“I don't see how. We were twenty minutes away when he was sighted at your building. Nobody knows you're here so we should be fine.” He watched as she took a long drink of her wine, draining the glass. “Another?”
“Please.” He retrieved the bottle, poured another glass and sat down. They continued in silence for a few minutes as he finished his sandwich and she enjoyed the relaxing feeling of the wine as it spread through her system.
“Can I get you anything else?”
Aynslee yawned. “No, I'm stuffed, thanks.”
“Well, would you like to go to bed now, or relax in the living room? Your choice.”
She did feel sleepy and knew she could fall asleep right now, but she wanted to have as much awake time with Hayden as possible. “Let's go in the living room for a while, I'd like to unwind a little before going to bed.”
He nodded and cleared the table. She got up to help him but he waved her off. “No, I'll take care of it. You go see if there's something interesting to watch on TV.”
She smiled appreciatively and headed from the kitchen, enjoying the sounds of Hayden cleaning up, humming as he did so. She walked toward the living room then felt strange, as if the wine had hit her harder than she expected. She stumbled into the wall as the world spun around her. What's going on? Holding herself up with the wall, she knew something was definitely wrong. This isn't the wine, I've been drugged! Panic overwhelmed her as she slid to the floor, losing control of her legs, wondering how she would warn Hayden. She looked down the hall toward the kitchen and saw Hayden step into the hallway. “He's here,” she slurred, looking up at him as he knelt down in front of her.
TWELVE
Jeremiah sat in his car, staring at the home of his nemesis, Detective Hayden Eldridge. After escaping the trap set for him, it had only taken ten minutes to track Eldridge’s car to his home on Staten Island, then thirty minutes to arrive at the location. His anger over being tricked hadn't lasted long. In fact, for the first time since he began his work, he finally felt challenged, exhilarated by the thrill of the chase. Where most of the others had been easy, this was the first time he was in real danger. And he felt alive. Something he hadn’t felt in almost a year. When his sister had been murdered, he had withdrawn from the few around him he had previously let in, including Father O’Neil. Once the news had revealed the identity of Logan and Aaron, a few minutes on the computer had netted him their home addresses. At first he had contented himself with the knowledge their lives as they knew them were over due to the media attention, but when he finally let himself go back to the church, a sermon about judgment day tweaked something inside him. When the DA had refused to press charges against the bystanders, he knew judgment day for the guilty wouldn’t come from the court of man, but from the court of God. And he wasn’t willing to let them live the rest of their lives before facing His judgment.
He set his plan into action after doing some research into enhancing security camera footage with computer software. It didn’t take long to track down the software, and after befriending Messina on a bereavement chat room, he had access to the necessary hardware to do it. Messina needed someone to cover some shifts for him while he took care of his dying wife, otherwise he might lose his job. Jeremiah offered to cover for him and split the pay. Messina had jumped at the offer, and Jeremiah used the NerdTech credentials to gain access to computers far more powerful than he had access to.
It took months before he finally had all their faces. As each bystander became recognizable, he began tracking them down. Hacking into the Public Defender’s computer had netted him Tammera Coverdale, William Hanson and Nathan Small. Logan and Aaron he already had, and Aynslee Kai he recognized from television. The other three had proven a challenge. He spent months going through hacked footage from the subway security cameras, and spent every spare moment on the subway looking for them. But in the end he had found them all. Abigail he found by tracking back what stop she boarded on, then by seeing she had used a transit pass. He hacked the database, got the records for everyone who had gone through during the same time window, and found her. Ibrahim he stumbled upon six months into the process, on the same route as that night, returning home from his work as a cab driver.
It was Eunice Henry that had proven to be the most trouble. She had disappeared. He tracked her from the subway, but then couldn’t find her. This was where NerdTech had helped. By using his credentials and the van, he was able to visit businesses near the subway exit and pretend to be on a service call. He would access their security footage and after painstaking work, found bank footage of her hailing a cab. Video enhancement revealed the cab number, and a quick hack of their database revealed the destination. Posing again as a NerdTech employee, he knocked on each individual apartment door, until he had it narrowed down to one unit, a unit where an old lady lived, an old lady who hadn’t stepped from her apartment in months. That was when he knew he had the last one, and his plan could begin.
And tonight it would finally end. Today is your judgment day, Aynslee Kai.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. This is it! He took the gun off the seat beside him and stuffed it in his belt. Popping the trunk, he climbed out of the car and removed a crowbar. Gently closing the lid, he looked around the quiet neighborhood to see if any nosy neighbors were about. Seeing no one, he walked purposefully toward the opening in the hedge, and once through, darted to the side of the house. Peering into a darkened window he saw nothing except the faint glow from a light elsewhere in the house. Moving to the next window, a bright sliver of light shone between two heavy curtains blocking most of his view, the little he could see appeared to be a kitchen. He leaned in closer, pressing his face to the glass. His heart leapt as he saw the detective walk directly in front of him.
Aynslee's vision was blurred, but she could still make out Hayden as he reached out and caressed her cheek. What's going on? Her emotions were a bundle of confusion. She had to warn him, but shouldn’t he be wondering why she had collapsed? And why was he touching her face? He was finally showing her the attention she had craved, and it was freaking her out. Something is wrong!
“You'll do perfectly, my love.” He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.
Her heart pounded in excitement and fear. This isn’t right! Why was he kissing her? Why wasn’t he concerned she was lying on the floor? As he continued to kiss her, his lips moving against her frozen mouth, it became terrifyingly clear. He drugged me! Not Jeremiah! Any trace of excitement was wiped away, leaving only a terror that pulsed adrenaline through her veins, giving her a moment of control. She opened her mouth to scream, but instead found him shoving his tongue in her mouth, moaning in pleasure, as if she had willingly parted her lips to participate in his twisted assault. Oh my God, he's crazy! She tried to pull away, but her muscles were no longer hers to control, whatever drug he had given her now having taken over. She felt the last threads of consciousness leaving as she slid down the wall, mercifully breaking the kiss she had so longed for.
Eldridge looked down at her and smiled. She is beautiful. The kiss had been perfect; his raging erection proving to him that she was the one. She would be his forever. Together they would become one, fulfilling each other’s desires, the end of a quest almost two decades in the making, finally at an end. He scooped her tenderly off the floor and lifted her head higher toward his face. He inhaled deeply, her delicate perfume, mixed with her natural scent, intoxicating. He kissed her neck and she gave a slight whimper but remained asleep. Careful to not hit her against any walls, he carried her into the kitchen, and laid her gently on the floor. He bent over and grabbed the edge of a large mat and tugged, pulling the kitchen table and its four chairs, toward the center of the room. He moved his precious cargo to the floor previously occupied by the table, and reached up, unhooking several chains disguised to look like part of the lamp hanging overhead. He hooked four of them to bolts in the floor, then unwound a long, looped chain, letting the slack fall to the floor with a cl
atter. Gazing down at the sleeping figure, he smiled. Absolute perfection. She's the one. Pulling on the chain, the floor slowly lowered.
And he began to hum.
Shakespeare slammed his phone against the roof of his car. Where the hell is he? He stood in front of Aynslee Kai’s apartment building with four uniforms, one officer in disguise, and two surveillance techs. And nobody knew where Eldridge or Aynslee had gone. When Shakespeare questioned them, everyone knew about the decoy, but none the end game. Eldridge had told him nothing, which wasn’t surprising with the way their relationship had been over the past several years, but for him to not tell anybody made no sense. He had placed almost a dozen calls to Eldridge's cell phone but it kept going to voice mail. And it wasn’t like him to turn off his phone. Shakespeare was officially nervous. Eldridge was alone with the killer's target, at an unknown location, and the killer had escaped the trap, apparently so well hooked into every facet of the case, he just might know what they didn’t.
Where the hell did they go?
“Where would I go?”
“Huh?”
Shakespeare looked through Frank as an idea formed in his head. “Somewhere safe. Somewhere I knew.”
“Home?”
Shakespeare nodded. “Can you pull up his home address on one of your computers?”
“Who needs a computer?” Frank whipped out his phone, and a flurry of thumbs later, he handed it to Shakespeare. “Here you go.”
Shakespeare took the phone and saw Eldridge’s home address displayed on the screen, along with a map. He jumped in the car and squealed away from the curb, leaving the others wondering whether or not they should be sticking around.
What the hell is he doing?
Jeremiah watched the detective through the window as he pulled on a chain and slowly lowered out of site with his target. This is fucked up. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but with Eldridge apparently in the basement, this was his opportunity to get inside. He crept further down the house and stopped at a window he was certain was far enough from where Eldridge last was to not be heard. He shoved the crowbar between the window and the sill, working it around until it at last slid under. He yanked down and the wood splintered as the window ripped from the lock inside, rising about an inch. He shoved the window up with the crowbar then tossed it aside. Hoisting himself onto the ledge, he peered inside, the ambient light from the street lamps casting a pale glow, revealing a small powder room. He struggled the rest of the way onto the ledge, then swung his legs inside, careful to not bump anything that might alert Eldridge to his presence. His feet planted firmly on the floor, he pulled his gun from his belt and stepped toward the open door.
Eldridge gazed at his latest, and last, candidate as she slept soundly, a peaceful smile on her face, her hair, a perfect gold, splayed across the platform. Crouching down, he picked her up and walked over to the mattress on the cellar floor he had dug out years before in his quest to replace the only woman he had ever loved. New candidates didn’t normally merit a mattress, they had to earn it. Good behavior was important. If they ate their food and drank their water, they would be rewarded with a mattress and a light. After all, he did want them to feel at home. If they passed all of the tests, the successful candidate would become his wife. He wasn’t a fool, he knew they hated him, but they would learn to love him eventually. And when that day came, they would live forever happy in each other’s arms. And this candidate, this perfect specimen, had fallen right into his arms. He hadn't even been looking and she had turned herself into the perfect vision. And she already liked him, he knew. Her constant flirtations hadn’t gone unnoticed. She would be much easier than the others, she would love him. She’s the one. Looking down at her, the stirrings of an erection sent his heart racing with excitement. It’s been so long since I've felt this! He was on fire, elated he had found her, had found the one. Caressing her face, he straightened her hair and leaned in to place a kiss on her full, sensuous lips. She wants me to kiss her, just look at her. She wants me to!
A floorboard overhead creaked.
Jeremiah froze, his heart in his throat. He lifted his foot slowly and the floorboard creaked back up. He cringed. There’s no way he didn’t hear that! Walking as near the floor edges as possible, his gun extended in front of him, he crept toward the light at the end of the hallway. He rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. What kind of twisted shit is this? He found the table and chairs that he had witnessed the detective move earlier, all sitting on a large mat, out of place in front of the cupboards, and, where the table should be, lay a hole in the floor, maybe six-foot square, with chains hanging from overhead, extending down and out of sight, into what he imagined must be a basement. What the hell kind of basement doesn’t have stairs? He listened but heard nothing. Certain they were in the basement, he inched forward and peered over the edge and down. About ten feet below, the dark brown dirt of the floor contrasted starkly with the bright white of a mattress off to one side. And his target, Aynslee Kai, lay atop it, a chain with a pair of unfastened handcuffs, rested in front of her. What is he doing with her? This isn’t right! He stepped around the hole to see another angle when the long, floor to ceiling curtain to his right fluttered.
Jeremiah spun as a figure surged from behind the curtains, raising his hands to try and fend off the impending blow. His attacker’s outstretched hands made contact, shoving him backward toward the opening. He twisted around and flung himself at the other side of the gaping hole, but fell short. One foot fell into the void and the fingers of his left hand barely gripped the other side of the floor as he desperately tried to hold on to the gun with his right. He reached forward but slipped further, both legs now dangling into the emptiness below. The hand holding his gun slipped down to his side and he let go of the weapon, reaching now with both hands as he tried to pull himself up, the gun clattering on the platform beneath. As he swung from the edge, he eyed the basement below and knew if he fell inside he would never get out. He raised his head and saw Eldridge staring down at him as he slowly stepped around the hole. Eldridge lifted his foot and stomped on the fingers of Jeremiah’s right hand. He cried out in pain as he yanked them back. Now dangling from just four fingers, he watched Eldridge raise his foot again but before he could lower it, Jeremiah let go, tumbling backward into the basement below. Hitting hard on his tailbone, he continued backward and smacked his head against the wood of the platform. His vision blurred as he began to black out, but within moments it cleared, revealing Eldridge dangling from the edge, then dropping to the floor from above, Jeremiah scrambled back, trying to get to his feet, but Eldridge rushed forward and grabbed hold of Jeremiah’s shirt, dragging him toward Aynslee and the handcuffs.
Eldridge snapped the handcuffs on Jeremiah’s wrist and stepped back to assess this new situation. He had reacted instantly upon hearing the floorboard creak, his height proving an invaluable advantage as he leapt and grabbed the edge of the floor above, swinging himself up into the kitchen, and secreting himself behind the curtain just before his intruder entered. What the hell am I going to do now? He looked at Jeremiah as the young man gingerly touched the back of his head, glowering at him. “Jeremiah Lansing, it's a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Likewise, I'm sure.” Jeremiah's voice dripped with sarcasm as he looked around him. “What the hell is this place?”
Eldridge looked around, his eyes finally resting on Aynslee’s sleeping form. “It's a place you were never invited to, a place you were never meant to see. A private place, a place for remembrance, for rediscovery.” He paused, took a deep breath, and whispered, “A place to find something I lost.” His eyes focused on her breathing, her chest slowly rising and falling, as she lay there, innocent, like the day he had first laid eyes on her. He smiled and turned his gaze to his prisoner, raising his voice. “And it’s where you will be shot, trying to kill your final victim, by me, the heroic police officer, just doing his duty.”
“You're one sick fuck!” spat Jeremiah.
“What were you going to do with her?”
Eldridge’s gaze returned to Aynslee and he stepped toward her, kneeling down. “I'm going to make her mine,” he said as he stroked her long, blonde hair. He heard her sigh and his heart leapt in joy. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, feeling the warmth of her skin on his, the gentle touch of her breath as he traced his fingers over her lips. He sighed.
Jeremiah’s stomach churned as Eldridge pawed at Aynslee’s face. He looked around for a way out. He had intended to die, but a death-by-cop situation was more what he had in mind, not death-by-psycho-cop. “You're one of those sick freaks you read about, aren't you?” Eldridge stopped and looked back at Jeremiah. Jeremiah gulped. He had to buy time. “What are you going to do to her?”
Eldridge rose and looked down at him. “I don't see what concern it is of yours.”
Jeremiah tried to act casual, shrugging his shoulders. “Hey, I don't care what you do with her, I'm just curious. You know what I was going to do.”
Eldridge frowned. “Yes, I know, Mr. Lansing. You've left quite the trail behind you, and as a police officer, I would normally arrest you. It's unfortunate I’m going to have to kill you, but if I don't, Sarah and I may not get a chance at a life together.”
“Sarah?” Who the hell is he talking about?
Eldridge looked momentarily confused and glanced at Aynslee. “Miss Kai.”
Jeremiah needed to get Eldridge to lower his guard, and his clear obsession with Aynslee was his best chance at doing it. Looking over at her, he smiled. “You know, I don't blame you, she is gorgeous.”
“Yes, she is,” said Eldridge, returning his attention to Aynslee.
Depraved Difference (A Detective Shakespeare Mystery, Book #1) Page 29
