As soon as she pushed the power button, she noticed she had missed some text messages. There were three of them, and all were from an unknown caller. The first one was from last night around midnight.
“Hey! It’s Tina.”
Then there was another one couple of hours later.
“Kelsey, it’s Tina. Call me. I need to talk with you.” Tina? Kelsey wondered why she would be trying to contact her from an unknown number.
Finally, the last one was around five in the morning.
“Please, Kelsey. I’m in trouble.”
With her heart beating out of her chest, Kelsey dialed Tina’s number with shaky fingers. “Oh God, please, please. Let her be okay. Please.”
When Tina didn’t pick up her phone, Kelsey texted the anonymous number back.
“Tina? I’m out of town. What’s wrong? Why are you texting me from an anonymous number?”
Within seconds, there was a reply.
“Hello, Kelsey.”
“Tina?”
“Guess again.”
Kelsey’s heart dropped. No, it couldn’t be. Please God, this couldn’t be happening.
“Who is this?”
“You know who it is.”
Kelsey lowered herself to the floor, as her legs could no longer support her.
“Where’s Tina?” She texted with trembling fingers.
“Where are you, Kelsey? I miss you.”
Her body shook as the shivers ran through her.
“What do you want? This is between you and me. Leave Tina out of this.”
“Always looking out for others. You want to see your friend again? Then come back home. I want to see you. Don’t try to contact the authorities. I’ll know, and your friend will die.”
Gripping her phone tightly, she screamed, “Damn you! Damn you! Leave her alone!” Taking deep breaths, she sent the next text.
“How do I know you have her?”
There was no reply for couple of minutes, but then her phone buzzed. When she saw a picture of her friend tied up and blindfolded, Kelsey closed her eyes, the visual making it all too real. From the picture, she could tell Tina was still alive because her body was not collapsed like a corpse.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” The chilling reply made the room spin.
“Don’t hurt her. I’ll do whatever you want me to. What do you want?”
“I haven’t seen you in days, so I know you’re hiding out somewhere. It’s eight in the morning. You better be back in the next few hours. And remember, don’t tell anybody.”
Kelsey stared at the reply, her head clouded. She tried to search for any clues in the picture, but there was nothing in the background. Tina was tied to a pole and everything else was dark.
Kelsey bit her bottom lip, hoping it would help her focus on what she had to do. She knew she had to fly back, and she also knew there was no way she could wait on Damien. If she wanted to save her friend, she had to make it back on the next flight out.
“I’ll be there. Don’t hurt her!”
Kelsey jumped up and booked the next flight to New York. It looked like it would get her back by one in the afternoon. Turning her phone back off and pulling the battery out again, she threw her belongings in the duffle bag.
“I’m sorry, Tom, but we have to leave. You’ll need to travel on the plane, too. I’m sure you’ll hate it, but we have no choice,” she said as she put him in his cage.
She wrote a note for Damien, knowing he should be arriving to her room later. Since he had the extra keycard to the suite, she knew he’d be able to find the note.
Damien,
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stay like I promised. I have to go back. Tina is in trouble. That bastard has her, Damien. He threatened to kill her if I didn’t return immediately. Please forgive me.
Love you with all my heart,
Kelsey
Dashing out, she took the cab to the airport. When she reached it, she used her phone once more to call Kevin. She had to try to save her friend.
“Kelsey?” he answered, recognizing her number. “Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m okay, but he has my friend. Her name is Tina Sanders. Please, you have to try to save her.” Kelsey was hysterical and on the verge of breaking down.
“Okay, you must calm down. What are you saying? Are you in trouble?”
“No, I’m out of town. I’m flying back now because the killer contacted me from an anonymous number. Please, you have to find Tina. He has her. Please, Kevin, you must save her.”
“I’m on it. Tina Sanders you said? I’ll put a trace out on her cell phone, and we’ll check out her place.”
Kelsey quickly gave him Tina’s cell number and her address.
“Okay, got it. Call me as soon as you land.” Kevin paused. “And Kelsey?”
“Yeah?”
“Please be careful.”
“Okay.” Kelsey disconnected the call.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to carry her gun with her on the plane. She was glad she had brought the metal case for the gun with her. After checking it in appropriately, she was soon on her way back to New York.
While she stared out of the window during her flight, the unshed tears stung her eyes. With everything spiraling out of control, she needed to hold onto a little bit of hope. She prayed the entire ride for her friend, wishing she was okay.
Thirty-two
As soon as she landed, Kelsey grabbed Tom’s carrier and waved down a cab. Knowing it was too dangerous to head to her apartment, she decided to book a room in a nearby hotel. After dropping Tom off in the new hotel room with all his necessities, she left the place and turned her phone back on, waiting for further instructions.
Noticing there were already two missed text messages, she clicked them open when she realized it was from an anonymous number again.
“You messed up, Kelsey. You didn’t follow the directions. I told you not to tell anybody. Remember, you caused your friend’s death. Now, you’re really going to regret this.”
An hour after the first one, there was another message.
“Kelsey, have you landed yet? You’re making all this too easy for me. I’ve got a very precious girl in my mind now. I can’t wait ‘til you see her.”
“No, no,” Kelsey whispered as she shook her head, hoping the texts were lies. Hoping he was just trying to mess with her mind. Nothing made sense to her. Having difficulty with breathing, she saw a nearby bench and collapsed. She held her phone with a death grip, willing it to ring. Should she call Kevin? Were there any leads? Why hadn’t he contacted her? He said he’d wait for her arrival. But wouldn’t he have found some information out on Tina? She was afraid to call anybody, wondering if her phone calls were being traced.
She refused to accept that Tina was dead. Should she answer him back? She knew she absolutely couldn’t call anybody. When Kelsey saw a woman walking by, using her cell phone, she wondered if she should use the woman’s phone to make a call. At least it wouldn’t be traced.
But her phone began to ring, and she noticed Kevin’s phone number flashing on the screen. With a shaky hand, she stared at her phone as it kept ringing. She absolutely couldn’t pick it up. Somehow the killer had figured out the authorities were called.
The text came next from Kevin.
“No luck on your friend. She never showed up to work today. She’s not in her apartment. No signs of forced entry. Even tried to trace her phone. Again, no luck. Call me as soon as you’re in town.”
She wanted to scream. She wanted the ground to swallow her, but she couldn’t fall apart right now. Her instincts told her she was missing something. What did the killer mean he was going after a precious girl? What about Tina? Could she really be dead? No, she wouldn’t allow herself to think that way. She had to clear her head and figure out her next move.
“Are you okay?”
Kelsey flung her head to see a stranger take a seat next to her on the bench. She blinked her eyes, wonderi
ng what this man wanted. “I’m sorry?”
“You just look really worried…or stressed. I was just making sure you were okay. Do you need any help?”
Unable to look away, Kelsey noted he looked to be in his thirties with dark hair and dark eyes. Could he be the killer? Did he track her down? Maybe he was able to find her because of her phone. Should she pull her gun out?
Forcing herself to think logically, she said, “What do you mean? Who are you?”
“My name is Ken. I was just heading to work and saw you sitting here. I was just checking.” He paused and smiled. “Fine, I’ll confess. The fact that a gorgeous girl was sitting here looking like a damsel in distress…well, I couldn’t help myself. Listen, if you’re single, I’d love to take you out for drinks one of these days.”
Staring at him for several more seconds, Kelsey realized this guy was just trying to hit on her. “No, thank you. I’m not single.”
Needing to get away from him, she darted to the bus stop when she noticed a bus was approaching. Once she was on the bus, she pulled the battery out of her phone again and rode for at least forty-five minutes, trying to focus and to not panic. She had no idea where the bus was heading. She just knew she needed to keep moving.
Trying to rationalize all of the evidence, she went through the facts in her mind. She knew the killer had dark hair, and Lisa had said he would leave during the daytime, presumably for work. It was Saturday, and Kelsey wondered if he worked on weekends as well. Since he had been texting her all day, he probably didn’t.
Kelsey shuddered, remembering he said it was too late for Tina and accusing her of not listening. Grinding her teeth, she embraced the hatred that was building inside her toward this evil being. She would use it to do what she must do when she finally found him. In her heart, Kelsey knew it was inevitable. The killer wanted her to find him. He wanted her to come to him.
Who did he mean when he said a precious girl? His last three victims had been everybody she’d known. Did she know any precious girl?
In that instant, her heart plunged to her stomach. “Samantha,” she whispered. Jumping up, she ran to the driver. “Stop! Stop the bus!” She flashed her badge and ordered, “Stop! Police business.”
As soon as the bus came to a halt, she sprinted out and hailed a cab. Once she jumped in, she turned her phone on to dial Sofia’s phone number. A part of her knew she was taking a risk for calling her, but her gut told her she had to reach her before it was too late.
When the phone continued to ring without being answered, Kelsey thought she was going to vomit. She was fifteen minutes away from Sofia’s house, so she forced herself to calm down. Maybe she was completely off on this. How could the killer know she was close to Sofia and Samantha? But why didn’t Sofia answer her phone? Then again, Sofia never kept her phone with her. It was probably sitting on her kitchen counter, and she probably was not even hearing it. Yes, that was typical Sofia. There was perfectly a good explanation why she wasn’t answering.
As soon as she reached the neighborhood, Kelsey had the driver drop her off on the street behind the house. Crossing through the neighbor’s yard, she reached the back porch of Sofia’s home quickly. Kelsey decided she would sneak in from the back and tell Sofia and Samantha to get out of town for a while. Maybe Sofia can visit her mom in Colorado. Yes, she needed to get them out of here.
She peeked in from the sliding glass door and instantly saw Sofia cooking in the kitchen. Kelsey released a sigh of relief when she noticed Sofia acting normal. When she knocked on the sliding door, she saw Sofia become startled as she quickly swung around to look toward her direction. As soon as Sofia saw Kelsey, she seemed stunned, but she swiftly ran to the door and opened it.
“What’s wrong, Kelsey? You look crazy! Why are you sneaking around in my back yard?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you. Where’s Samantha?” Kelsey entered the door and closed it behind her.
“She’s at her friend’s house. Why? Is everything okay?” Sofia was becoming worried.
“Who’s her friend? When did she leave?”
“Kelsey, you’re scaring me. Janice’s parents picked her up couple of hours ago maybe. Why? Can you please tell me what’s going on?”
“I will. Hold on, maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing. How far does Janice live? Can you call there and check on her? Just check and make sure she’s okay. And then tell them you’re on your way to pick her up. I want you both to leave town for a while.”
“What the hell is going on?” By then, Sofia was starting to panic.
“I’ll explain everything later. Just call her, right now. Don’t act suspicious.”
“My cell phone is upstairs.” She sprinted up the stairs and within seconds, she was downstairs, dialing the number. “Hey, hi, it’s Sofia. Just checking in. How’s Samantha doing?”
Kelsey held her breath as she bit her lip. Please let her be there.
“Oh, where is she?”
Kelsey’s heart dropped.
“At the park? They both went together? Did Rick go with them?”
Kelsey was having difficulty breathing, and the room began to spin. She held onto the kitchen countertop with a death grip, as she tried to find some type of stability.
“I understand they’ve only been out there for couple of hours, Carol. And I know the park is right across the street, but can you just look out the window again and see if you can see them? I have to come get her anyway. Can you call her please?” Sofia’s voice was becoming louder and Kelsey could see her hands trembling. She turned to Kelsey and mouthed, “She’s checking on them.”
Kelsey wanted to punch the wall. What kind of parents allowed ten-year-olds to roam around on their own? It didn’t matter if the park was right across the street. It seemed like they waited an eternity before Sofia received a response from the other line.
“Yeah, I’m still here,” Sofia said in the phone impatiently. “What do you mean you don’t see her? Where’s Janice?”
No, no, no!
“I’m on my way.” Sofia hung up and said, “She’s not there, Kelsey! Janice is still playing at the park, but they don’t see Samantha. When they asked Janice, she never realized Samantha was gone. I have to go there myself and look for my baby. Oh my God, what’s happening?”
Kelsey swallowed hard, knowing who had her. Gathering herself in front of Sofia, she said, “You can go and check, but please, don’t call the authorities. Promise me!”
“What do you mean? What if she’s really gone? What do you know?”
“Promise me! I know where Samantha is. I’m going after her.”
“Where is she? Where is my baby?”
“Sofia, I need you to stay calm. Please, if you call the authorities, it may not go well for Sammy. He wants me, and I’m going to him now. I promise you, I’ll find her.”
“Who? Who wants you? Who has her? Please tell me!”
“Go check over there, just in case. But if you don’t see her, tell the parents that you just got a call from her uncle, who lives in the neighborhood, and he picked her up. That she’s fine. I don’t want any more people involved with this. If you don’t see Samantha by tomorrow morning, then call this number.” Kelsey wrote Agent Kyle Brown’s phone number down. “This phone number will get you to the FBI agent, Kyle Brown. Tell him I gave you the number and fill him in on everything.”
“Who the hell has my baby?” Sofia screamed.
“Listen to me. Everything is going to be okay, I promise you. I’ll do everything in my power to get her. This guy wants me. It’s a ploy to get me to him. Once he has me, he’ll let Sammy go. But you have to do as I say. One small mistake could cost Samantha her life.”
Sofia began to cry, shaking from fear. “Kelsey, I can’t lose her.”
“I know, and you won’t.” Kelsey gave her a quick hug and slipped out of the back door. She saw it was already almost four in the afternoon. When her mind drifted to Damien, she prayed he was okay. Did he wake up yet?
Forcing her mind back to the crisis at hand, she ran through the yard and toward the direction she came. She was relieved the cab driver had listened to her instructions to wait for her because the yellow car was still parked where she’d left it. Before getting in, she turned her phone back on and texted Kevin.
“I’m in town, but I have to meet with you. I need to fill you in on everything. Can we meet?”
The reply came back within seconds.
“Kelsey, what the hell is going on? Why aren’t you answering my calls? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, can we meet? I have to tell you things in person. How about at the Starbucks by the station? I can be there in about forty-five minutes.”
“Okay, see you there.”
Kelsey turned her phone off and whispered, “Please forgive me, Damien.”
Thirty-three
When she arrived at Starbucks, she saw Kevin’s car parked outside. She paid the driver and stepped into the coffee shop. Kevin was sitting at the corner table and waved to her as soon as he saw her enter. He stood up as she approached him.
“Kelsey, I’ve been worried sick about you. What the hell is going on?”
Kelsey sat down on the chair across from him, and he also took a seat. “So, a lot has happened. I have to fill you in.”
“Go on.”
“Kevin, where is she? Where’s Samantha?”
Kevin leaned back on his chair and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“I have a deal for you. You can call it a trade. Me for her. You let her go, and you can have me.”
A slow smirk began to form on Kevin’s face. “Impressive. How did you figure it out?”
“Where is she, damn it? You better not have laid a finger on her!” She wanted to lunge at him and scratch his eyes out.
“She’s fine. You should know I’m not into little girls. I would never have gone after her, but you forced me, Kelsey. You left me no choice.” He reached for her hand across the table and squeezed it. “How did you figure it all out?”
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