“Did she say what happened?” Kate asked, as they waited for Riley in her hospital room.
“No, not yet, she just now really came out of it,” Joanna replied.
“Well, thank god she was able to get away before… God, I don’t even want to think about what could have happened!” Helen replied, rubbing her face with her hands.
“Joanna, I had no idea it was Riley. I would have been here if I had,” Alex Denton said, as she appeared in the doorway of the hospital room.
“Detective Denton, I think you met Helen the night you brought Riley home, and this is Kate, Helen’s partner,” Joanna introduced.
“Nice to meet you, Kate, and please call me Alex, how is Riley doing?”
“She’s getting a CT for her head injury, she was in shock and pretty tired, do you have to question her tonight, Alex?”
“Joanna, I don’t know what you’ve been told, but there’s a real possibility here that Riley’s attacker is the same one that abducted the other five women. If it is, then Riley’s key to the investigation and I really need her to tell me what she knows while it’s still fresh. We didn’t get much from the woman we found in the river, her body was too decomposed for any real evidence.”
“Okay, I get it,” Joanna cringed. “Let’s see how she is when she gets here. She went up about ten minutes ago; they said it would take about half an hour.”
“Thank you, Joanna, I need to check in with the boss. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Alex said as she left to find her superior.
Twenty minutes later Doctor Stark entered the room, followed by the orderly wheeling Riley in her hospital bed.
“Well, she has a concussion, which is a little concerning given her prior injury so we’re going to keep a close eye on her tonight,” Doctor Stark said as he came into the room.
“Riley! My god, are you alright?” Kate said, hugging her friend desperately.
“Yes, how are you, kiddo?” Helen said, affectionately brushing a strand of Riley’s hair away from her face.
“Yeah, I’m okay, did they find him or the woman?” Riley asked immediately.
“We don’t know yet, Riley. Your friend Alex, the detective, is here. She wants to get a statement from you, but I’m not sure you’re up to it tonight,” Joanna said protectively.
“Jo, I need to talk to her, I saw a woman…”
Just then Alex appeared back in the room followed by Detective Tanner.
“Riley, one question before I leave you with Detective Denton. Is this your bandanna?” Tanner said, holding up an evidence bag containing an item made of dark blue material.
Riley looked at the item and narrowed her eyes. “No, if that was around my neck it’s what he gagged me with,” Riley replied despondently.
“Shit,” Kate whispered, holding her hand over her mouth.
“Riley, I’m so sorry. The doctor filled us in on your condition. Are you up to telling me what happened tonight?” Alex asked her as Tanner left the room.
“Yes, there was a woman in the woods, and he was there…”
“Okay, slow down, Riley, let’s start at the beginning,” Alex said, closing the room door and pulling up a chair next to Riley’s bedside. “I’m okay with you all staying, if Riley is. Just remember, this is an investigation, so I need you not to repeat anything to anyone outside this room.”
“Of course, Detective. Riley, we can leave if you prefer?” Helen asked.
“No, please stay.”
“Let’s start at the beginning, Riley,” Alex said softly. “What time were you in the park?”
“I started my run around six-thirty, I guess. I was only planning to do the half loop but I felt good, so I did the whole loop. I figured I’d be back way before dark,” Riley replied, looking guiltily at Joanna.
“Oh, honey, no one blames you, what happened was terrible; I know you would have been back before dark!” Joanna said, putting her arm around Riley in a sideways hug.
“So, you don’t usually run after dark?” Alex asked, taking notes.
“I did once,” Riley said, blushing, “but now it’s a rule, only during daylight.”
“Riley, the only reason I ask is I’m trying to determine if this creep had seen you before or if it was a random thing.”
“Oh, my god, do you think he’s been watching Riley?” Helen asked, horrified.
“It’s hard to say, we don’t know much about his MO at the moment. Then what happened, Riley?” Alex continued.
“I was on the east drive, just before the pond, I think, when he grabbed me from behind. I saw him out the corner of my eye, but before I could do anything, he put something over my face, something chemical. I blacked out. When I came to, I saw him crouched down in front of me.”
Riley shut her eyes, trying to remember her terrifying ordeal. She swallowed hard as her voice hitched in her throat.
“It’s okay, Riley, take your time,” Alex reassured her.
“I tried to scream but he had tied a gag in my mouth and around my head. I was leaning up against a tree, my hands were tied behind the tree and there was a strap around my throat holding me to the tree. He had a blade in his hand.”
“What kind of blade, Riley?”
“Like, I guess, a surgical blade? It was about six inches long, all metal, I think, it was already pretty dark.”
“Riley, can you tell me what he looked like, what was he wearing?”
“Running gear, loose pants, black, and a gray hoodie sweatshirt. I didn’t see his face right away. He started to come toward me and put the blade to my face. He said he was going to kill me, or it was going to be a shame to kill me or something. I kicked at him and made him fall down. He came at me again; somehow, I got my hand loose. I punched him and kicked the knife from his hands. He was angry when he got up. That’s when I saw her,” Riley stammered as her face paled.
“Who, Riley, who did you see?” Alex asked her.
“A woman, she was dead, partly buried. I saw her face. She was pretty,” Riley said, looking away, closing her eyes. “He said he fucked her, then killed her, like he was going to do to me. Oh, my god, he was going to kill me!” Riley tried to stifle a sob as she put her arm over her face in anguish.
“Oh, my darling, you’re safe now, no one’s going to hurt you,” Joanna said desperately as she pulled Riley close to her. “Can we take a break? Riley needs a break, Detective.”
“Yeah, sure, I need to make a phone call anyway. Riley, can I ask you one more thing before I make my call?”
“Yes,” Riley answered.
Alex reached into her file and pulled out a picture of a woman, handing it to Riley.
“Riley, was this the woman you saw?”
Riley nodded. “Yes, I think so, that’s the woman I saw.”
Alex gave Joanna a determined look. “It’s Annie Franco, the woman who went missing two days ago,” she said as she punched numbers on her cell phone.
“Carl, there’s a body, could be Annie Franco’s. Riley IDed her, said she’s in a shallow grave by the pond,” Alex told her fellow detective urgently. “Which pond, Riley, the turtle pond or the model boat?”
“The, the boat pond, I think,” Riley replied.
“Did you hear? Good. Get the dogs in there and no one goes near there until it’s been swept. I’ll call the cap and let him know what’s going on.”
Alex put the phone back in her pocket. “How long do you need, Riley? Can I come back in thirty minutes?”
“I’m fine, ask me what you need to, I don’t need a break.”
“Riley, are you sure, you’ve been through a terrible ordeal,” Joanna protested protectively.
“Jo, I’m fine!”
Alex nodded and sat back down in the chair, picking up her notes. “So, when he said that, Riley, what did you do? What happened next?”
“He grabbed me by the hair, but I managed to undo the strap around my neck. I kicked him again and I was free from the tree. I tried to run but he grabbed me again around m
y ankle. I fell; I think that’s when I hit my head. Then, he started hitting me. I knew I had to fight back. I kept thinking of the woman… and what he was going to do to me. I think I kicked him in the balls, that was how I was able to get free. Then… I just ran as fast as I could.”
Alex continued to interview Riley, and Joanna was becoming more and more agitated at the constant barrage of questions that revealed the horror that Riley had endured.
“Riley, what did he look like? Can you describe him if we got a sketch artist in here?”
“I’m trying to remember his face, he was white, creepy looking… and there was a smell, a clean smell, like soap or laundry detergent or something.”
“Look!” Kate stammered as she pointed at the TV on the wall that had the sound turned down. “That’s our apartment building.”
Riley reached for the remote and raised the sound.
Eyewitnesses that came forward said they saw a young woman, bloody and frantically running to this apartment building, where the police and ambulance were summoned shortly afterward. The police won’t confirm or deny if the woman was attacked but there is some indication there could be a body of a woman in Central Park. We go now over to Paul Reynolds who is on scene at the park.
Paul, what can you tell us about a possible body? Have the police made any statements at this time? Do we know the identity of the young woman and did the police confirm if she indeed was attacked?
No, Hannah, at this time the only thing we know for sure is that this is early and as you can see from the commotion behind me, an ongoing investigation…
“Shit, excuse me,” Alex said, reaching again for her cell phone.
“Real fucking smooth, Carl, it’s all over the news and they know about the dead vic in the park,” Alex tried to say under her breath, her irritation evident. “Her name better not get out there! And for Christ’s sake, tell those morons to stay off the radios. I want a uniform outside her room tonight, got it?”
“Sorry about that. The press scans the police radios for stories. One of our guys must have said something to tip off the press,” Alex informed them as she hung up.
“You said a uniform outside the room. You don’t think Riley is in any danger, do you?” Joanna asked in a concerned tone.
“I don’t think so, but again we don’t know much yet, so it’s just a precaution. I’ll have someone stationed outside until Riley is released.”
Joanna could see the blank look of realization on Riley’s pale face, as the doctor returned to her room.
“Riley, we have some of the lab results,” he began, looking at Riley then back at Alex and Joanna. “It looks like what she ingested was some kind of synthetic mixture of diethyl ether and chloroform. Pretty strong, too. It won’t cause any permanent damage but that’s definitely what made her unconscious. It should be out of her system in a few hours, and then she’ll begin to feel better. I’d like to give her a sedative to help her relax; her BP is still high but with the concussion…”
“I’m right here, you know. When can I go home?” Riley spat angrily.
“Yes, sorry, Riley,” he replied, returning his attention back to Riley. “We’ll see how you’re doing in the morning, get you another CT, and make a determination from there.”
“What? Fuck the morning, I wanna go now.”
“Riley, settle down, you can’t,” Joanna started.
“I don’t have to fucking stay here, please, Jo, take me home!” Riley pleaded as a tear started down her cheek.
“I’ll go and get that sedative,” Doctor Stark said gently, before leaving Riley’s room.
“Baby, I’m staying with you, it’s just for tonight. Can you give us a minute?” Joanna asked, looking up at the three women.
“Jo, we’re going to leave and let Riley get some rest,” Helen said, bending down and kissing Riley on the temple. “We love you, kiddo, try to get some rest, okay? We’ll be back first thing in the morning and bring you some clothes.”
“Thank you,” Riley said, trying to stifle another tear, as Kate squeezed her hand.
“Anything you need, okay, Jo? You try to get some rest too,” Helen said, hugging her best friend.
“I’m gonna go too. Riley, hang in there, okay? You are very brave, we’re gonna get this asshole, I promise you. I’ll follow up in the morning,” Alex said, as she picked up her file.
“Thank you, Detective Denton,” Joanna replied.
“Please, it’s Alex. I’ll see you in the morning.”
* * *
“What do you mean, you can’t find it? Central Park isn’t that big, Carl!” Alex said angrily, as she paced the briefing room of the twenty-second precinct.
“Maybe the kid got it wrong; she was in shock after all. Maybe there ain’t no other body,” the disheveled detective replied, as he sipped a cup of dark black coffee. “We’ve been at it all night; it’s over eight hundred and forty acres, for Christ’s sake!”
“She IDed her, I don’t care if you have to scour every inch of the park.”
“Denton, my office. DNA came back, we got a match,” the department head bellowed as he poked his head in the briefing room.
“Yes, Cap,” she replied, as she followed the silver-haired captain toward his office.
“Carl, get as many of the team together for the zero eight hundred briefing, would you?”
Alex sat across the desk from her boss, as he slid a file across the desk to her.
“We have a serial killer on our hands. The DNA from the blood under Ms. Carrington’s fingernails was a match to DNA found on several victims in Kentucky seven years ago. It was a cold case until now, but same MO, young females, raped and throats slit. They recovered five bodies back then. Two other girls went missing around the same time but were never found. This is Emily McCloud,” he said, as he pointed to a photograph in the file. “She managed to escape from him. Two weeks later the gutsy sonofabitch stalked her to the diner where she was working, had a meatloaf dinner, then slit her throat in the kitchen. Also, the lab traced the tranquilizing agent back to two manufacturers. Get one of your team to chase it down. Find out where it is distributed and sold. The FBI is gonna be all over this, we may as well get as much as we can before they get here.”
The captain slid another photo across the desk to Alex.
“This was a still taken from the video feed outside Riley Carrington’s apartment building. This could be our guy if he followed her to the building,” he said, tapping at a blurry figure of a man with a hoodie hiding his face.
“Shit, Riley could be in danger if this prick thinks she can ID him. I have a uniform outside of her hospital room but I think we should have a couple at the apartment too. She’s being released today. Do I tell her about this, Cap?”
“Yes, I think you have to. I’ll do my best to keep the media in the dark a bit longer but they’re gonna want some answers pretty quick. Now go home, get some rest, you look like shit.”
“Thanks a lot!” Alex said, grinning at her boss. “But I’m going to see if Riley can retrace her steps in the park. So far, they’ve come up with nothing. I’ll be at the hospital after the zero eight hundred briefing.”
* * *
“How is she?” Helen asked, entering the hospital room with Kate, seeing Joanna sitting in the chair in an otherwise empty hospital room.
“She’s down getting a CT. She had a rough night, didn’t get much sleep. It will be better when I can get her home. She’s putting on a brave face but I think underneath, she’s terrified. I mean, I can’t even imagine, Helen.” Joanna stopped, as she broke down in her best friend’s arms.
“We’ll need to get you both home. You look like you didn’t get much rest either. Where’s the cop who was outside the door?”
“He went with Riley,” Joanna replied as Alex knocked on the door frame.
“Morning, how’s she doing?” Alex asked.
“As well as can be expected under the circumstances, I think. Is there news?”
&n
bsp; “Yes, look, Joanna, I think it’s actually good Riley is not here. There have been some developments. It looks like we have a serial killer on our hands and apparently this is not his first string of murders.”
Alex proceeded to tell Joanna, Helen, and Kate the details of what the DNA had revealed.
“So, he knows where we live?” a pale-faced Joanna asked.
“It’s possible; I need to ask Riley if she recognizes him. The picture is blurry but this is from the video footage taken from outside your apartment building last night.”
“Shit. I think I should take her back to LA, she’s not safe here,” Joanna said, trying to process all the new information.
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea. We can protect her here, we can have uniformed officers outside the building and the FBI is going to want to talk with her,” Alex replied with a nod of encouragement.
“There she is. Riley, how are you?” Helen asked, seeing the orderly wheel Riley back into the room.
“I’m good and ready to go, did you bring me clothes?” Riley asked in a despondent tone.
“Yes, of course we did. Are you being released?” Kate asked.
“I’m going home, either way,” Riley said, getting out of the bed and grabbing the bag Kate handed her.
Helen raised her eyebrows and gave Joanna a questioning look, as Riley headed toward the bathroom.
“She’s tired and been through a lot,” Joanna tried to reason, following Riley to the restroom.
Inside she started helping Riley with her clothes.
“I got it, Jo,” she said in a dismissing tone, not accepting Joanna’s help.
“Okay, baby, I was just trying to help.”
“I know, sorry, I just want to go home.”
“Hopefully today, okay?”
“No, I’m going now. I’m fine.”
“Riley, I know you’ve been through a terrible ordeal but you get to go home when the doctor releases you.”
“Fuck that, I’m going!”
Joanna had enough and spun Riley around, readying to land a swat to her backside but checked herself before she delivered it. She took a deep breath and put her hand on Riley’s shoulder.
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