Chapter 16 – Cornered
Chapter 16 – Cornered
Emily could not get the jeweller’s words out of her head.
"Tall fellow.... Dark hair..... Intense..... Yes..... Alex."
The name echoed relentlessly, crushing her chest every time she tried to breathe.
Sarah had tried to soothe her after they left the shop, murmuring that maybe the jeweller was mistaken or that maybe it was just a coincidence. But Emily had seen the way Sarah’s eyes shifted with a flicker of doubt that had not been there before. It was progress, but it was not enough. Not when the truth was staring them in the face.
If she wanted Sarah to believe and if she wanted anyone to believe, she needed more than a memory from a jeweller. She needed something concrete and undeniable.
And she knew exactly where to get it.
\~~~
The plan formed like a storm cloud in her head that night, while Sarah slept in the next room. Emily lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding with every tick of the clock.
Breaking into Alex’s house was insane. It was reckless, and It was dangerous.
But so was doing nothing and waiting to be killed.
She imagined Alex smiling, polite as always, while hiding blood-soaked secrets in the shadows of his apartment. She imagined him keeping trophies and tokens of the women who had vanished. Lisa’s necklace had been proof enough but Sarah still wavered. If Emily could find more… if she could bring back something he could not explain away, Sarah would have no choice but to believe.
And maybe then, Emily thought, choking down bile, she would not feel so alone in this nightmare.
By midnight, she had made up her mind.
\~~~
The streets were hushed when Emily slipped outside. The city still hummed faintly in the distance there were sirens, a late bus grinding past, but the neighbourhood felt muted and cloaked. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she walked, her sneakers whispering against the pavement.
Alex’s building was not too far.
Her pulse thundered as she circled the block, keeping to the shadows. His windows glowed faintly on the second floor, curtains half-drawn. Emily crouched behind a row of trash bins, waiting and watching.
When the light finally flicked off, her breath caught.
It was now or never.
She crept across the street, every step deliberate. The world felt too still, as if even the night was holding its breath with her.
The side of his building had a narrow fire escape. She pulled herself up, the cold metal biting into her palms. Her arms trembled as she climbed, heart hammering in her throat. When she reached the window, she remembered that the lock was still broken.
Her shaking hands pushed the pane upward. It creaked faintly, and she froze, ears straining. There is no sound from the inside.
She slipped in.
\~~~
The smell of him hit her first clean soap, faint aftershave. Her sneakers pressed into his rug, soft and muffling her steps. She straightened slowly, her eyes darting across the dim room.
Everything was neat. The bookshelf was lined with precision. The desk papers stacked in perfect symmetry. His bed was made with military sharpness.
Emily’s chest tightened.
She moved toward the dresser, her fingers trembling as she slid open the top drawer. Socks were perfectly folded. The second drawer was shirts, pressed and stacked. The third was nothing but silence and her pounding heartbeat.
Her eyes fell on the jewellery box.
It sat innocuous on the dresser, a simple wooden case with a brass clasp. Emily swallowed, her breath catching.
She reached for it, her hands clammy. The lid creaked faintly as she lifted it.
Inside, nestled in black velvet, were pieces that seemed like they did not belong.
A thin silver bracelet, engraved with initials she did not recognize.
A single pearl earring.
A hairpin with a broken clasp.
Her vision blurred. These were Trophies.... Tokens..... Proof.
Her chest heaved as she stared, unable to breathe, unable to look away.
“What are you doing here, Emily?”
The voice sliced through the silence like a knife.
Emily’s entire body seized.
She spun around.
Alex stood in the doorway.
The dim light from the hall outlined his frame his tall, broad-shouldered, his face shadowed but his eyes glinting.
Her throat locked. She staggered back a step, nearly knocking the jewellery box from the dresser.
“I.... I... I can explain,” she stammered, though she had no explanation that would not damn her.
Alex tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “You broke into my home.”
Emily’s pulse roared in her ears. “I had to.... I needed to....”
“Needed to what?” His voice was soft, dangerous. “What are you looking for?”
Her breath hitched. His tone was not angry it was curious.
She backed toward the window, her palms slick with sweat. “Stay away from me.”
Alex did not move. He simply watched her, his gaze steady, too steady.
“What are you scared of?,” he said quietly.
"Stay away from me. I know you plan to hurt me." Emily says as she continues to back the window.
His brows furrowing in confusion. “What are you talking about? If i wanted to hurt you, Emily… don’t you think I would have done it already?”
Her heart lurched.
That was her chance, her only chance. She lunged for the window, hauling herself out onto the fire escape with a desperation that burned her lungs. The cold night air slammed into her as she scrambled down, her knees scraping, her hands raw against the metal.
She did not look back.
By the time her feet hit the pavement, she was sobbing and gasping for air, her chest on fire. She bolted down the street, blindly running until her legs threatened to give out.
Finally, she collapsed against the side of a convenience store, her whole body shaking. She pulled her phone from her pocket, her fingers barely obeying her.
The screen lit up. A new message.
Her stomach turned to ice.
Unknown Number: “You should not be touching people’s things, my love.”
Emily’s scream ripped from her throat.