The Psycho Is Innocent | ꪜ

Chapter 36: Night, Night

Present

          ARIEL SAUNTERED INTO the house, fueled by her determination to go through with her plan tonight. The fact that he so readily jumped at the idea of being with her gave her the impression that he truly was gullible. If she somehow convinced him that she was on his side, then garnering a confession out of him would be a piece of cake.

         Ariel walked briskly into her room, ignoring Adele who fell in step behind her. Ariel had been planning this night from the day Parker confessed to being the one who created DOD. If anything went wrong tonight—including Adele's tampering—Tobias would remain in the psychiatric hospital and there's no saying what would come of her. The evidence that she had piled up over the past few weeks isn't solid enough to arrest Parker so that's why tonight, she needed his full confession.

         On tape. . .

          "Where are you going?" Adele asked as Ariel peeled her clothes off of her. "To Parker's," she said nonchalantly. Adele frowned, "why? Especially at this hour." Ariel slung her towel over her shoulder and contemplated telling her sister about her plan. For what she was about to do tonight, if she did somehow get the confession and left unscathed then she needed an alibi of some sort—someone who could attest to the fact that she was meeting up with Parker.

           "We're just hanging out. Don't worry, I'll be home in like two hours." Before Adele could respond, Ariel retreated towards the bathroom to take a shower. It was past six pm, the time the sun sets below the horizon. It would be dark outside which is exactly what Ariel needed. The darker the better. When she was done showering, she dressed, grabbed her bag off the chair and left the house before either of her parents arrived from work.

          Now that her blackmailer was revealed, Ariel knew Adele's safety wasn't in jeopardy. Tonight it was her life on the line. . .hers and Tobias'. Because tonight, this two-month nightmare will finally come to an end.

~~~

          The door creaked open. Parker's head poked through the space between the door and the wall and smiled. It was completely pitch black outside and the fact that not many people roamed around this neighbourhood was enough for Ariel to feel confident in her plan. "I thought you were bailing on me," he exclaimed as he stepped out of the way for her to enter. His eyes penetrated through the backpack hiked on her shoulders. "Why would you think that?"

          He raked his hands through his curly hair, "just a thought. Anyways, you've been to my house already, right? It was the party after we won the baseball game. Yeah, that time that asshole groped you and drenched you in beer." And Ricky forced him onto his knees to apologize to Ariel. It was that night that solidified her attraction towards Tobias. It was like a magnetic pull that she couldn't distance herself from.

          And from then on he just became more of a mystery. "Yeah, I remember." When they approached his room, he motioned inside. "You know if Tobias hadn't stepped in, I would have been the one to save you. Let me ask you if I really were the one who got that guy to apologize to you.  . .would you have given me a chance then?" Hell no. Ariel lowered her bag down beside his door and pivoted on her heels to face him.

          The room was dark except for his LED lights flickering behind his bedpost. Ariel fought the urge to wrap her hand around her necklace where the small listening chip was inserted. After visiting Larson, she persuaded him into borrowing it to her for her plan tonight. Larson was fully on board. The moment the chip was turned on, he'd be able to record everything. Ariel sighed inwardly. "At the time I didn't like Tobias yet. We were still in the early stages of our friendship. And like I told you earlier today, I liked you way before Larson and Tobias."