Temperature Rising

by Knight, Alysia S.

  Laken was trapped in watching her. Knowing what was coming. She fought to wake, to yell out. She couldn’t seem to get any sound out in the dream world or the real one that she couldn’t reach no matter how she fought for it. The eager hatred of the Hunter ate at her. The anticipation of the kill became an inferno.

  ****

  Mac wanted to punch something, but kept the anger pushed down and fought for reason. “Why do we need to hold her? She hasn’t done anything,” he demanded, staring down at his captain. Amos Carter was a bull of a man. Though several inches shorter than him, Amos was built like an old heavyweight boxer. Mac had a lot of respect for the man, whose eyes blazed out at him from his dark ebony skin.

  “Then how does she know so much about the murders? You said you didn’t give her any details.” Amos looked at him, challenging him to say he did.

  “No.” Mac bit back his anger.

  “I didn’t think so. That woman knows too much, and I’m not buying the dream thing. That psychic stuff might be hot on TV, but not in my station.”

  “Why would she come forward if she was involved?”

  “You know the answer to that. Some just like to challenge us to catch them. They can’t resist waving the red flag under our noses. I want you to get your head on straight and find me some evidence, or you’re off this case.”

  “Laken didn’t do it. Dr. Shannon agrees with that.”

  The man hardly paused. “The doctor is going with her instincts. I’m going with facts, and the fact is, the woman knows things that only the killer could. Are you going to throw away your career over her?” his captain challenged back.

  “What career? We both know mine’s over. It’s only a matter of time until I’m forced to retire.”

  “You’re better than any man on this force.”

  “Then why won’t you trust me on this? She’s innocent.”

  “That’s your emotions talking.”

  “No, it’s not. You say you want evidence, let’s talk evidence. She isn’t tall enough. For the angle of the knife entry, she’d need to be at least six feet.”

  “The woman’s five-eight, put her in heels and that would put her close enough.”

  “Who would put on high heels to go killing people? Okay, scratch that. There are sickos that would, but the foot marks on the victims’ backs were not made from a high heel. Do you think she stops and changes shoes? And does she look like she had the strength to hold a woman, approximately the same size as her, while she plunges a knife in her back?” Mac made another point, but before he got his answer, there was a knock on the door and an officer stuck his head in.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but I was told to inform you immediately that there’s a problem down in holding with your suspect.”

  “What suspect?” the captain barked, obviously annoyed by the interruption.

  “Laken Williams. They said MacDaniels would want to know. I guess she’s running a high fever. They’ve got a paramedic unit headed down there now.”

  Chapter Nine

  Mac pushed passed the officer, bursting from the room, not needing to hear more. He took the stairs at a hobbled gate, not waiting for the elevator. The three flights had never seemed so far. It was easy to find where Laken was by the people gathered around the opening.

  “Let me through,” he demanded, as he pushed his way past them. No one dared to question his right to enter the room. Two men from a paramedic unit were kneeling beside the cot, opening cases. He recognized both men. They were good paramedics, but one look at Laken sent terror slashing into him. She lay still on the cot, her mouth partly open in a silent gasp. It looked like she was barely breathing.

  “What’s happening?” The words trembled as they came out of him.

  “Some kind of an infection possibly, they said she cut her leg earlier. It could be what she cut it on was dirty, maybe contained some kind of toxin, or she’s having a reaction to what they gave her at the hospital. She’s burning up.” One of the men, Justin, answered without looking up from settling an oxygen mask over her face. He reached for a blood-pressure cuff.

  “Her temperature is a hundred and five point three,” the other man, David, announced.

  Justin looked up. “You certain?”

  “Did it twice. We’ve got to bring it down.” David was already reaching for some cold packs in one of the boxes and activating them.

  Mac’s attention turned to the woman he feared he couldn’t live without. Her stillness terrified him. “Laken.” He moved past the men to place a hand on her head. Her skin branded him with heat as he ran his fingers along her forehead to stroke back her hair. It took all his force of will to remain calm and think. His mind ran over what she had said about the visions of murder and the fevers. He remembered the heat that was still on her skin the night of the last one and how it had raised during the hypnosis.

  “Man, her pulse is going through the roof,” Justin said.

  “Temperature’s one-o-five point four.”

  “Laken, come on, it’s Mac. Listen to me. You’ve got to come back to me. Come on, sweetheart. I need you to listen to me. You can fight this. You’re stronger than he is. Fight it.” She remained still. “Laken!” He gripped her face between his hands. Mac felt lost, only able to look down at her and plead with his eyes, and then he saw a tiny intake of air raise her chest.

  “Temp’s a hundred and five even,” the voice in the room declared.

  “Come on, Laken. You can do it.”

  Her head jerked to one side and back. “No.” The cry was barely discernible.

  “No?” Justin glanced at him, but he focused his attention on her.

  “Yes,” Mac demanded. “Come to me.”

  Her head flipped back and forth again harder, as if she were struggling. She dislodged the mask. “No,” she cried out again. It was filled with agony and fear. “He’s going to… kill her. He’s hunting. Run!” The scream seemed to be ripped out, making everyone jump. “He’s there. Run, run. Look back.” She panted.

  “Laken, you’ve got to fight him.”

  Her head now thrashed back and forth so hard that Justin had to grab her to keep her from falling off the cot.

  “Someone see if Dr. Shannon can get down here fast,” Mac yelled over his shoulder. “Tell her it’s Laken Williams. That she’s locked in on the killer.”

  “Her temperature’s dropped to almost a hundred and four. Keep talking to her. It’s working,” David announced.

  “That’s it Laken, fight him.” Mac stroked back her hair.

  “He’s going to kill. He wants to kill.”

  “Where is he, Laken? Can you tell me where? Something that you know, something that can help me stop him? Something that can save her?”

  “Marinette,” she gasped out.

  “Marinette,” he repeated. “The bar. Are they there now?”

  Her head shook, this time in a controlled shake.

  “Can you see her?”

  Laken cried out. “Look. He’s behind you. He can taste the kill. She deserves to die. It’s his right to kill her. Thinks she’s as good as a man. He saw the way she acted, looking down on men. She needs to be taught her place.”

  “Her temperature’s climbing again.”

  “Laken, listen to me. Concentrate on my voice. Come on, you can do it. We can stop him, but you’ve got to help me.”

  “Dr. Shannon says she’s on her way. She said you need to keep talking to her, do what you’re doing. Try to get her to describe everything, and see if she can become detached from the killer,” someone said behind him.

  “Laken, I need you to tell me where he is. You can do it. Look around and tell me what you see.”

  A whimper tore deep in her throat.

  Mac fought to push down the panic raising in him at her obvious pain. “You can do it. Come on, sweetheart.”

  “Street.”

  “Good, where? What can you see? Come on, read me a sign.”

  “Bank.”

  �
�Good, what bank?”

  “The Sip.”

  “Sip. Someone get units to Hawthorn and hundred and sixth. Now!” Mac ordered, sending them to where a small coffee shop sat on the corner. “Where are they Laken?”

  She jerked up from the cot. “No, don’t go, don’t go… in. No, no.”

  “Temperature’s spiking.”

  Mac grabbed her shoulders tight, holding her still. “Laken, where at? Where is she going? Fight him, baby.”

  “Parking.” The word barely made it out between gasps.

  “That’s it. Tell them to check the parking structure,” Mac again ordered over his shoulder.

  A whimper escaped her, tearing at him. “I have you. I’m here, but I need you to tell me where she is. Where are they, Laken?”

  “Temperatures dropping again,” David said, taking another reading.

  “She’s going up, she’s walking faster. Needs to run… to get out of there. He’s moving faster. The witch thinks she can get away. No!” Laken screamed. “Don’t face him. Run. Run.” She went rigid, terror etched deep in her face. “Fight, fight him.” The words struggled out of her as she stiffened on the cot, every muscle in her body going rigid. Her breath came in short, pained pants. The paramedic pressed the oxygen mask back over her face.

  A paramedic swore. “Her vitals are spiking. Her body can’t handle this.”

  “Give her something,” someone yelled.

  “We can’t. She’s not stabilized enough.”

  “Laken!” Mac yelled at her helplessly.

  ****

  Laken jerked. She saw the woman swing up her hand with her purse in it, but the Hunter knocked it away easily. She’s pathetic if she thinks she can stop me. She’s nothing compared to me. He didn’t see her other hand come up until the claws dug into his face. He roared in feral anger. Digging his fingers into her neck, he shook her roughly. Does she think she can defy me? Her head flipped back and forth. He pulled her up to face him, his hand going into his pocket to pull out the knife. He was raising it behind her back when the spit caught him in the face.

  Another roar erupted from him as he drove the knife down. The woman went rigid in his hold, the scream failing as it came out. He let her drop. She landed on her side instead of face down. Angrily, he pushed her over with his foot then placed the sole on her back and ground down, but it wasn’t right. The calm didn’t come. She had deserved to die. He didn’t doubt that, but it wasn’t right.

  He stared down at her and raised his hand to wipe the spittle from his face. Displeasure instead of peace filled him. It should’ve been the other one. That’s what was wrong. It should have been the other. She was to blame. It was her fault, he ranted in his mind. He had to kill her before the hunting would be right again.

  The sound of a car coming up the ramp filtered in just before the Hunter slipped into the shadows. The police! It was the witch’s fault. The last thought came just before she fell free, and Laken knew he was talking about her.

  ****

  Laken jerked again and went so limp Mac felt a new wave of panic. “Laken.” Her name tore from him in a whisper. It was then he saw her chest draw in a deep breath and he felt a surge of hope, but inside, he wondered if that meant the woman, whoever Laken was seeing, was dead. Well, he couldn’t worry about that right now. It was someone else’s job. His concern was the woman before him. Mac wasn’t prepared for the hand that rested on his shoulder and jerked. He hadn’t seen Laura Shannon push her way into the room.

  “It’s okay, Mac, she’s free now. Her body just needs rest.”

  “Temperature plunging. One-o-one point seven,” the paramedic said as if confirming.

  “Pulse is returning to more normal,” Justin added to his partner.

  “Laken,” Mac whispered, and leaned forward to brush a kiss on her forehead. “It’s okay. I’m here. Just rest now.”

  She sighed but didn’t stir.

  “She’s stabilized,” David announced, and a collective sigh came from the people crowded in the back of the cell and doorway.

  “Keep monitoring her,” the doctor told them. “You can transport her now. There shouldn’t be any problem, though I haven’t seen anything like that before.”

  “Neither have I,” Captain Amos Carter exclaimed loudly from the doorway. “Was that real?”

  “Oh, yes,” Dr. Shannon answered. “I hope you have men there.”

  “Yeah, we have it covered. Okay, everyone back to work. Show’s over. Get her transported to the hospital to check her out.” The captain’s voice barked at the back of the crowd, but before anyone could move, a radio squawked through the already tense atmosphere. Everyone froze listening to the request for medic and ambulance at the parking garage. They found a victim with one stab wound to the back, but she was still alive. The already hushed cell picked up a tomblike stillness until they brought a gurney in and forced everyone out of the way.

  Mac steadied Laken’s neck and shoulders as they shifted her to the gurney. She remained limp, her chest barely rising.

  As the paramedic spread a blanket over Laken, Dr. Shannon caught Mac’s attention. “I’ll stop by the hospital later. I’d like to put her back under if she’s up to it. See if we can learn anything more. But I’d prefer to do it at the hospital in case we have troubles. What she goes through is very violent.”

  Mac nodded. “I’ll be there with her,” he said, stating the obvious and then starting to follow the gurney out. At the doorway, Amos caught his arm pulling him back.

  “I’m going to the hospital,” Mac shot out, leaving no room for argument.

  The captain nodded. “Figured. I still don’t know what to think.” The man’s head shook in disbelief on his big thick neck. “Mac, they found the woman. She’s still alive, barely. They aren’t sure if she’ll make it to the hospital, but if they hadn’t reached her so soon…” The man who had seen a lot in his career looked down the hall after Laken in pure puzzlement. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself, and I’m still not sure I do.” Amos removed his hand, letting Mac go.

  Mac understood what the man was saying. He’d believed her already, but still, what he’d just witnessed was enough to freak him out.

  At the ambulance, Justin stopped him from getting in. “We don’t need an officer. She isn’t going anywhere.”

  “She’s my fiancée.” The lie came out so easy Mac decided it was close to the truth. It sure felt right.

  “Your fiancée was in jail?” The man looked at him in disbelief.

  “Long story, but she isn’t under arrest. She witnessed a murder.”

  “I kind of feel like I did, too.” The man let him pass.

  They were almost at the hospital when Laken began to stir, but she settled under Mac’s touch. Her eyes fluttered open as the gurney was lifted out.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart.” Mac caught her hand that didn’t have the IV in, bringing it to his lips.

  “He killed again.” Her voice was rough and raspy, filled with pain that reflected in her eyes.

  “Maybe not.” He let out to give her a chance of hope. “They found her. She was still alive.”

  “Did they catch him?” Her eyes sparked with need.

  He shook his head. “No, but they’re searching. No.” He reacted to her tensing. “Don’t worry, just rest.” With his other hand, he stroked back her hair. Her eyelids dipped once then stayed closed as she drifted into a restorative sleep.

  Mac didn’t dare take his eyes off her. Her vitals had all returned to normal and the doctor had assured him that, though exhausted, she was fine. She was sleeping peacefully and her body just needed rest to rejuvenate. Still, he couldn’t seem to shake off the fear of losing her. Now it was all settled down, it was worse because he had nothing to keep his mind from dwelling on all that happened. How she had burned with fever at a dangerous level and how shallow her breathing had become.

  He never wanted her to go through that experience again. He never wanted to go through
watching her go through that again. They had to catch the killer. They had come so close to getting the Hunter because of Laken, but the Hunter had managed to slip away. Mac knew he had to get him. He tried to force his mind to go over everything. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much.

  The man was careful, but he had slipped up this time. The woman had managed to scratch him so they now had DNA evidence. And with one mistake, there was a chance of another. It could be that the killer was losing his control, which might give them an advantage, but it also made him more dangerous.

  Time was ticking before he would kill again. Mac looked down at Laken. Dr. Shannon would be in soon, and he knew, if the emergency doctor agreed, she’d want to hypnotize Laken. He also knew they needed to get more information, but the thought of Laken living through it again sent dread coursing through him.

  He caught the faint flutter of her eyelids and leaned forward. She drew in a breath and stirred in the bed. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and was rewarded with a slight smile.

  ****

  Mac was sitting by her, with her hand locked in his, when Laken opened her eyes. He looked haggard, but the smile that he gave her reached to the deepest part of her heart.

  “Is it that bad?” Laken’s voice cracked with the words.

  “You tell me. How do you feel?” He brought her hand to his lips.

  She took a deep breath, getting a strong smell of hospital, but it felt free after the police station. “Tell me first — am I under arrest?”

  “No,” he said firmly.

  “Then I’m tired and thirsty.” He was already reaching for the water before she finished the sentence. “Can I go home now?”

  “They’re going to hold you tonight, to be on the safe side. I’m afraid the police department is going to stress that so they don’t get hit with a big lawsuit if you have a…” he paused for the right word, “…relapse.”