“I’m going around the side,” Jack said. If Cassie had escaped out an open window, he hoped that meant one might have been left open. Without a warrant, they wouldn’t be able to go inside unless they saw something incriminating, like one of the missing women. When Evans spotted Jack, he waved him closer.
“This looks like a girl’s room,” he said, gesturing toward a window.
Jack knew that it was Mallory’s room without even looking inside. But he had to find a reason for them to force their way in. Something that would hold up in court. The curtains in the bedroom were open and a soft nightlight glowed inside, revealing a pink bedspread. It looked like a little girl’s room.
“Stay here.” The evidence they needed wasn’t going to be sitting out in front of an open window. If it was that easy to nail Reynold, he wouldn’t have been free to kidnap women for five years. Jack knew that the evidence they needed would be in the basement. He walked slowly around the house, looking for a window into the basement.
He found one at the back of the house, hidden behind overgrown shrubbery. By contorting his body painfully, he was able to just barely see inside. The first thing he noticed was the large, empty room. Then he saw the drain in the middle of the floor and the coiled garden hose. It matched Cassie’s description perfectly. Jack didn’t need any more proof. This was the house.
“I’m going in,” he called to Evans, moving quickly toward the backdoor. It was risky to charge inside, especially with the others too far away to provide much support if something went wrong. For all they knew, Reynold was inside waiting for them. He could be armed, he could be planning to go down in a blaze of glory. The only way to find out was to go inside.
Jack pulled out his gun and knocked open the door with one swift kick. It slammed against the wall with a loud bang. He entered a small kitchen that was virtually spotless. On his right, a small dining table held a vase of white carnations. Jack wondered if Reynold had brought them home for Mallory. It was almost impossible to think of the monster that had tortured Cassie and the other women doing something so domestic and normal.
He had already cleared the dining room before Evans joined him, gun drawn. They moved down the long hallway slowly, clearing each room before continuing. It also was just as Cassie had described. Mallory’s bedroom was empty, leading Jack to wonder if perhaps Reynold had taken her and left. Had he realized that they were closing in on him?
The basement door was locked and the deadbolt looked new. Jack slid it aside and opened the door. He nearly rocked back at the smell of decay and evil coming from the dark cavern below. The only sound was a stead drip of water. Pulling a small flashlight from his pocket, he descended the stairs with his finger lightly touching the trigger of his gun. If Reynold was somewhere in the basement, Jack wanted the smallest amount of reaction time possible.
It was twenty degrees colder below ground, cutting straight to Jack’s core. He thought about Cassie shivering on the concrete floor and bile rose in this throat. By now Conway and Suza would have realized that they had gone inside and they would be close behind. Jack thought about waiting for them, but quickly dismissed the idea. For all he knew, Jenny or Mallory could be dying while he waited.
The shower room was on their right at the bottom of the stairs. It was still empty. On their left, three metal doors lined the wall. There was no way to see inside without opening them. The first door was unlocked and slightly ajar. Jack wondered if it had been Cassie’s cell, empty now. Is this where she had been tortured and raped? More bile rumbled in his chest as he kicked open the door.
The cell was empty except for a pile of blankets on the floor. They would have provided little warmth or comfort in the stone cell. Jack could picture Cassie there, curled in a ball trying to find some small amount of warmth as she plotted her escape. The blankets appeared to be speckled with dried blood.
He nodded his head toward the next room and Evans started in that direction. This door was locked with a rusty padlock. Jack was trained in how to pick those types of locks, but he didn’t have the patience just then. Firing his gun at a metal door seemed like a bad idea given the chance that the bullet might ricochet. While he pondered a third option, Evans wandered away. His flashlight glinted off something shiny hanging from the wall.
Evans plucked a set of keys from the hook and dangled them triumphantly. He tossed them to Jack who immediately scrambled to find the right key for the lock. On this third try, the key turned easily and the locked clicked open. This time, he pushed the door open slowly. Since it had been locked from the outside, there was no chance that Reynold was inside. There was, however, a good chance that one of his victims might be huddled on the floor, panicking over the thought they were about to be abused by him yet again.
At first, this cell appeared identical to the first cell. Empty except for a pile of dirty blankets. But as Jack shined his light into that corner, something beneath the blankets moved.
“Jenny?” He moved slowly into the room. “I’m Detective Stone.”
Scared eyes peered at him over the blanket. She looked very much like an abused animal hiding in the dark.
“Your husband asked me to find you.”
“Steve?” her voice cracked.
“Yes.” Jack knelt next to her. “I’m here to take you away. You’re safe now.”
Jenny flinched when his hand moved closer to her. She shrank even further away from him. Jack didn’t take it personally. It made sense that she didn’t immediately trust him.
“Knox, call it in and get a bus.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Jenny. She looked exactly the way Cassie had those first days in the hospital.
Jack stayed with her until the EMTs arrived and began to work on her. She hadn’t said a single word other than her husband’s name and was likely suffering from severe shock. It would be awhile before she was able to tell them anything useful. The four detectives spread around the house looking for evidence. They were cautious because it was still a crime scene, but they couldn’t be too cautious with Mallory still missing. The house had to hold some clue as to where they might find Reynold.
Suza was dusting off his skills in Reynold’s bedroom and Jack found him crouched on the floor.
“Did your back give out?” Jack quipped.
“Found these photographs under the bed.” Suza had at least a hundred photographs spread before him. “I don’t think you want to see this.”
Cassie. It made sense that such a sick man had documented his torture. That would actually be a good thing when the case went to trial, assuming they tracked him down. But right now, all Jack could think about was what a terrible violation it was that the women had not only endured the unimaginable, but Reynold had also saved that horror for his own sick amusement.
“I can handle it, boss.” Jack kept all emotion out of his voice. He steeled himself before kneeling next to Suza. He scanned at least a dozen photos of the other women before he found Cassie. The picture didn’t even include her face, but Jack knew it was her.
“There’s more women here than we’ve been investigating,” Suza said grimly. “He had more victims.”
“That’s not surprising.” Jack’s eyes landed on a photograph that was different than the others. It was grainy and hard to decipher, but he would recognize Cassie anywhere.
He carefully picked up the photograph at the edge, still wearing latex gloves to keep from contaminating evidence. Looking closer at the picture, Jack knew why it was so different. It had been taken recently.
“This is Cassie’s bedroom,” he said, forgetting that he shouldn’t actually know that.
“How is that possible?” Suza said.
“He took it the same night as the other photo. She’s wearing my shirt.” Jack dropped the photo and stood, reaching for his phone. It rang just as his finger was about to hit the dial button. “Cassie? Are you okay?”
“No.” Her voice broke. “I’m with him, Jack.”
“Where are you?” He was already ru
nning for the door.
“I can’t talk. I just called to say goodbye.” A man’s voice barked at her. “I love you.”
Jack tried to make sense of what was happening as he threw himself into the car. “Cassie, stay with me. Don’t hang up.”
But the line was already dead.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cassie
It didn’t take Cassie long to decide what she would do. If she had the chance to save Mallory she had to take it, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process. She was terrified by the prospect of seeing Him again, but Cassie was determined to save Mallory this time.
At least a dozen times during the drive to her house, Cassie reached for her phone. She wanted to call Jack more than anything, but she was afraid what would happen if she did. He would call the local police and they would show up within minutes. If that happened, He might kill Mallory. She couldn’t risk it.
Instead, she formulated a plan. She still had Jack’s gun and she was prepared to use it if an opportunity presented itself. All she had to do was get Him away from Mallory. But there was also a good chance he would check her for weapons, or possible make her strip just like he used to do. If that happened, she was going to be completely vulnerable.
A dim light glowed from inside her house as she pulled into the driveway. She cursed herself for picking such a remote location. There was no chance that a neighbor would hear a commotion and come over to help. She was on her own.
The sun had set already and it was dark enough outside that she knew he couldn’t see into her car. Cassie took the gun from her purse and switched off the safety. Very carefully, she tucked it into her waistband at her back, pulling her sweater over the bulge. It would be a challenge to remove the gun cleanly and get off a shot before He could fight back.
She took her phone with her even though she was certain she wouldn’t be able to use it. It made her feel safer just to have it in her hand. Cassie was sure that feeling would go away the second she saw Him.
The front door was partly open and Cassie could hear classical music playing inside. It felt very much like she was walking into the climactic scene of a horror movie where the killer was about to be revealed. The key difference was that she already knew He was the killer.
Cassie could feel Him before she even saw Him. A chill ran through her entire body and her heart began to pound. She could smell his cologne and it made her stomach lurch.
“Welcome home, darling.” The emphasis He used was a slap to the face. That was Jack’s term of endearment for her, but coming from Him it sounded like a slur. “We missed you.”
“Can’t say that I share that feeling.” With a deep breath, she took one more step into the room, coming face-to-fact with Him.
“Cassandra.” An evil grin spread over his face. “My beautiful girl. It’s wonderful to see you again.”
He stood in the center of the room with Mallory a foot in front of Him. He was only partially hidden behind her, so Cassie could see the knife in his hand.
“I’m here. You can let Mallory go now.” She tried to keep the fear from her voice. He would only get off on it.
“It’s very sweet of you to worry about her, but Mallory isn’t being held against her will.” He held up his other hand so that Cassie could see He wasn’t holding Mallory in place. “She wants to be with me. Mallory loves me.”
The word sounded so foreign on His lips. A man responsible for such cruelty could not possibly understand love.
“She was only 16,” Cassie said, noticing an almost imperceptible shift in Mallory’s posture. “She was just a girl and you had no right to mess with her.”
“You know nothing.” He rocked slightly on his feet, appearing to favor his left leg. Cassie wondered how much damage she had done to his right thigh. Hopefully He was in constant pain. “I’ve come to take you home, Cassandra.”
“That prison is not my home.” Again, it was a tiny movement, but Mallory was slowly moving to her left. Cassie kept talking to keep Him distracted. “I don’t even know your name.”
He chuckled. “I suppose we are on intimate enough terms for you to know that. I’m Nolan.”
Nolan. It didn’t sound like a monster’s name, but Damien probably would’ve been too obvious. Maybe all serial killers had normal names because the people with weird names weren’t given as much leeway growing up. For instance, if a child named Lucifer burned a cat alive, he would be locked up for mental issues. If a kid named Peter did the same thing, they would say he was just acting out.
“So, what’s next?” Cassie almost couldn’t believe she said those words out loud. It wasn’t like she was anxious to find out, but standing there anticipating his next move was almost worse than his usual torture. At least that was something she could predict.
“Well, I was originally planning to take you back to Chicago with us, but now that we’re here…” He looked around the room. “It’s been too long since we’ve been together. I’m not sure I want to wait.”
Her entire body shuddered. This home had been the one place she felt safe and now it was about to be violated. “The police talked to Nikki,” she said, lying with gusto. “She knows all about you.”
“Nikki?” Mallory spoke in a soft voice, tinted with hope.
“They’ve probably already been to your house,” she said to Nolan. “It’s only a matter of time now before they find you.”
“It will be too late. Once I take care of you for good, we’ll be on the road long before the detective ever finds your body.” His eyes darkened at the mention of Jack. “It’s a shame that I can’t stick around to view his reaction when he sees what I did to you.”
“Why?” Cassie asked, unable to help herself. It was the one question she had always wanted to ask, to understand the answer. She just couldn’t understand how anyone could treat another human being the way that Nolan treated his victims.
His face registered surprise as he momentarily forgot about the torture he was planning to inflict. “Because you need to be taught a lesson.”
“Because I escaped? Do you really blame me for that?” She nearly scoffed. “Was I supposed to just wait for you to kill me?”
“You and those other bitches deserved all of it. You live your life ignoring everyone around you, thinking that you are better than the men that say hello and open doors for you. Every morning you ran right past me, never seeing me. Do you have any idea how that felt?” His anger was so intense that Cassie could actually feel it.
“I didn’t even know you,” she snapped. “I’m entitled to live my life without kissing the ass of every easily offended male with a small dick.”
It wasn’t the type of thing that Cassie ever said to anyone, let alone to a man that planned to kill her, but she couldn’t stop the words from tumbling through her lips. She was astounded that he blamed the women for his horrific acts.
“I am going to enjoy gutting you,” Nolan snarled. “But I’ll wait until I’m inside you, so I can feel you dying from the inside.”
Mallory had moved at least half a foot to her left, leaving him almost completely exposed. Cassie concentrated on the comforting metal pressing into her back as Nolan glared at her.
“Jack was right about you. You aren’t sick or mentally unfit, you’re just a guy that has trouble getting laid.” She smiled as she said the words. Jack had never actually said that to her, but Nolan believed it because he didn’t just hate women like Cassie, he also hated men like Jack– good men who respected women and would never do the things that Nolan had done.
“Jack Stone is a pathetic loser. His own wife couldn’t stand him. He took advantage of you and he didn’t even keep you safe.” Nolan’s anger continued to build and it reverberate through his body causing him to shake. “I want him to know that you are going to die because he failed you. He wasn’t a good enough man.”
Cassie had purely been following a hunch when she mentioned Jack, but now she knew it was the exact right thing to do. “Too bad
by the time he finds my body, you’ll be long gone.”
“Call him,” Nolan said forcefully. “Tell him goodbye.”
“No.” Cassie lifted her chin stubbornly.
“Do it or Mallory will pay for your disobedience.” He waved his knife in her direction.
The threat wasn’t particularly menacing. It was clear to Cassie that Nolan much preferred hurting other women over Mallory. But Cassie wanted to hear Jack’s voice, so she called him.
“Cassie? Are you okay?” Jack answered the same way that he always did, but this time he had reason to be worried.
“No.” Her voice broke. She hadn’t expected to get emotional. “I’m with him, Jack.”
“Where are you?” He sounded breathless.
“I can’t talk. I just called to say goodbye.” Nolan yelled at her to hang up. Cassie had one more thing she needed to tell Jack. “I love you.”
“Cassie, stay with me. Don’t hang up,” he begged.
Cassie ended the call. Jack was 100 miles away. Even if he defied the speed limits it would take him an hour to get to her. By then, it would be too late. The only way Cassie was going to survive was if she saved herself.
With grim determination, she made a show of putting her cell phone in her back pocket. Nolan was oblivious that she was actually reaching for her gun. Mallory was almost completely out of the line of shot and Cassie was prepared to act. She fumbled to get a good grip on the handle as her sweater got in the way and a look of confusion flashed over Nolan’s face. By the time he realized what was happening and lunged forward, it was too late. Cassie shot him in the chest, just below his right collarbone.
He grunted hard as the bullet connected and stumbled forward two steps before hitting the ground at Cassie’s feet. A small pool of blood began to slowly build on her floor. She checked to make sure he wasn’t moving before saying to Mallory, “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
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