Closing Books (Ghost Of The Past)

by Trisha Grace

  A woman in her twenties was strapped to a chair. No matter how she shoved, turned, and twisted, the chair didn’t budge.

  Tears were streaming down her cheeks, smudging the mascara and messing up her face. Though the same gray tape that strapped her to the chair was across her mouth, it was clear she was screaming, or maybe begging.

  Dan was glad he was seated as he felt blood drain from his face.

  He knew things weren’t good when he found out Evelyn had been taken, but somewhere inside, he’d hoped it was simply another threat. He’d hoped she would turn up by the side of the road. Even turning up at the hospital like Lydia was a better alternative than this.

  But if Melissa held such evidence, if Kate’s house was a warning, if Lydia’s attack was a taste of the worst to come, he couldn’t help thinking that this was a showdown.

  Evelyn wouldn’t be turning up by the road or the hospital. She might not be turning up at all.

  “It looks like a container,” Tyler said.

  His words took Dan’s eyes off the woman and onto the background.

  The walls appeared to have white wallpaper over them. Unlike those found in homes, they weren’t matted. There was a light sheen as though it was waterproof. The most telling of it all was the floor, the undeniable metal wavelike structure.

  “He owns a logistics firm. It’s probably one of the trucks,” Joseph added. “We’ll watch this. Ben managed to find some information about the firm. There are logs and tons of things to look through. Why don’t you go help with that?”

  He knew Joseph was trying to get him away from the video. He wasn’t interested in watching the video, but it didn’t seem right dumping such a task on Ryan and Joseph.

  “We’ve seen all sorts of injuries at work. Leave this to us,” Ryan assured, taking the laptop from Dan. “We won’t miss anything.”

  Tyler and Ben went back to their computer while Kate looked at a stack of logs, taking a quick glance at each page before flipping to the next.

  “What’s that?”

  “Ben managed to get us the logs of the trucks records.”

  “Are you looking for something?”

  “Something about the schedules. Look at the dates. Logistics firms operate 24/7, right?”

  Dan nodded.

  “I can’t find a single day where the trucks return to the office on a Wednesday. The schedule seems to be arranged such that the trucks are out every Wednesday,” she said while she continued flipping through the pages.

  “They have two cleaning companies, both outsourced. Perhaps it’s for cleaning of the trucks,” Mr. Sawyer spoke up, and for the first time, Dan noticed he was in the room.

  Dan thought about it for a moment. It wasn’t right. He provided tools and trucks for his workers, too, but he wouldn’t bother finding someone to clean them for his guys.

  Keeping the trucks clean would be the driver’s responsibilities. “It can’t be. Ben, can you find information on the two companies?”

  Mr. Sawyer scribbled down the names on a piece of paper without even looking through the documents and handed it over to Ben.

  Ben took it while Dan crouched over him to stare at the computer. He didn’t understand a single thing that Ben was doing. His fingers were typing away on the keyboard, but everything on the screen meant nothing to him; he figured it was a program of some sort.

  Despite that, he continued staring at the screen, waiting for something to happen.

  He couldn’t just stand around doing nothing. The image of the woman was quickly morphing into images replaced by Evelyn in that chair. He had to keep himself busy.

  From the corner of his eyes, Tyler scribbled down something on a piece of paper.

  “What’s that?”

  “All the container trucks have built in GPS tracking, except for these two. Kate, check if you find either of these trucks entering the warehouse.”

  Thank God for technology, data, logs, and all the paperwork that he hated, that Kate and Tyler seemed to be especially good at.

  Dan grabbed the note and gave it to Kate, staring at her while her fingers skimmed down the page, then turning it. “Are you sure? I think I saw—”

  “Dan, I read a lot. I’m good at speed reading. I know you’re anxious, but trust me.”

  He knew that, but he needed something to do.

  Kate studied at him for a moment, then took out a small stack from the one she was holding and handed it to him. “Search through these.”

  His fingers went through the logs, going down line by line.

  He was too slow.

  He could hear Kate flipping through the pages and he tried doing what she did, only to find himself moving back up the column to look through it again.

  “Can’t we just use the find function on the computers?”

  “It’s not in excel form. Everything is taken from their company’s program or something. I don’t even know how Ben printed it out.”

  Dan sighed as Kate reached over to take over the stack he was holding.

  He itched to leave the room, to do something, to be out there finding her instead of looking through papers in the room.

  It was pointless to drive around when he had no idea where she could be, but he was getting more restless with each passing second.

  “Nothing,” Kate said. “Nothing on those trucks.”

  Just as Dan’s hopes rose, Ryan sent his hope crashing. “If he knew his wife has this, wouldn’t he move? This video is from a couple of years back. If I knew my wife had this DVD over me, I’d change the way I operated.”

  “I’ll talk to her.” Kate got up and shook her head at Dan before he got up along with her. “She looks frightened around you. I don’t think she’ll talk with you around.”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Kate hurried down the stairs and found Melissa staring at the cup of tea in front of her.

  “Melissa.”

  Her eyes shot up. “Was that helpful?”

  “Yes, but I need to ask you something. That video; it was from a couple years back. Do you think things have changed? Like could he have found another place or—”

  “He knows all I have is this DVD. I don’t know much. I don’t think he’d change anything.”

  Evelyn’s words ran through Kate’s mind. He’s the arrogant sort, the kind who thinks he’ll never caught. “He’s arrogant.”

  Melissa nodded. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

  “Forgive me for asking this, but why didn’t he kill you? After what he’d done to all those women.”

  “I’m a public face. I still show up with him at social events. If I die, or go missing, there’ll be news. It’ll be inconvenient.”

  Kate didn’t know how to react. She wanted to give Melissa a hug and tell her that everything would be all right, but that wouldn’t help her in any way.

  Inconvenient.

  Then Kate thought about Evelyn, and she wanted to cry for her best friend. The demeaning life Evelyn was forced to go through.

  No wonder Evelyn wanted so badly to help Melissa.

  Please God, don’t let him hurt her. Kate stood and was heading up the stairs when she turned back to Melissa. “How long does she have?”

  “Sorry?”

  Kate didn’t want to ask that question.

  She didn’t want to be prepared for the worst. She wanted her best friend back. But she had to know; they needed to know how long they had to figure things out. “How long does she have?”

  “I don’t know.”

  That couldn’t be true, Kate thought. “I suppose you began suspecting when he asks you to provide alibis? You must have went digging for this DVD, you must have seen the news about the murdered women.”

  Melissa nodded.

  “Then you know the timeline. The alibi you provided was probably when the woman went missing. From the date that you were to provide the alibi until the body shows up.”

  Melissa pursed her lips. “A day or two.”

&n
bsp; Fighting back her tears, Kate nodded.

  “You still have time.”

  Kate gave Melissa a smiled and ran up the stairs.

  “So?” Dan asked the moment Kate re-entered the room.

  “She doesn’t think so. We should call Detective Allen.”

  Dan was on his feet and ready to leave the room. “I’m going there now.”

  “Where?” Kate stepped in front of him.

  “The company. Their trucks are huge. You can’t just park them anywhere. People will notice,” Joseph said.

  “And one of the cleaning companies is a shell company; the other one cleans the main office, so there’s no reason for them to arrange the schedule that way,” Ben added.

  “Yeah,” Ryan said. “He’s probably just using that as an excuse so that he can wash out his truck, and no one will suspect if the floor is wet or if there’s a weird detergent smell.”

  Kate shook her head. “How? How are you going to get in? There’s security. No one is going to let you in. If you make a big deal, and she’s really inside, don’t you think it’ll only make things worse for her? Look at what he does to the women. He’d kill her in a second if he knew we were coming.”

  “I can get you in.” A small voice came from outside the room.

  Everyone turned to see Melissa Rose standing by the door.

  “I’ve been with him to some company parties. The security and staff should recognize me. I don’t think there’d be a problem.”

  “Wouldn’t it be weird for you to bring a man into your husband’s company?” Joseph asked.

  “I know how to pretend. After all these years, I think I’ve become a pretty good actress. I’ll have no problem taking him in.”

  “Let’s go then.”

  Kate opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it. Dan should know how dangerous it was. She didn’t have to remind him. If things were the other way around, he wouldn’t stop Tyler; he’d go along with him.

  And there wasn’t time for her to sit and think every aspect through. She didn’t want Evelyn to go through any of what she had seen in the video.

  “Bring everyone back safe and in one piece. And Melissa, thank you.”

  Dan was already halfway down the stairs when Melissa nodded and trailed after him.

  She turned around, and Tyler was on the phone with Detective Allen.

  For now, there was nothing else she could do. She closed her eyes, and the sudden reality of the situation hit her. Taking in a deep breath, she swallowed hard.

  Breaking down wasn’t going help bring Evelyn home.

  Time wasn’t on their side. She’d cry later when Evelyn came back.

  “We should go with him. It isn’t safe for him to go alone,” Joseph said. “Ty and Ryan will stay here with you.”

  “Where are you going? You can’t go in.”

  “Then I’ll wait outside. At least if something happens, I can be there.”

  Kate nodded, she wanted to go along with them, but she was certain none of them would allow it.

  “Don’t even think about it. Even if Ty allows it, I’m not. You’re pregnant, you’re in your first trimester. It’s not safe. Evelyn would kill herself if anything happened to the baby,” Joseph said.

  “He’s right, Kate. You’re going to sit this one out,” Ryan said and gave Joseph a nod. “We’ll call you once there’s news.”

  Her fingers played with the pendant of her necklace. Please bring them back safely.

  Evelyn opened her eyes and her legs stretched out, immediately hitting the edge of something. Her legs retracted as the grogginess swam in her head. She blinked and struggled to keep her eyes open with the bright lights blaring right at her.

  When her full vision returned, she was stunned for a moment.

  The metal grills, the tight, confined space.

  She turned, and the same grills met her.

  The haze that shrouded her mind dissipated. She pushed off the ground and onto her knees. She jammed her fingers through the squares and felt the cold hard metal grill.

  Then, she found her voice. She screamed and shook the cage. She should know her actions were useless. She’d tried it before, and it had never accomplished anything except to drain her strength, but she couldn’t stop herself.

  She couldn’t control her actions.

  She didn’t know how long her delirium lasted when she finally heard the still small voice she’d heard at the office.

  Calm down, Evelyn. Don’t be afraid. Save your strength.

  Curling her legs up against herself, she leaned on the cage and took in a deep breath.

  Calm down, everything will be fine.

  She drew in long breaths through her nose and forced herself to focus.

  The cage was bigger than the one she had been in, but it yielded the same results. She couldn’t stand without bending over, and she couldn’t stretch her legs.

  She looked around, squinting when she turned toward the source of light; a spotlight, shone directly at her. She used her hand to shield herself from the direct glare, trying to look at what was beyond the light. Regardless of how she tilted her head from the lights, she couldn’t see anything.

  She glanced in the opposite direction to escape the lights for a while and let her mind process the situation.

  The walls of the room were close, too close, and it seemed elongated.

  She’d seen enough rooms in her work to know something wasn’t right. It wasn’t a room; she was in some sort of container.

  A little farther down the container, a single stool stood between the walls.

  Confusion and fear compounded and exploded into a migraine that made thinking impossible.

  She shook her head and again, forced herself to draw in long, deep breaths. She tried to concentrate and think about what got her here.

  The last thing she remembered seeing was a text from Dan. Then, the rest of her memories poured in. The voice she’d heard, the voice she should have trusted. Exiting the elevator…

  Her hand moved up her neck, and she winced as she felt the swollen bump on the back of her neck.

  None of her memories brought any comfort. It didn’t take long for her to figure out who put her in the cage.

  She knew at once that she was in danger.

  There would be no message for her to send. She would be made to disappear or turn up at a morgue. That realization sent her heart racing, but she was quick to quell the fears and anxiety before it spiraled out of control.

  Now was not the time to break down.

  David Morgan put her in a cage for one obvious reason—to break her.

  The stubborn streak in her wouldn’t allow that to happen. If she could survive the torture for three years, she could survive this.

  And above all else, she was no longer alone. Dan would come for her. Kate would find a way; Tyler, Joseph, and Ryan, they wouldn’t give up on her. She just needed to hang on.

  She was sure they were already working on it. Dan would be here anytime.

  Then, despite being caged up like an animal, she found the strength to smile.

  The sudden gush of air caught her attention and her head snapped toward the direction of the light. She hadn’t realized how stuffy the air was until the sudden injection of warm air.

  She still couldn’t see anything, but she heard the heavy feet landing on the metal base. She felt the slight vibration and the almost negligible dip of the floor. “Back of a truck.”

  “Very smart.”

  The voice confirmed her suspicion. “Hello again, David Morgan.”

  His heavy footsteps continued, sending the clang of metal echoing in the tight space each time his feet landed.

  She didn’t bother to watch him. She already knew she couldn’t see anything beyond the blinding spotlight.

  When the focus of the spotlight shifted, she turned and watched as his silhouette slowly appeared while her eyes adjusted.

  She kept her eyes on him until she noticed the tiny red g
low beside the spotlight.

  He wasn’t working alone. Someone else was watching.

  “I hope my reaction didn’t disappoint.”

  “I love breaking people down. I haven’t had a feisty one for quite a while now.”

  Taunt him.

  Evelyn snorted and smiled. “Is this the only way you can feel good about yourself? Did mommy bullied you? Is that why—Oh no, you didn’t have a mom. So…Daddy disapproves?”

  “Shut up!”

  She was glad her captive was an absolute moron. She was merely guessing, but his reaction gave her the answer she needed.

  “What did he say about you? Hmm, let me guess…that you’re stupid?”

  Her cage suddenly came alive as David Morgan rammed his feet against it. The cage throbbed and a buzz filled her ears.

  She’d expected his violent reaction and shifted away from the cage before his leg hit it. “So this is the only way you can deal with women? Absolute control? Is this the only way women pay attention to you? Tying them up to chairs or locking them up in a cage. Sad, really.”

  His silence confirmed her suspicions about the chair.

  The inevitable would come.

  If the chair were the usual set up, then this cage was meant for her. She’d no doubt he knew every single detail about her past. Amy would have given it up for a few quick bucks.

  The torture would soon follow.

  Just keep him talking.

  The torture would come, but if she could keep this idiot talking, she could delay it.

  “I can have anyone I want,” David Morgan suddenly said.

  “Not everyone. I can easily name three you’ll never have and one who can’t wait to get away from you. She has something important, doesn’t she? That’s why I’m here. Lydia found her and she got beaten up. I went to look for her and now we’re here. She’s going to help me. Even if you keep me here, my friends will find her, and she’ll help me.”

  David Morgan burst out laughing. “If you’re relying on her, then you’re done for. She knows what’s happening; she doesn’t know the details, but she knows what’s going on. Yet, all she asked of me when she got her hands on the evidence was to let her leave. She didn’t even get her wish. She’s still my pet. That’s the kind of person she is. Weak and pathetic.”