“I don’t know what you’re talking about Officer.” Donald says harmlessly.
To Donald, “Stay right there.” Officer Jenkins walks around to the passenger side door. “Sir, are you okay?”
The Accomplice takes a big sigh of relief, “Thank you so much officer for saving my life. He’s a mad man and was going to kill me.”
“Do you have any identification?”
The Accomplice reaches slowly into his pocket and takes out his wallet. “Yes, I have my driver’s license. Let me see, it’s here somewhere.” He then hands the officer his license.
Officer Jenkins reads aloud, “Mr. Leo Lewinski?”
“Yes?”
“Come with me.”
“Just a moment, I need to get my backpack with my pills in it.”
Officer Jenkins turns slightly and realizes that Leo was going to retrieve something beside the passenger seat. He made a fatal error in judgment and his instincts knew it before his mind. Before he can raise his firearm, a blast slams into his chest knocking him off of his feet. His gun falls to the ground. The searing heat in his chest makes the officer writhe in pain and try to get up, but another blast hits him square in the forehead. All sounds and colors go black permanently.
Leo grabs the officer’s firearm and tosses it in the back seat of the car. He quickly riffles through the officer’s keys and finds the handcuff key to release Donald.
Tossing the handcuffs on the ground, Donald orders, “Put him in the trunk.”
Leo obediently drags the dead officer to the back of the police vehicle. He finds the correct key and opens the compartment. He heaves the body into the trunk and slams the lid down.
Donald and Leo return to their car and back out of the service road to the Interstate. Donald is thinking ahead, it was just a minor setback. They must now ditch the car and steal another one, but they should arrive in Valparaiso by 1500 hours. Emily will soon be theirs for the slaughter and life will truly begin.
The Killers are coming.
* * * * *
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Monday 0900 Hours
Emily and Rick enjoy a wonderful morning sleeping in late together. They spent most of the evening inseparable and praying the night would never end, making love and not thinking about the inevitable events of the approaching day. They both feel refreshed and energized for the first time in many years. It was a new beginning and a new day.
It was time for Rick to meet with Mike and the other volunteer officers to plan the exact details of their surveillance and eventual capture of Donald Everett.
Emily props herself up on a couple of pillows and watches Rick get dressed. “How are the boys doing?”
“I think they are going to be okay.” Rick didn’t want to worry Emily because he was afraid that she would do something on her own.
“That’s good.” She didn’t completely believe him. His eyes were a dead giveaway.
Rick sits down on the bed and kisses Emily for a couple of minutes.
Emily stops and says, “You’re going to be late.”
“So I can be late.”
“I’ll see you a little later on.” She smiles and stares into his eyes. “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”
He takes one last look at the woman he knows that he’s going to marry one day. “Alright, we’ll meet back up with you later.”
“Yes, sir.” She makes a silly salute.
Within a few seconds, Rick is gone. Emily remains in bed for a few minutes trying to digest everything. Just when she thinks she had everything figured out in her life, along came Rick. She never thought that anyone like him would ever enter her life and completely understand her.
Emily throws back the bed sheets and heads into the bathroom to take a shower. It was her time to really think through her next move and she knew that it didn’t include Rick, Mike, or the boys. The steam filling the shower stall helped to relax her nerves and clear her head. She had so much to lose, but now she had gained a whole new beginning once this incident was behind her.
With her hair still wet, Emily sits at her laptop computer in the kitchen and views several CDs that she copied from Donald’s computer. She looks through his personal records of bank accounts, credit cards, and cell phone records. There’s nothing interesting or unusual in the billing or financial records. She views some document and photo files. She opens the computer files that seem to coincide with dates and years. To her disbelief, she has found a killing log. The dates are much earlier than the first homicide in Santa Cruz. There’s a notation that an appendage was removed from each victim. What’s more disturbing is that there are more than a hundred entries of death in the spreadsheet. There are files that have crude depictions of death and dismemberment with some kind of bird in the upper left hand corner. The bird seems to be a higher source of power for Donald.
Emily spends about an hour putting all of the evidence together. She knows that Rick will be able to piece the clues to other homicides. She can’t help feel that there is another person who has been helping Donald. It’s been bothering her for quite some time, especially with the attacks and the way the victims were tortured, killed, and then the staging of the crime scenes.
The evidence that Donald has so carefully maintained in the computer files has made up Emily’s mind. The only way that she can truly be free from her turbulent past and keep Rick and the others safe from this unremitting monster is to trap him by herself. The only reason that he’s coming to this wonderful town is because of her – pure and simple. By beating Donald at his own game is the only way that she can actually begin a new life. She will end this drama once and for all.
Emily knows deep in her bones that she must do this alone. She picks up her cell phone and punches in a text message. She hesitates for only a couple of seconds, and presses send.
* * * * *
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Monday 1130 Hours
Donald and Leo commandeered a brown Toyota pick up truck at a local strip mall for the rest of their journey. The truck won’t be missed until some unsuspecting soul leaves work and finds it missing. It will buy the killers more time. It’s not going to be long now, just a mere couple of hours left to the road trip.
Donald steers steadfastly along the Interstate 294 Express that will eventually turn into the Portions toll before crossing the state line into Indiana. He is hungry for the hunt. He is famished. He is eager. It is reminiscent of the highflying Peregrine falcon searching for its prey. He is the perfect and efficient hunting machine that is relentless in the search for blood and violence. Donald will be the only living human to make history and be totally free to fly with the falcons. He will be revered and terrified by those who have seen his destruction.
Leo tenses his muscles as he feels Donald’s shared energy. He feels what Donald feels, and there isn’t a law enforcement agency or force that can stop their momentum now. He has waited so long to complete his mission, and now Emily will complete him. It took every ounce of strength for him to refrain from killing her during one of her personal training appointments. It took more self-control than any mere mortal could endure, but he wasn’t just any ordinary man. He has been given the supremacy to kill from a higher psychological power and he plans on carrying out this request at any cost.
The traffic slows a bit as the congestion begins to take over the lanes. Donald receives a distinct chime from his cell phone that alerts him to an incoming text message. He looks to his phone and punches a button to reveal a text message from Emily. He knew that his prey would eventually lead him to her, and now she knows the truth too. He absently runs his fingers over his hunting knife that he keeps next to him at all times.
The text message reads: Meet 1257 Carr if u dare to b free.
Donald looks at Leo and smiles. He didn’t need to verbally explain to him what the message said, but Leo knew. Donald has found a new energy that he’s never felt before. It was curious. It was fulfilling. He can feel his freedom and satisfa
ction. He replies to the text message with a simple: c u there
The Killers are coming.
* * * * *
Chapter Sixty
Monday 1300 Hours
Rick takes a break from working with four of the police officers at the gym on defensive tactics. Before he has a chance to sit down and drink some water, Mike bursts through the door.
“We’ve got a problem. Come with me”, the sergeant barks at Rick.
Rick doesn’t say a word and follows the sergeant out to his small Ford sport utility vehicle.
“I’ve been tracking anything unusual between here and California.” He explains.
Mike opens the back passenger door where two laptop computers are hooked up to a wireless satellite for instant Internet access. One of the computer screens shows a map of the United States. There is a road in red that illustrates the driving route from California to Indiana. There are green dots at various places along the way.
“What does this mean?” Rick asks.
The sergeant begins, “This is the most direct route that Donald is taking to get here.”
Rick studies the map. “What are the green dots?”
“They represent homicides coinciding with the timing of his driving route. I’ve calculated approximate driving time allowing for gas and food with the approximate times of deaths.” The sergeant points to the cities of Sacramento, Wanship, Denver, Des Moines, and Aurora.
“There have been five victims along Interstate 80 within the last twenty or so hours. The news media has picked up the story and has dubbed him the I-80 Killer.”
“When was the last murder?” Rick is beginning to grow alarmed. Donald has made exceptional driving time and Rick has underestimated his determination.
“They found an Aurora police officer in the trunk of his patrol car this morning. Apparently he ran the plates and it came back with a wanted fugitive.”
Rick takes a step back trying to calculate in his mind how long it would take to drive from Aurora to Valparaiso.
As if reading Rick’s mind, the sergeant replies, “It would take about two hours or so to get here.”
Rick asks, “When was the officer’s body found?”
“About eleven this morning.”
Rick looks at his watch, “He could already be here. I’ve got to get Emily.”
Mike shuts the car door. “You get Emily and I’ll get the men in place.” Further he states, “Check back in on the cell in half an hour.”
Rick nods and rushes to his rental car. It was down to the wire and they may have just run out of time.
* * * * *
Chapter Sixty-One
Monday 1330 Hours
Rick storms through the front door of the duplex desperately looking for Emily. “Emily?” There was no answer. He looks in the bedroom and bathroom. Emily is nowhere to be found. He notices that she was working on her computer in the kitchen and also finds that her small duffle bag is gone. He knows that she carries two Glocks and extra clips in that bag. Suddenly, with imminent dread, he realizes that she went out alone to catch Donald. “No Emily”, he says under his breath.
He is truly scared for the first time in his life because now his life seems to make perfect sense. When he walks back by the bedroom he sees a note on the pillow that Emily left him. He quickly clutches it in his hand, not wanting to read it right away because he knows what it will say.
With all of his physical strength, Rick unfolds the piece of paper and it reads: I’m sorry, but I can’t take the chance that someone else will get killed because of me. I can’t lose you now. This will all be over soon. E
Rick stands still unable to move; his legs are frozen like a stone statue. He knows that he would do exactly the same thing in the same situation. That’s why they are so compatible and seem at ease with one another. Emily’s drive and commitment keeps her going to do the right thing. He loves her because of it, but now he’s absolutely terrified for her safety.
Holding his emotions in check, Rick dials his cell phone.
* * * * *
Mike has given the last instructions to the specialized teams. The four teams are going to cover four separate areas of the town each supplied with all of the appropriate weapons and electronic equipment. He and Rick will watch various establishments such as the motels and diners with the computer software surveillance that he designed.
The teams disperse to their locations. The sergeant walks to his car when his cell phone rings.
He pushes the send button and says, “Sullivan.” It was Rick calling him early and he sounded distressed.
Rick blurts out, “Emily is gone, and she’s going to try and catch this guy on her own.”
“What?”
“You know Emily, she wants everyone to be safe. She thinks this is all her fault.” Rick could barely catch his breath.
“Stay right there, I’ll come and pick you up.” He presses the end button on the cell phone.
Mike can’t say that he was surprised by Emily’s impulsive behavior, but now the stakes have doubled or even tripled. And the odds were not good.
* * * * *
Chapter Sixty-Two
Monday 1400 Hours
Emily lingers in the shadows of the old musty warehouse listening to every sound both real and imagined. Her fear has turned to borderline terror as she continues to wait for Donald to arrive. The safety has been disengaged from her weapon and her anxious energy has caused her thumb to constantly fidget with the gun’s mechanisms. She has managed to hide the other Glock in a safe hiding place in a storage closet and positioned some metal bars around the warehouse for quick retrieval if self-defense tactics are needed.
Her blood pounds annoyingly in her ears, and her heart rate increases a beat with every passing minute. She tries to steady her nerves by breathing slowly in and out, but it doesn’t seem to help. When she dares to close her eyes she sees Rick’s smiling face and his strong body. She counts the moments until she can be reunited with him again.
The musty smell of the area around her seems to be getting stronger and more pungent than when she first arrived. She continues to check every possible entry into the warehouse because she can’t afford any surprises. She made sure that every entrance was blocked except for the door that she wanted Donald to enter. She set a trap with barbed wire and jagged steel on the two windows that were accessible. The musty smell of a closed utility space of mechanical grease and industrial cleaning agents is beginning to make Emily nauseous and a little bit dizzy. Her balance seems to be slightly affected by the toxic mixture.
Emily paces from each secure dark corner to the next, waiting in anticipation. She realizes that her epiphany is everything that she has experienced in her life and has led up to this exact moment in time. With that understanding, she begins to feel more relaxed and almost at eternal peace. She’s not scared anymore, even though her life may be a stake. Her pulse rate and anxiety levels begin to lessen. Her breathing pattern becomes calm and even. She continues to wait; it will only be a matter of minutes before she can put everything behind her and move forward.
She sits down on a dusty crate and intently listens to any sounds coming from the perimeter of the building. There’s a loud crash on the east side of the building. A window has been smashed and shattered glass shards spray into the gloomy building.
* * * * *
Mike screeches to a stop in front of the duplex and jumps out of the SUV barely able to set the emergency brake. Within seconds, Rick meets him at the doorway. Mike notices that Rick seems to be to the point of frantic, unlike the strong and intelligent detective he initially met in the rain.
The sergeant blurts out, “Any news?”
“No, but she took her two extra weapons.”
“She means business, and she won’t resurface until it’s all over.” Mike brushes past Rick and goes into the house. He opens her notebook computer on the kitchen table and begins to search through visited files.
Rick asks, “Wha
t are you doing?”
“I’m trying to see what she was looking at that made her act alone.”
“From her computer?”
Mike explains, “You see, Emily’s being systematic and she will look at all angles before she makes a final decision.”
“That’s why she was so effective with hunting down child abductors.” Rick watches as the sergeant scrolls through files.
“Exactly. She’s extremely analytical.” He shakes his head. “It looks like she was looking at files from another source. A CD or back up drive.”
Rick recalls his memory of Donald’s house. “There were computer files at Donald’s house. Remember, Emily said that she copied some of his files.”
The sergeant adds, “She must’ve found something on them.”
“There must’ve been more information about the victims. But why would she do this alone?”
Mike looks directly at Rick. “That’s what Emily has been doing her entire life – handling these types of situations alone.”
Rick looks at a phone number on a piece of paper. “That’s a cell number for the Santa Cruz area.”
“That’s how she’s able to contact him in order to direct him exactly where she wants. She called him on the cell or sent a text message.”
Rick responds, “We may already be too late.”
* * * * *
Chapter Sixty-Three
Monday 1415 Hours
Looking for anything that moves within the darkness, Emily moves stealthily toward the broken window with her weapon targeted ahead of her. As she eases closer, her foot kicks a rock on the floor. She quickly examines the rock, kicks it out of her way, and surmises that someone must have thrown the rock through the window on purpose. It was either to scare Emily or act as a diversion to sneak into the warehouse.
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