CHAPTER 91 - ALISON'S TERROR
Dean
I still cannot believe Jason was pretending to be Louis and get close to Alison so he could spy on Lace. Did he trick me that night as well? I cannot find words to express my anger, disgust, betrayal and God knows what else I am feeling right now.
Dan holds up a note for Alison.
ASK HIM TO MEET YOU.
Alison nods. “It’s been a while since we chatted. And I am due to have my baby in two weeks. I’d love to catch up with you before then.”
“I’d like that too,” Jason says, “where do you want to meet?”
Dan holds up another note.
A PLACE YOU MET HIM IN BEFORE.
“How about the coffee shop you first took me to?” Alison asks him.
“Yeah, that is perfect. I’ll see this evening?” he asks.
I grimace. There is no way I will let Alison face Jason alone.
“I can’t wait to see you,” Alison says in her usual chirpy voice.
If I didn’t know her personally, I would say she was genuinely looking forward to meeting him. I am relieved when she ends the call. “There is no way you are meeting that creep alone tomorrow,” I tell Alison.
“I won’t allow you to meet that psychopath alone either,” Dean’s father tells Alison.
Alison smiles. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have agreed to meet this creep alone because I am temporarily incapable of fighting him off myself.” She grins and gestures at her belly.
I try to laugh and fail miserably. I always considered Jason to be my closest friend. He was my best friend. A small part of me still hopes the police, Dan, and Alison are all wrong about him. I want to believe that they have mixed him up with someone else but deep down I already know Jason is the guy we are looking for. He single handedly destroyed my life.
“I better get going if I am going to make it back in time to meet Jason aka Louis,” Alison says.
Lace helps her to her feet. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asks.
Alison nods. “This is the psycho who may have planted those cameras in your apartment,” she says, “I have to make him pay for putting you through that kind of crap. I’ll meet him long enough for you guys to identify him, and to follow him.”
Dan and I rush to help Alison to her feet when she stumbles a little.
“I am going to drive you back,” I insist.
“No.” She shakes her head. “What if this psycho is spying on me and notices you are with me? It won’t take much for him to put two and two together and figure out that this is a trap.”
“The young lady is right,” Dan tells me, “I will have one of my guys follow her discreetly back home. Alison, will you agree to wearing a body camera?”
She nods. “As long as it doesn’t affect my baby.”
Dan is silent for a moment. “I am not sure about that. How about I attach one to your purse? Make sure you keep your purse on the table where we have a good view of our guy.”
“I can do that,” Alison says.
“Okay. I am also going to put a microphone on you so we can hear you at all times. Let us know if you need help at any point,” Dan tells her.
“I will,” she promises.
“I will also place a tracker on your car so that we can monitor your vehicle at all times,” Dan tells Alison.
“That’s fine with me,” Alison replies with her usual chirpy smile.
How is Alison not bothered by what is going on? Lace helps Alison pack her stuff in her car. Dan’s guy is already waiting at the end of the street to follow her back home.
“I hope that creep doesn’t harm Alison,” Lace says as we all watch Alison leave.
“We won’t let that happen,” my father promises her, “I alerted Archie and Howard. They already have their guys in position and managed to get one of them to work as a barista inside the coffee shop. If Jason so much as raises his voice at Alison, we will arrest him.”
Lace nods and smiles weakly. “I can’t wait for this be over.”
“Me too,” I say, “me too.”
My father and Dan leave for Dan’s office from where they will keep an eye on Alison. Dan sent me a link to the tracking app to monitor Alison’s vehicle. I decide to spend a little more time with Lace before returning home. My father left his car for me drive back. He took a lift with Dan to his office. Waiting is nerve wracking.
“Would you like to join us for dinner?” Lace’s mother asks me.
My stomach rumbles as if in answer. “I’d love to.” I had no idea I was so hungry until Mrs. Higgins mentioned dinner.
***
Alison
I am so scared of meeting Jason that I am afraid I’m going to pee myself. Why do some friends have to be so psycho? I’ve watched movies where best friends turn on each other but I never expected for something like this hit so close to home. I feel partly responsible for leading this creep to Lace by befriending him. What if I slipped up and left her apartment keys lying around and he took it and made a copy for himself? That would explain how he got inside the apartment and fitted those spy cameras.
I take deep breaths while driving. I cannot wait to see his sick ass behind bars for what he did to Dean and Lace. I have to make it through this coffee date for the sake of the investigation. I have to let Zane know about what is going on. I told Zane that Lace and Dean were going through a rough patch. He also knows that Louis is just a person I met and didn’t hang out much with. I didn’t tell him about all the psycho stuff I discovered about Louis aka Jason today. If he knew about it, he wouldn’t let me do what I am about to do. When I reach the coffee shop, I send Zane a text message from a different phone and also my location just in case Jason does something stupid. I fill Zane in on the plan and ask him to interrupt me ten minutes into the coffee date. I don’t trust Jason, that lying, scheming psychopath one bit.
I hide my burner phone under my car seat with the location still turned on before I make my way inside the coffee shop. I send a silent prayer to the Heavens and hope this jerk doesn’t see right through my act as I enter the coffee shop. He is already sitting at a table and waves for me to join him.
One of the baristas turns away when I glance at him as I walk to Jason’s table. Some of my tension eases. Dan kept his word. The cops are here too. I cannot wait for the ten minutes to pass. Zane probably read my messages already. He set alerts for my messages across all his devices now that I am so close to my due date.
“Hi, Alison,” Jason greets me with a wide smile.
“Hi, Louis.” I hug him, grateful he didn’t see right through me,
“How have you been?” he asks once I am seated.
I gesture at my belly. “Growing,” I say and burst into laughter because I am so fucking scared of this sick person seeing right through my act.
He laughs along with me and I pretend to be out of breath. “I am sure it cannot be easy,” he says.
“Yeah. The last trimester is the toughest. None of my clothes fit me. I try not to eat or drink because I need to go the bathroom every minute I might as well live there.” I cradle my belly with both hands. “It is all worth it. I cannot wait to welcome my baby into this world.” I mean every word I say and I can see that it touches his heart.
“How are things with your fiancé?” he asks me.
I smile. “We got back together,” I say.
“Where is he now?” he asks.
Is he fishing me to see if I mentioned our meeting to Zane? He is pretty dumb to underestimate me but it is okay. I can play along. “He is working late tonight. He usually gets home after midnight. He is trying to clear up his schedule so that he can take a few days off once the baby gets here.” I smile because it is the truth. Out of the corner of my eye I spot the undercover policeman watching me closely. A few of the tables fill up pretty quickly. The barista/undercover policeman nods at me slightly when I glance at the tables as if to assure me he’s keeping an eye on me. Zane should be here any minute now.
As if on cue my fiancé bursts into the coffee shop. He rushes to me and takes my hand.
“You didn’t answer my calls,” he says.
I deliberately turned my phone on silent before coming inside the coffee shop. I look at my phone. “Silly me, my phone is on silent.”
“I am so sorry to interrupt your date,” he says and extends his hand to Jason as if it is the most normal thing to do. “Hi, I am Zane, Alison’s fiancé.”
Jason smiles but there’s a dark look in his eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Jason.”
“Forgive me for stealing the mother of my child from your date. I have to help her pack an overnight bag. Her ob-gyn requested an overnight stay after yesterday’s scan,” Zane lies.
Jason’s smile vanishes. “I hope everything is okay.”
I feign concern. “I hope so too. I promise I will text you after I speak to my ob-gyn,” I tell him. Zane helps me to my feet. I wish I could run because all I want is to run as far away from Jason, the psycho, as I can.
***