by Angela Kay
“O’Reilly?”
Now it was Douglas’ voice.
Everything sounded garbled and far away. Aidan tried to bring himself to the present, but it wasn’t easy.
The buzzing in his ears was loud.
Aidan slowly forced his eyes to open. The light was blinding, but after a few blinks, he made out Shaun’s concerned expression, then Douglas, despite the burning sensation.
“What happened?” Aidan muttered.
Looking around the room he was in, he began to remember.
They were in the cellar at Thomas Blake’s house. One of the team found a trap door and Shaun and Aidan went inside. Then everything that followed happened fast.
He remembered hearing Shaun cry out.
As Aidan turned, he had seen Shaun falling hard to the ground.
Through his foggy mind, he remembered the offender rushing for the fuse box. Aidan had grabbed him from behind. The offender banged the back of his head against Aidan's before flipping the switches.
That was the last thing Aidan remembered before hearing Shaun’s voice rousing him from wherever he was.
Aidan tried to sit up all too quickly—the pain sliced through his head, forcing him to groan and lay back down.
“You’re okay, buddy,” Shaun assured him. He put a large hand on Aidan's shoulder. “Just stay down. A bus is on the way. We’ll get you fixed up.”
“What about you? He attacked you.”
Aidan looked at him through his eyelashes and saw Shaun glance toward his arm. “The offender tased me. Hurt like a mother. But I’ll be fine.”
“Did we manage—?”
“Smoke bombs. He got away through all the confusion,” Douglas told me. “Agent Hensley cornered him but froze when the offender held the gun to his head.”
“Is he—” Aidan muttered.
“Naw, he's a tough cookie. Other than the knot on the side of his head, he'll be fine.”
“Did he get a good look at him?”
“Couldn't see with all the smoke.”
Aidan tried to sit up again. Shaun attempted to prevent him from rising, but when he insisted he was fine, Shaun helped him to his feet.
Aidan realized he was going to get an earful from Cheyenne later when she found out he managed to get himself injured in the line of duty on his day off.
But he was glad he was still alive for her to yell at him.
Aidan's ears perked to the sounds of sirens blaring outside, announcing the arrival of the ambulance and backup.
His eyes scanned the cellar.
Now that the lights were on, and the smoke had subsided, he saw the large blue tarp in the middle of the floor. The majority was splattered in a dark red stain. The offender left behind several containers of duct tape and fishing wires. The bloodied tire iron rested against the dresser.
With Douglas' assistance, Aidan followed Shaun up the stairs so the EMTs wouldn’t disturb the crime scene.
Douglas lowered Aidan to the chair sitting against the wall. Shaun kept a hand over his shoulder where he was tased. Aidan guessed he was still feeling the tingle.
Douglas was cussing out Agent Hensley for failing to apprehend the offender, while Shaun was trying to calm him. Though Aidan was just as upset, it wasn't directed at the agent. He was sure Douglas felt the same way. He only needed to blow some steam.
Aidan hoped the agent realized that. He wasn't familiar with him. Hensley looked to be in his early twenties. He frowned as he released several shaky apologies. He made a mental note to commend him after the excitement died down.
Aidan watched, his mind reeling, as the crime scene unit went down below to begin processing the scene while the emergency medical technician checked him out.
They were right that Thomas Blake’s house was the offender’s home base. The question now was who was Ron?
The EMT wanted Aidan to go to the hospital for a complete check-up, but Aidan assured him he was fine. All he wanted to do was go home.
Frowning, the EMT went ahead and wrapped Aidan's knee tightly in a bandage. He was then ordered to go home, ice his knee and try to stay off it as much as he could.
So that was what he did.
42
After his near confrontation with the FBI, he went home to finish putting up the decorations for Jamie’s eighth birthday party later in the evening.
Though she had turned eight a few days ago, they had chosen today for her party as a way to stretch her special day to last just a little bit longer. Plus, it was a better time for her best friend, Alice, to attend.
“She has to be able to come,” Jamie had told her parents.
Who could refuse that?
Now, with everything party-ready, he grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and joined his wife in the living room.
She was watching the latest development of the FBI’s search for The Carnations Killer.
The search for him.
He handed her a bottle and sat on the couch, wrapping an arm around her slender shoulders.
“This is so awful,” she muttered. She set her beer on the table. “They almost caught him, too. But he got away. We’re just not safe anymore, are we?”
He squeezed her shoulders and kissed her cheek.
“I promise nothing will happen to you, babe.”
She gazed at him and offered a weak smile.
“I just feel sorry for the victims’ families. I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”
“It is terrible.” He kept his voice soft. He’d mastered compassion over the years, and his lovely wife was fooled. She believed he took these cases to heart.
She’d always remained in the dark about his secret hobby. It never even occurred to her the man she slept next to was the same man everybody was talking about.
The same man everyone, her included, feared.
It was only a matter of being sure that she stayed fooled. They’d known each other for almost eleven years. All she knew was his good side. They went to church most Sundays and even volunteered at the soup kitchen during Christmastime.
Sure, they had arguments—every couple does, don’t they?
He never wanted to have to kill her, but he’d do it if the situation called for it. Then he’d make himself be just another face on the news to lose his beautiful young blonde wife to a crazed serial killer.
He smiled at her and stroked her cheek.
“I love you,” he said. “Very much.”
“I know.” She leaned in and kissed him. He cupped his hands underneath her chin and brought her deeper in the moment.
“Eww!”
He looked to see Jamie appearing in the room holding her new purple stuffed bear. She hadn’t let go of the stupid thing since the day he bought it for her.
“Eww?” he echoed. “Don’t tell me ‘eww.’ The Daddy Monster’s going to get you for that, little birthday girl!” He threw her a crazed laugh and hopped off the couch.
Jamie’s eyes widened in fake shock and she darted out of the family room. He began chasing his daughter throughout the house.
He laughed at her shrieks and caught up with her in her bedroom.
He swept Jamie off her feet, and she squealed and shouted, “Mommy, Mommy help me!”
“No one’s going to save you from the Daddy Monster,” he said, tickling her stomach.
They paused when his wife called up the stairs to announce some of the kids for Jamie’s birthday party had begun to arrive.
“They’re here!” Jamie’s eyes shined with excitement.
He widened his eyes in mock surprise and gasped. “Then you’d better hurry!”
Jumping out of his arms, Jamie rushed down the stairs.
He stood in his daughter’s rainbow-colored room, drawing in a deep breath.
He’d strained his side a bit during the scuffle he had with the FBI agent. He still hadn’t been able to figure out how they managed to find where he worked out of, but now he needed to find another location. He decided it was bes
t for him to lay low for a couple of weeks. He would use the time to find somewhere else, find another victim, then the surprise he had for Agent O’Reilly would come in effect.
Over the next few days, he would watch the agents carefully before returning to the house. There was something he needed to retrieve. Something special he planned on giving Agent O’Reilly. He wasn’t worried, though. There was no way the agents would find the album. He hid it somewhere they wouldn’t even think to look.
Pushing the pain from his side out of his mind, he made a beeline for the living room. He saw a small group of kids, including Alice, had arrived, and were playing in the backyard. The parents were hanging around in the family room.
“Hey, how are you doing?” he said, slapping a few of the men on their backs. He leaned in to hug the women in their lives. “It’s so wonderful to see you again. Thank you for coming.”
He listened in on their chatter. As the party of people grew in attendance, he overheard some of the women talk amongst themselves about the recent murders.
He frowned as he joined in the conversation by the party table.
“I really hope they catch this guy soon,” he told the group. “I hate knowing my own wife could be in danger.” He glanced at his wife, who went to answer the door for more arrivals. “And with work, I can’t always be here to protect her.”
He dished out a ladle full of red punch she had made earlier while he was at the other house and sipped it.
“Oh, I know it,” one woman said. She put a consoling hand on his elbow and patted him. “It’s scary knowing the killer can be standing right next to you, and you don’t even know.”
He took another sip.
Yes, it is quite scary, isn’t it?
He continued making his rounds amongst the guests, and when it was time, he put eight candles on the cake and lit them.
He brought it to the picnic table outside. They joined in chorus, singing “Happy Birthday.”
“Now make a wish, pumpkin.”
He watched as his daughter closed her eyes and blew the candles out with one breath.
43
After Monroe was debriefed, she insisted both Shaun and Aidan go home for the night. Aidan resisted because he wanted to get back to work and find the offender now more than ever.
It didn’t matter to Aidan that the pain in his knee was taking its vengeance, but in the end, he was forced to cave.
He was spending the remainder of the night with his leg iced and propped on pillows as the EMT originally ordered. Cheyenne hadn’t said anything about his injuries, but he was sure the time would soon come—he could see it in her eyes.
Aidan had received a text an hour and a half ago from Agent Douglas saying they had brought Thomas Blake in for questioning. According to him, he’d rented the house to a man named Ron Heady.
Thomas claimed to have never met Heady personally—only over the phone.
Heady had wanted to rent the place off the books, and because Thomas loved money more than background or credit checks, he went along with it.
Douglas ran the background check and learned Heady was an eighty-three-year-old man who had died of pneumonia two years prior.
Aidan made the suggestion to Douglas to go after Jordan Blake for more questioning.
It was making sense to him that his instinct was wrong, and Jordan Blake could easily be The Carnations Killer. After all, he lied numerous times. It didn’t take much to believe he could easily use his uncle’s house to murder the women.
Aidan used the free time to watch various news stations, but primarily WJFX.
Surprisingly, Jordan Blake hadn’t been reporting anything in the last few days.
He had texted Agent Douglas to see whether or not they’d made contact with him. The answer came that Jordan seemed to have vanished. His uncle wasn’t being helpful with his nephew’s whereabouts, which made Aidan all the more suspicious.
Thomas had gone from being helpful to silent.
Did he think Jordan killed these women? Was he trying to protect him?
“Do you need anything?”
Cheyenne stepped in front of the couch where Aidan was lying and looked at him. He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.
“Yes,” he told her. “I need you to sit.”
She frowned. “Aidan, we’ve got to talk.”
The doorbell interrupted them, and Aidan let out a soft curse, which resulted in the famous Cheyenne glare.
“Why does it seem like every day I need to tell you not to talk that way?”
“Sorry,” he said.
Her arms crossed, she went to answer the door, and he heard her scold Shaun for not keeping himself and Aidan safe.
Shaun replied, “We are alive, aren’t we?”
Cheyenne asked which shoulder was the sore one so she could punch the other. Aidan was smiling when his friend entered the living room.
Cheyenne appeared in the doorway to announce she was going to run to the store and pick up a frozen pizza for supper. Then she asked Shaun if he’d like to stay for dinner.
After he answered that of course he would, she said her goodbyes and left.
“How are you feeling?” Shaun asked.
“Like I’ve been kicked and had the breath knocked out of me,” Aidan replied. Sitting up, he said, “What about you?”
“Like I’ve been tased.” Shaun sat in the recliner. “But I’ll live. Monroe wants us to take tomorrow off to recuperate.”
“Fat chance,” Aidan muttered. “I’m going to find this guy whether I’m on the clock or not.”
Shaun nodded. “I told her you’d say that. She agreed, and that’s why she’s not going to make us take the day off.”
Aidan narrowed his eyes. “What’s the catch?”
“You noticed that, huh?”
Aidan frowned. “Please don’t say she wants to put us behind the desk.”
“Okay,” Shaun replied. “I won’t say that.” He rose, and Aidan watched him step into the kitchen. A second later, he returned and passed over a beer.
“We can’t do too much behind a desk,” Aidan told him.
“It’s that or nothing,” Shaun replied. He popped open his can and took a sip. “We’re lucky it’s something. My pride and I got tased, he knocked you out. We’re kinda damaged goods right now.”
Aidan frowned as this afternoon replayed itself.
“Who are we dealing with?” he asked. “This isn’t just an ordinary guy. He’s got skills.”
“I know. Not many people can bring a guy like me down as easily as he did.”
Aidan looked over at him, thinking over a list of people that could take him down.
“Ex-military? Maybe a Green Beret? Navy Seal?”
“I don’t know,” Shaun replied. “But we’re going to figure it out.”
44
After THEY ate dinner and Shaun left, Cheyenne cleaned the kitchen and Aidan hobbled up the steps with his bag of ice. He stretched out on the bed, his two pillows propping the injured leg above his heart.
Cheyenne entered the bedroom, eyes tired, but she stood in the doorway, frowning at him.
“We need to talk.”
Aidan had hoped she’d forget about wanting to talk. He was afraid of what may come after.
“Okay,” he said slowly.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
Aidan narrowed his eyes. Although it worried him that one day he’d hear those words, it didn’t prevent the lump forming in his throat.
He'd hunted serial killers. He'd been in shootouts resulting in severe tragedy—but one of the worst things he could think of to happen in five years seemed to be coming to light.
Swallowing, Aidan asked, “What are you talking about?”
“You know, I’ve almost forgotten what you look like,” Cheyenne muttered, her voice sad. “I haven’t seen you for ages.”
“I know,” Aidan said, his voice low. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been focused on this investigat
ion.”
“Yeah,” she replied with a scoff, “I’ve noticed. Look at your leg. And the bruising on your neck. You could have died today.”
“But I’m fine,” he told her.
She shook her head firmly. “No. You are not fine. We are not fine.”
“Cheyenne, I’m only trying to do my job,” Aidan snapped. “I’ve gotten hurt before. This isn't anything different. We came out all right then. We’ll be fine now.”
“This has nothing to do with you getting hurt, and you know it,” Cheyenne hissed. “You think I don’t realize you’ve been sneaking out of bed to look at your files in the kitchen? You do that every single night, and I can’t take it any longer.”
“I know it’s been tough. But I promise I’m managing it.”
“That’s what you said last time. But you’re obsessed. This investigation? It’s going to destroy you.”
“Come on, Cheyenne,” Aidan pleaded. “What am I going to have to do to show you I’m fine?”
She hesitated. He couldn’t tell whether or not she was going to answer.
Finally, she said, “Leave your files at work.”
Aidan gaped at her, but soon realized she wasn’t kidding.
“What?”
“You heard me,” she repeated. “I don't want to see it in your hands. When you're not at the office or with Shaun on duty, I don't want you to even glance at the folders.”
“Listen—”
“No, you listen,” she growled, jabbing her finger at him. Her eyes clouded with a mixture of fury and worry. “I cannot watch you waste away. At least if I know a part of what’s hurting you isn't near us, I can control it.”
Aidan considered protesting again but thought against it.
“Fine,” he agreed. “I'll leave it at the office from now on. I don’t care. I want you to be happy.”
She swallowed, and then pushed out a heavy breath before turning to leave the room.
Aidan wasn’t fine with her giving an ultimatum. But he knew he didn’t really have much of a choice. She was coming close to asking him to choose her or his career. Aidan realized he needed to do something to show her he really did love her.
