“What do you mean?” she asked Andrea. Sienna had leaned forward with her elbows on her knees.
Andrea wasn’t sure where all of this was going to go. She felt something deep inside of her compelling this conversation forward. She was still afraid, but took a deep breath and courageously kept going.
“Sienna we are all lost and hopeless. In the very beginning, when Adam sinned in the garden, it divided us from God,” Andrea began.
“Stop right there!” Sienna was waving her off, not wanting to hear anything more. She leaned back in the rocker and looked away.
“No, wait, listen to me, Sienna,” Andrea’s voice was soft and non-threatening. “The only answer to sin is the blood. Before Christ, they continually sacrificed bulls and goats to temporarily cover their sins, much like what I suspect you’ve been doing. But it wasn’t good enough, so they had to keep killing and killing and killing.” Sienna looked back at Andrea once again interested.
“Finally, Christ came. He was the son of God in human form. He was sinless, and it was His perfect holy blood that spilled out once and for all so we could be whole and in a relationship with God again.”
Sienna sat and listened to Andrea. She was tired of killing, very tired. Could it be true that there was a blood that could make her whole once and for all? She just looked at Andrea skeptically.
“You can’t get to this blood by killing mere human men. You can only get to it through Jesus.”
“Nonsense,” declared Sienna standing up. She wiped the wetness that had formed under her eyes and stood up. “I have to leave now.” And just that quickly she was out the door.
Andrea was crushed. The ache in her body was overwhelming. She was tired, sore, and hungry. What was to become of her? Resignation that she was going to die settled over her like a thick fog. This lady had killed many times and she would not likely leave Andrea alive.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She’d never felt so alone. The day passed with no more sign of Sienna and no one had come to rescue her. Soon she didn’t even need the pan any more. She had not had anything to drink for a very long time and was quickly becoming dehydrated.
Her entire body strained to gather any clue as to where she might be. There were no sounds of civilization anywhere that she could hear. She smelled only the deep woods, no exhaust fumes or other city smells.
She dozed in and out and then finally realized the light was fading between the cracks in the wood. Night would soon be here. Sobs wracked her body. Would anyone come? Anyone at all?
Chapter Twenty
Darren had been able to get a warrant for Andrea’s home and car. The district administrator for the library system had granted them approval to search the library, and she had met Darren and Randy there early Saturday morning with a key.
Cool, dark quiet greeted them when they entered the library. There was nothing unusual there—except for the fact that it was closed on a Saturday—nor at Andrea's. Neither Andrea nor Senna had surfaced.
Blake had tried to call Andrea, and had left a message a couple of times, but she never returned his call. Concern choked his mind. That was not like her. Looking out his office window, he saw Darren’s car and a few other cars through the trees. He couldn’t see the library from his window, but he could tell by where they were parked that it was where they were.
Something bad has happened. He knew it, he could feel it, and anxiety surged through him. Jumping up, he was out of his office, down the stairs, heading for the library as quickly as he could maneuver the stairs.
His blood was pumping, and he was trying not to panic, but it wasn’t helping. What if something horrible had happened to Senna and Andrea? He pushed the thought aside, choosing to believe the best, not the worst.
When he reached the library, Darren was just coming outside. “Darren, what’s wrong?”
“Hi, Blake. The library’s been closed for two days in a row. No one has seen either lady who runs it. We were searching for anything that might help us find them or what might have happened.”
Blake’s face went white, and he looked around for something to lean on, feeling lightheaded. It was true. Something has happened to them, he thought. Leaning on the hood of Darren’s car, he tried to comprehend what Darren was telling him.
Darren, immediately concerned, asked Blake, ”Hey, are you okay? Did you know these ladies?”
“Yes. I was dating Senna, and Andrea and I are friends,” replied Blake. He was in shock at what was happening.
Randy became immediately interested in their conversation. “When was the last time you saw Senna Carter?”
“I haven’t seen her since Wednesday at around noon. She was sitting on the park bench having her lunch and I came out and sat with her for a few minutes. She wasn’t herself. I didn’t stay long and went back to work,” said Blake. His senses had returned, and he felt an urgency to do whatever he needed to help them find Senna and Andrea.
“When was the last time you saw Andrea?” asked Randy.
“Thursday night. Senna was not the same when she came out of the hospital on Tuesday. She was pushing me away and was being abrasive with Andrea. It was extremely unusual and Thursday Andrea called to ask if I wanted to have dinner so we could talk about it. We had a burger over at the diner.”
“That was the last time that anyone has seen Andrea.” Randy knew he and Carrie had seen Senna at the medical complex and then at her home on Thursday. To his knowledge, Thursday was the last day that either of the ladies had been seen.
Randy called Rick to fill them in on the details of the search. We need to find these ladies’ cell phones. Can you guys trace them and see if you can get a location? Mike agreed and was quickly off the phone.
“Senna doesn’t have a cell phone,” Blake said.
Both Darren and Randy looked at Blake, immediately interested. “She’s a little old-fashioned. She only has a landline in her house,” said Blake.
Randy sent a group text to Mike regarding the lack of cell phone for Senna. “Well that makes things more difficult,” said Randy.
“Darren, do you think that you can get that judge to give us a warrant for Senna Carter’s house, garage, and car? I know it is a stretch, but at this point, I’m not sure what to do next. I’m concerned they are both in danger,” said Randy.
~~~
Andrea thought she had literally passed out. She had no recollection of falling asleep and was growing weaker by the moment. She’d had no food or water since Thursday night at the diner with Blake and had only picked at her chicken sandwich then. What she wouldn’t give to have now what she’d sent back with the waitress that night.
Pain was her closest companion now. She was attempting to move as much as possible and each movement brought with it new levels of excruciating pain. The awkward position she was bound in quickly cut off blood supply in multiple places in her body.
She had perfected standing up. She could also move her arms slightly to her back as she did when grabbing the pole to help herself stand, but not forward. It just made no sense to Andrea. She knew she should be able to get out of these straps and kept trying.
The movement had not loosened the straps though. They were a tough, thick, woven strap made to hold tons of weight. Each time she’d had a new thought about how she might wriggle out of them, or dislodge them, it was quickly dismissed once failed. All the movement was succeeding in was rubbing her skin raw.
The thin, short-sleeved top was no protection from the abrasion of the straps. They had rubbed through one sleeve and it felt like her skin was raw and possibly bleeding. The straps and her top were blood-soaked on her right side.
The door opened with a loud swish across the floor, startling Andrea. She thought it was well into the afternoon of maybe Saturday and she was in no mood to talk. The comforting peace she had felt the evening before was gone. Despair was the only thing she could muster up.
It was Sienna, of course. But she carried food and water with her. Dare Andrea hope t
hat she was going to feed her?
The little bundle Sienna carried plopped to the floor next to Andrea where Sienna dropped it. The smell confirmed that food was indeed inside and Andrea’s stomach gnawed to get at it. Sienna squatted down and looked at her. “I’m going to let you go for long enough to eat and drink something. I promise you, though, if you try to escape, I will catch you and I will kill you.”
There was no mistaking her sincerity. Her voice was as cold as ever, chilling Andrea to the bone; however, something was slightly different. Andrea didn’t quite feel the overpowering evil radiating off of Sienna the way she had before. She seemed a little calmer somehow.
“Thank you,” responded Andrea, and she meant it. She had never truly known what it felt like to be starving. She was genuinely grateful for the food and water.
The burger and fries tasted like heaven. The burger was still warm. Andrea felt the juice trail down her arm as she bit into the meat. She didn’t care that she was eating like a pig. The rocker creaked as Sienna rocked.
Andrea tried to not choke down her food too quickly or drink the water down to fast. She knew it would make her sick and she would throw up. Was this to be her last meal? She didn’t know, but she was going to savor it as if it were.
About the time she was finishing the last French fry, Sienna said, “Tell me more about the blood.”
It startled Andrea. She looked up to see Sienna’s eyes locked onto her. Once again, Andrea felt a calm, overpowering peace flood her body and the strength that came with it. Eloquent words formed in Andrea’s mind as the peace flooded her being. So she told Sienna about the blood.
~~~
They had gotten the warrant for Senna’s house. Darren and Randy were there and Mike and Rick were on their way, stopping to pick up Carrie. It was overkill for a warrant on a small house, but they had felt that feeling when you know something big is about to break things wide open. They were ready and none of them wanted to miss it.
Darren and Randy started with the garage. They wanted to see that Ferrari up close and personal, but it wasn’t there. Disappointment was followed by curse words. Randy asked Darren to go ahead and start on the house, agreeing he would work on the garage.
It was a very large garage for such a small house. It was as old as the house, mid-1930s, but a second garage door had been added and both doors were up to date with garage door openers and keypads on each end.
The inside of the garage was neat and tidy. When Randy flipped the switch, the room filled with bright light. The two side walls were filled with deep cabinets all enclosed with cabinet doors. He took photos of everything.
At this point, Senna was still an unknown. They didn’t have concrete evidence to call her a suspect, but they all felt it in their gut that she was somehow involved. However, feelings didn’t win court cases. Randy wanted proof of something. Proof that Senna was a victim or perpetrator.
He began to open the cabinet doors, one at a time. They were very orderly, containing the typical stuff that everyone stores away. He found nothing of note until he came to the last cabinet on the bottom which had a lock on the latch. That’s odd, he thought.
He took another photo of it and then used a bolt cutter to cut off the lock. Inside, was a large plastic tub. It was made of sturdy, thick gray plastic and appeared to be industrial in nature. It was about three feet by two feet.
He took more photos before pulling the tub out into the garage. He studied it for a brief second before opening it, his mind was racing trying to anticipate what it might contain.
At first when Randy opened it, he wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at. The distinct smell of bleach hit his nose immediately when he lifted the lid. Before he could pull anything from the tub, he heard Rick’s car pull up. He stood and waved to them.
Looking at Carrie he said, “You aren’t supposed to be here.” And he smiled.
“I know. I talked Mike and Rick into bringing me. I’m just going to watch and observe.” Her smile matched his.
“What have you got there?” asked Rick.
“Just pulled this out of that locked cabinet. Was about to see what treasures we have here.”
“I know what it is on top,” said Rick. “It is a pair of waders. My dad used to have a pair he fished in. Rubber pants with suspenders.”
Randy reached in with a gloved hand and gently lifted them out without letting them touch anything else. “We need an evidence bag for these,” said Randy.
“You haven’t see Senna Carter, but trust me, she doesn’t go fishing in rubber waders and they’ve been washed in bleach. Smell it?” Rick produced a large paper evidence bag and Randy gently guided them in. Underneath where the waders had lain, was a large pair of elbow-length rubber gloves. Those went into an evidence bag as well.
Once those were bagged, they all four stood looking at what was underneath.
There on the very bottom was a blue poly-tarp folded neatly. Actually, as they began to look, there were several tarps all folded and ready to go.
“This is it!” exclaimed Carrie. “It’s the evidence we need to bring her in. I knew it. I just knew it.”
“We don’t know if any of this has anything to do with the murders. I have blue tarps in my garage,” said Randy. “Yes, it is all suspicious and yes, it is something to go on, but it is not the murder weapon.”
“We have to find her first. We’ve been looking for two days and can’t locate her,” said Rick.
“We can get warrants for the house at the horse ranch in the country,” said Carrie.
“That may be a stretch,” said Randy. “There is no indication that she is in charge of or has anything to do with that property. We’ll have to pull the corporation documents and see who is.”
Darren soon came out and said there was nothing in the house at all that was suspicious. They showed him the tub and described all its contents. “Wow. I would have never thought. If you knew her, you would know what I mean. She is timid and won’t hardly even make eye contact with me. I have a hard time believing it,” said Darren.
“Do you think maybe someone is setting her up?” asked Darren. “We didn’t find anything else except this one tub that was locked up. What if someone is storing this in her garage so that it won’t be found in their possession, but in hers?”
Darren made a good point, but the most simple answer was that she just didn’t think she would get caught with it. “We will take it back to the forensic lab and see what they find. We will know more once we find her and bring her in,” said Randy.
~~~
Blake shut his office for the day. He had to find out where Senna and Andrea were. He feared that the killer had abducted them both and that their lives were in grave danger. But, he honestly had no idea where to search.
Anxiety sharpened his mental acuity to a degree, as long as he didn’t allow himself to fall into full panic mode. He worked to push away fearful thoughts of the girls’ safety and focus on solutions.
He didn’t know Andrea’s parents. He thought he remembered her mentioning once that they lived in Dallas. Something about having moved closer to her brothers and a new grandbaby.
He didn’t want to try contacting them. That was best left to the authorities. Senna had no family and, to his knowledge no friends. He could contact a few of the group from church that was Andrea’s age. He had seen her at group functions many times.
A car honked behind him and he realized he’d been sitting at the stoplight when it had turned green. The discomfort in his palms brought the realization that he had been gripping and twisting the steering wheel too tightly.
He drove to his small-group leader, Brandon’s home. “Can I come in and talk?”
Brandon motioned for Blake to sit, but Blake didn’t want to sit. He wanted to be out there actively looking. Shifting nervously from one foot to the other, he explained to Brandon the situation.
“I’ve been driving for hours and have no idea where else to physically look.”
“Andrea’s parents live in Dallas, but I don’t want to alarm them yet. I have no emergency contact information for Senna. I thought that we could contact those that I know Andrea is friends with in our small group. Maybe she or both she and Senna are just out with friends.” The look on Blake’s face betrayed what he really thought.
“I think I have a list. We can make calls. I know it doesn’t feel as active as driving around, but may prove to be more productive.”
They agreed that they would divide up the list between them and make phone calls. Not wanting to alarm anyone, they agreed it was best to keep the inquiries casual.
It took the remainder of the day to finish the list. They had reached almost everyone and where they had left messages, they had received return calls. No one had seen Andrea since the weekend at church when Senna, had her episode.
Full panic had now set in with Blake. He’d run his hands through his hair so many times that it stood on end, further revealing his true internal desperation.
Void of any other ideas about what to do, Blake stayed and ate supper with Brandon. He had nowhere else to go and was out of ideas about where to look.
He appreciated that Brandon wanted to feed him, but when he looked at the plate before him, all he could do was remember all the meals he had shared with Senna.
~~~
Sienna had listened to what Andrea had to say about the blood. She did not engage in conversation, only listened. Her face had remained neutral, if not skeptical, which made it hard for Andrea to gauge what she was thinking or feeling.
When Andrea had said all she had felt inspired to say, Sienna gathered the food trash, strapped Andrea back to the pipe and left. That had been several hours ago.
Relief flooded her that she was being allowed to live at least a little while longer. Having had a meal and some water, she was finally able to sleep. She thought the straps may not be quite as tight this time, but they still proved to hold her firmly in place.
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