In the Shadow of Evil Book 2

by Nancy C. Weeks

  He knew the outcome of the game, so it didn’t hold his interest for long. Even tormenting his guest held no pleasure. His weapons lay cleaned and ready on the end table. The 200 push-ups and sit-ups he completed several minutes earlier kept him from falling into a snooze fest.

  Ivan’s eyes darted to the top left screen, just as his target entered the apartment. Well, it’s about fucking time. He watched as she removed her blouse, wandered into the kitchen, and returned with a glass of water. He continued to watch the scene play out as she went into the bedroom and undressed.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” he said, sitting up straighter on the sofa. “Take it all off.” Ivan groaned as Jennie entered the bathroom, the one blind spot in the apartment. “Ahh, damn, now that’s not fair. I waste hours staring at three empty rooms and that’s all I get to see?”

  A slight movement in the right monitor caught his attention. “Well, who the hell is that?” Ivan darted from the sofa and moved closer to the screen. He adjusted the focus. A man snuck from out of the closet and scuttled across the room. Ivan’s cell phone blared on the coffee table. He didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who it was.

  “Are you watching the apartment?” Mendoza roared so loud Ivan yanked the phone away from his ear.

  “Yep, is that someone you know?” A perfect image of the man entered the bathroom.

  “Hell no! How did he get in there without you or Raúl seeing him?”

  Ivan didn’t answer because he had no idea. No one entered the apartment while he was on duty.

  The man carried Jennie’s unconscious body into the bedroom and laid her on top of the comforter. With extreme care, he meticulously positioned her, securing her hands to the headboard with cording, her legs spread-eagle.

  As Ivan watched the scene play out, his pulse quickened.

  Using the throw pillows, the man positioned her head, tilting it slightly upward, with only one eye visible. He placed his fingers inside her mouth, forcing the jaw open, and stuffed a wad of cloth almost to her throat. He wrapped another long, narrow strip of cloth around her head, tying it in place behind her neck. The process took only a minute.

  “I have been watching all night, Jefe. He didn’t come in while I was here, that’s for damn sure. You know me better than that. What do you want me to do?” A smile formed at the corners of his mouth. Nice foreplay.

  “Take care of him and find Raúl. If that slimy bastard touches a hair on her head, you both pay. You got that, Ivan?” The roar from the other end of the line was so loud, Ivan held the phone at arm’s length.

  “Got it, Jefe.” Loading his weapons, he headed down the hallway toward the extra bedroom.

  “I’ve got to go out for a while. Can I get you anything?” Ivan laughed out loud at the panic that spread over the kid’s face. He yanked at his restraints. The harder he pulled, the tighter the line became.

  “No? Good, I’ll be back in a few.”

  Ivan jogged across the street, snatched a key from his inside pocket, and unlocked the front door. He used another key to unlock the upstairs apartment.

  Jennie’s eyelids jolted open, and fear like she had never known choked her silent. She couldn’t catch her breath as the sound of her heartbeat drummed inside her ears. Her mouth was dry, her tongue trapped by the cloth choking her.

  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath through her nose. The overpowering scent of Aramis cologne permeated the air and made her gag. The years of martial arts training almost went out the window.

  Assess, find their weakness, and act on that weakness. She repeated the phrase over again in her head. You’re in control. As she chanted the silent words, she appraised the condition of her arms tied to the headboard. No help there.

  Panic took over. With the cloth shoved in her mouth, she couldn’t exhale easily. Her breathing became erratic. Out of the corner of her eye, he came into view. He leaned in close, and the tip of his finger lightly whisked the side of her face down to her neck. Jennie saw what was in his hand and frantically yanked on her restraints.

  “No! No! Don’t move again. Shit! You see what you made me do?” The man roared in a high, screeching voice. The tempered steel blade of the scalpel replaced his finger as he made a thin incision across her throat.

  Jennie’s nostrils filled with the metallic odor of the blood as it dripped down onto her chest. For some reason, there was no pain.

  He slapped her cheek. “Keep your eyes on me, my girl. Yes, that’s it, now I have your attention, don’t I?”

  He ran the knife across her throat a couple of centimeters from the last line. This time both incisions throbbed. Jennie shut her eyes and breathed through the burn, but she couldn’t keep the tears at bay.

  “I told you to keep your eyes on me! That’s right. I’m the teacher and you’ll pay attention to me. We don’t want this to be over before we even begin now, do we? No, we’re here to get to know each other. Now, look at me, my sweet. I said look at me!”

  Jennie faced him. What was his name? Greg. The new third-grade teacher. He was her stalker, the familiar sense, strong, evil. She completely missed it. Her only choice—stay calm and fight.

  A man-size shadow appeared in the doorway. She fought her restraints again while screaming through the cloth in her mouth.

  “You are not listening to me. What are you looking at?” he screamed, losing control.

  The shadow came closer, growing bigger on the wall as he entered the room. Seconds later, the shadow changed. The man pulled a handgun out of his shoulder harness. As soon as he raised his arm, the familiar tattoo from the shoulder to the wrist came into view. She froze, helpless.

  The man who killed Quinton met her gaze. The corners of his mouth lifted, and he winked. He sauntered over to the bed and held the gun at arm’s length, almost touching the man’s head. “No!” Jennie screamed through the wad in her mouth.

  “I’ll slice her throat in two. I will. Back off or she’s dead.” With each word, Greg’s voice grew higher, almost a shrill pitch.

  The man jabbed his piece against the back of Greg’s head and laughed. “No, I don’t think so. You picked the wrong woman, friend. Mendoza’s property. Enjoy hell.” He pulled the trigger.

  The force of the shot spattered chunks of Greg’s face over Jennie, drenching the fabric-covered headboard, and the entire wall behind the bed, with blood. Jennie watched in horror as the corpse collapsed on top of her in a heavy heap.

  Mendoza continued to watch her. The screams from somewhere deep within her erupted, consuming her until there was nothing but darkness.

  Fifteen

  Mrs. Cippolla watched from across the street as a tall, thin man entered the brownstone. Her best friend in the world had died only a couple of hours before, and the jerk thought he would break into her home. Grabbing the phone off its base, she dialed 911.

  “The nerve of some people,” she said to herself. She gave the operator all the information, then moved closer to the window for a better look. Just as she eased the thin curtain away from the window, Louise’s front door opened, and the man sauntered down the steps. He crossed the street, looked right at her, and waved. As soon as he was out of sight, she picked up the phone and called Father Anthony.

  Anthony rushed down the sidewalk, arriving at the brownstone at the same time that two police officers stepped out of their cruiser. One of the men darted in front of him, placing his arm in the doorway. “You must wait outside, Father.”

  “Jennie McKenzie lives upstairs.”

  “Let me just go check and see if it’s safe. I’ll let you up as soon as I can.” The officer turned and entered the building.

  Anthony jogged back down the steps and met Mrs. Cippolla on the sidewalk. “Are you all right, Mrs. Cippolla?”

  “I’m so worried about Jennie. She arrived home around midnight. A few minutes later, this man just unlocks the door and walks right in like nobody’s business. When he came out, he looked right at my window and waved at m
e!”

  “Have you ever seen him before?” Anthony took her arm and helped her sit down on the steps.

  “No, never. He’s not from around here, but I could identify him if I had to. He had all these tattoos all over his neck and arm, real mean-looking.” The older woman twisted her hands together. “Where’s Jennie? Why hasn’t she come down to let us know she’s okay?”

  “I will check on her myself. Are you okay here alone?”

  “Yes. Go,” she said, with a wave of her hand.

  As soon as Anthony entered Jennie’s apartment, the officer stopped him.

  “I told you to wait downstairs,” the officer said, trying to block his view. The door to the bedroom opened into the living room.

  The pungent scent of blood hit Anthony’s nostrils. The once-pretty floral wallpaper on the far wall was covered with blood splatter as long drips streamed from the ceiling and pooled over the top of the headboard.

  “Dear God,” was all that came out of Anthony’s mouth. Pushing the officer out of his way, he charged toward the bedroom, calling Jennie’s name.

  The second officer finally stopped the priest. “The blood belongs to the perp, Father Anthony. Miss McKenzie is hurt, but it appears she passed out from the trauma, not her injuries. I’ve called the EMTs. They should be here any minute. You can’t be in here. You’ll contaminate the crime scene.”

  “Jennie,” Anthony yelled, desperately searching for some sign of life from his friend, still tied to the bed. “Can you hear me, Jennie?”

  The police officer shoved Anthony back into the living room. “You need to wait here and allow us to do our jobs.”

  “Contact a detective named Jared McNeil. He’s the head of the task force looking for the Beltway Killer.”

  “I’ve been ordered to secure the crime scene. The detectives are on their way. We don’t know who this guy is, Father. This may have nothing to do with those murders.”

  “You don’t understand. McNeil needs to know about this, whether it’s the guy or not. If I had the number, I’d call him myself.”

  The officer studied Anthony for a moment, grabbed his radio, and gave the information to the dispatcher. “Step back out of her view, okay,” the officer said. “It will be traumatic enough without her knowing you saw her in that position.”

  Anthony could only nod as he watched the other officer cut the ropes on Jennie’s wrists.

  He looked back at her bedroom and offered up a silent prayer for sparing her life. He took in a deep cleansing breath as a familiar surge of fear, anger, and adrenaline surged through his veins. He never should have let her enter the building without checking it out. Part of the man who he kept behind the cross slipped to the surface. No one comes near you.

  Jared tossed his keys on the small table in the foyer. While he stalked into the living room, he yanked the tie from around his neck and swung it over the back of the sofa. His sport coat followed. Dropping onto the sofa, he eyed his two uninvited guests. Noah sprawled on the second sofa, while Jason sat crosswise in the lounge chair. Both brothers’ attention focused on the Wizards’ game. Jared grabbed the last piece of cold pizza in the forgotten delivery box on the coffee table.

  “Don’t you two have places of your own you can trash? Why are you always here?”

  “You have the cool screen, bro. Besides, you’re never here. Where’ve you been?” Jason asked.

  “What are you, my mother?” Jared tossed the dry crust back into the box. It ricocheted off the lid and landed on the floor by Jason’s feet.

  “Boys, there now,” Noah said with a yawn. He turned to Jared. “How did the meeting with Raúl go?”

  “It went.” He shrugged his shoulders and rose. “I’m heading to bed. Pick up your crap before you leave.”

  His cell phone buzzed in his pocket just as he turned toward the stairs. Jared answered before the second ring. “McNeil.” Several moments passed before he lowered the phone and faced his brothers. “There has been another attack. Sounds like our guy but the uniforms on site aren’t sure.” Jared spoke to the dispatcher. “What’s the address?”

  He reached for the pad on the foyer table. An instant later, the pen split in two as Jared’s heart dropped to his stomach. He sucked in a deep breath and choked out. “Are you sure about that address? Who called it in?”

  Jennie’s panic, fear, pain spread through his five senses like a vicious, uncontrollable wildfire.

  Jason and Noah flanked him, but instead of adding comfort, they sucked away all remaining air in his space. He gave Jason a shove and moved around him toward the front door. “No one touches the scene until I get there.”

  He reached for his keys and charged to the door. Jennie. He’s got her.

  “What the hell’s wrong?” Noah placed a hand on Jared’s back.

  The years of control dissipated in an instant. He grabbed Noah and rammed him against the door. “It’s not her, it’s not. No way did that bastard go after Jennie, damn it. It’s not her!”

  “Who went after Jennie?”

  “That sick psychopath. He’s attacked Jennie.”

  Noah grabbed Jared’s elbow to ease his arm away from his throat. He rotated their positions and used his body to pin Jared up against the door. Jared pulled his arm out of his brother’s hold. Jason caught the fist as it almost hit Noah square in the jaw.

  “Damn it, don’t you dare take another swing at me, or I’ll lay you on the floor.” Noah shoved Jared’s back against the wall hard, pinning him in place. “Now cool it and tell me what is going on. Are you sure it’s our guy?”

  A low growl erupted from deep inside Jared’s throat. His reality swirled and all he saw was the monster on Jennie. The primal instinct to fight took over. An adrenaline rush poured through his veins with unbelievable strength. He easily broke off the hand holding him, swung the man against the wall, and clamped his arm against his throat, nearly crushing the larynx.

  You bastard—you dared hurt Jennie chanted in his head over again until Jason’s desperate cry broke through.

  “Stop, Jared.”

  Jared’s vision changed, and Noah’s face appeared in front of him. “Shit!” He jumped back, releasing his twin. Jason’s arm went around Jared’s neck from behind, and he pinned Jared’s hands behind his back. Noah doubled over, gasping for breath.

  It was several moments before the animal in Jared tired of the fight. He rested the back of his head against Jason’s chest and faced his twin. “I’m sorry… damn it, I’m sorry.”

  Jared’s body trembled, and Jason let him go. Jared clamped his hands over his face and shook his head from side to side. “Noah, I’m sorry—”

  Noah ignored him and reached for his cell phone. After a brief call, he replaced the phone in his pocket and grabbed Jared’s collar with both hands. “She’s okay, Jared. Jennie was cut, but not like the others. Someone came in and blew the guy’s head off. I’m sure you can figure out who we have to thank for that. Jennie has a few knife cuts. There’s no sign of rape. The cops on the scene are waiting for transport to Johns Hopkins Hospital.” He gave Jared a heavy shake. “Are you listening to me?”

  Jared moved away from his brothers. He drew in air, but his lungs didn’t function.

  “Take in slow, even breaths,” Jason said, placing a hand on his back.

  Focusing only on Jason’s voice, he finally got his breathing under control and faced Noah. “Who shot him?”

  “Don’t know. The dispatcher didn’t have all the details. They’re still coming in. There was a witness, a woman who lives across the street. She watched this guy walk into Jennie’s building and come out minutes later. He actually waved at her.”

  “He did what?”

  “He stared right at her, like he wanted her to recognize him.”

  “Do they have someone with the witness now?” His cop brain was slowly functioning.

  “Yeah, there are a couple of neighbors and one of the officers from the scene is with her.”

  “And Jenn
ie, she’s all right?” Jared choked on every word.

  “Physically, she will be fine. The guy used chloroform to knock her out, like the other women. Hopefully, she was out when the bastard was killed. It was point-blank in the back of the head.”

  Jared’s heart dropped into his gut. Jennie—alone, frightened with that monster touching her. “I could’ve lost her… that sick bastard… it could’ve been like Hanna Tu.” Tears clouded his vision as he pushed pass Noah and opened the door.

  “Jared, wait.”

  Noah grabbed his arm, but Jared wrenched out of his grip. “I’m going to her.”

  “Wait a sec, damn it. Think first.”

  “Get out of my way.”

  Jason stood next to Noah. “You agreed to the plan. You can’t ignore it now.”

  “This is my fucking case. Mac, Raúl, everyone promised to keep her safe. Do you call this keeping her safe?”

  “Fine, we’ll get you in to see her, but we can be smart about it. I’ll show up at the crime scene as you. We’ve fooled people our whole life with the twin switch. Everyone will expect you there, especially Mendoza. He helped her for his own reasons.” Noah nudged his twin’s shoulder. “Are you listening to me?”

  Jared stepped away from the door. It was a plan. He had nothing. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. You may hate her, but, God, she doesn’t deserve this.”

  “I don’t hate her. I don’t understand the connection she has with Mendoza, and that scares me. I’m protecting you.”

  Jason interrupted. “Can we finish this on the way to Baltimore?”

  The three men headed for the black Avalanche in the driveway. Noah grabbed the keys out of Jared’s hand and moved toward the driver’s side of the vehicle. “I’m you, remember. No one touches your truck. Hand over your badge, too.” Noah pulled out his wallet and exchanged his badge for Jared’s. He faced Jason. “Is Emma working tonight?”