by M. J. Eason
“So what did you do?”
“I went back the police told them what I saw, told them where I thought the boy could be found and they all but accused me of being responsible.”
“Yeah,” Geneva said with an apologetic grin. “We don’t fully understand your type.”
“I certainly know that. Anyway, I directed the police to the boy. We were lucky enough to find him alive although he’d been horribly abused. But the killer left evidence. They caught him soon after and my career was sealed whether I wanted it to be or not.”
“I can understand your reluctance to get involved.” Geneva said. “I mean, I see some of the things people do to each other after the fact and it’s a terrible thing to witness. I can’t even imagine having access to that type of evil.”
“Before I knew it, I was getting called in to consult on various cases around the state. From there, I became well-known. Then I saw the first image from the Death Angel. I told the Austin police, they contacted the FBI and the Bureau called me in after they weren’t able to develop any solid leads. I guess they were desperate enough to try anything at that point.”
Geneva rolled her eyes. “That must have set well with the feds.”
“Not exactly. I was met with ridicule, doubt, and every attempt possible to sabotage my efforts to help.” Kara smiled wryly remembering how young and defenseless she’d felt at the time.
And then she’d met Davis.
“But eventually I was accepted. Mostly because they were desperate.”
Officer Judy Montana returned a short time later with a change of clothes from the local store. “We’re on a budget,” she apologized.
Kara smiled at the simple jeans, T-shirt and plain white bra and panties. “No problem. These are great. Thanks.”
“If you need anything else just let us know. I realize this is almost like being in jail but at least you’re safe here,” Judy said with a warm smile.
“Thanks, I think I’m just going to lie down for a while.”
Kara left the two women watching TV and went to her room. She could feel the walls closing in around her. Time seemed to have come to a standstill and yet it sped toward the inevitable moment of reckoning awaiting her.
In less than a day, they would come for her. As much as Kara trusted the two officers guarding her, she didn’t believe anything or anyone could stop this moment from happening.
Chapter Eleven
The windows of the car were all down. The night breeze helped to take the edge off Davis’s anger. But nothing could wipe away the urgency he felt. Time was running out for him. For Kara. If he didn’t figure something out soon, he would not be in a position to save her. Hell, he might even be in jail.
He should go home. By now the press would have moved on to the latest victim’s family. Ryan had told him to wait by the phone for news but Davis couldn’t stand the thought of doing nothing.
And so he drove around the city, finding himself in old familiar places. Places the Angel killers haunted. He could almost feel them now. He’d become so in tune to their pattern of killing.
The city, poised on the brink of the next killing, appeared quiet tonight. But already the fear had spread. He could see it in the eyes of those who ventured out. He still remembered the paranoia of the past.
Dear God, not again.
His thoughts went back over the information he and Kara had uncovered about Frankie.
Davis pulled off the deserted farm road close to the place where they’d found Jessica and closed his eyes. He could feel Kara. She was worried about him.
In his gut, Davis believed the key Victoria found would prove to be the missing piece of evidence to reveal the killer’s whereabouts. Solving the case would come down to one thing. What had Frankie felt so important that he’d hidden it away all these years?
The car’s clock revealed a new day. Kara went missing the first time on this date. History had begun repeating itself.
The father…
The image of Barry Shepard appeared before him. Instinctively he knew Kara was trying to tell him something. He needed to talk to Frankie’s father. But the man had been silent for years. All throughout the first case, he refused to cooperate. What chance did Davis have of changing his mind now?
Simple. He had. He’d exhausted all other possible leads. And he was desperate enough to try anything.
Barry Shepard lived in an affluent section of Richmond. He’d moved here with his new wife shortly after divorcing Frankie’s mother.
Davis stopped the car in front of the house. At this hour, the place appeared dark. Of course, they would be sleeping. He couldn’t go banging on their door at four in the morning demanding answers. He’d have to wait at least another hour.
Davis ticked off the facts he knew about the man. Barry and his current wife had three teenage girls of their own.
He glanced up at the house. Apparently, someone wasn’t sleeping. He hadn’t noticed the tiny light made by something resembling a flashlight until now. Someone was awake. He was betting on it being one of the girls.
Davis picked up a small pebble and tossed it up to the window. Nothing. After several more attempts, a young girl opened the window and peered down at him.
“Who are you?” she called out trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible.
“Agent Martin from the FBI. I need to speak to your parents.”
“They’re sleeping!” she whispered glancing at the window closest to hers. Probably her parents’ bedroom.
“I realize that but this is important.”
“Is this about my brother?”
It took him a few seconds to realize she meant Frankie.
“Yes, Frankie Stephens.”
“They won’t help you.”
“Will you?” He saw her hesitate.
She glanced back over her shoulder and whispered, “Hold on.”
A few minutes later, the girl appeared around the corner of the house.
“My parents will kill me if they know I’m talking to the police about this.”
“They don’t have to know. Is there something you can tell me about your brother?”
“No. Why would I know anything about him? He wasn’t part of our family. Dad said he was sick. He won’t let us talk about him. Ever.”
“Is that what you think? That Frankie was sick?” Davis could see it wasn’t.
“No,” she admitted reluctantly.
“You met him before his death, didn’t you?” He saw the truth before she could hide it.
“No!” Clearly, she was lying. Davis tried to think of something he could say to win her trust.
“What’s your name?”
“Sally. Sally Shepard.”
“Sally, I don’t believe your brother did those things of his own accord.”
“You don’t?” He had her full attention. She glanced back at the house once more. “Why don’t you think he did those things?”
“Because I don’t think Frankie was a monster. And I don’t think you do either.”
“I met him once,” she said slowly. “Mom and Dad don’t know. You can’t tell them!”
“I won’t,” he assured her. “When did you meet him?”
“Back then. Before the bad stuff started happening.”
She meant before the first murder. “I see. How did you find out about him?”
“I found some letters he wrote in my father’s desk drawer. Frankie left a number. I called it.”
“Your father didn’t destroy the letters?”
“I know what you’re thinking. But my dad really wanted to see him and then everything started to happen and he freaked out I guess.”
“I can understand that. Did you read the letters?” he asked and watched her glance once more back over her shoulder.
“My parents are going to kill me if they catch me talking to you. I’m in enough trouble already. I’m grounded,” she admitted reluctantly.
Davis managed to keep from smiling at h
er innocent confession. She was a headstrong girl. He thought about Ava.
“That’s tough. I got grounded by my father more times than I can remember growing up.”
“What’d you do?”
“You name it and I did it. But mostly I was the son of a cop. That was hard to live up to.”
“Your dad’s a cop, too?”
“Yeah. I followed in his footsteps.”
“That’s neat.” She stubbed her sneaker on the gravel drive and then said, “Frankie didn’t do any of those things.”
“Okay. Why do you think he’s innocent?”
“I read every single one of those letters he wrote. I took them from my father’s desk. He never missed them though. I think maybe he’d forgotten they were there. They were sweet. Frankie was sweet.”
“So you called him and asked him to meet you?” Davis tried to be as patient as possible but it was hard. Sally might know something critical to the case.
“Yes. He met me at the Sonic after school one day. That’s where the kids hang out.”
“I see. And what did you talk about.”
“Lots of stuff. He asked me about my sisters. He wanted pictures of them. I gave him one of the three of us. It made him sad though. I think he missed my dad.”
“I’m sure he did. What else did he say, Sally?”
“Not much. He promised to come see me. I told him I would try to talk to Dad about him. I’ve always wanted to have a big brother, you see. But I never saw him again.”
“Do you still have the letters, Sally?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think I could take a look at them?”
“Are you going to keep them?” she asked, her forehead screwing up into a worried frown.
“No, no, I promise I’ll give them back. I just want to take a look.”
“Okay but you have to promise. They’re all I have left of my brother.”
“I promise.”
Davis waited for her to return with a bundle of letters held neatly together by a rubber band. She handed them over reluctantly.
“Sally, do you know anything about a lock box your brother might have owned.”
“No. I told you, I only met him once.” Davis knew she was lying.
“I see. Well maybe you could think about it and let me know if you remember anything else. Maybe something he said to you about a lock box. It’s very important. It might be the thing that clears your brother’s name.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
Davis reached inside his wallet and handed her a card that had his cell number written on it. “It’s very important, Sally. Please call me if you remember anything at all.”
****
He was with her, entering her thoughts in an all too familiar way. But this time he’d prepared for her.
“It’s time, Kara. Are you ready for me? I’ll be coming soon.”
She forced aside her first frightened reaction. She didn’t want him to read her fear.
“Not this time. Never again.”
Her attempt at bravery met with laughter.
“Oh, yes! We have unfinished business, you and I. There are things to be settled between us. And I’m going to enjoy taking you almost as much as knowing no one will ever stop me this time.”
“Ms. Bryant?” Kara could hear one of the officers calling out to her but she felt detached from the things happening around her, aware of only him. “Are you okay in there?”
She tried to answer but he held her mind captive.
“Ms. Bryant!” In another minute, Kara knew Officer Soloman and her partner would enter her room. She had to make one last attempt at discovering his identity.
“Why do you hide yourself from me? Why not show your face? You know me. Let me know you.”
“Nice try, Kara. Just enough desperation to make me want you all the more. But you’ll know who I am soon enough. I can’t wait!”
No! But the dream had faded with the sound of the door being forced open.
Kara sat up in bed as the two officers entered the room.
“Are you okay?” Officer Soloman asked while her partner searched the room in vain.
“I’m fine,” she managed to get out as the two women holstered their weapons at last.
“Bad dream?” Soloman asked.
If only you knew.
“Yes. I didn’t realize I was dreaming. Certainly not that I was talking in my sleep.” She stopped for a moment to gather her breath. “I’m fine now.”
“You want some company?” Officer Montana asked.
Kara glanced at the clock next to the bed and nodded. “How often do you have those dreams?” Geneva asked. With the present danger eliminated, the officer’s curiosity returned.
“A lot. They’re happening more frequently as it gets closer.”
“Closer to what?” Judy asked, confused. It seemed strange to Kara that although she’d only known the two officers for a few hours she trusted them completely. But then, she had to. Her life was in their hands.
She could almost picture Ed’s displeasure when he discovered she’d talked to subordinates about what would soon become the biggest case under his command.
“The anniversary of Frankie Stephens’s supposed death.”
“You’re talking about the Death Angel case, aren’t you?” Judy clearly didn’t realize Kara’s connection.
“Yes.” Kara glanced at Geneva, surprised to find the officer hadn’t discussed the details with her partner.
“Wow. So you’re working on the copycat case with the feds?”
Kara considered how much to disclose to them. In the end, she decided she no longer had any allegiance to the Bureau. They’d cost both her and Davis dearly.
“That was the original thought but now we’re starting to believe that Frankie might still be out there alive somewhere. And that he isn’t acting alone.”
“You’re serious? The Angel is still out there? Which means the feds screwed up the first case. That must chap their butts,” Judy said with a wink to her partner. “You still want to be part of that circus act?” Geneva ignored her partner’s reference to her aspirations.
“You were taken hostage by Frankie weren’t you? You were part of that first case.” Judy continued with her line of questioning. “I thought you looked familiar. So why do you believe he wasn’t killed then?”
“We’ve discovered some facts about Frankie that we didn’t know existed before. And some new information has come to light about a possible accomplice.”
“So he’s coming for you, isn’t he, Kara. That’s why you’re in protective custody,” Geneva said at last.
“Yes, he’s coming for me.” She met both women’s curious gazes and waited. She couldn’t blame them if they wanted to walk away.
“Well, Death Angel or not and I don’t care how many of them there are, they’re not taking you without a fight,” Judy said with confidence.
Kara couldn’t help but smile. Dear God she hoped Judy was right.
****
The sound of a phone ringing woke Davis from the dead sleep he’d fallen into after making it through only half of Frankie’s letters.
“Hello?” He glanced at the clock only to see it was almost noon. He’d been sleeping for hours.
“Shit!” Kara!
“Agent Martin?”
It took him time to realize the small voice on the other end of the line belonged to Sally Shepard. The realization had him sitting up in the chair he’d fallen asleep in.
“Sally, are you okay?” he asked while secretly praying she had some answers for him.
“Yes, I’m fine. Agent Martin?” she repeated in a wobbly voice that told him she was crying and had been for quite some time. “Agent Martin, I lied,” she whispered into the receiver.
“I know. But you’re about to fix that now, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“I can’t right now. I’m at school. I called you on my lu
nch break because I couldn’t call from the house. My parents are suspicious. Dad dropped me off at school and told me to go straight home. And that I couldn’t leave campus at lunch.”
“They’re just worried about you, Sally. Let me come to you.”
“No! I can’t talk now. I have to go. Can you meet me at my house after school?”
It was hard to control his disappointment. Time was critical now but he couldn’t risk frightening the girl. Not with her so close to trusting him with what could be the one piece of evidence that would crack this case wide open.
Don’t let it come too late, he prayed.
“Okay. But what about your parents?”
“I ride the bus home. They both work. They won’t be home for a while. My sisters either. They’re busy in after-school activities.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you there at…” Davis realized he didn’t have a clue what time school turned out anymore. “What time, Sally?”
“Four. Meet me there at four. Don’t be late.”
“I won’t, I promise. Don’t worry.”
Sally hung up the phone without answering and Davis sat listening to silence surrounding him. The letters were scattered across his coffee table, filled with pleas from a young man who desperately wanted to matter to his father. How Barry Shepard could reject his son, Davis couldn’t begin to understand.
He’d give just about anything to be able to call Kara. Instead, he checked in with Ryan.
“I was wondering when I’d hear from you. She’s fine. Don’t worry. We have her well protected. No one is going to get anywhere near her.”
“Thanks, Ryan. I don’t really know what I would do without you there for me.”
“No problem, buddy. I know you’d do the same for me. So what have you found out?” Ryan asked, changing the subject. “I know you haven’t just been sitting around doing nothing.”
“I think I may have something that will break this case, Ryan. But I won’t know for a while.”
“Davis, let me just stop you right there. Whatever you’re thinking about doing, don’t. Give me the information and I’ll take care of it. Don’t risk your life.”
