by Robin Mahle
“He won’t wait that long.” Nick appeared to consider their best option. “Sophie’s in the seventh grade. Either of you know how many middle schools there are in this town?”
Kate retrieved her tablet and began running a search. “Hang on.” She typed in a few more commands before the answer appeared. “Three. There’s three here and based on where the retirement home is, it would be fairly easy to discern that she wouldn’t travel too far from her community to volunteer. And the retirement home is five miles from here.” She looked to Nick. “It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out the nearest middle school would be where Sophie would attend.”
“But with security at schools these days, he wouldn’t be able to get very close without being noticed, especially now.”
“He’ll have no choice but to follow her from a distance,” Nick replied.
“Then that’s where I’ll come in.” Kate glanced at the time. “Do we know when school lets out?”
“3:15, according to Mrs. Curtis,” Dwight replied.
“That gives us two hours to get things in place. If we’re going to act, it has to be today and it has to be now. Because if we’re wrong, he’ll be on his way to the next victim.”
Nick reached for his cell phone. “I’ll have the chief’s people approach the school administrators about this. I’ll relay the plan and they’ll have to convey it to the school in such a manner that they don’t feel the need to go on lockdown.”
“That’s going to be tough. A killer on the loose who’s after one of their students,” Dwight said. “That’s a tough sell not to lock the place down. If the community gets wind of it, parents will be up in arms. It’ll be a media shit storm and we’ll lose Stroud.”
“We have to hope the chief will be able to keep a lid on it. We don’t have a choice here.” Nick rose from the chair and stepped away to make the call.
Kate watched him leave before returning her attention to Dwight. “What do you think? He was in pretty bad shape this morning.” She wouldn’t reveal his surprising declaration. “You think he’s up for this?”
“I wouldn’t put him in the line of fire if I didn’t. He needs this. This is what’s going to keep him on the straight and narrow. Finding and capturing Stroud is all that matters to him. What happened last night? That was a brief moment of recklessness, one I don’t believe he’ll repeat.” He cast a brief glance to Nick, who was still on the phone. “Don’t worry, Kate. He would never let you down and neither would I.”
“Okay, we’re set to go.” Nick returned to his seat. “Chief says he’ll go to the school himself and arrange it. We agreed that you would be allowed inside the school grounds, but only to the extent that you are making your way toward the exit. In other words, you’re not to enter any classrooms, the gym, or any other place where you would be near the students. He wants you out in the open and I agree.”
“I guess I’d better find some clothes to wear. Hopefully, I can squeeze into something of Sophie’s, or we’ll have to make a trip to a clothing store. I think I might stand out if I’m wearing my work clothes and high-heels.” Kate made her way toward Sophie’s room.
Inside, the young teenager’s room revealed that she was an awful lot like most other teenagers. Bright and colorful, her tastes bordered on eclectic with vintage pieces, and by vintage, she owned a record player and modern pieces like Bluetooth speakers and an ergonomic Swedish desk. Or perhaps this was her mother’s taste. The rest of the home seemed to be furnished in a similar manner.
But there was no denying the room belonged to a thirteen-year-old girl who had a love of all things boy-band. Kate didn’t know who the kids on the posters were. The latest rag-tag bunch of rapscallions Britain had to offer, no doubt. She had to smile because she recalled a time when her own room looked very much the same, except with NSync and not whoever these guys were.
Kate approached Sophie’s closet, pulling open the white louvered doors to reveal something akin to Armageddon inside. Clothes hung haphazardly or tossed onto the floor. Shoes were strewn about in mismatched pairs. “Looks about right.” She began to sift through them, looking for something she might be able to get into. Perhaps an oversized t-shirt and yoga pants.
Sure enough, she found plenty of those things. Kate slipped them on along with Sophie’s tennis shoes, which were half a size too big, and looked into the dresser mirror. With her fingers, she began to braid her now blonde hair over her shoulder, just as Sophie would have, and at completion, Kate studied her reflection. A sense of sorrow passed through her. Sophie’s life was in danger, and while the girl was safe at an undisclosed location with her family, she was still the target of a monster who would seek to do her harm. One of many Kate had come across in recent years. She pulled the hair back at her temple to reveal the fading scar left behind by just such a monster. But she had defeated him and the others. It was her job. She knew why Nick had begun to unravel. It wasn’t hard to figure out. Kate only hoped that the same would not happen to her one day, but how could it not? Now she had to not only capture this monster, but keep Nick from tumbling further down the rabbit hole.
Kate looked at a picture of Sophie and her friends, smiling and happy. That was why she was doing this job. A final tug on the braid and Kate left the bedroom to rejoin her colleagues. They had little over an hour and the strategy needed to be in place.
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The time had come to rid himself of his grandmother’s Olds Cutlass. After the discovery of the bodies in her home, his truck parked and her missing car, they were obviously aware of what he was driving. Stroud was already en route to find the blonde girl; one of two on his list, and would arrive in just under an hour’s time. He needed to find an easy target. Some old woman’s car; a Buick maybe. Something that would throw the feds and the cops off his scent.
Stroud spotted a Walmart and pulled into the enormous parking lot. The place was packed and he needed to stay out of sight as best he could. The fringes were his best bet. The closer to the store he got, the better the chances were of surveillance cameras. He pulled alongside an older model Ford Focus. It was all he could find this far out and was probably an employee’s vehicle, which might be a better option. Whoever owned it wasn’t likely to come walking out anytime soon. Still, he had to be vigilant. There were five spaces between this car and the next, closer to the store, and so he pulled up on the opposite side.
He stepped out and casually approached, lifting the front passenger handle in the unlikely event it was unlocked. It wasn’t. Stroud lowered his hand to feel the underside of the wheel well. Nothing there either. Another casual glance for passersby and he continued toward the back of the car, feeling beneath the rear well; still nothing. “God damn it.”
Stroud was running out of options and risked being spotted if he took much more time. Most people probably couldn’t pick him out in a parking lot as the man they’d seen on TV, but it was a chance he couldn’t take. Around the car he moved, again in search of a spare key hitched on the underside of a fender, but still there was nothing. He was going to have to do this the hard way. He walked back to his car and retrieved a Slim Jim. It would get him inside, but then he’d have to kill the alarm—fast. He’d acquired a great many skills while behind bars and bypassing factory antitheft transponders was one of them. Time was all anyone had inside and a lot of them chose to spend it teaching their tricks of the trade and right now, he was glad he listened.
Within two minutes, he was inside and the alarm was off. His brow dripping with sweat, Stroud kept his eyes peeled for anyone looking to charge at him, but the few people who were around were far away and only cast a brief, unconcerned look in his direction when the alarm initially sounded. Because it was off quickly, they went back to their daily lives, unfazed by the event. The engine sputtered as he pressed down on the gas and reversed out of the spot. The fuel filter sounded clogged and he prayed the damn thing wouldn’t stall out on him.
Stroud was finally back out onto the road, feeling more confident than
ever. He wasn’t sure he’d recall all the steps to boosting the car, but he’d managed with flying colors and felt rejuvenated—ready to take on the world; or maybe just the girl. He needed to keep his head right now if he stood any chance of succeeding. She would keep him occupied for a while, but he hadn’t worked out all the details yet, except where he would go. He had money now, but it wouldn’t last and he’d have to find another way. It was getting harder to pull off his goal. They were looking for him and he was just one step ahead, giving them a chance to catch up. Once he got her, he’d have to devise a plan better than the last. “One thing at a time,” he said.
Stroud continued on the drive and began to approach his final destination. He pulled onto the driveway behind another car and while he couldn’t be sure this was the precise location, he had to trust the two drug addicts and that in and of itself was risky. If this wasn’t the place, then he’d be screwed.
The afternoon sun was still high above and he still had time to do what needed to be done, but this was a necessary stop in preparation. He stepped out of the car and, with suspicious eyes, scanned the vicinity. No one was watching, at least, not from the outside.
The front porch was littered with newspapers, cigarette butts, and a few bottles of cheap beer. “This has got to be the place.” Stroud flicked his own cigarette onto the ground and tried to peer through the front window, but it was obscured by curtains, not to mention bars on the front. He moved toward the door and pulled open the heavy wrought iron screen and knocked.
If she was here, she’d be home, no doubt. He leaned his ear against the door for sounds of footsteps, but he heard none. He waited, but still nothing. “Son of a bitch.” This time, he knocked harder. “Shannon, open up! It’s me, Lyle.”
Moments later, he thought he picked up some movement inside. “Shannon?”
“I’m coming,” A rasping voice sounded on the other side and, finally, the door opened.
Lyle flinched with shock at the sight of his older sister. He hadn’t seen her since before he got out of prison and she looked like death warmed over. He knew then that her addiction was deep. “Shannon, it’s me, Lyle. Can I come in?”
She regarded him with apprehension. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“What? No, ‘hey bro, it’s good to see you? Where the hell you been?’”
“You been locked up and now you’re out. So what the fuck do you want?” she replied.
He realized she had no idea the cops were after him or what he’d done and that would make this much easier. “I wanted to see you. Can I come in or you just gonna make me stand out here like a punk?”
She pulled the door open and stepped aside but said nothing and Stroud walked in. He nearly gagged at the smell. A mixture of cat piss, sex, and pot. Leftover food, bongs, and a few beer bottles were scattered throughout the living room.
“How long you been here?” he asked.
“Not long.” She closed the door and tugged on the bra strap that had fallen down her shoulder beneath a dingy grey tank top. “When did you get out?”
That was a tricky question. “Not long ago.” He figured the less she knew, the better and easier this would be.
“You want something to drink?” She shuffled toward the kitchen.
Stroud knew he didn’t have time to get reacquainted with his sister, nor did he really have the desire to, so he was going to need to expedite this reunion. “Sure, just some water, thanks.” He spotted a used needle on the side table and looked for a bag of heroin, but didn’t see any nearby. What he did find was a bottle of OxyContin.
While his sister’s back was turned in search of a clean glass, he opened the bottle and took out two of the pills. Stroud used the bottle to crush the pills into powder and swept the dust into his hands. As far gone as she was, he didn’t think two would do her much harm, except keep her out for a while, which was what he needed.
“Here.” Shannon returned with a glass of water and sat down on a folding chair next to the stained floral sofa where her brother sat.
“How long has it been since you last used?”
She furrowed her brow as though insulted by the question.
“I don’t really give a fuck. I’m just asking ‘cause I wouldn’t mind getting a little lit myself, but I don’t want to do it on my own.”
“Oh. I could use another hit.” She walked toward what was probably her bedroom.
Stroud grabbed a nearby spoon that looked as though it had been used for last night’s dinner and poured some water into it. He mixed the powder with the water and then dipped the syringe into the mixture, using the plunger to pull as much of it up as he could. He knew this would be dangerous and originally just wanted to drop it into her water, but he was running out of time and she wasn’t drinking any water.
Shannon soon returned with a dime bag of tar and fresh supplies and sat back down. “This is all I got left, if you want some.”
“Shit yeah. I’ll take some of that.” Stroud held the needle in his hand, tucked inside his palm and approached her. It was risky, but she was only half-alert as it was and her reflexes would be slow, probably non-existent, so he decided to take his chances.
She tied two condoms together and began to wrap it around her arm for a tourniquet.
“Here, let me help you with that.” Stroud slapped the crease of her elbow where several injection marks were visible to plump up the vein. “Like old times, eh?” He locked eyes with her for a moment of distraction and with his other hand, pushed the needle in, emptying its contents into her arm.
She reared back, her eyes immediately dilating and her back arching. “What the fuck?” She peered at him in shock.
“You’ll be fine. Your tolerance must be high as fuck.”
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Kate stood inside the empty halls of the school dressed to blend in and hair that matched the style of Sophie Curtis. Her classmates, according to the principal, didn’t know what was going on, nor why she was taken out of school today. Kate’s presence wasn’t likely to trigger any questions because up close, she looked nothing like the young girl whom she was portraying. But from a distance, from Lyle Stroud’s distance, she could pass.
The final bell echoed in the halls, doors flung open, and kids spilled out into the corridor. Kate disappeared into the herd and followed them through the doors and out into the open. “I’m outside,” she whispered in her earpiece.
Two teams were posted in front of the school; WFO agents who had to hustle to get there in time and Nick and Dwight, who waited in his SUV two blocks down where Sophie would normally walk.
“Nothing yet over here,” Nick answered through his headset. The other two teams responded in kind. “Damn it. Where is he?”
“He’ll be here; he has to be.” Dwight looked through the passenger window to the side view. No one was behind them. “He could’ve gotten rid of the Olds, in fact, I’d wager on it.”
“Still, we should see someone lurking around. He’d stand out like a sore thumb.”
Kate continued down the wide concrete path that opened up just beyond the gates of the school. She hoisted the backpack further up on her shoulder. No one questioned her, so she must have been on the right track. Either that, or they just didn’t care, which was also likely in a school full of thirteen and fourteen year olds who scarcely looked up from their cell phones.
“I’m leaving the grounds, heading west.” Kate made the turn and was now walking in the direction of her partners. “Still nothing?”
“No. He’s not here, Kate. Just keep walking in the direction of the house. He might be hanging back until you get further away from the school,” Nick replied.
“Ten-four.” Kate continued along toward the Curtis home, passing Nick and Dwight without acknowledgement. “Where are you, you son of a bitch?” Kate was nearing the Curtis home. “What should I do?”
“Go inside. It’s over. He didn’t show.”
Kate looked behind her, one last g
lance to confirm Stroud hadn’t been following, but no one was there. They’d baited the line, but he wasn’t there to take a bite. She unlocked the front door and entered, relocking it behind her. “I’m in.”
“Kate, we’re going to make another pass, see if we can spot him. Just stay put.” Nick turned the wheel and pulled away from the curb. “Let’s hit the next block over and then come back up here,” he said to Dwight.
“What about the teams at the school?”
“Give me one more pass, then we’ll call it,” Nick said again in his earpiece.
» » »
Lyle Stroud hung back from the school far enough not to raise any red flags. He retrieved the binoculars and aimed them at the school’s exit. Double-checking the time, he’d made it with not much to spare. Taking care of his sister took longer than he anticipated, but no need to get riled up about it.
The school buzzed with the ending bell; a horrible, loud buzz that he could hear from this distance. “Jesus. No wonder they want to get the hell out of there.” He zoomed in his binocular lens for a better view. The kids tumbled out, randomly and happily. He kept a look out for the girl, the one who’d held that ribbon so boastfully in the picture. A smile crept up on his lips. There she was; plain, innocent. She waved goodbye to her friends as she began her trek home to a place where she would drop her things, kick off her shoes, and plop down in front of the TV or phone or computer and vegetate for hours, until her parents came home from work. But not today. Today, Lyle Stroud was in town and he was looking for her.
He started up the car when she was far enough ahead not to hear the engine and began to follow her. His palms clung to the wheel, sweaty from the excitement and the heat. The air conditioner blasted on his face, but it did little to soothe the burn in his stomach. It was the burn that drove him further, risking more than he ever had before.
Only a block behind her, he made a quick right when she looked back. “Damn it.” Stroud quickly turned the car around and returned to the T-crossing. Before pulling out, he made sure she wasn’t looking back again. He would have to take care not to get too close. He saw that she was wearing headphones, probably listening to the shit music they played today. This would work to his advantage. The street in front of him cleared and he pulled back out onto it. She was farther ahead now, but he could still see her well enough.
