Whisper in the Night: An absolutely heart-stopping serial killer thriller

by D. K. Hood

  “Medical examiner?” Mr. Rosen’s Adam’s apple moved up and down as he swallowed. “Do you think my Lindy is dead?”

  “There’s no evidence to make me believe so.” Wolfe stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m here to hunt down forensic clues to help us find Lindy, Mr. Rosen. We’ll work together as a first response team.”

  Jenna guided Mr. Rosen through the door. “We’re doing everything possible to find your daughter, Mr. Rosen. The search and rescue team are out scouring the area and we’ve alerted the media; if there’s a sighting of Lindy, we’ll know. The townsfolk in Black Rock Falls are very cooperative and have already formed a search party. I’ve a very capable deputy running a command post from my office.” She straightened. “Is there any place we can talk while my deputies take a look at Lindy’s room?”

  “Yes, yes of course.” Rosen led the way inside the house. “My wife and daughters are in the kitchen.” He turned to look at Kane and Wolfe. “Her room is upstairs, first door on the right.”

  Jenna kept her voice calm and followed Rosen down a hallway. “How many daughters do you have?”

  “Three: Lindy, April and June.” Rosen shrugged. “I wanted to call Lindy Julia, as in July, but my wife objected. She was bullied at school by a Julia.”

  The smell of fresh coffee wafted out the kitchen, tainted by the odor of burned toast. Three people sat at the table, all had wet cheeks and red eyes from crying. The two little girls appeared lost and confused and Mrs. Rosen stared into space as if in shock. “Would you like me to call a doctor?”

  “No, we’ll be fine.” Rosen squeezed his wife’s shoulder and Mrs. Rosen seemed to snap to attention.

  Jenna sat down at the kitchen table and introduced herself, then spoke to them as a group. “Mrs. Rosen, your husband mentioned Lindy was having nightmares. Can you explain when this started?”

  “About a week ago.” Mrs. Rosen dabbed at her eyes with tissues. “Is this relevant?”

  With her mind filled with the implications of what could be happening to Lindy, Jenna forced her demeanor to remain calm and in control. She took out her pen and notebook. Often people became less hysterical if they believed she was taking note of every word they uttered. “Yes, especially as she told you someone was in her room a number of times before she vanished.”

  “It was the same dream every time.” Mrs. Rosen peered at her through red-rimmed eyes. “She woke my husband insisting she saw a man in her room. First she said the man was looking through her window, and then hiding in the shadows.”

  “Of course, I searched the room and looked under her bed the first four times.” Mr. Rosen scrubbed his face as if trying to erase the memory. “The window is ten feet from the ground and there is no access, unless the man has wings. Last night, I didn’t look under the bed. I turned on the light, glanced around, then went back to bed.” He rubbed his eyes. “We have an alarm system. No one could have gotten inside.”

  “The lights outside come on and we have CCTV cameras for the immediate area if the alarm is activated.” Mrs. Rosen lifted her tear-streaked face. “Wherever she is, she knows the person who took her. She must have deactivated the alarm before she left the house and she would never do that for a stranger.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “I’ve called everyone we know, and she’s vanished.”

  Jenna took down notes. It would be unusual for a girl to run out into the night in her PJs and without footwear in spring. “Does she have a boyfriend with a vehicle?”

  “She knows a number of boys from school with cars but nobody special as far as we’re aware.” Mrs. Rosen sniffed. “I asked her friends but unless they’re keeping secrets, she has no one special.”

  “Okay, I’ll need a list of her close friends and their details.” Jenna pushed her notebook toward her and kept a reassuring tone. “They might talk to me.”

  Jenna turned in her seat as Kane entered the kitchen. “Do you have anything for me?”

  “There is a sign of a struggle. The blankets on the bed are disturbed, as if kicked off then dragged toward the door. This isn’t something that would normally occur so we have to assume someone was inside the home and dragged Lindy outside.” He looked at the Rosens. “Did you hear anything at all last night?”

  “No, not a thing, we went right back to sleep.” Mrs. Rosen sobbed into her hands. “Oh, Lord, I’d hoped she’d wandered off in her sleep but now I’m sure someone has kidnapped her.”

  Worry gripped Jenna’s gut as she looked up at Kane. “It sure looks like an abduction.”

  “I’ve given Blackhawk an article of Lindy’s clothing and he’s taking Duke to see if he picks up a trail.” Kane’s attention moved to the parents. “When was Lindy last outside?”

  “The girls haven’t played outside for some time, it’s been too cold.” Mrs. Rosen wiped her eyes. “I take them to play basketball in town after school, so they get plenty of exercise.”

  “That’s good – it will make her easy to track.” Kane straightened. “We’ll need your daughter’s diary, in case she mentions anyone in particular, her laptop and cellphone. Wolfe found a few hairs on her bed but there’s no sign of anyone gaining entry to her room via the window. The front door locks are intact with no sign of tampering, no footprints outside the house in the garden beds below her window.” He rubbed his chin. “If I hadn’t seen the bed, I’d figure Lindy opened the front door and left willingly.”

  Jenna nodded. “I’ll follow up with her friends. We might get some valuable info.”

  “She wouldn’t run into the dark in her PJs and she wouldn’t leave home without her cellphone, even if she knew the person.” Rosen slammed his fist onto the table, making the empty cups rattle. He glared at Jenna. “Think about it, Sheriff! She had nightmares of a man in her room. Do you honestly believe a terrified girl would run out the house in the middle of the night or open the door to let him in?” He glared at her. “No way. She’d never do such a thing.”

  “No, I don’t. As it happens, I agree with Kane but I’m following procedure, Mr. Rosen. I’ll call her friends. I understand how upsetting this is for you, but you can rest assured we’re doing everything possible to find Lindy.” Jenna sighed and looked at Lindy’s distraught parents. “We’ll be setting up a recording device in case anyone calls with a ransom demand.” She patted Mrs. Rosen on the hand. “I’m leaving Duke Walters here with you; he knows what to do if anyone calls. Plain-clothes deputies will be dropping by to relieve him. They’ll introduce themselves as ‘doctor’ – it’s a code word for police in these matters. We don’t want to alert a kidnapper we’re here. I don’t want you to make contact with the perpetrator if anyone calls – leave everything to the deputies. Please make sure the landline is free so we can monitor all incoming calls and just use your cellphone. It’s unlikely her abductor will have your cellphone number.”

  She noticed Wolfe standing in the doorway.

  “I’ll need samples of Mr. and Mrs. Rosen’s DNA to match against the samples from Lindy’s room, and fingerprints of the family. Was anyone else in Lindy’s room over the last couple of weeks?” Wolfe placed his bag on the table and pulled out two DNA kits, then his compassionate gray eyes fixed on the couple.

  “Yes, the handyman, Sean Packer, he’s here today. We’ve had the man from the security company, Charlie Anderson, come by as well.” Mr. Rosen’s hand shook as he pushed it through his hair. “Did you find anything?”

  “We found no signs of a break-in but the bed shows signs of a struggle. We have to assume someone abducted her but how they entered the house is a mystery.” Wolfe looked at the Rosens. “Could Lindy have invited someone up to her room last night?”

  “And leave the front door wide open?” Mrs. Rosen looked incredulous. “No way. Lindy always asks if she wants one of her friends to sleep over, and they wouldn’t arrive in the middle of the night.”

  “Sure. I don’t mean to upset you, Mrs. Rosen, but we need to ask these questions.” Wolfe passed Mrs. Rosen his not
ebook. “Could you please give me a list of cleaning products you may have used in her room over the last few days? I’ve taken her bedlinen to do more tests in the lab.”

  “Cleaning products?” Mrs. Rosen’s expression blanked. “In the laundry, you mean?”

  “Anything you may have used in her room or in the laundry.” Wolfe handed her his notebook then pulled on fresh latex gloves before opening the DNA kit. “Mr. Rosen, I’ll need to swab the inside of your mouth.”

  After Wolfe had collected the samples and scanned the family’s fingerprints, Jenna looked at the strained expressions on the couple’s faces. “Wolfe’s very thorough. If someone was in Lindy’s room, he’ll find evidence.”

  “Have you had any other recent visitors we need to eliminate?” Wolfe glanced at the list Mrs. Rosen had handed him. “Any other tradespeople, family or friends?”

  “A few since we came here. I’ll give you a list. We employed a painter and a pest control service.” Mr. Rosen stared into space for some moments. “We use a gardening service. The Green Thumb Landscaping Service. They send three or four men each week.”

  Jenna indicated to her notebook. “If you could give me the details, we’ll pay them a visit this morning.”

  “I noticed the handyman waiting in the hallway. I’ll go get a DNA sample and his prints.” Wolfe picked up his bag and hustled out the kitchen.

  “Do you have a monitoring company for your security system?” Kane shuffled his feet. “I noticed you have floodlights, and you mentioned the CCTV is connected to the security system. Do you have a backup copy of the CCTV footage?”

  “Not here, no, but we’re hooked in to Silent Alarms. Its office is out of Black Rock Falls. If the alarm is tripped they call to make sure we’re okay and the cameras come on automatically.” Mr. Rosen’s expression was bleak. “No one triggered the alarm or they would’ve called me. They’re very reliable. The girls have set it off a few times and the response was immediate. I already called them to check the CCTV footage from last night and there’s nothing. They’re sending someone out to make sure nobody tampered with the system.”

  “Are you sure you set the alarm last night?” Kane shrugged. “It’s an easy thing to forget.”

  “I was standing right next to him when he set the alarm.” Mrs. Rosen lifted her chin. “It was before I set the table for dinner around six.”

  Jenna looked at the young girls, maybe five and eight years old, and exchanged a look with Kane. The girls had remained silent as if in shock. “Do your daughters know the code to disarm the alarm?”

  “No, only Lindy.” Mr. Rosen balled his fists. “All these questions. Shouldn’t you be out searching for my daughter?”

  Jenna cleared her throat. “I know you’re upset, Mr. Rosen, but from the moment you called me we’ve had people out searching. With everyone out searching the streets, someone has to look in the obvious places, and to do that we need as much information as possible.” She waited for Rosen to write the list, and then stood. “Use your cellphone to call your friends in case she shows up. I’ll leave now and go speak to the people on this list. We’ll never give up. You have my word. I’ll call you the moment we hear anything.”

  As Jenna reached Kane’s truck, she noticed Blackhawk moving purposely toward her from the trees with Duke at his heels. She looked at him expectantly. “Please tell me you found something.”

  “Duke picked up her scent from the family’s vehicle and back to the porch.” Blackhawk frowned. “I figure she was carried from the house.”

  “There’s no forced entry, so how did he deactivate the alarm and sensors?” Kane stared down at Duke. “It doesn’t make sense; someone opened the door from the inside.” He took the evidence bag carrying a pair of socks taken from Lindy’s laundry basket from Blackhawk. “I’ll take Duke inside and work back to the front door.” He whistled the dog and headed back inside the house.

  “Duke wouldn’t have missed a fresh trail.” Blackhawk turned to Jenna. “Have the people here left home this morning?” His intelligent eyes scanned Jenna’s face. “If not, someone else drove out the driveway, leaving a muddy trail. I followed it back and they parked the vehicle behind those trees. One part of the wheel hit the dirt. It turned on the driveway then drove out, leaving a print on the blacktop. It’s damp, so within the last six hours maybe.”

  Jenna waited for Wolfe to finish loading the evidence into his van, then explained what Blackhawk had found. “I’ll leave you to do your thing and go chase down Lindy’s friends. I’m afraid I commandeered Webber to assist Rowley with the search.”

  “That’s fine. Emily is on vacation for spring break, so she’ll assist me.” Wolfe frowned. “Right now, we need to make sense of this and the tire track could be crucial. I’ll keep you informed.”

  “Thanks.” Jenna went to leave and then turned back. “How is Emily? It must be great to have her home from college.”

  “It’s nice to have my three daughters back together and with her studying forensic science, her help in the lab is invaluable. She’s moving back home next fall. Black Rock Falls College now offers full degree courses for both forensic science and law. She can intern with me as well.” He glanced past her, and then indicated down the driveway with his chin. “We have a visitor.”

  A white pickup pulled in behind Wolfe’s vehicle and a stocky man stepped out, wearing coveralls and carrying a tool bag. Jenna held up a hand to prevent him walking to the house. “Just a minute, this is a crime scene.”

  “Yeah, I can see that, Sheriff.” The man’s intelligent tawny eyes had smile wrinkles around them as he offered his hand. “I’m Charlie Anderson. The boss sent me out to run some tests on the alarm system.”

  Jenna nodded. “I see.” She turned to Wolfe. “Is this necessary or will you be doing an examination of the system?”

  “I’ll go along with him and get the results.” Wolfe frowned. “It could be faulty. If Lindy walked out the front door, the motion sensors should have turned on the floodlights.”

  “Not necessarily.” Charlie stared up at the house. “It depends which set-up they have – some turn off all the sensors once the system is shut down. Others prefer the floodlights and cameras are on a separate circuit, so folks can go outside without triggering the alarm.” He dipped into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. After taking an age to scroll through an app, he held up the screen to show Jenna and Wolfe. “Mr. Rosen had the remote model with both options. I’ll explain.”

  Wishing he would get on with it, Jenna huffed out a sigh. “Plain English and the abridged version please, I’ve a lost child to find.”

  “Sure.” Charlie cleared his throat. “The Rosens have a remote in their vehicles so when they arrive home at night they can turn off the alarm but activate the floodlights. Or they can turn them off in daylight.” He met Jenna’s gaze. “My boss wants me to inspect the system and outside sensors for faults, so I’ll need access.”

  Jenna turned to Wolfe. “Is he okay to go?”

  “I’ve checked all possible access points to the house, so outside won’t be a problem.” Wolfe turned to Charlie. “Don’t enter the house without me, and as you’ve worked inside the house I’ll need your DNA and fingerprints to exclude you as a suspect.”

  “Sure, but I’ll need to check the system first. The entire set-up won’t take me more’n a half-hour, then I’ll be on my way.” Charlie looked at Jenna. “Is that okay, Sheriff?”

  “I’m on it.” Wolfe shrugged. “The tire track isn’t going anywhere.” He waved the man toward the house. “Let’s go.”

  Jenna heaved a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Wolfe.”

  She looked up at the house as Kane appeared at the door with Duke at his side. Kane issued commands and Duke walked to the Rosens’ car, then went back inside and sat down. It was obvious Lindy’s scent trail had stopped inside and she hadn’t left the house. She looked up at Kane. “You don’t think she’s still inside, do you?”

  “Nope.” Kane pulled his
woolen cap down over his ears. “We searched the house from top to bottom. They don’t have a cellar but I pulled down the steps to the attic and looked up there as well. Duke reacted inside her room and the hallway. It must have been the strongest scent from his reaction; like Blackhawk said, he found nothing past the vehicle or he would’ve reacted.”

  “Okay. There’s not much more we can do here.” Jenna shrugged. “Let’s go.”

  They headed back to Kane’s truck. She climbed inside and leaned back in the seat. “This is a mystery. Any ideas?”

  “We don’t have any evidence of an abduction as yet but my gut tells me she didn’t run away.” Kane waved a hand to encompass the property. “This place would be dark and creepy at night. I can’t see a kid who’s been scared stupid by a nightmare running out here alone in the middle of the night without turning on the floodlights.”

  “Me either.” A cold shiver skittered up Jenna’s spine. She stared into the trees surrounding the house and sighed. “Where are you, Lindy?”

  Two

  Sheer terror gripped Lindy as she gasped in breaths of mold-smelling air. It was her greatest nightmare: trapped in the dark and unable to breathe. Her head ached so bad and she wanted to rub the throbbing pain in her temples but she couldn’t move an inch. A cold breeze like the tendrils of ivy brushed around her legs raising goosebumps but the smelly air in the room wasn’t freezing. Under her thighs, the smooth curve of a wooden chair pressed against her. The tight ropes binding her chest and ankles cut deep into her flesh. Her arms looped the back of the chair and its square corners dug into her biceps. An awful taste coated her tongue and a smell like rotting tomatoes sent waves of nausea rolling through her stomach.

  It was an effort to hold up her head and her eyelids seemed so heavy. She hovered between awake and asleep, unable to grasp consciousness. How long had she been here? It seemed like days had dragged by. She was so thirsty and needed to pee. I have to wake up and escape.

  Forcing her eyes wide, she tried to peer into the damp darkness. A tiny beam of light like a crack in a curtain glistened with dancing dust motes and illuminated a cobweb-covered beam. She clung to that tiny glimmer of light and struggled. The ropes rubbed her skin raw and nothing she tried gave her an inch of slack. Panic came in a rush and she rocked back and forth, gasping in the putrid, stale air. The chair creaked but was too solid for her to topple over or break. Exhausted, she flopped forward and sobbed. Tears blurred her vision and wet her cheeks. An unfamiliar noise came from close by. A motor was running and moments later a blast of stale warm air poured over her. Above her, a single dust-covered bulb attached to a long cord flickered into life.