I’ve got to get out of here fast. I take a breath and try to relax. I can’t go back to the car, so the only way out is by the lake. I can grab a canoe and paddle across the lake to Camp Seneca.
The woods are all creepy when it’s dark, but I slowly make my way back down the hill toward the water. Then I start thinking about the stories they used to tell at camp about a guy they called the “Pillowcase Killer.” Supposedly, this guy wore a pillowcase over his head with two holes cut out for his eyes and one cut out for his nose. There was nothing cut out for his mouth, though, because he couldn’t talk. The story was that his tongue had been sliced off in prison. Anyway, this guy would hide out in the woods around the lake, between the two camps, and if you wandered into the forest after dark, he’d grab you and that would be the end. Now that I think about it, after Ellen disappeared, the kids all said it was the Pillowcase Killer. No one was ever allowed in the woods after dark again.
The echo of a screeching bird cuts right through me, and I stop dead in my tracks. My whole body shivers, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
It’s chilly out, but I’m sweating something awful.
I get this metallic taste in my mouth and drop to my knees feeling like I’m gonna puke. I kneel there dry-heaving.
After a few minutes, the wave passes. I get up and continue slowly toward the lake. It’s almost pitch-black in the woods. The trees are blocking the moonlight, so I’m practically feeling my way from tree to tree, watching every step.
Finally, I break out of the woods, and the glow of the moon shines over the water. I ease over to the boathouse, take a paddle, and make my way over to the boat dock. The canoes are secured with lines tied to cleats. I untie one, climb in, and quietly set off across the lake. I keep close to the shore, near the shadows, because out in the middle, even the dim light from the moon still lights up the water.
CHAPTER 54
A shadow darted between two bunks on the boy’s side of camp. Stone saw it first. Pointing, she whispered, “Parker, over there. I saw something move.”
“Okay, follow me, and stay low.”
The pair quickly crossed the open area by the main field and made their way to the bunks. The flimsy cabins were set on cinderblock supports that elevated them above the ground. There was just enough room for an average-sized adult to crawl underneath, though few would have wanted to—for fear of meeting up with a snake, a rat, or some other unpleasant creature.
Reaching the front corner of the middle bunk, Parker put his finger to his lips in a gesture for silence. He motioned for Stone to move to the front of the next bunk while he went around back. The two separated.
Parker crept around to the rear and disappeared into the darkness. Stone slid stealthily, crouching along the wall as she advanced.
The night was eerily still, and little could be heard other than an odd squeak, chirp, or howl. Parker stopped behind the bunk near the edge of the trees and listened. Suddenly, he heard the snap of twigs a few yards into the woods. He cupped his ear with his hand and waited, trying to lock in the direction of the noise.
Again: a snap, further in.
Isolating it, Parker tiptoed toward the sound and squinted. It was so dark he could barely see five feet in front of him, but he didn’t want to use his flashlight, afraid it would alert whoever was ahead of him.
The soft crush of footsteps upon dead leaves was barely audible, but Parker heard it again and followed. Cautiously moving closer and closer, his eyes adjusting to the dark, he made out the silhouette of a body hunched over only yards ahead of him.
Covering the distance in seconds, he leapt at the figure and tackled hard.
CHAPTER 55
The lake is like a sheet of glass, so I don’t want to make any waves. I cut through it silently, forcing the paddle deep and pulling it back in a slow, even motion—the way I learned when I was a kid.
Floating out here, it’s so damn peaceful I have to stop and take it all in. So many thoughts and foggy memories keep flashing in front of me, and I finally have the time to process it. I start to drift, stare up at the sky, and force myself back to that night with Ellen. I still can’t wrap my head around that shit. For all these years, the only thing I remembered was having sex with her for the first time in my life. And the memory was a good one. I had completely blocked out her being killed or anything else about what had happened at camp after that. Now, it’s sort of coming back to me, but more like a dream. I kind of remember the cops searching everywhere for her, all us kids being scared, and lots of moms and dads coming to take their kids out of camp. But even though Troyer made me see it with my own eyes, it still doesn’t feel like I did it. I mean, I must’ve, but it still doesn’t seem real.
Now, here I am on this very same lake, chilling in a canoe, and it’s so quiet and incredibly beautiful with all the stars sparkling in the sky.
Some crazy shit, man. I just can’t figure it.
I start paddling again, slowly making my way closer to Camp Seneca.
CHAPTER 56
“Get off me, you animal!” Aurora screamed as she wrestled to break free of Parker’s grip.
Parker quickly released his hold on her and helped her up. “I’m sorry, miss! I thought you were someone else. I didn’t mean you any harm. I’m a police officer.”
“Yeah, well, you could have killed me.”
“Again, I’m so sorry, but what are you doing out here?”
“I was kidnapped by a lunatic. I just escaped, and I was running for my life when you tackled me.”
“Okay, slow down. You’re safe now. We’ve got a lot of backup looking for this guy . . . Thomas Sullivan, right?”
“Tommy! No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. It’s not Tommy . . . it’s this guy Troyer— Troyer Savage.”
“Who?”
“Troyer Savage. I don’t know the guy; I just know his name.”
Stone raced over, shining a flashlight. “What’s going on here?”
“Stone, you need to hear this,” Parker said. “She says a guy named Troyer Savage kidnapped her.”
Stone shone the flashlight in Aurora’s face. “Troyer Savage! We thought you were abducted by Thomas Sullivan.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” Aurora shouted. “It was a wacko named Troyer Savage.”
“Okay calm down. Tell us all about it.”
“It’s like I said, I was taken by Troyer Savage. Tommy is a friend of mine. He had nothing to do with it.”
Stone reached out and took Aurora’s hand. “Look: we’re only here to help. If you say Tommy isn’t our guy and you have information that incriminates Savage, we’re good with that. But you have to tell us everything. It’s not just this crime we’re investigating.”
“Believe me: I know, but I need to be sure that you understand that Tommy is innocent.”
“I promise we’ll consider all the evidence,” Stone said. “Just give us something more to go on.”
Deep in thought, Aurora hesitated, looked at Parker, then back to Stone. “Okay, it’s like this.” Aurora took a breath and then began speaking rapidly. “Tommy and I met in Cape May, and he told me about this guy Troyer—supposedly a friend of his. As it turns out, Troyer was hardly his friend. He actually killed some girl up in New York and left Tommy to clean up his mess. Then he followed Tommy down to New Jersey and killed another girl, making it look like Tommy did it. I tried to get Tommy to go to the cops, but he was afraid to. We came up here to hide, while we figured out a way to prove that Tommy was innocent. Somehow Troyer must have tracked us down, and while Tommy was out, Troyer kidnapped me and brought me here. When he left me alone, I escaped.” She thumbed at Parker, “Then this guy jumped me, and here we are.”
“That’s quite a story,” said Stone, “but you seem to be handling the situation quite well.”
Aurora laughed uncomfortably. “Actually, I am totally freaked-out right now. But I’m not some petrified little schoolgirl. I don’t sit around all teary-eyed and helpless. Tha
t’s not my style. I’ve gone through a lot of shit in my life, and I can take care of myself. Been on my own for some time and even learned a bit about handling guys. I mean, yeah, I was scared, but deep-down inside, I knew I’d be okay.”
“I’m impressed,” remarked Stone. “For the record, most victims—men included—would be sobbing and thanking us for saving them and unable to give us any useful information.”
“I don’t mean to disappoint you,” Aurora answered, “but I’m not like most people—men included.”
“I’m beginning to see that, Aurora, so may I continue?”
“Go right ahead.”
“Okay, then, how long have you known Thomas Sullivan?”
Aurora’s response was quick. “As I said, we met in Cape May.”
“You’ve known him for less than a week?”
“Not exactly. You see, we actually met a long time ago, when we were kids. But I hadn’t seen him in like twenty years. Then, just last week he walked into my store. It took a few minutes until we recognized each other.”
“I see. And so even though you haven’t seen him in all this time, you’re certain he didn’t commit these crimes?”
“Hey, I knew him then and I feel like I know him now. I can just tell. Tommy’s gentle and honest. And if Tommy did what you’re saying he did, why would Troyer kidnap me?”
“I don’t know,” Stone said, shaking her head. “That’s what I aim to find out.”
“Well, you better start looking for Troyer,” Aurora insisted. “He’s the one you should be after.”
“Okay, then—help us, here. What does he look like?”
“Umm . . . I don’t know. When he kidnapped me, I never saw his face. He brought me here blindfolded and tied me up.”
“So you have no idea at all?” Stone asked.
“No idea.”
“Well what can you tell me about him?”
“He’s a psycho with an Australian accent. Tommy says its phony, but it sounded legit to me.”
“Did Tommy ever describe Troyer to you?” Parker interjected.
“He did say that Troyer was very good-looking, smooth with women, and could easily star in a toothpaste commercial.”
“Okay, that’s a good start,” Parker said. “How long ago were you kidnapped?”
“I don’t actually recall being abducted. I remember Tommy leaving last night while I was taking a shower. The rest is hazy. I think I fell asleep on the bed. The next thing I remember was waking up blindfolded and tied to a chair. I called out for a while, but no one answered. Then, hours later, the door opened, and Troyer spoke to me for the first time. He ripped at my clothes, grabbed me between the legs, and tried to stuff a sandwich down my throat. He seemed amused when I defied him, but then he just took off. That was at least four or five hours before I escaped. It took me that long to free myself, but I was finally able to. Once I got loose, I bolted right out the door.”
Stone chimed in. “Can you take us back to where you were being held?”
Aurora pointed down the hill and away from the bunks. “There’s a beat-up old cabin down there. It won’t be hard to find. I’ll show you.”
Parker radioed back to each group one by one and asked for a status report. The response was unanimous: all was quiet.
Stone called Watts on her cell. “Anything to report, partner?”
“Yes and no. I found the car, but no sign of Sullivan. I’m just hiding behind a tree and watching.”
“That’s good, but I want to fill you in on a new development. We’ve found the girl.”
“Aurora Storm?”
“Yes, and she’s alone. Her story is she was with Sullivan, but she was abducted by Troyer Savage.”
“Troyer Savage,” Watts said, alarmed. “You mean the guy Sullivan wrote about in his computer.”
“That’s right.”
“Wow—that’s something.”
“No doubt. Anyway, keep your eyes open and call me with any news. We’re headed back to where the girl was being held.”
“Will do.”
Aided by flashlight, Aurora led Parker and Stone down the hill. As they approached, light radiated from an open doorway.
“I didn’t leave that door open,” Aurora said.
“Are you sure?” asked Stone.
“Positive.”
With that, Stone and Parker drew their guns in unison and eased toward the entrance.
Moving cautiously as he reached the door, Parker took the lead and looked inside. “All clear.”
The cabin was exactly as Aurora had left it less than a half hour before. Stone and Parker did a quick search.
“Nothing here to go on, Parker. I think we should be out there looking for our perp, whoever he is.”
“Agreed,” said Parker. “Let’s move.”
Leaving the shack behind, they began walking up the hill, back toward the camp, when Parker stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Hold on a minute. There’s another place we’re forgetting about. I know this camp, and there’s a whole section we haven’t covered.”
“And that would be?” Stone asked.
“The waterfront. It’s not too far from here, and I think we should check it out.”
“Okay, but what about the girl?”
“There’s no time. She’ll have to come with us.”
“I’m okay,” Aurora said. “I can handle myself.”
“Looks like we don’t have much choice,” Stone said. “Just stay close behind.”
Locating a path, the three made their way to the boat dock. As the clouds cleared past the moon, dim light reflected off the water, providing sufficient illumination to see without a flashlight.
The floating dock shook and gave way as Parker stepped onto it. Made of hardened plastic, it was durable and light, but weight and movement caused it to react much more than a typical wooden dock. With all three on it, the dock rocked even more.
Canoes were tied up along one side, and three mini catamarans were fastened along the other. A few rowboats were positioned between the catamarans.
Parker stepped along to the end of the dock as softly as his large frame would allow.
“Check this out, Detective.” Parker said, pointing his flashlight at a free line anchored to a cleat. “The last spot is empty. I’m guessing a canoe was taken from here.”
“To go where?” asked Stone.
“There are a few spots on the lake where you could land a boat and get out without too much trouble. The closest would be Camp Seneca. It’s the only other camp on the lake. It’s also the easiest way to get back to the road. In all other directions, there are deep woods for miles and no way out, especially on a dark night like this.”
“How long would it take to get there?”
“By water, I’d say less than a half hour.”
“That doesn’t give us much time,” said Stone. “Can you radio your men and get a group over there?”
Parker pulled the radio from his hip. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
CHAPTER 57
As I approach Camp Seneca, clouds are passing in front of the moon. It’s so damn dark I can’t make out the shoreline, so I don’t know exactly where I am. I was here a bunch of times when I was a kid, doing raids and shit, and I know the layout. Seneca is big, much bigger than Lakewood, but once I’m on land, as long as I stay on the paths, I should be okay. Right now, all I have to do is locate the docks.
I wait a bit until the clouds clear out. Then the light comes back, and I can just about see my way clear to the shore. It looks like they haven’t set up for summer yet; there are no rowboats or canoes. The dock is empty, so I coast in, use the paddle to pull me over, and grab the first cleat I can. You’ve got to be careful getting out of these canoes, though. One wrong move, they tip, and you get dumped into the water. I remember that from camp. I must have fallen in at least a half-dozen times, before I got the hang of these contraptions. One thing I learned for sure: don’t ever stand up in one.<
br />
Anyway, I kind of roll-slide and pull myself out, while holding onto the cleat. Smooth as silk, I don’t get wet at all.
There’s no line to tie the thing up, so I just let it go and watch as it slowly floats away. I know the general direction where the road is, but I still have to climb the hill and make my way through the camp. Seneca isn’t set up like Lakewood, though. The boy’s camp is far away from the girl’s camp and set into the woods, close to the lake. You have to go all the way through the boy’s side, past the basketball courts, over another hill, and past the pool before you reach the girl’s camp. I guess they were real worried that the boys would sneak over to the girls in the middle of the night, so they kept them totally separated. There is almost no way you can get from one side to the other without being seen. Lakewood is just the opposite. All you have to do is go out the back of the bunk, head into the woods, and circle around and you’re at the girl’s bunks in no time.
As I walk off the dock, and onto dry land, more hazy memories begin flashing inside my head. I start remembering times me and some of the other guys raided Seneca and scared the crap out of the kids here. One time, we came over with a Molotov cocktail and accidentally started a fire by the basketball courts. We were only planning to drop the thing in a garbage can, but someone saw us and one of the guys just threw it as we ran. It landed near the wooden bleachers, and they caught fire. We got out without getting caught, but everyone at Seneca suspected it was guys from Lakewood. They just never found out which guys.
Yeah, and the Seneca kids raided us, too. But it was easier for them because of how Lakewood was set up. It was no problem getting in and wandering around the camp without anyone knowing.
But all that stopped after Ellen got killed. No one would dare go back in the woods at night after that.
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