Heartbeats of a Killer

by Michael Merson

  “Are you awake yet?” Jeramiah asked.

  Jennifer didn’t answer him. If he believed her to be dead or unconscious, then she may have an element of surprise when she needed it. Very carefully, she moved her left hand forward under the driver’s seat, she felt for anything that she could use as a weapon.

  “Jennifer, you and I are going to have some fun. I must admit though, you are a little older than my regular dates,” Jeramiah said and then laughed loudly.

  As her hand searched the floor under the seat, she felt something hard. She grasped the object that she believed to be metal and pulled it out. Using the little amount of light available, she recognized the base of an old jack that was approximately four to five inches wide and seven to eight inches in length. She placed her hand in the small rectangle hole in the center and grasped it tightly.

  Jeramiah pulled off the route and parked the SUV. He looked around cautiously before opening the driver’s door. After turning the engine off, Jeramiah got out and stretched. Once he was satisfied that no one else was around, he walked over and opened the backdoor on the right side of the SUV. He stared down at his passenger, who was still lying motionless.

  “Jennifer, it’s time to get up and answer some questions!”

  Jeramiah bent over and grabbed Jennifer’s feet and pulled her out the door, allowing her body to drop to the ground. The cover remained over her upper body, which prevented her from seeing her attacker.

  “Jennifer, I need you to talk to me, and then we’ll have some fun,” Jeramiah said as he bent down and removed the cover from his victim.

  The bright light from the sun blinded her for a moment, but she was still able to see her target. She swung the jack base hard and fast and struck Jeramiah in the head.

  Jeramiah staggered and moved backward while holding his head. Jennifer stood, and she too staggered a bit as she hurried toward her kidnapper. When she was in range, she swung her arm around and struck him a second time in the chin.

  Jeramiah fell to the ground, and Jennifer screamed with conviction and went after him once more. Jeramiah looked up and saw her coming at him. He reached for his gun, pulled it from its holster, and fired it. The shot echoed through the wilderness as it hit Jennifer in the left shoulder.

  As the bullet passed through her, Jennifer bent over in pain and screamed. Jeramiah scrambled to his feet. Shaking his head, he looked over to Jennifer, and for a third time, he felt the impact of the metal base to his head after Jennifer threw it from about two feet away.

  Jeramiah leaned to his right and shook his head once more. He then stood and turned around to face her again only to find her running madly into the thick dark forest.

  Jennifer was crying as she ran away, holding her wounded shoulder. She didn’t know where she was or what she was running toward. Her head began to throb once more, and she lost her balance as she tried to descend a steep hill that was littered with pine needles. Falling to the ground, Jennifer rolled on her side to the bottom.

  Jeramiah ran after her. He tried to stop the bleeding on his face at the same time. Jeramiah was angry, and now he wanted her dead. His heart raced as he followed her into the woods. Looking down at the bottom of the hill, he watched as she tried to stand. Slowly he raised the gun and aimed at her. He smiled as he began to pull the trigger.

  “Stop!”

  Turning around, Jeramiah saw two men running toward him carrying rifles. He refocused his aim at them and then pulled the trigger. The two unknown individuals sought cover behind different conifer trees. Once more, Jeramiah turned the gun toward his first target who was now on her hands and knees trying to crawl away.

  The cracking of the wind over Jeramiah’s head caused him to duck as he fired blindly at his target. He dropped to the ground, attempting to dodge another bullet that was fired by one of the two men. He looked to the bottom of the hill once more and saw Jennifer now lying on her stomach. Jeramiah believed he hit his target and so he stood back up right and fired at the gunmen who were now moving up the hill toward him.

  Running back to his SUV, Jeramiah continued to fire blindly behind him, hoping to slow down his pursuers. When he reached it, he quickly jumped inside and started to back up when suddenly a bullet shattered his rear window, sending glass chips all over his shoulders and back.

  Jeramiah ducked and pressed the accelerator but failed to see where he was going. He hit the tree behind him hard. When he looked behind him again, he saw one of the gunmen aiming his rifle in his direction once more. Jeramiah dropped down into the passenger seat just as another bullet whipped over his head, shattering his windshield.

  Quickly he sat up and fired his pistol once more at the determined rifleman who was seeking cover. Jeramiah put the vehicle in drive and sped off, leaving a trail of dust and his combatants behind him.

  Jeramiah drove for about ten minutes, but he could not concentrate on the road. The pain in his leg and shoulder had returned, and now his head was throbbing as blood trickled down into his eyes, preventing him from seeing the road clearly. When he drove back onto the pavement, the slight residue of dirt on the asphalt created a slippery transition and Jeramiah fought for control of the wheel as the rear tires spun out over the road. The loss of traction sent the SUV into the ditch. It came to a sudden stop up against a tree where Jeramiah tried unsuccessfully to get it out and back on the road.

  Good job! Jeramiah thought sarcastically to himself as he climbed out of the car.

  Quickly, he climbed his way up the embankment. When he reached the road, he started toward the small town of Woodland Park.

  ***

  “Look Jaxson. That’s where the officer was shot,” Axel said out loud and pointed to the passenger side of the car where police cruisers lined the highway near a private driveway.

  “Man! There are a lot of cars here,” Jaxson remarked as their vehicle continued to drive past the scene at a slow pace.

  “Jaxson, if this guy is a cop then he knows he’s got to get rid of the car. Every cop on duty right now is looking for it.”

  “What would you do if you were him?” Jaxson asked.

  “I wouldn’t take a chance by stealing another car with a victim still in my possession. I’d wait until after I got rid of her and then I’d start looking for a new ride.”

  “Okay. Then we still may have a chance if he takes her to the mountains, right?” Jaxson asked.

  “Yes. I think PPK is heading for Rampart Range by way of the town of Woodland Park.”

  “What makes you think he’s going to Rampart Range and not to one of his other body drop locations?”

  “Because he shot the cop here and that would mean he’s already passed any turnoff or side road that would take him to one of the other locations. He’s got to be going to Rampart Range,” Axel said as the two continued toward the National Forest.

  “Jaxson, how did you know his vehicle was an SUV and black?” Axel asked.

  “Because this guy is dark. I mean he feels a need to be intimidating, and the only way he knows to do that is to make people fear him. He views himself as a dark figure. The color black, psychologically speaking, represents evil, power, and death. He probably doesn't even know that he chooses black for those reasons. He probably just tells other people, when they ask, that he just likes the color black. The off-road vehicle is the type of vehicle that he needs to travel into the mountains with his victims.”

  “Interesting.”

  Chapter 31

  Jeramiah had been walking for about ten minutes when he heard the sirens coming up the road. He ran toward a ravine and concealed himself from the occupants inside the ambulance as they sped by. He waited motionless on his stomach before standing up and surveying the area for any police cars that were sure to be following. Once he stood, he saw another car off to the side of the road near a hiking trail.

  “There’s my new car,” Jeramiah said quietly as he started toward the car with his pistol drawn.

  “Tom, did you bring me up here t
o take advantage of me?” Laura asked and giggled as Tom began to unsnap her bra from behind.

  The two had parked near the road and walked a short distance up the trail where they could be alone during their lunch break.

  “No! I brought you here so you could take advantage of me,” Tom answered.

  “Do you think we should? I mean an ambulance did just go by?” Laura said as she allowed her bra to fall onto the blanket.

  “I think we should,” Tom replied.

  “Okay,” Laura responded and pulled his face toward hers.

  The two were deep into each other’s arms when suddenly they heard a car window break from near the bottom of the trail.

  Jeramiah used the butt of his pistol and shattered the driver’s side window of the small compact he had come across. He reached in and unlocked the door. He then opened it, sat down in the driver’s seat, and began looking for a key.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Jeramiah turned to his left and saw Tom standing next to him.

  “I need your keys!” Jeramiah yelled.

  “Kiss my ass!” Tom said as he moved closer to the would-be car thief.

  Jeramiah reached down and pulled his gun from his lap. He then aimed it at the man. Tom backed away with his hands in the air as Jeramiah got out of the car. The killer smiled and then pulled the trigger. There was no loud explosion from the barrel nor a slight recoil. The only sound that could be heard was a metallic click of the hammer slamming forward on an empty pistol. Tom stood there, expecting the worst, but when he heard the click, he was relieved.

  “Now what, asshole?” Tom asked as he ran toward Jeramiah. Tom wasn’t as large as his opponent, but he was never known to back down from a fight, no matter the odds.

  Jeramiah stepped forward, and with the pistol, he struck Tom in the temple. Tom fell to the ground but was still conscious. He was screaming in pain as Jeramiah reached down and rummaged through his pants pockets for the keys.

  “Where are the keys?” He asked as he pulled his knife out and placed it to the throat of the already injured man.

  “Please don’t!” Laura screamed from a short distance away.

  “I have the keys. It’s my car. I’ll give them to you, but you have to let him go first.”

  Jeramiah looked at the girl standing a short distance away. He thought about killing both of them, but he knew there was no time for that. He had to get away before the woods were filled with cops and forest rangers.

  “Throw them over here,” Jeramiah ordered.

  “Let him go first!” Laura insisted.

  Jeramiah was still hovering above Tom with his knife in one hand and Tom’s head in the other. He stood there thinking for a moment as the sound of sirens grew louder in the distance. Jeramiah released Tom and then stepped back. Tom quickly stood up, ran toward Laura, and stood next to her.

  “Now give me the keys before I come over there and kill the two of you,” Jeramiah ordered.

  Laura threw the keys over. Jeramiah bent over, picked them up, and then quickly got inside the car.

  ***

  The phone on Axel’s hip started to ring as they entered the town of Woodland Park. He reached down and answered it.

  “Hello.”

  “Detective Frost this is Dora with dispatch. I was told to call you and let you know that a girl is on her way to the hospital from Rampart Range.”

  “What’s her name, Dora?”

  “We don’t know yet. She’s been shot and beaten up pretty bad. A couple of men who were target shooting in the woods found her.”

  “Your boss wanted me to call you and let you know. He said he’d tried a couple of times to call you, but your phone wasn’t working or something.”

  “We were in the mountain pass, and my phone doesn't get service there,” Axel explained.

  “I’ll let him know.”

  Axel dialed the Woodland Park Police Department and was able to get the information he needed. After he got off the phone, he explained everything to his anxious passenger.

  Axel turned right off the highway and began to enter the area of Rampart Range.

  “Hard to believe that one place can have so much beauty,” Jaxson commented about the surrounding landscape.

  “You’ve never been to Colorado before?”

  “No. I don’t take a lot of time off,” Jaxson answered.

  “Maybe when this is all over, and we catch PPK, I’ll take you sightseeing,” Axel said to Jaxson who was staring out the window.

  “Depending on how the FBI feels about my actions, in this case, I may have plenty of time to go sightseeing,” Jaxson shared.

  The car made the transition from pavement to dirt, and the two men soon found themselves with the Woodland Park Police. They pulled off the road where Axel and Jaxson got out and walked over to the crowd of uniforms that were gathered near an ambulance.

  “I’m Detective Frost, and this is Agent Locke,” Axel said as he introduced the two of them to the crowd.

  “Hello. I’m Detective George with Woodland Park PD. I got word that you were on your way.”

  “I thought our victim was on her way to the hospital,” Axel remarked as he realized the ambulance was still on scene.

  “She is. They took her to the hospital in town, and a helicopter is taking her to Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. They figured it’d be quicker with her injuries and the traffic beginning to build up. This ambulance is for our other victims.”

  “Our other victims?” Jaxson asked.

  “Yes, it appears that your man got in a shootout with these two guys over here when he was trying to kill the girl. He grazed one of them and then stole this couples’ car,” George explained as he pointed to the couple that was sitting in the back of the ambulance, being treated by the paramedics.

  “He stole their car?” Axel asked.

  “Yeah. He hit the guy with a pistol.” George answered.

  “Did anyone provide a description of the suspect?” Axel asked.

  “The guys who exchanged gunfire with him said he looked big. They never got close enough to get a good look at him. Your victim from the city was unconscious when the paramedics arrived. The guy in the ambulance got a real good look at him though.”

  “Good. I want him to come to the station with me,” Axel said.

  “All right, Detective. I’ll see that it happens.”

  “By the way, George, we still need to locate his SUV.”

  “I got some guys on that now.”

  Axel entered the back of the ambulance and sat with the couple who were holding hands.

  “Hi, folks. I’m Detective Frost with the Colorado Springs Police Department, and I need to speak with you for a moment,” Axel said in a calm, reassuring voice.

  “That man was going to kill Tom,” Laura said quickly.

  “I know. I heard that Tom got a pretty good look at him.”

  “I did,” Tom said slowly. “I was going to kick his ass, but he pulled that gun out and hit me with it. Laura here threw him the keys when he pulled the knife out and put it to my throat. She saved my life!” Tom finished saying after collecting his thoughts.

  “I don’t doubt it. Why did he use the knife and not the gun that he pulled out?”

  “Damn thing was empty. The jerk pulled the trigger, but it just clicked. That’s when he hit me with it. It caught me off guard.”

  “Did you plan on fighting him?”

  “Hell, yes! That car is all we got. We're married and work at the same restaurant, and Laura is going to school at night while I work a second job. The guy was big, but we needed that car.”

  “How big, Tom?”

  “Maybe 6’5” or 6’7”.

  “I have a police sketch artist at the police station. Can you describe him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Detective Frost! We found his vehicle,” George yelled over.

  “Great! Guys I’ve got to go now, but I’d like you to come to the station after you
go to the hospital. Agent Locke here will go with you.”

  “I will?” Jaxson asked as Axel exited the ambulance.

  “I want you to stay with them at the hospital until they're finished. Then I want you to bring them to the station. While you’re at the hospital, find out about Jennifer Walters. I’m going down to the SUV with these guys. Then I’m going back to the station to talk to Beck. I hope he’s got something by now,” Axel said as he walked away from Jaxson.

  “How am I supposed to get to the hospital?” Jaxson yelled.

  “In the ambulance with them!” Axel yelled back.

  ***

  Jeramiah drove until he reached the local grocery store, where he pulled into the parking lot. He used a towel and a bottle of water that he found in the backseat to wash his face off. He exited the car and limped around the parking lot, searching for a new getaway car.

  After a few minutes, he watched as a woman parked her car, got out, and then walked into the store. Jeramiah followed her inside and then cautiously followed her down the same aisles. After a few minutes, she provided the opportunity for him to steal her purse from her grocery cart when she bent down to retrieve a case of soda from a bottom shelf. He quickly placed the purse under his shirt and exited the store.

  When he reached the car, he took the purse out from under his shirt and retrieved the keys. He pressed the key fob deactivating the car alarm and unlocking it. Once inside, he adjusted the seat, turned the ignition on, and left the parking lot.

  “How long do you think it will take before she notices her car missing Jeramiah?”

  “I don’t know father.”

  “I don’t think I need to tell you how bad you messed this up. If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, girls are nothing but trouble for you.”

  “I know! Why do you continue to speak to me as if I’m still a child?”

  “Because you act like one boy. Don’t you ever question me again! Do you understand me?”