“You drive.”
***
As they pulled onto the highway, he said, “I don’t know where the police stations are around here. You’ll have to give me directions.”
“Just take me back to my car, and after that...”
He said nothing in return, and so they rode in silence.
Then, she asked him a question.
“Why me?”
“What?”
“Why did you take me? Why not someone else?”
After a moment, he answered.
“You’re perfect.”
“What?”
“I’ve been planning this for a while, looking for the right girl, and then I saw you... and you were perfect.”
“But what’s that mean, ‘perfect?”
He took his eyes off the road and stared at her.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
She lowered her eyes and spoke softly.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you; what did you say?”
“I said I’m not a thing.”
“I know; it’s why I didn’t... couldn’t...”
“Were you going to rape me?”
He nodded.
“Kill me?”
Another nod, but this one also carried with it a look of pain.
“Why did you stop?”
“I saw the fear in your eyes, the terror, and I—look, Jessica, I’m so sorry, but you don’t have to worry; I’ll pay for what I did to you and I’ll never bother you again.”
“What’s your name?”
He told her and she repeated it.
He drove into the park and pulled up behind her car, and again she marveled at the way he moved. Before she had even opened her door, he had left the van and was bent over tinkering under her car’s hood.
She walked over to stand beside him and watched what he was doing.
“You’re the reason my car broke down?”
“Yes, I did something to the carburetor.”
“You know a lot about cars?”
“I learned a little from one of my mom’s old boyfriends.”
“Is your father still living?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t remember him and my mom never talks about him,” he said, and then he walked around and started the engine.
“Thank you, for fixing my car.”
He shrugged.
“I’m the one that broke it.”
And then they stood there by the car, just staring at each other.
Their reverie was ended by the squeal of brakes, as a vehicle came to a sudden stop across from them; next, Dr. James White emerged, while wearing an angry expression.
“Jessica, thank God, I became worried when you didn’t come home from work.”
Jessica went to him.
“I’m sorry, Daddy, but my car broke down.”
He gave her a kiss on the forehead, as the look of anger turned into one of relief.
“As long as you’re all right; that’s all that matters.” He then looked over at him. “Who is he?”
Jessica introduced them and he stood before her father with a solemn look on his face.
“Mr. White, I—”
“It’s Dr. White, young man. I’m a psychiatrist.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. White, I need to tell you that I—”
“He fixed my car!” Jessica said, cutting him off.
Dr. White grunted and took out his wallet, a moment later, he held out money.
He stared at it dumbly.
“Well, take it young man; it’s a reward for fixing my daughter’s car.”
“A reward?”
“Yes, and is that your van?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then it looks like you could use it.”
He straightened. “I don’t want your money.”
Dr. White returned the money to his wallet and headed for his car.
“Very well, now, Jessica, get in your car and follow me home; it’s getting late and I’ve a meeting to attend.”
“All right, Daddy, but give me a pen first,”
“Why?”
“Never mind, just give me a pen.”
Dr. White looked over at him.
“I don’t have one.”
“Yes you do, you always have one, now stop being silly and let me have it.”
The doctor reached into his suit coat and came out with a pen. “Here.”
Jessica took the pen from her father and then walked back over to him.
“Let me see your hand.”
He gave her a quizzical look and then held out his right hand, after which, she wrote upon it.
“That’s my number, call me.” Next, she stood on her toes and whispered in his ear. “You’re better than you know, don’t go to the police; it would only ruin your life.”
Afterward, she got in her car and followed her father out of the park.
A long time passed before he could stop staring at the numbers written on his hand.
CHAPTER 4
THE PRESENT
Detroit, Michigan
Agent Stiles had been detained by other concerns and so it was Detective McGraw that escorted them to the steakhouse on Canfield Street.
As they waited for Stiles to join them, McGraw ordered a round of drinks. When the drinks arrived, McGraw asked Jessica a question.
“Are you a teetotaler, doctor, or is there another reason that you only ordered a ginger ale?”
Jessica reached over and took her husband’s hand.
“I recently found out that I’m pregnant.”
“Congratulations, you two, will this be your first?”
“Yes, and we’re very excited, but what about you, do you have any children?”
“Two girls, thirteen and fifteen, and if my mother didn’t help me out with them I don’t know how I’d make it, they’re actually staying with her while I work on this Task Force.”
“I can only imagine how much time being a parent takes. I’ve been doing research for a book I’m writing about serial killers, and I’ve decided to accelerate my writing schedule. I know that once the baby comes there will be little time for writing.”
“I was told that you never take a fee for consulting, is that true?”
“Yes, well, other than airfare and expenses.”
“That’s interesting, with your track record I would think you could name your price and the city would gladly pay it, particularly with the press we’ve been getting.”
“I haven’t seen a newspaper since we’ve arrived, but I take it that there’s a lot of pressure on to catch this killer?”
“Oh yes, Debra Anders, the third victim, her father is Ron Anders, owner of a local television station, among other things. Since the moment his daughter went missing, he’s been on our case to solve this.”
The doctor’s husband leaned back in his seat.
“We’ll do our best to help, Detective, and my wife’s reputation is well-earned.”
“You two have been catching the bad guys for a while now, haven’t you?”
Jessica looked over at her husband and smiled.
“Yes, we’ve been at this for a while now.”
CHAPTER 5
THE PAST
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jessica kissed her father on the cheek as they stood in the doorway and he prepared to say goodbye.
The college freshman had just settled into her off-campus apartment, along with her roommate, a girl named Juliet Hamden.
Her father kissed her back. “Now, you’re certain that there’s nothing else you need?”
“I’m fine, Daddy, but you’d better get going or you’ll run into all that rush hour traffic.”
“I’ve got time; my plane doesn’t leave for hours.”
“What about Gabby?”
“Your sister will be fine; Mrs. Jones from across the street is watching her. I’ll be picki
ng her up in the morning.”
The doctor just stared at his daughter then, as tears welled up in his eyes.
“Daddy, are you crying?”
Jessica’s father grabbed her and held her tight.
“I’m going to miss you so much, and I’m so proud of you that I can’t stand it.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, baby,”
As they separated, they both wiped away tears. Dr. White looked at his daughter and smiled.
“I envy you, do you know that? You’ve got your whole life ahead of you and you’ve so much potential. I almost wish that I was in your shoes.”
Jessica smiled.
“I only hope that I have half the career that you have. You’re world-renowned in your field.”
“I owe it all to your mother. When we met I was adrift, aimless, just a wandering generality; she’s the one who made me the man I am. I only wish that she were here to see you, to be here for you.”
“I miss her too, Daddy.”
“Now, speaking of significant others, I did run into a nice young man named Howe. He has an apartment on the top floor of the building and he’s studying to be a cardiologist.”
“I already have a boyfriend, you know that.”
“I’ve nothing against the boy, dear, but let’s face facts, he’s not exactly in your league, I mean he drives that old van and he’s working as a janitor.”
“He’s not a janitor. He’s a part of building maintenance.”
The doctor rolled his eyes.
“What’s the difference?”
“The difference,” said a voice from behind the doctor, “Is that I not only get to place the garbage inside the trash compactor, but I also have to repair it if it breaks.”
The doctor spun around to find his daughter’s boyfriend staring at him.
“I thought that you only fixed cars?”
“I’ve had a bit of training in many things.”
“A jack of all trades, hmm?”
The boy smiled. “And a master of some,”
The doctor studied him. The boy always had a knack of making him uncomfortable.
Dr. White didn’t like to think of himself as an elitist, but the thought that his daughter, his incredible Jessica, could become tied for life to this, this... blue collar worker, was more than he could stand. He turned back to his daughter.
“As I said, his name is Howe, Howe Winslow and he’s in apartment 5G.”
Jessica shook her head.
“Daddy, you never give up, do you?”
“I just want to see you happy, that’s all.”
Jessica walked over to her boyfriend and fell into his arms.
“I am happy, as happy as I’ve ever been.”
Dr. White sighed.
“On that note, I think I’ll leave. Say goodbye to Juliet for me, and ah, young man?”
“Yes sir?”
“You take care of my daughter, do you hear me?”
“Yes sir.”
“You’d better,” the doctor said, before giving Jessica a final kiss and heading for the elevator.
Once her father left, they walked into the apartment and closed the door.
“I think your father hates me.”
“Daddy doesn’t hate you, he’s just overprotective.”
“I saved his life twice when that serial killer attacked him and he still can’t stand me, he met Howe Winslow an hour ago and he’s ready to marry you off to him.”
Jessica wrinkled her nose.
“Daddy’s a bit of a snob, that’s all.”
“He’s right, you know.”
“About what?”
“You can do better than me. Every time I think about the fact that you’re my girlfriend, I marvel at the thought.”
Jessica placed her arms about his neck.
“What did I tell you the first day we met?”
“That I was better than I knew.”
“Yes, and it’s true, you’re a good man, baby, and someday you’re going to see that.”
He stared at her.
“You’re a miracle, an absolute miracle.”
Jessica stretched up to kiss him. “It takes one to know one.”
As they were kissing, the door opened and in walked a girl with long, dark hair and green eyes.
“Oops! Sorry, Jessica, I didn’t know that you had company.”
“That’s okay, Juliet; it’s your apartment too,” Jessica said, and then she introduced them.
For long seconds, Juliet said nothing, but only stared at him. Afterward, she shook herself and came out of her trance.
“I’m sorry; it’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here,” he told her, before turning to Jessica and placing a hand on her cheek. “I’ve got to get back to work, but I’ll take you out for Chinese later, okay?”
Jessica smiled. “It’s a date.”
A loud scream echoed throughout the halls. They opened the door and heard the sound of someone crying, intermixed with the words, “Oh my God, oh my God,”
The sounds were coming from one floor above them, from the fourth floor of the five-story apartment building. The three of them raced up the stairs and found several people emerging from their apartments to see what was going on.
Halfway down the hall was a girl sitting on the floor across from an open doorway. The girl was crying hysterically and was doubtless the one who had uttered the scream,
One of her neighbors, a young woman in leotards, knelt down beside her and tried to soothe her.
“Hey, hey Cindy, honey what’s the matter?”
Cindy was crying too hard to give voice to an answer, instead, she simply pointed into the apartment.
With Jessica and Juliet beside him, he walked cautiously into the apartment and found no one. Everything else appeared normal, but in the next instant, he smelled it, a coppery odor like none other.
“Jessica, why don’t you and Juliet go out in the hall while I take a look around, okay?”
“No, I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“All right, but please, stay behind me, you too, Juliet,”
He headed towards the bedrooms and that’s where they found her.
She was a blonde, and had been beautiful, but that was before.
The girl was tied spread eagle atop the bed with a gag taped in place across her mouth. Her blue eyes bulged from their sockets in death and her blood soaked the sheet, as well as the mattress she lay upon. She had been cut so many times that her flesh hung in strips and her intestines dangled over the side of the bed. She had obviously died in great pain, and the death wound appeared to be the jagged gash across her throat.
Juliet made a retching sound and then bolted for the bathroom.
When he took his eyes from the corpse to look at Jessica, he found her already staring at him.
In her eyes were tears, fear, and a host of unasked questions.
He pointed toward the bed.
“This wasn’t me.”
Jessica stared at him a moment longer, before turning and walking out of the room.
“I’ll go call the police,” she said.
He watched her go, while wondering if she had just left for good.
CHAPTER 6
THE PRESENT
Detroit, Michigan
Special Agent Stiles arrived by taxi and joined them at the table, where he offered his apologies for being late.
After everyone had ordered their meals, Detective McGraw excused herself from the table in order to have privacy while she spoke to her children. While she was gone, Stiles talked with Jessica.
“So, have you given more thought to the case?”
“We talked about it back at the hotel room and we both believe that these crimes feel personal. Our killer is either acquainted with all five women or he’s choosing them to act as surrogates for someone he truly hates. It’s not a coincidence that the victims are similar in appearance”
“You mea
n that he may be killing them instead of someone else?”
“Yes, perhaps the one he most wants to kill is too closely connected to him.”
“Good God, it’s one thing to take out your anger on someone else, but this is extreme.”
“Yes,” her husband said. “Have you looked into connections at the victims places of work? Perhaps their offices were all serviced by the same company in some manner.”
“We looked into that. Three of the offices that the women worked out of were using the same bottled water company; they even had the same deliveryman and salesman handling the accounts. However, this isn’t New York or Chicago, in a city this size you would expect some crossover between services, but we haven’t found a single thing that ties all five victims together.”
“I’d like to take a tour of the abduction sites tomorrow,” Jessica said. “Perhaps something will jump out at us.”
“That’s a good idea; maybe a fresh set of eyes will catch something we’ve missed.”
“My husband was also wondering if you’ve considered the fact that there may be more than one man operating here. Perhaps one keeps an eye out while the other one acts?”
“It’s possible, but so is anything else. We’ve been working in the dark here. Whoever is doing this is good at it, but he’ll slip up eventually.”
“He may have already slipped up,” McGraw said, as she retook her seat. “I checked in with the station while I was gone, and they told me that a woman called and said that she may have information regarding the case.”
“What sort of information?” Stiles said.
“It seems that she was attacked last month in the underground parking garage at her office building. The attacker ran off when a couple in a nearby car shouted at him.”
“Does she fit the victim profile?” Jessica asked.
“She’s a good match. She’s black, mid-thirties and owns her own business.”
“Why didn’t she come forward before now?”
“She was away taking care of a dying parent, when she saw the newspapers at the airport, she realized that what she thought was a botched mugging might have actually been an aborted abduction. She’s coming in at nine a.m. to work with the sketch artist and to give a statement.”
Stiles took out his phone.
“Tomorrow morning is no good. I want to talk to her tonight.”
McGraw was about to take a sip of wine, but stopped the glass halfway to her lips.
The TAKEN! Series - Books 5-8 (Taken! Box Set Book 2) Page 2
