by Andrew Hess
Pacing the aisles with purpose, he searched for Rebecca, finding her hanging out by the deli section. He slowed down, controlling his breathing as he placed himself behind his target.
“What can I get for you, Miss?” the man behind the counter asked as he slid a ham under the Plexiglas.
“I need a pound of turkey, a pound of Swiss, and a pound roast beef.” The Puppet Master saw she had a list written on a piece of paper and had checked off a few items.
“You sure you want a pound of each?”
“Yeah a friend is staying with me for a while and I need to make sure there’s enough food in the house.”
A friend. Does that mean Claire is getting out soon? The idea of Claire’s release gave him renewed hope and a bit of fear. She was the only person alive that could reveal his real identity, a feat that not even the great Detective Ryan had been able to do. If she gave up his name, the police would be at his door before the night ended. He needed to make sure that didn’t happen. He needed to ensure her silence, which meant Rebecca Reynolds needed to die.
Following Rebecca around the supermarket, the Puppet Master noticed the little odds and ends dropped into the shopping cart were nothing more than food items to get them by for a week or two with nothing of real sustenance being added.
The Puppet Master decided it was best to leave the store before Rebecca caught sight of him. Relief hit him the moment he entered the car.
He opened the glove box and held out his hand. A small bottle rolled out from him to grab. He held it up to examine. “It’s been fun toying with you, but tonight’s the night for the real fun to begin.”
Parked in front of Rebecca’s house, the Puppet Master watched eagerly as his target completed her nightly ritual. He counted the glasses of wine she poured, waiting for the opportune time to break into the house. When he saw her pour the fourth glass, he readied himself to run across the street.
With the bathroom closed, the Puppet Master used his spare key to enter the house. Tiptoeing around the living room, he noticed the wine glass was missing from its usual spot.
Where the fuck is it? The panic was setting in. He paced the house looking for the wine, finding the bottle was in the recyclables, but the glass was still missing. She had to have taken it inside the bathroom with her. He listened, but there was no sound of water running. He started walking towards the closet, thinking the bathroom door would open at any moment. Instead, he heard the sound of someone dipping their body into water. She’s taking a bath.
Creeping to the door, he noticed the sliver of light peeking through. It was his way in, but he needed to choose his moment carefully. He sat idly by, watching Rebecca’s every movement.
The warm water must have felt relaxing, he thought while watching her melt deeper into the tub. Her face was a few inches above the water. It would be easy for him to dunk her under the water, but she would’ve fought him. Her screams would alert the neighbors. Water would spill from the tub, and a mountain of evidence would pile up against him in an instant.
Once he felt comfortable with the situation, the Puppet Master quietly opened the bathroom door. He cautiously stepped towards the tub, finding his victim submerged under a cloud of bubbles. He watched her, ensuring she did not open an eye as he twisted the cap off the small bottle he took from his car. Four little drops into her wine, and the trap was set.
After making his way out of the bathroom, he closed the door, leaving it open as much as she did. Then it was business as usual. He hid inside her bedroom closet, waiting for her to emerge from the shower, consuming the rest of her wine before turning in for the night.
He watched her drain the last drop from her glass as she sat in the bedroom. The drug was laced with a bit from Blake Ambrose’s supply to give her a momentary feel of bliss before the venom slithered its way through her blood stream.
Rebecca laid back on the bed feeling the warm sensation take her into the euphoric sleep she had become accustomed to all week. Then, as if someone turned on a switch, her eyes widened as if she knew something was wrong. Her hands were clutching her throat as the Puppet Master watched from the now open closet. Rebecca was scrambling to get to her phone, but he was much too fast for her. His hands were pinning hers to the bed while he sat on her stomach.
“Sorry, sweetness; we won’t be playing tonight or ever again for that matter.” He lowered his lips to her ear. “I enjoyed toying with you, and I will miss the way you feel beneath me. But now, you will serve a new purpose. Tonight, you deliver a message to our dear sweet Claire. I warned her not to talk. Now you will suffer for it.
Chapter 29-Ali
I woke to a familiar sensation. I was in bed, my bed, in my house for the first time in what seemed liked forever. The curtains, let little drops of sunlight enter the room as I pulled the covers up to my chin. The grin of satisfaction couldn’t be held back as an arm draped over my stomach. If it weren’t for the nagging cell phone buzzing on the nightstand, I would’ve been content with staying in bed all day.
The hand that rested on my stomach rose to my cheek, turning my head to see James staring back at me. “I think you need to answer that.”
“But I don’t…” His lips silenced me before I could protest. It was the perfect way to shut me up. Hell, I’d do anything for another one of those.
“Answer the phone.”
“Fine,” I pouted. I grabbed the cell and opened up my missed call log. Four calls from Rodney. Shit, I was supposed to meet with him and his attorney. Scrambling out of the bed, I redialed his number while searching my closet for clothes to wear. “Hey partner, sorry I missed your calls.”
“What the hell? I thought we had a meeting this morning?”
“We do. I just…forgot to set my alarm.” I glanced back at James hoping he would get the hint as I placed a finger to my lips. “I’m getting ready right now. I should be there in a half hour.”
I felt like an idiot for forgetting about the meeting. It slipped my mind the moment James came over. Spending time, just us and Amanda, felt great. It made me realize there was more to life than catching criminals, and I desperately wanted more. Maybe once this case was done, we could find a way to get it.
I grabbed the flash-drive as I left the house and jumped in my car. It didn’t take me long to get to the attorney’s office, but by the look in his face, he didn’t seem happy to be kept waiting.
“Detective Ryan, I assume?”
“Sorry, I just finished moving last night and didn’t remember to set my alarm.” I took a seat across from Rodney and his attorney, Mr. Edwards.
“My client assures me you have some evidence that could potentially exonerate him.” The statement felt cold, as if he didn’t believe what I had would help them.
“I’ve already presented the findings to the District Attorney. He is having people check into the validity before making the decision to drop the charges or to continue with the trial.”
“So tell me; what is the evidence you speak of?”
I slid the flash-drive over to them and explained its contents. “I believe the simulations should prove it was impossible for Rodney to shoot Matthew while standing and falling to the ground.”
Rodney’s lips curled into a smile, but his attorney didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the evidence as we did.
“Detective Ryan, while I do appreciate you coming forward with this bit of information, I too will have to look into this a bit further before using this in court.”
“I understand.” I didn’t care what either side had to do or what they had to check on. My only care was to make sure Rodney was cleared of all charges. I needed his help to find out who caused the chaos that the police departments have been dealing with for the last year.
Before our meeting could continue, my phone started buzzing. I looked down to see James’ name appear. Figuring it was his way of trying to meet him for coffee or lunch, I decided to let it go to voicemail. His call was followed up by a text message letting me know
our killer struck again.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I don’t mean to cut our meeting short, but I’m being called to a crime scene.” I stood up and saw the annoyed expression written all over Mr. Edwards’ face. I grabbed my cell the moment I walked out the door and replied to the text message asking for the address.
The door to the office finally closed, but the shadow looming over me said I wasn’t alone. “What’s wrong, Ali?” Rodney asked.
“James just messaged me. Our man struck again.”
“I think it’s time the four of us got together to take this son of a bitch down.” Hearing him insist on helping was what I was hoping for.
“Sounds good, but who’s the fourth?”
“Esposito.”
I almost choked on the thought. “I’m not exactly the Lieutenant’s favorite person, and we both know I hate taking orders from anyone.”
“We need to start working as a team and stop worrying about who’s in charge. The four of us have been working these cases for too long. Collectively, we can take down the asshole responsible.”
“I’ll call you tonight. We’ll discuss everything then.”
I hurried from the building as James texted me the address. It seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on who it belonged to. When I pulled up to the house, it was the all too familiar scene. Ambulances, police cars, and C.S.U. trucks filled the street. I parked as close as I could before walking the rest of the way. James stood outside waiting for me. The look on his face told me this was going to be bad. I just didn’t know what kind of shit-show I was walking into.
“How bad is it?” I asked.
“Let’s just say our killer has just fucked up everything we’ve been working towards.” I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t attempt to say another word until we entered the house.
I scanned the house, finding paintings on the wall and small picture frames sitting on mantles and tables. Picking one up along the way, I saw three women, the same three women in the picture we found at Sheila Nichols’ house.
“James, whose house is this?”
We turned the corner to the bedroom and found my answer. The woman lying in the bed was completely naked, surrounded by red rose pedals. Her hands were folded across her stomach holding the stem of a single black rose.
“Everything just got blown to hell,” James whispered.
Seeing Rebecca Reynolds lying there, stripped of all her fancy clothes, proved the person behind this was out for revenge. Which meant Claire was in more danger than we realized.
“James, stay with the C.S.U. team and find out everything you can from them. I need to let Ms. Reed know what happened and arrange a meeting with Claire.”
“Are you insane? Every time she meets with one of us, someone dies. There’s no telling who he’ll target if you go see her again.”
“Someone has to let her know her friend and her attorney is dead. She might be a killer, but she at least deserves to know the truth.”
“You know she’s gonna clam up the moment she hears about this. Any chance of using the info she has will be gone.”
“Don’t worry; we’ll get it out of her even if I have to drag it out.” I put on a pair of gloves and searched around the body.
“What are you looking for?”
“The note. This asshole likes to rub salt into our wounds every time he kills. I wanna know what he had to say.” Reaching under the pillows the victim rested on, I pulled out a piece of paper with typed lettering.
Another one gone. Another step closer to the end.
“Damn it,” I snapped while shoving the paper into James’ chest. “I gotta make this call. I’ll be right back.” Exiting the house, I punched in the number to the District Attorney’s office and asked to speak with Stacey Reed.
“Detective Ryan,” the sharp tone of Ms. Reed’s voice said over the phone. “This is a bit of a surprise. How can I help you?”
“He struck again.”
“Who did?”
“The man Claire refuses to give up.”
“Her attorney and I just negotiated the release of the information. We increased security around Dr. Cain at the prison. I’m supposed to be meeting with them tomorrow, once the transfer paperwork went through.”
“I think you’re going to be short one person. A tip came in about a possible homicide. When police looked into it, they found Rebecca Reynolds unresponsive in her bed.”
“Oh my, were they able to revive her?”
“No, and her room was set up just like her friend Sheila’s, complete with roses and note.”
“Shit, we need to contain this before word gets out.”
“I think we need to meet with Claire immediately.”
“Right, it’s best if we broke the news to her before she hears it from someone else.”
Entering the bedroom, I saw James talking to an analyst in the corner. Slipping past them, I pulled out my cell and took a picture of the Rebecca, ensuring to capture her along with the roses. I slipped the phone back into my pocket.
“I’ll call you in a bit,” I whispered to James.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m meeting A.D.A. Reed at the jail to meet with Claire. I think it’s about time we had a little heart-to-heart.”
“Ali, what are you planning?”
“To get the info we need from her.” He stared at me with concern. “Don’t worry; I’ll tell you everything later. Just bring whatever evidence you can to Esposito’s office later.”
I knew my plan would either bring us closer to getting Rodney off the hook and catch the real killer, or it was going to blow up in my face. Either way, I needed to take the shot.
Chapter 30-Ali
I arrived at the prison just a few minutes before Ms. Reed. I checked around to make sure no one followed me and no one lying in wait to catch us talking to Claire. When another car pulled into the lot, I stood up to see if I recognized the person. Lucky for me the first car happened to be the Assistant District Attorney.
“Detective Ryan,” she shouted as she walked up the path.
I wanted to tell her how much of an idiot she was for broadcasting the news of our arrival at the prison. I already knew if the killer was watching us, he knew we were there. I hurried towards her until I was walking in stride up the path to the doors.
“Let’s hurry up and get inside.” I kept close to Ms. Reed, escorting her into the building and to the room where Dr. Cain was being held.
She seemed shocked to see both of us enter the room. Her eyes grew wide with anger when she saw me. “What is she doing here?” The venom poured out with every word she spat at me. “Where’s my lawyer?”
Ms. Reed took a seat while I hung back by the door. “There’s been an incident,” she said softly.
The menacing glare I received was replaced with a look of concern. “Wh-what happened?”
“I don’t know all the details, but it appears that Ms. Reynolds was the latest victim in a string of homicides.”
“You mean Becky’s dead?”
“The police found her the same way they did Ms. Nichols.”
Tears rolled down Claire’s cheeks. “I knew it. I fucking knew it. I shouldn’t have opened my damn mouth about any of this.”
“We need to know what you know about this man. Will you help us bring him down?”
“You don’t get it. I talk, people die. I basically killed my two best friends because I thought about talking to you to make some stupid deal.”
This was it. We were about to lose her for good. There was no telling what else she had left on the outside for the killer to take from her. If she didn’t have anyone else, he would come for her. There was only one thing left to do.
Slamming my palms on the table jolted their attention back to me. “No Dr. Cain, you don’t seem to get it. We’ve been doing everything to protect you while you’re in jail. The most he’s done to you was find a way to slip you a couple of notes. But because you hav
e protected this man, he’s killed your two best friends. So if you want to blame yourself for their deaths, then it’s because you have done nothing to help put this son of a bitch behind bars.”
Ms. Reed pulled my arm to grab my attention, but shrugged it away. “That’s enough, Detective.”
“No, it’s not.” I grabbed my phone from my pocket and pulled up the picture of Rebecca’s dead body lying on the bed. Turning it around, I forced Claire to see what her indecision cost her. “Look at the picture,” I demanded.
“Detective Ryan,” Ms. Reed admonished. “I said that’s enough. Put the phone away and leave the room immediately.”
I chose to ignore her. “Look at the picture. You did this to her. You did this to both of your best friends because you chose to protect a killer over doing the right thing.”
Ms. Reed got up from the table and opened the door. “Guard,” she shouted. “I need a guard in here.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re locked in here. If this man is who you claim he is, he will kill every member of your family and all your friends until he finds a way to get to you or you kill yourself. Now is that what you want? Do you want him to hurt everyone you care about? Do you want to let him win?”
I could feel the pull of my arms as they were pinned behind my back. “Please escort Detective Ryan out of the room,” Ms. Reed said. “Put her in a holding cell or something until she cools off.”
“Wait,” Claire said behind her sobs. “The detective is right.”
I shrugged my arms free from the officer. “Then help us,” I pleaded. “Help us stop this man from hurting anymore people.”
“What do you want to know?”
“His name would be great.”
“I don’t know his name, well at least his real name.”
“What did you know him as?”
“I called him Russel the Puppet Master.”
“Did Russel have a last name?”
She shook her head. “I met him at a self-help meeting earlier in the year. He was one of the presenters. He stood and spoke to the crowd for ten minutes. After that night, I never heard him speak again, but he would show up every couple of weeks.”
