by Debra Webb
Dan said nothing. Met his menacing eyes with murder in his own.
“Of course, there may be scars earned in the line of duty somewhere on that admirably toned body. Shall we see?”
“Cut me loose,” Dan suggested, “and I’ll show you what I can do in the line of duty.”
“Such big talk. Perhaps,” Spears leaned closer, the tip of the blade now poised on end against Dan’s chest directly above his heart, “you’re not the man you want everyone to believe you are. Possibly that’s why you’ve had three failed marriages.”
Dan clenched his jaw. Allowed the scumbag to enjoy the moment.
Spears smiled. “Are you a closet homosexual, Chief of Police Daniel Burnett?”
Dan didn’t move. Refused to breathe to avoid sucking in the stench of his rotten soul.
“No? Perhaps then, you’re just a plain old pussy.”
Dan looked him straight in the eye. “Fuck you.”
“That’s not a bad starting place, chief. I could,” he pierced Dan’s flesh, the bloom of warm blood seeming to captivate him, “show you how a real man gives it to his bitch.”
“Let’s see who the real pussy is,” Dan growled. “Cut me loose.”
Spears laughed. “Why don’t we find out my way, chief?”
The tip of the knife ripped down his abdomen.
Dan flinched and bit back a gasp.
Spears stood back a step and watched the blood slide down Dan’s skin. The wound wasn’t deep enough to do anything but sting like hell and bleed.
Wells flailed and tried screaming.
Dan blanked out the sounds. She wrestled harder against her bindings. He prayed that whatever happened to him, she and Jess would be okay.
Spears turned to stare at Wells.
“Is that all you’ve got, Spears?” Dan demanded.
Spears whipped his attention back to Dan, a mixture of fury and anticipation in his eyes. He slashed out with the blade, slicing a horizontal path across Dan’s chest. Then another.
Dan steeled himself against the pain. More warm blood oozed down to soak into the waistband of his jeans.
When Spears glared at him, obviously pissed at the lack of audible and visible reaction, Dan laughed. “I’m still waiting to feel you and it ain’t happening, you piece of shit.”
Spears dared to put his face right in Dan’s. “Trust me, you will feel me.”
“Feel this.” Dan swung his right arm around and crushed him in a choke hold. He deflected Spears’ attempt to plunge the knife into his chest.
Spears twisted, stumbled back. They toppled to the floor.
Dan held Spears right arm and the knife at bay while shoving the heel of his free hand under the bastard’s chin, snapping his head back. Feet still encumbered with the fucking tape, but he was on top. . . had the upper hand for the moment.
Spears fumbled in his pocket. Dan tried to get a hold on his left arm. Spears head-butted him. Tried to knee him in the groin. Dan twisted his hips to avoid the blow. He needed his feet free! Dammit!
A sting in his side splintered Dan’s focus.
Spears heat-butted him again. Tried to break Dan’s hold on his right hand. . . the hand with the knife.
Suddenly Dan was on his back. How had that happened? The room was moving. He grabbed Spears by the throat with both hands but he couldn’t get a good grasp. His arms and hands wouldn’t cooperate.
Spears shrugged him off, smiled down at him. “Here’s a little something you will absolutely feel.”
The blade buried in Dan’s gut.
The burn and pain roared through him, consumed him.
Spears laughed, got up and walked away.
Dan told himself to go after him but he couldn’t move.
Wells’ muffled screams followed him into the darkness.
21
BPD, 12:51 p.m.
Chet waited for his turn to speak privately with Deputy Chief Black. Finally Sheriff Griggs and Agent Gant exited Burnett’s office. Black motioned for Chet to enter.
“You’ve been waiting since the press conference ended to speak to me.” Black gestured for Chet to have a seat at the small conference table.
Chet settled in a chair and bit the bullet. He’d taken certain steps without authorization but he felt compelled to do what he had to in order to protect Jess and to find Lori and the chief. “Sir, I’ve been concerned since Deputy Chief Harris walked out of your office this morning.”
“I found her abrupt decision unsettling myself.” Black braced his hands on the table and shook his head. “Frankly, I was so concerned that I ordered a unit to follow her but I was too late. She was gone by the time I had someone on the street.”
“I felt compelled to do the same, sir. Chief Burnett’s final order to me was to ensure that I did not allow Deputy Chief Harris out of my sight. Since I was in the conference room when she left, I was unaware until, as you say, she had vanished.”
“Do you have reason to believe that she would attempt to intercept the perpetrators in this case, sergeant?”
Chet nodded. “Absolutely, sir. Before she asked for that private meeting with you, she urged me to trust her. Whatever she said or did, that I was to trust her.”
Black frowned. “So she had some sort of plan in mind.”
“Yes, sir, and I do certainly trust her, but I believed from the moment you announced her resignation in the briefing that her safety might be at risk.”
“What did you do about that concern, sergeant?”
“Since she has received several texts from Spears and possibly his accomplice, Reed, we’ve tapped into her cell phone record several times to attempt a handle on the location of the sender of those texts. It was a simple matter to resume that tracking.”
“Only without her permission, a direct order or warrant this time.”
“Yes, sir. I felt imminent danger applied to her situation.”
“And what did you ascertain as to her activities?”
“That she left the downtown area probably in a taxi and went to Chief Burnett’s house. After that she became mobile once more. Her car was in the chief’s garage, so I assume she’s using that vehicle.”
Chet hated this feeling of going behind Jess’s back, but he couldn’t take the risk. “She drove north on 31 until she exited onto Messer Airport Road. After that she turned onto 39th Street going north. Moments ago she arrived at what appears to be her destination.”
“I’m familiar with the area. Is this a factory or a warehouse?”
“It’s an old fabric mill that hasn’t been used in years. Located in the light industrial development area.”
“Deputy Chief Harris is armed?”
“Yes, sir, she carries a Glock .40 cal. I’m not aware of any other weapons she may have in her possession.”
“Sergeant Harper, we have one murder victim, one victim who is still recovering, a missing detective who may very well be dead and now our chief of police has disappeared. Before I pull all our resources and converge on this location you believe Deputy Chief Harris has somehow determined is the place to go to prevent more of the same, are you certain that we can rely on whatever prompted Harris to go to this location?”
“Yes, sir, I’m positive. I was tempted to go after her alone, but I’m also aware that back-up is essential. We don’t want this killer to get away again.”
Spears had escaped Jess and the Bureau once already. He and his accomplice had been eluding BPD for three days now. It was time this bastard went down.
Before anyone else died.
Chet refused to believe that it was too late for Lori. She was out there waiting for back-up. He did not want her to have to wait any longer. He trusted Jess’s instincts. She was on to something, had gotten another message from Spears or maybe even a call. But she had gone to that location for a good reason.
Every minute they wasted added more risk to the safety of all three.
“In that case, we’ll assemble a tactical team and get out there wit
h everything we’ve got.”
Chet stood. “Thank you, sir.” He hesitated. . . waiting was not what he’d had in mind.
As if he’d telegraphed the urgency he felt, Black added, “Select two of the best we have and go ahead of the team, sergeant. But,” he qualified, “as you already pointed out, we don’t want any hasty moves. Proceed with caution and keep me informed. We’ll be right behind you.”
“What about Agent Gant, sir?”
Black considered that for a moment. “I’ll contact Agent Gant once we’re in position.” He shook his head. “No need to draw the Bureau into a search for our own. For all we know, Harris could be out there meeting an old friend.”
Chet smiled. “Understood, sir.”
He moved quickly from the office and fished out his cell. He knew just the two detectives he needed on his advance team.
Forty-five, fifty minutes tops was the best ETA he could hope for.
He prayed Lori and the others could hang on that long.
22
12:59 p.m.
Jess flattened against the wall near the front entrance of the old Ballet Fabrics building. No vehicles in the lot. She’d left her Audi out front, visible from the street. For the good it would do, the area was fairly congested with warehouses and factories. As soon as she confirmed that someone was actually here she intended to text Harper her location.
She wasn’t stupid enough to jump in without back-up but if Spears was here she needed him to believe she had come alone. A head start before law enforcement surrounded the place was crucial. Harper was suspicious and knowing him he wouldn’t wait for her signal. He would know what to do.
No wasting time, Jess.
Weapon palmed, she reached with her free hand for the door. Locked. Nothing visible beyond the heavily tinted glass door. She eased along the length of the building’s front façade. Holding her breath and with a three count, she pivoted and checked the west side.
There was a side door near the rear corner. No windows so far. Checking behind her as she went, she hurried to the next door. Steel. Locked.
Damn.
She should text Spears and ask how the hell she was supposed to get in. He would know she had arrived. He would be watching. Or have his associate watching. There had been no documented proof he worked with anyone, not until now. But she had known the last time this sociopath messed with her head there was no way he had managed certain feats without assistance. The near simultaneous murders of two federal agents in two different states left no doubt in her mind.
If Spears and Reed were here, the odds would be two against one, but all she had to do was keep them distracted until back-up arrived.
After giving Deputy Chief Black her resignation, she’d taken a taxi to Dan’s house to get her Audi. En route she’d called Gina Coleman. Once at Dan’s, she’d had to hurry. As soon as Harper was out of that briefing and realized she was off the BPD radar he would be trying to track her movements. Though she had a full magazine in her Glock, she’d spared a few minutes to search Dan’s place for any usable back-up weapons. His gun safe had been locked and the key was probably on the ring in his pocket along with his house key. She had entered the house with the key he kept in one of the exterior electrical outlets that was actually a secret hidey hole. She had the code for the security system so that hadn’t slowed her down. But the search effort was wasted. No pepper spray or usable, easily concealed weapons.
Emotion had almost gotten the better of her as she lingered in his bedroom. A small box of photos had been stowed in the top drawer of his dresser. Dozens of snapshots of the two of them at parties and just hanging out during high school and college. She’d sat down on the bed and sifted through the memories. The pain and worry pressing against her heart had given way to regret and fear. She had similar photos at her house in Virginia – if Spears hadn’t destroyed them. She and Dan had spent every possible second together. God, they had been so in love.
And so blind to the pitfalls the future held.
Jess had fully believed at the time that she and Dan would be together forever. Just like he’d written in their senior yearbook. But fate had proven that not all dreams and plans could withstand reality.
And here they were. . . proving that theory while still clinging to what if.
Before she left his bedroom, she had hugged his pillow and inhaled his scent. Then she’d prayed. Please, please, let him be alive.
Hours later, with her driving around town wasting three-dollar-a-gallon gas to prevent the possibility of being found by BPD, Spears had finally responded to her via text. He’d given her a general direction in which to head but the final turn-by-turn instructions hadn’t come until she had almost passed the necessary exit.
All she had to do now was go in there and rescue Lori and Dan.
She recognized that was what Spears wanted anyway. During the interview three weeks ago in Richmond, he’d reached across the table and touched her. Just a quick caress of his fingers across the top of her hand. She’d had no idea then that the bastard was marking her. This whole sick game was about getting to her and he held the bait he knew would reel her in, Lori and Dan.
Dan was the unknown variable in this equation that most worried her. As far back as documented history went on the Player and the murders attributed to him, there had never been a single male victim. She couldn’t accurately gauge how Spears would handle the situation. And the wannabe Spears, there was no casting him into a particular mold. He was scattered and careless – a man with a solitary goal who would stop at nothing to accomplish it, no matter how messy things got.
If the end game was to lure Jess in and torture her. . . maybe for that purpose these sadistic bastards had kept both Dan and Lori alive.
Jess steeled herself and then rounded the next corner.
Two vehicles were parked in the rear lot, one sedan, one SUV. Both had rental decals. Jess’s pulse accelerated with a wallop of adrenalin. Oh, yes. Visitors. She dragged her cell from her back pocket and entered her location into the text box addressed to Harper. She hit send and shoved the phone back into her pocket.
Three entrances in the rear. A walk-through door. An overhead door allowing vehicles to enter from the parking lot and another, smaller overhead door on the loading dock at the east end.
Steadying herself, she kept an eye on the two vehicles and moved toward the walk-through door. Steel, like the last, hopefully not locked. With another one-eighty scan around her, she reached for the knob. Her fingers tightened around it and twisted. The latch mechanism released. The door opened with a groan of neglected hinges.
Leading with her weapon, her heart pounding, she eased past the door. It slammed shut behind her.
“Well, hello, Jess. Glad you could make it.”
Her aim zeroed in on the voice.
She froze.
Spears stood dead ahead. Ten yards away maybe.
He had Dan. Wait, Jesus Christ. A yellow nylon rope hung from a large overhead pipe, the other end coiled around Dan’s neck. The air trapped in her lungs. Spears’ arms were wrapped around Dan’s bound legs, holding him up to prevent. . . oh dear God. . . him hanging from his neck.
“Don’t you move, Spears.” She steadied her aim on him, her arms shaking. There was no ladder. A sink against the left wall; two vat-like tubs to her right. An old wood table in the center of the room. Knives and scalpels were spread across its top. Blood darkened the blade of one.
Defeat taunted her. She needed back-up now. Only they would be too far away. Her fault.
If Spears let go. . . Dan’s body would drop and he would be hanged. Broken neck, maybe. Asphyxiated in five minutes or less for sure. He looked in bad shape already. Lot of blood. His arms were restrained behind him. Was he unconscious?
She had to do something.
She couldn’t shoot Spears. He’d let go for sure then. Could she shoot the rope? Doubtful. She was good but not that good.
Where was Lori?
Focus. Spe
ars’ hands were in sight. No weapon. She had to do something. She took a step toward him. “You make one move, Spears, and –”
“Bad idea, Jess,” he warned. She stalled. “As much as I’d love some up-close one-on-one time with you, you come any closer and I’m walking away.” He shrugged. “I’d have to let go of your friend first, of course.”
Fear grabbed her heart and fisted. “Cut him down! Now!”
Spears laughed. “Which is it, Jess? Cut him down or don’t move?” Arms still supporting Dan, he waved his hands. “You see a knife?”
His ultimatum jarred her. This wasn’t right. . . the voice was wrong. Was this Spears or the other guy? “You try to walk away, you make a mistake, you’re dead,” she warned. “I’m coming over there to get him down.”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that.” He let go with one arm. She gasped. He reached as high as he could. “It’s quite a reach.” Spears grinned. His face was scratched and battered, one eye swollen. His white shirt was as spattered and smeared with crimson as the trace sheet that had lain over Miller’s body.
“I fear that’s going to be a problem for you.” He slapped Dan on the belly. Dan’s body jerked, he groaned, the tape over his mouth muffling the sound. “And an even bigger problem for him.” He smeared the blood he’d gotten on his hand on the leg of Dan’s jeans.
Where had all that blood on Spears’ shirt come from? Dan? Or Lori? She resisted the urge to look around. Where was Lori? What was that sound? Water running? A quaking she couldn’t control started deep inside her. Lori isn’t afraid of a thing in this world except water.
Jess steadied her lethal bead on her target. “Where is Detective Wells?”
“Let’s cut to the chase, Jess. We have a dilemma.” Spears or whoever the hell he was braced his right hand on his hip.
“Keep your hands away from your body,” she ordered. That sound. . . water running. She could still hear it. Where the hell was it coming from? Not the sink. The lids on the vats were closed.
