HIDDEN
ANGELS
By
Victoria
Wyngate
Copyright
Published by Victoria Wyngate
Copyright © 2016 Victoria Wyngate
First Edition: 2016
Cover by Just Write Creations
Editing and Proofreading by Emma Mack at Ultra Editing Co.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are completely fictional.
Any trademarks referenced herein are used without the trademark holder(s) permission. The use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark holder(s).
All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer
This novel contains scenes that depict acts of sexual assault and violence. Though not graphic in nature, they may be upsetting to some readers. Readers are strongly cautioned. This novel may not be suitable for all readers.
Dedication
First to my “Bug”, I love you with all my heart and then some. To my Daughters and Grandson, you guys mean the world to me. Last, but certainly not least, to all my friends who have given me moral support through everything that has happened in my life. I love you all.
Victoria
Table of Contents
Prologue
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
EPILOGUE
Prologue
He watched the woman from across the parking lot of the Sky View Mall in Charlottesburg, Virginia.
He had been waiting, though not patiently, for just the right one. The perfect angel.
This particular woman seemed to fit his needs quite nicely. She was 5’5” tall and approximately 135 pounds and had shoulder length blonde hair. He was partial to blondes.
He watched her from his car, which was parked not twenty feet from a vehicle she was approaching. She juggled the bags containing her purchases from her right arm to her left. No one else in sight. Perfect.
She reached into her oversized handbag searching for her keys. My patience has just paid off, he thought.
Exiting his car, he started walking nonchalantly toward the mall entrance. The woman had her keys in her hand.
She had just opened the driver’s door when he came up behind her, suddenly.
In one swift movement, he wrapped one arm around her waist to restrict her movement. With the other, he placed a gloved hand over her mouth to silence any potential screams.
He said menacingly into her ear, “You try to scream and you die right here.” Grabbing her keys, he said, “I’ll take those.”
He shoved her roughly into the car and got in after her.
Starting the car, he pulled out of the lot and into the flow of rush hour traffic. The woman looked at him and with a tremor in her voice asked, “What do you want?”
“I thought that would have been obvious. I want you,” he answered.
He felt nothing for this woman. All he thought about was the pleasure he would get from her soon. This exquisite beauty was his to do whatever he wanted with. And he wanted to rape her, repeatedly. That’s exactly what he did for several days.
He had always wondered what it would feel like to take a human life. He had killed so many small animals in his childhood that he had lost count.
When he got tired of raping her, he twisted her head until he heard her neck snap. It was just to satisfy his curiosity.
He enjoyed the way it made him feel. He felt invigorated.
******
He parked his lanky frame on a large piece of exposed granite that overlooked Wildfire Lake. The lake lies on the outskirts of Charlottesburg, Virginia.
A sense of peace and tranquility enveloped him. He had finally discovered his purpose in life. As he stared over the still water of the lake, he smiled.
Life is good.
He arose from his perch and headed back to the car. He had only taken a few steps when he stopped and in a moment of silent reflection turned back towards the lake. All of the surrounding shoreline looked peaceful and serene.
No one knew he had just buried the first of many dark secrets along this lake.
No one would for quite some time.
CHAPTER ONE
Five Years Later
Patricia Langley tossed her purse behind the counter of Beautique in Stacie’s Department store, inside the Sky View Mall. Trish, as she is commonly known, works as a makeup associate for the store.
She had just gotten the job and was trying really hard to impress her new boss, Janelle Dixon.
A door opened behind Trish. She turned to see Janelle coming out of the stock room.
Janelle smiled and said, “Hi Trish, you’re in early today.”
Trish returned the smile and replied, “Long night. I couldn’t sleep. Besides, I knew that shipment of Gencombe was coming in today. I thought you might need a hand stocking the delivery.”
“I think you’re right,” Janelle said, walking back toward the stock room. “The shipment just arrived and it’s bigger than I thought, but they’re just now unloading it. I really could use some help.”
“Not a problem,” said Trish, following Janelle into the stock room.
******
Peggy Callaway was completing her final walk-through of the dentist’s office, where she works as a dental assistant. She was the last person out of the office.
As such, it was her responsibility to turn out the lights and secure all the doors.
Assuring herself there was no one else in the office, she exited through the back door and secured it. She walked across the parking lot, of the dental office, to her lone car in the lot.
This lot was adjacent to the one at Sky View Mall. Peggy got into her black Chevrolet Impala and pulled out of the lot. She turned right onto Washington Avenue and headed for home.
She hadn’t noticed the dark four door sedan parked in the shadows. Its lone occupant was watching her intently.
He watched as she locked the door of the dental office and walked to her car. He had been watching this beautiful blonde for almost a week now.
She always closed the office at the same time every other night. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the office was open later to accommodate the after work patients.
He was getting that craving again. The hunger would have to be satisfied soon, very soon. He watched her until
she left the lot, smiling with anticipation.
******
Peggy entered her small one bedroom apartment, kicking off her shoes inside the door. This was a ritual with her as was evident by the large pile of shoes to the right of the door.
I’ll put them away later, she always told herself. But she was a procrastinator, so the shoes piled up. She had moved into this apartment just three months prior. Having recently gone through a long and lengthy divorce.
She had married right out of high school to her childhood sweetheart, Jonathan Callaway.
Jonathan filed for divorce almost immediately after he had graduated from law school.
Sure, she thought, dump me as soon as I help put you though college.
Jonathan owns and operates a small private practice on the edge of town. No sooner than the ink had dried on the final decree of divorce, he had married his research assistant.
He and his new wife now live in a very affluent subdivision just outside the Charlottesburg city limits. Good riddance, Peggy thought, he’s a selfish jerk anyway.
“I’m better off without him,” she said aloud to the empty room.
She walked over to the refrigerator in the small nook of a kitchen, opened the door, and removed a bottle of white wine. Pinot Grigio, to be exact.
She had always preferred the white wines. The reds were too bitter. She poured herself a glass and headed to the bathroom.
“A hot bath and then bed. Just what the doctor ordered,” she said aloud as she closed the bathroom door.
CHAPTER TWO
Gerald Smith opens the doors to Smitty’s Garage promptly at 8:00 every morning. He had been doing this ever since he had inherited the shop from his father.
The garage was originally owned by Gerald’s grandfather. When he died it went to Gerald’s father, who died fifteen years later of a heart attack.
It was now under the management of the third generation in the Smith family line.
Gerald intended to keep it that way, in the family that is.
Jared Marshall walked into the garage shortly behind Gerald.
“Hey, Jared, did you get that carburetor fixed on that T-bird?” Gerald asked.
“No.” replied Jared, “It’s gonna have to be replaced. I had to order it, but it’s on backorder. Should be in by the end of the week.”
“Well, then could you get on that tune up on the Accord?” asked Gerald
“Sure,” Jared replied. He picked up a wrench and headed toward the Accord.
He didn’t like working for Smitty, but it would have to do for now. This job wasn’t going to make him wealthy by any means, but he earned a decent wage. At least, he was employed.
That was more than could be said for half the people in this town since the mill closed.
He hooked the Accord up to the diagnostic equipment and began the tests.
******
Peggy woke the next morning with a stiff neck and sore back. “I really need to replace that mattres,” she said aloud. Maybe next payday, she thought.
She removed her robe from the hook on the back of the bedroom door.
Wrapping it around herself, she tied it snugly at the waist. She stumbled into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Once the coffee was brewing, she walked to the bathroom to get ready for her busy day.
She had promised the dentist, Dr. Larabee, that she would come in early to get the office ready. Stepping into the shower, she began to sing.
Turning off the water, she wrapped a towel around her head. Reaching for the robe, she secured it with a knot around her waist, once more. As she dried her hair, she thought, today is going to be a good day.
She chose a set of pale blue scrubs to wear to the office. Finding her favorite white clogs in the pile by the door, she slipped them on. She grabbed her purse and keys as she headed out of the door.
It’s going to be a really good day, she thought, as she locked the door.
She didn’t know it yet, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.
******
He had waited long enough. It has to be tonight. He went into his garage and gathered the things he needed.
Two long pieces of rope, a roll of duct tape, a plastic tarp and a shovel.
He threw these into the trunk of the car. Locating the bottle of Chloroform, he grabbed it and a cloth and put them in the center console.
The car was a black 4-door Acura. It had been his sole inheritance when his step-mother died of cancer. The car had been garaged since her death.
He preferred his Ford F-150 for his everyday needs. This was a special occasion and those required this car. Was there anything else he might need?
He looked around the garage, spotting a bag of lime in the corner near the upright freezer. He put the lime in the trunk beside the other items, he looked around the garage one more time.
Oh, yeah, those black leather gloves. He threw them in the front passenger seat.
Satisfied he had everything, he closed the trunk. There was nothing left to do now, but wait.
CHAPTER THREE
Trish sat up in bed and looked at the clock’s display, 10:30am. It’s a good thing that I have the day off, she thought. She stretched and realized the muscles in her right arm were a little sore.
She rubbed the aching arm as she got of bed. Too much heavy lifting yesterday, she thought.
She walked into the bathroom and opened the mirrored medicine cabinet above the sink, took out a small bottle of Tylenol and took two with a sip of water. She turned on the water in the shower, removed her nightgown and gingerly stepped inside.
The water was a little too hot so she adjusted the faucet. She lathered her long blonde hair as she thought of the errands she had to run.
She needed go to the dry cleaners, the bank, and then to the mall.
Since starting her new job, she was required to wear dress clothes. Some people prefer to call it business casual. She was more of the t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. That was most of what hung in her closet.
She had a few dresses and skirts, but needed blouses, slacks and a few more dress shoes.
Having just gotten her first check, she might be able to splurge on at least one complete outfit. The shoes might have to wait.
She also needed to stop by the pharmacy. Those were the last of the Tylenol. She might need another dose later tonight. Maybe she’d grab lunch after that.
She let her mind wander as the water flowed over her. She thought of the outfit she would like to get, maybe something in blue.
******
Peggy arrived, at the dental office at exactly 7:00 a.m. that morning. She had forty-five minutes to get the office set up and ready for their first patient.
She unlocked the rear door and entered the building. Turning on the lights as she went. Everything seemed the same as she’d left it the night before.
The root canal was scheduled for treatment room one. Peggy put on a pair of nitrile exam gloves and walked over to the Autoclave sterilizing equipment.
She removed the instruments needed for the procedure and put them on the metal tray beside the patient chair. She checked the Oxygen and Nitrous Oxide tanks.
Both of the tanks had sufficient amounts of their respective gasses and appeared to be in proper working order. She left the treatment room and walked down the hallway to the small employee lounge.
She started a pot of coffee for the rest of the staff in preparation of their arrival.
Dr. Larabee arrived at his office at 7:30 a.m. He pulled his gunmetal grey Porsche into his assigned spot and killed the engine.
Entering through the rear door, he headed straight for the employee lounge.
He needed his first morning dose of caffeine. No cream, two sugars. Maybe, there would even be Danish.
Paul Wilson, the root canal patient, arrived right on time. Peggy escorted him to treatment room one. Paul sat down in the dental chair.
Peggy began preparing him for the procedure. She also filled sever
al hypodermic needles with Novocain and put them on the metal tray beside the other instruments.
Removing a nasal mask for the Nitrous Oxide from the cabinet, she placed it on the tube connected to the tank.
She adjusted the valve on the tank and placed the mask over Paul’s nose.
“Just breathe naturally. We’ll be ready to start in just a few minutes,” she said.
She placed Paul’s X-rays on the viewer and flipped the switch to turn it on. She left the room in search of Dr. Larabee.
******
Jared had finished the tune-up, completed an oil change and changed a leaky gasket on an oil pan. He started a drive belt replacement on a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. It had been left at the garage by its owner for the repairs.
The Elantra wasn’t promised until the next day so Jared decided to call it a night. He was covered from head to toe, literally, with grease and grime.
I guess that’s why they call mechanics ‘Grease Monkey’s’, he thought. Good thing Gerald provided uniforms for all of the mechanics.
“See ya tomorrow, Gerald,” Jared said as he closed the door. Walking over to his pick-up truck, a blue Ford F-150, he got in. He headed to the nearest convenience store because he was out of beer at home.
Right now he could really use a cold one.
******
Trish left the cleaners with two of the three business casual suits she owned. Sad, she thought. She put the dry cleaning in the back seat and headed to the Sky View Mall.
Her first stop was Stacie’s department store. Just inside the door, she spotted the perfect outfit. A two- piece blazer and skirt set…royal blue.
She paid at the register and headed back to the lot. I’ll pick-up some Chinese take-out for dinner on my way home, she thought.
Hidden Angels: Wildfire Lake Book One Page 1
