by Robin Mahle
He had loved her, or what he recalled love once felt like. But the years of prison had turned him into something less than a man who developed a cold detachment from all things human. There was no denying his chosen path in life would culminate into such a transformation. After all, he was in prison for a reason, but in those early years, he hadn’t the stomach to commit the acts that came so easily for him today. In those early years, his true desires had yet to fully surface. It had initially been a game of revenge that had grown into a craving; a desire to fulfill a goal concocted by his twisted fantasies that had been nurtured behind bars.
And Stroud knew how to game the system as well. His parole hinged upon successful counseling and good behavior, both of which were easily mastered and manipulated. And the counseling failed spectacularly in its attempt to squelch the fantasies that played in his mind at the mere sight of children. They didn’t know just how drawn to them he was and had no idea who they’d unleashed upon an unsuspecting public. Blame for his distorted views could perhaps fall on the shoulders of the boys who’d once bullied him in school. Perhaps bullying wasn’t the right word. Raped was the right word. And he fantasized about controlling the children as he had once been controlled by those boys. But he was otherwise not abused as a child; physically, sexually, or emotionally by any relative. And certainly not by the grandmother he’d just murdered.
As a young adult, Stroud initiated his game of revenge. He’d sought and achieved retribution on those boys and that should have been enough to stem the growth of what had now become his obsession, but it hadn’t. He’d gotten away with it and that brought with it a thrill all its own. The second time, though, he wasn’t so lucky. A random kid he’d seen in his neighborhood. A young preteen girl who’d managed to pry away from him before he could do any real damage and she told her parents. Stroud went to prison for that attack.
For whatever reason, a gene defect? He didn’t know, but he and his sister seemed to deviate onto paths that society would deem repulsive and cast them away to rot inside the cracks into which they’d fallen. That combined with years exposed to a prison society that further dehumanized all contained within, the transformation into the man reflecting back at him now wasn’t as much of a leap as one might expect.
Stroud turned off the water and grabbed the hand towel that hung on the wall only inches from him in this tiny bathroom upstairs from where the real mess still needed to be cleaned. The idea had crossed his mind that outsiders, passersby, might have heard the commotion, but the basement in this old house, which was comprised of well-insulating brick and concrete, made that a less-likely scenario. Still, he couldn’t risk anything and was in a very vulnerable position right now. The girl had been easy to dispose of, but now he had two bodies and the kid was almost as tall as he was; slight but troublesome just the same.
He stepped outside where the murky sky with its scattered stars barely illuminated the quiet, rural community. The neighbors were few and far between, even better, but Stroud continued outside, stepping off the wooden porch and was now exposed. He looked left, then right; no one could be seen. His days here would be numbered, however, because Grandma played Bunko with a few other blue-hairs every Saturday night and when they came ringing the doorbell, he’d better be half-way to Timbuctoo.
The truck was in front of his grandma’s car beneath the carport in an attempt to keep it hidden from the road. It was far too risky to continue to drive it any longer. He’d seen the Amber Alert and stayed off the roads as much as possible, but he would have to leave again and that meant ridding himself of the old truck he prized. The question still rose in his mind. How did they know it was him? How could they have identified him only days after he’d taken the boy? Something had to have been left behind; he had to have been careless and now they knew who they were after. It was a costly mistake in any event, but now he questioned whether or not those smart-ass cops found what he kept in his house. Because if they did, it would destroy everything he’d worked for up to this point.
The hour had already grown late and he would not leave tonight. Stroud went back inside to get the keys to Grandma’s car. Her 2003 Olds Cutlass was about to be his newest mode of transportation. It was a wonder she still drove, but she had been a tough old woman. He cast his gaze down for a split second while a brief flash of sympathy passed through him. She was his family, after all, but the feeling didn’t last long.
Inside the house once again, he stood at the door of the basement and looked down the stairs. What was the point in cleaning up the mess? Hiding the bodies? The cops knew who he was and were looking for the kid. Wouldn’t take much to put two and two together, even for those fuckheads. But he knew his luck would run very thin after this little discovery.
He’d seen the cops on TV talking about the kid. The parents pleading for his return. Now that the kid was dead, Lyle Stroud was about to be the most wanted man in the state, and so he could do one of two things.
Pouring a glass of water from the pitcher that still sat on the dinner table, he considered his options. Stay and most definitely be captured. Or do what all his prison buddies talked about doing; go out in a blaze of glory. Was it his style? Not really, but he didn’t like the idea of putting his hands up in surrender either. He reached into his pants pocket and retrieved a slip of paper. A pen was nearby and Stroud began scratching on the paper, crossing off the second name on his list. First the girl, Emily Aldrich, and now the boy, Colton Talbot. He scanned the names to see who was next. He called this his “endangered species” list.
He’d already passed the point of no return and going back to prison would be easier. Then again, he’d suffered at the hands of the inmates who took it upon themselves to dole out justice for child molesters. Now Stroud was a child-killer. His time in prison would be short-lived and that didn’t mean on Death Row either.
He studied his list again. It had been carefully cultivated after months of online searches. Looking for those who flaunted their privileged lives. Kids who thought they were better than everyone else, just like those boys in the ninth grade had done. Team captains, winners of all the popularity contests, rich parents. This was his ultimate game of revenge. A goal to rid the world of selfie-taking little shits who had no idea what hard life was really like. Stroud hated and coveted them, and wanted to fill them with pain that he would dole out. Sexual desire played a minimal role. It was how it made him feel afterward that was better than any orgasm.
“I keep going.” He set the glass down after gulping so much water that his stomach began to hurt. Dying was an almost certainty, so why go out like a prison bitch? Stroud would finish what he started.
» » »
Kate sat in Nick’s office, waiting for the briefing to begin, not that she expected much, if any, fresh news. Another day had passed and still no truck matching their suspect’s. She believed, after the last motel, that they were too close not to find him, but it had become clear Stroud was in hiding. He had to have seen the news stories and figured the entire damn state was looking for him. The team’s initial fiery hopes of finding Colton alive had dwindled to a mere ember that had nearly extinguished.
The reason for the meeting? She believed Nick was about to suggest they head back to Winchester to search Stroud’s place. Mason’s team had already done it, but Nick knew Kate had something special. Something that made it possible for her to find clues others had missed. It didn’t always work out that way, but most of the time, it did. She’d grown to accept it as divine intervention, of sorts, and never dismissed the possibility that she had an angel on her shoulder pushing her in the right direction. She would never admit this out loud, but Nick had seen it first-hand on more than one occasion. Why he’d been dismissive of her lately remained largely a mystery to her, because this was something he should have authorized the moment they took the lead. Instead, he’d been relying on information from Fairfax County Police. They were doing their job, but he’d failed to utilize his team, meaning her, in the ap
propriate manner.
“Good morning.” Dwight entered and took a seat next to Kate. “You manage to get Mike to the airport all right?”
“It was a late flight, but he made it back home.”
Dwight studied her for a moment. “You two still getting along?”
“Of course, yeah.” She shifted in her seat. “I just have some decisions to make and I’m not sure I’m ready to make them.”
“I see.” Dwight looked as though he was about to ask another probing, personal question, when Nick walked in.
He dropped a file on his desk. “This is the report from the search Fairfax County conducted on Stroud’s residence after his identity was revealed.” Nick pulled the report from the file and spread it out on his desk. “I’d like you two to take a look. They still have forensics looking into his computer, but apparently, whatever he kept, he kept on cloud servers and not his hard drive. All we have is the picture of Emily Aldrich from his locker. But if he kept a picture of her, it means he was probably stalking her beforehand. If that’s the case, then he kept a picture of Colton Talbot somewhere and probably followed him too.”
“Did he have a connection to her at all? Family friend? Anything like that?” Dwight asked.
“None that they’ve found. She lived miles from his home, so I don’t know how he found her or why. That’s what we need to find out. And, there may be something left behind at his home. We can’t afford to overlook anything right now. I’m not sure how much time Colton has.”
“What would make him revert back to his old behavior? It had been a year since he got out.” Kate held the picture of Emily in her hand. “Wasn’t he required to attend counseling as a condition of parole? Wouldn’t his counselor have seen this change?”
“It was group counseling, and according to his parole officer, Stroud was highly cunning. A sociopath with manipulative skills that were above par. Unfortunately, the parole officer learned this too late,” Nick replied. “He could easily have hidden his desires as a result. That may be how he survived prison, considering his crimes and how the hierarchy of prison dictates child abusers to be the lowest of the low.”
“So he was granted parole based on lies and manipulation,” Kate said.
“And that he’d served his sentence and was a model prisoner,” Dwight continued.
“Right. Then he’d be required to continue with counseling as a condition of release, and he’s a registered sex offender and ex-con at this point. So how and when does he begin to rediscover his desires?”
“I don’t think they ever went away, Kate,” Nick said. “I think he’s been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to make his move, or he simply saw an opportunity and was drawn to this girl.”
“That doesn’t explain why he went after Colton Talbot, some eighty miles away,” Kate said.
“No, it doesn’t. However, I suspect he realized he’d crossed the line and knew there was no going back home. I don’t know why he chose to stop in the suburbs of Fairfax County.” Nick appeared to be losing hold of his emotions but quickly reeled them in. “I’m hoping the three of us can find something in Stroud’s house. Something that might give us a clue as to what his plan is and what lies east.” Nick rose from his chair. “We’re all failing the Talbots right now.”
» » »
Detective Mason was going to meet them at Stroud’s home within the hour. Kate was glad to be along for the ride this time and hoped that Nick was returning to his old self; the man who insisted Kate was meant to be a Federal agent and practically coddled her through the process of making that happen. Although she didn’t want to dismiss her own abilities, Nick had, nonetheless, made it possible for her to be here now. With her probationary status on the line, she needed to be in the field again to prove to ASAC Campbell that she deserved to be here.
The case was getting to Nick and Kate feared his impulsivity could jeopardize the investigation. Perhaps he would go too far with his usual bending of the rules. But, if she had any say in the matter, she wouldn’t let that happen. Finding Colton was equally as important to her as it was to Nick, whether he knew that or not.
Upon their arrival, an officer stepped outside to greet them. “Detective Mason will be here soon. I just got off the horn with her.”
“Great. Thanks.” Nick scrolled through his phone without so much as a glance to the officer. “Can we go inside?”
“Oh sure.” He pushed open the door. “Sorry about that. So, you guys work in BAU?” The officer’s eyes appeared with some sparkle in them, as though he envied them.
“The Washington Field Office of the BAU, yes,” Dwight began. “Under Agent Scarborough’s residency.”
“That means we’re sort of an assistant branch of the BAU. Each field office has a resident agent, but BAU headquarters is in Quantico,” Kate added.
“That’s pretty cool.”
The officer was young, maybe even a rookie. “How long have you been with Fairfax County?” Kate wanted him to feel like he was a part of this too and she was genuine in her question.
Once inside, he closed the door behind them. “It’s my second year on the force. I was in the Reserves for a while, did a stint in Afghanistan, and became a cop after that.”
“Thank you for your service.”
Nick looked over his shoulder at Kate, as if, in that moment, he realized his callous attitude needed to be checked. He displayed a brief smile, then returned his attention to the interior of the home.
The officer’s radio buzzed in. “Grayson here,” he answered.
“Be there in five.”
The voice on the radio sounded familiar to Kate.
“Ten-four.” He eyed Kate. “Detective Mason is almost here. Won’t be much longer.”
Within the time she’d specified, Detective Mason had arrived. “Sorry, I got delayed.” The detective stepped inside the home and brushed her dark blonde hair from her eyes. Breathing heavily as though she’d run all the way here, she turned to Nick and extended her hand. “Thanks for coming down, Agent Scarborough, but as I mentioned on the phone, my team went through this place with a fine-tooth comb, however you’re welcome to have a poke around. Hey, extra sets of eyes can never hurt.” She turned on her heel. “Why don’t you guys follow me?”
“Thank you for your help, Officer Grayson,” Kate said as she pulled up the rear.
The house had clearly been scoured, from what Kate could see. No personal items remained. No pictures or knick-knacks or even a dirty dish in the sink. “So, the report you sent to us, it included all the forensics?”
Mason turned to Kate. “What we have, yes. We’re still waiting on hair samples that were found in the carpet fibers and a complete report on the findings from his computer. No cell phone was found, but I believe we’ve already handed over his phone records. Once Agent Scarborough discovered Emily Aldrich’s picture at Stroud’s workplace, we came back and made another sweep, trying to determine if the girl had been brought here before he decided to drive south and abduct Colton Talbot.”
“I doubt that.” Nick studied the fireplace mantel, although nothing remained on it. “He’d have had to back-track to do that and he didn’t have that kind of time. Where are the pictures of his family? I saw in the report that this mantel had a couple frames on it.”
“There were pictures here, yes, but they weren’t his family. Looked like they were friends.” Detective Mason moved in for a closer look, brushing against Nick’s arm.
He unveiled an awkward grin at her obvious gesture. “You’re telling me he had friends?”
“Seems so. Why? Does that seem out of character from your profile?”
Immediately, Kate thought of Georgia. There was no need for a profiler in this particular instance because they knew who they were dealing with and what his criminal background consisted of, but she thought of her just the same.
“My guess is he was just putting on airs for unexpected visits from his parole officer or counselor. Make it look like
he had friends and was getting along well with life outside of prison.”
“But you obviously don’t think that,” Mason said.
“No. Not this guy. My opinion is that he shouldn’t have ever been released to begin with.” Nick began to head toward the hall. “Kate?” A toss of his head meant she needed to join him.
She followed him down the hall and into what appeared to be Stroud’s bedroom.
Nick turned to her. “I want you to spend some time in here. If there’s anything to be found, it’ll be here.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Like I told the detective, Stroud was putting up a front, but he still would’ve needed a place to call his own, where he didn’t need to hide his true self.”
Nick had just confirmed his faith in her was alive and well and if he thought she could find something in here, then she would. That familiar little twitch in her mind began to flutter. “Okay. I’ll have a look around.”
“I’d better get back out there. We can still look through the rest of the house.” He placed a hand on Kate’s shoulder. “Come find me if you need me.”
Kate was left to do what could be the impossible; find something that might not be there to find. But she’d been here before—many times and right from the very beginning. Right from the day she saw the necklace on that woman. It hadn’t occurred to her then, but that was when it started.
A bed was positioned on the opposite wall but had no covers on it. They would’ve taken any bedding for analysis. She moved to the closet; no clothes inside, not even a hanger. Every dresser drawer had been emptied. The place was cleaned out. Perhaps she and Nick had given her too much credit.
Kate slipped her shoes off to walk barefoot on the thick pile carpet. Maybe she’d come across something stuck in its fibers. She wasn’t going to find any jewelry here. No red herring that would send them in the wrong direction. After several minutes, she was beginning to grasp at straws. So she stopped, closed her eyes, and cleared her mind. “I have to find Colton. I need your help.” It was the first time she’d asked him for help. She’d spoken to Marshall many, many times, but this—well, she was desperate.
