by Tracy Sharp
“Woodland Park,” Juno said. “I go skiing there in the winter. It’s gorgeous.”
Robyn looked at her. “It could’ve been you, Juno.”
Juno turned her face to her, her eyes steely. “No it couldn’t. Believe me. It couldn’t.”
Toby shook his head. “That’s the fourth girl in a year. Two in the last two months. Always on jogging paths. The park is new territory.”
“He’s escalating, as they usually do,” Juno said. “Lucky this girl is alive.”
“I don’t think he intended her to be. Look at the shape she’s in.” Robyn placed her cup on the end table next to the sofa. She squeezed her hands into fists. “You a jogger, Juno?”
Juno stared at the television, her jaw set. “Why, yes. I am.”
Chapter 19
Dusk. The last few rays sank steadily below a pink- and orange-streaked horizon. Juno made a show of retying her laces and stretching her long legs. The last few cars were leaving the parking lot. Most people didn’t stick around after the sun went down. Juno scanned the trees surrounding the large track. There were so many places for a creep to hide. If he was out here, he could be in any of those dark spaces. Juno was counting on it.
They were banking on the fact that he was escalating. This was where he had tried to kill the last victim, but had failed. He’d have to make it right. Juno knew he’d be here.
Toby was hidden in a large tubular structure on the playground. There were several holes in the tube he could peer out from, and he could move to a different hole when Juno moved out of his sight. If this didn’t go right, all they’d do is manage to scare the creep away. But if it went as planned, he’d wish he hadn’t picked this particular jogger to attack.
Juno put her earphones in her ears. It would appear that she was listening to an MP3 player, but the earphones were attached to the cell phone she kept in the small pack she had attached to her waist. She looked like easy pickin’s. Overly brave, or stubborn, or both.
She began a slow jog, lengthening her stride after a few minutes. She didn’t turn her head to look around her, but her eyes scanned constantly. The weather was cool, allowing her to seem justified in wearing a long-sleeved shirt, which covered the stun gun strapped to her wrist. The second she heard anything behind her, she’d have it in her hand.
She steadied her breathing. Her heart pounded in her ears. Fight-or-flight chemicals raged in her brain. She knew that he was there. Could feel his anticipation and, beneath that, a hatred of women so profound it thickened the air around her. She didn’t think he’d wait until she made it around the park. He’d attack her when she ran past him.
She listened for Toby to tell her that he saw movement, but there was nothing. “Toby,” she said, her voice breathless.
He didn’t answer. The call had been dropped. Awesome.
He wouldn’t dare call her back and risk breaking her concentration. She’d have to rely on her own ears and eyes.
Then there he was: movement from the right as he burst out of the trees and ran toward her.
She bent her hand and grabbed the stun gun just as he launched himself at her, knocking her over sideways. She landed on the pavement hard, the breath left her lungs, and for a terrifying moment she couldn’t breathe.
He sat on her chest. A monster wearing a black ski mask. His eyes caught the shine from the park lights and they smiled down at her.
Still unable to breathe, she tried to aim the stun gun at him.
His gaze moved to her hand and he grabbed her wrist. “What have we here?”
She screamed, but all that came out was a croak.
“A stun gun?” His tone was amused. He laughed, a high-pitched giggle. “Thanks, you stupid bitch. You’re making it easy for me.”
Juno screamed again, a high, thin wheeze.
“This is awesome,” he whispered, and then he hit her in the ribs with the stun gun.
†
She heard the muted sound of Toby’s sneakers hitting the pavement. Relief washed over her as the pain of her seizing muscles eased.
The creep heard Toby coming too. He pushed himself off her and started running. Toby ran past her as she lay gasping for air. She turned her head to watch Toby leap onto the creep’s back. They both went down.
Juno rolled onto her side, then pushed herself up and stood. She started over to them on rubbery legs. With each step she felt better.
By the time she’d reached them, Toby was standing over the creep, gun pointed at his face. “I was waiting for you,” he told her. “Thought you might want to express to this lowlife your displeasure regarding his actions.”
“Oh,” Juno said, still breathless. “I surely do.”
Ski Mask looked up at her, hatred and defiance in his eyes. “Fuck you, c—”
Juno kicked him between the legs. He doubled over, screaming high in his throat.
Juno leaned over, looking into his face. “Care to finish that sentence, cupcake?”
Toby cuffed him and yanked him to his knees. “I’ll get him in the truck. Call Robyn. Tell her we’re ready for her. She’s the one that has to take it from here. Then you take May home.”
“Who the hell is Robyn? Another b—chick?”
“You’ll find out,” Juno said. “But you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
†
Robyn circled the creep slowly, a smirk on her lips. Her pulse thrummed in her temples. The tip of the scythe dragged lightly on the wood floor around him. He was on his knees, his hands cuffed behind him. He stared at her, his eyes wild.
“Who are you?” he asked her, his voice cracked and panicky.
“I’m your worst living nightmare,” she said. She stopped behind him, watching his shoulders bunch. He hung his head, waiting for her to slice it off. She giggled like a little girl.
A sound made her look up. Toby clearing his throat. His wary gaze on her. It was obvious that he was disturbed by how much she was enjoying this. He thinks I’m going crackers. Maybe I am.
She bent down and whispered in the creep’s ear. “How much do you want to live?”
His head lifted. When he spoke, his voice was a hoarse whisper. “You want me to beg for my life? Beg you? In your dreams.”
But he was scared. His body trembled even as he said, “Just do it.”
Robyn straightened behind him. Her grip on the scythe’s handle tightened. Red-hot anger bubbled up inside her. She gritted her teeth. “You think I’m kidding?”
“I’d rather die than beg you for my life. I’m not giving some crazy bitch that kind of power. That power is mine. I make women beg. So just kill me.”
She lifted the scythe. Readied it.
Toby’s steady voice cut through the blood rush in her ears. “Robyn. You know how this works. This isn’t how it goes down.”
“Today it is,” she said, swinging the scythe back and slicing the creep’s head off.
†
They stood, looking down at the body as it fell sideways on the floor. Blood leaked steadily onto the wood. The creep’s head rolled several feet to the left, stopping against the leg of a work table tucked up against the wall.
The sound of her breathing made Toby look back up at her. She stood, spent, looking down at the body, a post-orgasmic expression on her face. “Robyn.”
Her crazed gaze moved to his face. “Yeah?”
“This is bad.”
“No. This is good. He’s gone. He won’t hurt anyone else, ever again.”
“Don’t you get it? You’ve changed the game.”
“Just this once.”
“Really? You sure about that?”
Clarity seeped back into her eyes. “It was an impulse. It won’t happen again.”
Toby barked out a humorless laugh. “It’s too late. You’ve already done it.”
She watched him with dead eyes. She didn’t care.
Fantastic. He’d have to deal with her somehow. He couldn’t let her just slice and dice the dirtbags at will. There would be cons
equences, and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of them. She had to be controlled. Or he’d have to get out of Dodge.
The thought made his chest ache. He hung his head and shook it slowly. “Let’s get rid of him and get the hell out of here. Christ knows what will happen now.”
They dumped him in the river. This time there were no minions of the devil to take care of him for them.
As they made their way back up the embankment, a round, silver moon sat low between the trees. The smell of dead, wet things hung thick around them.
†
“We need to find another one. Quick.” Toby drove toward town. He moved a hand over his mouth. He wanted a drink. He wanted a lot of drinks. Just wanted to sit somewhere and drink until he passed out. He needed to check out for a while. But he couldn’t. Now he had three people to worry about, not counting himself.
“Sorry,” Robyn said beside him. “I don’t know what happened. It just came over me and I couldn’t fight it.”
“You didn’t want to.”
“Nope. I didn’t.”
He glanced at her. “I think this thing has gotten inside of you. It’s changing you. And not for the better. You know what I’m saying?”
She nodded. Silent for a long moment. “Dancing with the devil, Toby. I think it’s kind of unavoidable.”
†
“You’re a narc. You must know of some pretty bad apples.” They sat in the parking lot of the Donut Hole. The local doughnut shop. The name was a bit disconcerting, but it really wasn’t that surprising in this small, out-of-the-way town. Robyn could see inside the store next to it, which actually sold and rented videotapes.
Toby sipped his coffee. White powder from his doughnut sprinkled his lips. “You’re a druggie. I could say the same about you.”
The fine sugar on Toby’s lips reminded Robyn of cocaine and made her want to lick them. An intense craving for the drug caught hold of her and she balled her fists. “Dealers who sell to kids are pretty high on my kill list. There are a couple of old contacts I’d like to pay a visit to.”
Toby looked at her, his gaze penetrating. “No more killing for you. Let the collectors do it.”
She sighed. “I know. But it’s the only thing that gives me a rush now. Can I at least watch?”
Toby shook his head. He called Juno and checked in on May. Ended the call. “Everything is chill on the home front. May’s sleeping.”
“As she should be. It’s past midnight.”
Toby wiped his hands on a napkin and took another slug of the coffee. He rolled the top of the paper bag under. “You sure you don’t want one of these?”
“Positive. Thanks.”
“You should get something in that belly of yours. You’ll need the energy.”
“I’m okay for now.” The truth was that her stomach was clenching, but she couldn’t tell if it was from craving or from hunger. She sipped her hot chocolate. “I’ll eat something later.”
“You set?”
Robyn felt pressure in her bladder. The stomach cramps had been hiding her need to pee. “I’ll be right back. Have to use the bathroom.”
“Me too, now that you mention it.” Toby followed her in.
Two cops sat at a side table near the counter of the shop. It turned out that this was a combination doughnut shop and convenience store. They turned their heads when Robyn and Toby came through the door, because an old-fashioned bell chimed when the door opened.
Robyn nodded once to the cops. One, a younger cop, nodded back. After giving Toby and Robyn a once-over with their eyes, they went back to their coffee and doughnuts.
“What a surprise,” Robyn murmured as she pushed open the door to the women’s bathroom. “Cops in a doughnut shop.”
Toby chuckled. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“Nope.”
The bathroom was a single and the door locked. She used a paper towel to push the lock button in. The bathroom was large and surprisingly clean, and even smelled of lilacs. She emptied her bladder and scrubbed her hands, peering at herself in the mirror.
She looked like a druggie. Actually, she looked like a crack whore. Dark circles looked like smudges beneath her eyes. Her hair was stringy. She was pale and her cheeks, sunken. She looked skinny in Toby’s wife’s jeans and black T-shirt. The leather jacket did nothing to hide how thin she’d become in the last year.
No wonder the cops were staring at her. Probably watched them go into separate bathrooms to make sure they weren’t doing the nasty in one of them. If she didn’t walk out soon, they’d be knocking on the bathroom door to make sure she wasn’t shooting up in there.
She regarded her face in the mirror one last time. “Jesus. I look like the walking dead,” she said to herself, and decided to order a bagel with butter on their way out.
Toby was already waiting for her outside the bathroom. “All good?”
“Actually, I’m going to get a bagel before we go.”
“Good. You need it.”
“I can see that.”
As they stood at the counter waiting for the bagel, Robyn eavesdropped on the cops. She knew Toby would be listening too.
“That drive-by that hit that little kid yesterday, everyone knows who did it,” the younger one was saying.
“Yeah, but show me the proof.”
“Keeping my eye on him. He even makes a rolling stop at a red, his ass is mine.”
“We can pull him over for anything.”
“Yeah. Actually, I think I saw that one of his taillights is out. We might need to stop him to let him know that,” the younger one said.
“We know his hang-outs. Might as well swing by them. It’s a slow night.”
Robyn and Toby avoided looking at the cops as they walked by them.
Toby started the engine. “You up for tailing the cops?”
Robyn leaned back and unwrapped her bagel with butter. It actually smelled really good. “Find out who the drive-by shooter is that hit a kid? Hells, yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
†
They stayed four cars behind the cop cruiser, following them to a club called Trix. Even from down the street where they’d parked, Robyn and Toby could hear the electronic beat pounding away.
They were in a parking lot catty-corner to the club and the line stretched all the way to where they sat.
“Exclusive?” Robyn asked.
“It’s how they guarantee a huge crowd. They pick and choose who they allow in. Of course, everyone wants to get in. Makes them feel special.”
“Jesus. People fall for that shit?
“Everyone wants to feel important.”
“It would seem.”
They watched as the crowd parted for the cruiser, which drove into the parking lot and double-parked behind a nice-looking Rolls.
Toby and Robyn left the Escalade and watched as the older cop swung his maglite at one of the taillights.
Robyn laughed out loud. “Holy shit. Did you see that?”
“Guess this guy isn’t one of their BFFs,” Toby said, a wide grin on his face.
“There’s like a billion people watching what they’re doing.”
“Like they’re going to say something about it? Not likely.”
Robyn laughed. “That’s awesome.”
“Cops get away with all kinds of shit. You wouldn’t believe some of it if I told you.”
“Oh, I would,” Robyn said. “There’s a cop I’d like to pay a visit to. He was a client of my supplier. Has very particular tastes when it comes to sexual encounters. Guy’s a total nut job.”
“Well, then,” Toby said. “Let’s put him on the list.”
“Already on it. Was just saving him.”
“For what?”
“For when I figure out how to really make him scream.”
†
The suspected shooter, whose name turned out to be Mojo, came out moments later, bulleting through the crowd toward the parking lot. App
arently somebody had tipped him off that his taillight was out of working condition. “What the fuck, man?”
Robyn and Toby could hear him yelling from their spot across the street. The two cops leaned against Mojo’s ride, arms crossed.
When Mojo approached, the younger one pushed off the Rolls. He spoke in even tones, but his words couldn’t be heard across the street. The young cop tilted his head, facing Mojo eye to eye.
Robyn and Toby didn’t need to hear his words to know the gist of what he was saying. The older cop pushed off the Rolls and stepped up to Mojo, speaking in the same, even tone. They were letting him know that they were watching him. They knew what he did. They were going to catch him one way or the other.
Not before Robyn reached him.
Mojo watched as the two cops walked back to their cruiser. He spoke into his cell phone, then moved into his Rolls.
“That’s a Phantom. How do you suppose he made enough money to be able to afford that?” Robyn asked as they watched Mojo ooze out of the parking lot and onto the street.
“Right. And you can bet that isn’t the only obscenely expensive car that scumbag owns.”
“Shall we?” Robyn’s smirk was disconcerting.
“You just can’t wait, can you?”
“Nope. I’m like a kid at Christmas. Let’s go.”
†
When they reached a quiet road, Toby came up behind the Phantom and laid on the horn. The windows were tinted, but by the way the Phantom slowed down, it was obvious he was looking back at the Escalade, which also had tinted windows.
“He probably knows this vehicle,” Toby said.
“Maybe,” Robyn said. “Stop the vehicle and give me your gun.”
“What?” Toby’s face was incredulous.
“You heard me. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“You can’t kill him, Robyn.”