by WL Knightly
He got off work and spent the entire evening shopping for groceries and a few other things he needed around the house. He was relieved to be back home, and he’d replaced all of the groceries Megan had taken with her when she left, not that he would have eaten them anyway. He’d also replaced the toilet paper, which she’d taken, not even bothering to leave one half-used roll. It was her last way of getting the best of him, but the joke was on her. He hadn’t been caught unprepared.
He even went so far as to change the sheets on the bed, just in case she’d done something to them, like let loose a venomous spider in the sheets or covered them in itching powder. He thought he’d be paranoid for the rest of his life, wondering what she’d done to the place. After the first night, he started to feel a bit safer about some things, but he still wasn’t letting his guard down completely.
His phone rang while he was heating up a late dinner, and he smiled seeing Lizzy’s picture on his device. “Hey, how’s my favorite special agent?”
“She’s wondering how her favorite detective is doing. I didn’t get to see you all day, and I was wondering if that attractive doctor had stolen your heart.”
“I don’t know. Have you met?”
“No, why?” She giggled softly.
“Because if she had my heart, she had to take it from you.” He knew it was cheesy, but he didn’t care. He got to her laugh, and that was his goal.
“You’re sweet. But seriously, how did it go?”
“It went good, really. She told me it’s already healing, thanks to my private nurse, and I should be fine.”
“Good,” Lizzy said. “So how do you like being in the house again?”
“Paranoia is getting the best of me, I’m afraid.”
She laughed. “That wasn’t the response I thought I’d hear.”
“Yeah, I can’t be sure she hasn’t rigged the place with boobie-traps.”
“Now, why would you think that? I know she was a witch, but she played fair in the end, right?”
“If playing fair is taking all of the toilet paper with you, I suppose so.” He still couldn’t believe she’d stooped so low.
That made Lizzy belly laugh. “She didn’t!”
“She did, but it was okay. She didn’t catch me with my pants down.”
“Thank heavens for that.” She was laughing so hard that Darek wished he could see her. He was certain her entire face had turned red, and she was probably holding her flat tummy. She had a habit of doing that, and he thought it was funny. He’d learned all sorts of her little quirks on the road with her, and he hated to admit it, but he missed her.
“What did you do with your evening?” he asked. “Kickboxing?”
“I just finished actually, and now me and Bob are curled up on the couch. I need a shower, but I thought I’d call you before it got too late. He’s giving me nasty looks for leaving him kenneled, but I wasn’t going to leave him here to tear up the house.”
“I’m jealous. I wish I was a cat. I’d never leave your lap.”
She chuckled. “I’m glad you’re not. I quite enjoyed the weekend.”
“Me too. Any regrets?”
“No, not regrets, but I am a little concerned that we’re taking things too fast and that if we’re not careful, someone will find out that we slept together.”
“No one will,” Darek said.
“Come on. Even Max was suspicious. I saw the way he was looking at us.”
“Max is an idiot, and he’s not going to tell anyone, even if he is suspicious.” He hoped that Max wasn’t stupid enough to mention it to her like he had to him. He usually had more sense than that, which was why Darek liked him. He knew when it was okay to be an ass and when it wasn’t.
“I just worry about you, is all,” she said. “You’ll be the one to suffer. I’m the golden child, that won’t change, but Reed will be upset, and there’s no telling what he’d think. Most likely that you seduced me and manipulated me into giving you a recommendation.”
“He would think that? Really?”
“Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous, but he promised Robert on his deathbed to look out for me, so he’s pretty protective.”
“But you’re the strongest woman I know, and you’re professional and not even the vulnerable type.”
“Thanks, it’s good to know that you get me.” She giggled. As tough as she was, she was still a lady. “So, you won’t mind me talking to you about the case, knowing how professional I am?”
“Not at all.” Darek wondered if she had collected her thoughts on the newer evidence and stopped comparing things to the old case in Virginia.
“Well, Hannah Halston said that Tad got the brand while he was there in Virginia, but what if he got it before that and she just didn’t know it?”
“It’s possible,” Darek said. “But who do you think would have done something like that to him?”
“His uncle, obviously. So maybe the case does revolve around a child sex ring. I’m not sure that Hannah didn’t know more than she let on.”
“She’s still missing,” Darek said. “Don’t you think she’s dead?”
“I’m not sure, but if she knew more, perhaps she was trying to create a diversion to buy the killer time, or maybe she ran off to protect herself. We should see if we can get anyone else to come forward about her. Perhaps more of her coworkers, not just her superiors.”
“We could do that, but what are we going to do about Logan?” Darek asked. “He’s keeping tight-lipped, hoping he’s safer on the inside. I say we shake him up a bit, see if he knows anything else. Now that he’s in prison, he might talk more. I don’t mind going down to check him out.”
“I like that idea,” Lizzy said. “They know more than they’re letting on. I’m afraid this body count is going to keep piling up if we don’t do something. If this is some kind of pattern, and my hunch about a group is correct, there’s another potential victim out there, and I think we should flush those out.”
“But what if they want to remain private?” he asked. “If this is a group-related crime, none of them are going to want to come forward and put a target on their backs.”
“We could offer them protection and maybe find out what kind of connection they all have. Look, Logan knew Tad, so if there are others, maybe they all know each other and have something in common.”
“Or Tad and Logan were in it together?”
Lizzy let out a long sigh. “I just wish we could find Hannah again.”
“I’m afraid when we do, we won’t like it.”
“There is no evidence of her death. Blood doesn’t equal death alone. There could have been an injury.”
“We’re grasping at straws, and we have been since Alicia David.”
“Maybe we should go back,” Lizzy said. “See if she speaks to us again. I mean the evidence, of course, but you know, sometimes fresh eyes will tell us a lot, at least until someone else is killed.”
“Or a lead falls into our lap, which isn’t likely to happen.”
“There hasn’t been one shred of DNA found at the crime scenes other than the victim’s, right?” she asked.
“Not a trace,” Darek said. “Even the branding irons were cleaned. The killer is smart.”
“And they use the same knife.”
“Yes, they did.” She sighed, and he wondered if she was yawning.
“We’ve been going back and forth for a while now; I know you’re probably tired.” He had a long day, too, so he couldn’t blame her for being exhausted.
“I don’t mind talking to you,” she said, her voice soft and sexy.
“Yeah, but this is all stuff we talk about at work.” Darek wanted to talk about much more.
“I know. I guess I just wanted us to take a little time off from being sneaky.”
“Does it bother you?” Deep down, he was afraid she’d tell him it was a big mistake and they needed to end it before it got any worse. Or maybe he was afraid because he knew it was the smart thing to do.
/>
“A little,” she said. “I was trained to take my work seriously and not let anything get in the way of my cases. Sleeping with my partner is what Robert would have called a useless distraction.”
“Ouch.” Darek didn’t want to be useless to her, just a distraction, a healthy one.
“I said Robert would think that, not me.” She sounded a bit defensive, but then she gave a soft laugh. “I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”
“I just wish that we could be distracted without being useless. I find you very useful.” He realized how horrible that sounded as soon as it came out of his mouth. “Sorry, that was terrible.”
“I don’t mind it so much.” Her words gave him little comfort.
“Well, I’m totally turned on by your voice, and if you were here, I’d show how much. I don’t think that’s useless.”
“I agree. Too bad I can’t come over. It’s too late to go out. Besides, I’d piss Bob off. He’s so content in my lap.”
“I could come over; I’m sure Bob wouldn’t mind.” He hated to invite himself, but he was desperate and pathetic for her.
“I think we need to practice a little bit of self-control when it comes to these late-night calls.”
She might exercise some restraint, but he couldn’t. He’d had the biggest hard-on for her since the minute he’d answered the phone. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She gave another yawn, and he knew he’d have to take care of things himself. “I better go before I fall asleep without my shower.”
“I could come over and wash your hair for you, scrub your back. Then I could give you a nice, long massage.” Nine inches of deep body massage. That was what he wanted to give her. He pushed the foul thoughts aside since they weren’t helping.
“Darek, you’re not being fair. Besides, I’m too sleepy, even though it sounds like heaven.”
“I know, and you’re not making it any easier with that sexy, sleepy voice of yours.”
“Then I should really go.” He could hear the smile in her voice as her tone lifted.
“Wait, how about Friday night, we come over here and have a nice dinner? I’ll cook. I’m not terrible at it, I promise.” He hoped they could make that a regular thing since the two of them really couldn’t go out anywhere in public.
“We’ll see. Sneaking around gets you maybes, I’m afraid.”
“Night, Lizzy.” He hated to say those words without holding her. Falling asleep with her at her home had been perfect, and he wished he could do it every day.
“Night, Darek.” The phone went dead, and he pulled it away, longing for her. He finally had found something real, and there was naturally something holding them back.
He put down the phone and hoped that Friday night would work for the both of them. And even though he’d tried to ignore it, going to the cabinet for his pills and thinking about how he needed to go see his doctor for more, he couldn’t cure the wild thoughts of what he wanted to do with Friday night as soon as his mark was gone. He headed to the shower and took care of his business alone, hoping all of their future conversations wouldn’t end the same.
20
Finn
Finn had paced the floor, watching Hannah beg for what seemed like an hour. After a look at his phone for the hundredth time, he realized it had been forty-five minutes. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he knew he didn’t have all night to decide.
“Please, just let me go,” Hannah said. “It’s that simple. Just open the door, and I’ll go out and get my own help. You don’t have to follow me. You don’t have to get anyone’s attention. I’ll never tell the police anything.”
“Would you shut the fuck up?” He ran up the stairs, knowing that Hannah wasn’t going to be able to follow. The amount of chain she had was not enough to reach, and she had already ripped her ankle up trying to test her boundaries.
He took out his phone, not sure that Bay was going to be okay with him calling again. He had thought about the situation for nearly an hour, and he needed to find out if what she was saying was true. He couldn’t believe that Bay had tortured Tad’s sister. It had to be because of what she knew and not because of the relation. He finally found the courage to call Bay, and once the phone was ringing, he knew there was no turning back.
“Did you do it?” Bay asked.
“No, I haven’t done it! Are you insane? This is Tad’s sister, Bay. I met her at his funeral. I sat and comforted her. She’s a nurse for fuck’s sake, a good person, and Logan’s in love with her.”
“So much that he told her everything about us. I have them on tape. She’s a useless slut, and she gave herself to him in order to coax him into telling.”
“You didn’t have to cut her up, Bay. She’s bled a lot, and her ankle is ripped open and bleeding.” He didn’t like to see another human being suffer. It was just like with that poor girl back at camp.
“Then end her suffering,” Bay said. “Make it quick, Finn. For fuck’s sake, her misery is in your hands. Show her the mercy and peace of death.”
“I can’t. I don’t know how I could possibly.”
“There’s a gun in the garage and knives in the kitchen. I know you can do this, Finn. Do it for us. Do it for love.”
“Stop it. Love isn’t like this.” He thought that Bay must be sick to think the way he did.
“How do you know? You never loved me? Is there anything you wouldn’t do for me?”
“Did you offer to keep her? To make her your lover?”
“Hell no,” Bay said. “She’s lying to you. Don’t let her beat you at a game of wits, Finn. You’re the smart one. She’s just playing you to get you to let her go. She knows that you’re having a hard time with it. Logan probably told her how weak you were. He told her everything else. Don’t let her see that weakness. Do it, Finn. Do it for us, for the others who have made their lives into something. They don’t deserve to go to prison because of one person running their mouth.”
“I can’t do it, Bay. I’m not as strong as you. You come and do it, please. Please come down here.”
“You sound like a fucking coward. Just like when you were a kid. Remember when I found you standing beside that tree, Finn. I told you then that I had your back. I have your back now; I’m here. I’m here trying to make you see that this is all you have to do to have me, and then we can be together.”
“I want it to be real this time, Bay.” He’d longed for it to be real, for his crush to see him the same way, but he had given up hope on that years ago.
“Then show me how much you fucking love me. She’s trying to ruin me, to ruin us. I tried to beg her not to turn us in, but she said she’d rather die than cut us a break. Do it, just make it fast. And when you’re done, come to me, Finn. Come to me and let me prove myself to you. We can have so much if you’d only believe in me the way I believe in you, the way I’ve always believed in you. When no one else did. You’re the most talented one of us, and the others couldn’t handle it.”
Finn wanted to believe in everything Bay was saying, and the fact that Bay could see into his soul, could know what he was thinking and feeling, showed that they were meant for one another. “You’ve always been my fantasy, Bay. Even before I knew what I wanted in life, I’ve always wanted to be everything to you. No one else understands you, just like no one else but you could understand me.”
“I know, Finn. Do you want to know why I was always so protective of you? Why I didn’t let the others come down on you, and why I didn’t let them tease you for your tears? It’s because you are the better half of me, Finn. You’re all the good I’ve always wanted to be. But now, now it’s time to find balance. Be as I am. Show me you have enough of me in you. You have the same courage I do. Go down there and do this for me. For our love.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Call me when it’s done, and I’ll handle the rest.”
The phone went dead, and Finn turned and looked at the basement door. He’d have to figure out a way to
do it where she wouldn’t suffer. Some way where he wouldn’t have to look at her, some way where there’d be no blood, no struggle. He went to the kitchen and found a pair of gloves, and then he got a garbage bag from under the sink and carried it down.
Hannah looked at him with wide eyes. “What are you going to do with that stuff, Finn? What’s Bay making you do and why?”
“You shut your mouth about him.”
“You think he cares about you? He doesn’t. He doesn’t know what love is. He doesn’t have the ability to feel. He’s a sociopath, and he’s got you right where he wants you. Why hasn’t he come down here? Is he making you do the dirty work? Just like Lou. The big guy that was here. He had him playing the bitch. He told him all the same things.”
“Shut up!” He ran over, and with his gloved hand, he struck her. Her head turned nearly around, and she fell to the floor. “You don’t get to talk about him that way.”
Hannah spat blood, and then he realized he’d reopened the wound on her lip. “You’re just as crazy as he is.” She shook her head. “You’re all just as fucking crazy as him.”
Finn opened the trash bag and grabbed her as she tried to crawl away. He pinned her down as he lowered himself to straddle her back. He was glad he didn’t have to look her in the eyes, to see the pain of death and loss as he’d seen before at Tad’s funeral, and how that death and loss was now her own. He wrapped the plastic over her face, pulling it tight as she struggled, but as if she knew it was her time, she stopped struggling, and after what seemed like ten minutes, he moved off of her. But it wasn’t as long as it felt. It couldn’t have been because she jerked on the floor. He threw his knee into her back and pushed her down hard. Her neck made a sharp cracking sound, and then Hannah went limp.
It was done.
Finn didn’t move, this time taking a minute to make sure she wasn’t going to wake up. She was quiet. The screaming, the breathing and panting, it was all quiet now.
He rolled off her and backed away across the floor, scrambling to get as far from her as he possibly could.
He looked at Hannah who was lying still, her neck in a twisted position, and he felt the sting of bile at the back of his throat. He tried hard to hold it down, but he threw up in the corner against the wall. It took a minute to get his breath after.