There was no visible sign of the escaped Ivy anywhere it seemed.
Erik's mind spun with possible scenarios. She couldn't have gone too far on foot, but maybe she'd hitched a ride. If that were the case, of course he wouldn't find her, he needed to be listening to Officer Howard's police radio, which was in her car. If Ivy called the local cops at all he should be able to hear something. Either way, he wasn't giving up this game of hide and seek.
To be sure, Erik cruised the streets looking closely at bushes, trees, shadows, and shallow ditches on the side of the road. He drove into the small shopping center parking lots, cruising through, circling with the window lowered at half-mast. He looked out sneakily at the builds of those walking by. Nothing. His best bet was the police radio.
He rode back to his home which surprisingly hadn't been swarmed. He circled the block, assessing the area to ensure that no one uninvited was hidden or parked in wait to arrest him.
With no police in sight he smiled. Maybe the Little Ivy couldn't bring herself to turn him in afterall. Maybe they didn't believe her. Maybe she was somewhere out there shaken and alone.
Snickering quietly, he parked his car in the back next the police cruiser he'd hidden out back courtesy of the recently deceased Officer Howard. Though he'd moved it out of sight, it was easily discoverable with a tracker or a drone.. and with a missing officer, his time was limited.
But he had a plan.
Re-entering the house, he quickly made his way down the hall, passing the stains his own blood had made. He entered the open room with the two dead bodies, stooping to grab the officer's badge and pocket it before undressing her roughly.
"Looks like you are good for something," he smirked, while trying to pull on her police uniform. The sleeves were too narrow for his arms to fit. The pants were capris. He took it off, disappointed that his fantasy of playing cop wouldn't be realized.
"Damnit..." He had to change his clothes. At least he had her badge.
Using her commandeered keys to unlock the police car doors, he moved his things to the back of the car.
Slithering into the front seat, he turned the key in the ignition and turned on the police radio before looking excitedly at the laptop that replaced the arm rest. He loved technology.
It sat on a swivel mount which he moved back and forth, childishly giddy while various reports announced local activity with calls for Officer Howard to respond. Erik ignored these choosing the simple entertainment of examining the gadgets and documents in the car before he pushed the laptop away with a loud and irritated groan.
"Damn. Should've bribed the bitch for the password," he grumbled. Unfortunately, he couldn't access the database which was login protected. The more he looked at the locked aptop, his anger spiked. In a flash of motion, it was in the dirt. Slamming the car door, Erik put his arm over the passenger seat and looked back, reversing over the laptop and backing out, turning off of his property.
He couldn't stay angry for long because it was his first time driving a police car. And as far as anyone knew, he was a plain clothes officer. The handsome Officer Howard.
As he drove, the phone in his pocket buzzed for the umpteenth time and this time he answered it. Thirty-two calls from her number, she was ticking him off.
"Araya, if the next words from your mouth aren't 'I have Ivy' I'm going to be very upset with you."
"Dr. Stevens," she gasped. "Please! Please don't hang up! Please, you have to do something. I know you can fix it. You can fix it, right?" She was hysterical.
