by K. J. Dahlen
“I got all of that, but we can help you search the farm for him.” John glared Sebastian. “You don’t have any jurisdiction here. This is a matter for the local police to handle.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Mr. Sanders, how many officers do you have here?”
John looked around. “Maybe around a dozen, why?”
“Then you’d better order your coroner to bring about a dozen body bags. You have no idea what this man is like. He’ll kill each and every one of your men without hesitation if you put them in his way.” Sebastian words slammed his message home to everyone in the group. Joyce and Kelly groaned in fear and Sebastian turned to the others. “I’m sorry but this idiot is wasting precious minutes. Roger, I need you to get everyone you can on your boat and take them out to the middle of the river, where they’ll be safe. Don’t bring them back here until this is all over. Do you hear me?”
Roger nodded and herded the group toward the river and the safety of his boat.
Sebastian turned to John Sanders. “Are you going to give me any more problems or are you going to do as I ask and get your men away from here?”
“I’ll go but I don’t like it. We are police officers you know. Maybe we could help you apprehend him.” John glared back at him. “You and I will have a talk about this when this is over.”
“I don’t care whether you like it or not. All you would do is give him more targets and I don’t want that. Get your men out of here and let us do our job.” Sebastian turned to Jesse and asked him, “Are you ready?”
Jesse pulled out his gun and nodded.
They began at the barn. Sebastian hoped to pick up Tucker’s trail but if he left one, it wasn’t in the tall grass around the barn. They couldn’t even find any footprints. Sebastian turned to Jesse and asked, “Is there any other way out of the barn?”
Jesse thought for a moment but shook his head. “Not one that I know of but then I haven’t been back here in years.”
“Let’s go back up to the loft. Maybe we’ll find one,” Sebastian suggested. Making their way back up into the loft Sebastian looked around. The area didn’t look disturbed but they had to be overlooking something. He took one side and motioned for Jesse to take the other.
Moving the hay around here and there was tedious but Sebastian wasn’t leaving this barn until he found out how Tucker got out. He moved the loose hay with his foot and checked everywhere he could.
Jesse was doing the same on the other side of the room. “Sebastian, I found it!” Jesse shouted.
Sebastian turned and rushed over to where Jesse was standing. Hidden by the loose hay, Jesse had uncovered a trap door.
Sebastian reached down, grabbed the metal ring and pulled the door up. It led to another part of the lower barn. Sebastian looked at Jesse. “I’m going down. You go around by the ladder and come down that way. I’ll meet you there. If Tucker is still in the barn I don’t want to miss him.”
Jesse nodded and turned to leave.
Sebastian looked down at the darkness below him. He wasn’t sure what if anything was down there but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
He lowered himself down and jumped the last few feet. He tried to land quietly but the dust he raised when he jumped made him sneeze.
He crouched low and looked around. This part of the barn was in shadows as all the windows and the big double doors were closed. When it had been a working barn this was where the cows would have come to be milked. Sebastian eased himself over to the wall and began circling around the wall. He couldn’t see very well in the dim light but by the time he came full circle, he was sure that if Tucker had been here, he wasn’t anymore.
He joined Jesse in the main part of the barn. “Did you find anything?”
Jesse shook his head. “I checked the other room and there was nothing there.”
“Then I guess the only other way he got out was through the back door. Come on.” Sebastian motioned for Jesse to follow him.
Sebastian and Jesse went to the door in the back of the barn. With their guns ready, they slid the door open. The door protested with a loud screech. Sebastian winced at the sound but kept on going. There had been no loud sound after Tucker disappeared, so he must have found a different way out of the barn. At last, they found what they were looking for and there was a trail they could follow. Someone had forced their way through the tall grass. Following the trail, they found a bullet proof vest about fifty feet from the barn. As Sebastian picked up the vest, he looked for a bullet. He found one.
Sebastian looked at Jesse and pointed out the bullet hole. Jesse looked away. Tucker had outwitted them every step of the way, until now. He hoped they would find him before he got away from the farm.
They followed the trail up to the back door of the farmhouse. Sebastian opened the back door and as they made their way inside each took a side of the room and they began to search the house. Room by room they searched until they met at the steps going upstairs.
Sebastian led the way upstairs. When they reached the top of the steps again, they separated and each took a side of the hall. Opening every door, they found no sign of Tucker. The room he had been in earlier was empty. The room looked undisturbed from the last time they were here, so they knew Tucker hadn’t been back.
Jesse led the way back downstairs. They had one more place to look. In the sitting room, Jesse lifted the trap door to the caves. Before they descended, Jesse warned Sebastian, “Be careful, we can’t use any lights, so the tunnels will be dark.”
Sebastian nodded and waited until Jesse disappeared, then he too disappeared into the darkness. They waited until their eyes adjusted to the darker surroundings before they started down the tunnel to the cave beyond. It was slow going but they finally entered the larger cavern.
Sebastian went to the smaller room where they had found the camping gear. The suitcase that had been there earlier was gone. Sebastian rejoined Jesse and together, they made their way to the cave opening.
The brightness of the sun hurt their eyes as they left the cave. Sebastian shaded his eyes and looked around. “How do we get back to the inlet?”
Jesse pointed out the path they needed to take. “What makes you think he’ll be in the inlet?”
“His boat was there earlier. You dad showed it to me,” Sebastian told him as they followed the path.
Jesse grabbed Sebastian’s arm, “The inlet is just up around the next corner.”
Sebastian nodded and edged his way to where the path turned right.
Down below them they could see the boats, Tucker’s houseboat, as well as Jasper’s black houseboat. They didn’t know which boat Tucker would be on, so they would have to approach them carefully.
Sebastian ducked back behind the curve of the path.
“So how are we going to do this?” Jesse asked.
Sebastian peeked back around the bend and watched the boats for a few minutes. He still couldn’t tell which boat Tucker was on. He turned back to Jesse. “You’ll have to take one boat and I’ll take the other.”
Jesse nodded. “We should have called the river patrol. They could have blocked the entrance to the inlet.”
“Good idea, call your dad and have him call them in,” Sebastian suggested as he handed his cell phone to Jesse. “Have them stop any boat that comes out of this cove.”
Jesse placed the call while Sebastian kept an eye on the boats. He couldn’t see movement on either boat but that didn’t mean Tucker wasn’t on one of them. He had to be there, they hadn’t found him at the house or the cave.
“Dad said he would call them right away. He said to hold off boarding either boat for about fifteen minutes. That would give the patrol time to get here.” Jesse handed the phone back to him.
“I guess I can wait that long. He doesn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to leave anyway,” Sebastian said.
“One thing he isn’t… is stupid,” Jesse remarked. “He wouldn’t have lived this long doing what he’s been doing if he was.”
“He thinks he’s safe, tucked away here. Not very many people know about this spot. I’m surprised my dad knew about it.”
“I think your dad knows a great deal more than you give him credit for,” Sebastian said.
“I never had time to thank you for saving my life back there in the barn. I was sure Tucker was going to start the whole place on fire,” Jesse said.
“I think that was his intention all along. He isn’t crazy you know” Sebastian informed him. He had recognized the look in Tucker’s eyes. Very few men had it but Sebastian knew what that look meant. It meant nothing but pure evil.
Jesse shook his head. “I’m not so sure about that. Did you see the way he looked when he said that he began enjoying the killing part of what he did to all those women? I’ve never seen anyone look like that or tell in detail what Tucker told us today.”
Sebastian nodded. “I have. We had a case once, where we went up against a serial killer. Dan Thompson was his name. We found his latest victim burning in a pile of trash. Someone called in a tip that Dan had been burning trash for the last three days in a dry season. When we responded, we found he was burning a body. We didn’t have a whole lot left to process but we did identify the body. It was Mrs. Thompson. When we asked him why he killed her, at first he said it was because he couldn’t stand her nagging him all the time. After we questioned him some more he broke down and told us the truth. He just enjoyed killing. We found out later that he had killed seven other people over as many years and he burned their bodies as well. He had that same look in his eyes that Tucker does.”
Jesse shook his head. “I never knew he hated me as much as he does or that he blamed me for Lady’s death. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Sebastian shook his head. “That was the excuse he used to pin his problems on someone else. He wasn’t sincere. He was playing you and you fell for it.”
“How do you know that?”
“I was listening to what he wasn’t saying. His reasons didn’t make any sense to me and the gleam in his eye told me he wasn’t telling the truth. When he started talking about why he killed that’s when he was telling the actual truth.” Sebastian didn’t know if he was explaining this right or not. “There was a different gleam in his eyes when he talked about the murders. That was the real truth speaking.”
Jesse looked confused.
Sebastian shrugged. “He just likes to kill. Sometimes it’s nothing more than that. He used your guilt to make you think differently but he just likes to kill. Did you notice how excited he got when he said he liked to listen to them scream when he cut into their flesh? That’s what really got him off. For some men, it’s better than a sexual high.” Sebastian paused to look over at Jesse. “Before we go, I have something to ask you. Can you kill him? Can you forget that you’re his cousin and kill him if you have to?”
Jesse nodded. “I know I can. After hearing him I don’t think that will be a problem. Like I said earlier, he stopped being my cousin a long time ago, and yes, I tried to save him. But now I realize almost too late that he isn’t even human. He won’t get past me this time.”
Sebastian nodded. “Okay, it’s been about fifteen minutes let’s go. I’ll take Jasper’s houseboat and you take the other one. Be quiet and be careful. If he’s not on Jasper’s boat, I’ll meet you on board the other boat.”
“Same here, if he’s not on his boat I’ll meet you on the other one,” Jesse agreed.
Keeping to the brush as long as they could, Sebastian and Jesse made their way to the dock. The black houseboat was on the left and Tucker’s boat was on the right. Crouching low, Sebastian broke cover and made his way to the black boat. Jesse did the same as he made his way to Tucker’s boat.
Each man quietly boarded his boat. Sebastian hoped Tucker would be aboard his boat. He was looking for a chance to confront the man that killed his wife and took his son hostage for almost a week. He reached out and grabbed the handle for the door that led below deck.
Turning the handle, he opened the door slowly.
Chapter Fourteen
Tucker heard the soft thud of someone boarding the boat as it rocked slightly. He listened with intent as footsteps crossed the roof over his head. He had hoped for a little more time to make his escape. It’d been his good luck that his father shot hit him in the chest. Ethan wasn’t known for his shooting skills. The blow stunned him, causing him to drop like he’d actually been shot. Unknown to the others he’d worn the Kevlar vest as protection and it alone had saved his life. His father could have just as well hit him in the head or shoulder.
When he recovered from the blow to his chest, he found himself alone. The others were already down in the barnyard and he heard every word they said. He almost laughed out loud, as he slipped down the trap door and made his way to the house. From there, he’d gone directly to the cave. Collecting his things, he made his way to Jasper’s boat.
He had decided to take Jasper’s old boat rather than his because with a new paint job, Jasper’s boat would be easier to pass off than his newer model. Now, he was waiting for night fall to make his escape. He knew this cove was hidden and very few people knew about it, he had counted on Jesse not knowing about it either. When he heard the footsteps, he knew that his hideout wasn’t secret anymore. Roger or Ethan must have told Sebastian about this inlet. It had to be.
Tucker grabbed his knife and ducked down into the shadows. He waited for the door to open. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down the side of his face. He watched the doorknob turn ever so slowly.
* * * *
Sebastian hesitated before he opened the door. He could almost hear Tucker breathing on the other side. Crouching low, he slammed the door open and rolled inside the room. At first, he couldn’t see anything. The room was dark and the shadows hid most of the interior. After his initial movement, Sebastian tried not to move. If Tucker was here, he didn’t want to feel the sharp sting of his blade anywhere on his body.
Sebastian looked around from his position on the floor. He couldn’t hear any movement and he was disappointed. He thought Tucker would be on this boat. He almost gave away his own position, and then something made him pause.
“Well, well, well, look who’s come to play,” Tucker whispered softly.
Sebastian followed the whisper and found himself looking into Tucker’s dark eyes. His own eyes hardened into flint and he grabbed his gun a little tighter.
“So this is how this particular game is going to end. You and me locked in mortal combat,” Tucker spoke softly. “I often wondered about that.”
“Only one of us will walk away from this,” Sebastian assured him.
“Yes I know. But you have the advantage, you have a gun, all I have is a knife.”
“That never stopped you before,” Sebastian reminded him.
“I’ve never been up against a gun before,” Tucker said as he began to inch toward the door. “Nor this close to my opponent.”
“No you always had things your own way before. You’ve always used the night shadows to escape before we knew what happened. Now the odds are stacked against you.” Sebastian sneered.
Tucker stopped and moved back when Sebastian motioned him to. He raised an eyebrow at Sebastian. “Is that what you think? That the odds of my escape are out of my reach?”
“I know they are. Drop the knife or I’ll drop you right here and now,” Sebastian spoke softly and in a deadly tone. He took a moment to cock his weapon. The sound echoed in the silence.
“You’re going to have to shoot me to get this knife out of my hand,” Tucker warned. He was counting on the fact that Sebastian was a cop and that Sebastian would want to take him in rather than shoot him. Sebastian was a cop first, a human being second. “I guess it’s been here too long to give it up now.”
“As long as you have it in your hand, I can shoot you in self-defense,” Sebastian reminded him.
Tucker laughed out loud. “As a police officer, you have to take me in and let the court de
cide my fate. You won’t shoot me.”
Sebastian’s fingers tightened on his gun. It would be so easy to fire it and let the chips fall. No one could blame him, after all this is the man who’d kidnapped his son and murdered his wife. He would make sure the knife was still in his hand when the proper authorities found his body. He knew for sure he wouldn’t lose any sleep over killing him. A man like Tucker Briggs deserved to die. But he had to know something first. “What did you mean back in the barn when you asked if I didn’t know yet what you were planning?”
Tucker grinned. “I already told you. I wanted to know if you were clever enough to figure out the game we’ve been playing. I’ve been playing the game along time now and I wanted to see if there was anyone out there that could get close enough to stop me. I’ve had others try and join in on the game but you were the best one so far. You got the closest of any of them. Maybe none of them cared as much as you did.”
Sebastian frowned. “This was just your idea of a game?”
Tucker chuckled. “Sure. Only one problem though, you don’t like to play games do you?”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like to play with people’s lives if that’s what you’re saying.”
“But that’s the fun part.” Tucker nervously wet his lips with his tongue. “I picked you for this particular game because you were the best cop I’d run into over the years. I got tired of the way the others left the game, so I just gave you a little extra incentive by taking your wife’s life before the game started that’s all. I wanted to see if you could stop me and you failed.”
“Oh yeah, then why is it that my gun is pointed right at you? I don’t consider that a failure.” Sebastian pointed out. “And you’re right about the incentive part. You murdered my wife and took my son. After that there was no way I wasn’t coming after you.”
Tucker shook his head. “Yeah, but you have plans to take me in and then things will get messy with a judge and a jury. I can’t allow that to happen. I made up my mind to that a long time ago. I’d rather be dead than in jail and you’re too much of a cop to just shoot me. I’ll walk away from this encounter and after a while, I’ll go back to killing people again. You’re just like all the others.” Tucker eased his way closer to the door. He was so confident in his assessment of Sebastian’s character that he’d been shocked when he heard the sound of Sebastian’s gun being cocked before. He paused and stared at this detective. He saw that Sebastian wasn’t weakening in his resolve.