by Andrew Hess
It was hard for the Puppet Master to linger in the hall. If Rebecca saw him again, it would look suspicious. Bending down, he untied his shoes and took his time re-tying them. He looked up to find an empty spot where Rebecca had been standing.
Can’t get away from me that easily.
Knowing there were limited options to sneak off to, the Puppet Master walked towards the front of the building. Staring out the windows, he could see the blond hurrying through the parking lot. Her head twisting from left to right and over her shoulder.
He took a step out the door and casually walked to his car, keeping his eyes focused on Rebecca. Something had her spooked, something that had her running for her life. He knew she saw him in the courthouse, but figured there was no way she figured out who he truly was.
Waiting until she pulled out of her parking spot, the Puppet Master jumped inside his car and followed his obsession. At first he thought Rebecca’s destination was to her office, but they weren’t heading in the right direction. His second thought was Claire. He had called in a favor with a friend to leave another note for her to find. He was all set to make the turn towards the prison, but saw Rebecca’s car continue down the road.
“Where are you going?”
His answer came a half mile down the road. Rebecca pulled into a parking lot, one that was empty except for one other car. Slamming his fist against the steering wheel, the Puppet Master drove past the parking lot and turned the corner. Paranoia seeped into his mind, wondering who Rebecca was meeting and why.
He sped up to cut across the lanes to make the next left turn signal. Making a U-turn, he drove back in time to see a short haired woman exiting her car.
“Son of a bitch,” he shouted while speeding back to the courthouse. “You think you can cut a deal with A.D.A. without me finding out.” He raced back to the courthouse to make it in time for his session.
Pulling into the parking lot, the Puppet Master took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself before entering the building. His eyes glanced up into the rear-view mirror and smiled. Looks like I get to have my fun with her sooner than I expected.
It had been hours since the Puppet Master left the courthouse. The work day was over, and had faded into the recesses of his mind, becoming nothing more than a distant memory. With the night sky creeping in, the Puppet Master was ready to stalk his prey. His car sat across the street. His eyes were intently focused on the house, waiting for its owner to come home.
It wasn’t his first time at the house. He had driven past around the block several times throughout the week. There were only two times he exited his car to search around for a spare key, making his task of breaking in much easier.
Headlights lit up the street as Rebecca’s crawled down the block. The Puppet Master curled up on the backseat of his car as she passed, ensuring he was not seen. Timing her arrival, he counted the seconds until she pulled into the driveway. Peaking over the bottom of the rear, driver’s side window, he watched as Rebecca Reynolds cautiously scanned the block before entering her house.
Her nightly routine never wavered in the four nights he watched the house. She would come home, turn on all the lights in the house before pouring herself some wine. She would drink a glass with whatever takeout she picked up and set another on the table when she was done.
The second glass was devoted to watching T.V. It became her companion in the otherwise lonely house. Without either of her friends, the Puppet Master watched Rebecca become a homebody, reluctant to step foot outside of her home for anything other than work. Fear from Sheila’s death weighed heavily on her decisions, he could see it in her eyes. It was the one thing that made his task harder to complete.
With the third glass of wine, she left it out while slinking off to the bathroom for a hot shower. This was the moment he waited for. It was his chance to do a dry-run, and he wanted it to go off without a hitch.
He waited until Rebecca poured the third glass and left it on the table. He knew there was a three minute window before she jumped in the shower. Using the spare key he found earlier in the week, the Puppet Master quietly opened the front door. He walked around the house, admiring the furnishings and the flat screen hanging on the wall.
Finding the wine glass on the counter, he dripped three drops from a vial he collected from a man Claire Cain killed. Before the police tore apart the house, the Puppet Master managed to steal a vial of clear liquid Blake Ambrose used to sedate women before having his way with them. It seemed fitting to use it as his tester for the night.
Rebecca didn’t take long showers, but the Puppet Master needed to check for hiding places and creaking floor boards. There were none that would give him away. Unfortunately, there were few hiding places that his victim wouldn’t use or think to check. The bed, the closets, and the doors were out of the question. But time was running out, and he needed a place to hide.
Deciding the bedroom closet was the best option, he opened the door and snuck inside. He dressed in all black and hid in the corner, letting a long black gown shield him from being seen. He could hear the water turning off. It was time to see if his plan would work.
The bathroom door opened, as bare feet slapped against the laminate floor. They steered into the bedroom, but didn’t go near the closet. The Puppet Master heard the dresser drawers open and close seconds later. The feet exited the room and slapped against the floor to the living room.
There was no way for him to know if Rebecca was drinking the wine, or how long it would take for the drugs to kick in. He was stuck in the confines of a walk-in closet, praying the woman in the living room would pass out before she found him.
An hour passed before he heard any sign of the drug taking effect. He could hear the wine glass tipping over on the counter while attempting to pour another.
Time to play. The Puppet Master pushed open the closet door, keeping a mask over his face. He walked down the hall, finding Rebecca holding onto the counter as she held the wine bottle firmly in her right hand. He snuck up behind her and ripped the bottle from her hands. She spun into his arms, staring at the intruder.
There was nothing in her eyes, nothing that registered her understanding of the situation. The mask did nothing to place additional fear inside her mind. It was almost as if her brain was shutting down any thoughts at all.
His right hand crawled up under Rebecca’s shirt, palming her breast to see if she would fight him. But there was no response.
“We’re going to have a good time tonight,” he whispered in her ear as he scooped up Rebecca’s limp body.
Chapter 24-Ali
I spent several days cooped up inside the house Matthew was murdered in. Arrangements had been made to take my things back to my old house. I had a week to get everything together. Although stepping into Amanda’s room was the hardest part of packing. The blood from the shooting still stained the carpet. I tried to clean the floor several times, but nothing did the trick. It was almost as if it lingered in an attempt to tell me something.
I called in to the lieutenant to let him know where I was and what I was doing. He didn’t seem too pleased about my decision, but then again, when was he ever happy with something I did? I managed to get most of the house packed up by the second day, but decided to let Amanda pack up her own stuff.
When the doorbell rang, it took me by surprise, stealing my attention away from the file I held in my hand. Answering it, I saw Amanda on the doorstep with boxes in hand.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out?” It sounded more like an accusation instead of a question.
“Here and my old house. I decided it was time to start putting my life back together.”
“Don’t you think you should’ve started that with us?”
“What are you talking about?”
Amanda threw the flattened out boxes down on the floor near her old bedroom. “I mean you, me, and James. Don’t you think you should’ve told us what you were planning or where you’ve been?”
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br /> “It’s not like I planned this. When I left, I had a meeting with the D.A. and then needed some time alone. I found myself back at my old house and spent the night there. I’ve been back here with the Lieutenant and a few analysts to see if there was something the original team missed.”
“And?”
“I’m hoping to hear back from them soon. Last time we spoke, they were running simulations based on the original data and on my theories.”
She looked around the house and saw all the boxes piled up in the dining room area. “So what are you doing with all of your stuff?”
“Moving it back to the old house. There’s an extra room there if you want to move in again.”
“Have you talked to James at all about this?”
“We haven’t spoken since I walked out the other night.”
“Maybe you should. He’s been a mess at the house without you there. He hounds me to find out how you’re doing and where you are every day.”
“He doesn’t understand. There’s so much riding on these cases. Rodney’s life has been devastated since this whole mess started. He’s in danger of losing his badge and going to prison for a long time unless I can help prove he was framed. His wife already has one kid and has another on the way. She doesn’t need this stress hanging over her head.”
“Ali, I get it.”
“But James doesn’t,” I snapped.
“How do you know?”
“Because he wants me to step away from the case. He wants me to sit around like a good girl, while he and everyone else tries to figure this out.”
“Because you’re driving yourself nuts trying to do it all yourself.” Amanda walked up to me and grabbed me above my elbows tightly. “You’ve been so focused on this case; you haven’t taken the time to breathe. We haven’t spent any time together since you’ve been back on active duty, and you definitely haven’t sorted out whatever’s going on between you and James.”
“For the last time, there’s nothing going on between James and I. We are friends, colleagues, and partners, but that’s it.”
“Then why do I keep finding you sleeping in his arms?” I tried to recall the times she referred to, remembering one morning when she came home and found us in bed together. Then I remembered the other night when I fell asleep on the floor. My eyes lit up. “Yeah, I saw you guys cuddling on the floor together.”
“It was nothing. We fell asleep while looking over the case files. Nothing happened.”
“The living room is pretty big. You mean to tell me there was nowhere else to sleep except for on top of each other?”
She had me there. I saw James had fallen asleep and made the conscious decision to lay on his chest. “What do you want me to say? I had a moment of weakness and felt safe with him.”
“At least you finally admitted it. Now if you could only admit how you really feel about him, we can actually move on with our lives.”
“I don’t want him like that.”
Amanda patted my arms condescendingly. “You keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you’ll actually believe it.”
I followed her down the hall to her room. “What makes you think that’s not how I really feel?”
“Because I know you, Ali. I saw how you looked at Matthew and knew you loved him. You look at James the same way, only I can see you’re holding back. You need to stop hiding how you feel.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Is this about Matthew?”
“Yes…no…I don’t know.” The mere mention of his name and my love for Matthew was enough to crack the wall I had been building since returning to active duty. “I loved him. I mean I truly loved him. He was the first guy I ever saw a future with.”
“But he wasn’t the one, Ali. I know he loved you too, but he couldn’t deal with the police lifestyle.”
“I know, but a part of me always thought he would come around to my way of thinking, or that I would finally decide to choose him over the job.”
“Ali, we both know that wasn’t going to happen. You love being a cop. It’s all you talked about when we were growing up.”
“People change, Amanda. I could’ve changed.”
“Did you really want to?”
“For him; yes.”
“And you would’ve been miserable. You would hate whatever job you had because it didn’t entail you hunting down criminals, and it would cause more problems for you both down the line.” She paced the floor of her room while shaking her head. “With James, you don’t have to worry about that. He likes you the way you are; although I don’t know why.” I raised an eyebrow in protest. “What? Let’s be honest; you’re not the easiest person to get along with.”
“Dully noted,” I replied. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with someone you work with.”
“Well, good news; you don’t work with him. He works for the Dutchess County Police Department and you work for Ulster County. The only reason you two have been partnered up was because your crime scenes have taken place in both counties, and because you’re both the best.”
“Maybe you’re right, but I can’t deal with that now. There’s too much at stake with these cases.”
“Fuck the cases, Ali. You need to figure out how you feel and do something about it, before it’s too late.”
“If I come home tonight, will you get off my back?”
“I’ll make sure I stay at a friend’s house tonight.”
“Will you stop? Nothing’s gonna happen.”
“Sure it won’t. I’ll just make sure I stay out just in case.”
For the rest of the afternoon, Amanda and I packed up the rest of the house including her room. All the furniture was moved into the living room for the movers to take. They were scheduled to come in two days, but I was ready to get out of that house as soon as I could.
“What time you planning on coming over tonight?” Amanda asked. It was her way of asking what time should I get out of your way tonight.
Before I could answer her, my cell rang loudly from pile of boxes next to the kitchen. Seeing the name Fred displayed on the screen, I knew it had to be something important.
“Dr. Woo, what a surprise.”
“Hello, Ali. Your lieutenant said I should give you a call.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes, your lieutenant asked me to assist with some simulations and I was hoping we could discuss my findings in person.”
“Sure, just let me know when.”
“Be at my office in two hours.”
He hung up before I could respond, which was odd. I turned to Amanda biting my lip. “Let me guess,” she said cutting me off before I could get a word out. “Something came up and you gotta run?”
“I think the results of the simulations came in. I have to go, but I’ll stop by and talk to James when I’m done.”
“You better.”
I showered and got dressed before heading out to Kingston. I arrived at the large white building and called Dr. Fred Woo to let him know I was out front. He met me at the door and escorted me to his lab.
“So you mind telling me how you found out about the simulations,” I inquired. “I mean, Esposito brought in a bunch of specialists to look over the crime scene with me. Why aren’t they here?”
Fred pulled me into another room that I had never been in before. “Look Ali, your lieutenant asked me to look into everything. He knew you wanted someone you could trust on the team and I was the lucky winner.”
“So what did you find out?”
“Out of the simulations the team ran, none seemed to match the placement of the victim’s body.”
“None of them?”
“No, not even the initial theory. Neither our victim or our shooter was standing.”
“Was there a simulation run with the shooter firing while falling to the ground?”
“Yes, and it did not match up to any blood spatter patterns or placement of the victim’s body.
”
“Any way I can get you to come with me tomorrow and explain this to the D.A.? I think this might help get my partner off the hook.”
“Yes, I can set some time aside tomorrow afternoon.”
“Perfect, then let’s get dinner to celebrate.”
Chapter 25-Ali
The lights were off at James’ house. His car was nowhere to be found, and I refused to wait inside like some sort of ambush. Thankfully, I took some of the files from Claire’s case to keep me occupied. Reclining in the driver’s seat, I started flipping through the information until my eyes got too heavy to keep open.
I woke the next morning to the sound of knocking on my window. I sat up and turned the car on, seeing Amanda standing next to my car.
“Morning, sunshine,” she grunted before letting out a big yawn. “Why’d you sleep in your car last night?”
“I was waiting for James to get home so we could talk.” I looked around, noticing his car was still missing. “I guess he never came home last night.”
Amanda had a look of unsteadiness about her as she shuffled from side to side. “Um, he came home, but I don’t know when.”
Opening the door, I jumped out and searched for any sign of him. “Where’s his car?”
“He already took off.”
“Screw it; I might as well go in and get changed then. I have a meeting in a few hours.” I noticed Amanda wasn’t following me toward the house. “What’s the matter?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
It was never a good thing when Amanda felt compelled to confess something to me. “Should I be sitting down for this?”
“Maybe.” She looked down at the ground. “I stayed at my friend’s house like I said I would, but realized I needed my clothes for work. I came back to the house and found him in the bedroom with someone. I thought it was you, so I tried to be quiet and took my clothes out to the living room.”
“So James came home with another woman?’
