Fleeting Glimpse

by Victoria M. Patton

  Thunder booms. She grabs the cat by the neck, dragging him out. Another bolt of lightning flashes. This time the silhouette of a man in a black sweatshirt and dark jeans is at the door. She screams, scaring Theo who hisses and scratches her, jumping from her arms.

  Chandra runs towards the front door. She hears the glass doors slide open. She turns to see the man holding the remote for the door as they inch open. He takes a few steps towards her, walking slowly in her direction. “Chaaan-dra. You can’t run.”

  Chandra yanks on the front door. She forgot about the new dead bolt. She reaches for the key to unlock it. “Where is it?” She screams. She searches the bowl on the entry table. She tugs on the handle. “Help me!” She yanks on a door that won’t budge. “Help me,” she screams, banging her fists against it. In a flash, the air swooshes out of her. “Please,” she gasps.

  The intruder is pressed against her. He grabs one wrist, bending her arm at an awkward angle. He reaches into his pocket. “I think you want this.” He dangles the key in front of her.

  She sobs. “No, please, no. How did you get that? Who are you?”

  He grabs her other hand. “I’ve waited for this moment for far too long.” He holds both her hands in one of his, as he binds her wrists together.

  The hard-plastic ties dig into her. She can feel his leather gloves against her skin. “Please, don’t do this.” One of his arms tighten around her waist. “How did you get my key, Thomas? Lieutenant Drake is almost here. You won’t get away with this.” She cries out as he uses his weight to push against her. His grip tightens around her. His other hand grabs her throat. “Please. Please. Stop.” She pleads with him.

  “I’m not going to stop. And I’m not Thomas,” he whispers in her ear.

  She swallows the bile inching up her throat. “Luke? Why are you doing this?”

  “I’ve watched you for a long time. You’re quite beautiful. But it isn’t your looks I’m attracted to.”

  The air saws in and out of her chest. Her pulse sounds like a freight train between her ears. She screams. “Help! Help me!” She tries to kick her front door.

  He laughs. “Go ahead, kick and scream. If it makes you feel better. No one can hear you.”

  Chandra’s sobs choke her. She forces the words out. “I haven’t done anything to you. Why? Why are you doing this?”

  “Hmm. Because I can. You’re not my first. Although you have been the most fun. Using your fear and anxiety to get you worked up, brought the most enjoyment. I push the right buttons; I make you dance.”

  A familiar smell engulfs her. Her mind races, trying to think where she recognizes the odor from. “Who are you?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” He tightens his grip around her waist, pressing her next to him. “Fear smells good on you, Chandra,” he says inhaling.

  Thunder cracks. Sheets of rain pound against the door. Chandra’s mind is spinning. “Please. Please let me go. I won’t tell anyone.” Tears stream down her face. “Please.”

  “Chandra, I told you I would never let anyone hurt you. That’s my job, after all. To serve and protect.”

  Her heart sinks into her stomach. “Julian?” She can barely get his name out.

  “Ah, yes. It’s me.” He lets his grip around her neck loosen.

  She can’t catch her breath. “Why? Why would you do this?”

  “It’s a thrill.” He laughs. He kisses her neck.

  She feels sick as his breath warms her skin. Making her shivers intensify. “I don’t understand. How did you get into my home? How did you do all those things?” Chandra’s sobs increase.

  “Being a detective has its perks. Of course, you gave me your code. You punched it in right in front of me. Silly girl.” He pulls her closer to his body. “Extra remotes lying around. You were so easy to manipulate. Not to mention the perfect timing of Thomas. That was pure luck.”

  “You won’t get away with this. They will find you all over the house.”

  “Exactly. Why do you think I got so close to you? My detectives know how fond I am of you. I’ve told them how special you are.”

  She shakes her head. “You drugged me? Why? How?”

  “That was easy. I drugged the bottle that night when I put it back in the fridge. Just enough.”

  “Why, Julian? What did I do to you?”

  “You didn’t do anything.” He laughs. “I can’t take credit for everything. Luke sent most of the flowers.” He pushes himself against her. He can feel her heart pounding.

  “I thought we had something. I thought you cared about me.”

  “I do care about you, a little too much. I let this go on way longer than I usually do.” He presses his mouth next to her ear. “We do have something special. I’m positive no other woman will make me feel the way you do. Did.” His sinister laugh echoes in the dead quiet home.

  He drags her back, spinning her to face the mirror in the entryway, pinning her between him and the table. “Oh, Chandra. You should’ve paid better attention to your dreams and the little nagging voice telling you to be afraid of me.” He watches her in the mirror as he kisses her wet cheek. He licks the salty fluid from his lips. An evil grin fills his face. “All those warning signs, the little things that made you question me. More people should pay attention to that inner voice.”

  Chandra stares at a monster. She smells the leather as his fingers squeeze her neck. She squirms against him, struggling to breathe. His arm around her waist tightens. He lets go of her throat. She pants, sucking in air. Coughing erupts as the back of her throat burns.

  “You should be happy to know they will find all kinds of evidence in Thomas’ home. He will be convicted of your murder.” Julian giggles. “At least I’m pretty sure he will. If not him, your neighbor Luke. He has been stalking you. He has a shit ton of pictures of you. So funny, too. In all my years doing this, I’ve never had this many people to blame for one murder.”

  “I can’t believe I had feelings for you.” Chandra’s bottom lip quivers. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been.”

  “You’re not stupid. You’re innocent. Naïve.” Julian caresses her arms. His fingers brush against the side of her breast. “I’m pretty good at what I do. I’ve had a lot of practice. My one regret, I do wish I had just one night with you. One night to see your curves with no clothes on them. But I would’ve gotten too close. You’ve been one of my biggest distractions.”

  Chandra’s body shakes. “I don’t understand. You’re a detective. A cop. Women, society, we trust you.”

  “Trust is overrated.” He runs his hand through her hair. He wants to feel the silky strands against his fingers, but won’t risk removing his gloves. Instead, he lifts a handful to his face. Letting them glide across his skin. His hand slides to her forehead. He bends her head back, exposing her neck. “You are a lovely creature.” He kisses her cheek as he reaches behind his back. He pulls a knife from its sheathing. He drags the tip up her side. “I want you to know something.” He watches her in the mirror. “Are you listening?”

  She blinks, clearing the tears from her flooded eyes. Her lips roll together. Tears stream down her face. She squeaks as she nods.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Theo. I’ve grown quite fond of him.” In a quick flash he watches her eyes widen, as he slides the knife across her neck. He can hear gurgling as the blood gushes from the wound, spraying across the mirror.

  Her eyes bulge as she watches her blood flow from her neck—her life draining from her. The last thing she sees is her own murder.

  Her body goes limp in his arms. He steps back, letting her fall to the floor. A puddle of crimson oozes out around her.

  Theo comes out from his hiding place and rubs against Julian’s leg. He reaches down and picks up the cat. “Time to come to your new home.” Julian steps around Chandra’s lifeless body. Exiting the way he came in, he bundles Theo under his sweatshirt protecting him from the rain.

  CHA
PTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Six months later

  “Hi, mom.”

  “Hi, sweetie. Are you doing okay?”

  “Things are going great. I’m looking over my schedule for my trip in a few weeks.”

  “I don’t want you to go.”

  “Mom, I have to go. I’m scheduled to speak at several Tech events around the country.” Theresa fills her glass with tea.

  “I’m going to miss you that’s all.”

  “Well, the good thing is I won’t be leaving for three weeks. I’m kicking off the tour here in Manchester. I’m scheduled for several talks around here and Boston.” Theresa adds sugar to her glass. She’s standing at her kitchen window. Her house is one of the first ones on this street. Her yard backs up to a nature reserve. At least she will never have a back neighbor.

  “I plan on being at the first one. I’m proud of you. What about the young man you have been seeing?”

  “What about him?”

  “I can’t imagine your relationship will work if you’re going to be traveling for weeks.”

  “Mom, we’re more friends than anything serious. We’ve been working together for a long time.”

  “Well, I like him.”

  “You like everyone.”

  “He is very handsome.”

  “Don’t tell Ethan that. His head will get too big.” Theresa squints out the window. The sunset is casting crazy shadows across her lawn. She turns to grab a muffin from the fridge when she notices something toward the back by her trees. “What is that?”

  “What is what, honey?”

  “I don’t know, Mom. I think I saw someone in my backyard.”

  THE END

  Read on to enjoy a preview of Innocence Taken. Book 1 in the Damien Kaine Series.

  Preview of Innocence Taken

  Chapter 1

  He straddled her chest—for leverage. His hands tingled as his fingers curled tight. He had to apply just the right amount of pressure. Her jerky movements increased as he squeezed her neck. The girl’s chest hardened under his weight, holding on to the last bit of air in her lungs. The beautiful smoky brown color of her eyes faded, replaced with a dull gray cloud that crept from one side to the other. A gleeful smile tugged at his mouth when red dots popped on the sclera. Her bladder released, announcing the end. His fingers uncurled from her neck, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. He stared down at her as the stillness and quiet of the room engulfed him.

  The corners of his mouth twitched as his trip down memory lane was interrupted. He heard the begging from the far side of the room. He stared at the girl he held captive. He’d chosen this one because she resembled HER, but she didn’t live up to his expectations. None did anymore. He wondered if he would ever find another like HER. The one thing all these girls had in common, they all begged—eventually. He turned away and finished the preparations.

  ***

  The thin mattress offered Becca little comfort. Leather straps bound her ankles and wrists to the bed. The slow melodic tune he whistled bounced off the cold concrete walls and pierced her eardrums like a hundred tiny pinpricks. Becca flinched at the sound of the chain hitting the floor as he hooked it to a ring in the ceiling. She closed her eyes. The man didn’t care about her pleas. He had no plans to let her go.

  She thought about how she got here. Becca’s parents had given her a reprieve from her month-long grounding and allowed her to go to the mall with her two best friends. They chortled and bounced from store to store as they flirted with all the cute boys. The smell of freshly baked cookies and pretzels wafted through the air. Becca and her friends stopped for a snack and to chat with the boy behind the counter. That’s where she met him, outside Cookie Crumbs. She bumped into him and then spent a few hours walking around the mall with him. Her stomach fluttered when he asked her to leave with him. What seemed like the best way to spend the remainder of her one day of freedom turned into the start of her worst nightmare.

  Becca rocked back and forth muttering to herself. She watched him and prayed that he planned a quick death for her. As if he knew she stared at him, he glanced over his shoulder and winked at her. Becca shook uncontrollably, gasping for air as she clawed at the straps around her wrists.

  Her eagerness to push her parents and their rules aside landed her here, in a cold, damp basement. Becca spent the last few months pushing as hard as she could to get away from her life. A life that seemed filled with endless chores and babysitting her little brother. As bad as she thought her life had been, these last few days were nothing short of Hell. She wanted that life back.

  She cried out. “Oh God, please help me—please help me. Please, please help me.” The sobs that choked her now burst out as her begging erupted into broken wails. The man turned and glowered at her, but she no longer cared. He planned to kill her. What did she care if he beat her before he did it? Becca leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her thighs. “I’m so sorry Mom, I’m so sorry.” She hiccupped between the sobs. “I love you, Mom—Dad, I love you…” She repeated the mantra until her throat ached.

  Becca saw the man turn and walk across the basement towards her. Her eyes widened; her prayers and pleas stopped. The man leered at her. She noticed the light as it bounced off the blade. Becca screamed.

  Chapter 2

  Division Central Chicago, IL

  Lieutenant Damien Kaine dragged himself into the Vicious Crimes Unit. He plopped down at his desk, letting his arms hang limply. His athletic body sagged in his chair as he closed his eyes and leaned back. The air in the VCU hung thick and stale with the odor of burnt coffee and smelly socks. The stench made Damien’s stomach roll. He blocked out the noise of the squad room and contemplated using his weapon on himself, the relief it might bring from the pounding in his head. Whiskey from the night before still coursed through his veins; flowing to the same beat that thumped inside his skull.

  The morning had started off crappy when he threw his alarm clock against the wall. That made three this month. He could kick his own ass for letting Joe, his best friend and partner, talk him into going out last night. Damien had drunk too much, and today he paid the price. Hell, he’d been paying the price for several months now. Damien hadn’t been a big drinker until the night he found Camilla in that hotel room. Since his canceled engagement, he and a bottle of whiskey spent a lot of time together.

  He couldn’t lay all the blame on Camilla, unfortunately. The job had taken its toll. The nightmares were never-ending. The dead never stayed dead. They liked to hang around in his dreams and bug the living shit out of him. Damien had considered turning in his resignation when Captain Mackey asked him to take the lieutenant’s exam. Against his better judgment, he did. He passed. Now he felt stuck.

  Damien opened one eye and checked his surroundings. VCU shared the seventh floor with the Electronics and Cyber Division. His eyes widened as he stared at the detectives behind the glass wall of the ECD enclosure. They never sat down. They danced and shimmied to an unheard rhythm. Damien imagined that beat came from the constant tapping of their fingers on computer keyboards. Why do they move around so damn much? His body shook at the disturbing sight.

  Damien spun around in his chair. He ran a hand through his jet black hair, causing it to stand in a wavy mess. Detective Jenkins sat across from him. Jenkins’ shaggy brown hair hung over the collar of his shirt. It swayed a little every time he tossed that damn tennis ball into the air, which he did whenever he got stuck in a case. Usually, it didn’t bother Damien, but today it added an echo to the thumping in his head. Jenkins was with them last night. He drank just as much as Damien did, and yet he looked like he hadn’t touched one drop.

  Detective Jenkins smiled at Damien who glowered back through bloodshot eyes. “Kaine, you sure don’t seem as happy as you did last night at Mulligan’s.” Reclining in his chair, he stretched his long legs to the far side of his desk. “This morning you resemble dead dog shit warmed over. Nice hair—Lieutenant.”


  Damien pressed his lips tight to keep from smiling. “Fuck you, Jenkins.”

  “Ouch,” Jenkins said. “Not very nice.”

  Detective Joe Hagan entered the VCU looking upbeat and well-rested. “Yo, Kaine, how do you feel this morning? Did we keep you out past your bedtime last night?”

  Damien watched as Joe’s muscular legs carried his linebacker body with the stealth of a panther, his dark red hair still wet from his morning shower. Damien hung his head in his hands. “You’re a detective, you figure it out.”

  Joe’s eyes narrowed as a broad grin pushed his cheeks up high. “Shit man, you’re a wuss. A few drinks and you think you're going to die. Not to mention you’re a cranky fucker, Lieutenant.”

  If Joe only knew it wasn’t just a hangover from last night. There haven’t been too many nights he hasn’t used the bottle to help him sleep. Damien ransacked his desk looking for something to quiet the drum core in his head. “Stai zitto!” He snapped at Joe as he rubbed his temples.

  “Yeah, yeah. Shut the hell up. Like I don’t hear that every day.” Joe reached into his desk drawer. “Hey cranky pants, here you go.” Joe smiled as he threw a bottle at him.

  Damien glanced up as the bottle smacked him in the chest. “Seriously you stupid fuck, can’t you throw?”

  Joe roared with laughter. “Can’t you catch?”

  “Whatever.” Damien popped four aspirin into his mouth and washed them down with a gulp of the liquid this place tried to pass off as coffee. Hell, most of the time it didn’t even resemble liquid. He peered into his coffee mug. “What the hell is this? It can’t be coffee.”

  “Nope, it's Chicago Sludge,” Joe said.

  “Well, that explains why it smells and tastes like shit.” Damien laid his head back against the chair. “How the hell can you be so fucking chipper? You drank more than I did.”