Daddy's Little Girl (Complete book- limited time only)

Chapter 14: Scavenger Hunt

Brandy's bad day somehow managed to get worse...a lot worse. Her much needed shower was interrupted by the sudden sound of her apartment door slamming.

As the hot water cascaded down her body, steam filled the room. The refreshing stream ran over her, washing the stress of the day down the drain. She tried to relax, but her worries about Ron and the gift left in his car had the tension in her neck aching. The aquatic massage was at once ruined, 'SLAM' by her apartment door.

She quickly shut the water off and listened intently. The only sounds present were the 'drips' falling from her naked body and the drain, 'slurrrrrrrp' as it swallowed them. Quietly, she slid the plastic curtain aside and stepped from the basin. Toweling off as quickly as possible, she still listened for an intruder. Opening the bathroom door slowly, a rush of cool air chilled her skin reminding her she had left the patio door ajar. Shit!

With the towel wrapped around her, she crept toward the living room. Brandy advanced slowly and listened, fearful of what or who, she might encounter. She withdrew her weapon from the top drawer of her desk and proceeded to close the back door and pull the blinds closed. When she turned back toward the room, she saw the note.

Taped to the inside of her front door, the small slip of paper hung ominously. Brandy's nerves were on edge as the note seemed to be laughing at her paranoia. Cautiously, she made her way to the note and plucked it from the door. The words in red instructed,

'FOLLOW ME, I'LL SHOW YOU THE WAY'

Brandy slowly backed away from the door, her gun aimed, ready. She whispered to herself, "C'mon in bitch." She hoped no one would accept her invitation but she was more than willing to welcome them in.

She waited. No takers. Brandy locked the deadbolt and did a thorough search of the apartment. Whoever had been there was gone. She dressed quickly with one hand always holding her gun.

Brandy looked to the note again; the words taunting her to obey. She opened the front door and looked into the dimly lit corridor, no one lurked. She stepped through the opening, pulled the door closed and locked it. She walked with purpose, her gun steadied with both hands. Another note on the wall with an arrow pointing toward the exit,

'THIS WAY, DETECTIVE'

Brandy moves, heeding the notes direction. A third note awaited her discovery, taped to the inside of the door that exits the building,

'YOU'RE GETTING WARMER'

Brandy pushed the dense wooden door open, stepping into the warmth of the sun light. Narrowing her eyes, she scanned the parking lot watching for movement. No signs of a trespasser. She proceeded to follow the sidewalk, remaining fully alert to all her surroundings. She paused halfway to her car, listening, observing, and sensing danger.

Brandy continued, slower now, her mind processing a hundred thoughts per minute. She reached her car and stopped. Looking through the windshield and side windows, nothing seemed out of place. She knelt down to look under the vehicle. She examined the underside of the car for an explosive device or perhaps a cut brake line. Nothing appeared to have been tampered with. She began to wonder if her scavenger hunt was over, nothing more than a wild goose chase. A tease.

Brandy rounded the car to the trunk where she found the fourth and final note. The paper was folded over. She grabbed the paper and opened it,

'CONGRATULATIONS DETECTIVE, YOU WIN! OPEN THE TRUNK TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE.'

Brandy didn't have the slightest idea what she would find in the trunk, though she knew she probably wouldn't like it. She inserted the key and popped the latch. She hesitated, scared of what she would uncover. Easing the trunk lid up, her nose was met with a most unpleasant odor. She recognized the undeniable stench immediately; the rancid smell of a decomposing body.