* * *
That seemed like an odd twist, since they beat those men to death. It was almost hard to believe there could be a multi-story building located way out here. It must have been related to some World War II installations.
The road, if you could call it that, was just a narrow, two-lane surface that was pretty worn. After I winced hitting the first pot hole, I needed to pay closer attention to the road. Road repair out here was apparently not a high priority.
I remembered the map showed about a ninety-degree turn as it neared the end of the island. My lights picked up a sand dune covered with snow straight ahead, so I figured that must be the turn. I pulled to the side of the road and shut my lights off. I thought I better walk the rest of the way.
As I walked up the road, there was a slight hill blocking the view of any structures. Cresting the top of the hill, I could see the dark outline of a multi-story building. The only sounds I could hear were the seagulls hovering like vultures flying low. They reminded me of my nightmare. I wonder what Mercedes thought of my dream? What a time to be thinking of her.
I didn’t have my flashlight turned on, but should have. I never saw the pothole and fell, breaking my fall with my hands. I tried the flashlight, and it wouldn’t come on. I could feel the blood on my hand where I must have cut myself. The building was about a hundred yards ahead.
I stopped. The building was silhouetted against the early evening sky. It looked just like the listing. It had two almost identical sides. I could see a sign on the right-hand side of the building, which had to be the occupied side. There was no way I could read it.
I wondered if I’d locked my car. I thought about going back to get it. Since it was Monday, the women would have already disposed of Jason’s body and left the building. But maybe they hadn’t left. I needed to just check the building out on foot.
There was only a partial moon, but it was too early to provide much help. Jason never mentioned a potholed road surface, but maybe he was traumatized when they put him in the car.
I stood looking at this larger-than-expected, very black building. I heard something break the crust of the snow near where I was standing and flinched. I had no idea what could have made that sound but decided to get closer to the building.
I could see more building detail. No windows faced the road. There was a wooden fence to the left and another on the occupied side. When I reached it, it was too high to look over. I knelt and looked under it and could see only a few feet, but noticed car tire tracks.
I contemplated climbing the fence, but there were no cross strips on the face of it. I crept along the front of the building. I looked to see if I could see my car, but it was blocked by the hill.
I heard the noise again and froze in place. I was afraid to move, straining to listen. I could hear the seagulls, the jets in the distance, and a remote foghorn. I felt like a man who had just stepped on a landmine.
Chapter 76
I was having that naked dream again.
I couldn’t see, and it was hard to move. My hands were tied behind me. However, this time, I felt the pain in my ankles—I was hanging upside down.
I decided not to move, but listened for any sign of someone near. I felt the ice cold air on my body. This couldn’t be a dream. I mentally started counting backward from a hundred. I reached seventy-five and realized this was not a dream.
I had good news and bad news. The good news was I had found the right building. The bad news was I had unfortunately found the right building at the wrong time.
I couldn’t see a thing—it was total blackness. I smelled hemp, or that rope smell, mixed with burnt wood. It was a strange sweet fragrance.
There were no close sounds, but when I tried a slight move of my body I could hear the metallic sound of a pulley. One thing was for sure—it was cold in here. My jaw started to shudder and I could hear my teeth chattering.
I thought, if someone doesn’t come quickly, I won’t last long here. I moved my head and shoulders as much as I could. I thought I heard something other than the metallic sound.
I would have recognized that sound anywhere. It was my Pontiac. Someone was moving my car. They were probably moving it behind the fence. What’s the chance of someone finding me here? I wondered.
I heard the sound of someone possibly coming and held still. I tried to calm my breathing, but could tell my heart was racing a mile a minute. Shortly, I sensed someone standing nearby. I tried to stay calm. Whoever was there was waiting with me. My chattering teeth gave me away.
The next thing I knew, I was being moved. A hand was pushing against my back, and I could feel the air hitting my face. The rolling stopped, and the air temperature seemed warmer.
I could feel my body swaying from the sudden stop. I heard the sound of air sputtering. Then the ice cold water jolted me. It actually felt warm, but soon it was as cold as the other room.
There was obviously someone with me, but I couldn’t tell if it was more than one person.
The water stopped. There was a pause, and I knew the person was studying me. The person knew I was awake now. I realized my head was pounding. I flinched. This time it was in reaction to the bristles against my feet. I was being washed, and soon realized I was being washed all over.
From the attention being paid to my body, I knew it was a woman. Her fingers held me to prevent me from turning while I was being cleaned. I understood now why I was being washed; I smelled the coal dust as it cascaded across my face.
She knew I was awake now, as I cried out several times from the pain of the brush. I could hear her chuckle, and my cry increased the pressure. I tried to get my mind on other things. She must have dropped me down the coal chute I saw while I was standing in front of the building. My body was burning all over, and I wished she would stop.
She did. Then the ice-cold spray hit me again and I could feel my body turning from the pressure.
The water was a cold contrast to the burning from the brush. The spray stopped, and I continued to swing in place. I tried to contain my breathing, but I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I started to pay attention to the sounds around me, but all I could hear was the water dripping off me. I decided I had nothing to lose.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
There was no answer, but I could hear the sound of someone walking in the water.
“Why are you doing this to me? I haven’t done anything. If you let me go, I’ll just leave and not say anything about this.”
I could feel the heat from someone near me. She was very close. She stopped me from spinning. Her hand was like a branding iron on my naked skin. The heat was a drastic contrast to the cold. I wondered what else she had in store for me and whether there were others. Or, would they arrive shortly.
I couldn’t control my breathing any longer and took an audible breath. That’s when I smelled that familiar fragrance, gardenia, Oh my God, Mercedes.
“Mercedes, why are you doing this to me?”
Chapter 77
Lisa could feel Judy watching her as she got hotter and hotter. Lisa had dressed nicely for her date with Scott.
“Lisa, he’ll be here. He probably was delayed by something at the task force office.”
She looked at her watch for about the twentieth time. “I really thought he would be here on time. I can’t believe he’s an hour and a half late. Gee, I hope he’s okay. Maybe I better call him. No, if he was going to be late . . . he should have called me.”
Lisa could sense Judy was trying to find a way to calm her down. “Lisa, you could call him at his apartment. If there’s no answer, it would eliminate him just running late, or oversleeping. Then you could call the office, and if he’s there you could find out when he will be here.”
Lisa looked at Judy for a moment. “I know you’re trying to help, but he promised me his running late days were over. I’m worried. I feel something has happened to him. This was a big date, and he wouldn’t be this late. Not without calling me
.”
“Then you need to call him at home, and at the office.” She hesitated before adding, “You can’t wait any longer. You’ll be a wreck when he shows up.”
She felt like crying, but all of her efforts to look exceptional would be wasted. “You’re right.” She dashed out of the room.
When she arrived at the phone, there was someone on it. She paced for what seemed like ten minutes and then exploded. “Would you please tell him you love him and get off the phone? I have an emergency!”
“Get a grip, you street walker.”
“If you’re not off that phone in a minute, you’re going to be walking with it up your butt . . . blondeee.”
The girl mumbled something in the phone and then slammed down the receiver. She was going to say something but turned away and flipped her middle finger.
Lisa was amazed at her new found authority. She quickly dialed Scott’s phone and, after many rings, realized he would have answered by now. She dialed the task force office. She had prepared a punishing verbal scenario if Scott was there.
“Hello Task force office, Mike Miller.”
“Mike, I’m glad you answered the phone. Is Scott there? He’s late for a date.”
“No, Lisa, he hasn’t returned. He’s still checking properties. He was expected hours ago.”
Mike asked, “What time was he due there?”
“Seven. Mike, I’m worried. Scott promised he wouldn’t be late again without calling me. He planned to take me to a nice restaurant, and knew I would have dressed for the occasion. What can we do?”
“Lisa, a lot has happened today. One of the women, we believe connected with the killings, was killed. However, I promise you I will find Scott. I will call you, or he will. Thank you for alerting me that you were also expecting him.”
Mike didn’t hesitate. He rushed up to Paddy’s office. “We’ve got a serious problem. Lisa called a minute ago. Scott was supposed to take her out to dinner almost two hours ago. He hasn’t called, and I think she has a reason to worry.”
Mike noticed Paddy’s worried expression and added, “As you know, he was going to check out the other two property listings. That should not have taken all day and part of the night.”
Paddy considered Mike’s concern. “As we speculated earlier, Carole was expecting us. The police scanner must have tipped her off. If she called one or more of her associates . . . well, Scott could have walked into a trap.”
“We’ve got to find where he was going. Do you have those addresses?”
“No, but I have an idea.”
Mike left at a run. Paddy followed, saying a silent prayer Scott was okay. He found Mike at Scott’s work area.
“I have the addresses.” Mike held up a sheet of paper. Paddy smiled, noticing the pencil rubbing on it. “I would say this second address is where we need to head. Scott would have checked out the closest address first.”
Mike headed to the map to pinpoint where they needed to go. “This last address is way out on Long Island. There’s a long bridge connecting it with the mainland. That’s got to be the building.”
They both went running for their coats. “Paul, you need to follow us in your car. You’ll understand where we’re headed when we call into dispatch, but Scott is way overdue checking out those properties.”
Chapter 78
Mike and Paddy were quiet, deep in their own thoughts as they headed out.
Jason had not been found and was most likely another victim. Carole Daniels had either been killed or took her own life when confronted. Scott was missing, but hopefully still alive. Mercedes was considered a suspect and could be involved in Scott’s disappearance. If there were other women, the task force had no idea who or where they were. They had a potential building where Scott could be located.
Summarizing it all, Mike thought, if we had a ten pound bag, we have twenty pounds of shit at this time. “Paddy, do you think tonight is going to be a good night or something we will want to forget?”
“I’ve already said my prayers for Scott. I have a feeling Carole called the other women involved. One or more of them have Scott.”
Chapter 79
I could feel her breath on me. She was so close, lowering me down. What was next? I know this is Mercedes, but she is acting totally out of character. I had loved the fragrance of gardenia but was beginning to hate it.
I felt the rough floor against my naked body and could feel the blood rushing back into my feet. I couldn’t possibly stand, let alone walk or run. Her breathing was labored. It was time to plead.
“Mercedes, you can’t do this to me. You wanted to be friends. I care about you. Don’t you care about me?”
Of course, I could not see her response coming. I felt her well-placed kick and it turned my stomach. I tried to move to prevent another low blow. The next one landed under my chin. Thank God she was barefoot.
She was not responding the way I had hoped. My hope was that she would eventually come to her senses. She liked me. She told me so. She was untying my feet. I thought, maybe I could run, but to where? Not a chance blindfolded.
When my feet were untied, she stood with her feet between my legs. Neither of us moved, and I didn’t like what came to my mind.
I heard the water splash as she walked around behind me. She grabbed me under my armpits. With more strength than I could have imagined, she had me on my feet. In the process of lifting me, I could tell she was naked also. She held the rope binding my hands and pushed me forward.
I was surprised my legs could move, but they were all pins and needles. We moved at a slow pace and the next thing I knew, we were rising up slowly in what felt like an elevator.
She turned me to face her, and our bodies touched. The warmth of her body was a welcome contrast to the cold I had been subjected to. My body reacted to the contact. The elevator stopped, but she didn’t move.
“Mercedes, we can still be friends.”
Her repeated slaps shocked me, and I tried to withdraw from them. I almost went over the low horizontal rail. She pulled me by my ear, and I followed her blindly.
It was only a few steps before we stopped. She let go of my ear and just stood there. I learned not to say anything. She was behind me now, and I wondered if she was going to push me off a second floor balcony or something.
My nightmare came back to me. It was so similar, but so different. It was not crows hovering over me—it was her. I had wondered if crows would eat a live body, but I know now crows were nothing compared to this viper. I was defenseless, doomed, and I knew she knew it.
* * *
I heard the sound of a light switch. She pushed me flat against cold glass. It was ice cold. She held me there for about a minute, then jabbed her foot behind my knees.
I crumpled to the floor. She held my head against the glass. Her next action surprised the hell out of me, if that was possible.
She pulled up my blindfold. It took a second to focus. It was obviously a freezer display window. What I saw turned my stomach, and I gagged. When I closed my eyes, she smashed my face into the glass. I got the point and reopened them.
What I saw were the partial remains of one of the men—his head, hands, feet, and precious parts. They were arranged like trophies. I tried to look at the reflection to see her, but all I could tell was she was a tall redhead.
It had to be Mercedes, but I wasn’t going to talk to her. She turned the display case light off. She pushed me on my knees a few feet across the rough floor. By the time we reached the last display, I saw Jason, or what was left of him.
I knew what she had planned for me. I couldn’t believe it, but that was why she showed me what was left of these men.
I couldn’t help my feelings for these poor hockey players. I still didn’t understand why they were killed, or why I was going to be next. I could feel the blood running down across my lips. My knees hurt, and I couldn’t hold back the tears. Not really for these men, or my fate, but for what Lisa and I were going to miss.
>
She must have seen my reaction and replaced the blindfold. She lifted my body slowly, almost like it was something sexual. My hands were in the wrong place, or maybe they were perfect for her. I focused on trying to formulate a plan, but, before anything could develop, we were moving.
We were in the elevator for the slow descent. She was licking the blood from my face. I realized then that this person, if Mercedes, had a side I had never seen before. And never wanted to see again.
She knew she had me right where she wanted me. The elevator had stopped minutes ago; she hadn’t.
Then, with a form of rage, she pushed me out of the elevator onto the floor. I crashed in a lump, and slid across the rough wood floorboards. I stayed right where I was, but I could hear her moving ropes.
I could smell them. She came over, dragging me this time until I bumped into a wall. She lifted me again, turned me around, and pushed me backward. I thought I was going to fall from a balcony, but it was a short fall to a rough wood platform.
She quickly tied each of my ankles and then sat me up and untied my hands. However, with a practiced move, she had new ropes on each hand, and she pushed me flat again. She stretched each of the ropes so I could not move.
I could feel my head hanging over the side of the platform and the edge cut into my neck, wrists, and ankles. This was the apparatus they used to dismember the men. I was sure. I thought the only time I had left was the time between that moment and when she became bored with me. What else could she want?
I wanted to know before I died if Mercedes would really do this to me? She jumped on me and kissed me. It was unlike any kiss I’ve ever had. The fragrance was gardenia. I remembered Mercedes and my kiss, and this had more passion.
Please, Mercedes, don’t do this, I thought. Please, God, don’t let this happen to me.
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