The Blind Man

ELEVEN

Everything just felt so unreal to Jae as he listened to the sheriff call out number after number of cameras. They had gone through everything finding at least two camera's in each room of the house. This whole time the killer has known what they have said and done, he's been watching every move.

Once the sheriff believed they had found them all he threw them in a bag to take them to the station in the morning.

It was well passed midnight now, and Jae was sure he wouldn't sleep a wink.

The men left around three in the morning and Maggie fell asleep only moments later. As he lay in bed, Rosie suddenly started scratching at the bedroom door. Jae rose in frustration and opened the door. Rosie rushed downstairs and to the front door where she began growling. He told Rosie to go back up and guard Maggie while he made his way out the front door. If the guy was out here he wanted to face him.

He wasn't afraid, he was angry. Maybe angry wasn't even the word for what he was feeling. "I know you're out there!" He yelled into the night. He listened before going on. "Stop being a coward and face me!"

Silence and crickets answered his scream. He almost turned to go before he heard footsteps on the gravel to his left. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he turned in the direction of the noise. A thick smell stung his nose, the smell of cigarettes maybe?

"Say something!" Jae yelled.

He could hear the man sigh as he cleared his throat, but no words came.  Jae reached out to grab him, but he moved to the side.

"Don't try." The man's voice was low and rough.

"I'm going to kill you. Where's Cristal?" Jae demanded.

Silence.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I want Maggie. You have what I want, and I have what you want."

"What about Luis?"

The man paused. "He's alive."

Hope rushed over Jae, he wished the police were still around. Maybe he could trick the man.

"Fine, you can have her."

The man laughed. "Not yet, I can't. She has to remember first."

"Remember what?"

The only thing that answered him was the sound of gravel cruching. "Don't you walk away from me!"

"Try and stop me blind man." He called out. The man was too far away for Jae to tell which direction it came from as the wind carried it up. He stood there in utter defeat as he walked back to the house only to hear the cop car drive by moments later.

                                   ~~*~~

Opening her eyes she looked at the clock on the wall to find that she had slept passed lunch. It didn't make her feel rested, she just felt groggy.

Sitting up she called Jae's name but no answer came. Rosie was sitting at the closed bedroom door waiting to get out. Maggie stood and opened the door for her, Rosie rushed out and down the stairs. Maggie followed as Rosie sniffed Jae's sleeping form at the bottom of the steps. Rosie licked Jae's hand one last time before going out the doggie door and to the yard to relieve herself. Maggie carefully woke Jae up and helped the half asleep man up to his bed. He was back to sleep in moments.

Leaving the room, she went back downstairs and glanced out the window on her way to the kitchen. The sky was gray and cloudy with a sure promise for rain. Looking back at the starcase, she wondered why Jae had come down here in the first place. Maybe he had heard something in the middle of the night.