by Zena Jae
Two rings.
Three rings.
Damn it, pick up, Marcus.
Four rings.
He was probably in some meeting already, showing the police chief and other officers the video.
“You’ve reached Marcus Peters. I can’t answer your call right now, so please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
Beep.
“It’s me. Piper. It might be nothing but I’m getting a bad vibe about it. I can’t reach Saul Greene. Everyone replied after I told them about the video, except Saul. I’m going over to his place and check on him. Please call me ASAP.”
In her room, she opened her dresser drawer, lifted up her lingerie and stared at her Beretta 92 FS. It had been a while since she wore that piece. Clipping the holster to her jeans, she headed for the door.
Cotton let out two barks as she trailed behind. Piper stooped to give her a rub and said, “I’ll be right back, girl.”
Then her cell phone buzzed.
It was Marcus.
“Hey,” she said.
“Don’t you dare go it alone! Didn’t you just promise me?” He sounded furious. “What the hell are you thinking?”
“Okay, okay. Don’t bite my head off.”
“If Kerri’s murder is for real, it’s way out of your league to be snooping around on your own—especially if you’re a potential target.”
“Okay, I said. But I’m worried about Saul and you were busy. I needed to find out if he’s safe.”
“I’ve sent a car to his place. They’ll check it out. You stay put for now. I’ll be over as soon as I can and we can head over there together. If Saul’s gone missing too, I’ll be stayin’ over.”
She didn’t argue. Even with her Beretta in the house, having Marcus around would be a comfort. Her ego wasn’t so big to pretend to be Rambo. She had limits since she had no police or military training. But she knew how to handle her gun even if she’s never used it on anyone. Her target practices attested to her skill.
When they hung up, she picked Cotton up and headed for the study.
She prayed Saul was all right.
Chapter 6
Piper tried to write her next chapter and even tidy up the house; anything to pass the time while she waited for Marcus to call, but she couldn’t get into any of them—she couldn’t concentrate because her mind was reeling about Kerri, Saul, and the psycho troll.
Her cell phone went off. Finally! It had only been two hours but it seemed like an eternity.
“Piper, I’m on my way. Have you heard from Saul?”
“No. Have your guys found anything?”
“He wasn’t home but his car was. They also checked the lake in case he went fishing, but his boat’s still docked.”
“Did you try to reach his ex-wife?”
“She hasn’t heard from him either. Nor have his kids.”
“Oh my God. Something’s happened to him. I just know it.” Piper’s voice cracked.
“We don’t know that. Maybe somebody picked him up and they went hunting or to the city.”
“He would’ve answered his cell,” she said. “Or at least he would’ve called back the minute he could.”
He had a feeling she was right. “I should be there in five, so be ready.”
“I’m ready. I’ll be outside.”
* * *
Nora’s car was in front of Saul’s cabin when Marcus and Piper arrived. When she heard the SUV’s tires crunching over gravel and twigs, she stepped out onto the porch to meet them.
“Nora.” Marcus nodded his greeting as he exited his car and closed the door.
“Pete and Jesse left an hour ago. They didn’t find anything.”
“They called it in and told me. Piper and I want to take a look just in case they missed anything.”
The attractive redheaded woman nodded.
Piper gave Nora a hug upon her final step onto the porch.
Even though Saul and Nora had been divorced almost five years now, they were on good terms; they still cared about each other. Their problem was that while Saul was content with writing books and catching trout, Nora wasn’t ready to hang up her dancing shoes and wanted a partner who enjoyed her rumbas and her cha-chas. Their lives were just not on the same railroad track and Nora wasn’t about to sign up for early senior citizenship.
“I’m worried, Marcus. It’s not like Saul to ignore his calls, especially after this long.” Her face was drawn and today her age showed—in three months she’d be fifty-five.
“We need to go in and take a look,” Marcus told her. “You didn’t touch anything, right?”
“I poured myself a cup of coffee, but that’s it. I’ve been staring out the bay window, hoping he’ll come waltzing up the way with fish in his hands.”
“Jesse said his boat was still docked.”
“I know, but he didn’t always take his boat out. He’d cast his line from the bank sometimes.”
“Did he always take his cell phone?”
Nora frowned. “That’s why I’m worried. He always did.”
Piper’s eyes scanned the kitchen. On the table in the breakfast nook was a cup of cold coffee, halfway empty. A piece of partially eaten apple pie sat on a plate next to it.
“Is this yours?” Piper asked Nora.
Nora shook her head. “I was tempted to wash those dishes, but Pete said to leave everything as it was.”
“Looks like he was in the middle of dessert when something interrupted him,” Piper deduced. “Did Saul ever eat pie for breakfast?”
“Not while we were married. It was eggs, toast and bacon for breakfast. Pie was always dessert after dinner. He was predictable that way.”
“His dinner plate is still in the sink too,” Marcus chimed in.
Nora looked his way. “You don’t know how hard it was for me to not want to clean those. I can’t stand dirty dishes in the sink.”
“You did the right thing by not touching them, Nora. Thank you.” Marcus was glad that Pete and Jesse were here before Nora could tamper with anything.
“D-D-Do you think something bad happened to him?” Nora stuttered.
“We hope not. But something must’ve disrupted him. That pie looks too delicious not to finish. Did you make that pie, Nora?” Piper asked, trying to quell Nora’s fright.
“Why, yes I did,” Nora answered proudly. Even after divorce, she still took care of Saul, bringing him occasional dinners and desserts.
Marcus examined all the doors and windows, while Piper scanned through the rest of the cabin.
They met up in the living room.
“Nothing else looks disturbed,” Piper said.
“The doors and windows haven’t been tampered with,” Marcus informed her.
Her eyes scanned the floor in front of the front door, then to the side table and lamp next to the couch. “There’s no sign of a scuffle inside the cabin.”
Nora looked frantic. “Where is he? What could’ve happened to him?”
“We’ll do everything we can to find Saul,” Marcus assured her, although he was skeptical himself. If the troll on Piper’s forum wasn’t bullshitting, Saul might very well have been his next victim already.
“Nora, we might have to have this cabin swept for evidence later, so please leave everything as is.”
“What about my cup?”
“Just leave it on the kitchen counter and I’ll let them know how it got there.”
There was nothing more to do or see here, so they said their goodbyes.
Nora stood on the porch, calling out, “Please find him, Marcus,” as the black SUV headed out.
Marcus gazed in his rearview mirror as Nora’s reflection got smaller and smaller. Melancholy laced with dread swept over him as his gut wrenched, sensing he’d be paying her a visit—and not with good news—sometime soon.
“You’re thinking what I’m thinking, huh?” Piper asked him when she saw his eyes fixated on the rearview mirror.
�
�This is gonna suck,” he replied as his attention moved to the road ahead.
“I know,” she said as she turned around to see Nora head into the cabin and close the door.
They were silent the rest of the way to Piper’s.
Chapter 7
“What about Kerri? Should we check out her place?” Piper asked Marcus as he turned into the road to her driveway.
“Let’s wait until the team is finished sweeping the place. We’ll know soon enough if they find anything out of the ordinary.”
When he didn’t turn off his engine, she asked, “You want to come in?”
He turned to look at her. “I need to do a few things, but I’ll be back later.”
“No matter how late, come for dinner.”
“I can pick something up so you don’t have to cook,” he offered. That was sweet of him.
“I want to cook. It’ll help keep me occupied. Earlier, I tried to write but with all that’s happened, it’s impossible.”
“Yeah, I bet.” He was about to say something that would change the mood—she could spot it in his eyes—it was that same mischievous look he had ever since he was a kid. “I guess I better bring some Pepto, huh?”
“Nah, you’ll be going straight to the toilet bowl, so why bother? I’ll put down some padding for ya so you don’t bruise those bony knees of yours.”
“Oh boy, hanging my head over your can all night sounds like fun.”
“Well, if the diarrhea hits you, then your rear end will be giving your head a break.”
“You know, Piper, you’re not exactly making me wanna take you up on dinner tonight.”
She laughed. “Okay. I promise to cook something half decent so I won’t have to clean up after you.”
“Fair enough. My bony knees and I will call you before we head on over...unless you don’t need the warning.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate the warning.”
He nodded and shined a smile. She climbed out of his SUV and headed for the front door. The crunching of tires on pebbles sounded in her ears as she walked up the steps to her porch. By the time she turned around, the backside of his SUV disappeared onto the main roadway. She was glad he would be coming back later.
“Cotton, I’m home,” she called out when the little fluff ball hadn’t met her at the door as she normally did.
She headed for the kitchen.
“Cotton?” Her eyes scanned the area. Nope, she wasn’t by her water bowl.
“Cotton, where are you, girl?” Piper moved around the house, searching the study, the bedrooms and bathrooms, calling out her name.
She’d probably gone out the doggie door and into the woodsy backyard to do her business. She’d be back inside as soon as she was finished. Cotton never stayed outside long on her own—she was a scaredy-cat dog and stayed close to Piper whenever she could.
Piper poured herself a glass of iced tea and headed to her study to check her emails and see if the troll made any further forum posts. No troll activity, but she had emails from Amy and Gina. They asked if she’d heard anything more about Kerri. She told them she hadn’t but that Saul was missing. She figured they had a right to know.
Hmm, what’s taking Cotton so long? It took her a while to compose those emails, so Cotton should’ve been done with her business by now—just how much poop could that small doggie have?
Piper got up from her desk and went outside.
“Cotton,” she called out as she scanned the woods behind her garden. She trained Cotton to poop in a certain area and not in the veggie or flowerbed. The Dog Whisperer would’ve been proud of her accomplishments, but then again, her Pom was an obedient dog to begin with.
“Cotton!” Her heartbeat picked up a pace. Where the hell was her cute, cuddly Pom? It wasn’t like her to stray, much less ignore Piper’s calls.
As she walked towards the small wooden garden shed, she noticed the door slightly ajar. That’s odd. A latch always kept that door shut. The gardeners who came twice a month always latched it before they left. Why was it open and who would’ve opened it?
Red flares went off in her head. Someone was on her property while she was out at Saul’s place with Marcus.
OMG...Cotton!
Panic and dread struck her like a lightning bolt. Please, don’t let Cotton be hurt.
Without hesitation, she tore open the door.
Wide eyed with what she feared, she stared at the tiny body hanging in front of her. With hind legs bound by a noose, her beloved Pom dangled in midair.
Tears flowed from her eyes and with trembling fingers, she quickly undid the noose and coddled Cotton in her arms.
“Oh, Cotton,” she sobbed as she pressed her cheek against the Pom’s fluffy belly.
Wait. There was a heartbeat. And shallow breathing.
Cotton wasn’t dead!
She abruptly turned to rush Cotton to the vet when she noticed the note tacked to the wall by the door.
‘Don’t worry, your precious pet isn’t dead...YET. She’s been tranquilized. She’ll be fine. Lucky for her, I’m an animal lover. It’s you I’m after anyway. As you can see, I know where you live. I know where ALL of you live. You’ll be the last, so you’ll have time to say your goodbyes to loved ones. Oh, wait. That’s right. You don’t have anybody left. What a shame. Well, at least you’ll be joining them soon enough. Enjoy life while you can.
Regards, Will K. IllU (aka the Troll)’
Her heart pounded at a pace she knew was off the Richter scale. With Cotton cuddled in her arms, she ran to the house, grabbed her purse, and dashed off in her car. Cotton lay on the passenger’s seat, lifeless, yet breathing. Piper wasn’t taking any chances with what the troll said about it only being a tranquilizer. Until she heard it from the vet’s mouth, only then would she breathe a sigh of relief.
The vet was able to take Cotton in for an examination right away and after a few tests, he confirmed that Cotton wasn’t in any danger—it had indeed been only a tranquilizer.
Piper cried tears of joy. Cotton was her family now and she would be heartbroken to lose her.
As Piper waited for the vet to finish up with Cotton, she hit her speed dial.
Marcus needed to know what had happened and especially about the note. It sounded like the troll was going to kill several others. They had to stop this cold-blooded murderer.
But who was it?
Chapter 8
When Marcus walked through the door, Piper leapt into his arms, hugging him so tightly he almost couldn’t breathe.
But he didn’t let her go, he just held her, stroking her soft hair, comforting her, offering his support.
When Piper was younger, she didn’t cry easily because she’d attributed crying to weakness, being a sissy. But after the accident, she let her tears flow freely. And she didn’t care. She needed them to flow—as if releasing her tears flushed out the anger or sorrow or whatever emotion she was feeling.
Marcus liked this Piper; the one he could comfort and be there for—to be her shining knight coming to her aid, the way he always wanted—like when they playacted as kids. Yet even though he caught glimpses of this vulnerable side of her, she still hung on to her independence, her self-sufficiency—she asked very little of him even when he wanted to do so much more for her.
When she lifted her head, her tear-stained blue eyes looked up into his and she said, “I’m so sorry you’ve had to be a ping-pong ball today. I know you have so much to do, yet you come back here whenever I call.”
“Your calls have been important; they weren’t unwarranted. You’ve got nothing to apologize for. We’re gonna catch this bastard.”
A caressing hand once again felt the silkiness of her hair.
“My heart stopped when I saw Cotton hanging from the rope. I thought she was dead, and that someone had made her suffer before they killed her.”
“She’s fine though, right?” He’d grown fond of the little pooch himself, so he too, was worried about her.
“Yes, th
ank God. I’ve put her on my bed. The vet said she might be out for a while still.” Piper pulled away from him. “You need to read the note.”
He followed her to the kitchen. A small wooden strawberry magnet tacked the note to the fridge.
As he read it, she watched his eyes with their long, thick black lashes. They were the eyes that melted her heart every time they looked at her.
“It’s hard to say if it’s a man or woman’s handwriting. They’ve managed to keep it blockish and simple, probably to purposely hide their gender. What do you think?” she asked him when his eyes left the note and sought hers.
“Hmm, yeah, I can’t tell. Of course, I’m no handwriting expert.” His eyes fell back on the note, analyzing it. His furrowed forehead gave away his worry, but not about the handwriting—it was the contents.
“Why would they handwrite it when they could’ve easily typed it on their computer and printed it out?” It was a rhetorical question she didn’t need answered. “They’re leaving risky evidence.”
“Guess they want to play Russian roulette. Maybe they’re testing us to see how smart we are, or wanting to throw us off, proving how smart they are. Most likely, it’s not their normal handwriting.”
She agreed with that. The troll wouldn’t be stupid enough to give that huge a clue away.
“Marcus...” Her voice, soft and mousy, quivered.
His eyes met hers.
“They threatened to kill others. Sounds like a LOT of others.” Her eyes conveyed worry and fear.
Yeah, that sure as hell disturbed him all right, but what disturbed him the most was...
“He’s threatened you,” he said, his eyes piercing hers with such seriousness and concern that it gave her a shiver.
She had been trying not to think about that part of the note, although it was hard not to, seeing that the threat on her own life took up three-fourths of it.
“I’ve got my gun,” she said to comfort him.
But it didn’t help relieve his uneasiness. “You’re still not safe. Who knows what this lunatic is capable of. They got to Saul and he owned a rifle.”
“Yeah, but Saul didn’t know they were coming. He hadn’t been warned yet.” She really needed Marcus to calm down. She knew he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his job if he worried about her 24/7.