausible but the reaper shot every other man after stabbing the woman so why did he only stab Foyet? Plus, if the reaper had stabbed him where he told the police he had, he should've died before the reaper was done."

"Hello, George Foyet," she states, keeping her voice even as she searches for a weapon, she attempts to quietly open the silverware drawer but when she glances down, she notices the knives gone.

"Sorry, I've been here a while. I took the time to make sure we could have our chat." Amanda swallows before asking the question she was dreading.

"Where's Lacey?" Foyet frowns.

"Who?"

"She watches my place when I'm gone, you know, waters the plants and such," she lies.

"Well, worry not, no one was here when I arrived but I did take a look around. Nice place. I wonder if Aaron's place is this nice. I couldn't even get through the front door. I had to break your bedroom window." Amanda curses herself for not turning the light on in her room when she put her gun away.

"It's not," she answers. "I'm better with money than Aaron." Her eyes focus on the home phone by the front door and she decides that's her best bet so she makes her way around the counter.

"Well I'm sure that comes with being smarter," he states. "After all, I'm told it was you that discovered I was lying."

"And who told you that?" She asks.

"Why your brother of course. Though I have to ask, if you're so smart, why weren't you there to work the case?"

"Psych eval," She answers, beginning to circle with him as she attempts to get closer to the phone. "I'm a bit fucked in the head so they like to check in on me every once in a while."