by Kate Morris
“I’m here. I’m gonna look around.”
She was highly aware of the fact that if he was anywhere in the area that he might be able to hear her. She decided to be quieter.
“Evans, I’ve got movement about thirty yards from you,” Jack said into her earpiece. He was wearing the proper communication equipment so that he could talk to her. “Squat down. Stay still.”
Lorena did so, taking a knee behind a tree whose branches hung out over the river. She kept her hand on the butt of her pistol and waited, the only sounds her breathing and the gentle gurgle of the water.
“Just a deer. You’re clear,” he said into her ear. Craig could also hear them, and so could his two men. “I’m not seeing anything. No movement, nothing.”
Lorena decided to look around more thoroughly. It was difficult to see, especially with the basin holding more fog than where she’d just come from up high. Her eyes scanned, trying to discern mud from grass from sticks and leaves. Then she hit the treed area around her with her flashlight beam and froze at a sudden flash of white color against the sea of darkness. There was something stuck to a tree. She walked cautiously closer. As she drew nearer, Lorena could see that it was a photograph. A polaroid was attached to an oak with a thumbtack. She inhaled sharply and spun. Again, she had that feeling of someone watching her. It was foolish.
The photo was definitely Hailee, the proof of life she’d requested because, in it, she was holding a newspaper. Lorena was sure when they blew it up they’d see that it was from today. The proof of life was here, but where was Trix?
“Got a photo of Hailee,” she relayed in a hushed whisper while hiding her mouth.
“Be careful down there, Evans,” Jack said. “He’s been here. He could still be hiding and watching you.”
That sent another chill up her spine. She knew this, but hearing Jack say it made it somehow worse. She turned back to the water and looked across the river toward the other bank. She had a horrible feeling he’d be standing across from her just watching, staring, studying like he did with all his other prey. Her phone buzzed and startled the hell out of her. She took it from the inner pocket of her jacket.
I left a gift for you at the base of the tree with her picture. I’ve held up my end of the bargain.
Lorena sucked in a startled breath and walked slowly back to the tree. There was, indeed, something there. She bent to retrieve it. The gift he referred to was a plastic bag with teeth in it, many of them. Her phone buzzed again with a new text.
You don’t follow directions very well. I told you to come alone.
A photo was attached to the text. It was of Craig and the other two agents in their cars. Then it buzzed again, and a new photo came across. It was her at the beginning of the hiking trail talking to Jack. Lorena hit the internal panic button, grabbed the picture of Hailee, stuffed it into her jacket and ran.
“I’m coming out,” she said as she sped up the steep hill again. “He’s onto us. He just sent me a picture of me and Jack and you, Craig, and your friends.”
“Lorena, calm down,” Jack said. “Slow down. I’m trying to keep pace with you.”
She didn’t listen. Her legs pumped hard, she slipped at the top of the hill and fell. She cursed under her breath and pushed to her knees. Her palms felt scraped from the rough terrain and sticks and damp debris on the forest floor. She was in full-blown panic mode and didn’t care. Her heart raced in her chest, and with her head cold, she felt like she could barely catch her breath as she pushed on. She was back to the other trail within minutes.
“Lorena, stay calm, don’t get scared. I’m coming at you from your left,” Jack said and blasted out of the brush beside her. He also must’ve been sprinting.
“I gotta get outta here,” she blurted as if he hadn’t figured that out.
“I know. Stay right with me,” he said and took her hand.
With his night-vision gear and not the lame flashlight she had, Jack could move faster without running them off a cliff or into a tree. Lorena kept up pace for pace, stride for stride, even though her lungs felt like they were about to explode.
“Don’t panic,” Craig told them both. “I’ve got backup coming. They’ll be here in five.”
Lorena wanted to tell him to shove it. This was maybe the dumbest thing she’d ever done. She kept on moving as if the devil himself were on their heels. Never had she felt so spooked than when she’d realized that he’d been nearby watching her enter the trail. It made her sick. Her skin was crawling, and she desperately wanted a shower for some odd reason. It took them another ten minutes to make it back to the start of the path in the dark.
“We’re fine,” Jack said and slowed their pace once they were within eyesight of the paved parking lot entrance to the hiking trail.
“I’ll be fine when we’re back at your house with all the doors and windows locked,” she told him.
He tugged her hand and pulled her to a slow walk, his head turning left and right watching the area. It was then that she noticed his gun was drawn and down at his side.
“He’s only a man, Lorena,” Jack reminded her. “Not something that could stop lead.”
“We can’t shoot him. We don’t know where he’s got Hailee hidden,” she said quietly.
The screeching of tires on wet pavement sounded nearby. A helicopter with a searchlight was closing in. Black sedans with lights blazing but without sirens blaring raced into the parking lot.
“We’re launching a search. He won’t get away, not tonight,” Craig informed them as he, too, pulled into the lot.
Then he exited his car and walked over.
“Shit, Craig,” Jack said, removing his gear. “I hope this doesn’t get you fired.”
“No, it won’t. We’re good. I called my director and told him that we got a lead and took it, that there wasn’t enough time to explain or plan it better. I also told him it panned out and we got some evidence. He’s ecstatic.”
“Good,” Jack said with relief.
Lorena felt anything but. She was fried, crispy, on edge, shaken to the core. Her hands trembled, even the one Jack still held. She didn’t want him to let it go.
“You look like you feel worse, Evans,” Craig said to her.
“Just this cold,” she said, hoping it was believable. The cold wasn’t the only problem.
He bought it and nodded with concern in his eyes.
“Take my car and get Evans outta here,” Craig said to Jack. “Gimme the pic, Lorena. I’ll get it to my techs right away.”
Lorena was too frazzled to argue as she watched more vehicles as they sped toward them. Agents with German shepherds took off on fast patrols to search the park. Other men and women sped out on foot, as well, while the helicopter was joined by another in the air to hunt down Trix. He’d been in the area not thirty minutes ago.
“Let’s roll, Evans,” Jack said and led her away.
Again, she didn’t put up a fight. She was glad to leave. Jack took her to the car and opened the door for her. She had the uncanny feeling that she needed to check the back seat. Lorena cranked up the heat as Jack navigated them away from the scene.
“You okay?” he asked.
She looked over at him as Jack pulled up to a red light. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just…freaked out a little.”
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to meet with him,” he said without judgment.
“I think you were right this time.”
“First time for everything. Right, Evans?”
She smiled, he returned it, then accelerated again. She was surprised at how unshaken he was by this. Lorena felt the need to look over her shoulder a few times and to spy in the rearview mirror more than once. Jack was calm, cool as a cucumber, his strong hands steady at the wheel. He drove them to the houseboat where he parked in the usual spot.
“You don’t think he could find this place, do you?”
“No way. We’re safe. Don’t worry.”
She sniffed and offered a subt
le nod, although Lorena wasn’t quite sure he was right. They walked to the houseboat where Jack went in and checked it out as Lorena kept watch on the outside.
“We’re clear,” he announced and locked the door behind her. “I don’t think he could find out about this place. Plus, it’s sublet to my friend if he asked around.”
“Got it,” Lorena said with a weary yawn and a stretch. “What time are we supposed to meet Victor’s brother?”
“Craig said he called again. He only agreed to meet us tonight at eleven,” Jack said. “I was kinda’ hoping we’d be meeting him in that park just now…at the end of my .45”
“If it’s him,” she said and watched him closely as he busied himself in the kitchen. “Hey, maybe you should sit this one out. You may not have the ability to be objective.”
“I’m fine,” Jack said as he dialed on his phone.
He ordered them a pizza and hot wings and disconnected.
“What?” she asked with surprise. “You’re not making me eat soup and broth for dinner again?”
“Oh, no,” he said. “I’m heating that up for you on the stove. The pizza’s for me.”
“No!” she pleaded and couldn’t stop the smile that came forth.
“Fine,” he said with resignation. “You can have some pizza, but no wings, and you still have to eat your soup.”
“How much do you think I eat at one sitting?”
“After a workout?” he teased.
“That’s very ungentlemanly of you, Foster,” she pointed out.
“Why don’t you hit the shower and I’ll wait for the pizza dude,” Jack suggested.
“Thanks,” she said with appreciation.
Lorena stripped and stepped into the tile shower, letting the hot water soothe her. Only it didn’t. For some reason, she felt dirty and tainted to the core. He’d been watching her. She’d underestimated him. He had laid out the whole plan way in advance and had out-strategized her. Lorena lathered her dark hair twice and washed her body, scrubbed at it, more accurately. She couldn’t shake the feeling of knowing he’d been watching her, not after everything she knew about him.
The steam of the shower coupled with the cold medicine opened her sinuses and made her feel slightly better. She also felt cleaner afterward. She even brushed her teeth for good measure and then felt nauseous at the thought of what she’d found at the base of that tree, the gift he’d left her.
She wrapped her towel around her torso and went to the bedroom where she used the blow-dryer on her hair and tried to smooth it down as best she could. Then Lorena dressed in black jeans, a t-shirt, and a warm hoodie that had a small yellow insignia on the right breast for the Cleveland police. When she was finished, she went to the living room, which she found empty. Her stomach dropped out at the thought that Jack was gone. Then she saw the pizza box on the counter and heard the shower running again.
Lorena grabbed a Coke from the fridge before Jack could stop her and force more orange juice down her throat and went over to their whiteboard to study their notes. She felt like they were missing something. Her phone rang, startling her. It was Craig.
“Catch him?” she asked without preamble.
He sighed and said, “No, not yet. We found an old dude walking his dog and a couple o’ teens making out in a parked car.”
“Crap,” she said.
“Yeah, we think he was already long gone,” Craig said. “The team’s already on the evidence though. There was a hair on the bag of teeth. It looks like it’s gonna be a match to the other one we found.”
“That’s good. Helps the case.”
“Exactly, and the teeth seem to make a complete set. Well, minus one. We have a forensic odontologist on site right now checking it out.”
“Hailee’s teeth, or one of them, is going to be the missing puzzle piece,” she said and flicked the phone to speaker as Jack walked in.
“Or she was going to be. Why give you the set? He had an almost perfect set, or perfect in his sick mind.”
“He’s changing his m.o.,” Lorena observed with a frown. “Why now? Why when he only needed one more tooth to make it complete?”
“He’s looking to take a whole new set,” Jack said. “Yours.”
The color drained from her face as Lorena realized he might be right. She swallowed hard and frowned.
“Maybe,” Craig said without missing a beat. “He does have a thing for you now. Hey, they’re calling me over to the tent. I’ll call you guys if I hear anything else. You’re gonna have to meet Neumann without me. Want me to send another agent?”
She glanced at Jack and shook her head. He did the same. “No, we’re fine. Just text us the address where we’re supposed to meet.”
“Got it. Later.”
He disconnected, and Lorena stood there feeling numb. Then she shivered. Jack walked over and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
“Relax, Evans,” he said. “Don’t let this asshole get to you. He’s doing it on purpose. Use it against him.”
She looked up into his dark eyes and stared for a moment. Then she nodded. Jack was right. She couldn’t let him throw her off her game.
“Let’s eat. Then we’ll get ready to meet Victor’s charming, younger brother.”
“You assume he’s charming,” Lorena said as she joined him in the kitchen where he did have leftover chicken soup simmering in a stockpot.
“If he’s like Victor, he’s a real charmer,” Jack said as he led the way to the living room where they’d eat.
“Great. What a way to end the day.”
“Eat your soup,” he ordered.
“Man, I need a run,” she complained.
Jack chuckled, “I think we just had one.”
Lorena snorted and said, “I know, and it about killed me. I hate being sick. I don’t have time for this. I need a clear head.”
“Let’s get this interview over with and come back here so you can rest. Another night with some actual sleep- cold medicine or not- and you’ll feel better.”
She nodded and sipped the broth all the while contemplating the case. Her phone alerted her to a text.
“He’s staying at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver,” she read Craig’s text aloud. “How far is that from here?”
“Not far. You can be in Vancouver in about twenty minutes at that time of night.”
She texted Craig back that they were a go on their end.
“I just don’t peg Basil Kovak, vampire-music-teacher-Serbian import as a serial killer. The guy seemed too…I don’t know. I can’t describe it.”
“Nerdy?” Jack asked as he finished his pizza and wings.
“Yeah, something like that. I know he taught both girls, but it just didn’t mesh with the profile, either.”
“Plus, how was he being surveilled by the feds and still managed to get away to plant the teeth and the photo at the park for you?” Jack asked.
“Good question,” she said.
Her phone buzzed again, and she set aside the soup she was mostly finished with anyway. She hoped Neumann’s brother wasn’t changing the appointment time again.
How did you like your gift? I am very angry with you right now, Little Lorena. I didn’t realize you were such a slight, little thing. So easy to take you, pluck you away from that insipid, machismo-filled, testosterone-laden partner of yours and add to my collection. However, you ruined my night. And to think, I thought I could trust you. It seems you are no better than any of the others. You’re a liar, and you’ll never catch me. Perhaps I’ll be less gentle with Hailee tonight as punishment.
“Oh, my God,” she gasped. “No, no, no. I knew it was a mistake. We should’ve gone alone.”
“What is it?” Jack asked and swiped her phone from her. “Son-of-a-bitch. You gotta talk him off the ledge, Evans. Make him see it as my fault or a mistake. He obviously isn’t too fond of me already. Get him to reveal something so profound that we can catch the bastard.”
They’d tried the phone trick with
each of their interrogations, sending a text in the middle of their talks with potential suspects, but not one man had received a text or expressed interest in their phones during it. She was growing frustrated and rubbed both hands roughly over her face.
“I don’t want him to hurt her,” she said softly.
“He already has. Evans, he’s had her for days now. Put that out of your mind. Get inside his. Draw him out. This is what you do. Just do your job,” Jack demanded softly.
You didn’t expect me to come unprepared, did you? I’m not an idiot, but I only brought one agent with me. Not even the directors on your case knew I was meeting you. You let me down, too. I had expected to meet you, not be duped. I doubt I’d even need anyone’s help with you anyway. I can take care of myself. You would’ve seen this had you not chickened out.
Hailee’s death is a foregone conclusion, and we both know it. Tell me how you knew her. She’s hardly a stripper or a prostitute. She is a smart, beautiful and talented young girl. Did you take her because she reminded you of someone in your own youth who’d rejected you?
“Risky,” Jack said, “but it’s worth a try.”
She tapped ‘send,’ and they waited together to see if he’d respond. Lorena cleared her voice, her throat dry as if she swallowed a mouthful of sand. She coughed to help it.
“I’ll make us some tea,” Jack offered and rose to go to the kitchen.
Lorena followed and sat on a stool at the peninsula.
My dearest Little Lorena, you are no match for a man like myself. What I show the world on the outside is nothing like what I am on the inside, what I can be when I need to be. I’d squash you like a fly in an instant.
You are no match intellectually or physically, as I proved tonight. You seemed awfully winded emerging from that trail. Are you the typical, donut-eating, lazy cop? I’d expected more, to tell the truth. The next time we meet, I shall strip the clothing from your body and inspect it myself to ascertain your level of fitness.