Silent Death: A Chilling Serial Killer Thriller (A Caine & Murphy Thriller Book 3)

by Dominika Waclawiak

  “No. I don’t.”

  52

  Through much trial and error, Lorelei Richards discovered the only spot that wasn’t covered by either the main camera or the window constantly watching over her. Prying the door open proved much too difficult with the shards of wood she’d broken off the chaise lounge. The shards, however, made the perfect weapon. Lorelei finished pulling slivers of wood off the tip and checked it against the tip of her finger. It was sharp enough to puncture skin.

  She hoped one sharp jab would cause him enough harm to sprint past him. Now, she had to lie in wait for him.

  By the grumbling of her belly, she calculated he’d been gone for more than a day. Her hunger and thirst were the only reliable markers of passage of time and they were at peak levels. She thumped her feet against the ground, trying to get her blood circulating.

  She was weak, she knew, but her want to survive was greater. All he had to do was come into the room bringing her food and drink. She’d been asleep both times he’d come before and wondered if he was drugging her food and drink. But he hadn’t come yesterday and the new worry was that her time was imminent. She knew he’d film her. Was that going to be today?

  Don’t think that way, Lorelei admonished herself. He’d come. Especially if she kept herself hidden. He’d have to come into the room to find her and then she’d strike.

  The hissing of the air broke through her planning. He could be piping a sedative through that or... She froze unable to face the thought.

  The air. The construction of this room. He would suffocate her. Cut off her air. He wouldn’t need to come into this room at all. That’s what the window was for. To watch.

  Lorelei stifled a sob.

  “Pull yourself together,” she said and huddled closer to the wall. He couldn’t see her here.

  He’d have to find her first. There wouldn’t be any pleasure in it for him if she died in the blind spot. He’d come looking. She was sure of it. That’s what she was counting on. And then she would strike.

  Lorelei hunkered down next to the door in the blind spot and waited. She moved the sharp piece of wood from hand-to-hand and tried to keep up her energy. She would not die. Not like this.

  “Come find me, asshole,” she hissed.

  53

  Eva Murphy dressed quickly and rubbed her eyes from the little sleep she’d had. She would need a cup of coffee before she could drive, she thought.

  “You’re going to call the FBI about this new information, aren’t you?” Anderson’s disembodied voice came from inside her head.

  “Of course.” She answered back and began to dial.

  “I’m getting a strange pull from someplace. And to a place that I know well. It’s the labyrinth in Limbo. There’s someone inside.” Anderson said. That’s why he had spoken to her, Eva thought.

  “Yes, that’s why I broke our nightly truce. It’s Johan.” Anderson explained and Eva canceled the call.

  “Are you sure?” Eva asked.

  “Yes. It’s his essence, the rage within him. It’s permeating out of the labyrinth.”

  “Is he’s dead?” Eva asked, her heart thumping.

  “I give him a 50-50 chance. Either he’s dead or in a coma so deep, he might not come back from it.” Anderson said.

  I killed him, Eva thought. I couldn’t leave this case alone and I sacrificed another life. Those kinds of thoughts had been running through her mind since she’d heard he’d gone missing. Even her usual salve of scotch wasn’t numbing her pain. She shouldn’t have ever taken up with civilians.

  “He knew who he was up against. I was there, remember? I watched the exchange with him through your eyes. Johan would be on this path with or without you. He was eager and willing.” Anderson’s disembodied voice sounded in her ear. She’d gotten used to hearing him in her head but couldn’t believe he could throw his voice for anyone to hear.

  “I didn’t know you could do that,” she said.

  “I expend a tremendous amount of energy but you needed to hear that. Out loud. You might have made a mistake of not letting Sara and Ritchie in on the bigger plan but you can’t blame yourself for Johan getting scooped up. He’s known the risks more than anybody. He’s lost loved ones to Asmodeus. There was always a chance things could go wrong. And they have.” Anderson said.

  “I’m a hypocrite. I’ve thrown Sara to the proverbial curb for lying to the police and have treated her more like a nuisance than a mentee. And what have I done? I sent the love of her life to his death. Or, even worse, got him stuck in limbo. What if we never find his body?” She sank back into the couch in despair.

  “The human body can’t last long without water and nutrition.”

  “Are you joking? Aren’t you supposed to be trying to help me?”

  “We will find him. I promise you that,” Anderson said.

  “I’m done. I’m done with all of this.”

  “You can be, if you want. You’ve sacrificed more for justice then most have.” He paused, and she was grateful for the silence for once. She squeezed her eyes shut when she heard him again.

  “I’m hearing your other thoughts. The ones about death. It won’t save any of them. They need you.”

  “Leave me alone,” she hissed. No thought was safe from him.

  “Those are my private thoughts, Anderson. Please, don’t intrude on them. I would never take my own life, but I damn well have the right to have the thought.” She said.

  “Point taken. Now, you need to get up off this couch and go find Johan.” His voice boomed in her ears.

  “No.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Watch me.” She said and hunkered down. She stared in horror at her twitching hands and jumped off her couch.

  “You’re trying to control me. Stop it. Get out of my head. I want you out.” Eva cried and spied her bottle of sleeping pills. She’d been using them to block out his voice and presence in her head. It was a choice, and she had made it. And she was living with it, but only barely. She grabbed the pills and swallowed three. Eva would get her peace.

  “Eva?” She heard him and hit her head.

  “I don’t care. Leave me alone.” She said and felt the softness fall around the edges of her vision. For the first time that day she felt relaxed. She was wrong but didn’t care.

  “I want to sleep and not think.” She murmured and let the wave of nothingness take her.

  54

  Johan Luken opened his millionth door and stepped into a massive room. It was large enough to obscure its back wall. The hazy graininess permeated everything around him making his eyes strain to focus. He rubbed them and grimaced at the pain. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep moving.

  A form materialized out of the buzzing snow in the distance. It was a shape he’d recognize anywhere. The gait, the slouch of the shoulders, it was his Uncle Joe.

  The man had brought him up as his own and was the reason why so much of his life had ended up the way it had. In fact, Uncle Joe was the reason why he ended up here in limbo. If his uncle hadn’t been taken over by Asmodeus all those years ago, then he would’ve never become a priest.

  Johan imagined he could have been a pilot, just like Uncle Joe. He’d assumed he would join the military like Uncle Joe as well. But then the call had come. And everything changed. Once the demon took over Uncle Joe’s life, nothing was ever the same or sane. When his uncle succumbed to Asmodeus’ invasion of his body, Johan swore he’d scrub Asmodeus off this earthly plain. And some twenty some odd years later, he was still at.

  From the expression on his uncle’s face, Johan feared his revenge was too late. “Uncle Joe, is that you?” Johan said and Uncle Joe’s ghostly wraith nodded its head.

  “I felt you imprisoned here.” Uncle Joe’s voice was shockingly strong for the seeming distance.

  “How?” Johan needed to find out how this place worked.

  “I don’t understand your question?”

  “How did you feel it? How does thi
s place work? Can I reach you telepathically?”

  “The others magnified your pain and bounced it around the wasteland outside. I recognized your specific pain instantly.”

  “The others? What is this place called?” Johan asked. The ghostly wraith came closer. Johan reached out to touch the form but his fingers found nothing but air.

  “We all call it Limbo. I’ve never heard it named anything else.”

  “Why can’t I see you properly?”

  “Asmodeus fed on me too long,” his uncle’s voice came out mournful.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner.”

  “How could you know? You must focus and gather your strength.”

  “Does anyone get out?”

  “Your friend did, so it’s possible. None of us have but then he stole our souls. We will never be strong enough to get out.”

  “Does that mean he has my soul?” Johan didn’t need his uncle to answer that. Asmodeus didn’t have to steal his soul. He had already taken his life.

  “Do you know a way?”

  “I’ve heard rumors of being able to tug on the thread connecting you to the world outside, the world of the living. But...”

  “What?”

  “Your despair. Let go of it.” Uncle Joe said.

  “Am I dead?”

  “I don’t know. It’s hard to surmise what state you are in. You aren’t as weak as some but nowhere as strong as others.”

  “And the others are still here.”

  “Yes. I can’t tell if Asmodeus has taken your soul or damaged it beyond repair. It’s hard to know.”

  “Do you think I can reach Sara?”

  “Try. Your link is unique enough that perhaps she can give you her strength. But, you must conserve your energy. Stop walking around because you’re not going to find a way out of here like that. This place is all an illusion. It traps your mind and keeps it locked up. As you search and panic, what little energy is left gets sucked out. That’s how this place feeds itself. That’s the secret of the labyrinth. It sucks you dry.”

  Johan’s legs gave. It was too much information. He didn’t want to believe this possible. “Maybe it already has.”

  “That’s the despair talking. Stay in this room and open your mind. Put all your focus and energy into reaching the world you came from. Be still.” The wraith appeared in front of him and then the visage of his Uncle Joe took form. He smiled at Johan and held out his arms. Johan stepped to him and closed his eyes. He could almost feel his uncle. Almost.

  “I’m losing power and I have to go now. I’ll recharge and come back to see how you’re doing. With luck, you’ll already be gone.” He said and faded into nothingness.

  Johan did as his uncle told him and sank down to his knees. If he had to conserve energy, then there was no point in being upright.

  He stretched himself on the floor and took several deep breaths. The meditation class that Sara had suggested he do would come in very handy now, he thought. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her.

  Johan closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. I will start with you, Sara, he thought to himself. He imagined her red hair and her sparkling eyes and tried to remember what her voice sounded like. Please come for me, he thought. He took a deep breath.

  55

  “We have to assume Eva isn’t coming.” Ritchie said. It’d been hours since they’d last spoken with her. Ritchie had left numerous messages but her phone just kept going straight to voicemail.

  “Do you think he got her too?” Sara chilled at the thought.

  “If that’s the case, then it’s even more important that I get this information to the FBI.”

  “I’ll call Special Agent Harper now with the address you found. It’s two in the morning though.”

  “What if Eva and Johan are both lying near death waiting for us.” Ritchie said and threw her cell phone at her.

  “I’m making the call. That almost got me in the head,” Sara muttered and dialed the number Special Agent Harper gave her. Special Agent Harper picked up the phone after one ring.

  “Hi, Agent Harper, it’s Sara Caine.”

  “Yes, I know. It’s two in the morning Ms. Caine.” Sara picked up tiredness in her voice that wasn’t there the last time she spoke to her.

  “Is the investigation going all right?” Sara asked.

  “You called me in the middle of the night to ask me that?”

  “No. My colleague and I dug up some information that could help your investigation.”

  “Didn’t I tell you not to keep on this case?” Sara heard the other woman sigh. “What is it? This case can’t get any worse than it already is.”

  “My computer hacker buddy looked all around the world for places that still develop nitrate films. He’s been looking ever since we found the snuff film.” Sara waited for Agent Harper to curse at her but when the woman stayed silent, she plunged on. “He finally found a small place in Germany by the name of Silent Keno. That’s spelled K-E-N-O. They’ve been shipping nitrate film stock to an address in Los Angeles. I’m texting you the address now.” Sara waited to hear the ding from the incoming text message.

  “Got it. You haven’t been sitting on this, have you?”

  “Absolutely not. We found it about half an hour ago.”

  “Thank you. I will say this again. Leave this case alone. If you don’t, I will detain you until Lorelei Richards is found. Detective Gutierrez is convinced you had something to do with Madeleine Richards’ death. Don’t give me reason to throw you at him.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Sara said and hung up.

  “She wasn’t very grateful for the info. And if we don’t stop investigating, she’ll sic Detective Gutierrez on us.”

  “Does she know Johan went missing?”

  “I don’t know.” Sara sat back down on the couch and opened Madeleine Richards file. Again. She wouldn’t give up on Johan. It didn’t matter what kind of warning she got. She’d thought about opening her mind to the spirit world to see if he’d joined them but couldn’t bring herself to face the truth. Johan could be gone forever.

  “Johan told me the only way to banish Asmodeus was with that damn ring. It’s never been found in my father’s things but Johan was positive my father had found it. What if Dad gave it to Madeleine for safe keeping?” She’d had that idea before but was unsure of where to even look for a clue as to where it could be hidden.

  Johan lunged at the file making it all slide onto the concrete floor. “I remember something in Madeleine’s diary. I noted the date since it was the day of their deaths.” He rustled through all the loose-leaf pages until he found the small notebook.

  “Bingo!” He cackled and then flipped through the pages. “Right here.” He held up the page to Sara. Sara read:

  ‘Met Caine at Grill Restaurant - 12:30pm. Storage box place-1:45pm, Hammer Museum - demonology prof interesting thoughts on Asmo. C worried and girl missing - Karen (check back for last name) - Meet C at lounge to ask - don’t forget the papers.”

  “That’s a play by play of their day, right?” Ritchie asked.

  “I never knew what he did that last afternoon. It’s come up over the years but I never found a clue. All the people he knew scattered.”

  “The ring exchange could have happened at one of these places.”

  “But where could she have hidden it?” Sara wondered out loud.

  “Obvious answer- storage box place.”

  “Too obvious though?” Sara asked.

  “I suppose so. I don’t think she could leave it at the Hammer. No way of getting to it if she needed it.” Ritchie said as he flipped the surrounding pages. “Not much of interest before or after. Well, after is just grief. No mention of the ring or hand-off though.”

  “What about this professor of demonology? I’m sure, he would have loved to get his hands on the Ring of Solomon.”

  “Too risky? Doesn’t sound like either your Dad or Madeleine knew him. Leaving something that important
with him is a high point of trust.”

  “Which leaves the lounge?” Sara tried to remember if she’d ever been to a lounge on the UCLA campus with her Dad. Her memory came up blank.

  “Only one way to find out.” Ritchie said, handing her the diary.

  “Does this count as still working the case?”

  “We’re investigating the disappearance of your father. Even though this seems to have everything to do with the case, Special Agent Harper doesn’t know that. You’ll be fine.”

  “Will you come with me?”

  “I think we’d be better served if I worked on tracking down the address that Helmut gave me for that nitrate film order. I trust my hacking skills more than the FBI’s. Find out who this perp really is. Hope he left us some breadcrumbs.”

  “Ok then. Good luck and wish me luck.” Sara got up and Ritchie gave her a tight squeeze.

  “You can do this. Focus. We’ll get them back.” Sara held back a sob.

  56

  The director prepared the film camera for the shoot and watched Lorelei Richards hobble to the window, holding a shaved down wooden leg. He watched her chest heave. She was ripe for the picking.

  Silly woman, did she think others haven’t tried that before? All she did was ruin the nice furniture he had laid out. It was no matter though because he framed the image around her face. The background would barely be seen.

  He needed a close-up of the fear and anguish. He hadn’t considered the effects of a mother’s death on his subject but he would need to revise his plan for the next victim. The pain oozed out her. All that emotion would be transmitted onto the special film. His mouth watered with the very thought of it.

  He hadn’t fed her or given her water in the last twenty-four hours and it showed. She should be weak but not too weak. It would lessen the burst of adrenaline before the moment of death.