“The schools are on lockdown during the day with armed guards watching over our kids. The buildings are patrolled in the evenings and overnight. But we can’t assume Thorburn’s next victim will be at a school. It could be anyone at any time.” Hank paused. “I don’t want to alarm anyone unduly, but please be on your guard.”
Hank pointed to Lisa Krunk, uncharacteristically waiting patiently.
“Detective, will you tell me to what extent Lincoln Investigations is involved in this?”
“The Lincolns have been hired by a private individual and I can’t speak for them. They’re conducting a parallel investigation. They’re not working for the police, though their goal is the same as ours, and they willingly share any and all information they receive with us.”
Lisa persisted, “Do you think Adam Thorburn will strike again?”
“That’s an unknown factor and we have to assume he may. We’re taking every precaution and have warned potential victims.” Hank paused. He didn’t want to mention the third killing until he had some solid information. Without knowing the identity of the victim, it would serve no purpose. “There’ll be no more questions, but I want to repeat my warning; please be cautious, don’t go out alone at night, and keep your doors locked at all times until we have Thorburn in custody.”
Hank picked up the folder and turned away as reporters continued to call out questions. Diego joined him and they climbed the steps and went into the precinct.
Hank didn’t feel he had given the people anything new, but he hoped his warning to be careful would be heeded.
Diego turned to Hank. “Do you need some more help on this? I can give you all the officers you want.”
Hank shook his head. “It’s not the manpower that’s the problem, Captain. It’s the lack of viable leads that’s slowing us down.”
“Let me know if you need anything,” Diego said, turning away and going into his office.
Hank went back to his desk, pulled up his chair, and dropped his notes from the press conference into the wastebasket. He slid the big stack of evidence in front of him and painstakingly went through everything once again.
So far, the body of the third victim hadn’t been discovered, and there was a distinct possibility it might be one of Thorburn’s acquaintances Hank and King had been unable to track down.
He turned his head toward King’s desk. The detective had a couple of things to do and wasn’t in yet. When King showed up, Hank would go over the names of the people they had contacted and make a list of those they had been unable to reach. The third victim might be one of them.
It was next to impossible to determine everyone Thorburn had come into contact with during his life, and there was always the chance the latest victim was someone who knew Thorburn—someone Hank was unaware of. He hoped his warning to the public would cover the ones they missed.
And he was worried. There were three victims in three days and today was the fourth day. Would there be another killing, and if so, what could be done to stop it? Who and where would Thorburn hit next? Both known murders were exceptionally brutal, one victim run over repeatedly by a car, the other stabbed to death with a screwdriver, and he feared the third, and perhaps the fourth, would be no different.
So far, the surveillance at the Thorburn house had netted nothing. Thorburn hadn’t shown up at the phone booth again, and the officers on the streets, as well as the public, hadn’t turned up a solid lead.
Until some new information came to light, there was little else he could do at the moment except review what they already knew in the hopes something might add up.
Chapter 39
Thursday, 12:39 p.m.
ANNIE HAD SEARCHED the basement thoroughly, looking for anything to help her break the door down, but had been unsuccessful. The room was bare except for a bag of garbage tossed into a corner. The only window was boarded over, nailed firmly, and though Annie had spent some time working at the boards, it was futile.
Her banging at the basement door, and her calls to Adam Thorburn, had gone unanswered, and she wasn’t sure whether or not he was still in the house.
Though the room was cool, it wasn’t damp, and the dry, stale smell was not overpowering. She’d been in worse situations before, but this time there seemed to be no way out on her own. She was at the mercy of Adam Thorburn and could only wait patiently until he released her or she was found.
She sat on the dusty floor, her back against the cool concrete wall, her knees drawn up, her attempts to escape exhausted. She had no doubt Jake was searching for her, especially since any phone calls to her number would go unanswered.
She raised her head and gazed toward the stairs at the sound of the lock being drawn back. Someone was coming, and it could only be Adam.
Rising to her feet, she waited. The door squeaked open and a pair of legs came into view. It was her captor. He descended a few steps, ducked down as if to assure himself he wasn’t being ambushed, and then came down the steps, his eyes on her continually.
He carried a plastic bottle of water in his hand and he stopped a few feet away. “I brought you something to drink,” he said, tossing it to her.
“Thank you,” she said, catching it in one hand. She hadn’t realized until now how thirsty she was, and she screwed the cap off and downed most of the cool liquid as he watched her, his arms crossed.
She held the bottle in her hand and looked at him, calculating her chances at trying to overpower him. She quickly gave up on the thought. He was at least five inches taller and outweighed her by fifty pounds.
Suddenly, as if it were an afterthought, he reached behind his back and produced a pistol. Annie’s eyes bulged as she stared at the weapon. Had she misjudged him? Did he have plans to use the gun on her?
“I wish you could’ve left me alone,” he said, holding the weapon in one hand, his arm at his side, the barrel pointed toward the floor.
Annie’s gaze moved to the eyes of the killer. She didn’t see murder in them. There was no coldness like she had seen in brutal killers in the past. Rather, his eyes were filled with a sadness she couldn’t understand.
“What do you plan to do?” she asked carefully.
He raised the pistol and looked at it a moment, then dropped his hand again. He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”
“You could let me go,” she said, hope in her voice, but doubt in her heart.
His lips were tight and grim. “I can’t do that.” He glanced around the room, his eyes finally resting back on hers. “Are you warm enough?”
“I’m fine,” Annie said.
He tilted his head. “May I ask you a question?”
“Shoot,” she said. “Uh … I mean, go ahead.”
He smiled slightly at her slip-up, then said, “Why’re you so kind to me? After what I’ve done? I’ve killed three people, maybe even more for all I know, and yet you don’t seem to be afraid. Not only that, but if you’re telling the truth, you’re the only person who truly wants to help me.”
“Maybe because I’m a mother,” she said, wondering if she should continue. “I have a young boy, and if he was in your situation, I’d want to do everything I could to help him.”
Adam nodded slowly, then asked, “And your husband? Is he like you? He seems to be rather angry.”
“That’s because you don’t know him,” Annie said. “If you did, you would see he’s a compassionate man.”
“I bet he’s a good father, too,” Adam said, a note of bitterness in his voice.
“Yes, he is,” she said, and paused. “Tell me about your father.”
Adam’s shoulders slumped and he gazed over her head, unseeing, his mind in thought. Finally, he said, “My father has been dead now for almost a year. He was okay, but he never understood me. Always pushing me to be what he wanted and wouldn’t accept my illness. Thought I was putting it on.” He sighed. “When I dropped out of school, he tried to get me a job at the mill, but I couldn’t work there
.”
“Why?” Annie asked.
“Couldn’t concentrate on anything that long.” He laughed. “I’m a pathetic excuse for a human being, I know, but that’s the way I am.”
“I don’t think you’re pathetic.”
“How can you not? I’ve killed people. Murdered them in cold blood. People I liked. I think that makes me very pathetic indeed.”
Annie had no answer for that.
“And I like you,” he continued. “Does that mean I might kill you too?”
Annie’s gaze moved to the weapon held at his side, his finger firmly on the trigger.
“I can’t help it,” he said. “Sometimes I have a desire to kill. I hear voices in my head, demanding I do evil things, and I have to listen or they won’t leave me alone.”
“Do you hear them now?” Annie asked.
He shook his head. “No, but I did earlier today.”
“What did they tell you?”
“To kill myself. But I couldn’t do it.”
“Then you have the power to resist,” Annie said.
He dropped his head and sighed. “Sometimes.” When he raised his head again, his eyes were sad. “But it’s not only the voices. It’s my blackout spells. Periods of time when I’ve no idea what I’ve done. I only know it was something terrible.”
“How often does it happen?”
The sadness remained in his eyes. “Seems like every day now. It started after my father died, and it’s been getting worse lately.”
“You need to get some help,” Annie said gently, compassionately.
“There’s no help. My medications don’t do anything anymore.” He laughed out of self-pity. “Besides, I’m not a priority. I’m a murderer and no one is going to care about me getting any kind of help when there are more deserving people out there who don’t kill.”
He had a point, and she knew Adam was intelligent enough not to get taken in by any false promises she might make. She understood why he didn’t want to surrender. The best he could expect was to be confined to a psychiatric facility with a constant stream of medication to keep him docile for the rest of his life.
“There’s no future for me,” he said. “And no easy way out.”
Annie pointed toward the weapon in his hand. “Do you think that’s the answer?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But for now, it’ll keep me safe until I decide what to do.”
He glanced around the room, tears welling up in his eyes. Then he turned abruptly and strode toward the stairs. “I have to keep you here for now,” he said, and then turned and plodded up the steps, tucking the pistol back behind his belt as he went.
The door closed, the lock slid shut, and she was alone again. She was unsure if she was safe, or if his dark side would take over and come back.
Annie was at the mercy of an unpredictable and dangerous man, a man out of control, and she had no way out.
Chapter 40
Thursday, 12:51 p.m.
JAKE HAD KNOCKED on every door on Mill Street, and in each case where someone was home, he’d been informed Annie had been there earlier, asked a few questions, and then moved on. He was no further ahead in the search for his wife than he was an hour ago. In addition, she still wasn’t answering her cell phone and his text messages were ignored.
He went back to his car, circled the surrounding streets again, and then parked on Mill Street at the spot where he had dropped Annie off. He hoped she would return on her own with a simple explanation, but he knew in his heart something was very wrong.
His cell phone rang. He prayed it was Annie and was disappointed when he looked at the caller ID. It was Lisa Krunk.
“I don’t have time to talk to you now,” he said. “I’m in the middle of something that can’t wait.”
Lisa’s voice came over the line. “As you know, Jake, in the past, I’ve always tried to help law enforcement whenever possible.”
What was she getting at? She rarely did anything to help unless there was something in it for her.
“What do you want, Lisa?” Jake asked, trying to remain patient.
She paused, probably for dramatic effect. “I have some information you might find helpful.”
“Helpful in what way?”
“To find Adam Thorburn.”
Jake sat forward. “I’m listening.”
“I had the pleasure this morning of interviewing Virginia Thorburn.”
Jake shook his head in disgust. “Will you get to the point, Lisa?”
Lisa gave a long, drawn-out and exaggerated sigh. “In fact, if I hadn’t caught her in the street, I doubt I would’ve gotten a word from her. She wasn’t all that happy to see me.”
That statement didn’t surprise Jake. Rare was the time when anyone was pleased to see Lisa. Her expertise in bringing out the negative in the people she interviewed was well known by those who had been subjected to her questions.
“What do you have for me, Lisa?” Jake asked, his patience slipping away.
“I want to interview you and Annie when this is all over. Would you do me that favor, Jake?”
There it was. Her demands. They weren’t unreasonable, but there always had to be something; her conscience never came into play.
“If it helps me find Annie, you’ve got a deal,” Jake said.
“Annie’s missing?” Lisa asked in her usual way of faking concern. “How long has she been gone?”
Jake bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to let that out, especially to Lisa. “I haven’t been able to reach her on the phone,” he said. “But I’m sure she’s okay.”
There was a short pause on the line and then Lisa spoke again. “In my attempt to get at the truth, I was able to dig out an important bit of information from Mrs. Thorburn.”
Jake’s patience was expended. “What did you find, Lisa?”
“It seems Virginia Thorburn has been meeting up with Adam on more than one occasion, the last time perhaps as recently as this morning. I caught her in a lie when she said she hadn’t seen him since Tuesday morning—”
Jake interrupted. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Apparently, Adam told her he didn’t kill the two people, but he killed the second one on Tuesday evening.” Lisa chuckled, well pleased with herself. “She was flustered and stormed away after she let that slip. I want to use it in my news story this evening, but I thought you should know.”
“If it helps us locate Adam Thorburn, then you’ll get the interview.”
“And one more thing.”
Jake sighed. “What is it?”
“Will you ask Detective Corning if he’ll sit in on the interview?”
“I can’t speak for him, but all right, I’ll ask him. No guarantee on that one.”
“Thanks, Jake. I knew I could depend on you.”
The line went dead and Jake hung up thoughtfully. He knew Adam had been home the day before, when he’d seen him coming from the basement window and chased him across the yard of the steel mill. But it was doubtful Adam had seen his mother at that time, or he would’ve left through the door.
The rosebush Jake had seen near the hut in the swamp was further proof Adam had been home more than once.
He believed Mrs. Thorburn knew more than she was letting on. Why else would Adam have fled the house the day after the first murder—after spending the night at home? The only one who could’ve told him the police were on his trail was his mother.
She was protecting her son, which was understandable, but in the process she might be putting more lives in danger. If what Lisa had said was true, and she had no reason to lie about it, then he needed to have another talk with Virginia Thorburn.
He started the Firebird and drove up the street, stopping in front of the Thorburn house. The unmarked car still sat across the street from the dwelling, not a fun job for the officers inside the vehicle.
He stepped from the car, approached the side of the house, and knocked on the screen door.
Virginia
Thorburn peeked through the window of the door, her face contorting into a frown when she saw him. Jake was sure she wasn’t going to let him in, but a moment later the inner door swung open.
Jake tugged on the screen door. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Thorburn. May I speak with you a moment?”
“What about?” the woman asked, folding her arms and leaning against the door frame. She wasn’t going to invite him in this time, that much was evident.
Jake glanced past the woman, hoping to see Annie inside. She wasn’t, of course, and as he stood one step down from the doorway, he was still two inches taller than the woman. Jake looked down into her eyes and studied her face. “I’m looking for my wife. Did she drop in to see you today?”
Mrs. Thorburn nodded. “She was here a couple of hours ago.”
Her eyes told him she was telling the truth. “Have you seen Adam today?” he asked bluntly.
She hesitated, fumbling for an answer, then, “No, I haven’t seen him. I don’t believe he’s around here anymore.”
Jake saw the lie in her eyes. Lisa Krunk had been correct. “Where is he, Mrs. Thorburn?”
“I … I don’t know.” She frowned deeply. “I told you I haven’t seen him.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “If you do, tell him I’m looking for Annie and I’m coming for him.”
Her eyes told him everything he needed to know except where his wife was. This time a hint of fear showed on her face, then anger. “I haven’t seem Adam and I don’t know where your wife is.”
“Mrs. Thorburn,” Jake said, “you can get into a lot of trouble for harboring a fugitive.” Jake motioned toward the kitchen. “Is he here now?”
“No, he’s not here?”
“Is my wife here?”
She took a deep breath and let it out in a long-suffering sigh. “Your wife’s not here.” She stepped back and reached for the doorknob.
Jake held the door from closing. “Don’t forget,” he said. “Make sure you tell him I’m coming for him and he’d better be careful.” He moved his hand from the door and it slammed in his face.
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