Autumn's Game

by Mary Stone

  But Autumn wouldn’t allow her assessment to be biased one way or the other. She was too much of a professional to jeopardize her good standing in the field in such a way.

  Winter met his cold gaze. “Only time will tell what Dr. Trent’s assessment will be, but yes, I hope with all my heart that you are transferred to a facility where you can get the treatment you need.”

  He made a little huffing sound. “Deprogramming is what you mean, right? Maybe get a little or a lot of shock therapy? A padded room where I can’t hurt myself? A straightjacket so I can’t hurt others? Medicines forced down my throat so I can forget everything that dear ole Grandpa did to me?”

  His expression had transformed to one of deep sadness, his words starting to hitch. Winter couldn’t help but think he was playing her with the sudden changes of emotion. Wasn’t he? She didn’t fully trust herself to understand him.

  Winter was struggling to reconcile the seemingly ordinary young man in front of her with the killer she had tracked over the past year. Justin had made some terrible mistakes, but were those mistakes his fault?

  “Can you tell me…will you tell me what happened after you were abducted?”

  The rocking increased, and she regretted having asked the question. Then, he began to talk.

  “I’ve been over this a million times with the police and my lawyer, but okay. You were sleeping on the floor when Grandpa took me.”

  Winter bristled at the name Justin had called Douglas Kilroy, but she refused to give it any of her attention. “You know now that I wasn’t sleeping, right? Kilroy hit me on the head so hard I was in a coma.”

  He didn’t seem to hear her, he just rocked and rocked and rocked. “Grandpa took care of me. He gave me a bed to sleep in and meals to eat. He made sure I went to school and that I got along with everyone. And then, when I came home, he would do things like teach me how to track animals and hunt.”

  The rocking grew faster, more violent. The guard at the window frowned through the glass.

  “Justin, it’s okay. You don’t have—”

  “Then he’d fuck me in the ass and make me suck his dick. Night after night after night.” A bead of sweat made a trail down his left temple. “I thought that was normal. It was normal. It was normal to talk about the Bible and how many rules women broke. It was normal to shoot guns and learn to handle knives. It was normal to practice picking locks and disarming alarm systems, and do you know what my prize would be when I did good…?”

  Winter was afraid to ask. She didn’t want to know.

  Justin told her anyway, spittle flying from his mouth. “Then he’d suck my dick!”

  The chains around his wrists and ankles clanked together, adding a layer of music to his words.

  “Justin, I’m so sorry.”

  The clanking got louder as he attempted to lift his hands up to his head. “When I got older, we’d find women on the street. He’d make me pick one of them out, and then he’d give her some money, and we’d take them home. He taught me how to fuck, sissy. Grandpa would watch, then he’d give me a knife and tell me to gut her. She’d scream and scream, but you know what…?”

  The rocking stopped abruptly, his blue eyes alight with a gleam she hadn’t seen before.

  “I liked the screams,” he admitted in a voice as soft as death. “They were like oxygen, sissy. When they exhaled those beautiful sounds, I breathed them in.”

  Goose bumps raised on Winter’s arms.

  He really was crazy.

  “When I took out the heart, I’d take a big bite, and as I chewed, I could feel her death giving me life.”

  He licked his lips, and Winter’s stomach convulsed. Her vision blurred and pain pierced through her temple.

  “Eat up, little boy.”

  She saw him then. The Preacher. He was sitting in a rocking chair…rocking, rocking, rocking…while a teenaged Justin straddled a woman, her chest carved open, blood everywhere. There was a sheet of plastic on the floor, catching the mess.

  “What’s wrong, sissy?”

  Winter’s vision cleared, and she tasted the blood as it ran into her mouth. She pulled out a tissue she always carried and pressed it against her nostrils, trying to control her breathing.

  “Grandpa told me that women were evil and wanted to destroy the civilization that men had built. He taught me that even God regretted them as part of Creation, but that it was too late to undo the work by then. The only way that mankind could live with women was to make sure they never, ever got out of control.” Justin’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward as far as he could. “Sissy, I feel like you’re not really listening to me.”

  She startled as his accusation landed. “I’m listening, Justin. I’m just trying to absorb everything you’re saying.”

  She lowered the tissue to check the flow, and when she realized her nose had stopped bleeding, she looked at her brother again.

  “Why did you…” A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed it down. “When you were older, why didn’t you come back to me? You knew I was out there, ready to be there for you. I would have taken you in. I would have made sure you were able to go to college or do whatever you wanted. Why did you…I mean, why didn’t you…”

  She was fighting not to have to say the words: Why did you murder those people after Kilroy was dead and you were free?

  Justin’s frown deepened. The rocking had stopped, and his hands clenched and unclenched. She had the distinct impression that he wished they were surrounding her throat.

  “Are you trying to impress me with how noble you are?” The words were a harsh growl. “I know people like you. Your impassioned speech is just words. You didn’t even try to find me! You abandoned me. How do you think I really feel about that? You left me with a serial killer. I was just a little kid. I was only six years old, and he was nice to me most of the time. He took care of me when nobody else did.”

  His eyes glazed over and fixed on something behind her head.

  “Justin, I—”

  “What was I supposed to do, sissy?” His voice now resembled a small boy. “Try to escape and find my way home, like a dog that’s been left behind on vacation? I did the best I could.”

  The rocking began again, blue eyes moving back to penetrate her very being.

  “I did my best, sissy, even when you wouldn’t. I take responsibility for what I did. But do you? Do you accept responsibility for leaving me with a serial killer?”

  He beat his fists against the desk. Outside the plexiglass door of the secure room, the guard turned toward her, raising an eyebrow.

  She shook her head, and the guard shrugged and took a step back. She was glad he could only observe and not hear the vile things coming from her brother’s mouth.

  “I didn’t know…”

  Fat tears rolled down his face. “You didn’t even try. I’m sorry that I have to say this, but my faith is in Dr. Trent and my lawyer now. They’ll help me get the treatment I need. You had your chance to be a sister to me, but I’m just an embarrassment now. I bet that’s why you’re even here. You’re worried your bosses will lash out at you for having a…having a serial killer for a brother! You don’t care about me. You just want to make yourself look good.”

  Winter suppressed a sob. Justin’s words seemed aimed straight at her most vulnerable points.

  “I—”

  “When is Dr. Trent coming back?” Justin demanded.

  She shook her head, trying to adjust to the change of subject. “I…I don’t know. She’s on assignment. Away.”

  He made a disgusted face, still keeping his eyes locked on hers. “So, she’s abandoned me too?”

  “No, of course not.”

  He tried to cross his hands over his chest, but the chain between his handcuffs was too short. He knocked several times on the top of his desk. “Liar! You told her to leave me, didn’t you?”

  “No, I would never—”

  His face collapsed into a mask of agony, and he lowered his head towar
d his hands. She thought he was going to suck his thumb, but the chains interfered with the movement. He began to cry, the emotion almost a howl.

  He pulled and yanked at the chains with furious motions.

  Winter leapt to her feet. “Stop!”

  He sawed and sawed and sawed, agony transitioning into rage. As blood appeared on his skin, he screamed, “You left me! You left me! You left me!”

  The guard rushed into the room. He pointed at Winter. “Back up!”

  She did as she was told, not stopping until she was pressed to the door. A second guard appeared, and together, they fought the wrath of her brother.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched them physically subdue him. Watched a third guard join in. Watched as Justin’s screams of rage transitioned into screams of pain.

  When Justin was finally immobilized, he lifted his tear and sweat streaked face. “Sissy? Help me, sissy.”

  The little boy was back again.

  A sob caught in her throat. “Justin…”

  The chains were unlocked, and the guards were hauling him from the room, even though his struggling had ceased. His blue eyes looked so very, very afraid when they met hers.

  “Sissy…I love you to the moon and around all the stars in the big, big universe.”

  Then, he was gone. If he’d wanted to destroy her, those were the very words that would do it.

  “Miss?” Yet another guard had appeared, and this one’s eyes were filled with sympathy. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  She could only nod, and she let him take her elbow and lead her from the room. She was leaning on him more heavily by the time they reached the first set of secure doors. He was practically holding her up by the time they reached the second, and was asking her if she needed the infirmary by the time they reached the third.

  “I’m okay,” she said, but she wasn’t.

  When they reached the waiting area again, she honestly felt like she might faint.

  Then Noah was there, pulling her into his arms and thanking the guard for taking care of her. The two men spoke in hushed voices for a moment, but Winter didn’t listen to their words.

  She knew what the guard was telling him. She didn’t need a rundown of everything that just happened. These past few minutes would never leave her memory.

  Firm fingers tipped up her chin, and she was looking into her boyfriend’s green eyes.

  Noah Dalton and Winter had been rookies together, joining the FBI’s Violent Crimes Unit at the same time. Since then, their relationship had gone from colleagues, to friends, to friends with benefits, to what it was now. A love that was held up by trust. Noah would always have her back, no matter how hard she tried to push him away.

  And she’d pushed many, many times.

  He was solid like that, and not just because of his tall, broad-shouldered frame. And not just because of his background in the Dallas police force or a stint in the military. It was just in his nature to protect what he cared about, and he cared about his family, his community, his nation…and her.

  “Are you all right?” Noah asked after she let out a shuddering breath.

  She was the last thing from all right, but she forced a smile. “I thought you were going to wait for me in the truck.”

  He tucked a strand of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. “I got bored. Thought I’d trade the luxury of my fine vehicle for these boring beige walls.”

  She hugged him tighter. “I’m glad.”

  He pulled a bottle of water from his pocket and held it up for her to drink, then produced two acetaminophen tablets and a small package of wet wipes.

  The sight of them made her laugh, just a little, and she gratefully swallowed the pain meds and use a wet wipe on her cheeks and under her nose. “You know me so well.”

  He bobbed his eyebrows. “Every inch, darlin’.” His Texas drawl grew thicker as he winked at her.

  She rewarded him with another small laugh and was glad to see some of his concern fade away. “He’s upset at me. He blames me for not finding him sooner.”

  Noah had one of those jawlines that only male models seemed to have. The muscles all along it popped as he gritted his teeth. “Little bastard.”

  Noah’s reaction helped bring Winter back a little from her painful self-recrimination. Noah was a good man, and he had his head on straight.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  Noah waited as she got her purse and other personal belongings, then they walked back to his truck, side by side. He knew when to hold her close, and he knew when to give her space.

  As she opened the passenger door of the oversized vehicle, just before she grabbed the handle to haul herself up into the seat, she paused as a sliver of ice slid over her skin.

  Yes, it was January in Virginia, but that wasn’t why she was cold.

  Holding her hand over her eyes to block out the sun, she stared at the prison.

  She shivered.

  The prison was staring back.

  Justin kept a stony silence all the way back to his cell, but when the guard told him to put his wrists through the pass gate so he could unlock the handcuffs, he managed to give him an exhausted-sounding, “Thank you.”

  “Rough visit?” the guard asked.

  “You could say that.”

  The guard just nodded and walked back down the corridor. The guards were starting to soften to him, but the chances of them ever becoming truly helpful was low. It was hard to keep their attention.

  Knowing he was still being observed, even if infrequently, Justin lay down on his bunk, turning to the wall with his hand up to his cheek. Like this, they couldn’t tell if his thumb was in his mouth or not. They couldn’t see him smile.

  He was forced to control the wild laughter that wanted to bubble out of him. That wouldn’t do. Of course, crazy people laughed for no reason, but he needed to keep his craziness on track. Dr. Autumn Trent would be looking for any signs of him faking his mental health issues, and the guards would give reports to back up or negate those claims.

  It had been perfect, though.

  Little Miss FBI was certainly doubting her every move right now. Justin had jerked her around until she was willing to believe that she was at least partially to blame for his crimes. He had no doubt that guilt would pull her strings for him and cause her to lend her support toward his goal of keeping himself out of prison and getting into a much less secure mental ward.

  People like Winter were easy to manipulate.

  Most people were.

  The only person who had proved to be even a minor challenge was Autumn Trent, but since she was her sister’s friend, he had no doubt that he would win her over. It was why he’d insisted that his attorney approve her to be the one to do the competency evaluation. Victor had cautioned him against it, but Justin knew it was the right move.

  He wondered where the good doctor was. It pissed him off that her every moment wasn’t spent on him.

  Women were so fickle.

  She was probably out there, trying in her naïve way to make the world a better place.

  He and Dr. Autumn Trent had a lot in common. He just wanted to make the world a better place too.

  Justin allowed himself one satisfied chuckle, then closed his eyes. He needed to rest. He needed to be ready. Prepared.

  The sexy Dr. Trent would be back soon. Why wouldn’t she?

  Who could possibly be a more intriguing case than him?

  13

  As Adam drove the two of them to the scene of the second crime, Autumn forced herself not to show any sign of agitation or excitement. It wasn’t that she was nervous. She was wired and wanted to get started.

  She hated to admit it, even to herself, but knowing that Adam would be “helping” the case didn’t aid her in her calm and equilibrium either. He drove too fast, took the corners too tightly, cursed at the other drivers in a way that revealed just how agitated he was.

  He needed to calm down before they reached the s
cene. If he stepped on the good sheriff’s toes one more time, things might get ugly. And with a second murder in the same small town, everyone’s attention needed to be pointed in the same direction. No distractions.

  They arrived at a pleasant older neighborhood near the downtown area, parking a few houses down the street, which was crowded with neighborhood cars. Much of the area in front of the Langford’s home had been taped off as a crime scene. Adam slammed the SUV into park, his left hand still gripping the steering wheel.

  “Adam, let’s take a moment to calm down.”

  He shot her a look so filled with malice that she very nearly jumped back. “I’m calm.” He said it through teeth that were gritted together so tightly that the two words came out as a single syllable.

  “I don’t think—”

  He shoved the door open, then gave it a hard slam once his feet were on concrete.

  Autumn sighed and got out of the car too, glad when he strode several paces in front of her. She felt no urgency to catch up. Instead, she slowed even more, taking in the surrounding environment. She smiled at crime scene techs who were scouring the yard for any piece of evidence that might be useful.

  By the time she caught up with Adam, he was scowling at her from where he stood next to a deputy. “I’m Dr. Adam Latham from Shadley and Latham, and here’s my assistant Autumn Trent. We’re working with Sheriff Morton on the case.”

  His assistant? Autumn decided to let it go…for now.

  The deputy wrote their names in the “murder book,” the official log of people who entered and exited any crime scene. “I’ll let them know.”

  As the deputy got on his radio, Adam pointed toward the front yard. “Look at those two big evergreens in front of the house. He could have slaughtered them on the front porch and nobody would have noticed, as long as he managed to keep them quiet. Twenty bucks says the porch light is either burned out or has been removed.”

  Autumn examined the front yard. Adam was right. “No bet.”

  He might be an asshole and a bastard, but Adam Latham had spent over half of his life studying the minds of criminals. With his experience, he should have sharp insights into the mind of a serial killer.