“Are you ladies sisters?” the sales associate had asked.
“Nope. Mother, daughter, and absolute best friends,” Corrine replied, winking at Natalie.
For Corrine to regard her so highly was an honor. As close as Natalie had been with her mother, she didn’t confide in her mom like Corrine did with her. There’s no way Natalie would have told her mother that she was dating a married man. She appreciated their non-conventional relationship, but she also hoped that it was balanced with proper guidance and wisdom. Lord, please don’t let Thursday be the last day that I will ever hear my daughter’s voice.
“INCOMING CALL FROM TONI. SAY ‘HELLO’ TO ANSWER OR ‘IGNORE’ TO SEND THE CALLER TO VOICEMAIL.”
Natalie could feel every knot that formed in her stomach. She deliberated so long that she’d missed the call. Whew! She knew she’d have to speak with Toni eventually, but at least she’d bought herself a little time. Turned out, it wasn’t much time because Toni was calling again within seconds. Lisa wasn’t yet there and reluctantly Natalie accepted the call.
“When were you going to tell me that Corrine is missing!”
“I’m sorry. I was going to call you. I needed some time to process everything first.”
“You needed time?! From what Sylvia says Corrine may not have much time! The minute you knew something was wrong, you should have called me!”
“You’re right, Toni, I’m sorry. I promise I was going to get around to it.”
“Get around to it? You selfish, inconsiderate skank! I am the one who raised her. How dare you keep information from me when my daughter’s life is in danger?!?”
“Toni, I…am…sorry! What more do you want me to say? Maybe subconsciously this is the reason why I didn’t call because all you ever do is bring up the fact that you raised her. Who cares? Your pulling rank does nothing to find her!”
“And what are you doing besides processing everything?”
“I’m about to hang fliers until my fingers are numb and Troy is out busting his butt working. You’re not the only one who loves her.”
“I do know she wouldn’t be in this mess if you would have left us alone!” Toni broke out in tears. “Why’d you have to take her? She would be alive and well if it weren’t for you meddling in our lives.”
Venom flowed through Natalie despite her aunt’s tears. She was so sick of Toni blaming her for Corrine’s move. It’s the same tired argument they’d had the last three years! She felt her conscience telling her to let Toni’s words roll off like water on a duck’s back, but her emotions took over. “You’re nothing but a jealous old wench! Have you ever considered that maybe you drove Corrine away by being so overbearing???”
“Oh, so you’re the cool mom and I’m the mean one? Under my watch, Corrine finished high school without getting pregnant and graduated Magna Cum Laude from college! Under yours, she gets kidnapped! You better be glad Mama’s not here. If she wasn’t already dead, you’d kill her!”
“YOUR CALL HAS ENDED.”
Natalie leaned her head against the steering wheel and cried. The mention of her grandmother tore at her heart. They’d only been reunited for a few years when Big Mama died in her sleep from a heart attack when Nate was a baby. She’d know exactly what to do and say right now. So down-to-earth and yet so heavenly minded. Her wisdom and spiritual guidance were missed. “Chile, quit worryin’ and let God do what He gon’ do.” Natalie could hear her saying.
How am I not supposed to worry when my child is in the hands of a killer?
“What’s worryin’ gon’ fix? Either you trust God to handle this or you don’t. He wants her found more than we do. She was His before we ever knew her.”
“But—”
“You cain’t trust Him and worry, too. This is too big for you, but God’s got it all under control.”
“What if Corrine dies?”
“It broke my heart when you’re daddy died, but I never turned my back on God. You need to decide if you’re still willing to serve Him even if things don’t work out the way you want…”
“I’ll be hurt, but yes, I will serve Him.”
“Good. Now wipe your face, chile, and get busy. All this cryin’ ain’t doin’ nuthin’ to bring my grandbaby home.”
Acting as if this had been a real conversation, Natalie followed instructions and looked through the mirror on her sun visor, wiping tear remnants from her face. The knock on the passenger side window startled her. Lisa opened the door.
“Sorry I’m late. I was waiting for RJ to get back. He had to go take care of some crisis at the center. I take it these are the fliers?” she said, picking one up from the seat. “She is so beautiful. She looks so much like you.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you okay?”
At peace, Natalie smiled, gathering her belongings. “Yep. Let’s get this show on the road.”
CHAPTER 39: WILD GOOSE CHASE
The Avenger was turning down the street when Evans pulled into Eric’s driveway. Dang! All hope of speaking to Eric first, perhaps for the last time before the mission ended, was gone. Eric had been such a crucial part of the plan and would have been the fall guy if things hadn’t gone wrong with the Lee girl. No worries. There wasn’t anything new Freeman could reveal now anyhow.
Plan B was inevitable. With all natural and spiritual affairs in order, there was no fear. Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Avenger had prayed for this cup to be removed, but there was no other way. But not before Corrine was held accountable for her sins.
• • •
Troy pulled up to the quaint white house with dark purple shutters expecting Jon to be there by now. He waited a few minutes before calling him. “Hey, man, where you at? It’s been a pretty long twenty minutes.”
“My bad. Um, you go ahead without me. I need to check something out first.”
Frustrated, Troy hung up. Besides his mother, what did Knight have to do that was more important than helping him find Corrine? Jon’s ears must have been burning, as he must’ve known what Troy would be thinking, Jon sent him a text. I am looking into a possible lead. I will explain everything to you later. You go ahead and talk to Freeman without me, but be cool!!!
Eric seemed unpleasantly surprised to see Troy. “Detective Evans, what can I do for you?” He spoke through the screen door.
“I know you weren’t expecting me, but my partner couldn’t make it. May I come in?”
Reluctantly, he obliged. “Remember this house is holy. The last time I allowed your people to do a search, my sacred items were disturbed. It took several days to restore the ambiance. This time you will need a warrant or you’re not going past the living room.”
“I only wish to talk to you.”
Eric nodded and led him to the white plush sofa. Eric’s house, though immaculate, was a bit eerie. The living room looked more like the inside of a sanctuary than anything. Scriptures were on every wall. A large copy of the Bible sat on a stand on a desk that didn’t seem used.
“Can I offer you anything? Perhaps you would like a cup of herbal tea or some water?”
“No, thank you.”
“I saw on the news that another lady was found and they think it’s the same killer?”
“It’s true. That’s partially why I am here.”
Eric rolled his eyes. “I can understand all the questions, to an extent, because the carnal mind is unable to understand spiritual things. But, the Lord didn’t reveal her death to me. I don’t see how I can help.”
Having expected Jon to do most of the talking, Troy had only a minute or so to ponder his approach and had decided to play into Freeman’s ego. It went against his own beliefs about the flaunting of titles, but he had to lay his pride aside. Corrine’s life was at stake. “Pastor Freeman, I need you to come clean. Whoever murdered those women now has my daughter and if you don’t tell me your connection to the killer, she will be next.”
Eric stared at him oddly. “My heart sincerely goes out to you,
detective. I discern how troubled your spirit is about this matter and if there was any way I could help you I would. I have been as forthright about things as I can be. I’ve told the truth, but your people do not want to believe me.”
“Believe you? Your story is ridiculous!”
“It’s ridiculous to you because you’re obviously a man of little faith, but to my prayer partner and me, it is the truth.”
“So someone other than you has seen these mysterious messages?”
“No, not exactly. When I told my prayer partner about what was happening to me, not once was my integrity questioned. My word was enough.”
“The only reason you’re not in jail is because we can’t find any evidence to tie you to the murders. Your story is a bunch of crap. God does not write messages on walls. Look, man, I don’t think you’re solely responsible, but I think you know who is. The sooner you talk, the better it will be for you in the end.”
“As a police officer, I understand that you like to deal with scientific evidence, but God does not operate within the confines of man. He works supernat—”
“Whatever, Eric, I’m tired of your biblical jargon. In this farce to be so holier than thou, you’re jeopardizing my daughter’s life and you better pray that she doesn’t die because of your lack of cooperation.” Troy proceeded to leave, more irritated with Jon for orchestrating this wild goose chase and leaving him hanging than he was with Eric.
“You’re wrong, my friend.” Eric was surprisingly calm. “The Bible speaks of how God wrote a message on a wall for King Belshazzar that only Daniel was able to interpret. I may be many things, detective, but I am not a liar. When I tell you that God supernaturally revealed to me the location of those women, that is what happened. Your lack of belief doesn’t negate the truth.”
The passion in which Eric spoke was so sincere that Troy didn’t have the energy to argue with him. “Okay, if you say so.” Troy walked away, remembering that Eric had been able to pass the polygraph because he actually believed his own story. Could it be that he suffered from a multiple personality disorder and doesn’t remember his involvement with the crimes? Though no treatment for mental illness had been discovered thus far, there was no doubt in Troy’s mind that there were a few flaws with his cerebral functions that would be worth checking out.
“I’ll be praying for your daughter,” Eric yelled as Troy got into his truck.
“Jon, where are you? Speaking with Freeman did no good, but someone needs to look into his psychological background ASAP. Call me, man. I need to know what you’re up to.”
CHAPTER 40: WORKING FOR THE DEVIL
Corrine had been trying to find some way to escape all afternoon. Her left arm had been handcuffed to the railing and there was nothing else in her reach except for the Bible her abductor had left for her to read. Though she’d been given a thin blanket to lie on, the basement floor was chilly. The cracks in the concrete started to form creases in her thighs.
She was scared, cold, and lonely, but ultimately determined not to die at the hand of this psychopath. “God, please help me,” she cried as thoughts of her family went through her mind. She kissed the locket with Nate’s picture, hating that she missed his party yesterday. She’d looked forward to giving him his swimming pool and had purposely bought a gift that Natalie and Troy would have to keep at their house. She had enough of his little gadgets all over her tiny place.
She thought about her parents and wondered if Natalie called her mom. She’d hoped the two of them were able to remain cordial to one another and that her mother wouldn’t use this as an opportunity to lash out at Natalie. Had Natalie told her about Brent like she’d done Troy? Though it troubled Corrine a great deal that Troy told his friend about her affair, she was the only one to blame for her current state.
Corrine felt like such a fool. She had bad luck when it came to men. Her very first boyfriend was during her freshman year of college and turned out he was messing around with her roommate behind her back. Corrine was mad, but not devastated because they hadn’t done anything except kiss. Her heartbreak came two years later when she gave her virginity away to Juan Robinson, whom she’d met at a party one night. They were together for several months before Corrine had decided to go all the way. It was something she’d wrestled with, knowing she wasn’t holding true to her Christian upbringing and it was something that she and Juan even talked about. Ultimately, she gave in to temptation only to later learn that the night they’d met, Juan had bet his friends that he could eventually get her to give it up.
Corrine was crushed. Although Juan apologized and sincerely seemed remorseful, she refused to give him a second opportunity to make a fool of her. After that, Corrine was done with dating. She focused on her grades, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and then moved to Ohio to help with Nate.
She’d known Brent ever since she started working for Victoria’s Secret. Though he was her supervisor, the two became great friends. She had no reason to doubt his claims of being trapped in an unhappy marriage because, over the years, his story had stayed consistent. Besides, he was nearly a decade older than her with kids. Surely he’d outgrown the childish games that men her age liked to play. Boy was she wrong!
That night she’d gone for a walk, thinking about all the warning signs she’d ignored or missed. Obviously, her mind was so consumed that she didn’t practice the good situational awareness techniques that she’d often heard Troy speak of because she hadn’t noticed that dark vehicle next to her until the driver blew the horn. It startled her, but once she saw that it was a friend of Troy’s whom she’d recently accepted a Facebook friend request from, she relaxed, even accepting a ride after realizing how far she’d ventured from her apartment.
Now she was trapped in this basement with virtually no way out. The windows had been boarded, but the dimwit was kind enough to leave the overhead light on so she could read the Bible. Corrine stared at the leather-bound book, wondering if Samson had felt this helpless after he’d revealed the secret of his strength to Delilah and was taken by the Philistines. Tears swam down Corrine’s face. Though Samson had managed to kill his captors, he also died in the process. Corrine hoped her adulterous behavior would not lead to her death. She wasn’t ready to die. “God, I’m sorry!”
After enduring two days with no shower, little food, and memories of loved ones she may never get to see again, Corrine continued to cry as she reached for the Bible. She recalled the days when her grandmother was alive. Corrine could talk to her about anything. In fact, Big Mama was the only one who knew about what happened with Juan. Corrine refused to tell her mom because she didn’t want to hear her preaching to death about virtue and although Natalie knew she was no longer a virgin, she didn’t want to share the details because she didn’t want to dredge up any negative feelings for her. Big Mama had a way of keeping it real and gentle at the same time.
“There are always consequences when we choose to disobey God’s Word,” she said, holding Corrine firmly against her healthy chest. “We don’t get to choose what they are and how they will play out. But, know that there is always restoration, too. When we sincerely ask for God’s forgiveness, He can be merciful enough to lessen the severity. What’s done is done, baby. You cain’t change nuthin’, but you ain’t gotta wallow in self pity over your mistakes. Get back in the Word and get on track.”
Ironically, the New King James Version of God’s Word had been left in her reach by someone working for the devil. Corrine instinctively turned to the book of Psalms, which had always been one of Big Mama’s favorites. She’d started from the beginning and now found herself already at Psalm 34. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the—” She was about to start the nineteenth verse when she heard an upstairs door open.
Great! Psycho was back from church. Corrine was still scared, but calmer. Reading had done her good. Corrine put the Bible back down, clinging on to the final words she’d r
ead. It was taking longer than usual for her abductor to come down and check on her. She laid her head against the cold wall, hoping that if she pretended to be sleep, she’d be left alone for a little while longer. She tried to relax as she heard the footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Corrine . . .” Her ears recognized a familiar whisper.
When she opened her eyes, Jon was standing before her with his gun in hand.
CHAPTER 41: A STUPID TECHNICALITY
Troy left Eric’s and went straight over to Chad Gordon’s, whom he hadn’t heard from in over a week. It wasn’t until the calls stopped that Troy realized how much of a motivation they had been to him.
Troy drove around the apartment complex a couple of times before he had found the Gordon townhome. After several knocks, no one had come to the door. Darn! Just as Troy was walking away, someone came to the door, hidden behind weeks of unshaven facial hair. “Chad?”
“Hi, detective, what’s up?”
“I’m sorry to drop by unannounced. I need to speak with you about the case.”
His face lit up. “Sure, come in. Did you find out who killed Lolita?”
“No, I’m sorry, not yet.”
“Then what can I do for you?”
Inside the Gordon home, the drawn shades were a perfect match to Chad’s ominous demeanor. Troy found himself stepping over pizza boxes and other items all while trying to ignore the smell of rotten trash. “We’ve come up with a theory of why each victim was targeted. The other women appeared to have been involved in adulterous relationships. I know you and Lolita had a great marriage, but is there any reason someone would think she was unfaithful?”
Chad shook his head. “She would never do anything like that to our family. There has to be something else.”
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