by C. J. Carson
Hayln spoke up. “Apparently, after Mak’s outburst, she was kept sedated. We aren’t sure why. My best guess is that she was given some kind of sedative that made her groggy and also served as an amnesiac. She doesn’t remember anything after that until a few days after she was found on the side of the road.”
Jake got up from his chair and went over to look at the sketch on the whiteboard. “I know it might be a long shot, but remember when that guy showed up at the Summit, asking questions about Claudia and Dakota? The gentleman at the desk and Dakota got a good look at him. We also have the footage from the Summit security cameras. Let’s pull that and see if Kaiah recognizes that suspect.”
Payne stood and stretched. “Why don’t we take a ten-minute break? I’ll load that footage on the computer, and we can view it when we all get back.”
Everyone agreed, and for the first time during this whole debacle, I felt like maybe we might get a break.
Ten minutes later, I was anxiously waiting for everyone to return to the war room. Once we were all sitting in our seats, Payne opened the file and projected it up on a screen on the wall.
Kaiah immediately rose to her feet. “That’s him! I mean, not Mak, but his driver! That’s his driver! I can’t believe it, you found him!”
Jake stood. “Finally, we got a break in this case!”
I beamed at Hayln and Kaiah. “I can’t…I mean, we can’t thank you enough!”
Payne brought the room’s attention around again. “Okay, everyone, we all agree that we definitely got a break, so let’s dig in and start looking through the files that Hayln brought and see if they link to any of the cases we have been working on.”
Pulling the files from the box, we could match every one of them up to the other cities. The only case that Hayln didn’t have anything on was New York. We no sooner got them all placed on the wall and the front desk called to say our dinner had arrived.
Jake made a trip down to pick it up and brought it back. “Okay everyone, let’s take a dinner break.”
As we sat there eating, Jake got up and walked over to the wall, and moved from one location to the next, pausing at one whiteboard. “There it is!”
I stood and moved over to see what had his attention. “There is what?”
“The link we didn’t see before. Each case links to the next.”
I kept looking around the room at each board. “I see nothing that stands out. I still don’t get it.”
“It’s actually very simple. Every woman he went after, including Kaiah, looks like you. I mean, Kaiah looks remarkably like you, but just the same they all resemble you. With every new city, he became more and more volatile, escalating his aggression with each new victim. It probably frustrated him as time went on, because, after Kaiah, not one of his potential candidates even came close to being a match to you, Allie.
“If you look at each one individually, they are all either in the medical field or the healing arts. He was looking for a healer, and he somehow knew what you might look like. I didn’t put it together before because we only had identifiable pictures for two of his victims, but Hayln filled in with photos of those women that we couldn’t clearly make out their features.”
I moved around the room, looking at each woman’s information. “You’re right, it was there all the time. The missing pieces to our jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes, when you find a few missing pieces in the right part of the puzzle, the whole picture becomes clear.”
Jake went on. “I think we should pay a visit to Tanis tonight, and show her the drawing from the sketch artist, who might just be the key to linking this whole thing together.”
“I agree. Look, I would say this has been a productive day. I think Carl and I can pay a visit to Tanis and see if she can identify the suspect by the sketch artist. You and Allie should call it a night. I would like to call everyone back in tomorrow morning.”
“Everyone?”
“Yes, Allie, everyone on deck. If Carl and I make any progress tonight, I will call you right away.”
Carl stood to stretch his legs. “Payne, I have to agree, and I think the two of us can handle the house call tonight. Tomorrow, we can review all of what we have learned, and plan to locate and move in on this perp. Let’s finish our dinners and head out of here.”
I knew the events of those last days before we put it all together had put me in a fight-or-flight mode, but I didn’t realize how much this whole thing had raised my stress level. Once we knew for sure we were on to something, my body let down. A sense of relief washed over me that was so intense, I felt the tension melt out of my entire body, leaving me feeling almost weak.
“Hey, Jake, how would you like to give me a ride home and join us to unwind this evening?”
“That sounds great. Why don’t we call Josh and ask him to join us?”
I smiled. “I’m way ahead of you. I’ve already arranged for him to come over. He is probably already at the apartment with Claudia, waiting for us.”
Chapter 36
ARRIVING AT THE APARTMENT FORTY-FIVE MINUTES later, I couldn’t wait to see Josh. The minute we came through the door, Claudia called out, “We’re in the kitchen.”
I smelled coffee brewing and when we came around the corner, we found a beautiful plate of fresh fruits and another of fresh pastry.
As I entered the kitchen, Josh embraced me and I melted into his arms. “I needed that hug. Can we just stay like this forever?”
“We could try, but our legs might get a little tired.”
“Claudia, I could smell the coffee the moment we walked in the door. It’s a good thing, because we have a lot to tell you both, and I think caffeine, fruit, and pastry is just what the doctor ordered.”
We sat down and I began to fill Claudia and Josh in on the progress we had made that day on the case. To say it surprised them would be an understatement.
When I told them about Kaiah and Hayln, Josh got up from the counter and paced the floor. “Allie, are you saying that Kaiah identified your attacker?”
“No, what I said is that she identified the man on the security tape here at the Summit as her abductor’s limo driver.”
Claudia got up for more coffee. “Well, that’s great, and I suppose him being here in the lobby of the Summit does connect him and his boss to your attacker, but what about her abductor? More importantly, can she identify him? There is no surveillance footage of him, right?”
I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “No, but we may have something almost as good as that. After Kaiah was found, she worked with a sketch artist who was able to draw a remarkable picture of him.”
Josh stroked the hair from my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. “I am really glad about this breakthrough, but, Allie, I won’t be able to rest until they get this guy.”
We agreed to lighten the mood for the rest of the evening and discuss anything else at all, except the case. About ten o’clock, Josh and Jake headed out to let us get some sleep.
I paused at my bedroom door. “Claudia, I am so sorry you have gotten dragged into all this, but I don’t know what I would have done without you, Josh, and Jake.”
“Look, girl, you have brought a ton of adventure into my life!”
“Is that what you would call it? I would call it scary trouble!”
“That, too, but I will always have your back, you know that!”
Laying in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about the progress we made. It was like the events of the day were on constant rewind. It was relief and excitement that this might be coming to an end. Somehow, I finally fell asleep.
Later, every nerve in my body alerted me that something wasn’t quite right. I heard my stalker’s voice in my head. “So, is tonight going to be the night?”
With closed eyes, I sat up in bed. “Okay, you monster, bring it on!”
My cell phone buzzed. Picking it up, there was a text. “My, my are you getting to be a brave little girl! Much braver and smarter than when your grandfather left you strande
d in this lifetime.”
The phone rang and I answered. “I’m not stranded, you incompetent asshole! You are such a coward, never showing yourself or confronting me. Well, all that is going to change!”
“Oh? I accept your challenge. How about in an hour at the old Stanford Theatre in City Hall?”
“You’re on!”
I placed my feet on the floor and looked at the alarm clock. It was one-thirty in the morning. I got up and thought, What should I wear? Grandfather’s words came back to me. Always dress for the hunt to blend into the environment. It’s most important to wear clothes that are comfortable and easy to move in and especially something that will not make noise when you move.
I grabbed a pair of dark brown and black spandex workout pants and a dark tank top and a zip-up sweatshirt.
Making my way into Claudia’s room, I could hear grandfather’s words. Slowly on the hunt; be quiet as a mouse, slow as a sloth, and as alert as an eagle.
I reached Claudia’s bed and tapped her on the shoulder. “Claudia, wake up.”
Startled, she jolted up. “What? What’s wrong?”
“I need your help. I am going to meet with my stalker.”
“What? Are you kidding me? Did you call Payne?”
“No!”
“How about Jake, Dakota, or Josh?”
“No, no, and no! This is my fight, and I think I am ready to meet him head-on.”
“Yeah, but Payne and the detectives are so close. Don’t you think you should at least call Jake?”
“Please, Claudia, I need your help. Are you in or out?”
“Of course, I’m in, but what can I possibly do?”
“I need you to go with me, but stay back out of sight when we get there. If, and only if we run into trouble, you can sound the alarm with Payne and Jake.”
“Go where? I don’t get it. Did you find out where he is staying?”
“No, he texted and then called me. He wants to meet in the old theatre in City Hall.”
“He called you? Wait, let me get this straight. He called you and asked you to meet him?”
“Well, I challenged him and he accepted. He chose the place, but what he doesn’t know is that I know that theatre like the back of my hand. I know every nook and cranny, every stage drop, and every stage entrance.”
“I don’t know, Allie. This seems more than a little crazy, it sounds downright insane!”
“You’re right, but every inch of my being is telling me to meet him. I think I can get the drop on him there. Get up, put on something dark and comfortable, and meet me in the living room.”
Going back to my room, I grabbed a flashlight and a can of mace I had purchased the week before. By the time I got to the living room, Claudia was there waiting.
“Are you sure you want to do this? If you’re in, you have to be all in, no hesitation.”
“I’m in, let’s do this. How are we going to get past Charles at the front desk?”
“We’re going to take the freight elevator down to the garage.”
We made our way to the car and headed over to City Hall.
“Look, Claudia, we need to park a couple of blocks away. We can’t take the chance that he’ll see us coming. There is an alley a block down from the building that will take us to a fire escape that leads to the theatre. We can get in that way and maybe avoid him seeing us.”
“Al, have you done this before? You seem good at it.”
“No, just listening to my instincts. I’m learning to trust them more and more.”
Working our way down the alley, we got to the fire escape. It was not extended to the ground.
I looked up. “Oh, that’s just great. It’s a couple of feet out of my reach.”
Claudia smiled. “Okay, do you have a Plan B?”
“Wait, let me think for a second.” I started taking off my pants.
“For God’s sake, what are you doing, Allie?”
“Take off your jogging pants.”
“What?”
“Just do it and give them to me.”
Tying the ankle of her pants to mine, I got about ten or twelve feet of length.
“Hmm, not enough, give me your sweatshirt.”
With a little protest, Claudia removed her top and handed it to me. Tying both of our sweatshirts to the pants got me about six more feet. I tied the flashlight to the end of our makeshift rope and flung it up over the last crosspiece of the fire escape. The weight of the flashlight brought the end of it down where I could reach it. Pulling both sides of the clothes hooked over the rung, I pulled the fire escape to the ground.
“There. You see? Just a little homegrown ingenuity is all you need.” I stepped over and grabbed our clothes to untie them. “Here, put something on, you’ll catch your death.”
We stepped up on the fire escape and followed it to the second-floor window. Trying to open it was futile. Although it was unlocked, dried paint sealed it shut from the outside. Climbing up another story to the third floor, we were in luck. The window was locked but had been broken and boarded up. I used the flashlight to tap around the edges to see if it would budge. It did, I was able to remove the wood and we were in.
“Claudia, this is as far as you go.”
“Oh no, you’re not leaving me here by myself.”
“Yes, I am. I need you to stay here, and stay safe in case we need to call in the cavalry.”
“You mean Payne, right?”
“Yes, of course, who else would I mean! Give me your cell.”
Taking her phone, I dialed my number. Answering my cell, I put it on speaker. “I will keep this in my shirt so you can hear everything that is going on. Keep yours on mute so my cell won’t pick up any noise once I am in the theatre.”
Turning toward the staircase to go upstairs, I heard Claudia mumble, “We are two crazy bitches.”
I knew she could hear me on her phone, so I responded, “I heard that!”
Moving up to the fourth floor, I entered the back of the theater. I stood in the entryway and looked at my watch. It was two-thirty, right on time. I moved over to a staircase in the theatre leading to the balcony. Moving halfway up the stairs, I felt a force in front of me, pushing against my chest. A voice in my head said, No, not this way. Looking up, my little friend in the hospital gown was standing there, shaking her head.
Okay then, I guess this isn’t right, I thought, as I made my way back down the stairs. Then, it came to me. I should go down one floor and make my way up through the entrance backstage. As I walked up the stairs, I came to a fork at the landing. I heard my grandfather’s voice. Stage left.
I reached the back of the stage and stopped behind the side curtain, remembering quiet and patience during the hunt. I slowed my breathing and waited.
There it was…a footstep. I stood still. Another footstep. I didn’t move a muscle.
“Well, well, Allie, we finally meet. No, that’s not correct. We have met, but it was such a short meeting. Why don’t you come out? I can feel your presence.”
I kept my breathing slow and steady and didn’t move.
“My, you must be a shy one.”
I stayed frozen in place. If he knew where I was, he wouldn’t be trying to bait me.
“Allie, come on out. Don’t you want to talk? I know you’re here. I can feel your essence in the air all around me. You’re not the only one with gifts, you know.”
More footsteps. This time, they seemed to be moving in the opposite direction. That was it. He didn’t know where I was in the theatre. As I peered out from between the stage left curtains, I saw him move to the front of the stage and look out to the seats and up to the balcony.
“Okay, you insolent little bitch! You wanted this meeting, where the hell are you?”
Someone was getting testy, but I didn’t move a muscle.
“You know, Allie, I can wait all night, but the longer I wait, the more impatient I get. The more impatient I get, the more heightened my senses get. If you know what’s g
ood for you, you will show yourself.”
I remembered how I willed the papers on the desk in the war room to whirl in a funnel. I looked up at one of the stage lights and focused on it until it came crashing down right at his feet.
Startled, he jumped back. “Why you are a gifted little bitch, aren’t you? You must be realizing some of your potentials. You know, if you will just hear me out, we could make an amazing team. There isn’t anything we can’t accomplish together. Think of all the people we can help with our gifts.”
Another stage light came crashing to the floor and before he could react, I brought the stage curtain and its rod down on him, tangling him up in the drawcords. When he rolled over, I could see his face for the first time. It was Mak.
Stepping out on the stage, I exploded. “Makya, just what makes you think I would ever be interested in doing anything for you? What makes you think I would ever trust you after you hurt all those women trying to find me? Then when you did, you tried to kill me. You really do think me a fool. You’re going down, you arrogant son of a bitch!”
Makya’s anger was growing and I was about to discover his abilities. As he clenched his fist and raised his arm, I was levitated off the floor. “So, which one of those bitches that got away told you my name? Let me guess, it was Kaiah. Well, I’ll have to take care of that little tramp, won’t I?”
Gazing down at him, I interrupted his rant. “Let me down, you useless piece of flesh!”
“Gladly.” He flung his hand as if throwing a baseball and I crashed into the brick wall at the back of the stage. Stunned, I caught my breath and stood just in time to see him break free from the curtains and get to his feet.
He smirked. “You’re no match for me, my dear.”
As he moved toward me, I reciprocated. Extending my hand, I moved the air like a gust of wind, and shoved him to the ground, cracking his head on the floor.
