by T. R. Ragan
She didn’t deserve to die.
The thought of Cynthia being gone forever caused his heart to beat rapidly against his chest. He turned on the radio and clicked on the CD player. Listening to Mozart, Piano Concerto 21 Andante, made him feel better.
Cynthia was alive and thriving, he told himself. More than likely, she and her friends were out painting the town red. He turned the music up, hoping to be swept up by the melody.
His smile disappeared.
Until he got his hands on the file, he wasn’t going to be able to think straight. He thought about how easy it would be to snatch Lizzy up and finish her off once and for all, but then what? He needed to play the game. The only way to see this to the end as he envisioned was to be patient and focused.
Keep with the plan, Stan.
Keep Lizzy sweating; keep her in suspense. The last pieces of the puzzle would be found in the pages of Dr. Gates’ file. That’s where all of Lizzy Gardner’s deep dark secrets would be. That’s when the real fun would begin.
The orchestral piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was lyrical and celebratory. The music filled him with a joy. Everything would be fine. He just needed to take care of unfinished business. Then he could go back to his house and pray Cynthia would forgive him and take him back.
Thursday, February 18, 2010 4:14 PM
Lizzy pulled into her sister’s driveway and shut off the engine. She stepped outside and looked around until she caught sight of the government issued vehicle parked across the street.
Jared shut the passenger door and met her on the sidewalk.
“Is that one of your men?” she asked with a nod toward the dark sedan parked across the street.
Jared nodded. “Ronald Holt.”
She looked toward her sister’s house. She didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to tell her sister that her husband was cheating on her. But she and Jared already agreed she had no other choice. Brittany and Cathy’s safety came before all else. She had to warn her sister, let her know a madman might be watching them.
“I wish I didn’t have to do this,” she told Jared as they headed up the walkway.
“Do you want me to tell her?”
“No. That would only make things worse.” She rang the bell and waited. Minutes ticked by before the front door opened. Cathy looked tired, as if they might have woke her from a nap. “What’s going on?” Cathy asked.
Lizzy looked past her sister toward the staircase. “Is Brittany home?”
“She’s at swim practice.” Cathy’s eyes narrowed as her gaze fell on Jared. “Why are you here?”
“Can we come in?” Lizzy asked.
Reluctantly, Cathy let them enter. She shut the door and followed Lizzy to the living room. “What is it?” Cathy asked again. “What’s going on? Tell me before I have a heart attack, for God’s sake.”
Lizzy reached for her sister’s hand. “Brittany is fine. But after we talk, we should pick her up at practice and bring her home.”
“She won’t be finished for another hour.” Cathy snatched her hand back. “Tell me what the hell is going on, Lizzy. Quit beating around the bush.”
Jared remained close to the entryway, his hands tucked away in his coat pockets.
“I don’t know where to start,” Lizzy said.
“Anywhere dammit. Start anywhere!”
“Okay, you’re right.” Lizzy sighed, then just blurted it all out, “Richard is having an affair.”
Cathy lifted a hand and slapped Lizzy across the face.
Jared stepped forward, but Lizzy raised a hand to stop him. “It’s okay,” she said, brushing her fingertips over the cheek where her sister’s palm had struck. “It’s true,” she told Cathy. “I have proof, but that’s not the only reason we’re here.”
Cathy’s face was red with anger, her hands curled tightly at her sides. “That’s why you called me earlier today, wasn’t it? You thought you knew something about Richard but for some reason you didn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t know how to tell you. You need to listen to what I have to say.”
The anger, the hurt, the years of strained silence and guilt...it all hovered over their heads like thick black clouds waiting to burst open and wash away whatever ties were left holding them together. “I have reason to believe that the man I told you about, the man who hired me to watch his wife, is Spiderman.”
Cathy’s lips pressed together in a tight line.
“In the note Spiderman left for me in Sophie Madison’s room, he said he knew me better than anybody. If that’s true, Cathy, then he knows that you and I have been struggling to build a relationship. He’s using this knowledge about Richard to try and put another wedge between us. That’s why I believe he hired me to watch Valerie Hunt, the woman I was following today when I saw Richard and her together.”
Cathy raised her chin. “Where were they?”
“At a hotel. The Hyatt.”
“For how long?”
“I’ll give you the details later, I promise. But first you need to let me finish. If Spiderman knows about Richard, then that means he’s been watching him.”
Cathy’s eyes widened in horror as the truth dawned on her. “That madman knows where we live?”
“I believe so. It’s possible that he’s been watching all of you.”
Cathy’s face paled as she pressed her hand over her mouth. After a moment Cathy said, “What am I going to do?”
“There’s a federal agent parked across the street,” Jared cut in. “His name is Ronald Holt. He’ll remain parked outside the house 24/7. He won’t go anywhere unless he has a replacement.”
“But I don’t think that’s enough,” Lizzy added. “I think you should take Brittany to Dad’s place and stay there until the feds catch him and put him behind bars.”
Cathy’s face paled. “You don’t understand. Brittany has only recently begun to make friends. For the first time in her young life she feels as if she is starting to fit in. I know what it’s like to feel lost and out of place at school. I can’t uproot her now and take away what little bit of confidence she’s gained. I won’t do it.”
“But you can’t take the added risk of keeping her in school or taking her to swim practice right now.”
“She can’t stop living.” Cathy pointed a finger at Lizzy. “You said that yourself. You said you were miserable from all those years of hiding from your own shadow.”
“But you were the one who was right when you said that hiding from my own shadow was better than the alternative.” Lizzy didn’t believe that for herself any longer, but Brittany had her whole life ahead of her and Lizzy would say anything to make her sister understand that they needed to protect Brittany at all costs.
Cathy shook her head. “I can’t do that to Brittany. She’s too young. She wouldn’t understand. I won’t have her life turned upside down because of that maniac. I won’t allow him to do this to me again.”
“You must.” Lizzy lifted a hand to comfort her sister.
Cathy backed away, her eyes feral. “Don’t touch me. I want you to get out of here. Stay away from us, do you understand me?” She pointed to the door. “Get out. Both of you!”
“Don’t do this,” Lizzy said. “I never meant to hurt anyone. You know I would never deliberately try to mess things up for you and Brittany.”
“Look what your lies did to Dad and Mom, and now to me. I won’t let you destroy my family, too. I won’t. Don’t make me say it again, Lizzy. Please go.”
Chapter 21
Thursday, February 18, 2010 7:53 PM
Jared stood in Lizzy’s kitchen. He snapped his cell phone shut, and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. His sister had called to tell him that Mom had moved into a hotel. His sister was worried about Dad, who was drinking again. Who could blame him? The man needed time to sulk, Jared told her. His answer had angered his sister, and she ended the conversation as quickly as it had begun.
“Is everything okay?” Lizzy asked from the other room.
Jared headed that way. Lizzy sat in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by papers. Notepads and files had been placed in a neat row from one side of the room to the other. The television was on but the sound was muted. The cat weaved a figure eight around the wooden legs of her coffee table.
“My parents are having some difficulties,” he told her.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“They’re adults. They’ll work it out.” Jared went to the stove and poured soup into a cup, then made his way into the living room. Jimmy would be coming by to give them an update.
Lizzy crawled around on the floor on all fours, using a black marker to make notes in the margins of her papers.
Jared had been with Lizzy for most of the day. He had yet to see her take a bite of food. Since taking a shower and changing into a pair of gray sweatpants and a white v-neck T-shirt, she’d been working. Her feet were bare. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
“You haven’t eaten anything,” he said, handing her the cup of soup.
“Thanks. Do you mind putting it there on the coffee table?”
“Not until you taste it.” Leaning over, he slipped a spoonful into her mouth.
Her eyes widened. “That’s good. What sort of spice is that...are those capers?”
“It’s a family secret.”
She pouted.
“If you eat every last drop I’ll write down the recipe for you.”
“You’re a pushover, Shayne.”
He wanted to scoop her up in his arms, hold her close, and make all her troubles drift away. Instead, he spoon fed her another bite of soup and then set the cup on the coffee table.
“Thanks for going to my sister’s with me today,” she said as she returned to her notes.
“You’re welcome.” He stood there for a moment, watching her. Her eyes were framed by dark circles. The lump on her head was smaller today but darker in color. He knew her well enough to know she didn’t like anyone to see her without her guard up. She didn’t want anyone to see the pain caused by having all of her hopes and dreams stripped from her in an instant. For Lizzy, letting go of the past and moving forward was like waking up each day and trying to learn to walk all over again.
At eight o’clock sharp Jimmy Martin arrived, looking haggard. His suit was disheveled, shoulders stooped, face pinched. Before Jared could usher him inside and shut the door, Lizzy’s assistant arrived carrying a bucket of fried chicken from KFC.
“Come on in,” Lizzy said from her spot on the floor.
Jimmy stepped inside and Jessica squeezed in from behind him. She said hello, then handed a bucket of chicken to Jared. “I’ll be right back,” she said. She opened the door and disappeared.
Jimmy looked confused.
Jared shrugged, letting Jimmy know it would be easier if they just went along with whatever Lizzy had planned. He took the chicken into the kitchen.
“I would have brought dessert,” Jimmy said, “if I had known you two were throwing a party.”
Jared and Lizzy ignored him.
Jimmy removed his wrinkled suit jacket and took a seat on one of two chairs Lizzy had arranged to face the couch for their impromptu meeting.
Jessica returned with her laptop and stack of files. “If anyone is hungry,” Jessica said, “help yourself to the chicken.”
Lizzy smiled gratefully.
“Okay,” Jimmy said once they were all seated, “what’s going on and who are you?”
Jessica reached out a hand toward Jimmy. “Jessica Pleiss, psychology student at Sac State and Elizabeth Gardner’s sidekick.”
Lizzy rolled her eyes. “She’s my intern. She’s interested in majoring in criminology and becoming a profiler.”
“Okay,” Jimmy said as he looked at Jared, “remind me why I’m here?”
“You promised to update Lizzy on the Walker house.”
Jimmy scratched his chin. “They started excavating this morning, but so far nothing has turned up. It’ll be another day or two before we have a full report.”
“What about Spiderman being a doctor?” Lizzy asked.
“What about it?” Jimmy loosened his tie. “You have no recollection of ever seeing his handwriting. No fingerprints were found on the note or at the Madison house. No signs of tire tracks or footprints outside. So far we have nothing to tie Sophie’s abduction to Spiderman, but you want me to put an all-points bulletin out for any doctor who looks suspicious?”
“It would be a start,” Lizzy said bitterly.
“Although we shouldn’t generalize when discussing serial killers,” Jessica cut in, “most serial killers are intelligent with an above average IQ. Most are white males who have either been abandoned or who come from a highly dysfunctional family. It makes perfect sense that this guy could be a doctor.”
Jimmy didn’t say a word.
“It’s better than doing nothing at all,” Jessica added before anybody else could get a word in edgewise. “At the very least we should start with every doctor Sophie Madison had seen in the past say...two years and go from there.”
The girl had gumption, Jared thought.
“What is this?” Jimmy asked Jared, his hands held wide. “Your special task force?”
Jared smiled. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. For the past ten years Lizzy has immersed herself in abduction cases all across the country. For three of those years she was a board member of the Missing and Exploited Children’s organization. From the sounds of it, Jessica here is on her way to becoming a profiler; so yeah, I guess you could say that this is my task force. What have we got to lose?”
Jimmy shoveled his fingers through his hair. “Sure, okay. Fine.”
Since Lizzy had done her best to distance herself from her own abduction case, she didn’t know as much as she should about the FBI’s investigative findings from fourteen years before, so it didn’t surprise Jared when she asked, “Before Frank Lyle was arrested, were there any other suspects?”
“A few,” Jimmy said flatly. “None were doctors. And I don’t have the manpower to send my men off on wild tangents.”
“Lizzy has experience,” Jared said. “She’s a private investigator and she wants to help. You’ve called in for outside help before. Hell, you used a psychic in the Smith case. Brush off that chip on your shoulder, Jimmy, and work with us.”
The tension was thick until Jessica easily sliced through it with her I-have-nothing-to-lose attitude. “In 1998 four bodies were found,” Jessica said, “and all four were believed to be the work of Spiderman.”
Jimmy didn’t look impressed.
“During that same time,” Jessica went on, “at least three other girls within the same general area and age of the four victims went missing. Where are they? Has everyone forgotten about those girls?” Her eyes narrowed. “Without a body, are they so easily discarded?”
Jared looked at Lizzy, wondering what was going on. Jessica appeared to be emotionally connected to the plight of the missing girls.
“I want to know what happened to these girls, so I did a little research,” Jessica went on.
Lizzy leaned forward, listening.
“Two of these girls were swimmers,” Jessica said, “just like Laney Monroe, your number two victim. All the girls went to different high schools, but guess what? At some point or another, they all swam on swim teams outside of their school. I haven’t been able to connect a particular swim coach to all three girls but this definitely puts a few more people on the list of suspects, don’t you think? I also found one doctor connection when I added the missing-girls-but-no-body-yet-found to the list: Dr. Bruce Dixon, a family practitioner. And that’s not all. All together, three of the missing girls and two of Spiderman’s victims wore braces. That’s a total of five girls with braces. I’ve started a list of orthodontists within a thirty mile radius. I still have more work to do, but I’ll keep you all posted.”
Lizzy looked at Jimmy. “Now that you know what my assistant and I are working on, I’d like to kno
w what the agency is doing about the possibility of Spiderman being a doctor.”
“Let’s make one thing clear,” Jimmy said. “As far as the agency is concerned, we’re still not one hundred percent certain we’re dealing with Spiderman when it comes to Sophie Madison.”
“He left me a personalized note,” Lizzy reminded him.
“There’s no concrete proof that either note was from Spiderman. It could be the work of a copycat.”
“What do you mean by ‘either note’?”
Jimmy looked at Jared. “You didn’t tell her?”
Lizzy glanced at Jared. “What didn’t you tell me?”
“We’ll talk later.”
“No, we won’t.” She straightened. “Please tell me what the second note said.”
“‘Lizzy’s fault.’” Jared hoped that would be the end of it for now, but Lizzy pushed herself to her feet and looked him square in the eyes. “Where’s the note?”
He had no words to describe what he’d seen scrawled across Sophie’s forehead, so he remained silent.
Lizzy hardly moved. She just stood there for a moment before walking out of the room.
Jessica looked at Jared, wondering if she should do something.
“I’ll talk to her. You two eat some chicken.”
Friday, February 19, 2010 6:21 AM
He finished untying her hands. Then he took off her blindfold. “Go ahead, Lizzy. I trust you.”
Lizzy looked up at him and tried to see through the holes in his mask. He seemed taller, bigger, broader in the shoulders. Last time she’d seen him he had a thick wiry beard. At the moment, he appeared cleanly shaven. His jaw line was square and even.
“I said go ahead, Lizzy.”
Her heart thumped against her chest as she pushed herself from the hard ground and set off. Her knees wobbled from lack of use. That didn’t stop her though. She hobbled onward, careful not to knock into the case where he kept his precious spiders. She exited the room and quickly moved down the hallway toward the bathroom. A quick glance over her shoulder told her he wasn’t following her, wasn’t even watching her.