Rock Harbor Series - 04 - Abomination

by Colleen Coble

  “It wasn’t an affair!”

  “You caught them at dinner,” she pointed out.

  “She was just lonely, eating with a friend. Nothing happened.” He saw the pity in his sister’s eyes and tried to hold on to his temper.

  “Nothing you’ll admit to yourself.”

  Maybe she was right—he didn’t want to believe more than he saw. Eve had sworn there was nothing more than friendship between them, and Nick let it drop. And tried to get home more for dinner. His new pledge to be there for her had lasted all of four days.

  BIRDS CHIRPED OVERHEAD, A MUCH TOO CHEERFUL SOUND FOR the drama playing out in the middle of the woods. Elena tried to tell herself it wasn’t so, couldn’t be true. There was no way he could have tracked her here. The car was in the lake. No one knew where she was from. He couldn’t possibly have found her in this remote place. She was being paranoid.

  But the fear grew.

  She jerked when Naomi touched her arm. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “Talk to us, Elena,” Bree said. “You’re pale and shaking. Let us help you.”

  Elena bit her lip and wished she could talk to her friends about it. She didn’t even know what to say. Some male figure menaced her dreams, but she didn’t know if it was her ex-husband or someone else.

  She saw a truck through the trees. Shiny-new and black, it pulled off the side of the road. “There’s the deputy.”

  Bree gave her a last worried glance, then she and Naomi went down the hillside to greet the deputies. Elena called the dogs to her. They both meandered over with their noses pointing down and their tails still between their legs. The dogs plopped down beside her and put their heads in her lap.

  Their warm fur strengthened her. Of course this wasn’t about her. Her earlier certainty dissipated as fast as Superior’s morning fog. She stood as Bree and the deputies arrived on the scene.

  Deputy Montgomery was a big man, easily six-five and three hundred pounds, and the white booties he slipped over his boots looked awkward on him. He squatted near the site. “Looks like nicks in some of the bones. I’d say she was stabbed. There’s a knife buried here with the bones too.”

  “Any idea who she is?” Naomi asked.

  “Nope.” He motioned to the other men. “I’m going to have to call the sheriff in Finland.” He dialed his cell phone. “You gals can go. I’ll stop by and take your statement when I’m done here.” Turning his back on the women, he began to speak into the phone.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Bree snapped her fingers, and Samson came to her. The women and the dogs walked down the slope covered with wildflowers.

  Elena drew in a lungful of pure air not tainted by the smell of death. But the scent still clung to her clothes, her hair, and her skin. She longed to get home and shower away the stench. The farther away they moved, the easier it was to tell herself this death had nothing to do with her.

  “Hey, wait here a minute.” Bree told Samson to stay, then ran back up the hillside. “I want to check the GPS.” When Bree returned a few minutes later, her eyes were grim. “It’s a match with the cache. The killer intended us to find her. Wasn’t there something like that in the news a few months ago?”

  Spots danced in Elena’s vision, and she swayed. The blackness receded. “It’s him,” Elena whispered. “I know it’s him.” A dark, shadowy figure hovered in her memory.

  Bree grabbed her hand. “You okay? Sit down.” She guided Elena to a nearby rock and pushed her head between her knees. “Take deep breaths.”

  Elena pushed Bree away. “I’m fine.”

  “Who do you think it is?” Bree’s voice was sharp.

  “The man, the one who attacked me.” There was a vile taste in Elena’s mouth. “I’ve got to get Terri and get out of here. It isn’t safe. He’s found me.” Aware she was babbling but unable to stop, Elena leaped up and ran for the Jeep. “Hurry!”

  Panic chased her down the hillside to Bree’s Jeep. She heard Bree and Naomi shout after her, but nothing could stop the surge of adrenaline that propelled her. Samson caught up with her, then darted in front as if herding her. She stumbled. Her knee dug into the soft earth, then she pitched headfirst into a roll down the hillside.

  The scenery rushed past. Her arm slammed into a downed jack pine, and her leg scraped over tiny rocks embedded in the dirt. The scent of moss and dirt invaded her nose. She hurtled down and came to rest at the base of the hill. Dazed, she sat up and began to pick the twigs out of her hair. Every muscle in her body screamed.

  Bree reached her. “Are you all right?”

  “I think so.” Abrasions on her legs and arms began to sting, but she didn’t think anything was broken. Her nylon headgear had come off. Samson licked her face, and she pushed him away to take the hand Bree extended. “Thanks.” Grass stains and tears marred her favorite jeans.

  Bree put her hands on her hips. “Why do you think this has anything to do with you?”

  Elena didn’t answer. She limped toward the Jeep and got in on the passenger side.

  Bree put the dogs in the back and slid behind the wheel. Naomi climbed in behind Elena.

  “Lock the doors,” Elena said, thumbing down her lock button.

  “For heaven’s sake, Elena,” Bree began.

  Elena gave her a fierce look. “Just do it!” The shadows gathered in the forest, hiding him somewhere. She felt vulnerable, exposed. “Drive.”

  “When are you going to tell us what this is all about?” Bree slipped the transmission into drive and put her foot on the accelerator.

  Elena put her head in her hands. “All I know is that there’s a man after me.” She pressed her fingers over her eyes. Nausea roiled her stomach. “When I saw that grave, all this fear flooded in.” She shuddered. “Oh, why can’t I remember?” she moaned, pressing fingers over her eyes.

  Bree touched Elena’s hand. “Are you all right?”

  “I feel it here.” Elena put her hand over her chest. “Call Montgomery and ask him if anything is missing on the woman,” she whispered.

  “Missing? What do you mean?” Bree asked.

  “As in parts of her!” Elena nearly screamed the words. Her hands began to shake, and she clenched them together. She wouldn’t panic again. Right now she needed every smart cell in her brain. She didn’t know how she knew this, but her certainty was as hard and sure as the seat beneath her.

  Bree steered the Jeep to the side of the road and put it in park. She got out her cell phone and dialed. “Doug, is the victim missing any body parts?” She listened a few moments. “I see. Thanks.” She clicked off her phone.

  “What?” Elena demanded.

  “He can’t tell yet.”

  Elena threw open the door and retched, but nothing came up. Perspiration dotted her forehead. “I have to get to Terri! Please, let’s go there now.”

  Bree nodded and put the Jeep back into gear. The vehicle fishtailed around the curves at the speed she drove. “We’ll protect you, Elena. Don’t panic.”

  “I don’t know who he is though,” Elena muttered. “It’s hard to protect against a ghost.”

  “Do you remember anything?” Naomi asked.

  “Nothing. But I know it’s him.”

  Bree slowed at the city limits. Rock Harbor had been perfect from Elena’s point of view. Her sanctuary. But he’d invaded it. As soon as Bree stopped in front of Anu’s house, Elena sprang from the vehicle and ran inside.

  Anu never locked the door and had told her not to bother knocking. Elena threw open the door and rushed inside. “Terri!” The scent of baking cookies didn’t comfort her.

  Anu came from the kitchen. “What is wrong, Elena? You look distraught.”

  Bree rushed in behind her. “Elena, Montgomery could assign you some protection.”

  Anu’s face creased. “Kulta, what is going on?”

  Elena looked around for the sight of a bright blonde head. “Where’s Terri?”

  “She’s in the kitchen, decorating cookies.”

&n
bsp; Elena darted past Anu into the blue-and-yellow kitchen. The sweet scent of sugar cookies permeated the air. Elena went to the children and swept the little girl into her arms.

  Terri wiggled. “Down,” she commanded. “Cookie.” She pointed to a lopsided bunny cookie with more frosting than substance.

  “We need to go, Terri.” Far, far away.

  Terri thrust out her lower lip, a trick that usually melted Elena. But today it only upped her frustration. She didn’t know where she could go, only that she needed to get away.

  Bree and Anu were standing arm in arm and talking in low voices when she turned. “I need to get home,” Elena said. “Can you take me now?”

  “Of course,” Bree said.

  “Leave Davy and let him finish decorating his cookies,” Anu said.

  “You sure?” Bree asked.

  “I shall bring him home later,” Anu said.

  “Okay.”

  Elena waited by the door until Bree went to tell Davy good-bye. She wanted to scream with the need to hurry. And where could they go? There was no one she could turn to for help. As she carried Terri to the Jeep, the back of her neck prickled. Was he watching her even now from behind the blank stares of some storefront?

  And more important—who was he?

  Bree held open the back door, and Elena buckled Terri into her car seat in the back. Samson immediately plopped his head on the child’s lap. Terri giggled and began to stroke his ears. He gave a blissful groan.

  The lighthouse at the end of the road felt like home. Elena felt a pang at the thought of leaving it. She saw it with new eyes, the slate covering its steeply pointed roof and the window mullions that gave it even more character.

  Sitting on top of the bluff, she felt safe. Or at least she had until today.

  BREE WIGGLED THE MOUSE, AND THE COMPUTER SCREEN CAME to life. Elena might not be able to tell her what was going on, but maybe there was some clue they’d overlooked online. She went to the Google site, typed in “geocache murder,” and clicked the search button. Something touched her shoulder, and she jumped.

  She looked up into the smiling blue eyes of her husband. “You scared me to death,” she scolded. “Did you lock the door?”

  “This is Rock Harbor.”

  “We found a dead body today.” She told him the story. “Elena is terrified, Kade. It was all I could do to talk her into not making any decisions tonight. I thought I’d see what I can find online.”

  “Snooping?” He pulled a chair up beside her.

  “I’m frightened for her.” Bree shuddered, and Kade put his arm around her. She snuggled into the comfort of his embrace. The search engine brought up numerous sites.

  She clicked on one and leaned forward to read it. “This one was in Bay City just last week,” she said. “It says a woman was found stabbed to death in the woods. Geocachers found her. Her hands were amputated.” She nearly gagged at the thought. “And her face was missing.”

  Kade leaned over her shoulder. “Hey, the guy left clues online after the woman was found. ‘Authorities were alerted to a Web post allegedly made by the killer within hours of the body’s discovery,’” he read aloud. “‘Oh, ye! Think ye that Incal will accept the blood of innocent animals for your crimes? Whoso sayeth this doth lie! Incal, God, will never take blood of anything, nor symbol of any sort which placeth an innocent in a guilty one’s stead!’”

  Bree’s eyes widened. “That’s spooky.” She shook her head. I wonder if there’s anything at the site where today’s cache was listed.”

  “You should let Montgomery handle it.”

  “I wish Mason were here.” Her sheriff brother-in-law was a rock. He would have known what to do.

  “Montgomery isn’t a bad sort. How long will Mason and Hilary be in Finland?”

  “Another week. They wanted to introduce Zoe to all the Finnish relatives.” Hilary was Anu’s daughter and part of the family, especially since she’d adopted Kade’s niece.

  She navigated to the geocaching site. “There are comments posted about today’s site.” She clicked the comment link and checked the time stamp. “It was just added tonight. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.’”

  “That’s familiar; look it up.” He leaned toward the computer.

  Bree typed in the beginning of the sentence. “It’s from Jeremiah.”

  “The Bible, New Age mumbo jumbo. Our guy reads from a variety of sources. Seems odd.”

  She bent over the keyboard again. “Let’s see if there are any other geo-cache murder sites in the past few years.” Before she could type in the search string, the doorbell rang, and she heard Elena in the hallway.

  Bree stood and grabbed Kade’s hand to lead him out of the office. “I don’t want Elena to see this article. She’s already freaked.”

  They met Elena in the hall, and all three of them went to the living room.

  “I’ll get the door,” Kade said. He stepped to the foyer and returned a few moments later with a young man in tow. Bree recognized him as the man who’d seen her and Elena jogging a couple of weeks ago.

  About thirty, the man wore a smile as relaxed as his jeans. His movements suggested a gracefulness she wasn’t used to seeing in a man. His gaze shot past Bree and landed on Elena. “I’m so glad I found you.”

  Elena took a step backward. “Do I know you?”

  His smile faltered. “It’s me. Will.” His gaze darted to Bree. “What have you done to her?”

  Elena swayed and grabbed the back of a nearby chair.

  “You’ve been missing for months, girl. I saw a picture in the paper. You were in the background, but I was sure it was you. I showed someone at the coffee shop your picture, and they told me you were staying here. What are you doing going under an assumed name?”

  Elena swayed again, then her knees buckled. Kade leaped to catch her, but he wasn’t fast enough and she crumpled to the rug.

  11

  THE SMALL BUILDING DIDN’T LOOK LIKE A CHURCH. GIDEON got out of his car and looked around the tiny valley surrounded by a white pine forest. It had been all he could do to squeeze his vehicle through the tree trunks that choked the lane to the compound. He could hear the twang of guitars and the thump of drums.

  A young woman got out of a small car and approached the weathered blue building. The fading sunlight struck her, and he realized she was pregnant. Very pregnant. He clicked his tongue. She was much too young to be anything but an unwed mother. Certainly she was no older than Odette. Immorality ran rampant in the world, even in this group he had started. What he saw in front of him proved perfection lay nowhere in this world.

  He followed her inside the building. Incense burners intermingled with candles lined the walls. Folding chairs, beanbags, and webbed outdoor seating rather than pews furnished the room. Mostly young people, they wore jeans topped with T-shirts. One girl’s shirt read “Job’s Children: Accept Life’s Pain.”

  He smiled as he slipped into a sagging patio chair and inhaled the thick scent of patchouli. A few saw him and waved. A hum of excited whispers rose.

  Their leader had come home.

  THE DISCOVERY OF YET ANOTHER BODY AFTER GIDEON’S ALLEGED death ignited a media firestorm. New theories and speculations about the serial killer, the dead women, and the cop’s missing wife—ex-wife, Nick reminded himself—dominated the local news and even made a few national headlines. A flood of sympathetic well-wishers, total strangers, sent their hope and prayers to Nick. Nasty messages from the criminal element poured in too. Taunting e-mails that twisted the knife.

  He rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. The past weekend’s murder looked to be a mob hit, clean and direct. Gideon tortured his victims, and he clearly preferred women. The man had been identified as Billy DeAngelo, a known drug dealer.

  Gideon would make a slip sometime, and when he did, Nick would have him.

  Nick flipped open the Gideon file and began to review the remarks the killer posted on the Web. Th
ey’d identified the woman found in the pond as Sophie Tallmadge, an exotic dancer known for her graceful—and sensual—moves. So far he hadn’t been able to connect her to Eve. And even though they’d kept Sophie’s identification out of the media, Gideon had fallen silent about her.

  Why no new clues attached to Eve’s remains? Did Gideon think the call while Nick was at Eve’s house was enough?

  His head throbbed from too much caffeine and too little sleep. He should probably eat something other than donuts and coffee.

  The door to Nick’s office opened, and Fraser stepped in. He came toward the desk with a paper in his hand. “Deputies found bones at a geo-caching site in Rock Harbor.”

  “You think it’s another Gideon murder?”

  Fraser nodded. “Looks like our guy is taunting us.”

  “That was fast. It’s been less than a week since we stumbled onto the Crandall woman.” The woman he’d found on his geocaching jaunt had been identified right away. Yvette Crandall, another blonde dancer. Nick closed the folder. “Did he leave a clue for this one?”

  “Yep,” Fraser said, holding out the paper.

  Nick’s muscles clenched at the somber expression on his partner’s face. He took the paper and scanned it. “‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.’” He rubbed his eyes. “A verse, just like the others. This has to be him. Who is it?”

  “No identification yet. According to preliminary results, the bones are about five years dead. Coroner thinks maybe the heart was dug out with a knife. There are nicks on the breastbone. No doubt about this one. It’s Gideon’s MO.”

  Nick flipped open the Gideon file again. “I showed you this before, and I think it means something.” He passed over the passage from Proverbs he’d found.

  Fraser took it, and Nick watched his partner read it. “What do you think?” he asked.

  Fraser handed it back. “You might be right, Nick. We’ve got missing eyes, tongue, hands, and maybe heart so far. He finds some woman who he thinks committed one of these abominations and wastes her.”

  Nick tossed the folder onto the desk. “For all the good it does us. And what was Eve’s sin?”