“Since this is just between us, why don’t you let Nicole go? She hasn’t done anything. Then you can do whatever you want with me. What do you say?”
“I say fuck no! And she has done something. She’s a goddamn woman! And as much as I like women, I don’t trust them. Not one bit. They are lying, manipulative bitches that have one major agenda in life: to screw men up! They lead you on just so they can take you down. Everything’s a big game to them. Well, I’m not playing that game anymore. Not after what your fucking wife did to me!”
Sam started to blurt something out but held his tongue. Jenkins was only getting angrier and that was the last thing they needed. Better to just let it slide. Nicole squeezed his hand, as though she was thinking the same thing. He sensed that despite her fear, she was forcing herself to try and keep her head level.
Sam glanced at the clock on the dashboard and a thought suddenly came to mind. His phone—it was in the right hand pocket of his pants. There was no way Jenkins could see him do it. He slowly withdrew his hand from Nicole’s and brought it to the lip of his pants pocket. Slowly he wriggled his fingers in and took hold of his iPhone, careful not let his body shift and make Jenkins suspicious. With a digging motion, he was able to extract the phone from his pocket. Nicole stared straight ahead at the highway, aware of what he was doing but refraining from turning her head. Thank God.
“How’re you doing, driver? I’m not pulling too hard am I?” Jenkins asked cheerfully.
“I guess not,” Nicole managed to say.
“That’s good. I wouldn’t want you to be in any discomfort. Just keep your eyes on the road or I may have to tighten up on this a bit.” He chuckled.
Jenkins was loving this, Sam thought. He had clearly become even more deranged and control-happy than ever. When he thought of what might lay ahead for Nicole, he felt the knot in his stomach tighten more.
The phone was now in his palm. He brought his hand over, rested it on his lap and without looking, felt around for the home button, pressed and held his right thumb there to unlock the screen. He could feel Jenkins’ eyes on him from his perch in the back seat. The last thing he needed was to risk his noticing that he was looking down. He chanced a quick glance at the screen anyway and saw that he had clicked the adjacent mail app icon instead. He clicked the home button again then pressed what he was pretty certain was the call button. Hoping and praying that Jenkins wouldn’t notice his head looking down, Sam selected the recent calls button, which in turn brought up Hogarth’s phone number. He then pressed the tiny info button and chose the text message option before looking up again. Feeling around to make sure the mute button was on, he looked down long enough to click in the text field and then begin typing out a message. It took him two full minutes of furtive pecking around on the miniature keyboard to complete it:
“He in car w us, make us drive north on a12”
Sam hit the send button. A moment later he glanced down at the screen and saw that the message had not been received yet. Check your phone, Hogarth!
“How’s your old buddy, Roger Hagstrom?” Jenkins suddenly asked, making Sam flinch.
“He’s fine.”
“Still with the Smithtown PD?”
“Yeah.”
“And how’s that sweet little girl of yours—Amy?”
At the mention of his daughter, Sam felt his blood boil. He managed to keep it together, but it wasn’t easy. “Fine.”
“Jesus, she must be what—mid-twenties now?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Damn, that’s hard to believe. Did Ann ever manage to get her under control? She gave her mother fits back then!”
Sam was unable to answer for a moment. All he could think of was how this asshole had played Ann and tried to schmooze Amy into thinking he was some super cool guy who knew what made teenagers tick. What a farce! Amy had seen right through him, God love her, knowing he was utterly full of shit.
“She’s all grown up now,” Sam finally said.
“I’ll bet you’re real proud of her. Married a good man with a solid job and gave you a granddaughter. You must be beaming!”
Sam had to force himself to keep cool, wondering what else this monster knew about his daughter’s family and if he planned on targeting them some day. How he would love to snatch that cord and wrap it around this scary fuck’s scrawny neck instead!
Without replying, Sam glanced down at his iPhone again. His text message still hadn’t been received by the police inspector. Whatever was going on, Hogarth must be out of range for a signal to ping his phone. Wonderful.
Feeling increasingly desperate, Sam wondered if there was some way to overcome Jenkins before this went any further. He might be able grab his arm by surprise and rip that cord from his hands. Then what? Jump over the console and pound the shit out of him? Not likely. Even if he were able to grab the cord, Sam would be at a definite disadvantage. Too much distance to travel before Jenkins could regain control of Nicole.
Sam took hold of Nicole’s hand again. “You okay?”
“No talking to the driver!” Jenkins snapped. “Pull that again and I’ll pull on this!”
“Not to burst your bubble, Stanley, but if you strangle Nicole, we’re all going to die when she wrecks the car.”
“Is that so? You willing to chance that, Sam?”
“Can you at least tell us what your plans are for us, Stanley? It’s not like we can do anything to change them.”
“I want it to be a surprise! So no, I’m not giving that up. And I would prefer that you call me by real name, which is Trent. Show some respect, Sam.”
“Right, Trent.”
Suddenly Sam felt his phone vibrate. Fortunately there was enough road noise to drown it out and keep Jenkins from hearing. He glanced down and saw that the text message had been delivered. Thank God! A moment later he saw three blinking dots indicating that Hogarth was texting him back. His response suddenly appeared:
Where r u now?
Sam peeled his eyes to look for a sign or something indicating where they were. Feeling like he could crawl out of his skin before something viable came along, they eventually passed a sign for an exit to Brentwood. Sam typed “Brentwood” in the field and hit the send button.
The three dots blinked and then came Hogarth’s reply:
Stay safe. End of message.
Really? Sam thought. That’s the best you can do? I feel so much better now!
He shot a glance toward Nicole, who he could tell was dying to look over and see what was going on but knew better. Sam would like to tell her what he thought of that cool reserve the English were known for and how he wished right now it didn’t apply to the cops as well. Apparently Hogarth’s approach to dealing with this nightmare was to offer a couple words of encouragement.
Jenkins broke the silence. “You have a lot of nerve, Sam, cashing in on my story like you have. I should make you pay me royalties! I do all of the work then get sent to prison while you in turn become a big time author at my expense. Something wrong there, don’t you think?”
“If you’d bothered reading the book, you’d know that I made major modifications and there was very little reference to you directly, Stanley.”
“Major modifications? The hell you say! All you did was switch a few names around and make up a bunch of fake places, but it was still my story you wrote about. Makes me really pissed just thinking about it—got half a notion to just kill you right now and head off into the sunset with your date!”
In a sudden rage, Jenkins pulled hard on the cord around Nicole’s neck making her cry out. Sam reached over and grasped the cord in an effort to pull it from Jenkins’ hands. Jenkins in turn pulled on it tighter as Nicole’s head whipped back against the headrest. The car suddenly veered into the right lane toward oncoming traffic. Sam took control of the steering wheel as he saw the cord suddenly go slack and Nicole began choking uncontrollably.
“Let me pull over!” Sam cried, fighting to keep the car in the lane.
“Just steer the car, Sam, until your little friend can take over again.”
Nicole placed her hands on the steering wheel and gave Sam a frightened but reassuring glance, still coughing her head off.
“You damn near killed us all, genius,” Jenkins said. “Try that again and I’ll make sure the little lady goes first before we crash.”
Sam reluctantly eased himself back down in the passenger seat. Now there was a thick red welt where the cord had dug into Nicole’s flesh. And she was still having difficulty breathing.
“Why don’t you let me take over the driving, Stanley? Give Nicole a break.”
“Nope. We don’t have much further to go and I have faith that she’ll pull through just fine.”
Sam fell silent and another ten minutes went by before anyone spoke again. During that time Sam’s mind was spinning, trying to think of what to do, praying that Hogarth would text him back with some sort of plan instead of lip service, painfully aware that they were almost at their destination and time was swiftly running out.
“Get off at the next exit,” Jenkins barked.
Nicole slowed down and exited the highway.
“Go right at the intersection.”
They were now traveling on a two lane country road in a rural area. Sam noticed several farms as Nicole carefully negotiated the dark, winding road.
“Ah, the country life,” Jenkins said. “Nothing quite like it. So quiet, peaceful and isolated from all the riff-raff of the city.”
After traveling four or five miles further Jenkins said, “Bear left at that fork in the road up ahead.”
Nicole did as she was told and within a few minutes the road turned into little more than a glorified path running through the thick woods. Sam heard the sound of dense vegetation scraping against the sides of Nicole’s beloved car and knew she was probably cringing, imagining the damage being done to the shiny paint job. The car soon started rocking up and down roughly as it ran over deep ruts and large pieces of sandstone scattered along the terrain. Nicole instinctively slowed down to a near crawl.
“Speed up, damn it!” Jenkins shouted.
“It’s too bumpy,” Nicole replied. “I can hardly stay on the road!”
“Forget your fucking car and get moving, bitch! We’ve only got another half mile to go.”
Reluctantly, Nicole increased the speed a bit, just enough to silence Jenkins for the time being. Sam knew that very soon their fate would be sealed if he didn’t think of some way out of this nightmare. It was pitch dark outside and he doubted there was anyone within earshot of this place. Jenkins could pretty much do whatever he wanted to do and no one would be the wiser.
Soon they approached a small clearing in the woods, about thirty feet around. Near the center was the charred remnants of a wood fire. Sam wondered if Jenkins came here to be at one with nature while planning out his next sexual assault in town. He wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.
“Stop the car,” he said.
Nicole came to a halt not far from the abandoned fire pit.
“Keep it running,” Jenkins ordered. He took hold of the back seat door handle and pushed the door open. “Stay where you are, Sam. You can get out now, honey.”
Hearing Jenkins say that made the hair on the back of Sam’s neck bristle. Something about the way he said it—as though none of this had ever happened and he and Nicole were out on a date. And he was the odd man out.
Nicole glanced over at Sam dismally before opening the door and getting out. In a flash, Jenkins hopped out of the car, stood behind Nicole and brought a six-inch hunting knife to her neck. Nicole screamed loud enough to wake the dead.
“Shut up, you stupid bitch!” Jenkins hissed in her ear. “Do that again and I’ll slit that pretty neck of yours wide open.”
The realization that Jenkins also had a knife in his arsenal effectively dashed Sam’s hopes of overpowering Jenkins. One swift swipe of that razor sharp blade would end Nicole’s life in an instant. Strangulation would have taken much longer.
“Let her go, Jenkins, please! Just leave her out of this and I’ll do anything you say!”
“Sam, you’ll do anything I say either way.” He laughed. “Not much bargaining power here, I’m afraid. But I will promise you one thing. You’re going to have a ringside seat for what I have planned for your pretty lady here.”
Sam sat powerless and watched as Jenkins pulled the long cord from his pocket and cut it in two with a quick swipe of his knife. He then forced Nicole’s hands behind her back and wrapped a piece several times around Nicole’s wrists.
“Stay right here for a moment, darling. Try to run and Sam is dead.”
Jenkins ran around the car, opened the passenger door and ordered Sam out.
“Run, Nicole!” Sam shouted.
Jenkins smacked him with the back of his hand. Brandishing the knife, Jenkins got right up in his face. “Not cool, Sam. If you want to stay alive for the show, you’ll have to be cooperative. Got it?”
Sam looked over at Nicole, still standing where Jenkins had left her. He nodded.
“That’s better. Now turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
Jenkins bound Sam’s hands with the remaining piece of cord, pulling the knot extra tight.
“Back in the car,” he ordered, pushing Sam on to the seat. “And watch closely as I show you how it’s done.”
He slammed the car door and flitted back over to Nicole. Taking her by the arm he led her across the clearing a dozen feet or so. Then he spun her around so she was facing the car. Sam looked on hopelessly as she stood there forlornly in the blinding glare of the headlights, shivering from the cold, her expression a mixture of sheer terror and utter defeat. Sam had no idea what was coming next, but he knew that whatever it was would break his heart. He squirmed in the seat, trying futilely to free his hands, the cord slicing deep into his wrists.
Jenkins was standing behind Nicole. He took a moment to glance at Sam, smiling hideously. Then he reached around, curled his fingers inside the neckline of Nicole’s dress and in an instant ripped it away from her torso, exposing her breasts. He walked around, took hold of her bra and was about to rip it off when Nicole suddenly kneed him in the crotch so hard that Jenkins fell backwards. From where he sat, Sam could see the shock and pain on Jenkins’ face as he stood bent over from the unexpected attack. Nicole suddenly broke into a sprint and ran toward the car. Jenkins recovered enough to give chase and in short order grabbed her from behind in a bear hold.
“Police, halt!” a voice shouted from somewhere behind Sam.
Jenkins froze for a moment, holding the knife against Nicole’s throat with his free hand.
“Stop or I’ll kill her!” he shouted into the darkness.
Sam turned around and saw a pair of figures standing a few yards behind Nicole’s car silhouetted by the beam of a flashlight.
“Okay, Mason,” someone replied. It was Inspector Hogarth.
“Now come into the light with your hands up,” Jenkins ordered.
Nicole stood petrified as Jenkins continued holding the knife to her throat. Sam saw a trail of blood trickle down where he’d nicked her. He looked around in the car for something to save the day but knew it was fruitless. He came up with a backup plan, however. If Jenkins killed Nicole, he would hop into the driver’s seat, floor the accelerator and mow the fucker down.
Inspectors Hogarth and Higgins walked along the side of the car, holding their arms up in the air.
“Stop right there,” Jenkins said.
“Let the woman go, Mason. We have the area surrounded.”
“Right, constable. And pigs fly.” Jenkins chuckled. “You’re looking at who’s in control here and you’ll do exactly as I say. Now take your handcuffs and put one on your partner’s wrist and the other on your own.”
“This isn’t going to work, Mason. If you surrender willingly, nobody will get hurt.”
“No, if I surrender I’ll go back to prison. That
’s not an option, I’m afraid. Now put those cuffs on or I’ll slice Mrs. Heaton.”
Sam watched as Hogarth reached for his handcuffs. He moved slowly as he cuffed Inspector Higgins and cuffed his own left hand. Sam suddenly thought he saw something move near the edge of the woods behind Jenkins. He could barely make out a figure as it emerged from the woods and crept slowly toward them.
“Very good. Now I’d like for both of you to sit down on the ground—slowly—no sudden movements.”
The figure drew closer toward Jenkins as Hogarth and Higgins carefully lowered themselves down to a sitting position in unison. Sam now could clearly see a young police officer bathed in the car’s headlights as he stealthily approached Jenkins and his hostage. Sam held his breath as the man came within a few feet of Jenkins. Suddenly he ran up behind Jenkins, stuck a taser into the back of his head while simultaneously grabbing the knife from his hand.
“Hands up!” he shouted. Jenkins nearly jumped out of his skin.
Jenkins promptly raised his hands and spun his head around long enough to see who had attacked him. Inspector Hogarth and his partner were already on their feet running toward Jenkins. Inspector Higgins went over to comfort Nicole as Hogarth used his free hand to help the officer cuff Jenkins.
When Jenkins was handcuffed, Hogarth removed the cuffs from himself and Higgins and took out his radio.
“All clear. Suspect is in custody,” Sam heard him say.
Higgins and Nicole started walking toward the car while Hogarth and the police officer remained with Jenkins. Higgins opened the passenger door, helped Sam to his feet and freed his hands. Nicole immediately threw her arms around him and they embraced.
“Thank God you’re alright!” Sam cried. “And thanks for coming to the rescue,” he added to Inspector Higgins.
“No problem,” Higgins replied. “We’re just glad we got here in time.”
“I’ve never been so frightened my entire life!” Nicole cried. “I truly thought it was the end.”
Just then they heard a police car approach from behind. It pulled up beside Nicole’s car and came to a stop. Inspector Hogarth, the officer and their prisoner began moving toward it.
The May Day Murders Sequel Page 27