by Jonas Saul
“And do you know what Donovan and his three friends did then?” Beverly asked no one in particular.
Sarah stared at Hunter with a new feeling of apathy. To some degree, Beverly was right. Some men—not all—but some men were fucking sick and needed to be put down like dogs.
“Tell me,” Sarah said, finding her voice. “What did they do?”
“They heard something about abortions being done with coat hangers. Since my parents were already dead, Hunter found a suit jacket from the dry cleaners in the back of my dad’s car and took the wire hanger. They inserted it in me and cut me all up.” Beverly was screaming and wailing now, her voice a pitch so high that Sarah narrowed her eyes. “They denied me a life, my parents were murdered, and they ruined me on the inside so I could never have a baby.”
Beverly fired the weapon into the ground beside Hunter. The detective jerked and rolled away.
Sarah jumped to her feet and almost attacked Beverly out of reflex.
Beverly spun toward Sarah, gun in one hand, the other constantly wiping at her eyes.
“Sarah,” she mumbled through her tears. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry, but they killed me in here and I fought for a life, but all I’m good for is men wanting to fuck me. So, I became a dancer and I met Joanne. When she was murdered, I tried several times to kill myself, but I just couldn’t do it. Why am I here? What’s the point? To service men, to lie down and open my legs? Is that what a woman is supposed to do?”
Sarah was shaking her head. “No, women are beautiful. We’re so much more than that. I can help you, I can show you. Beverly, you’re a woman, you’re one of us. Let me take you in—”
“It’s too late for me,” she shouted. “I decided if I couldn’t kill myself, then I’d find a way for someone else to kill me.” She turned back to Hunter. “And then this piece of shit walked into my strip club, maybe five years after Joanne was dead. I befriended a lot of perverted cops in my day—a girl’s got to eat—even went out with Officer Joseph Barnes for a few years. You’ll know him as the cop that led Pastor Blair out to the back of the church for me. Well, I had realized that God was offering me a chance to make things right. So, I came onto Donovan, got close to him, and became his girlfriend.” She turned to Sarah. “You know how dead you have to be on the inside to sleep with the man who raped you continuously, beat you to near death, and murdered your own parents?”
Sarah nodded, not able to stop her own tears from forming.
“And I made it look real, like I enjoyed it. By then, fucking was a robotic activity for me. I’d only met assholes, perverts, and fuckboys, and now I had the rapist murderer back in my life and he was a homicide detective. I learned everything about the others, and planned this months ago.”
“That’s my gun,” Hunter said. “Where’s my money?”
“Detective Hunter,” Sarah said in a firm voice. “I’m not sure you want to be speaking right now.”
“No, no, Sarah, it’s okay. Let him have his final words.” Beverly leaned closer to Hunter. “Are you talking about the fifty thousand in cash in that safe of yours? The same fifty thousand that mysteriously disappeared from a drug bust? I used some of it, but tonight you and I will be dead, the rest of that money was sent back to the police station with a letter describing where it came from, the names of the people you arrested, and as many of those fourteen officers’ names as were involved in that bust and stole that money, too, you fucking asshole. I investigated your ass the whole time we were together, got you drunk and asked everything I could. You fucking creep, you even told me about other women you’d raped over the years. At least while you were with me, I was able to save other women from the predator you are.”
Beverly reared back and kicked him again.
Hunter curled into a fetal position, gasping for air, and this time Sarah did nothing to help. As a human being, she wanted this to end peacefully, without further damage or injuries to anyone, but as a woman, she wanted Hunter beaten to within an inch of his life for what he had done, if in fact he’d done what Beverly was alleging—castrated, too, then imprisoned for twenty years minimum.
She had to keep reminding herself that Disco was not only listening to all this, but he was recording it all, too.
Detective Hunter was finished as a cop.
Beverly raised the weapon in her hand and aimed it at Hunter’s face.
“You’re dead, motherfucker. Go meet your friends in Hell.”
“Beverly, wait!” Sarah shouted.
The gun wavered, but didn’t go off.
“Seconds, Sarah. Mere seconds.” Beverly angled her head to look at Sarah sidelong.
“My sister is here.”
Beverly frowned, then nodded as understanding dawned on her.
“And what’s she saying?”
“The road is clear. She keeps saying the road is clear. But that’s it. Like the time is closing, but the road is clear.”
“The road?” Beverly whispered. Then her eyes widened. “Oh my shit.”
Chapter 30
“Multiple shadows approaching from the highway,” Aaron whispered into the mic.
“More on my side,” Parkman added.
“What’s the call?” Daniel asked. “We going in, getting Sarah, and pulling out? We can’t risk taking down more cops.”
Disco hesitated. He’d heard what they were talking about. He’d heard the gun go off—as did everyone else—and by listening, he was able to calm the team. All of them had launched up and ran at the barn.
It was Alex who pitched in that time. The ghost in the dark that he was, he claimed to already be inside the barn, watching everything from a lofty perch. Alex confirmed the gunshot went wild and no one was hit. The weapon went off more out of frustration and anger than anything else.
Disco called for everyone to stand down, let Sarah get as much on tape as she could because it had become clear that this Beverly woman was opening up to Sarah and Sarah wasn’t in immediate danger. In fact, from the context of the conversation, it sounded like this Beverly woman respected Sarah.
“Beverly, wait!” Sarah shouted, coming through clearly.
“All good, inside the barn?” Disco asked Alex.
“Confirmed,” Alex whispered.
Disco listened, head tilted sideways, his right hand pushing the earplug as deep as it would go into his earhole.
“Seconds, Sarah. Mere seconds.” Beverly’s voice.
“My sister is here.”
Disco shivered, goosebumps crawling up his arms.
“And what’s she saying?” Beverly asked as if it was no big deal.
“The road is clear. She keeps saying the road is clear. But that’s it. Like the time is closing, but the road is clear.”
“The road?” Beverly whispered so low, Disco almost didn’t catch it. “Oh my shit.”
“Looks like they might be coming out, boys. Clear them a path on the road. Focus all energy on keeping the SWAT guys from the road.”
“Copy that,” resounded through his speakers.
This was coming apart fast. Sarah and the woman were planning on leaving. But what then? And what about Hunter? Should he give his recording to Hunter’s bosses?
And how did Sarah know Daniel was over with Benjamin? Could her dead sister be whispering things like that in her ear?
Goosebumps returned, even higher, and he had a greater respect for this team than any he’d ever worked with before.
Then Alex came back over the speaker. “She’s going to kill him.”
“Can you stop her?” Disco asked.
“Beverly! Don’t!” Sarah’s voice.
“Hey!” Alex shouted, and Disco knew he’d revealed his position.
Then a weapon fired.
Chapter 31
Sarah watched as Beverly’s face changed while she considered her options. It was death with Hunter, or leave now.
No matter what Hunter had done, she couldn’t stand by and allow him to be murdered in front of her.
Kill in self-defense, sure, but Sarah wouldn’t be an accomplice to outright murder.
Vivian, on the other hand, had some explaining to do. How could she not tell Sarah about Beverly? There was a way to stop the Doyles’ murders, and quite possibly the Masons’, too. Why send Sarah to warn Pastor Blair when Beverly and Officer Barnes were already at the church?
Sarah wanted answers and Vivian would have to be forthcoming.
Beverly brought the Glock up under her chin.
Sarah dove for her, and someone shouted, “Hey!” from behind them.
The second Sarah rammed into Beverly, the gun went off and they dropped to the floor of the barn.
Frantically, Sarah scampered around, grabbing at the gun while trying to see if Beverly got shot.
The bullet had missed her completely.
The impact with the ground had jolted Beverly enough that it knocked the weapon from her hand.
Then out of nowhere, Alex was grabbing her, lifting her off the floor of the barn.
Sarah had the gun now. She slipped it into the back of her pants, and grabbed Beverly’s arm to steady the woman.
“You okay?” she asked.
Beverly nodded, but her glassy wayward gaze said otherwise. How far gone was she? Sarah wondered what sort of life this woman had lived. The pain, the loss …
“We’re leaving now,” Sarah told her. “My friends will help us.”
Beverly acknowledged her comments by placing one foot in front of the other and starting for the barn’s door.
Sarah held the woman’s arm and led her away from the vile man who called himself a detective still tied up on the floor.
“Disco,” Alex said. “I’m taking the women out of here. Men, make sure our path is clear.” He held back a second. “We’ll be meandering up the road. Vivian told Sarah that’s the way out. I need to know we’re good.”
Sarah turned back to see what Alex was doing. Alex moved so fast, no one would’ve been able to stop him.
He hefted Hunter upward, a wild, mad expression on the detective’s face as he worked frantically to release his hands from the rope.
Then Alex drove a jab to the side of the man’s head. The speed of Alex’s fist was incredible. Her eyes saw it in a blur. His intention was clear as soon as Hunter’s eyes rolled back and his head lulled on his shoulders. Alex had wanted to knock out the detective, and in order to do that, he needed to hit the man’s head with such sudden force that his brain touched the inside of the skull, thereby knocking him out.
Alex dropped the unconscious detective back to the barn’s floor and was on his feet running to catch up to them in mere seconds.
Where they were going—the why of it, too—was beyond Sarah, but Vivian made it clear. Sarah needed to get Beverly out of that barn.
Although, harboring a fugitive of the law in itself was a crime, so what were they actually doing?
At the door, they didn’t hesitate this time. Alex was already in front, gesturing wildly for them to follow him.
Outside, the darkness was complete. There was no moon, and the light from the stars offered almost nothing to see by. Only the line at the tops of the trees was a slight shade off the rest of the darkness. The trust in her team of experienced men kept Sarah putting one foot in front of the other, while guiding Beverly.
She had no idea what kept Beverly going, other than she was in a complete daze. Maybe her mind had slipped into a place where she felt nothing now. And could that be all bad?
They made it ten yards before Alex yanked them sideways. Then he placed his hand on Sarah’s shoulder and pushed downward twice. She crouched, pulling Beverly with her. Once on the ground, she leaned into Beverly’s ear and whispered, “Shhhh.”
Splayed out on the ground, all three of them waited.
Footsteps approached in the darkness from somewhere to their left. How the hell had Alex detected that? Or perhaps it was to the right—she couldn’t tell.
Then the steps sounded right on top of them.
Beverly moaned something.
The footsteps stopped. If they had night vision goggles of any sort, they’d be looking right at them. But if they didn’t, the men approaching the barn, whoever the hell they were, would be as blind as Sarah.
But a moan wasn’t something anyone needed to see.
The man moved closer to them. Then he activated a light of some sort, and it shone directly in Sarah’s face.
Before he spoke a single word, a shadow rose from the man’s left and the light went out. Rationally she knew the shadow was Alex, but her eyes were playing tricks on her in the darkness after the light. Because it looked like he flew into the man. Like he was ten feet high and coming down from some place above them.
There was a short scuffle, a grunt, then Alex was beside her. She could only tell by the soft wind that touch her cheek when he whispered to her.
“Continue.”
One word. That was it. Spoken on a breeze, barely loud enough to be detected and registered. If he was two feet away, it wouldn’t have resonated in her ear.
Then they were on their feet and moving down the road again. Beverly stumbled a couple of times, moaned once, but was able to keep up.
The trees closed in around them.
Then footsteps padded close behind. Looking back did nothing. It was too dark to see who was behind them, but since Alex wasn’t freaking out, it had to be Aaron, Parkman, Benjamin, and Daniel.
She hoped her whole team was with them and no one was hurt.
The silhouette of two vehicles hidden inside the line of trees materialized within five minutes of walking briskly up the road.
Without a word, Sarah and Beverly dropped in the backseat, and Aaron and Alex took the front.
Parkman and the others jumped in the second vehicle. Lights out, they drove slowly up the road.
“My car?” she asked.
“Parkman is dropping Daniel to get it,” Aaron said. “I gave him the spare key from my ring before we got here tonight.”
“Good thinking.”
They rode in silence for several minutes after that. Four slow kilometers later, both cars turned on their headlights. At the highway, Parkman’s car veered toward Sarah’s vehicle, and Aaron drove them south toward the city.
“We’re clear, Disco,” Aaron said. Then he added, “Got it.”
“What’s going on?”
“With who we have in the car, we can’t go home.”
“So where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe.”
In the end, that was probably the best answer. With all the listening devices in the car and on Aaron and Alex, why say it out loud? Who knows who could be listening?
Sarah could trust the men in her life. She wished Beverly could’ve had a better chance at learning that.
Not all men were bad. There were some you could trust with your life.
Chapter 32
The sun came through the large windows of the cottage, making Sarah raise her forearm in front of her eyes. She sat up and yawned, turning away from the brightness.
Beverly Wilder was right where she’d left her.
“Good morning,” Alex whispered.
He sat in the chair beside Beverly.
“Were you up all night?”
He stuck out his hand, palm aimed down, then tilted it left and right in a so-so gesture.
His leg moved, catching Sarah’s attention. She understood instantly.
He’d slept on and off while keeping watch over the women. When he was asleep, if Beverly were to move or get up, it would knock the cushion he had his leg resting against, which would startle him awake.
Sarah nodded her understanding, then stretched.
“Coffee,” she whispered. “I need coffee.”
Alex pointed at himself.
“Sure,” she said. “I’ll get you one, too.”
The cottage was an hour’s drive out of Toronto. They all got there slightly after midnight and within a half hour, everyon
e was asleep. The rooms were divided among the men, and since Beverly wanted the couch, Sarah took the other couch to remain close to her. Alex volunteered to watch over them. It seemed Alex was the only one Beverly was willing to be near last night as he was the one who led them out of the barn. He had won some of her trust.
Of course Aaron didn’t like Sarah sleeping so close to a murderer, but she reminded him who Beverly’s targets were and why she went after them. Still, knowing that didn’t seem to calm him, but she held her ground.
Aaron had called their babysitter last night and she agreed to take Willow down to her apartment for the night. They were having a great time playing some sort of guessing game, where Willow was nailing so many right answers. Sarah would have to have another talk with Willow about overusing her abilities in front of others.
The cottage was owned by a friend who let Disco use it for a small sum when he needed it.
There was virtually no way anyone could link them to this place, making it the perfect hideout until their next step. Which was a step only Vivian knew about, because she had led them down this path and now they were hiding out with the serial killer that had killed eight people in the last few days.
To what end, Vivian? Why are we here, hiding her?
She prepared the coffee maker for a full pot as more people would wake soon.
Couch springs moved behind her, squeaking softly in protest. Sarah glanced over her shoulder to see Beverly sitting up, wiping her face.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Sarah asked.
Beverly turned toward her. “Yes, please. Black.”
Sarah smiled. Just the way she liked it.
Coffees in hand, she brought them to Alex and Beverly, then sat on the couch facing Beverly.
They all sipped in silence while the rest of the cottage rested.
Then Beverly set her cup down, and glanced at Sarah. “I’ll turn myself in today.”
Sarah and Alex looked at each other, then back at Beverly. “As much as we agree on that point,” Sarah started, “you can’t just turn yourself in.”
Beverly’s brow knitted in bewilderment. “I’m not sure I follow. Won’t they be looking for me?”
