Unbreakable

by Melissa Seal

  Irritated, Lexie informed, “not that it matters but Chris is on his way home now. He left Tampa yesterday and is driving back to Virginia, because he couldn’t get a flight out right away. He should be home any time.” Why did she have to mention Chris? I hate thinking about Chris when I’m with her.

  Right on cue, Lexie’s phone rang, “Hey babe, I’ve been driving for hours and I’m exhausted. I think I should pull over and nap for a few hours. I’m almost in North Carolina. I’m scared to keep going after what happened last time I was driving home. I want to be safe so I can get home to you.”

  “I understand. Take your time and please be careful.”

  He promised he would, then he pulled his car over on an abandoned road where he planned to kill poor Tiffany. My sweet unsuspecting wife, she has no freaking clue that not only will I not be taking a nap, but I am going to kill this beautiful, innocent girl and there isn’t anything she or anyone else can do to stop me!

  When Chris opened the trunk, he didn’t expect the young girl to be fully awake or untied. Tiffany had heard the man on the phone and felt the car slowing down. She knew it was now or never and was ready when that trunk opened and fortunately for her, her captor was not. Just as Chris opened the trunk, his phone rang and distracted him long enough for Tiffany to hit him with a crowbar she found in the trunk. He stumbled back and fell to the ground. Tiffany let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding and ran.

  By the time Chris realized what happened, Tiffany had made it to the highway and flagged down a car for help. Chris realized she was gone and knew he needed to get out of there fast. He tore open the car door and jumped in. That conniving slut is going to wish she had never done that, when I find her, she is going to pay with her entire body, each fucking inch of it!

  He drove erratically to the highway where he saw Tiffany get into a car, but there was so much traffic that no one noticed him. The blood from his head wound dripped in his eyes, and he was furious as he drove to Virginia. He called Lexie and asked her to meet him at the airport, so he could drop of the rental car. At last he was home, but he was too distracted by the girl that got away, and he knew he would not be able to concentrate on anything until he finished what he started. Chris also knew that he could not leave and go back to Florida right away because Tiffany could identify him. He never tried to conceal his identity from his victims, because he had no intention of leaving any of them alive. Chris was quiet on the ride home from the airport, and Lexie assumed he was tired and needed to rest.

  CHAPTER 10

  The next day, Chris obsessively thought about torturing and watching the life drain from Tiffany Decker’s body. He knew he would have to wait for that kill. He did not want to kill close to home, but he didn’t see any way around it. He needed to kill, and he couldn’t leave Norfolk again so soon. Chris knew Lexie would be at work all day, so he left the house soon after she went to work. He was hunting most of the morning and impatient until he finally found her. He had driven to Hampton, it was not too far from Norfolk but far enough away that it wasn’t in his wife’s jurisdiction. He drove the streets of Hampton for a while before deciding to go to the local college. Chris pulled into the parking lot of the Broadcast Journalism building and instantly spotted Sophia Nunez. She was alone, so Chris left his car and followed her on foot. She was walking fast. He had a hard time keeping up with her until she stopped at the campus coffee shop. Chris waited outside for her. When she came out, he continued to follow her to her dorm. He knew he could not risk grabbing her, so he decided to come back after dark. Now that Chris knew who he wanted to kill, he had to find the right place to do it. He knew there were plenty of abandoned buildings in Hampton, and he set out to find the right one. He was resolved to make this kill faster than normal. He was clever, and he knew he had forty-eight hours before the police considered her a missing person. He intended to have it all done and over within forty-eight hours. He called Lexie and was happy to hear the she would be working late on a rape case that had recently been called in to the station. She and Dani were on the way to interview the victim at the hospital. He was in the clear for at least another four hours or so.

  At dusk, he grew more excited as he waited outside for Sophia. Like he had predicted, she came outside and walked to her study group. Earlier, he heard her tell someone as she was leaving the coffee shop, that she would see them tonight at the study group on the main campus. He let the young lady walk a few blocks before he grabbed and chloroformed her. He put his victim in the back seat, so he could keep an eye on her. He did not want a repeat of what had happened with Tiffany. After he got her in the car, Chris drove to the abandoned building where he tied her to a pole in the middle of the floor. Once secured, he put duct tape over her mouth, so she couldn’t make any noises. He left and parked a few blocks away and walked back to the building. He tortured Sophia right away, he was not going to miss out on that feeling again. After hours of beating and sexually assaulting her, Chris felt satisfied enough to leave for the night. He told Sophia not to worry, that he would be back first thing in the morning. Chris left her lying on the floor in her own blood and walked the two blocks back to his car.

  He drove home, showered, and was in the bed when Lexie came home. She slipped in the bed next to her husband and could feel his desire. She had no idea she was about to make love to the man who had killed so many innocent young women. One as recent as a few hours prior. Chris slowly slid inside of Lexie as they moaned with pleasure. Chris was thinking of Sophia, and Lexie was thinking of Dani.

  The next morning, Chris couldn’t wait for Lexie to leave for work, so he could get back to Ms. Nunez. He was awake hours before Lexie, he had her coffee and breakfast ready when she woke up. He did everything to rush her out, and he thought it was amusing that she had no idea what he was up to. I have been raping, torturing, and killing right under her nose. I rape other women, come home and have sex with her, and she has no clue. I am the Last Call Killer and my unsuspecting wife is the lead detective on my case. Hilarious!

  It seemed like forever before Lexie left, what the fuck Lexie, go to work already! I have an enchanting beauty waiting on me, and I don’t like keeping my girls waiting. Lexie went to work, and Chris went to his house of horrors where Sophia Nunez would breathe her last breath that day. Chris parked his car and crept to the building. Inside, he observed the lifeless body of his latest victim, and he flew into a rage. He pummeled her body with a hammer until her face was unrecognizable. Sophia had died during the night due to internal bleeding from the beatings Chris had given her. He had no idea he had done so much damage. He was livid that she couldn’t make that one last phone call. That was two girls in a row. Chris was spiraling out of control. He left the body in the abandoned building and went back home to shower and change clothes. He was covered in Sophia’s blood and had to get rid of the clothes. He was infuriated and ran a red light on his way out of Hampton.

  CHAPTER 11

  Lexie and Dani had interviewed the rape victim and all possible witnesses at the bar where the alleged incident took place. It was a long, tedious process and both ladies were glad when it was over. Dani had a hard time dealing with rape cases, because they reminded her of her own attack. She was getting better with it as time passed, but it was still a hard thing to deal with. She was determined to be professional and do her job to the best of her ability. After all the interviews were done, the detectives had a suspect and were on their way to pick him up for questioning when Lexie received a phone call from the Hampton police Chief, Addison Cole.

  “I am calling to inform you that one of my patrol cops pulled your husband, Chris, over for running a red light. When the cop approached the car, he noticed blood all over the driver and called for backup. While waiting for back up, the driver fled the scene and there was a pursuit, but he was able to outrun the police and escaped. The man in the car was never identified, but the car was registered to Chris Fleming. Do you know where your husband is, detective? It wou
ld be very helpful if you could locate your husband and bring him down to the Hampton Police Station, so they can clear up this mess.”

  “I will find Chris, and we will get this straightened out. Thank you for the heads up and for giving me an opportunity to find him myself.” This is insane, why would Chris be in Hampton with blood all over him and running from the police?

  Lexie found Dani, “I am so sorry partner, but I need to leave, can you get two officers to go with you to pick up the rape suspect?”

  She called Chris, there was no answer.

  She left a voicemail and rushed home. “Chris, are you okay? I need you to call me now!”

  Lexie found their bedroom ransacked and most of Chris’s clothes missing from the closet. She was confused at first and then realized he was running from something, but she had no idea what or why. Lexie tried calling again, but his phone went straight to voice mail. She called the office and tried to get a trace on his location, but his phone couldn’t be traced because it was off. Lexie was clueless. She thought that maybe he had been kidnapped or worse. Where is my freaking husband and who was the man in his car, and whose blood was all over him?

  She called Dani, “I just wanted to see how it was going with the rape suspect. Also, I must go to Hampton and talk to the police chief there about Chris. We’ll talk when I get back.”

  Dani had finished interrogating the suspect because he had requested a call to his lawyer, and she didn’t want this case thrown out due to a technicality. Worried about her partner, Dani went out for some fresh air while they waited for the suspect’s lawyer.

  Chris had panicked when the cops pulled him over. All he thought to do was run. He waited for the police officer to walk back to his car, then Chris floored the gas pedal and raced home. Once home, he knew he would not have much time and luckily, he always had a go bag packed full of cash and other things he would need in case he needed to make a quick getaway. Chris snatched as many clothes as he could from the closet, grabbed his bag, and was out the door. He knew they would call Lexie once they ran his plates, and he hoped that would buy him some time to put some distance between him and the state of Virginia. He dumped his car a hundred miles away in Richmond where he had been hiding another car in a storage lot under a fake name. He set his old car on fire as he drove away in his new anonymous Toyota Camry. He knew that if the police figured out that was his car in Richmond then they would think he was headed north, which he was not. These stupid ass cops couldn’t find me if I walked in the station and turned myself in. What a joke, this shit is way too easy. He made his way from Richmond to the South Carolina state line where he stopped for gas. He was going back to Clearwater Beach to finish what he had started with Tiffany Decker, this time, it was going to be well worth the wait.

  Lexie left Hampton after talking to Captain Cole about Chris. She felt something bad had happened to her husband. They put a BOLO out for his car, but so far, no one has come forward with any information.

  The Hampton police had not found Sofia Nunez, who was dead inside an old abandoned building inside the Hampton city limits. Lexie went back to the police station where she found Dani sitting outside with her head in her hands.

  Lexie carefully walked up to her partner and placed her hand on her shoulder, “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  Dani smiled, “Nothing is wrong now. I am so glad you are back, now you can tell me what the hell is going on.”

  Lexie told her partner everything the police had told her, and the younger woman saw that Lexie was worried about Chris. The two women sat side by side lost in their own worlds until Dani’s cell phone rang and pulled them both back to reality. The lawyer for the suspected rapist had arrived at the station and was attempting to get his client released.

  On the way to the interrogation room, Dani filled Lexie in on the rape case. Lexie knew this was a hard case for Dani, and she wished she hadn’t left her to go to Hampton, but she had no choice. Entering the interrogation room, the detectives saw the suspect conferring with his lawyer, Jackson Sutherland, as if they were old friends catching up over lunch. Lexie introduced herself and her partner to the lawyer, and he introduced himself. Sutherland had started his law career in the DA’s office as a prosecutor but had been one of the best defense attorneys for the past nine years. Some credited his success as a defense attorney to his time spent as a prosecutor. Lexie was quite familiar with Sutherland, and she was worried about being able to make the charges stick. She knew it was going to be hard to get a conviction due to lack of physical evidence, but she was sure as hell going to try. Dani started the interrogation, but as expected, Jackson Sutherland told his client not to say anything, ending the interrogation as quickly as it started. They had no choice but to let their suspect walk out with his lawyer.

  Chris pulled over at a gas station about an hour from his destination. He needed to fill the car up and buy enough food and water so that he would not have to leave Tiffany for any reason. He planned to hunt and abduct the girl that got away and make her pay for leaving him. The plan was to get her in his car by any means necessary and start driving for as long as he could. He wanted to put a long distance between him and the state of Florida. He thought it would be smart to head toward Alabama and see where the road took them. His desire to torture Tiffany was the fueled his non-stop drive to Clearwater Beach. There he could orchestrate what he fantasized as his greatest slaughter so far. Every mile that passed increased his excitement. This is going to be epic; people will be talking about this murder for years to come. After I finish with Tiffany, everyone is going to know my name. They will know me as the Last Call Killer, not as Chris Fleming of course, but that’s fine, I will take it.

  Dani and Lexie anticipated a long night ahead. Instinctively, they knew Ricky Dickens was the rapist. They had to prove it. Lexie was preoccupied with thoughts of her husband. She a hunch that something was dreadfully amiss. She had called Chris a hundred times. His phone always went straight to voice mail.

  “I know this is hard for you, Lexie, and I want to help you find him. You don’t have to do this alone. We should go back to Hampton and check around the area where Chris was pulled over for speeding.”

  Lexie knew she would not be able to focus on anything until she found Chris, and she was grateful for Dani’s help. She had to run home first before heading to Hampton. Dani rode with her.

  They arrived at Lexie’s house and saw the answering machine light, “Lexie I’m sorry, but I need more from my life than you can give me. I know leaving you this way is cowardly, but I’m not strong enough to handle seeing you in pain anymore because of me. I’m not the man you fell in love with, I’m sorry Lex, live your life and forget about me. I am in love with someone else.

  Lexie was devastated. She knew the message was authentic. Chris sounded so matter of fact.. Dani was shocked and at a loss for words, so she walked over and put her arms around Lexie and pulled her close. Lexie looked up at Dani with tears cascading down her face. They both felt a spark as Lexie stood on her tiptoes and kissed Dani.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  In the months after the abduction, Tiffany Decker tried to get her life back to normal. She began to venture out of her house by herself. She was a strong-willed, independent young woman who refused to be a victim. Chris counted on that independence to assist him in finding her alone. He was willing to wait if necessary. His wait was much shorter than he had anticipated. Two days after arriving in Clearwater, Chris saw Tiffany leaving her house unaccompanied. Chris changed his hair color and was wearing sunglasses that hid his eyes. He could not believe it when she looked right at him and smiled as she got in her car. This was going to be way too simple, he thought to himself. His patience wore thin when Tiffany drove countless miles without stopping. He had been awake for days and had driven hundreds of miles to get here. He was sweaty and in need of a shower, but there was no time. Tiffany was so close he could almost touch her. Chris flared his nostrils and narrowed his eyes as he banged his clenc
hed fists on the steering wheel. She was merely one car length away sitting at a red light.

  Tiffany kept driving, something isn’t right. I’m scared. This may be crazy and all in my head, but I am not going to the mall. She turned onto Brevard Street and drove toward the police station. Once Chris realized where she was going, he made a sharp turn onto the first road he encountered. He jumped out of his car screaming and yelling. Chris was furious and on the brink of completely losing it. It took all his restraint to calm himself down long enough to find a hotel. Getting to this little bitch is going to be a lot harder than I had expected. This only means that when I do finally get my hands on her, she will suffer in unimaginable ways.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Dani and Lexie kissed their way into to the bedroom. There was no phone ringing this time to interrupt them. With Chris gone, there was nothing holding Lexie back. Dani gently guided her back onto the bed. Lexie kissed Dani on the forehead and left a trail of kisses down to her mouth. She lingered for a moment, then kissed her with all the passion that has been building up since they met. She pulled away leaving Dani breathless as she continued kissing a path down Dani’s neck to her breasts; she purred with desire. Lexie lingered at Dani’s bellybutton. She was about to relieve her of her pants when her phone rang.

  “Oh, please tell me you aren’t going to answer that,” sighed Dani

  “I’s so sorry sweetie, but it’s the Hampton Police. I need to see what they want, I won’t be long, and we will pick up right where we left off.”