by Jenn Vakey
“Hartley is in stable condition, and the doctor is hopeful he will eventually regain consciousness. The scent dogs are still having trouble picking up his trail, though, which leaves us no closer to finding out where he came from. The tech said that judging by his clothes, he could have been in the water for some time before crawling back onto land.
“While traveling down the river probably saved his life, it did wash off most of the trace he had on him. I’m afraid Mr. Hartley is not going to be any help to us before he wakes up.”
Rilynne knew, as did Wilcome, that even if Derek Hartley did regain consciousness, there was a very high chance that he would not remember anything from his time with his abductor. If that were the case, they would really be no closer to catching him than they were two days before. “I’m going to go for a run to try to clear my head. I know there is something right in front of me that I’m missing, but I can’t seem to get to it,” Rilynne said as she turned towards the door.
“Alright, but keep your phone on you incase anything turns up.” Rilynne glanced back to find that Detective Wilcome’s somber glare had returned to the stack of reports laid out in front of him.
Rilynne turned right out of the door to the station house, and ran until she met the tree line before turning and heading up the path. She was more concerned with running than paying attention to where she was actually going, and was surprised thirty minutes later when she came upon the lake. Other than a family picnicking on the other side, she was entirely alone for the first time in days.
She picked a grassy patch just beneath a large shade tree and stretched herself out. The sun was peaking through the leaves, and felt warm on her face. She closed her eyes, and let her mind drift freely.
After about ten minutes of clouds dancing through her head, she decided to try to focus her thoughts back to the room Hartley had escaped from. This time it did not take long at all.
The bedpan was barely visible peeking out from underneath the bed. The part of it she could see was darker, and had no shine; there was blood covering it. Good job Hartley, she thought to herself. So, he knocked him out with the bedpan, and headed towards the door. She could not see past the door, though. She could hear something coming from outside the window. It sounded like a motor of sorts. It was humming more than anything, and remained steady instead of moving further away. A generator. There was a smell too, almost overwhelming. There was no denying what this one was, gasoline.
Rilynne’s stomach knotted as she opened her eyes and sat up. There was only one reason that a house smelled strongly of gasoline, and it did not mean anything good for the detectives. She pulled herself up, and started running again, making it back to the station in just under an hour.
She quickly changed, sat back down at her desk, and waited for the news to come in. It actually took a little longer than she thought. Just over an hour and a half had past when Detective Wilcome got the call. The dogs had finally picked up the scent again, but within moments of seeing the cabin, there was a loud pop and it caught fire. They searched the woods around it, but no one could be found.
Unless the house had been booby trapped, the perpetrator had gotten very lucky with the timing. If they had reached the house a few minutes earlier, they might have been able to stop the trigger from lighting the gasoline. The one thing a time delayed trigger meant, though, was the perpetrator needed to make sure he was nowhere near the house before setting it on fire. The only reason you would want to do that was to make sure you had an alibi.
“We are getting closer,” Rilynne announced to the room, “and he knows it. He knew it was only a matter of time before we found the cabin, so he burned it down to destroy evidence. But he put it on a time delay, which was a risk because it gave us more time to find it. He wanted to make sure he was as far away from the cabin as he could get before the fire started; he wanted an alibi.”
The spark of hope that hit their faces told her they knew she was right. He wouldn’t have been setting up an alibi for himself if they were not closing in on him.
It was nearly dark before the fire department had been able to put the fire out. Officers were posted to protect the scene, but they would not be able to examine it until the morning.
It was just after seven when she walked out of the station. Despite the early hour, very few people were out on the streets. The news of the discovery of Derek Hartley earlier had most people being extra cautious. Rilynne didn’t know if that would get better or worse after tonight.
Detective Wilcome had scheduled a press conference and would be discussing some of the new information they had discovered. His hope was that the perpetrator may have approached someone before, but had been unsuccessful in snatching him.
“Detective,” the landlord offered her a gentle nod as she walked past him in the lobby.
When she flopped down on her couch, Rilynne let out a moan of pure satisfaction. The moment of tranquility was quickly interrupted, though, by a knock on the door.
She grabbed the pillow next to her head and put it to her face to yell her frustration. However, she was quickly overtaken by the familiar smell of peaches. She pulled the pillow away from her face trying to understand why, when she remember that it was the pillow she had given Ben to use the night before. She sat the pillow back down and headed to the door, forgetting the frustration she had felt seconds before.
The moment the door opened, Nicole walked past her and headed for the couch. “So,” she said, reaching for the remote, “big press conference tonight. Expecting company?” she asked, looking over at the pillow and stack of blankets. “Is that Ben’s signature scent I smell?”
“They’re from last night, I just haven’t had time to put them away yet. And I would hardly call the smell of someone’s shampoo a signature scent,” she stated as she reached down to pick them up.
“Oh, it’s not just his hair,” Nicole explained. “Even the air freshener in his car is peach. It was always his mom’s favorite, I believe”
After returning them to the hall closet, Rilynne took her seat next to Nicole on the couch. “Perfect timing,” Nicole squealed. “It is just about to start.” Rilynne wanted to laugh at the level of excitement Nicole was showing, but she thought better of it.
Detective Wilcome had changed his clothes in the hour that had past since she last saw him. Despite his sharp, crisp suit, he still looked very worn down.
“Good evening City of Addison Valley. As you well know, we have a predator hunting on our streets. I urge each and every one of you to remain vigilant and always be aware of your surroundings.
“As I’m sure you have heard by now, the latest victim, Derek Hartley, was found in the woods by hikers yesterday. It has become apparent that Mr. Hartley managed to escape his captor some days before, but was left to the elements in the woods.
“Due to this, we fear the perpetrator may attempt to take his next victim sooner than normal. We have some new information we would like to share with you, that will hopefully keep you safe.
“We have discovered the perpetrator may be luring the victims to his car prior to abducting them. This means he may be approaching men, asking for some kind of assistance. If you find yourself in this situation, we urge you to move to a crowded area. If you are unable to do so, call for help immediately.
“The man we are looking for is Caucasian, between 25 and 50, and in good physical shape. He has been able to successfully lure and abduct nine men, so he will be someone who you think you can trust.
“If you are approached by anyone fitting this description, or if you find yourself in a position where you do not feel safe, call 911. If you believe this man may have approached you in the past, please call the number on the bottom of the screen. Thank you.”
Nicole grabbed the remote and turned the television off. “Well, he certainly got his point across. I feel sorry for any man out there who actually does need help with something, but everyone is too afraid to lend a hand.”
“Well, it
’s better to be safe than sorry,” Rilynne replied, although she knew Nicole had a point. “I think everyone will sleep much better once we get this monster off the streets.”
“I don’t know about you,” Nicole bounced up, “but I could really use a drink. Wine or beer?”
“Beer, please.”
“Hmmm, we may end up having to send out for more. You only have a few left,” she stated closing the refrigerator.
“Send out? How are we supposed to send out for beer?” Rilynne asked curiously.
“Oh, it’s easy,” she said. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket, and after a few seconds pushing buttons, put it back. “I ordered us a pizza, too.”
Rilynne didn’t know what to do other than laugh.
Nicole dropped back down on the couch facing Rilynne. “So…”
“Yes,” Rilynne had no idea what do say, so decided to just play along.
“Really?” Nicole asked excitedly.
“I have no idea. What are we talking about?”
Nicole smiled her big, impish smile and answered, “Ben of course.”
Rilynne rolled her eyes and leaned back against the armrest of the couch. “I thought we already went through this.”
“Please, you can’t fool me. I’m not blind, you know.”
“No, you are just hallucinating,” Rilynne chortled.
Nicole didn’t say anything, but instead raised her eyebrow and waited. After a few moments, Rilynne couldn’t take the silence anymore.
“Really. I told you I’m not even close to being in a place where I can even think about starting to date. And even if I were, why would I torture myself pining after someone who it would be impossible to date?”
“The heart wants what the heart wants.”
“Well, my heart is very content devoting itself to my work right now. Besides, even if I were interested, which I’m not saying that I am, Ben is the most clean cut man I have ever met. He wouldn’t even dream about breaking a rule just for a girl.” Rilynne took a long swig of her beer. She didn’t know who she was trying to convince more, Nicole or herself.
“He hasn’t always been that way. From what I have been told, he was actually a bit of a bad boy growing up. You know, getting in fights, throwing raging parties, and basically breaking every rule put in front of him. He even got arrested once.”
Rilynne nearly spit out her beer. “What did he get arrested for?” She couldn’t help the curiosity she was feeling.
“Vandalizing property.”
“What did he vandalize?” Now his ability to pick locks made a bit more sense.
“I have no idea. I asked him about it once, but he’s even more secretive about his past than you are,” she said, shooting Rilynne a sideways glance. “Anyway, he apparently turned it all around when he went to college. And don’t ask me what happened, because he refuses to talk about it.”
As hard as she tried, Rilynne could not picture Ben breaking any rules, let alone laws. She was still enthralled by the idea when there was another knock at the door. Before she could even make a motion to rise, Nicole was up and halfway to the door.
“Thank you,” she said as she grabbed the pizza box and walked into the kitchen, leaving the door open for Ben who was still holding the beer. He passed the case off to Nicole and joined Rilynne in the living room, taking the chair opposite the couch.
Before they could even say a word to each other, Nicole threw herself back down on the couch, “Let’s play a game,” she announced.
The thought of this actually scared Rilynne based on Nicole’s new favorite topic of conversation. She met Ben’s gaze, and had a strange feeling he was on the same train of thought.
“It will be fun,” she continued. “It’s called spitball. We can use the Pirate Killer case. Basically, you throw out random ideas, and see if anything actually sticks. It is something my dad and I used to do when he was on the job and would get stuck on a case.”
What could it hurt, Rilynne thought. It could at least keep Nicole distracted and off of the topic of her love life. “How do we start?”
“Well, we need some details to work with, and we branch off of them. It would have to be something we could put context behind, not just purely physical evidence. What can you tell us?”
“Well, the working theory is he’s replacing someone he lost by recreating him in the victims. There was also the piece of a prosthetic leg that was stuck in the door.”
Ben, who had been sitting in silence since his arrival, gave the first suggestion.
“Any leg amputation would be documented. Get a list of anyone in the area who has had one.”
“There actually aren’t any listed within 100 miles of here. There were a few feet, and even a complete left leg amputation, but not one similar to the victims,” she replied. “We also checked the death records going back ten years.”
“How about checking the military database? I don’t imagine it would be a short list, but it would be a place to start.”
She couldn’t believe she had not thought about that herself. She looked back over to see if Nicole had anything to input, only to find her sound asleep. She turned back to Ben and they both laughed.
“Should we wake her up and take her downstairs?” he asked.
“No, let her sleep. She looks like she hasn’t been getting much lately.” That was only too true. Behind the makeup, Rilynne could make out the dark circles under her eyes that could compete with Detective Wilcome’s. She had also been slightly more tousled lately, with her hair not quite as perfect as normal.
“You are pretty good at this,” she turned her attention back to Ben. “You wouldn’t make a bad detective.”
“I have thought about it,” he paused to take a swig of his beer, “but I love forensics. Everything is much more black and white. Fingerprints and DNA don’t lie.”
“That makes since. Honestly, I don’t know how I could do my job without someone like you.”
He finished the last of his beer and stood up. “You would do just fine. Another?”
“Why not. It’s not like I have to drive,” she said with a grin.
He handed her an open bottle, and dropped back down in the chair, eyeing Nicole curiously.
“So, I heard around the water cooler that you used to be a bit of a bad boy back in the day,” Rilynne said with a grin. “I’m having a little trouble picturing it, to be honest.”
“Yeah, those water coolers tend to be a little gossipy, don’t they.” He shot a knowing look in Nicole’s direction. “I had my fair share of youthful indiscretions. I went through a pretty rough time after my parents died. Luckily I had people in my life who cared enough about me to set me straight before I got in any serious trouble.”
“So, that explains the lock picking I take it?”
He shrugged and grinned.
“I never really went through a rebellious stage, although I did cause quite a stir when I accused one of my teachers of having an inappropriate relationship with one of my classmates,” Rilynne stated. “He was actually an ex-boyfriend of mine, and she was penalizing any girl he talked to, or in my case, had previously dated. She ended up trying to fail nearly half of the girls in our grade.”
“Wow, how did you catch them?”
“I… heard her talking to herself about it when she was grading papers. She had kind of cracked there at the end; seeing any girl he even said hello to as a threat.”
“That sounds intense,” said Ben, wide-eyed with intrigue. “I don’t imagine that went over well with the guy, though, you know, being busted and having to end things.”
“Actually, he was pretty relieved. He had apparently been trying to end things himself, but was afraid of what might happen if he did. I think he was just waiting until the school year was out, so she couldn’t wreak havoc on his grades.”
“Even in high school you were a little detective, huh?” He looked amused. “No wonder you chose it as your path in life. Did you ever consider doing anything e
lse?”
“You know, I did actually. Up until I was six, I wanted more than anything to be a princess.” She took a quick sip of her beer, but almost spit it out from laughing.
He cocked his head sideways, and examined her face. “Yep, I can see it,” he said. “A nice, shiny crown, and people worshiping you everywhere you went. Every girls dream, isn’t it?”
“Oh, shut up.” She tossed the throw pillow in her arms at him, hitting him square in the face. The stunned look he gave almost made her fall over with laughter.
“Your majesty,” he bowed his head. “I am but your humble servant. Might I fetch you another bottle of ail?”
Her side started to hurt from all the laughter. It had been far too long since she had laughed so much, and it felt good. “Stop,” she called out, throwing the other pillow at him as he walked away. “So, what made you want to be a surgeon before you changed to forensics?”
“The money and women of course,” he said. After taking in the disbelieving look from Rilynne, he continued. “I got stuck with community service when I was in high school, and my brother pulled some strings and got me a job at the hospital. It was nothing special, just cleaning out bedpans and changing sheets. But on my breaks I would sit in the observation room and watch the surgeries. I had always liked taking things apart and fixing them, and that’s exactly what they were doing. I found it fascinating.”
“Do you ever wonder what life would be like now if you had stuck to that path?”
“Sometimes. But I’m glad I made the choice I did. For one thing, I would just now be finishing school. And my days would be even longer than they are now.”
“Yeah, but think of all the money and women.”
He grinned, playing with the label on his bottle. “I don’t know; I do alright where I’m.”
Rilynne started to feel her chest tighten again, so quickly changed the subject. “I couldn’t imagine still being in college. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun and all, but four years was enough for me.”
