by Terra Kelly
“Okay,” he whispered.
I nodded to my dad. “My dad is going to get the car started up and then we’ll walk together and get in the back. You ready?” My mom had her hand over her mouth, and tears were falling as she stood by the SUV. I locked my eyes with my mom, and we both just stared at each other for the longest moment. We both knew Stephen had a long road ahead of him. He had been traumatized and I really wondered if he would ever feel normal again. I rubbed my hand up and down his back. “Come on, love.” We slowly walked to the vehicle. About halfway there, we heard a crash from behind us, which caused Stephen to fall to the ground.
I looked up at the porch where a detective stepped out of the house and held up a vase. “Sorry about the mess.”
“Can you guys keep it down for maybe two minutes? That’s all I need.” I bent down and brought Stephen to a standing position. “It’s okay. The detective broke that vase you hated.” I saw a small smile form. It was good to see him react. “I see that smile.” He stepped up into the SUV and sat down first. Then I sat down beside him. “Tyler will meet us at the hospital, okay?” He only nodded and turned to look out the window.
I would make that asshole pay for what he did to Stephen. Then I realized I had to be thankful he was still alive. Most of the victims taken by this fucker saw a completely different outcome. I grabbed Stephen’s hand and brought it to my lips.
“Zoe,” he whispered.
“Yes.” I placed his hand against my chest.
“I love you.”
I just sat there speechless. Tyler said it, now Stephen, was it my turn?
36
Zoe
Five days later…
“Thank you for coming down,” Detective Alan said and pulled out a chair. “We just needed to ask you a few questions.”
“Perfect, and I have a couple questions to ask you.” I sat down at the small table set in the back of the precinct.
Tyler and I stayed at the hospital for two days, and then Stephen insisted we come back to Las Vegas. Tyler rented a car and we all drove back piled in the front seat. Stephen was having difficulty being alone. I didn’t dare ask him what happened during his time captive. It was too soon.
“How’s Stephen?”
“Just as you would expect. A fucking mess.”
Alan held out a cup of coffee. “Would you like some?”
“Sure.” I grabbed a few sugar packets in the center of the table. “How the hell did he find my parents’ place?”
“You like to get right to the point.”
“He almost killed my parents. I’m actually shocked he didn’t.”
“We are, too.” Alan took a sip of coffee. “I’m only guessing here because Joseph won’t talk, but he may have had access to the computer system at the gym. Andy was probably more valuable to him than we realized.”
“He hacked the gym and looked up my name? That seems too easy.”
“If you know how to hack into computers it may seem that way.”
I moved my finger around the ridge of the cup, trying to absorb that bit of information. “So Joseph was not only an asshole, he was a computer geek?” I planned to tell Julian he needed some serious firewall protection. “He must have been following all of us for quite some time?”
Alan leaned back in his chair. “There are names listed in the journal. He had a plan.”
“He won’t talk at all?”
“Not at the moment,” Alan said and took a sip of his coffee. “But we have enough evidence. He wrote it all down.”
“Was that part of his O.C.D. issues?”
“Exactly.”
I stood up and walked to the door. “Maybe I can get through to him. Let me try to talk to him. What if you don’t have everything you need?” I turned around to face Alan. My comment caused him to stand and walk over to me. “What if he will talk to me? I’m willing to see his ugly ass face just to get a few answers.” I threw the cup in the trash and started to head toward the entrance.
“Zoe, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?” I stopped and looked over my shoulder. “Because I’m a girl?”
“No, because he’s still plotting ways to kill you.”
“Then make sure it doesn’t happen.” My words were sharp but I meant what I said. Alan’s job now was to protect the innocent. He had the asshole locked up. “He should be more worried about his safety now,” I teased. “He’s in new territory. I wonder if he will be able to handle his new reality.”
Alan just stood there for a moment. “If you go, I want to go with you.”
“I talk to him alone, though.”
“Fine, I’ll be watching from the next room.”
“Deal.”
I had my hand on the door to leave. “Zoe.” He was right behind me. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“You need answers and I need closure.”
“I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Absolutely not,” Tyler yelled from the top of the stairs.
“Alan called you, eh?” I closed the door and stepped into the front room. When we arrived back to Las Vegas, we all decided to stay at Tyler’s place. He did have the bigger house and it was close to the downtown area. “I’m still going.” He was racing down the stairs ready to fight. I kicked off my shoes and walked past him as he stepped up next to me. “Hungry?”
I could hear his breathing pattern change from behind me. Tyler could easily get upset and everyone knew to clear the way. His outbursts were extreme and his words were harsh. “Don’t you fucking ignore the subject.”
I turned on my heel and pointed my finger right at his face. “Don’t you fucking yell at me. I’m an adult and I will be going no matter what.”
His shoulders slumped slightly. “Zoe. Why the hell would you go see this man?”
“He’s not talking to the detectives. Maybe I can get through to him.”
“What makes you think you will be able to make this deranged killer talk?”
I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of sparkling water. “He seemed to enjoy fighting me at my parents’ place. Maybe he has a thing for girls.”
“Exactly, and you want to put yourself front and center.”
My brain was not in the mood to fight. I pulled out a chair and sat down, and then I patted the seat beside me. “Come here.” He didn’t hesitate. “You have to know I wouldn’t purposefully put myself in harm’s way?”
Tyler let out a deep sigh and reached for my water. “No, I know.”
“But.”
“I just hate the thought of you at the prison, talking to the man who almost—” He stopped. I knew he was thinking about how the asshole almost killed the man we both cared about.
“Hey,” I whispered and reached for his hand. “Alan will be in the next room over. There will be a bullet proof glass separating my body from the asshole.”
“I just don’t want you near him at all.” He pulled my body forward and forced me to climb onto his lap. “The thought of you there…I don’t know.”
I placed my hand on the side of his face. “We need closure. If he refuses to talk, Stephen and the many other families are left wondering.” This all sucked. I rested my head on his chest. “Life will never be the same, but maybe we can find our new normal.”
“I want to go with you.”
Tyler and I both jumped up at the sound of Stephen’s voice from the doorway of the kitchen.
“What?” I took the few steps and grabbed his hand. “No. This could cause you to take several steps back in your recovery.”
“I’m going.” He turned without another word and left us both standing there. It was an insane idea, or was it? Maybe Stephen still alive would cause something to shift in Joseph. He was wired in a way where if he didn’t finish a task, there was a potential it would set him off. Seeing Stephen could cause him to talk. Maybe not in the way we hoped but odds were in our favor the asshole would freak out.
Before
Tyler could protest, I turned to face him. “He’s right.” I stepped closer. “He may need this. We need to support him.”
He pulled me close and leaned his forehead against mine. “I hate this.”
“I know. I do, too.”
“Can I go with you both?”
“Of course, but you have to stay with Alan in the other room.”
He closed his eyes and paused for a beat. “Fine.”
“Fine.” I placed my hands on his cheeks and pulled him forward to kiss him. “Now let’s go give our man what he really needs right now.” I stepped back and reached for his hand. “Us.”
We walked up the stairs together and stepped into the bedroom. My heart sank when I heard the familiar sounds we had grown used to over the past few weeks. Stephen on his side in the center of the bed quietly sobbing into a pillow. Tyler didn’t hesitate; he walked over to lie down behind Stephen. He wrapped his body tightly around him. I crawled over and placed my body in front of Stephen and grabbed their hands.
Stephen had been in this state every single day. Tyler and I were unsure if we could help. The therapist that made house calls frequently encouraged us to keep fighting. She indicated he needed us more than ever during this fragile time.
Stephen seemed to quiet after a few minutes. I pushed my back closer to him and tightened his arms around my body. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. His words surprised me but I didn’t move. His voice stayed low as he continued to talk. “I want to see you fight, Zoe. Tyler, I want to go to your family’s Sunday dinner.” He let out a deep sigh and I could tell he was struggling to hold in the tears. “I’m not holding back any more. I knew I loved Tyler already, but I had no idea I could love another person at the same time.”
I turned my body to face him. “Stephen.”
“I almost died.” He shook his head. “Hell, I have no idea how I didn’t die.” Stephen pulled Tyler closer. “This little fling thing is not ending if I have a say in the matter.” He leaned forward. “I love you, Zoe.”
His words caused me to close my eyes. I didn’t know how to process all this. “Stephen, I don’t—”
“You can tell me when you’re ready.” He smiled. “I wanted to tell you before we go see Joseph tomorrow.”
That was the first time Stephen called his capturer by his real name. Maybe the therapist was right; we just needed to be patient.
Tyler’s face was directly behind Stephen. I looked between them both and tried to take in all that had happened, all that was happening, and everything that was about to happen. When I stared into their eyes, I knew I could feel it. Something was telling me everything was going to be okay. If I had them both by my side.
“And you’re sure you want to go?”
He nodded. “Yes, I need to do this.”
I didn’t argue. Instead, I placed my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
37
Zoe
“You needed your helper,” Joseph said as the guard forced him to sit down and locked his cuffs around a wire ring on the counter in front of him. There was a thick divider separating us, but at the moment it felt like he could reach through the glass. “You have a girl do your dirty work, eh?”
“Fuck you,” I said without thinking.
Joseph burst out laughing. “Testy. That time of the month?”
I lunged forward and threw my hands on the glass. Stephen wrapped his arms around my waist. “Zo, sit,” Stephen whispered beside my ear.
It took me a moment to regain my composure. Finally I sat down and leaned back in my chair. “Good girl, you should do what a man tells you.” Instead of reacting, I bit my tongue.
“Why?” That’s all Stephen said and rested his hands on the counter.
“Why what?”
“Why me?”
“You already know that answer.”
“Enlighten me.” Joseph must have caught on because he suddenly went quiet and sat back in his chair. Stephen didn’t give up that easy. “I just want to understand why you chose me over a nightclub full of people?”
“You and that other guy,” he said under his breath and shook his head. “Then you were there with her.” He glanced toward me.
“Why did you care?” Stephen seemed genuinely curious.
“That’s not normal.”
“What’s not normal,” Stephen said and crossed his legs.
“Being with two people. You shouldn’t do that.”
His words rang a bell. It wasn’t about sexual preference. I had a feeling he didn’t like people who cheated. My mind replayed the many conversations with the detectives. None of the memories involved discussing this man’s past. I thought about what happened to all those people. The images on the board of the victims in several different states. It was always two men and a woman that were killed. He assumed we were the same story.
“You fucked up,” I said under my breath.
“What is she yammering about over there?” Joseph pointed at me. “Speak up.”
I lifted my head and wanted to burst out laughing. “You fucked up your normal pattern.” I moved my finger in between Stephen and me. “This thing between us. It also involves Tyler.” The asshole scowled. “Feeling lost? Yeah, I thought you would. I’m in love with both Tyler and Stephen.” My words slipped out unplanned and I went silent for a moment.
“Yeah, I know.” He raised his hand to call for the guard.
“No, what I mean is, we all love each other and we live together. You had it wrong.”
Joseph sat back down in his chair and glanced between us both. “That’s not possible. You can’t love two people at the same time.”
“Actually you can.” Stephen smiled and reached for my hand.
“No,” Joseph screamed. He jumped up and down, yanking at his cuffs wrapped around his wrists. “I watched you. No.” It took three guards to hold him down and a fourth to undo his handcuffs from the wire ring on the table. His body was moving up and down at a fast pace as he screamed, “no” while being practically dragged out of the room.
When he was gone and the door closed behind him, Alan walked over to me. “That just messed up his journals.”
“Which means the need to fix them will be stronger.”
“And his ass will be in solitary confinement until he calms down.” Alan shook his head. “That makes more sense with Andy. He wasn’t keeping his sexual preference a secret.”
I burst out laughing and immediately covered my mouth. “Sorry, sweet Andy. This is all so weird. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact he was keeping his cheating ways hush hush.”
“Andy,” Tyler said. “Little Andy.”
“More importantly,” Stephen said and walked over to the door. “He mistook us for a cheating couple.” Everyone went silent. “I almost fucking died from his mistake.”
Alan placed his hand on Stephen’s shoulder. “I was shocked how quickly he started talking when you both sat down. We have everything we need.” Alan glanced between us. “I am sorry for what you all experienced. Putting him in jail for life doesn’t change what happened.”
“No,” Stephen said and opened the door. “But now I can finally sleep soundly at night.”
His words took me by surprise. I wanted to pull him close, but at the moment even that didn’t feel like enough.
“Andy was a cheater?” Brooks said and sat down at the kitchen table. “That—”
“Seems crazy,” I said and took a sip of my wine. “Yeah, I said the same damn thing.”
“So now what?” Charlie sat two huge grocery bags on the counter.
“We wait.” Tyler pulled out several bowls and spoons. “This case could be open for a while. There are too many victims and multiple cities where bodies were found.”
“But he can’t escape again,” I said and sat down at the kitchen island. “He’s locked up at a maximum-security facility. The guy is fucked.”
“He may need to be drugged now,” Tyler said and reached for a pecan in a bow
l. “Alan indicated Joseph has serious mental issues. He also indicated it goes back to his childhood. I guess his mom loved to scream at him and cheated on his dad. That’s the information they were able to dig up. That visit to the jail will not help the guy.”
“Oh well, he deserves all he gets. I know the families deserve better closure, but at least he was caught finally.” I stood and walked over to wrap my arm around Charlie’s waist. “Thank you for this.” I nodded to the assortment on the counter.
“This is your favorite treat when you feel upset?” Tyler said and threw more gummy bears over his ice cream. “So you go from being upset to having a massive stomach ache?” Charlie was throwing toppings in bowls and sliding them to the center of the kitchen island. “I’m trying to decide which is worse.”
I shoved at his arm. “Be good. Charlie Bear was just trying to do something nice.”
“And I love it,” Stephen said and stepped into the kitchen. This was the first time Stephen had ever met Brooks. I wasn’t sure what would happen.
Tyler had a spoon of ice cream halfway to his mouth when Stephen walked into the room. He placed the spoon in the bowl and walked over to him. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Normally they would hug, but this time Stephen placed his hand on Tyler’s arm. “I heard the word ice cream and was curious.”
Charlie ran to grab another bowl. “Oh, I’m so excited you joined us.” She handed him the bowl and spoon. “There is every topping imaginable. I hope we brought something you like.”
“I’m sure you did.” He reached for the bowl. “Thank you.”
It was funny. What should have felt awkward instead felt completely normal.
“Wait, chocolate or vanilla?” Charlie pointed at Stephen and Tyler.
“Chocolate, but you should already know that,” Tyler teased and took another scoop of the ice cream sitting right in front of him.
“Chocolate,” Stephen said and held his bowl out for Tyler to fill.
“Okay, we’re good,” she said and sat down beside me. “You can continue seeing them.”
