Good Girl

Chapter 8

After we ate lunch, I googled online to find who got married in 1997 and has a family name starting with "M".
"Found it!" Emily exclaimed.
"Well?" I yelled from my room. "Karen and Anthony Morris. Married in 1997. Lives in 53 Ansley Path." Emily said, "great. Let's call Robin."
"No! Do not do that. Sirens would alert that guy and wasted our time." I rushed out of my room. I quickly searched in google maps for a hotel on my phone.
"Why not?" She tilted her head.
"He's not the boss of me." Yes, I hate being bossed around (another reason why I don't respect Greg). Then, I had found a hotel a couple of blocks away from the soon-to-be crime scene. "Emily?" I called out.
"Yep?"
"Pack your bags, we'll be staying here until we catch that crook."
"Staying?"
"Yes. We are gonna catch him ourselves." I grabbed my backpack and started packing.
"No we're not, leave it to the police." She argued.
"What's the fun in that?" I asked.
"It's their job!" She frowned.
"Also mine, my job to write as much as I can to the public." I said as I threw some clothes into my backpack.
"But it's against the law!"
"And you have the right to remain silent." I pointed out.
I think she mumbled something beneath her breath but at least she wasn't disturbing me.

I drove her to her place, not very far from my home. While she packed, I waited her in my car, googling the surrounding area. Okay, I want to clarify something. I'm not smart! I'm not a genius and I'm definitely not humble! To this day, I still have no idea why I never repeated a grade. I barely got a pass in math. I don't understand any of the subjects. I still to this day have no idea why people keep having wars in History, passing Science subjects has never been an option. I barely got a pass in others but English? Not to brag but I got the best score in my grade. Of course, there weren't any scholarship for me. To be honest, I still have no idea why I got a high school diploma (maybe my mom bribed the principal). But I somehow got into a local university and somehow got an internship in Guardian. So now you know, I'm no genius and don't think that I'm smart. Because I'm not. And I'm not being humble. Just to be clear. Anyway...

Once we got into our hotel room, I said, "Emily, stay here. I'm going to check the area out."
"Why can't I come?" Emily frowned at me.
"Because you're a student and a criminal record wouldn't look great when you go look for a job."
"What are you doing?" She frowned again (apparently now, she loves frowning).
"Nothing serious. Just breaking and entering."
"What? Nothing serious?" She looked at me in disbelief.
"Does setting up a surveillance camera in someone's home without their permission a crime as well?" I asked.
"Yes!" She sat down on her bed.
"Oh well. Never mind." I shrugged, "also, that's why you're staying here."
She rolled her eyes and asked, "so I wait here?"
"Yep." I set up the computer and opened a blank screen. "When I call you, press shift alternate, then enter and this screen will be inside the house. We'll keep an eye on that house."
"You mean spying?" Raising an eyebrow.
"Whatever you call it, doesn't matter." Just then her phone rang. I didn't need to look to know who was it. She took a look at it, "it's Robin."
"Block his number."
She sighed and did what I said.

I walked across the street and knocked on their door. Knock knock. No answer. I peeped into the window and scanned the surrounding area. No people in sight. I fished out a micro-camera from my bag and planted it on the wall. I texted Emily,

Check if the camera is ok

Works like a charm
I smiled and knelt down to pick the lock. Within a few seconds, I was in the house (I actually learned how to pick one in YouTube, you can learn everything there).

I went straight up to their bedrooms. Logically, she would store her engagement ring in a jewelry box. I walked up the stairs and looked at the pictures on the wall. One daughter, one son. Teenagers. A dog. Wait, a dog. I held my breath. You see, me and canines do not mash well. Maybe I somehow made an offense to the canine kingdom and they listed me as their most wanted criminal. Somehow or another, dogs hate me.

Anyway, I arrived to the bedroom and found a jewelry box sitting on the dressing table. I smirked. I opened it and found a lot of rings but one stood out. A ring so simple yet elegant. The engagement ring. I planted a tracking device on it and a camera on the chair facing the box. All was going great when I heard the front door creaked.
"... can't go camping this weekend." Then a conversation slowly faded in.
"But mom!" The son.
"Don't worry, I can take care of him." The daughter.
"No! I'd rather trust a stranger than you." The father. And last but not the least, the dog barked. The conversation continued as I started to panic. I started to quicken my breathing. I needed to get out now. The window was the only way out but it had no ladder or rope. Just some drainage pipes. I quickly formulated a plan.

Then, some footsteps on the stairs. I shook my fears away and opened the window, luckily, the door was closed so they couldn't hear the stupid window creak. I stepped out carefully. As I was holding onto the pipes, I reached out and closed the window. Before I knew it, I was already dangling on the pipe. I closed my eyes and reassured myself. I can't die! I can't die! Not like this! Then, I let go. I know what you're thinking, I am insane! Insane? Maybe. But it worked. You have to understand that I had no choice. There was a window below the bedroom window (I saw it when I came into the house), so the possibility of being seen was 99%. Now, if I just fell on the ground, it would've taken seconds. But climbing down? More than a few seconds minimum.

I fell. Not on the ground but onto a bed of leaves. I quickly got out of the house and called Emily immediately. "So?" I panted.
"It worked." She exclaimed.
"It had better worked. I just jumped out of a window." I said as I caught my breath.
"You, Nadine, are insane!" She must be panicking in the room.
I chuckled (I think, it's hard to say since I just jumped out of a window!), "don't worry, nothing broken. I'm alive. We'll just have to wait for him to come."