Closer Than You Think

Infiltration

Poppop's POV
"What do you mean?" Mullen asked me, wide eyed.

"It's from my house!" I yelled scrambling to try and get my breath back!

"No hold on Henry." Perry said, rubbing his brow, "There's no way to be sure he's been in your house."

"Then how do you explain the passcode?!?" I demand.

"Do the numbers have any significance?"

"NO!" I yell, "They're just random numbers!"

"...maybe it's a coincidence?"

"BULLSHIT! First he gets into my granddaughters backpack, then he uses MY home safe passcode! And you want to say it's all just a coincidence?!?"

"Now hold on Henry," Mullen says, trying to calm me down, "Let's just get back to the subject a hand." She waves vaguely towards the now open box, "Let's find out what's in the box and save a life." I nodded, calming down.

We all waited patiently while Chief pulled out what was in the box.

A book?!? Who goes to the trouble of hiding a freaking BOOK!?!

Chief shoots us all a look before reading the title, "'My Bonnie, My Louise, My Juliet' and in big red letters, 'My Tiffany'. It seems to be a photo album."

"Bonnie and Clyde," Mullen says, looking thoughtful, "Thelma and Louise and Romeo and Juliet. They're partners in crime! Though I'm not sure who Tiffany is."

"Well, Tiffany is obviously his 'queen'." Perry says in a taunting voice.

We all huddle around the Chief as she starts flipping thru the album.

The first picture, a womanly figure in a shower. The shower curtain prevents you from seeing anything. At the bottom in sloppy handwriting it read, 'A Little Bit of Psycho in Me!'

We flipped to the next picture and stared at it in wonder. Another bathroom scene, but this time it was in the tub. A small black haired girl, grinning at the camera excitedly. The perfect picture of innocence. At the bottom, in the same handwriting was 'Our First Meeting'.

Next photo made me stop. Breathing. For quite a while. It was an old photo, torn from a newspaper. It was of my son, David and his wife Betty. They were holding a newly born Noel, smiling down at her. At the bottom, 'Poor baby!'

I barely noticed it. I snatched the book and started flipping, pure hot terror coursing thru my veins.

Noel at the beach, Noel from behind, Noel making her awful cookies, Noel getting bullied. Noel sleeping.

A picture of Noel and I after going fishing, smiling at the camera, me holding a catfish, her stubbornly holding a stick she'd caught. I couldn't remember who took the picture!

Noel taking a shower (things showing this time (I took it away and shoved it in my pocket.)). Noel in school, Noel crying, Noel driving (cameraman is IN the car), Noel, Noel, Noel!

I felt stick to my stomach. Mullen and Ward helped me to a chair, trying to calm me down. I heard Perry chuckling over something and immediately snatched the album away.

Noel was naked, bent over obviously in the middle of changing. I glared at Perry before ripping that photo out as well. Noel dressed up for Halloween, Noel as a kid, Noel swimming.

Noel... banging a kid with a mop of blonde hair. Daniel Grenger. He had shown up gutted a few months ago. I ripped that photo out and tore it up. Laying my head on the desk, sobbing, I almost broke apart then, before remembering

"Henry," Mullen started softly, "Where is Noel right now?"

I stared at the wall, "She's in the car."

Noel's POV

I stared at my phone, flipping thru random photos, reading random things and playing random games. Really anything to keep me looking at my phone.

Carefully, I snuck a look out the window.