by K. J. Dahlen
Two men walked into her room.
“Are you going somewhere?” one of the pair asked her.
Sable wet her dry lips with her tongue. Her fight or flight response kicked in and she felt the adrenalin giving her body a sudden boost of energy. “Who are you guys and what do you want?”
“We’re the police,” the taller man told her quietly. He saw her fear and hoped to alleviate it. “You came to see us but passed out before we could meet.”
“Can I see some I.D. please?” Sable asked. She couldn’t take her eyes off of them and she prayed she wasn’t making a mistake accepting their reason for being here. Sebastian Sandstone and Rob Gillette, both Detectives so their badges said.
Both men reached into the pockets for their badges. Flipping open their wallets, Sable could see they did have proper identifying badges. She could also see they were different. “Why aren’t they the same?”
The one named Rob smiled. “My friend here is from south Louisiana, but we both are working on your case.”
Sable frowned. “I have a case?”
“What do you remember of the last day or so?” The one named Sebastian asked.
Sable lay back on the bed and pulled the sheets up. “I remember being out dancing with some friends last night. We had gone out to check the Jazz bands playing down by the river. Some guy in a black cowboy hat started dancing with me. At first, it was a little freaky, I mean he wore the hat down so low that the brim hid most of his face, but the music was loud and we’d been drinking a little. I finished the dance and moved back with the rest of my friends. I didn’t notice him again, until I was walking home.”
“Then what happened?” Sebastian asked.
Sable felt tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t know. One minute, I was walking along the street all alone and the next minute he jumped out of nowhere and his hands were around my throat. I tried to fight him off but he was just too strong. I couldn’t even scream for help the attack happened so fast. I tried to struggle, I even clawed at his hands, but I couldn’t get away from him. I managed to cry out but no one could hear me. I could still hear the party going on a block away but I couldn’t call out loud enough for anyone to hear me. All I could see was his eyes, they were so black and when I struggled his eyes changed. Then when I tried to cry out the blackness in his eyes got darker, it was like they were pulsing and the more I struggled and cried out, the blacker they got. I could feel the darkness surrounding me, it was very threatening. I know that doesn’t make any sense but that’s the way I felt. I must have passed out because the next thing I knew, I was on a boat out in the middle of no man’s land.”
Rob looked over at Sebastian with interest. “What kind of boat was it?”
“A houseboat I think. He had me tied to a bed. I managed to get free but I couldn’t get out of the room. The door was locked and the window had no lock at all. I tried to scream for help but no one heard me.” Sable closed her eyes at the memory of how helpless she felt on the boat.
“What happened next?” Rob asked gently. He looked sympathetic.
“I saw someone coming in a little motor boat and I hid behind the door. When he came in, I hit him with a vase. It was the only thing I could find in the room. He went down but he wasn’t out. I had to hit him again and that’s when he sliced open my side. Anyway, I managed to get out of the room. I stole the little boat and made it back to town. That’s all I can remember.” Sable’s finger plucked at the hem of the sheet as she told her story.
“Don’t worry, Miss Willows, you’ll be safe here.” Sebastian tried to assure her.
“What if he comes looking for me? Who was he and why did he want me?” Sable cried out in pain and confusion. “I didn’t even know this man.”
Rob sighed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any answers yet. When we catch up with your mystery man, we’ll ask him. We’ll talk again later. The doctor says you lost a lot of blood, so we’ll leave you to rest.”
Sable felt tired and soon she drifted off to sleep. When she woke, the room was dark but she knew she wasn’t alone. She didn’t dare move but she could still hear him breathing. She could smell his cologne. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the sound echoed in her head. Fear made it difficult for her to breathe and she wanted to run but she knew she couldn’t. Her limbs were suddenly very weak. She was at his mercy and she could only pray that someone would come into her room and tell her that it had only been a nightmare. She shifted her gaze and saw his shadow sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. Her breathing stopped as she eyes fixated on the dark cowboy hat outline she saw. She closed her eyes hoping it would go away.
He got up from the chair he was waiting for her in and stepped over to the bed. Leaning down, he placed his hands on either side of her head. When her eyes sprang open he could see the fear in them, and his black eyes took on an ungodly glow. “I found you. You should know that I will always find you. The police can’t protect you from me. If they get in my way, I will kill them to get to you. We have some unfinished business to take care of and I won’t be stopped.” He gently cupped her chin and tilted her face to his. “Rest for now, but know that I’ll be back for you. Any time, any place you go, I will find you and the next time we meet, we’ll finish what we started earlier today.” Then he pressed his cold lips on hers briefly. “The police can’t stop me, no one can. They can’t stop me because they can’t find me, but I will always find you and other women like you.”
Sable wanted to scream but fear was closing her throat up on her. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest she thought she was going to pass out. She closed her eyes and tried to breath but all she could hear was her own labored gasps. A few minutes went by. She opened her eyes and he was gone. The room was empty except for her. She found the light switch and when the lights came on, she looked around. She was alone.
She knew she had to get away from the hospital. She had to go somewhere where he couldn’t find her. She sat up too fast and the room spun around her. She held the sides of her head and finally everything slowed down and she was able to push the sheets down. She yanked the I.V. out of her arm and got to her feet. Her arm was bleeding but she couldn’t worry about that right now. Sable knew she had to get dressed and find a way to escape.
Chapter Three
As the sun rose high enough to flood the town with its light, Sebastian and Jesse walked down the street toward the station house. Sebastian was hungry for the first time in a long time, so they were planning to stop for breakfast at the small café near the station. As they pushed the door open, they heard the familiar sound of an eating establishment, the clatter of dishes, the clink of silverware and the buzzing of conversation.
They sat down at a booth and waited for the waitress to join them.
“So what’s your take on what happened yesterday?” Sebastian asked Jesse.
“I think the fact that Sable got away from the killer was pure luck on her part,” Jesse told him.
“What do you mean by that?” Sebastian frowned. He didn’t trust the man and there was an uneasy alliance between them but for now, Sebastian was holding back his judgment of this man’s true motive. When Sebastian had shown up at the police station this morning, he didn’t miss the look of irritation in Jesse’s eyes. He knew the other man didn’t want him working this case but Sebastian wasn’t going to let that bother him. He sensed there was something Jesse was holding back about this case. Sebastian wasn’t going anywhere until this killer was found.
“I mean that this killer doesn’t usually give up his victims until he’s done with them. He never has before.” Jesse pointed out. “I have to find the men’s room. I’ll be right back.”
Sebastian watched him leave the table and was lost in thought when the waitress brought coffee to the table a minute later. The fact that she only brought one cup didn’t register for a second. It wasn’t until she brought out another cup, a little tea pot and a bagel with cream cheese and set it up where Jesse had been sitti
ng earlier that Sebastian even noticed what she was doing. He’d been so lost in his own thoughts. “Excuse me, we haven’t ordered yet,” he told her.
The waitress, Millie, just smiled. “That’s what he has every morning. Don’t worry I’ll be back for your order.”
Sebastian was still frowning when Jesse got back.
Jesse sat down and looked at the food in front of him. Looking at Sebastian, he asked, “What’s going on here? I didn’t order this.”
“According to the waitress, this is what you have every morning.” Sebastian stared at him. “Is there something you’re not telling us?” His inner alarm was buzzing loud and clear and Sebastian was listening.
Before Jesse could respond, Sebastian’s cell phone rang. He didn’t take his eyes off Jesse as he answered the call. He listened for a moment then ended the call. “We’ll deal with this later. That was Rob at the hospital. Sable is missing. We’re supposed to meet him there.”
A few minutes later, Sebastian and Jesse were rushing down the hospital corridor. They stopped short of the room Sable should have been in and found Rob just inside the doorway.
The room was in shambles. The bed was pushed out of the way; the sheets lay on the floor. The bedside table was overturned and the water pitcher and glass where on the floor. The closet doors were open and there was blood and water from the spilled pitcher everywhere; on the bed, on the floor and on the furniture.
“This doesn’t look good,” Jesse whispered as he ran his fingers threw his dark hair.
Sebastian just glared at him.
Rob nodded. “This is what I found a few minutes ago when I opened the door. I called in our Crime Scene Investigators. They should be able to tell us something in a few hours.”
“Sable may not have a few hours.” Sebastian pointed out. They all knew she was weak from blood loss and if the killer had gotten to her, she could be dead. “Have you talked to any of the night nurses yet?”
Rob shook his head. “I called you first.” He was about to make another comment when all three of them heard a gasp from behind them. Turning, they found themselves looking at a young woman peeking into the room.
“My god, what happened here and where is Sable?” she asked them. She looked pale and her hands were shaking. She was glancing around the room.
“I don’t mean to be rude but you are you and what are you doing here?” Sebastian asked her.
“My name is Callie St. Marie and Sable and I are friends. I heard she was found yesterday, so I was on my way to see her.” Callie paused and looked around the room again. “What happened?”
Rob nodded toward the room. “At this point, we don’t know yet.”
They all turned at the sound of footsteps hurrying down the hall. It was a nurse. Her face expressed concern as she joined the group. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been busy. I was on my way out the door when the director told me you wanted to speak to me before I left.”
Sebastian noticed her badge said her name was Kelly Reece. “Kelly, did you see anyone entering or leaving this room last night?”
Kelly looked a little uncomfortable and wouldn’t meet Jesse’s eyes. Instead, she focused on Sebastian and Rob. “I did see someone leaving the area but I couldn’t say if he was actually in the room or not.”
Sebastian frowned. “And what did this person look like?”
Kelly took a deep breath. “He was about 6 foot tall, with dark hair, slim build and a black cowboy hat.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward Jesse. “Does he look like the man you saw last night?” Sebastian asked suspiciously. Alarms were ringing inside his head. It wouldn’t be the first time a murderer posed as a law enforcement person. This only enforced the gnawing doubt Sebastian harbored about Jesse Cooper.
“Yes,” Kelly said quietly. “He does look a lot like the man I saw last night except for the hat of course.”
Jesse looked shocked. He hadn’t been near the hospital last night. “I was at the motel room all night. I watched part of a ball game, ordered a pizza and went to sleep around midnight. Whoever it was she saw, it wasn’t me.”
Sebastian looked over at Rob and they both stared at Jesse. Sebastian was getting a little uneasy at the coincidences that were beginning to pile up against Jesse. All he had right now were questions without any answers.
“I think we need to get a hold of the tape the news displayed when Sable was missing. There has to be something on the tape that we’re missing.” Sebastian told Rob.
“I have the tape. In fact it was my tape the news aired,” Callie told them.
Sebastian jerked his head around to where Callie was still standing. He’d forgotten she was still there. “What did you say?”
“When Sable turned up missing, the local news station ran an alert asking for any information about when she was last seen. I provided them a copy of the tape I’d done the night before,” Callie explained. “I’m trying to become a news photographer and I never go anywhere without my camera. I was trying to get a piece of Baton Rouge’s night life.”
“Do you have the original tape?” Sebastian asked.
Callie nodded. “I gave the news station a copy. They didn’t run the whole tape, only the part of Sable dancing.”
Rob handed her one of his business cards. “Bring the tape to this address as soon as you can. Also, we’ll need a phone number we can reach you at, as well as a list of Sable’s friends and family in the area. Anything you can think of that will help us find her. We don’t know that she didn’t leave on her own.”
Callie took the card and hurried off to get the tape. The nurse turned to leave as well. She’d given Rob her name and home phone number and promised to be available if they needed additional information from her.
“We’re going back to the station and see what we can get from a background search. That way we’ll be there when Callie brings in the tape,” Sebastian told Rob.
“I’ll wait here for the forensic team. I’ll be back to the station when they finish up.” Rob nodded.
Sebastian and Jesse walked down the hall toward the front doors. Jesse was bothered by that fact that the nurse identified him as being in the hospital last night. Both men were quiet as they walked down the hall, but the tension was building between them.
Neither of them was paying attention to the other people in the hall and they missed the double take one man just coming in gave Jesse. When he called out a name, Jesse didn’t stop. The man frowned and turned to get his attention. “Nick? Is that really you?” He reached out and touched Jesse’s arm.
Jesse jumped and became aware of the other man’s attention. “Excuse me?”
The man smiled. “I thought that was you. I called out twice. You must have been really deep in thought.”
Jesse looked confused. “Do I know you?”
The welcome on the other man’s face faded a bit. “I’m Jerry Springs. Come on, man, it’s only been three weeks since you worked for me.”
“Excuse me, sir, but who do you think this is?” Sebastian asked.
“Nick Granger. His name is Nick Granger. He did some computer troubleshooting for my investment firm about a month ago,” Jerry explained.
“Are you positive?” Sebastian asked.
“He spent three weeks in my office teaching the staff how to use the new software. I think I would recognize the man again.” Jerry looked confused. “What is going on here?”
Sebastian looked from Jerry to Jesse and back again. He introduced himself to Jerry and asked if Jerry had a business card. “We are investigating the disappearance of a young woman and we may need to get in touch with you.”
Jerry was going through his wallet for a business card. “I don’t know anything about a missing woman, but here’s a card that has my work and home phone numbers on it. I’m here to visit my wife. We just had a baby so if you need me, I’ll probably be here or at home.”
“Thank you.” Sebastian pocketed the card. He watched as Jerry Springs made his way to the e
levator and when he disappeared, Sebastian turned to Jesse.
“That was strange. I swear I didn’t know him and I have never done computer troubleshooting,” Jesse assured him.
Sebastian was quiet as they passed through the front door of the hospital. He had a lot of things going through his mind and he didn’t like where his thoughts were taking him. He had to find some answers.
Sebastian and Jesse didn’t say a word to each other all the way back to the station house. When they got there, Sebastian went straight to Captain Nevell’s office. The captain wasn’t there, so he sat down at his computer and began a background check on Sable Willows, a man named Nick Granger and Jesse Cooper. He had to find out if the FBI agent was hiding anything.
Nick Granger’s home address was a little town near New Orleans called Myrtle Grove. He would have to call Alec and get him to run Nick Granger down.
Ian Nevell came into his office and wasn’t surprised to find Sebastian already there. He sat down on the corner of his desk and said, “Jesse told me what happened this morning.”
“All of it?” Sebastian asked shooting him one of those looks. It was the kind of look one person gave another when they were after the truth.
“What do you mean by that?” Ian asked.
“What exactly did he tell you?” Sebastian repeated his question without giving Ian any information of his own
Ian looked at Sebastian for a moment. “He told me that while you two were at the café this morning, the waitress gave him a breakfast he didn’t order and that she told you that it was his normal breakfast. Then he said that while you were at the hospital the night nurse claimed that he was there during the night and that on the way out, some guy he’d never seen before stops the two of you and claimed that Jesse is actually a man named Nick Granger. Is that all of it or did he leave something out?”
Sebastian nodded. “That’s about all of it. At this point, there seems to be more questions than answers and now with our only witness on the missing list, we’re back to square one.”