The Lies We Breathe

Chapter 9 - Wednesday, August 2nd: Green Dress

Chapter 9

Back at home, I took a shower again to get the pool water off of me. Then, I logged into my computer and turned the "find phone" function on. The map showed me that my phone was at the Shields house. No surprise there.

I had no time to lose. Blake could be hacking into it right now. I looked at the clock, it was past 6 pm. Soon, it would be getting dark. I needed the darkness for my plan to work.

I drove by Blake's house a few times, to get a better look at it. Even in the dark, the white silhouette of the mansion looked impressive. And it looked like a event was going on there. The mansion was well-lit and I could hear music and voices coming from the inside.

Huge iron gates guarded the mansion against trespassers. Several cameras pointed at the road. It wouldn't be easy to get in and out unnoticed.

I considered my options for a minute.

Just then, a car approached and the gates opened for it to pass through. I caught sight of perfectly trimmed bushes spread all over the front lawn. That would give me a perfect cover.

Now all I had to do was wait for another car to come in or out.

I got out of my car and hid near the gates. I was dressed in full black, head to toe. Over my head, I pulled a black mask, lest my face got caught on camera and my father heard of this.

Maybe the guests kept Blake busy and he hadn't had the chance of breaking into my phone yet? I prayed it was so.

I didn't have to wait long. A car approached, and soon the gates opened again letting it through. I snuck in after it. Once inside, I hid behind the closest bush and looked around. The phone should be somewhere on the East side of the house. Maybe on the second floor where the bedrooms were located? As luck would have it, all the windows were dark in that part of the house.

There were plants growing up the facade. I evaluated the wall. I was a good climber, I could do it. Not that I had another option. With so many guests, I doubted I'd find any better way of getting in. This was it.

I hurried toward the house and I began climbing as silently as I could. The window right above me was slightly ajar. I pushed it open and got in. I had a small flashlight with me and I turned it on. It looked like a guy's room. Did I hit the jackpot and landed in Blake's room?

I looked around. The room was five times bigger than mine. There was a huge bed, perfectly made. There were a few pictures on the wall. I came closer and shed light on them. There were a few pictures of Blake at different ages. OMG! It was true. I was standing in Blake's bloody room!

I looked around almost expecting him to jump out. My heart began beating heavily. It took me a few moments to breathe through it and calm myself down. Only then, I leaned closer again and studied the pictures. Blake looked serious, like someone who took himself for very important from an early age. Of course, he would, he was an only child, heir to all of this and more.

On one side of the room, there was a large bookshelf. I approached it and looked through the titles. Many were classics. I was surprised to see that he would read books like this. I expected something like Playboy and Men's Health to be clattering his space.

Opposite the window, was the main door. There was another door to the left which was slightly ajar. It looked like it led into his bathroom. There were two closets. On one side of the wall, hang a basketball net. Several surfboards were stacked atop each other in one corner.

His room was impeccably clean. But what did I expect? That it would be a room befitting the devil himself? Burning fires of hell?

Then I caught sight of a laptop on his desk. Damn it! I should have brought a flash drive. It never crossed my mind. I was too focused on getting my phone back. I caught sight of Blake's school bag. It was thrown over a cozy-looking chair next to the entrance door. I dived for it. And just then the door opened and the lights in the room went on. I froze, almost expecting Blake to barge in on me.