by PJ Fernor
He shakes his head.
He tries to shake her a few more times.
He looks around.
“It’s just us now,” he whispers. “This is going to hurt for a little bit. But it’s worth it. On my end. Not so much on your end. If you die, know you died with purpose. If you live, then you’ll find a new way to survive.”
He touches her left wrist.
As his thumb caresses her skin, he takes a deep breath.
Slowly, he removes his lucky knife from his pocket.
The jagged teeth are meant for slicing skin and bone, right?
He crouches down and places the woman’s hand to her side.
He presses the knife to the top of her wrist and presses hard.
The woman doesn’t move.
He moves the knife back and forth, carefully watching her eyes.
Her skin began to rip open, blood seeping out.
Once he’s beyond the point of her waking up, he looks at her wrist.
He needs to move fast.
He stands up, grabs her forearm with his left hand, and he began to saw with aggression.
He grunts each time her wrist resists the cutting.
Soon he’s beyond the first couple layers of skin. He can see the yellowish, fatty tissue, knowing he’s getting close to the bone.
A smile creeps across his face.
He pulls the knife back and suddenly feels a sharp pain between his legs.
So sharp, he steps back, holding the bloody knife, gasping for a breath.
He looks down at the woman on the park bench.
She’s awake.
Chapter Fifty-Six
My alarm sounded the next morning and I sat up in bed, skipping snooze for the first time in a really long time.
I quietly got out of bed and snuck into the bathroom to take a shower.
As I washed my hair, I debated on my next move.
My mind was split into two parts.
Two different cases.
Both with merit.
I needed to find a new lead in the case of someone cutting off hands.
The connection I made to IY Green appeared to be squashed. Which was okay. Worst case, someone was randomly choosing people. That meant we would have no choice but to warn people. That would cause a stir. Nobody liked to live in fear. But if we pulled all our resources together, we could canvas quiet spots at night where the killer seemed to enjoy attacking people. Something would come up though. It always did.
Killers were often smart, but give them time, and they would make a mistake. Even the smallest of mistakes was all I needed to make a move.
Now when it came to The One, while the case was very touchy, I had proof.
I had Wendy.
There was no way Laura could be mad at me either.
I wasn’t out looking for The One.
There was simply a suggestion made to me during my current investigation of the person cutting off hands. Did I think The One was behind it? No. But it was worth checking into. A quick ride and I ended up finding Wendy, who was more than willing to help me help her.
All I needed was for her to tell Laura everything she told me.
Then we could start working the case again.
The only issue lingering was Giovanni.
I knew for sure he thought we had made a deal.
There were no handshakes. No agreements.
I was a detective that was above the line of corruption.
I did, however, have to move carefully.
I was not going to be naive enough to think Giovanni wouldn’t go after Calvin’s family. The man and his brother built an entire business off of threats that they seemed to always follow up on.
When I stepped out of the shower, I realized how long I had been in there.
The bathroom was a heavy cloud of steam.
I wrapped a towel around my body, then opened the bathroom door.
I glanced down to the living room and nodded.
Wendy was the key factor in this.
And I would keep to my word and keep her safe and protected from everything.
Back in my room, I got dressed and brushed my hair before pulling it back into a tight bun.
Then I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and stopped to smile at the good morning text from Ben.
I texted him back, walking down the hallway, head down, which was the same thing I always told Lo not to do. But I understood it. She was giddy when Trevor texted her. And I guess I was giddy because Ben had texted me.
I put my phone down to get some coffee.
I put one mug on the counter, then smiled.
I grabbed two more.
After filling only two - I knew Lo wouldn’t be out for a few more minutes - I walked to the living room and opened my mouth to wish Wendy a good morning.
There was one problem.
The couch was empty.
“No,” I whispered.
I hurried to the dining room table and put the coffee cups down.
Then I ran to the bathroom.
No Wendy.
I opened the closet door.
No Wendy.
I slowly opened Lo’s door and saw her in bed, slowly stirring under the covers.
There was no sign of Wendy in her room either.
I shut the door and ran back to the couch.
I picked up the blanket and shook it out as though Wendy were going to fall from it.
Wendy was gone.
I glanced at the front door to the apartment and sure enough, the locks were undone.
I noticed something on the end table.
A piece of paper folded in half.
A note from Wendy.
My heart climbed into my throat as I opened the piece of paper.
There were three words on the paper.
We’re all his.
I shut my eyes and tried to take a deep breath.
We’re all his.
The same saying that had been haunting me from the time this case began.
The One had put such fear into those around him.
Wendy had been here.
I had talked to her.
We had bonded together.
She said she wanted my help.
I was going to take care of her.
We were going to find The One.
Wendy was the-
“Hey, where’s Wendy?”
I crumbled up the paper and spun around.
Lo stood just a few feet away, yawning.
“Lo.”
“I know, I’m never up this early,” she said. “I just wanted to talk to Wendy before I went to school. I figure I won’t see her again, right? Whatever she’s helping you with…”
“Oh, Lo,” I said. My right hand kept crunching up the paper. “Lo, she had to leave already.”
“What?”
“I know. It was an early morning thing.”
I couldn’t tell Lo the truth. Not about this thing. No way.
Lo couldn’t know about Wendy’s connection to The One.
“I don’t get it… didn’t you drive her here?”
“I did,” I said. “She was picked up.”
“Picked up? To go where?”
“I can’t say,” I said with a sigh. “It’s private stuff, Lo. Just trust me.”
“Allie, is she going to be okay?”
I forced a smile on my face and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Darn,” Lo said. “I really wanted to talk to her again.”
“I know,” I said. “I did too. I mean, after…” Get it together, Allie. “I was hoping she could have some of Miss Kesslier’s cinnamon rolls.”
“Oh, yeah,” Lo said. “If she had one of those, she’d never leave.”
“Right?”
“I feel bad for her, Allie. She seems like a good person, right?”
“She is. Yeah. You heard what she told you. Sometimes life is just… I don’t know, Lo. Sometimes it’s crazy. And sometimes you get lost.”
&nb
sp; Lo lifted her hand and showed me the ring Wendy had given her. “I’ll keep this ring forever then.”
“That’ll make Wendy really happy.”
Lo turned and went into the kitchen.
I took one deep, shaky breath.
Then Ben texted me again.
Get to the station ASAP - Laura is on the war path.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Laura paced behind her desk.
Ben and I were front row on the other side of the desk.
Muldavey stood to Ben’s right, hands folded in front of him, sweating.
Garrison stood at the good coffee, stirring a fresh cup with a skinny, red straw.
“Three,” Laura said. “One, two, three. And there’s no connection?”
“We had one, but it fell through,” I said.
“I don’t want to hear that,” Laura said as she turned to face me. There was fire in her eyes. “Do you understand that?”
“We can’t arrest someone who isn’t guilty,” I said.
“Don’t talk that way to me,” she growled.
I had never seen this side of Laura before.
“Laura, she’s just telling the truth,” Ben said.
Laura pointed at Ben. “Don’t fight her battles. Detective Allie Down is a big girl. She can handle herself.”
My back stiffened. “Laura, I think you’ve got things wrong here. We have a good position to go after IY Green. Even with our first theory falling through, they took part in Jessica’s murder. One of the muscle men was the one who attacked her.”
“But he didn’t kill her and cut off her hand,” Laura said.
“We don’t think so,” Ben said. “We’re still connecting the dots.”
“And what are you two doing?” Laura asked, pointing to Muldavey and Garrison.
“I’m working as needed, ma’am,” Muldavey said.
“I’m stirring my coffee,” Garrison said.
“You want two weeks off without pay?” Laura asked Garrison.
Garrison straightened his back and his cheeks looked flush. “No.”
“Then cut the funny guy act,” Laura said. “I want answers. I want a suspect. I want a theory. I want something that sticks. Three people have been attacked. Murdered. Their hands cut off. Did you hear that? Their hands were cut off.”
“I know, Laura,” I said. “I was there. I saw. I get it. This last one threw us for a loop. Victor was another muscle man for Anthony and Giovanni. We think maybe they killed their own guy, but when I talked to Giovanni, he looked genuinely surprised by the news of Victor’s death.”
“Death? It was murder.”
“Murder,” Ben said. “You’re right. Three murders.”
“I think being in here is a waste of time,” I said.
I felt everyone sucking in a breath in their minds.
“Waste of time?” Laura asked. “Waste of time. That’s what this is?”
“You know what I meant,” I said. “I know you’re frustrated. But we’re working on this. We haven’t sat around and done nothing. We’re chasing leads. There hasn’t been much left behind. Our only connection is Anthony and Giovanni. But now one of their guys has been attacked.”
“What does that tell you then?” Laura asked.
“That’s what we’re figuring out right now,” I said.
“Then why are you here? You’re wasting my time, Detective.”
Laura seethed. She looked ready to snap worse than she already was.
I almost felt like daring her to fire me.
I had done nothing. Neither had Ben.
Unless maybe she found out that Ben and I were a thing.
“Muldavey, Garrison, get out of here,” Laura said. “You know what? You too, Ben.”
“Laura,” Ben said.
“Out!” she yelled.
Ben exited the office behind Muldavey and Garrison.
Now it was just Laura and I facing off.
“You know what I’m going to say next, right?” Laura asked.
“No,” I said.
“You better not be elsewhere.”
“Meaning?”
“You know what that means,” Laura said. “Elsewhere. On a different case.”
She means The One.
I kept my face straight.
I had been this close to bringing Wendy into Laura’s office this morning.
“No,” I said. “My focus is on the current case, Laura. Someone is out there killing people and cutting off their hands. That’s my focus.”
“Then I want results,” she said. “And if I find out you’re lying…”
“I understand,” I said. “Can I go solve this case now?”
Laura gave a nod and turned her back to me.
I hurried to get out of the office to find Ben waiting in the stairwell.
He grabbed my hand. “What happened in there?”
“She’s upset today.”
“I told you, Allie Down. I’ve never seen her like this. This case is gruesome. This is the kind of case that gets national attention. She doesn’t want that here.”
“Neither do I,” I said.
“Then what do we do next?” Ben asked.
“We talk it all out. Something will come forward.”
“What about your guest?”
I shook my head. “She left in the middle of the night.”
“What?”
“I have no idea where she is, Ben,” I said. “I’ve been trying to hold myself together all morning here. She was the piece I needed. Someone that could talk about The One. And now Laura is all over me about it… I think she senses it.”
“I’m sure she does. She knows it hit home for you.”
“I’m focused, Ben. On everything. But I’m telling you right now, Giovanni was shocked to hear about Victor. So maybe Anthony did it? I don’t know. We can keep pushing at IY Green. But…”
“You’re worried about that girl now,” Ben said.
“Of course I am. She’s nineteen. On the street. Alone. Terrified. And I had her safely with me.”
“She didn’t want to be there, Allie Down.”
“She did,” I said. “She was afraid. That’s why she left.”
“What are you going to do?”
I thought for a few seconds.
“Preens,” I said. “That’s my next stop.”
“Preens?” Ben asked.
“Preens,” I said. “Wendy brought him up. I have to talk to him.”
“So I’m solo on the current case?” Ben asked.
“Just for a minute, Ben. Okay? I promise. Think about all we have with the case. Three people. Dead. Hands missing. Think about what’s connected and what isn’t.”
“Harold is the thing that sticks out,” Ben said. “He doesn’t fit in with anything to do with Anthony and Giovanni.”
“Then we run it two ways,” I said. “Exclude Harold and push at Anthony and Giovanni. Add Harold in and find more clues.”
Ben sighed. “You know what you’re doing here is a big risk, right? If Laura finds out…”
“I know the risks,” I said. “I don’t really care.”
I tried to move around him but Ben grabbed my hand. “That’s why I really like you, Allie Down.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t like me so much then,” I said. “I’m going to end up getting fired, hurt, or worse.”
I waited for Ben to say something soothing or romantic.
He just remained silent.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Everything in my career was built on taking risks. The case that made me into a detective was a big risk. So big that I ended up kidnapped myself (only for a short while). At the end of it, I should have had my badge taken away. Except, I received my detective’s shield instead.
Laura being enraged didn’t bother me one bit.
I had dealt with those above me in power having bad days before.
Whether Laura liked it or not, she needed me. And if she did want to move away from me, I c
ould work anywhere in the state. Or just go back to the city.
With Lo?
I shook away the possibilities of what could go wrong and focused on Preens.
I expected a little more resistance from him when it came to meeting me, but maybe he figured out who I was. That I wouldn’t stop calling. And worst case, I would have Johnny get on him. Anyone who thought I could call someone a lot hadn’t met Johnny Barby.
We agreed to meet in an empty parking lot just south of one of the newer developments called Harrington. There were only a handful of houses built, all sold already, and only two that had decks built off the house. Meaning the other houses had boards across their back doors since there was nothing to step out to.
The trees and land were still being excavated for more work.
What was left of an old manufacturing building was the cracked parking lot where I parked my car and waited.
Preens showed up a few minutes later in an unmarked, undercover vehicle.
I stood outside my car and he tried to stay in his car, looking at me smugly, like I was inconveniencing him.
“Detective,” he said.
“Officer,” I said. “Or did you get promoted since you’re driving this car?”
“I’m working on something. Very important. I don’t have much time.”
“Step out of the car and talk to me,” I said.
He threw the door open, shaking his head. “What could this possibly be about?”
“There’s only one reason why I’d want to talk to you,” I said.
“Don’t tell me this is about the girls under the bridge again,” Preens said. “They’re all gone now. I finally got the help I needed there. We patrol there every single day, and night, so far there hasn’t been any issues. In fact, you know what, I’ll cave.” He put his hands together. “Thank you for what you did, Detective. You got that place cleaned up.”
“Wendy,” I said.
“What?”
“The name Wendy. Does it mean anything to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“The girls weren’t under just one bridge, Preens,” I said. “Gorm Street. Does that ring any bells.”
Preens looked away. “What is this about?”
“The case isn’t closed,” I said. “Far from closed. One part is cleaned up. That’s not the end of it. And every time I get involved with someone, your name comes up.”
