by WL Knightly
Finn was suddenly aware that he was alone, and he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Bay’s number. When he heard the soft hello from him, Finn burst into tears. “It’s done.”
“Good job. I’m proud of you, Finn. You’ve shown me you really love me, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. I really do.”
“I know. Listen to me, Finn. I need you to wait for Lou. And when he comes back, the two of you will take care of her. You’ll put her someplace where no one will ever find her, and if they do, don’t worry. They’ll think the killer did it, not you.”
“And we’ll be together, you and me?” Finn was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Bay to tell him it had all been a joke, and he’d fallen for it. But instead, Hannah had been wrong.
“Of course. You’re mine, Finn. You’ve always been mine, though.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you, Finn. I always have.” His voice was so soft and sincere that Finn believed every single word. He had no reason not to. Things were just as Bay had said they would be, and he’d never heard Bay use such sweet and tender tones with anyone, not even Mia or Lila.
More tears streamed down his cheeks, and he wiped them away. “I need to clean up a bit, but I’ll be ready for Lou.” He had to get himself together, and he tried to control his breathing so Bay wouldn’t know how hard he’d been crying. But Bay never said a word about tears.
“Good, I’m glad you’re okay, Finn. I was worried you wouldn’t do it for me, but I am so glad I was wrong. You’ve made me so proud.” Bay’s encouragement had been amazing, but his praise was better than anything in the world. Finn’s every fantasy was going to come true.
They ended the call, but Bay assured him he could call back if he needed to and that made Finn feel even better. He tried not to look at Hannah as he walked around her to get the cleaning supplies. Then he mopped up his vomit. He didn’t bother with Hannah and the mess of blood she’d left around the room in the past few days. That was to be expected, but he wouldn’t let Lou show up and see his weakness, for fear that he’d tell Bay.
He went to the bathroom to take a piss, and when he washed his hands, he saw himself in the mirror. He was a mess. His long blond hair had been drenched with sweat and tears, especially the one unruly strand that hung down in his eyes. His clothes were wrinkled, and there was a little stain of blood on his pants, which was barely visible.
He wasn’t worried about a thing, not getting caught, not going to prison. Bay would never let that happen. As for the crime, he couldn’t believe he’d done it, and the wild look in his eyes showed him that he was stronger than he’d expected. He took a deep breath and pushed aside any remaining tears, and he sought comfort in the fact that the grisly work was done. Now, he was going to get everything he wanted.
21
Darek
The sound of Lizzy’s voice brought Darek’s head around, and just as he was about to say good morning and let her know about his appointment, he noticed she was on the phone. “I’m with my partner now; we’ll be down in about twenty.”
She ended the call and spun around to face him, the anger on her face filling him with concern.
“What was that all about, and where are we going?” Darek asked.
“Hannah Halston has been found.”
Darek had waited a week to hear that news. He had thought that his partner’s reaction would be much different than anger. “Is she alive?”
“No, she’s not.”
“Let me guess, stabbed and cut up?” He winced thinking about Hannah being torn apart like the others.
“Not this time. The first on the scene said the only wound they could see was on her ankle, though she was covered with blood. Officer Coleman said it looked like she’d been tied up.”
“So, now our killer is a kidnapper? Interesting.” It wasn’t common for a killer’s style to change, but it wasn’t unheard of.
Lizzy tucked her phone into her blazer. “I’m not sure, but we need to get down there. She was found in the water, down by the pier.”
“The same pier where Victor Barnes was found?” The same one he used to frequent himself when shit was bad with Megan.
“Yeah, that’s the one. So far, that’s the only fucking thing that’s consistent.” Lizzy shook her head in disgust and leaned against his desk.
Darek reached out to comfort her, putting his hand on hers, which was right in front of him on the desk, but she pulled it away. He looked around and wondered if anyone was watching, but there wasn’t anyone else around, not even Max.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you have this reaction before.”
Lizzy smoothed her hair back. “I just don’t understand, I guess. She was a nurse and had been through so much.”
“Yeah, and let’s not forget the fact that Logan Miller has been locked up. He’s not likely responsible unless she was dumped before he was hauled in.” Darek thought that now he’d be free and a much easier target.
“So, we’ll have to let him go unless he really did kill Lidia Hobbs.” Lizzy didn’t seem any more convinced of that than Darek, which was not at all.
“We both know he didn’t,” Darek said. “I’ve seen reactions before, and his wasn’t that of a person who had killed the woman who was taking care of him. It just didn’t make sense.”
“Come on, we better hurry. I told him twenty minutes.” She pushed off his desk, and he got up to follow her.
They got in his car, and once Lizzy was buckled in, he reached over and put his hand on her knee. “Are we okay?”
“We’re fine, but we’re also at work, and I have to focus on this case.” Her tone was a lot sharper than he’d expected, and he drew back his hand and gripped the wheel.
“Noted.” He started the car and drove them down to the scene where a few homeless men stood watching the first responders.
Officer Coleman was still on the scene, and Darek walked over to join him while Lizzy went straight for the body, which was already in the ambulance. “Is this where she was found?” he asked.
Coleman nodded. “Yeah, there was no trace of her phone or ID, but I remembered her coming into the station. I think everyone remembers her. She was so willing to speak about her brother’s innocence. It looks like someone was eager to shut her up.”
Darek agreed with the officer’s assessment. “Any idea how they did it?”
“I told Lizzy about her ankle on the phone. It’s pretty gnawed up. Looks like she was tied up for a while. There were bruises and lacerations. I didn’t see anything else, just bloody clothes and what this nasty water didn’t wash away. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say she was either drowned or suffocated.”
“Well, we’ll get her down to Dr. Cobb’s office, and I’ll let you know if you’re right or not. I wouldn’t go taking any bets, though. She could have been drugged or poisoned. This killer is certainly trying to send a fucking message this time.” He checked his phone, knowing he couldn’t stay, and as soon as he got a moment free, he was going to have to call Bay and tell him what happened.
“Good luck with this one,” Coleman said. “I hope you find the answers soon. Before we’re fishing another pretty girl out of the river.”
Darek patted Coleman on the back and then went to check on Lizzy. She was standing over the body of Hannah Halston, which has a bluish tint but not nearly enough bloat to indicate she’d been there any length of time. “It looks like it was a fresh dump. She’s in pretty good shape considering.”
Lizzy sighed. “Yeah, it could only have been done a couple of hours ago at best. Probably before the sun came up.” She turned to one of the officers from the forensic team who had been on the phone when Darek walked up. “I want the boys processing the area, combing for any clues, especially anything that could have been used to suffocate her, and get those homeless men rounded up for questioning. They had to have seen something.” Lizzy’s voice was commanding, and she was in a take-charge mo
od that she seemed to reserve for work alone. It was sexy, but very much like she was a different person when she was in this mode. He liked the softer side, the side that curled up to him between the sheets.
“Yes, ma’am.” The officer, who Darek thought was named Kenny, walked over to the edge of the pier to talk to Coleman.
“Whoever did this, they didn’t weigh her down at all,” Lizzy said. “Usually, if someone is kept, which her ankle seems to indicate, they take the time to weigh the body before a water dump because they have the time to do it and those bodies aren’t found as quickly. This was a rushed killing. Someone was probably desperate, eager to get rid of the body, to distance themselves from the corpse, perhaps. I think that’s why they smothered her. No blood on their hands. I want to get Dr. Cobb on the phone. I’m following her to his office.”
“Yeah, about that,” Darek said. “As much as I want to stay with you and get my hands dirty, I have an important appointment with the dermatologist.” He couldn’t believe the timing, but he didn’t want to miss his chance to lose the incriminating mark. He looked at the time, and he needed to get there within the next twenty minutes, or he’d be late.
“Seriously? Can’t you reschedule? It has to be this morning?” The anger was really set in her brow now, and he considered cancelling the procedure so she wouldn’t be pissed off at him.
Seeing Hannah’s body between them made him feel even more like shit. She was Tad’s sister, the one he was supposed to have helped look after, but if he didn’t get that fucking brand removed from his shoulder, he could have a shadow of suspicion on him, and that wouldn’t fucking do anything to help his relationship with Lizzy, either.
“I wish it could, Lizzy, but I have a cyst that’s getting removed. I can’t put it off. I’m due in like twenty, and if I go right now, I can still make it. I only came by the office to let you know. Then this grabbed my attention.”
He’d wondered what her reaction would be, and his first guess was correct. She was pissed.
“I thought everything was fine the other day, Darek? You lied to me. Are you sure it’s not something more serious?” Her eyes were still hard and not at all filled with the kind of concern she was expressing verbally.
“I didn’t lie. You asked how it went and I told you.” He didn’t deliberately leave out the cyst story but hadn’t told her because it wasn’t true.
“Fine, go see your lady dermatologist while I process this crime scene and talk to Dr. Cobb about a woman who has been missing, who happens to be the sister of the person we pinned three murders on.” She turned her back to him and walked over to Kenny, leaving Darek alone with Hannah.
He looked down and thought of Tad, his pleading in those final minutes, his determination. He had asked Darek to look after her, and he had failed. Now, it was time to protect himself. He walked off without another word and headed to his car. If he left now, he’d still make it in time.
Once he got on the road, he picked up his phone, and it rang in his hand. He was going to call Bay, but it seems that Lizzy was calling him.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“You’re really leaving me here to deal with this shit alone?”
“You said you’re riding in with Hannah. I didn’t think you needed a ride.”
“That’s not my point. I need you to be here, to look at the evidence with me. Call your doctor and cancel the procedure. I’m just thinking you really should be here in case Reed asks how you’re doing on the case. You know I have to meet with him later.”
“I’d think that you would cover for me and that he’d understand I have a doctor’s appointment.” Darek slowed the car and took the next exit. He still had seven minutes, and it was going to take every single one of them to make it on time.
“This is the fucking FBI we’re talking about. Your cases come first.”
“I can’t, Lizzy. It’s something that needs attention, and I’m dealing with it as soon as possible, which is this morning. I can’t help it if Hannah showed up. I can’t cancel. I already asked for a favor to get this taken care of right away.”
“How long will you be?” Her tone had softened a bit but not much.
“An hour. Maybe a little longer.” He checked the clock and knew he was going to have to call Marie, apologize, and let her know he was still on his way. “I swear, this isn’t going to take all fucking day.”
“Okay, fine. I just want you to get a report, and I don’t want to have given my recommendation if this job isn’t important to you.”
“How can you say that? You know this is important to me. You’re important to me, too, Lizzy.”
“I know. I’m sorry I freaked out. I just don’t want anything to hinder you, you know?”
Darek felt a sense of relief that she was not upset with him. He could understand her wanting him to succeed and be accepted, especially since she’d put her neck out for him. She was so passionate about her work, and he loved that about her.
When their call ended, he tried to ring Bay, but it was no use. The man apparently wasn’t going to answer his phone. He’d have to tell him later. He called Marie and made sure she was ready for him, and she told him not to worry about a few minutes.
He pulled into the garage of the medical center, and after finding himself a place to park, he took a deep breath before going inside. He traced the arrow-shaped Sagittarius brand with his finger and was glad that he was about to officially be out of the Zodiacs for good.
22
Finn
Despite the fact that he’d gone with Lou, who showed up just after midnight, the two had more problems than he cared to relive.
Lou had backed the car into the garage, and while Finn hadn’t wanted to move the body, the older man insisted. They waited for what seemed like forever for Bay to tell them the location he wanted her dumped and that they were supposed to weigh the body down.
The bag of concrete Bay told them to use wasn’t in the garage, and because of the hour, they couldn’t just go out and buy some.
“What are we supposed to do?” Finn asked.
“Fuck it, it doesn’t matter,” Lou said. “You know as well as I do, ain’t no one going to find this body if we tie her up with bricks.”
Finn had felt like the bricks would never stay, and sure enough, when they’d gone down to the pier where Bay had said to dump her, there were too many people around. They left and drove around for what seemed like an hour, until even Lou started getting paranoid.
Lou had taken the first chance and stopped next to the pier, where he jumped out and yelled at Finn to help. “You’re going to make a lousy hit man,” he said with his phlegmy voice.
Finn ignored the comment and helped him toss Hannah in the river. Before anyone could see, they jumped in the car and sped away, Finn barely closing his door before the car jerked him back in his seat and the motion swung it toward him.
Lou had dropped him off a block away from the penthouse. “This is as close as I get,” he said. Then he drove away as Finn got out and headed upstairs.
Bay was gone, most likely at home, snuggled into his bed with his wife and her sister.
Finn had laid down and closed his eyes, and that was the last thing he remembered.
He lay in Bay’s bed, the sun shining in the window casting beams across his chest, and he lifted his hand in the ray to see if he was still real. He didn’t feel real; he didn’t feel like anything or feel anything. There was an overwhelming numbness, one that had crept in somewhere in the middle of the night when he realized he had to touch Hannah’s dead body.
He’d done that to her, made her limp and lifeless, at least until it was time to pull her out of the trunk. By then, she’d gone rigid, her body stiff with rigor mortis, and it almost made him lose whatever was left in his stomach. He had managed to keep it down, which was good since Lou seemed to hate him. No need to give the man another reason.
He got out of bed and wondered if the world outside had already learned of what he�
�d done. If those men, the ones he hadn’t seen until they were speeding away, had found what they had left behind.
He could still hear the body hitting the water and figured if he couldn’t get it out of his head, those men were liable to have heard it, too. He looked out the window, noticing that the day seemed normal, busy traffic, lots of people. Just your average Wednesday. Except today, he woke up a killer.
The phone rang in the room, and it nearly made him jump out of his skin. He wasn’t sure if he should pick it up, so he let it ring. He looked at his phone and found it lying on the floor. He picked it up. Dead as Hannah.
He looked for a charger, trying to push the thoughts from his mind. The overwhelming guilt and the misery were not going to escape him anytime soon. He didn’t know if he could bear it. He needed Bay. He needed the other man to tell him that things were going to be okay.
He remembered being younger, being shipped off to camp by two parents who couldn’t wait to get rid of him. The long hours they worked weren’t enough, and they needed several hundred miles more between them. He remembered that loneliness, the feeling of being alone in a crowd, and how writing and reading had taken him away from it all.
He didn’t need an escape other than books, but his father thought he’d be better off on a real-life adventure, and boy, had he gotten one.
Those first days at camp were brutal, but once he’d met Bay, it all changed. He actually forgave his parents, who he’d realized weren’t much different than other parents trying to make it in the world.
He wondered what they’d think of him now. They hadn’t been in touch for a long time, but neither had he. He’d taken up filmmaking, and they’d begrudgingly let him have his college money, even though they’d wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer, something “realistic,” as his father would say.
