“ ’Dat was fun, Mommy!”
“That was horrible,” Troy teased, coming from around the corner.
“Hi, Daddy!” Nate ran to hug him, followed by Natalie who’d ordered him to “hush,” but with such a bright smile that Troy knew she was happy to see him.
“You’re home early.” She planted a kiss firmly on his lips. Not too intense, considering the child was present, but deep enough that Troy recognized her foreplay and Nate ran and jumped head first on the couch screaming, “Eeeewwe.”
“If that’s how I’ll be greeted from now on, I’m going to do my best to make it home early every day.”
“Are you hungry? I’ll make your plate.”
“Yes, I am. Thank you, babe.” Natalie went into the kitchen while Troy went over to the couch to play with Nate and ask about his day.
“I talk to Gigi and her said you have a black a—”
“Naaaaate! You say that word and I’m going to spank your bottom real good and I mean it! I told you earlier that wasn’t a nice word.”
“You know better, man,” added Troy. Nate looked down and poked out his lips. “Stop that. You’re not going to turn three if you act like that.”
“Nooa! I wanna be t’ree.”
“Then act like a big boy.”
“ ’Kay. I sorry.”
“So, you spoke with Gigi today?’
“Uh-huh. Her said p-a-r-t-y.” He laughed.
“Do you know what that is?”
“I have my birday and Mommy said sissy come back from her airplane for my p-a-r-t-y.”
Nate was tickled to death at himself. The boy often displayed one of two signs of sleepiness—extreme whining or excessive silliness—and it was clear he was ready to pass out at any moment. When Natalie announced that Troy’s plate was ready, Nate laughed. When Troy finished eating and put his utensils in the dishwasher, Nate laughed. When Troy stated he was going to jump in the shower, he laughed. He kept laughing about the tiniest little things and there was only so much of it that Troy and Natalie could take before they put him to bed.
“And God bless my mommy, my daddy, my sissy and my birday party, amen.” Nate was the last of the Evans clan to pray as he and his parents held hands in Nate’s room. Troy gave his li’l man a high-five and left for the master bedroom while Natalie stayed behind to kiss and tuck him in.
“So my mama is mad at me, huh?” he asked when she came into the room. He was double-checking the lock on his gun safe to make sure it was secured. A cop can never be too careful about these things, especially with children in the house.
“Not really. She wanted to know why you didn’t call her back.”
“She left a message that she mailed Nate a present. She said to call when it arrived. I didn’t think I needed to call and tell her that I got the message.” Troy was sitting on the edge of the bed when Natalie came and hugged him from behind, nearly knocking him over. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I am so thankful for you.”
He turned to face her. “I’m thankful for you as well.” They kissed. This time it was a kiss that would surely lead them to “wrestling” as they’d told Nate they were doing one night when he walked in on them. He was planning to get on her for leaving the house unsecured, but the moment was seized by his hormones. Troy laid Natalie on the bed and they wasted no time getting straight to the point. Normally, they waited to make sure Nate was fully asleep, but neither took such precaution tonight as both seemed eager to please the other.
When their sweet encounter was over, Natalie lay on his bare chest while he held her tight. Initially he thought the wetness he felt from her cheek was sweat until she reached up to wipe her face. She was crying. “Baby, what’s wrong? You and Corrine have another argument?”
She looked up at him, fear lingering in her eyes. “Would you ever cheat on me?”
“No! Where did that come from?”
“The Bible says that we reap what we sow and I’ve done my share of dirt. I don’t want to be married for sixteen years only to discover that you’re cheating on me. That would hurt too much.”
“I am not nor do I ever intend to do so. I love you and I don’t ever want to hurt you.”
“Who plans adultery? I’m sure most people mean their vows when they say them, but then life takes over and stuff happens.”
Her words reminded him of something Robert had said. “The thought of cheating on my wife was detestable to me. Something I’d never imagined doing.”
“I know I’ve done wrong in my life. What if it comes back to me?”
“Babe, you are really trippin’. Don’t fret on what could happen in our future. Let’s enjoy each moment for what it is. I don’t know what life holds and neither do you, but remember that God is merciful.” Maybe not so much in the lives of the recent murder victims. How could mercy allow that to happen? “Isn’t salvation supposed to wipe the slate clean?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Then why are you worried that I’m going to cheat on you because of sins you committed before you knew me or God?” Troy was amazed at how wise he sounded. He did believe what he was saying, but he was also still very conflicted about how to reconcile his beliefs about with his anger toward God.
“Can I see your cell phone?”
“For what?”
“I want to see it. Why won’t you give it to me?”
Troy was starting to get irritated, but he remained patient and reached over to the night stand and got the phone for her. “Here, look through it all you wish, but you won’t find anything. What have I done to make you question my loyalty?”
“Nothing.” She laid the phone aside without investigating. “I’m so sorry. I’m thinking about Aneetra. She suspects that Marcus is cheating on her.” Natalie filled him in on the conversation she’d had with Aneetra earlier that day. He agreed that Marcus’ behavior was strange to disappear so early on a Sunday morning without explanation. Sunday morning? Marcus was tall and dark-skinned and drove a maroon F-150, same description neighbors gave of a mysterious man around Mindy Lee’s place. Was it coincidence or could Marcus somehow be connected to her disappearance and the other cases? It wouldn’t be the first time that a serial killer was married with children. Troy shook his head, dismissing the thought. The description was so vague that half the men in Columbus could be suspects. Even Jon drove a black Ford truck, though he didn’t quite meet the tall and dark-skinned criteria. Feeling bad for allowing his thoughts to drift while his wife was clearly in some kind of emotional distress—i.e. trippin’—he was sure to interject an “um hmm” or something similar from time to time so he at least appeared to be attentive.
“I haven’t heard from her since she left work. I want to call, but I’m afraid that I will catch her at a bad time and I don’t want to interrupt, especially if she’s having any type of deep conversation with him.”
“For real?”
“Troy?” Natalie sat up further.
“Hmm.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Of course, I am.”
“No, you’re not.” She grunted, smacking his bare chest.
“I’m sorry, honey. I may have zoned out for a second, but I promise that I heard most of what you said.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“How bad my performance must have been if you’re lying in bed with me thinking about another couple.”
She laughed and leaned forward seductively. He was glad to see her smiling. “Trust me when I say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your performance. As a matter of fact, if you’re up to it, I’d like to see the second act.”
Her words alone were enough to make his temperature rise and when she leaned down to kiss his chest that was icing on the cake.
CHAPTER 15: INSIDE SCOOP
The Avenger watched Mindy from the corner of the room, gun pointed in her direction. Today was only her third day and already she was working the Avenger’s last nerve. She wasn�
��t the least bit remorseful about her actions like the others had been. When confronted, she challenged every point rather than take the opportunity she was being given to repent. She was by far, the worst. The Avenger was losing patience with this one. Mindy hadn’t even touched the Bible laid before her. The others seemed to go back to their roots, but this one had completely ignored the Word.
Mindy Lee was volatile. The scratches she’d placed on the Avenger’s arms still burned. Mindy needed to seize the moment to repent and be changed. Maybe God had turned her over to a reprobate mind as Paul spoke about in Romans 1. No matter how much the Avenger tried to convince her of the error of her ways, she refused to listen. No use keeping her alive any longer. Though it hadn’t been a full seventy-two hours yet, Mindy had to die. It would be better to wait until this evening, but the sooner Mindy was gone the better and the Avenger had found the perfect spot for her remains. Called to be the “angel of death,” the Avenger carried out the mission, but where each victim spent eternity was up to them. Mindy was a lost cause.
“Go ahead and undress. It’s time.” The Avenger handcuffed, gagged, and stuffed her in the trunk of the car before making the ninety-minute-or-so drive southeast to a small Ohio city in Hocking County, and venturing deep into the woods. This was where the final showdown was to take place, but with the eyes on Eric now, there was no way to get a message to him, so Mindy’s body would have to remain here until the whole thing was over. The Avenger hated breaking protocol. Things had been so meticulously planned out, but it was all good. God knew the Avenger’s heart was ultimately to please Him. These women deserved to die.
Certain that no witnesses were around, Mindy was released from the trunk and led to her pending execution. The Avenger had found the perfect spot and made her kneel before the cuffs and the gag were removed. The Bible, opened to the appropriate scripture, was given to her. “This is your last chance. If you don’t repent, you will die and go to hell. On behalf of God, I am extending His mercy to you one last time. Read it!” The ringing cell phone momentarily broke the Avenger’s concentration. It was a split-second decision that gave Mindy the opportunity to knock the gun away and run. More annoyed than panicked, the Avenger ran after her, firing away. Mindy went down from a gunshot wound in the leg. “Stupid girl. Because of your rebellion, you’ve lost your chance for salvation.” Several more bullets were blasted and Mindy Lee was dead.
The sound of a twig snapping caught the Avenger’s attention. Someone had been watching.
• • •
Troy tried calling Jon several times all day but continued to get his voicemail. As the afternoon wore on, he’d decided to proceed without him, leaving one final message. “Hey, man. I’m headed over to Lang’s. If you get this message, meet me over there. What’s up with you? Call me a-sap. I think I may be on to something.”
Troy spent the morning and early afternoon going over every shred of evidence and interview they had on record for each of the victims. He didn’t find a direct connection between any of the victims, but he found a small detail that served as a common thread with some of them. It was a long shot, but right now anything to go on was better than nothing.
Jon finally called back. “Sorry, man. It’s been a crazy day. You at Lang’s yet?”
“Just pulled up.”
“Give me about five minutes and I’ll be there. What did you want to tell me?”
Troy worked with Jon long enough to know that his five minutes was more like ten or fifteen. For a white man, he sure knew how to operate on what was known in the black community as “Colored People Time.” “We know they were all Christian women, so what if the killer targeted them because of some revealed struggle with sin? We know for a fact that Michelle Rossi and Amy Howard were no strangers to adultery. Interviews with Sarah Matthews’ cousin also revealed suspicions of being involved with a married man she met online.”
“We found nothing to validate that. To our knowledge, Myesha and Mindy were single and, from everything we’ve heard, Lolita and her husband had a good marriage.”
“It doesn’t mean that Turner and Lee didn’t participate in the destruction of anyone else’s marriage. Plus, Lolita and Chad’s son is six, but they’ve only been married for five years. Maybe her sin was premarital sex,” Troy reasoned.
“A killer targeting her for having a baby out of wedlock and then marrying the baby’s father? I’m not buying it. Besides, how would the killer know anything about these women? We can’t find anything that connects them.”
“You’re right. There’s a piece of the puzzle missing somewhere. Whatever the case, I’m starting to think that Freeman’s too convenient. Somehow he’s getting the inside scoop about these murders, though. When we figure out his connection, we’ll have our killer.” Troy looked in his rear view mirror and saw Jon pulling up behind him. He hung up and got out of his Navigator to meet him. “So five minutes really did mean five minutes this time?”
“What? You thought I was rolling on CPT today?” His smile was bright, despite the apparent battle wounds on his face and arms. “You know a brotha won’t let you down when it really matters.”
Troy shook his head. “You’re obviously going through an identity crisis. Why are you all scratched up?”
“I got into a fight with my cat and she won.”
“When did you get a cat?”
“Oh, uh…a few days ago.”
Strange, Troy thought as the two of them crossed the street to the tiny green house. He’d never known Jon to like cats.
CHAPTER 16: A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
When Aneetra wasn’t at work Tuesday morning, Natalie knew something was wrong, but she waited until lunch before finally calling.
“He cheated on me,” Aneetra cried.
Natalie’s heart sank. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
“This isn’t fair, Natalie! I have never been unfaithful to him. I thought he loved me. Why didn’t God protect my marriage??? Why did He let my husband have sex with another woman???”
Tears ran down Natalie’s cheeks. The pain she felt for her friend was like she was experiencing it as well. “Where is he now?”
“I don’t know. We got into it again and he took off. He’s probably over her house.”
“You know who she is?”
“No. It’s somebody he met online. Stupid jerk! He had the nerve to get upset with me because I was asking a lot of questions.”
Natalie could think of a lot of things she wanted to call Marcus, but the Lord helped her to hold her peace. “I understand your desire to want to know details, but keep in mind that the more you know the more you have to forgive.”
“Whatever. It’s not like I was asking him what position he did her in. I wanted to know how long they’d been messing around and where they did it at. I’m his wife. I think I have a right to know if he was screwing this woman in our bed. He broke our vows! Not me! He should tell me any and everything I want to know!”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Where are the girls?”
“They’re with Lynn. I called her last night and asked if she could pick them up.”
Lynn was like a thorn in Natalie’s side. She and Aneetra had known each other for a very long time. It seemed like Lynn took pleasure in bringing up back-in-the-day stories or other events that Natalie wasn’t a part of. Natalie was sure she did it for the sole purpose of making her feel excluded, like last Saturday how she kept going on about the cruise they were taking. Natalie had never spoken her feelings about Lynn out loud, not even to Troy, for fear of being viewed as childish, but she didn’t trust or care for the chic. She did value her relationship with Aneetra though and, for that reason, she dismissed the schoolgirl envious question of “Why did Aneetra call Lynn and not me?” She concentrated on how she could support her friend who shamelessly wailed over the phone. “I’m coming over.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said between sniffles. “I’m okay. Don’t use up your
vacation time for me.”
“Nonsense, I’ll use whatever I have for you. I need to wrap up a few things, let Alex know I’m leaving, and I’ll be there soon.”
• • •
“Ma’am, what can you tell us about Mindy’s personal life?” Troy asked her friend.
The lady, a short dark-haired Asian woman whose first name was unpronounceable so she publicly went by Sophie, was understandably concerned about Mindy’s well-being. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Mindy was, is, a good person. The longer it takes to find her, the more likely it is that she won’t be found alive. I’ve seen the news. Whoever is doing this doesn’t wait long before killing these women.”
“Even good people have some issues.” Troy was having a hard time getting comfortable on her narrow sofa. He’d never seen anything like it before in his life. Was it even a couch? It looked more like a bleacher bench with a back. If that wasn’t weird enough, the entire living room was the same color as the outside of the house. Natalie would certainly have had a fit about that. Thanks to Ms. Lang, green had now become his least favorite color. “Is there anything in Mindy’s personal life that didn’t quite line up with her faith?”
“What are you implying?”
“Nothing. It’s that we would like to find her and any information about her that you can tell us will be beneficial.”
“There was some things going on with her, but I-I’m not sure I should say. I don’t think it has anything to do with her disappearance.”
“You should let us be the judge of that.”
“Look, lady, we are working our butts off to locate her before she ends up like the other victims. We can’t do it without your help,” Jon said bluntly. His intolerance was uncharacteristic. Troy was usually the impatient one while Jon remained the “good” guy.
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