A Dark Mind

by T. R. Ragan

  Was Jared down there? Was she too late?

  Music blared from inside the hole. Lizzy looked at Hayley. “I want you to stay here. I mean it, Hayley.”

  Hayley nodded.

  “Do you have something to protect yourself with?” Lizzy asked next.

  “Do bears shit in the woods?”

  Lizzy headed down the steep wooden stairs leading to a concrete floor below. The smell of antiseptic was overwhelming, immediately overpowering her senses. She didn’t bother looking at Hayley; she just headed downward, unafraid, determined to find Jared before it was too late.

  Saturday, June 9, 2012

  Blood pumped faster through Jared’s veins as he watched the killer slice through Kassie Scott. The worst part was that there was nothing he could do about it. The lunatic was right. Nothing Jared had done in his life as an agent so far had prepared him for this moment. Like many agents, he’d spent hours sitting across the table from a killer, looking into the eyes of a madman as the unsub rambled on, gleefully recalling one horrific act after another—no remorse, no shame—retelling his stories for the sheer pleasure of being able to relive the killing within the ears of the listener.

  For years, Jared had thought he understood what Lizzy must have felt when she talked about being beaten down by flashbacks of when she was held captive by a killer and forced to watch young girls being tortured. Now he realized he hadn’t understood at all. For the first time since he’d been dragged into the madman’s basement, he felt a powerful rage building within.

  So far, Kassie had been cut open in three different places. The killer had engraved the outline of a heart in her chest, deep enough to draw blood, but not deep enough to cause her to bleed to death. It was clear he took his surgical procedures seriously, as if each cut were an art form. One thing was certain: he had succeeded in getting Kassie’s adrenaline going. Her chest rose and fell with each breath. Every time she asked the madman to kill her and be done with it, he seemed to become calmer and more composed. While the man worked on Kassie, Jared continued to check every inch of the cage. He crawled to the top and rattled every corner, making the killer laugh every time he did so.

  Ignoring Jared for a while, the man talked to Kassie instead. “I heard you talking on the phone when I was hiding out in your closet, waiting for you to enter your bedroom. I believe you said you had a surprise for your husband. Tell me your secret, Kassie dear, or I’m going to cut you open and see it for myself.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, her voice quivering.

  He calmly unscrewed the lid from the jar. “Don’t worry if you pass out during the surgical procedure. When you wake up, your baby will be preserved in a jar. I’ll make sure Drew gets—”

  “I’m pregnant,” she said as if her declaration might save her baby. “Don’t hurt my baby. Please.”

  “You forgot to turn on the video,” Jared blurted, finally able to breathe when the man left Kassie’s side long enough to check.

  “Nice try,” he said, smiling at Jared, knowing he’d been tricked. He returned to the table and put the scalpel to her stomach. “Don’t worry,” he told Kassie. “Your baby won’t feel a thing.”

  Behind the killer, Jared saw movement. Stunned to see Lizzy making her way down the stairs, he threw his body into the front of the cage, over and over, screaming at the top of his lungs, anything to stop the man from looking over his shoulder.

  Lizzy didn’t try to make sense of what she was seeing: Jared screaming and Roy Orbison’s voice singing “Only the Lonely.” She knew crazy and this was it. The moment both feet were firmly on the concrete floor, she kept a good distance away from the man in the lab coat and raised her gun. “Drop the knife, Robert. It’s over.”

  He whirled around, the scalpel firmly in his grip as he grinned from ear to ear. “You found me. Spiderman was right about you. You are full of surprises.”

  She recognized him at once. Not only was he the owner of the flower shop, the man dressed up as Jane, he was also her attacker in the park. “Drop the knife or I’ll shoot.”

  He hardly flinched. Just kept smiling, a wild fanatical look in his eyes. “I should have taken care of you while I had the chance.”

  “Yeah, that’s what they all say. Drop the knife.”

  “You won’t shoot because you can’t.”

  She’d been practicing at the shooting range for years. She knew all about vertical alignment. She had no reason to twist at the waist or the knees. Hitting her target would not require a lot of effort, especially at such close range.

  Disregarding her completely, Robert Beck returned to his work, intent on finishing whatever it was he’d started.

  Lizzy squeezed the trigger. The first shot hit his left shoulder.

  He kept on working.

  The next bullet lodged into his upper thigh and the third bullet slammed into the back of his knee, the sound of the gunshots echoing off the walls.

  He crumpled to the ground, faceup, his eyes wide with astonishment as if he still didn’t believe she’d dared shoot him.

  “This was all a game to you,” she said, keeping her gun aimed at his heart. “You thought you could just keep pissing me off and I wouldn’t find you?”

  She heard the sounds of sirens getting closer. Thank God, because she had no idea if the woman on the table was dead or alive. There were no gaping wounds, just odd outlines and areas that had been cut and sewn up, green pus seeping from a wound on her collarbone, and blood everywhere.

  Lizzy’s gaze fell on the woman in the chair. Keeping the gun aimed at Robert Beck, she moved toward the woman and lifted her hat. She recognized her face at once and sucked in a breath at the horrid sight of her. “Rochelle Simpson. That police report you filed,” she said to Robert, “was all lies.”

  “It was the truth,” Robert said.

  Lizzy shook her head at him. “Claire Schultz saw you break the car window, choke Rochelle, and then carry her into your house. She heard Rochelle’s screams. There was nobody else in the vicinity. You killed the one woman who cared about you.”

  He remained silent.

  “You preserved her body. Why?”

  He picked up the scalpel from the floor nearby and began to slowly cut into his chest, starting at the point just beneath his throat and working his way downward, cutting straight and deep. “You wouldn’t understand,” he said, his gaze focused on the blood seeping out of his body as he sliced through his skin. “I was lonely.”

  Blood oozed from his gaping wound.

  Lizzy did nothing to stop him.

  Robert looked at Jared. “Do you want to know why I finally killed my mother?”

  Jared didn’t say a word, didn’t flinch.

  “She didn’t love me. She never loved me,” Robert said as his hand, along with the scalpel, fell to the concrete floor with a clank.

  Lizzy looked from Jared to the lock on the door to his cage. “Where’s the key?”

  “In his front pant pocket.”

  She kicked the scalpel out of the way, and it skidded through a puddle of blood. Kneeling at Robert’s side, she reached deep into his pocket and pulled out the keys. Robert Beck’s eyes were wide open, but he was dead.

  Footsteps sounded overhead—her backup had arrived.

  She stood and headed for the cage as one thought played in her mind: Jared was alive.

  “I love you,” she said loudly enough for him to hear her over the music.

  CHAPTER 31

  I saw so many boys whipped, it took root in my head.

  —Albert Fish

  Antelope

  Sunday, June 10, 2012

  Nobody had gotten any sleep in more than twenty-four hours, but Jessica was done being patient. With or without Lizzy or Jared, or Hayley, for that matter, she was going to the construction site. She wouldn’t be able to sleep until she searched the property. She was done with the lies and the hidden agendas. She was done with the whole private-eye thing. She had no idea who Ma
gnus Vitalis was, but damn it all, she was going to find him once and for all and make sure he was alive and well.

  She had given Lizzy her notice. She was quitting, which made things easier for Lizzy since it turned out she had planned to fire her on Monday for her own good. Not only was Jessica quitting her job, she was giving up her apartment after living in it for less than a month, more determined than ever to return to school and get her degree in criminology. She knew what she wanted out of life, and she was going for it.

  She would move in with her mom. She’d already called her brother in New Jersey and chewed him out for abandoning her. He was moving home, too, and together they would help their mother pull herself together; they would be a family again.

  Although she’d threatened to go to the construction site alone, there was no need. Jared used his contacts along with his clout to have the garage and patio at the construction site jackhammered. If no bodies were found, he would even cover the costs of hiring the men himself.

  The noise was deafening as Jessica impatiently stood in the driveway and watched the men work. She couldn’t stand the wait, the not knowing. It was all too much for her, so she headed for the backyard.

  When the jackhammering finally stopped, she heard a noise coming from the Dumpster nearby. She tried to lift the top, but it was padlocked. There was more pounding after she tried to lift the lid. Someone was definitely inside. She ran to the front of the house and saw Jared and the men he’d hired looking through the bags they had dug up. She could smell the rotted bodies from where she stood. Frantically, she caught Jared’s attention and pointed to the backyard. He followed her to the Dumpster.

  It didn’t take long for the men to cut off the padlock and open the Dumpster.

  There was a man inside. He stood up. He’d lost a lot of weight and he was covered in grime, but it was him: Magnus Vitalis in the flesh.

  With Jared’s gun pointed at him, he appeared weak and malnourished as he flashed a badge of his own and talked fast.

  Jessica couldn’t believe what she was seeing or hearing. Magnus was an undercover drug enforcement officer working the Dominic Povo case.

  After Jared pulled him from the Dumpster and gave him water, Magnus shook Jared’s hand and then looked at Jessica and said, “What took you so long?”

  She frowned and pointed to her chest. “Me?”

  “Yeah, you. I thought you liked me.”

  “I don’t know what gave you that idea.” After a short pause, Jessica smiled and he put an arm around her shoulder, using her for support as she walked him to a nearby chair.

  He was weak and his legs were wobbly. He smelled like rotten tomatoes and sewage, but for some reason she didn’t mind. After he took a seat, someone handed him another water bottle.

  “What happened?” Jessica asked him.

  “I’ve been working undercover, watching Povo for months,” he said between gulps of water. “He’s a major distributor of meth in the area. His men thought they killed me and left me for dead. Food scraps and half-filled soda cans kept me alive. But I owe you, Kat Sylvester.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s Jessica,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Sacramento

  Sunday, June 10, 2012

  It didn’t matter that Stacey Whitmore had gotten four hours of sleep in the past forty-eight; she looked and felt better than ever in her royal-blue fitted suit with gold buttons. Every hair was in its place, her makeup flawless, her eyes wide and alert as she took a seat behind the anchor desk and got ready to report the nightly news.

  Five, four, three, two, one. A wave of the finger from the set director, and the teleprompter began rolling.

  “It has been confirmed that Robert Beck, a man of many names, including the Lovebird Killer, is dead. Although he was shot three times, his death was caused by a self-inflicted wound. We’ve been told that Lizzy Gardner had a hand in leading the FBI to his hideout, where two people were being held captive. A woman, whose name will not be released until relatives have been notified, is in critical condition at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento.

  “The Lovebird Killer’s hideout has been described as a windowless basement. It’s a cold, dank place where he performed surgical procedures on his victims. It appears the Lovebird Killer embalmed and preserved some of his victims for years. At this time, the FBI has confirmed that Robert Beck is responsible for at least eleven deaths, including those of his adoptive parents, Todd and Karen Beck. A full list of the victims’ names will be released after families have been notified.

  “In light of new evidence discovered at the site, Michael Dalton was freed this afternoon, exonerated by DNA that was found at the killer’s hideout—evidence connecting Robert Beck to Jennifer Dalton’s murder.”

  Stacey continued to smile at the monitor, which was easy to do under the circumstances. Although she never wished Jennifer any harm, she wished she could have been at the prison to see Michael’s release. She had no idea where the future would lead her and Michael, but she had already called her lawyer to start divorce proceedings, something she should have done long ago.

  The set director gave her the sign that they were off the air. Her smile remained. That was it. She was free to go.

  Sacramento

  Sunday, June 10, 2012

  Eli Simpson shut off the television set and then looked over at Lizzy, who had been sitting in his living room for the past thirty minutes, watching the news with him.

  “So, that’s it?” he asked after the news ended.

  She nodded. “That’s it.”

  He scratched his head. “The police believed that lunatic over me?”

  Lizzy sighed, knowing that Eli Simpson’s temper probably hadn’t helped matters.

  “Rochelle’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday,” he said after a short bout of silence. “It’ll be a few family members, along with a couple of Rochelle’s friends who stayed in touch. You’re welcome to come.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “So, this delusional-disorder thing…it’s a real disease?”

  She nodded again. “I saw the reports from Robert’s childhood therapists. It’s an uncommon psychiatric condition. The people who have it hold a persistent belief in their reenactment of life events, and they will act out with hostility, if need be, fighting those who try to disprove their ‘stories.’ Now that he’s dead, more and more witnesses are coming forward to disprove his stories.”

  “Where was his father while he was growing up?”

  “His mother was raped,” Lizzy told him. “She moved to California to raise her son on a farm she inherited. But everything about Robert reminded her of the man who attacked her. Relatives are saying she was unable to give Robert the love he craved because she was afraid of her own son. Apparently, when Robert was eleven, she discovered he was killing farm animals and burying them in the barn. She confronted him, and within days of her findings, she disappeared, never to be seen again.”

  “I would hope that they’re going to reopen the case of her disappearance.”

  “It’s in the works. Excavation at the farm begins next week.”

  Eli disappeared for a moment before returning with her digital camera. “Here you go. Never did get any pictures, so I guess you don’t owe me anything after all.”

  She stood, took the camera from him, and smiled. Peering into his eyes, she said, “I’m sorry about your sister. I’m also sorry nobody believed you.”

  “You believed me.” His eyes watered. “You, Lizzy Gardner, were the only one.”

  She offered him a handshake, but he bent forward and gave her a hug instead.

  Sacramento

  Sunday, June 10, 2012

  As soon as Lizzy left Eli’s house, she headed for Sutter Medical and called her sister on the way there. Cathy answered on the second ring.

  “I’m sorry,” Lizzy blurted, wishing she could take her sister in her arms and hold her close.

  There was no respo
nse, but she knew Cathy was still on the line because she could hear her breathing. “You’re not going to talk to me.”

  “I don’t want to fight with you anymore,” Cathy said.

  “I don’t want to fight anymore either. If Richard is the man you love, the man you want in your life, then I’m all for it. The only thing that matters is that you’re happy.”

  “I appreciate that,” Cathy said. “There’s someone standing right here by my side who is eager to talk to you.”

  Lizzy smiled. “Put her on the phone.”

  “Hi, Lizzy!”

  “Is this my favorite niece?”

  “I passed the test. I have my license. The instructor said I was one of the best drivers he’d ever had the pleasure of passing.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I bet your mom is thrilled.”

  Brittany laughed because they both knew that was not the case. “Can you and Jared come over for dinner next weekend?”

  “What does your mom think about that?”

  “Here, she wants to talk to you again.”

  “I love you, Britt.”

  “I love you, too, Lizzy.”

  “Go get changed,” Lizzy heard her sister tell Brittany, “and we’ll head out in ten minutes.

  “OK, I’m here,” Cathy told Lizzy. “We’re going shopping.”

  “Fun.”

  Cathy cleared her throat. “I saw the news. You’ve been through a lot these past few days.”

  “I’m just glad it’s all over and Jared is safe.”

  “Me, too. So what about dinner? Can you two come to the house next Friday?”

  “We’d love to. Is it OK if we bring Hayley?”

  “Brittany would love that. I’d like to see her, too. We’ll look forward to seeing you all.”

  “See you then.” As soon as Lizzy hit the Off button on the console, she received a call from Adele Hampton’s biological mother. The woman was frantic. Her husband was going to be sworn into office soon and she desperately wanted her long-lost daughter to be at her side. Her husband’s campaign was losing steam and he was lagging behind in the polls.

  Hayley and Jessica had already given Lizzy the scoop, and that was the story Lizzy relayed to the woman on the phone. The truth: Adele had no interest in meeting her mother.