by Andrew Hess
Why me? What did I do to piss this person off so much that he is willing to risk his life on destroying mine? Those were the questions running through my mind as I drifted off to sleep.
Slipping into the same reoccurring nightmare, I found myself bursting through the front door to my house. Sweeping the room in the dark, I could feel James at my side. We cleared the living room just as a shot rang out from down the hall. I rushed to Amanda’s room. Only this time Rodney wasn’t laying on the floor. He was on his knees crawling towards me. He was covered in blood.
“Ali, please help me. I didn’t do it; I swear.” Rodney turned to look back at the room.
There was a shadow hiding in the darkness. The only visible sign of the person was the silver barrel of a revolver pointed at Rodney’s head. The blast from the gun woke me in a blood curdling scream. I was awake and alone, sitting with my sweat soaked shirt clinging to my body.
The door to the bedroom flew open. James ran in with his gun drawn, searching for the reason for my outburst. “What is it?” he shouted. “What’s wrong?”
The realization of the dream set in. “Nothing,” I whimpered while trying to conceal my distress. “It was just another nightmare.”
James moved towards the bed, placing his gun on the nightstand. “It’s all right. Nothing bad is going to happen here.”
I looked around the room expecting Amanda to come running in any minute. “Wh-where’s my sister?”
“She went out with a couple of her friends.”
“And you let her? You know there’s a psychopath that’s hunting me and my sister.”
“Relax, Ali. I sent two of the best guys from my precinct to follow them wherever they go. She knows not to ditch them and that I will check on her in an hour.”
He’s worse than an overprotective father, I thought. “James, I just want this to be over.” He pulled me to his chest and stroked the curls from my hair. I felt relaxed in his arms, and let the tears break from the damn I built up inside.
“It’s okay, Ali. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to either of you; I promise.” I glanced into his gorgeous big brown eyes. Damn I wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but knew it would only complicate our lives further. I think he felt it too. I could feel him pulling away from me.
“Please, stay with me until I fall asleep.” I’ve never asked or begged for a man to stay with me, but the nightmares would only continue their onslaught on my mind while I slept. At least if he was there, I would feel safe in his arms.
Chapter 8-PM
The Puppet Master returned home before Detective Ryan found her surprise. He watched from the cameras as she worked her way through the house as if she knew someone was there. He must have unknowingly left evidence of his presence that he did not consider. Before he could consider the options, his eye caught Ali entering the bedroom. His focus zoomed in on her reaction. The expression of horrified fear was etched on every inch of her face.
She called her sister into the room and showed her the card. He knew his words would get under her skin and shake her to the core. He just needed to find a way to capitalize on the element of surprise.
For hours he watched the C.S.U. Team sweep the house and collect evidence from the comfort of his home computer.
“Looks like they didn’t turn up anything,” he mumbled to himself. Turning off the monitors, he decided that night would be perfect to enter the next phase of his plan.
He had an hour to arrive at his destination, a house that was three miles from his home. Slipping into a navy blue button down shirt, black pants, and dress shoes, he was ready to take the night, and his first victim.
Something pulled at him to check the cameras one more time. Ali Ryan slept alone in the bedroom, tossing and turning violently. Watching her sleep was of no interest to the Puppet Master, but seeing the bedroom door fly open with Detective Thornton barging in did.
“How sweet? Her supposed hero is there to protect her from her nightmares. “The Puppet Master let out a cackle of laughter mocking the duo on camera. “Don’t worry Ali, he won’t be there much longer.”
They were locked in a comforting embrace before Ali started to push away. “Where’s Amanda?”
“She went out with her friends.” Hearing James admit to letting Ali’s sister out was music to his ears. It was tempting to bring his end-game to a closer realization, but knew that wasn’t the right move. Hearing Thornton’s comments about having his buddies follow Amanda Ryan wherever she went confirmed what he was already thinking.
“Don’t worry girls; I’ll put you out of your misery soon enough.” The final image he saw before turning off the monitors was Detective Thornton climbing under the covers with Ali Ryan. Pushing the thought from his mind, the Puppet Master walked out to his car and sought out his next victim.
The drive took him less than twenty minutes, leaving him enough time to park the car a few houses down. He had been watching this one for a few weeks. Her routine was like clockwork despite recently losing her job. It was a sore subject she tried to avoid, yet one she used as her excuse to drown her sorrows at the local bars. She was the perfect person to use for his plan to take down Ali Ryan. He just needed the right moment to take action.
The tinted windows showed the shadow of a woman walking to her car. He could hear the roar of her engine as she drove off. Taking a moment to let her pull up to the stop sign, the Puppet Master began his pursuit, following the woman to her bar of choice.
He waited until she walked up to the doors before pulling into the parking lot. Seeing her enter, it was safe for him to show his face. No one there would know who he was, and based on the crowd lined up, no one would be able to describe him either.
He let himself get close enough to have four people separating him from his soon to be victim. Once she was inside, he hung back, letting her get comfortable with her surroundings. Her false sense of security increased with every drink she had. It took four Cosmos before the woman stumbled through the crowd.
Time to make my move. The Puppet Master slipped through the crowd until the woman bumped into him.
“Fuck,” she yelled as her drink tipped over the glass and spilled onto her open toe platform shoes.
“Sorry,” the Puppet Master replied while trying to keep the woman from falling down. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” The look in her eyes told a different story. Tears were hiding behind the globs of mascara and fake lashes.
“I’m Terrence,” he lied while holding out his hand.
“Sheila,” she replied without hesitation. She took his hand and smiled. Her guard was lowered and her eyes looked like they were ready to devour him.
“What brings you out here tonight, Sheila?”
She took a long drink from her glass. “Why don’t you stick around and find out?” Sheila pushed her way through the crowd with the Puppet Master quickly nipping at her heels.
They danced for a little while before stopping for more drinks. His goal was to keep Sheila amply supplied with alcohol so he could make his move. Heading back to the dance floor, the Puppet Master let his hands do the talking, pulling at Sheila’s waist until she was pressed against his body. They moved rhythmically to the music. His lips hovered over hers. He could feel her heartbeat pounding out her chest. His tongue snaked out, wetting his lips as he pressed firmly against hers. She responded just as he had hoped, feeling her tongue wrestle with his.
The Puppet Master pulled away, seeing nothing but lust staring back at him. “You wanna get out of here and go somewhere more private?”
Taking his hand, Sheila followed the Puppet Master outside to his car. He loaded her into the passenger seat. Her life was in his hands, and he was going to enjoy his new toy.
Taking his time driving allowed the opportunity for him to continue his game of seduction. His hand moved slowly from the shifter to her leg. Using the pad of his thumb, he rubbed circles on her thighs, working his way under her skirt. She squirmed and m
oaned from his touch.
Inching his hand a little higher, he could tell Sheila was ready for him. There was no need for foreplay, and no need to draw out the night any further. His foot pressed the gas pedal, speeding the rest of the way to his house.
“Where are we?” Sheila asked while stumbling up the small driveway. Bracing herself against the post by the stoop, the Puppet Master closed in on her and answered her question by crushing her lips with his own.
Unlocking the door and pushing his way inside, he pulled Sheila inside and removed her purse from her shoulder. “How about we take this to the other room.” He knew the copious amount of alcohol had taken over and his victim barely knew what was happening.
Before Sheila could respond, the Puppet Master closed the gap between them. His mouth pressed against her neck causing her knees to give way. Bracing her against the couch, the Puppet Master’s hands lifted Sheila’s shirt and tossed it aside.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.
It was a trigger for Sheila. She always strived to be the prettiest or at least to hear how incredible she looked. The Puppet Master felt Sheila’s hands rub the back of his head and pull him into a drunken, passionate lip lock.
Knowing he had his victim right where he wanted her, the Puppet Master led Sheila to the bedroom, stripping off another article of clothing every few steps.
Inside the bedroom, he gently laid Sheila down on the bed. Grabbing a condom from the drawer, he sheathed himself before plunging into her. Her groans of pleasure steadily increased, reaching a climax within minutes.
Seeing Sheila’s body relax before he finished angered the Puppet Master. Threading his fingers with his soon-to-be victim’s, he pulled them up over her head and thrusted harder and more aggressively. Sheila tried to reach for him, but he refused to let her move. Holding her in place, he continued the fast pace until he let out a guttural moan. He slipped out from between her legs and smiled at the overly satisfied smirk on Sheila Nichols’ face.
Collapsing next to her on the bed, the Puppet Master waited until he heard the light snoring coming from Sheila. Once he knew the alcohol took over and placed her in a deep sleep, the Puppet Master crept to the front of the house and retrieved Sheila’s purse. With an evil grin, he glanced back at the bedroom knowing he would soon claim his victim.
Chapter 9-Ali
When I used to wake up in Matthew’s arms, I felt a desire to never get out of bed. It was as if I could stay right there for the rest of my life with him and be content. The morning I woke up next to James Thornton was a whole other experience that I would never forget.
He brought his arm over mine and pulled himself closer. The muskiness of his scent overwhelmed me. The stubble from his cheek tickled the side of my neck, but none of it bothered me. It was the first time I slept soundly in weeks. I threaded my fingers with his and dragged him closer, surrounding myself with his body. We laid there for another ten or twenty minutes before I heard the bedroom door creak open.
James let go of me and sat upright on the bed. His hand reached for his gun. The sight of our intruder made him stop before he touched his glock.
“Amanda,” I screeched. “What the hell?”
“Sorry, I was trying to be quiet.”
The uncomfortable silence filled the room until James got the hint. He grabbed his gun from the nightstand and inched off the bed. “I think I’ll go in the living room for a bit.”
Amanda looked down. Her cheeks turned bright red as she tried not to laugh. “Um, you might wanna cover up first.”
James looked down and quickly grabbed a pillow, placing it in front of him. The moment he turned, I could see he was sporting wood. The horrified look on my sister’s face was enough to make me blush. I don’t know why. It wasn’t like anything happened.
Once James left the bedroom, Amanda slipped in and closed the door. “Sorry to barge in on you guys. I just needed to grab my clothes for work, and then you can go back to whatever you were doing.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Ali, I’m not judging.”
I threw the covers off of me. “Look at me,” I snapped. “I’m fully clothed. Does it look like you walked in on something?”
“I don’t know. It sure looked like something was starting.”
I jumped up from the bed. “Nothing happened, and nothing’s going to happen with James and me.”
“Ali, it’s okay if you do. It’s your life. I just want to make sure it’s what you both want. I mean, with the whole Matthew and Rodney situation, you don’t want to do something you might regret later.”
I took her hands. “I appreciate your concern, but I don’t plan on starting anything with anyone. Right now, I need to find out who’s been leaving those bouquets of flowers for me to find.”
“You’re going after him?”
“I’m meeting with the lieutenant later today to discuss a few things. Hopefully, the C.S.U. Team turned up a lead we can work with.”
Amanda finished getting ready and wished me luck. Luck was something I needed to catch whoever has been behind it. Once it was time for me to jump in the shower, I found James sitting on the couch staring at the hallway.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m just going to get cleaned up before I head out.”
“Where are you going?”
“To meet up with my lieutenant. I want to get a jump on the case before this asshole makes his next move.”
“You sure about this?”
“He’s toying with me. He’s been toying with me for months without me ever knowing. It’s time I find out who he is and why.”
“Fine, but you’re not doing it alone.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Technically, he broke into my house. That means it’s partially a Dutchess County case.”
“Don’t start getting territorial on me again.”
“I know this is your case, but since it did happen partially in my county, I can try to convince my captain to let me work it with you. After busting our ass on that last case and him getting the promotion, he owes me one.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Hey, you need someone to watch your back and someone just as good as you to take this son of a bitch down. Let me help you.”
I knew I needed a partner, and the lieutenant wouldn’t let me work the case without one. “Okay. If you can convince Lieutenant Esposito and your captain, then we can work together.”
“Somehow I don’t think it’ll be that difficult to convince either of them to let us work together.”
Curiosity go the better of me. “Really; why?”
“My captain liked how you knocked my ego down a notch or two with the Claire Cain case, and I think your lieutenant thinks I’m a good match for your stubborn attitude.”
“You know; I think you’re right.” I could see my response took him off guard. He was probably expecting me to fire back with something that took offense to him calling my attitude stubborn.
“I am?”
“Yup. Your ego did need to get knocked down a notch or two.” With that I shut the door to the bathroom and turned the shower on to drown out any possible retort.
*******************************************************
PM
The Puppet Master positioned himself in the bed, sliding under the covers unnoticed. It was only a matter of time before Sheila Nichols woke from her alcohol induced coma-like state. His clothes were scattered on the floor next to hers. His pillows were fixed to seem like he had been there all night. Grabbing her arm, he dragged her unconscious body on top of his.
Now I wait, he thought. Ten minutes later he shook her body, hopping to illicit a response. Fuck, this might take longer than I thought.
Laying in the bed for nearly an hour, the Puppet Master thought about the many ways he would like to torture Ali Ryan before putting an end to her miserable life. How m
uch pain should he make her endure for what she had put him through. The longer he waited for Sheila to wake, the more his hatred consumed him which made him want to get his hands on Ali much quicker.
Finally, a low groggy moan escaped from the mass of blond hair resting on his chest. Sheila leaned to her left while rubbing her eyes. The Puppet Master glanced down at her and smiled.
“Morning,” he said while placing his lips gently on Sheila’s.
She pulled back instantly shaking her head. “Who are you and where am I?” She picked up the sheet and looked underneath. “Shit, not again.”
The Puppet Master watched Sheila pull the sheet closer to her body, clinging to it as if it would help her erase everything that happened the night before.
“My name is Terrance. We met last night at the bar.”
“Can you turn around?” she asked. “I’d like to find my clothes and get dressed.”
“Okay, but it’s nothing I didn’t see last night.”
He watched her bite her bottom lip. “I’d like to at least pretend like I have some shred of dignity left.”
The Puppet Master turned, allowing Sheila to get up and search the room. “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.”
“Only that I met some random guy at the bar, got drunk, and came back to his place to fuck him.” Sheila put on her underwear and found her bra dangling from the top of the dresser. “Do you know where the rest of my clothes are?”
“Try the living room.” The Puppet Master pulled on his boxers and stood up from the bed. He pulled a pair of sweatpants from the dresser and hung them over his shoulder. Rounding the corner to the hall, he could see Sheila hurrying to get dressed. “You don’t have to rush out of here.”
“I think it’s better for both of us if I left and we forgot about the last twenty-four hours.”
He moved closer, running a finger down her shoulder. “And what if I don’t want to forget what happened? What if I said I wanted to see you again?”
