Kevin shivered as goose bumps beaded up his arms. Terror leaped off the figure in waves that washed over Kevin. He projected a low and calm voice that pushed through the darkness and met the figure.
“I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help get you out of here. We found the man who’s been hurting you. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
Kevin holstered his weapon and noticed that once he'd past the half-door, he could stand; but he remained low. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Kevin made out that the figure huddled atop of what appeared to be a small mattress.
He inched forward and reached out to what he sensed was a female. Her body trembled with fright. She pushed herself into the bend of the wall for protection, desperate to get away. He pleaded but couldn’t get the woman to leave her closeted prison.
He called back to Sori, “I may need you to do that neck grab.”
Kevin had gotten a lesson from Sori on how to apply a neck grab, like the Vulcans on Star Trek, but he hadn’t perfected it, yet.
Sori was either stronger than she appeared—or knew the human body better than most—because the move required that a lot of pressure be applied to specific areas of the neck, in order to be effective.
He’d witnessed her pulled off the nonlethal move, several times.
They switched places, and it took Sori less than thirty seconds to subdue the woman.
Kevin carried the woman to the loveseat, while Sori called their Top contacts.
Top would take the victim to one of their hidden facilities for medical attention and questioning as well as collect evidence and clear the scene.
Sori and Kevin visibly scanned the woman. She was emaciated, like a starved dog that had been left tied to a tree. Depending on what the death doctor had done to her, she would need nourishment and a lot of care.
After the victim was taken, Sori and Kevin stayed at the apartment to investigate the scene further. They found a journal the doctor kept that detailed more than a decade of him taking people and animals apart.
The last few entries in his journal explained why he’d started the Body Boxes. He'd needed help keeping his subjects alive longer after reassembly, and he’d handpicked Dr. Hughes.
The last journal entry had Kevin and Sori wondering if Yala’s life was still in jeopardy.
Chapter 30
Spicy Lady
Kevin and Sori had the unpleasant task of informing Dr. Nolan’s wife of his death. Mrs. Nolan answered the door with a cheerful smile.
“Please, come in.”
The team entered her home, and Kevin got straight to the point. Midway through one of his sentences, he stopped talking. Sori must have noticed his distress because her back stiffened. She eyed him questioningly as she scooted to the edge of the chair she sat in.
Sori hadn't wanted the task of telling Mrs. Nolan the bad news, because she was horrible with tenderness and compassion. When Kevin took too long to continue his speech, she continued for him.
Her words were rehearsed and mechanical. “Mrs. Nolan, we’re sorry to inform you that we found your husband, dead. He committed suicide. Please, let us know if there is anything we can do for you and your family.”
At first, Mrs. Nolan’s face was devoid of sadness; but then, all of a sudden, she started to cry. Kevin comforted the woman, but his face remained etched with a mixture of confusion and concern.
“Ma’am, you’re not the least bit sorry about her husband’s death?”
Surprise tightened the lines in her face and Mrs. Nolan backed away from him, likely wondering how he knew what she felt.
Sori sat higher in her seat, likely noticing his words weren’t a question. She placed her hand on her weapon as she stared between him and Mrs. Nolan.
Kevin took a careful step back, putting more distance between him and the woman.
“Ma’am, your fragrance. What is it?”
She wiped at her tears.
“It’s a fragrance I have enjoyed since college. It’s called Spicy Lady.”
Sori must have pieced together his body language with his line of questioning. She moved to stand, but Mrs. Nolan’s baby boy had latched onto her pant leg and pulled himself up. The little guy begged Sori—in baby talk—to pick him up, as his chubby little fingers gripped her pants.
Sori plastered a fake smile on her face and stared at Mrs. Nolan to retrieve her child. The Nolan’s had a nine-month-old son and a four-year-old daughter. The little guy clung to Sori’s leg as he stood there, smiling at her with four top teeth, one bottom tooth, and a mouth full of drool.
Kevin knew from working with her that Sori had never held a baby a day in her life. She’d told him that kids were weirdly drawn to her—the one person who knew the least about them.
Mrs. Nolan scooped the baby up and turned to Kevin. His subdued tone slid between his lips.
“That’s the scent. A combination of baby lotion and your Spicy Lady perfume.”
Mrs. Nolan was confused, but Sori knew exactly what Kevin meant. She stood and took a step closer to them.
The team didn’t immediately pull weapons, due to the presence of the baby and the other child in the next room watching television.
Sori placed her hands over the baby’s ears as the little fellow fought to leave his mother’s arms to climb into hers. The baby laughed, a jolly little toddler laugh, as Sori kept his little ears sheltered from the harsh words Kevin knew she was set to release.
Her stabbing words were aimed at Mrs. Nolan.
“You’re going to call someone to pick up your children, and you’re coming with us. You set your husband up, staged his suicide, kept a hostage, and cut my friend into pieces. Your mind is pure darkness. You fucking monstrous bitch! I should bust your fucking—”
The easy smile and innocent eyes of Mrs. Nolan’s baby boy stopped Sori’s rampage of violent words.
Kevin didn’t utter a word. He was surprised at how well Sori handled this situation. Luck was on Mrs. Nolan’s side, that’s for sure. He knew Sori well and there wasn't much that kept her temper in check, except expelling her anger on its intended target.
Instead of fear, or protest, Mrs. Nolan smiled. She accepted that she’d been caught.
“Did the beautiful detective survive?” she asked, as a smug smile danced across her face.
The tight pull of Sori’s face, and her clenched fist, revealed the amount of willpower she used to remain calm.
Kevin’s fists were clenched so tight, his knuckles cracked. As badly as he ached to put a bullet in Mrs. Nolan’s head, he refrained when his mind fell on Yala. He had what he needed, and no longer saw the point in executing revenge.
Of all the things Mrs. Nolan could have asked, she wanted to know if Yala had survived her monstrous science project.
Sori let her face go cold. Her gaze made Kevin shiver. Having seen this look before, Kevin knew the look was usually accompanied by dead bodies.
Sori glared into Mrs. Nolan eyes after re-covering the baby’s ears. Her voice projected low, but the jagged edge to the tone of her words cut deep. “Wouldn’t you like to know? If you didn’t have this baby in your arms, I would kill you excruciatingly slow with my bare hands. You better pray no one in law enforcement is crazy enough to leave you alone with me.”
Mrs. Nolan was smart enough to be afraid this time. Her chin trembled as she adjusted the baby on her hip and pulled out her cell phone. She called her mother-in-law to take care of the kids.
The team had not only found the true Body Box murderer, they’d found a woman willing to use everyone in her life to perfect her twisted fantasy.
When they finally got the chance to interrogate Mrs. Nolan, they uncovered an arsenal of secrets. She knew her husband cheated and had enlisted Elizabeth Paul to seduce him. She’d even convinced the woman to participate in her twisted plot by enlisting her to drop off the boxes. When she suspected cops closing in on her, she'd lured her husband to the apartment she’d rented in his name for years, so he would be caught with al
l of the evidence. His phone had been an accident. It had been left in the last place the doctor had stayed before his wife lured him to his death. Her husband had likely been her backup plan the entire time.
After conducting a more thorough search of the Nolan home, they found a hidden flash drive containing the scan of the original lease Samantha Nolan signed for the Oakwood apartment. They found files of research she’d conducted of what they assumed were various victims. There were no names. All of the files were titled as subject, and she’d made it up to subject twenty-eight. Bank statements from her private account revealed payments for the apartment as well as money transfers to her accomplices, Elizabeth Paul and Mark Jenkins.
As a stay-at-home mother of two, Samantha Nolan had evaded suspicion. No one had ever questioned the fact that she dropped her kids off at day care daily, but didn’t work a regular nine to five. Her time was spent at the apartment she'd turned into a lab. She hadn’t stayed out of medical school for the sake of her children. With only a semester left to completion, she'd likely acquired all the knowledge she thought she’d need to become a full-time body dismantler.
It was frightening to think that her plan would have worked, if it hadn’t been for Kevin’s sharp senses.
Kevin and Sori presented the doctors with what they’d uncovered. Top tasked Drs. Hughes and Pendergast with examining the woman they’d found in the closet.
Dr. Pendergast informed Kevin that they were set to transfer Yala to his lab, as soon as she woke up. His lab was more secure, and he claimed to have more equipment and better medicines.
Chapter 31
Bittersweet
Kevin was at her side when Yala opened her eyes. She reached for his outstretched hand and mirrored his smile. Emotions carried his whispered words.
“You came back to me.”
Yala’s smile deepened and although her hand was too weak to squeezed Kevin's, she tried anyway.
“Of course I did.”
The couple shared an hour of alone time, before Dr. Pendergast stepped into the room. His face remained solemn as he stood on the other side of Yala, facing Kevin.
“I wanted to talk to the two of you, together.”
The doctor cleared his throat, attempting to mask the sorrow behind his eyes.
Kevin sensed the impending bad news. “Is she going to be okay?” he asked, his heart racing as he fought to control his breathing.
Dr. Pendergast nodded his head. “Yes, I believe this young lady will to be fine. But. I have news that affects you both.”
The doctor proceeded, but the strain in his voice remained.
“This incident caused a lot of trauma to your body, Yala. I don’t know how the mad mind of Mrs. Nolan did it, but research proved that you were completely dissected. Every bone, vein, nerve and muscle where she took you apart was reattached and is healing, or has already healed.”
The doctors had explained this already, so Kevin and Yala sat confused.
“I’m not sure the two of you realized it, and I’m not even sure Mrs. Nolan caught it, but…”
Clutching her hand, Kevin stood over Yala’s hospital bed seized by panic.
Dr. Pendergast glared long enough to unnerve Yala and increase the rigidness in Kevin's posture.
“You were pregnant, and this incident caused you to miscarry. You were at the earliest stage, and it appeared you didn't miscarried until you were reattached. I’m so sorry.”
Stunned, the couple stared at the doctor.
Yala couldn’t breathe let alone process the doctor’s words.
Kevin forced words to past his lips. “What did you just say? Pregnant?”
His chest heaved, to compensate for the wind that had just been knocked from it.
Yala smiled, to hide an uncomfortable frown.
“That’s impossible. I was told, as a teen, that I’d never be able to have children.”
Dr. Pendergast sat his hand atop Yala's free hand.
“I know this may be shocking, in light of all you two have gone through, but I’m certain about what I discovered. And, I’m deeply sorry for your loss.”
The Doctor left, leaving them in stunned silence as their minds continued to stumble and process the astonishing news.
Kevin repeatedly kissed Yala’s hand as he stared absently at the wall before him.
“I’m sorry. Sorry this happened to you, to us.”
He couldn’t say the word, baby. He'd never entertained the idea of becoming a father. The knowledge that he’d been so close to fatherhood left him lost and confused.
Yala's mouth hadn't closed since the doctor's revealing words.
“Kevin. I had no idea I could get pregnant, let alone be pregnant. I don’t know how to feel about it.”
He kissed her hand, again.
“I know. I know. It’s hard to believe. It’s amazing, actually, that something so remarkable could have happened to people like us. Honestly, I don’t know how I feel, either.”
A shaky sigh escaped as Yala touched her flat stomach that all of a sudden felt hollow.
Had her life been spared because Death had taken her child instead?
This time, Death had taken something way more precious than a piece of her soul. This time, Death took the innocent soul that she and Kevin had created.
Kevin’s kisses lured her away from the disturbing thought. His concentrated gaze bore into hers. The emotions he projected seeped into her mind and touched her heart.
“I love you, Yala.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered, as her arms tightened around his neck.
Epilogue
Two weeks later, Yala was finally back on her feet. Based on the diary notes they’d found, Samantha Nolan had lost all except two subjects. Yala became the third, so there was possibly one other survivor of the Body Box out there.
Since she was a fellow survivor, Top suggested Yala interview the woman from the closet. Neither the doctors nor therapists could get the woman to speak a word. They surmised she was detached from reality due to the traumatic events she suffered. She appeared mute and her mental state remained in question.
Sori and Kevin briefed Yala on the woman’s current condition and the conditions in which she’d been living. They remarked that she’d been relatively strong for someone held prisoner by a monster. It was evident that Samantha Nolan had tortured the woman for a long time. Nearly fifty percent of the woman’s body was covered in scar tissue in various places where she’d been cut or dissected. The poor woman had evidently been Mrs. Nolan’s version of a lab rat.
Yala sat and stared at the woman whose shoulder-length hair had turned snow white—the kind of white that couldn’t have come from a box of dye. Although the woman’s features suggested someone much younger, her skin was bleached-sheet white and appeared as brittle as wet paper—probably due to lack of sunlight.
She was labeled a mute; but Yala wasn’t so sure, after observing her. Although the pain of her tormented soul lurked in her haunting gaze, the light in the woman’s eyes hadn’t been completely extinguished. She’d survived a living nightmare, which alone, suggested she was stronger than she appeared.
Yala had long ago accepted her special ability to shift.
Was her special ability a part of the reason she’d survived the Body Box?
If so, it likely meant this unknown woman possibly possessed an ability that kept her from succumbing to death at Samantha Nolan’s hands.
Doctors diagnosed the woman with several sociopathic and unstable mental disorders, and she would soon be transferred to The Center. The Center was Top’s version of a mental hospital. Yala didn’t agree with the diagnosis, nor did she agree that the woman belonged in a mental hospital.
Staring across a small wooden table at the woman, Yala sat silently. They sat staring at each other for three straight minutes, before Yala placed a pad and a pen on the table and slid them across to the woman.
“Can you tell me your name? Can you tell me how long you were h
eld prisoner?”
There was no change in the woman’s body language, nor did she pick up the pen.
“Can you write your name?”
Nothing.
“Can you write where you’re from?”
Nothing.
Yala needed to speak in a language the woman would understand, a language the woman would respect.
Yala place her elbow atop the table and leaned towards the women. She waited until their gazes locked before she presented a more menacing tone.
“We have your tormentor in custody. She is imprisoned and can’t hurt you, or anyone else, anymore. She took me apart, too. She made me lose my baby and left my body in parts for my friends to piece back together. I barely survived.”
Yala leaned further across the table and eyed the woman, with a hard stare.
“I know what she did to you. I understand what she did to you. I experienced the kind of pain she put you through.
“If I had time alone with her…I would make her beg for death. I would hurt her as badly as she hurt everyone she’s taken apart, and I would take my time doing it.”
Yala spotted it in the woman’s gaze, this victim wanted revenge. She wanted Samantha Nolan dead for what she’d done.
Yala asked again, “What’s your name?”
The lady lifted the pen and scribbled, in shaky letters: Lori Hendrix.
***End of Body Box***
Questions to ponder from Body Box
1. Do you think Yala and Lori were two out of three Body Box survivors because they have special abilities? If so, what do you think Lori’s ability is?
2. In the chapter, The Mind of a Killer, clues were left that hinted that the killer could have been a female. Did you catch any of them?
3. Were you surprised about Yala’s pregnancy? If the baby had survived, what do you think the couple’s reactions would have been?
Body Box: Adult Paranormal Romance (Supernatural Thriller) (Dark Suspense) (The Smoke & Fire Series Book 2) Page 20
