The big man made a choking sound and then sank to his knees, before curling up into the fetal position.
McGraw grinned. “I thought you said your wife was defenseless?”
He smiled with pride.
“I should have said weaponless.”
McGraw called down to Jessica and then tossed her a set of handcuffs; a moment later and her would-be attacker was shackled to the metal post of a street sign.
“Dr. White, there’s a woman in the back who could use your help.”
“I’ll go see to her, and you two be careful.”
They walked along on opposite sides of the hall towards a lit room at the end of it.
McGraw called out.
“This is the police! If I see a weapon in your hand I will shoot!”
When they reached the doorway, a voice called out to them.
“Yo! Miss Policewoman, I ain’t holdin’ so don’t shoot my ass.”
McGraw cocked her head.
“Kenny, is that you?”
“Yeah, but my name ain’t Kenny no more. Shit, hey McGraw, is that you?”
McGraw peeked into the room and saw Kenny Posnanski a.k.a. Rudolf Heinrich, seated behind a wooden desk with his hands lying flat on the top of it.
Kenny had changed since she’d last seen him six years ago. Gone was the confused manchild who once confessed to her that the only reason he joined the White Brotherhood was to meet women, in his place was a man dedicated to the cause.
Kenny wore a sleeveless black T-shirt that allowed the huge red swastikas tattooed on each shoulder to be clearly seen. The words, I Hate Niggers profaned the right arm, while All Jews Must Die! scarred the left, and both sets of tattoos ended at swastikas inked upon his wrists. Kenny’s formally skinny frame was now packed with muscle and his shaved head gleamed beneath the florescent light that hung over the desk.
McGraw walked into the room as the doctor’s husband followed behind her, and she detected the odor of marijuana, even as she spotted a used needle lying in a corner.
She was opening her mouth to speak when she heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of a gun cocking, and it was coming from beneath the desk. Without hesitation, she fired three shots at the desktop and heard a scream erupt from beneath it, as Kenny jumped backwards and fell onto the floor.
While keeping his weapon trained on Kenny, the doctor’s husband grabbed an edge of the desk with one hand and flipped it over. On the floor beneath it was the body of a white teenaged girl. The girl had tattoos up both arms and two bullet holes in her chest. She also had an old .38 Smith & Wesson in her dead right hand.
“Shit!” McGraw cried. “Shit! Shit! Shit! Goddamn you, Kenny, why did you make me kill this stupid child?” McGraw studied the girl’s face. “Aw fuck, what is she, sixteen?”
“She’s eighteen, but her age doesn’t matter, all that matters is that she died a proud soldier in the fight for Aryan freedom.”
McGraw stared at Kenny for a beat and then started towards him. She was held back by the doctor’s husband.
“Don’t, you’ll lose your badge.”
McGraw nodded as she let out a long sigh. She then watched as the doctor’s husband walked over and plucked Kenny from the floor as if he were weightless.
“You can’t hit me either, man,” Kenny said. “Or I’ll have your badge too.”
He grabbed Kenny by the wrist and elbow.
“I’m not a cop.”
And at the sound of the first broken bone, McGraw smiled.
CHAPTER 9
THE PAST
Cambridge, Massachusetts
They rushed into the apartment to find Juliet standing in the short hallway that led to the bedrooms. She was only wearing a pink towel and her wet hair was wrapped in a smaller towel that allowed a few dark strands to fall about her pretty face.
Jessica walked over to her. “What’s wrong?”
Juliet pointed into her bedroom.
“I just got out of the shower, and as I was walking toward my room I saw a shadow move. I thought maybe it was you, but when I called your name no one answered, and then the shadow came closer to the doorway and I screamed.”
“I’ll go take a look,” he said, and strode into the bedroom. Atop the mattress were a set of bra and panties, along with a sleeveless nightgown, doubtlessly laid out by Juliet to put on after her shower.
If someone were hiding, there weren’t many options for the act within the single room. He stood to the side as he opened the closet door and found only a set of empty suitcases and neatly arranged clothes on hangers. He then dropped down as if he were about to do a push-up and checked beneath the bed, where he found nothing.
He was ready to leave the room when something caught his eye, and he smiled as he realized what might have caused Juliet’s distress.
When he returned, both girls looked at him anxiously.
“Anything?” Jessica said.
“No, and I checked the closet and even under the bed, but I think I know what made the shadow Juliet saw, let me show you.”
They followed him into the bedroom and he pointed at the lamp atop the dresser, a moment later, and a flickering shadow played across the ceiling.
Jessica laughed.
“A moth, it was just a moth giving off a shadow as it flew in front of the light bulb.”
Juliet looked unconvinced, but nodded anyway. “I guess that was it, but the shadow I saw was much bigger, and darker.” She turned her head to speak to him and found him studying her legs, which were visible well past mid-thigh in the skimpy towel. As he realized she was aware of his gaze, he shifted it to her face and found her smiling at him. Juliet then spoke to Jessica.
“Are you as spooked as I am by that girl’s murder?”
“Yes, of course, and I don’t dare tell my father about it. He’d have me out of here in a heartbeat, and I like this place.”
“Me too, but... I’d feel better if we had some company tonight. Could your boyfriend stay, just in case?”
Jessica looked up at him. “Would you mind?”
“No, I don’t mind. I don’t like the idea of leaving you two alone tonight anyway. I’ll sleep on the sofa and keep an eye on the door.”
Juliet reached over and touched him on the arm. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Juliet looked down at herself.
“I’d better put something on and dry my hair. See you guys later.”
After Juliet disappeared into her room, he took Jessica’s hand.
“I think it’s a good idea that I stay here. Whoever killed that girl may live in the building.”
Jessica brought her hand to her throat.
“I hadn’t thought of that, but you don’t have to sleep out here on the sofa when I have a perfectly good bed.”
He grinned as he pointed toward her bedroom.
“If I’m in there with you, I’d be so... distracted, that anyone could break in here.”
Jessica draped her arms around his neck, as she pressed her body against him.
“If anything did happen, at least we’d die happy.”
He jerked his head up and peered into her bedroom.
“What is it?” she said.
“I thought I saw a shadow, why don’t the two of us check out your bedroom together.”
Jessica took his hand as she guided him toward her bed. When they reached it, she took off her top and smiled up at him with a devilish grin.
“This shadow you say you saw, was it a lengthening shadow?”
He looked down at her perfect breasts, which seemed ready to spill out of the black lace bra she wore.
“Oh, it’s definitely lengthening, and I promise you, it’s no trick of the light.”
As Jessica giggled, he reached back with his foot and kicked the door shut.
CHAPTER 10
THE PRESENT
Detroit, Michigan
McGraw’s boss, Captain Haggerty, was a man of mixed emotions. On the one ha
nd, he was convinced that they had the killer, or rather, killers, responsible for the recent slayings, on the other hand, their capture had been a disaster.
McGraw was in the conference room, along with Dr. White and her husband. Stiles was also present, and he sat quietly beside McGraw as Haggerty paced in front of the blank video monitor.
“Four dead, including a teenaged girl, then we have one man with two broken legs and another with a ruptured testicle, oh, and let’s not forget Heinrich or Posnanski or whatever he’s calling himself. His arm is broken in three places and he says that Dr. White’s husband did it on purpose.”
“The three scumbags at the back of the building tried to kill me, Captain,” McGraw said. “If not for Dr. White’s husband I’d be dead, and as far as Kenny Posnanski goes, he can’t suffer enough. That girl I shot is dead because of the way he used her.”
Haggerty let his breath out in a rush and sat down across from McGraw at the conference table.
“Was it really that hairy out there? Did you almost die?”
“Yes sir.”
Haggerty’s face softened as he looked over at Jessica’s husband.
“Thank you, sir, if McGraw, if Cynthia here had been hurt... thank you for helping her.”
“You’re welcome, but tell me, how is the woman that Detective McGraw saved?”
“She’s alive, but she’s still one more victim to add to their charges.”
“Wait a second,” Jessica said. “Are you saying that you believe these men killed the other women?”
“Of course, I mean it all fits, doesn’t it, Doctor? Our witness to the attempted abduction of Mira Smith described the men’s tattoos and you yourself were there as they were bringing in their latest victim.”
“That’s all true, but isn’t it a bit early to assume that these men are responsible? Have any of them confessed?”
“No, but we don’t need a confession, after all, they were caught red-handed.”
“This latest victim is very young. Is she a professional woman like the others?”
“Well... no, she’s a cashier at a convenience store.”
“Then she doesn’t fit the profile of the victims. If they were behind these murders, it’s highly unlikely that they would change their choice of victim. It’s also unlikely that these killings were carried out by more than one or two men.”
Haggerty stood.
“I respect your opinion, Dr. White, and I thank you and your husband for your help in this case, but as far as we’re concerned we have our killers and the case is closed. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a meeting with the Mayor, goodbye.”
As Haggerty walked out, McGraw stood and walked over to Jessica’s husband, she then kissed him on the cheek.
“Thanks to you my children still have a mother, and, Dr. White, I don’t know if Kenny and his merry group of assholes were behind these killings or not, but I tend to agree with you. Every black women in the city knew that someone was abducting and killing women, there’s no way that they would let one of the Hitler youth get anywhere near them. But tell me, do you still think that it’s a possibility that a black man is doing the killing?”
“I do, and I also believe that it’s the reason that these women were taken so easily. They never thought that a man of their own color would be doing the killing, and by the time they realized their mistake, it was too late.”
McGraw nibbled at her bottom lip.
“It fits, but it still seems unlikely that it’s one man, maybe he has a partner.”
“Maybe, but with any luck I’m wrong about things and the killers have been caught,”
“Well, I guess time will tell. Now if you’ll all excuse me I’ve got one hell of a report to write and a date with Internal Affairs, goodbye.”
Jessica looked over at Stiles.
“You’ve been awfully quiet, why is that?”
“Because everything in my experience is telling me that we have the killers, but I still don’t believe it.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I trust you, as I said before, I became a believer in Colorado. In that case too, everything pointed one way, while the truth was in another direction.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Like Cynthia said, time will tell. If you’re right and our killer is still out there, then unfortunately he’ll kill again. In the meantime, I’ve got a crack FBI forensic team going over that building. If those other women were killed there, or even held there, they’ll find a trace of them.”
Jessica stood, as her husband followed suit.
“We’ll stay here for another day to see how things turn out. Please give us a call if there are any new developments.”
“I’ll do that, by the way, would you and your husband like to join me for dinner?”
“Oh, sorry, but no, we already have plans to have dinner with a friend of ours.”
“I see, maybe I’ll ask Cynthia, after the day she’s had, I know she could use a drink.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Jessica said. “Goodnight Edwin,”
“Goodnight you two, and stay safe,”
***
They left the station and drove their rental back to the hotel.
As he was showering, Jessica stepped in beside him and grabbed the soap. He looked down at her with a gentle smile on his face, and laid a hand atop her stomach.
She laughed.
“It’s a little early yet to feel the baby kick.”
“A baby,” he said. “There’s no end to the miracle that you are.”
“You had a little something to do with it too you know.”
“I hope that I’m a good father, not having had one myself, I’m not really sure what to do.”
She took his face in her hands.
“If you love this baby half as well as you’ve loved me, then it will be the most cherished child on earth.”
He kissed her, as the warm spray of the shower beat down upon them. When their lips parted, she looked up into his eyes.
“We’re going to be late for dinner.”
A moment later, she pushed him back against the wall, and lowered herself to her knees.
CHAPTER 11
THE PAST
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Someone was walking around in the dark.
He was inside Jessica’s apartment, lying atop the sofa and listening to the soft footfalls as they approached him. As she passed in front of a window, the sparse light from a streetlamp illuminated her briefly, and he sat up to greet her.
“Hello, Juliet, what’s wrong, couldn’t sleep?”
She came to stand before him. She carried a scent of perfume, and her breath seemed to come in a succession of gasps as if she were frightened, or aroused. She was a beautiful girl with long black hair and green eyes, eyes that stared into his with longing. The negligee she wore was a gossamer pink and he could make out her firm breasts and the dark areolas about her protruding nipples.
“I just came to see if you were all right?” she said.
“I’m fine.”
She reached out and touched him on the cheek.
“You have the sexist eyes.”
“Really? I’ve been told that they look mean.”
“You were lied to, you’re very handsome.”
He removed her hand from his cheek and held it.
“You’re very beautiful, do you have a boyfriend?”
“I did, but now he’s at a different school and I’m here. Jessica is so lucky that you moved here just to be with her.”
“I’m the lucky one, and I’m hers for as long as she’ll have me.”
Juliet removed her hand from his grasp.
“You two are really in love, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Juliet took a deep breath, but then released it in a sigh as she looked down at herself.
“I’m sorry for this, the way I’m dressed. I wasn’t trying to steal you from her. It’s just th
at you’re so... please don’t tell Jessica about this, please?”
“About what? You got up to get a drink of water and we talked a bit, that’s all.”
Juliet smiled.
“I wish I’d found you first, goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Juliet,” he said, and watched her until she returned to her room and shut the door.
“I wish I’d found you first,” she had said, and he pondered those words and wondered what would have happened if he had abducted Juliet instead of Jessica on that fateful rainy day.
The conclusion he reached about Juliet’s fate was not one he was proud of, and he spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, while wondering just what the hell had made him what he was.
***
Juliet left early; she had to go to Harvard to straighten out a problem with her schedule. When Jessica awoke, she cooked, and they ate breakfast in the kitchen.
“Tell me more about your life, about these thirty-nine men that helped raised you. What about Number Three?”
He stared at her without speaking, and she reached across and touched his hand.
“Did Number Three do something to you?”
Before he spoke, his eyes left hers and gazed at the floor.
“Number Three, Number Three was a man named Brian. Brian only dated my mom to get to me. Early one morning he came into my room and started touching me. I fought him off, or tried to, but he was a grown man and I was only a child.”
“Oh my God,” Jessica whispered, and he raised his eyes and looked at her.
“Nothing happened, before it could, my mom came into the room and broke a lamp over Brian’s head, by the time he recovered from that, she had gotten her gun and threatened to kill him if he didn’t leave.”
“Why are you smiling?”
“My mom, after Brian left, she carried me over to the couch and hugged me, while telling me that everything was going to be okay. As far as I can remember, it was the only time she ever hugged me.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yes. Whoever my father was, my mother hated him, and she told me constantly that I would grow up to be no good like he was.”
The TAKEN! Series - Books 5-8 (Taken! Box Set Book 2) Page 4
