The rain splashing down was unrelenting as Laura adjusted her binoculars against her face. She turned the knob to focus in on the yellow window that shined through the fuzzy rain pouring upon the earth. She could only see a wall. No human could be seen. Laura sighed and sat down in the mud. She was decked out in her gear, so she didn't mind the dirt. It looked as if she was in for another long night waiting for a Hanson to appear at the window.
It was past midnight when she finally saw some movement in the yellow window. She quickly turned on the camera and put her binoculars to good use. Yes, it was Zac. He was sitting down at a desk with his back to the window. Laura wasn't sure what he was doing. She stared, mesmerized as always by his figure. Although Taylor was the one whom she longed for, Zac possessed a beauty all his own. His shoulders were large, and he appeared muscular beneath his thin red shirt. She sighed as she checked to make sure the video camera was recording. If she was lucky Taylor might make a visit to his brother's room. If not, there was always tomorrow night.
At two in the morning Zac had turned off the light and she assumed he had gone to bed. Laura packed up her gear and reluctantly left her secured spot beneath the tree behind the shrubs. She crawled through the mud against the fence that bordered the Hanson property. She reached the spot where she always climbed the fence, and began her exit. The property had a security system, but Laura had discovered that this one part of the fence was not wired. It was a thin, one foot section, but it was enough to offer her an entrance onto the property. Laura pushed her gear over the fence, and let it drop to the ground on the other side before she climbed over. She was careful to stay within the one foot stretch of the fence that would not trigger an alarm. Once on the other side, she gave one last glance back to the large Hanson house before beginning her long walk to her car.
Laura reached the empty parking lot where she parked her car every night and put her gear in the trunk. She would be up late watching the video and looking for anything she might have missed. She got in the car and closed the door to the light sprinkling of rain that had turned into a mist. She pulled off her camouflaged hat and jacket. Her boots were muddy, but she didn't care. She pushed on the gas pedal and made her way home.
Her small house was dark and dreary when she entered it. She went straight to the TV and VCR against the wall. She took a pen and a sticky label and wrote "Zac Hanson-July 2nd" on the label. As she felt the pull of sleep on her eyelids, she decided to leave the viewing for later on. She put the tape in a black case, and slid it among the hundreds that lined her wall. She then went to shower and wash her gear.
As Laura entered her bedroom, she lit a candle on her small dresser. Behind the candle was a large photo of Taylor Hanson that she had glued plastic flowers on the edges of to frame it. She smiled at the picture, said a silent prayer, then blew out the candle and fell exhausted into bed. She had a busy day that would start in a few hours.
Laura's head was blurry as the piercing noise shocked her from sleep. She moaned as she turned off her alarm. She lied in her bed staring at her ceiling which was covered in pictures of Tay. She fought the exhaustion already brewing in her stomach, and got out of bed. She went to her dresser and lit the candle, said the prayer, then blew it out again. Then she got dressed and went into the living room to get her gear ready. She packed her zoom camera, five rolls of film, her video camera, and more tapes. She put them all in her bag and grabbed her car keys. She ignored the pain of hunger that stabbed at her every time she moved.
She stopped for gas before driving to the parking lot. There were some cars there, and hers would blend in nicely. She parked, then slid on her pack and headed toward Hanson's house. She hated the long walk, because she was always tired by the time she got there, but it would be much to conspicuous to park close to the Hanson's home.
Laura approached the back of the property as usual. There were plenty of trees to hide her from view of any of the connecting properties. She carefully climbed the fence, and dropped to the ground. It was even more dangerous to be there in daylight. The chances of being seen were much higher. Laura was careful to stay close to the ground as she crawled through the shrubs and thick grass. The house stood large and silent before her. Maybe she was too late. But then as she reached the side where the pool was, she was relieved to see Jessica and Avie outback. She silently took out her camera and zoomed in on the two girls playing together. She got a few clear shots and then kept moving. If she was lucky Tay was still home. She positioned herself behind a large shrub and sat down. The earth was still damp. A car was quietly making it's way up the long driveway. Since it had entered through the gate, Laura knew it belonged to Hanson. She was right. Ike drove up to the house, but he didn't park. He left the car running as he got out and disappeared inside. Laura focused her camera, and got ready to shoot. When Tay and Ike both came out of the house, Laura's heart jumped. It happened every time she saw his figure. She began taking pictures, focusing on Tay as much as possible. Unfortunately she didn't get too many of his face, as they went straight to the vehicle and got in. Laura didn't have a chance of following them. Her car was much too far away. But maybe if she knew which direction they were going…She moved quickly and carefully down to the spot and climbed over the fence. If she hurried she could make it close to the street before they left. She was running now. She hid behind some trees and got close just in time to see them speeding off toward the North. She then moved further and saw them turn. There were too many places they could be going, but Laura bet on two. She was through with the house for now, so she made her way back to her car.
Once on the roads again, Laura made her way to the first place she thought Ike and Tay could have gone. She parked her car far enough away so that she could not easily be seen. She checked the lot for the familiar car. Yes, it was there. She changed in her car out of her camouflage clothes. Then she drove a little closer to the coffee shop, and parked. She got out her binoculars and focused on the clear glass doors. She could see right into the shop, and there at the counter stood Ike and Tay. She could imagine what they were ordering. She pondered if it was safe to go inside. The store wasn't large, and she would be seen by them. But maybe it would be all right just this once…
Laura found that she was shaking as she tried to put some lip gloss on. She opened her car door and slowly made her way to the front door of the shop.
Part Two
Link to all parts of The Watcher
Home to These Moonlit Skies
