The Dark Places

by R. S. Whitfield

  “My advice? Do not lie to her.” He picked up his beer and took a long pull.

  Madison looked back at Surin. “No,” she answered. Surin waited. “I knew you would be here. You have been coming here for years.” Her cheeks flushed crimson. “I thought here was a better place to approach you rather than the station,” she added. Surin was looking at her with her mouth hanging open. Parker was waiting for a storm of abuse to erupt, but it never happened.

  “Sit,” Surin said finally. Parker almost choked on his beer as Madison slid in the booth beside him. “Say what it is you have to say,” Surin added, putting her hands under the table, and sat back, not knowing what to expect.

  “First,” Madison started, “I have not shared this information with anyone, and I am not planning on printing it until I get the go-ahead from you both, but I will be printing it.” She took a deep breath.

  “And what is it exactly you think you have?” Surin asked, smiling sarcastically.

  “Oh, Detective, persistence is what I have.” She smiled, and a flash of accomplishment danced across her face. “Persistence and proof that we have a genuine serial killer running around Maryland.”

  ***

  Surin sat in complete silence, panic creeping up her spine. Parker was staring at her, the same thoughts running rampant through his mind. The press on cases like these often led to disaster.

  “Why aren’t either of you talking?” Madison asked, sitting back and crossing her arms over her chest. Surin thought carefully before speaking.

  “What do you have?” she asked.

  Madison pulled out a notepad from her jacket pocket, “Names, dates and method.” She held up a hand and nodded. “I know, I am missing a few details but give me time.” She smiled. It quickly disappeared once she saw Surin’s face.

  “Give me the names you have,” Surin asked calmly.

  “OK,” Madison replied, accepting the challenge. “Starts with Emma, right?” She watched carefully for any response. “That’s as far back as I could find, then Eva and most recently Isabelle.”

  Surin looked at Parker. She was missing a few, but she was right. The more she started digging, the more she would find. She gripped the table with her hands and sighed.

  “What do you want?” she asked, defeated. Parker immediately sat forward.

  “We don’t owe her anything, Elliott, let her print the story. She will be discredited the minute it’s run,” he added, his voice rising a few decibels.

  Madison jumped in. “You’re right, Rhodes, but we all know it won’t matter. Once I point it out to the city, it will spread like wildfire. No matter how much shit you say about me, the truth will always stay true.”

  “She’s right, Parker,” Surin interrupted the two of them, “we need this to stay quiet as long as we can.” She nodded at him, and he shrugged.

  “So, again, Madison, I ask you, what it is you want?” She smiled, shifting her focus back to her. “I have no illusions that you came to us out of the goodness of your heart.”

  Madison squared off her shoulders and replied boldly, “I want to be kept in the loop.” Surin laughed out loud. “I’m serious!” Madison added tersely. “I get the scoop and an interview from you personally once this case is wrapped.” She sat back, waiting, ignoring her racing heart.

  “Making a deal with the devil,” Surin mumbled. “OK,” she finally said.

  “What? Really?” Madison said quickly, glancing at Parker. “That’s all?”

  “No, that’s not all,” Surin said and placed her phone on the table quietly. “I have recorded our conversation, Madison. If you try, even for a second, to break our agreement, I will arrest you, and please understand that I will drag your name through the mud. Trust me when I tell you that you won’t ever work on any crime watch anywhere in this country again.” Parker was staring at her in amazement.

  “Do you understand, Madison?” Surin asked calmly.

  “I, yes, I understand,” she replied, her voice shaking.

  Surin nodded and returned her attention to her plate; she put a corn chip into her mouth, chewed loudly and looked completely at ease.

  “Well then, my question first,” she started, “how did you put the pieces together?”

  Madison was still sitting in shock. She had expected Surin to shoot her, or at the very least escort her to the station at gunpoint for bribing a law enforcement officer. What she didn’t expect was for her to agree to her ridiculous terms.

  “I, well, I knew you shouldn’t have been at the Breckham Towers murder.” She shuddered, remembering their unfriendly confrontation. “It got me thinking, why would they call you?” She sat forward. “Then, when Isabelle was found, I kind of fell into the information about Emma, I never expected to find it.” She tucked her long, shiny hair behind her ear.

  Surin asked, “And the others?”

  “OK, this you may not like,” Madison said, glancing at her nervously. “I had a source at the BPD who sent me all the cases you have pulled involving young women in the last five years and put it together from there.”

  Surin smiled. “Smart,” she said, without a hint of sarcasm. “And this source, do we need to be worried about a leak?”

  “No, absolutely not,” she replied, shaking her head. “It was a very reluctant source who didn’t know what it was I was working on.”

  “How did you get them to co-operate?” Parker interrupted. Madison looked down at her hands.

  Surin snorted. “Did you sleep with another married man, Madison?”

  Madison jumped up from the booth involuntarily. “No, I did not!” Tears welled in the back of her eyes, don’t you dare cry, she warned herself. “I will never live that down, will I?” she said, embarrassed. “I honestly didn’t know, but you’re right, at the time I didn’t care.” She sat back down, feeling stupid for getting upset. “It’s not who I am,” she added quietly.

  “Sorry,” Surin said, suddenly feeling like a bully. She hadn’t expected such an emotional reaction from Madison. “It wasn’t all your fault, really,” she added. Parker watched Surin as she spoke. “It was Grayson’s. He was engaged, and I guess in a small way, it was mine.” She slouched back in her chair. “Let’s just,” she shrugged her shoulders, “let’s just forget it and move on.”

  Madison sat staring at her, this woman she had wronged more than once, and all she could do was nod stupidly.

  Surin managed a sad smile. It had been a long time coming, forgiveness, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but at the same time, she felt so very tired.

  “You’re right,” she said quietly. “We are working on a serial case. The information is sensitive but leave me your number, and I give you my word, that when we have new information that we can share, you will know.”

  Madison nodded and jotted her cell number on a napkin, passing it over to Surin. Parker’s phone vibrated. He wiped his mouth and answered it quickly, turning his head away from Madison as he listened.

  “Surin,” he said abruptly. She looked up, not liking the tone in his voice. “We have to go now.”

  “What’s happened?” Madison asked. Parker looked from her to Surin who nodded her OK.

  “They’ve found another girl,” he said quietly.

  “What!” Surin yelled and stood quickly, grabbing her tote.

  “Surin, wait,” Parker said, reaching back swiftly for his jacket. “There’s something else you need to know.” Surin turned and looked at him, confused.

  “And what’s that?” she asked.

  “This one’s still alive.”

  ***

  Parker had always disliked hospitals. The blunt white walls and fluorescent lighting, the continual smell of disinfectant and, of course, the sick people. Surin was talking to the chief in the lobby, quietly trying to understand what was going on.

  “How is this possible?” she asked, hands on her hips. “Are you sure it’s him?” she added.

  “I’ll let you be the judge of that,�
�� the chief replied calmly.

  Surin started pacing back and forward in the small space. Parker watched as her mind tried to process the situation.

  “Elliott,” the chief said, “I‘ve posted a uniform outside her room, twenty-four seven.” He gently grabbed her elbow and turned her to face him. “Go see the doctor, see the girl and tell me what the hell is going on.” With that, he turned on his heels and walked out the automatic doors.

  Surin looked up, her face showing the tension she was feeling. “Parker,” she said, “he doesn’t make mistakes, not like this.”

  Parker nodded. “I agree.”

  They both stayed silent as a teenage couple walked past, eyeing their holstered weapons. “First things first,” he continued once they were alone. “Let’s find out if it is even our guy.” Surin seemed to agree, and they walked together over to the nurses’ station and waited for the doctor.

  After waiting, for what seemed like an eternity, a middle-aged man approached them, with an iPad tucked securely under his arm.

  “Detectives?” he said in that hushed tone all doctors seem to use.

  “Doctor,” Surin replied with a nod. “How is she?” she asked, genuinely concerned.

  “Medically, she is stable,” he answered. “Mentally, she is terrified,” he stated, placing his iPad on the desk and clasping his hands behind his back.

  “Can we see her?” Parker asked.

  “Doctor, we really need to see her,” Surin added, a touch of desperation in her voice.

  “I do understand the situation. I have spoken to your chief, so I get the urgency,” the doctor replied. “So yes, I am allowing you two, but only you two, to go in and see her.” Surin sighed in relief.

  “Thank you, we’ll go easy,” she said.

  “I’m only giving you a short time frame, she’s tired and scared and needs her rest,” the doctor added. “Once you’re done, there’s a social worker coming to see her. Her state of mind is fragile at the moment.” He looked at them, ensuring they understood.

  “OK, that sounds reasonable,” Surin replied. They both shook the doctor’s hand and made their way down the bleak hallway to her room. As promised, a uniform was sitting staunchly in a fold-up chair. Surin recognised him immediately.

  “Miller.” She smiled warmly. The young rookie stood up quickly, nearly catching his long legs under the chair.

  “Detective Elliott,” he replied with a shy smile.

  “The chief told me he posted an up-and-coming detective on the door,” she said seriously, paying no attention to the young man’s flaming red cheeks.

  “That’s very kind of you to say,” he replied. “Detective Rhodes,” he added, noticing Parker for the first time and nodding.

  “Hi, Miller,” Parker replied with a smile. “Thanks again for your help at the crime scene the other day,” he added. “I’m glad it’s you on the door.” The rookie smiled again and looked at his feet.

  “OK, we’re going in then,” Surin said, but before she could open the door, Miller gently stepped in front.

  “Ma’am, I’m so sorry, but I have been told only those with a pass signed by the doctor and the chief can enter.” His face was beetroot red, but at six-foot-four, his stance was defensive. Surin shook her head, smiling, and reached into her jacket, producing the document Miller required and handed it to him.

  “You are one to watch, Miller,” she said, “knew it from the moment I met you, and I promise I won’t forget it.”

  Miller nodded and stepped aside to let them pass. Surin opened the door quietly, and they slipped silently into the room.

  The young girl was beautiful. Long thick hair fanned out on the pillow framing an angelic face — the size of the metal hospital bed dwarfing her delicate frame. Her eyes were closed tightly. There was a large gash on the side of her head which, if Surin had to guess, was caused by being struck hard with the butt of a handgun. She had a few other scratches on her face, all superficial and probably due to being dumped face down on the bitumen. Surin glanced down at the girl’s hands. No defence wounds that she could see; ambushed, she thought. Surin sat down beside the bed on the chair provided, Parker leaned up against the far wall, and they waited. The constant beep of the heart monitor was the only sound. They both seemed to be holding their breaths, not wanting to wake her. The doctor’s warning flashed in Surin’s mind, and she knew they didn’t have much time. Clearing her throat, she leaned in and gently picked up the girl’s hand, clasping it softly.

  “Lana?” she said in a whisper. The girl stirred, blinking, her eyes opened slowly and focused on Surin. She immediately felt Lana’s entire body tense as the beeping of the machine increased.

  “Please, don’t be scared, it’s OK,” she continued and reached into her pocket with her other hand and held out her badge. “I’m Detective Surin Elliott and over there,” she said, gesturing behind her without breaking eye contact, “is my partner Detective Parker Rhodes.” She watched as the girl’s large doe-like eyes absorbed the information, and she seemed to calm down a fraction.

  “We’re here to ask you a few quick questions about what happened if that’s OK?” Surin added, waiting for the girl to give her permission to continue. After a beat, Lana nodded, let go of Surin’s hand and shuffled up the bed into a sitting position.

  “Yes, that’s OK,” she whispered, her voice sounded raspy and hoarse. Surin reached for the jug of water beside the bed and poured her a glass. Lana took it appreciatively and had a long sip from the straw. “Thank you,” she replied, handing the cup back to Surin. Her hands clasped together, and she subconsciously started picking at the skin on her fingers.

  “I didn’t see him,” she stated, tears instantly forming in her eyes.

  “Just start from the beginning, Lana, every little detail helps,” Surin encouraged.

  “I had just finished work and was walking to my car. I was totally oblivious to everything until I noticed the lights were out.” Surin shifted forward listening. “That frightened me, but I honestly thought I was being a complete head case!” She continued tucking her hair behind her ears. “He was in the back seat of my car.” She sniffed. “I didn’t even know he was there until it was too late.” She fingered her hospital bracelet, flicking it back and forth. “He pressed a gun to my head from behind and told me to drive, so I did.” She looked up. “I know I should have fought and screamed right then, but I was frozen, completely immobile.” She wiped her nose. “All I could think was that it had to be a mistake or a practical joke, it just didn’t feel real,” she added, staring at nothing.

  Surin leaned over slightly to get her attention. “You did the right thing, Lana, he had a gun to your head,” she said.

  Lana nodded, reassuring herself. “We were only just out of the parking lot when he started screaming at me.” Her voice picked up. “I didn’t know what was going on.” She started sobbing loudly. “I hadn’t said or done anything! He was so angry at me, calling me a liar and a fake, banging his gun against my head.” She pulled the blanket up over her chest, unconsciously protecting herself. “I have never been so scared in all my life.” She paused, catching her breath. “Then he screamed at me to pull over, I did, and I started begging, begging for my life,” she continued. Surin interrupted.

  “You still hadn’t seen his face?” she asked gently. “Not even a glimpse in the rear-view mirror?”

  Lana shook her head sadly. “The mirror was gone; he must have ripped it off when he got in the car.”

  Surin briefly looked at Parker, who was jotting all this down in his notepad. “Please, go on,” she said.

  “That’s it. The last thing I remember was him throwing something around in the back seat, and then he must have hit me because I woke up on the road beside my car.” Her hands were shaking slightly as she reached for the water again.

  “Lana, I promise we are almost done,” Surin said. “Can you tell me if you saw or felt anything strange in the last few days?”

  Lana looked at he
r, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  Surin thought carefully before answering; she didn’t want to scare the girl any more than she already was.

  “You didn’t notice anyone following you?”

  Lana’s eyes immediately registered alarm. “You don’t think this was random!” she said, her voice rising in panic.

  “No, I do, it’s OK, I just have to ask,” Surin replied quickly and grasped Lana’s hand again to calm her down. Parker’s shifted his weight off the wall, and Surin knew he was telling her they were done.

  “There is an officer sitting outside your door. You’re safe, so get some rest,” Surin said, standing. She placed her card on the table. Lana eyed it suspiciously.

  “If you think of anything else, or if you just want to talk, you can call me day or night,” she added.

  Lana nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest.

  “Thank you for talking to us. I know it wasn’t easy.” With that, Surin and Parker left the room, closing the door behind them. Miller was waiting patiently on the chair and stood as they came out.

  “We’re done, Miller,” Parker said. “No one goes in or out without proper authority, OK?”

  “Yes, sir,” Miller replied.

  They turned and walked down the hall and out the front doors. Surin stopped as soon as they were clear of the building and took a deep breath of crisp air.

  “It’s him,” she said, looking at Parker.

  “Yes, I think you’re right,” he added. “That could have been any one of the girls. She looked identical to them,” he said, tucking his hair behind his ear.

  “I don’t understand what went wrong,” Surin said frustrated and kicked an invisible rock on the road.

  “‘A liar and a fake,’” Parker repeated what Lana had told them. “‘A fake.’” He chewed the end of his pen. “Interesting choice of words,” he continued. Surin watched him as he flicked through his notebook, re-reading what else was said. “What could she possibly fake that would make him so enraged?” he asked. “Enough to let her go, to forgo his ritual and his release, maybe even risk getting caught?”