by L. P. Dover
We switched places and she sat across from me while I sat in front of the screen. There were so many files to look at, it was insane. I picked the day Goldilocks came in and went from there. So far everything looked normal. Jessica and Amanda followed all protocol and didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. I watched day after day, my stomach growing sicker by the minute.
“Anything yet?” Kellie asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. The girls disposed of everything properly and made sure their hands were clean after each visit. I don’t understand how it could’ve passed to the other dogs. Even looking at myself, I did everything safely. There must be something I’m missing.”
The only cameras in the building were in the main kennel area, the isolation room, the lab, and at the front and back doors. Every time I saw movement into the isolation room, I stopped the feed and watched. No one went in there except me, Jessica, Charity, and Amanda.
Turning to Kellie, I lifted my arms in defeat. “I’m done. There’s nothing in here that can prove anything.”
“I’m sorry, Hayden. I really thought you’d be able to find something.”
“So did I,” I said, getting to my feet. Kellie took my spot, and I walked out into the waiting room while she turned off Wilford’s computer.
“You ready to go?” Kellie asked.
Holding my tears back, I took one last look around the clinic. “I guess this is it.”
She hugged me. “You’ll find another job, Hayden. You’re the best there is. There’s no other doctor who’s going to put in nearly the hours that you have here. There were plenty of nights you were here long after I went home.”
It took me a minute to concentrate on her words, and when I did, something clicked into place. I was the only one who put in the hours, including many late nights. “Oh my God,” I gasped. Kellie looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I hurried back into Wilford’s office and opened his laptop. “I need you to get me back in.”
She sat down and booted the laptop back up. “Why? What’s going on?”
“I checked every day for the past two weeks, but I didn’t even think to look at the nights. It might be a long shot, but I have to give it a try.”
Kellie nodded. “Smart thinking,” she praised. “I never would’ve thought of that.”
She pulled the software back up and we switched seats. Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at it curiously. “It’s my husband.”
“Everything okay?”
She finished reading the text and groaned. “Looks like my daughter is sick. He said she threw up everywhere.”
“That’s not good. Do you need to go?”
I was hoping she’d say no, but she got up and nodded. “Asking my husband to clean up puke is like making him eat brussels sprouts; he can’t do it. He’d probably put poor little Allie in the shower with her clothes on until I could get there.” I started to get up, but she stopped me. “You stay and finish up. You’ve come too far to quit now. Just make sure to lock up when you leave.”
“Are you sure? What if I get caught?”
She laughed. “Then I’ll bail you out. It was my idea for you to come in the first place.”
“Thanks, Kellie. I’ll shut the computer down once I’m through.”
“Good luck,” she replied, grabbing her keys. “If you find anything, let me know.”
She hurried off and I got back to searching. The clinic was pretty dead at night, since I wasn’t there working all sorts of hours. As I was fast-forwarding through the various nights, something caught my eye. It was a burst of light, then back to the awkward night-vision lighting. I carefully scanned back and stopped when the light came on; someone was in the lab. All I could see was a shadow, but then it disappeared and reappeared in the isolation room with Goldilocks. Her tail wagged, but she was so weak she couldn’t get up. A figure in a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans opened her cage and stuck her with a syringe—only he wasn’t giving her an injection…he was taking her blood.
What the fuck is going on here? It was Jeremiah. The time on the video said two o’clock in the morning. What the hell was he doing there that late at night?
As soon as he left the isolation room, he went into the main kennel, and then everything happened so quickly. Bile rose in the back of my throat, and I held my breath as I watched him infect three of my patients with the contaminated blood. After infecting my animals, he put the syringe in the sharps container on the counter.
Tears burned my eyes and I closed them. I was hoping what I’d seen was a mistake, but it wasn’t. I rewound the video and watched it again and again, feeling like I was going to throw up any minute. How could a man who dedicated his life to saving animals do something so vile and disgusting? He’d made me believe he was on my side, helping me.
Heart racing, I jumped up and started to shut down the computer, but then another dog came to mind…Lady. I still remembered having to tell Mrs. Jenkins that Lady was dead shortly after I’d told her the dog was doing well. My hands shook as I clicked on that specific day and watched Lady on the camera. She was active in her cage, he tongue lolling out to the side. There was no indication that she was doing poorly. I came into the video and listened to her heartbeat while she licked my hand. I scratched behind her ears and laughed as she flopped down on her back for me to rub her belly.
It wasn’t long after when I called Mrs. Jenkins. Lunchtime was closing in, and I figured everyone had left…but I was wrong. Jeremiah walked in and stuck Lady with a needle through the cage door. She fell over and all life drained out of her tiny body. He disposed of the needle and walked out of the room as if nothing had happened. Anger boiled in my veins. By tomorrow morning, everyone would know what he’d done.
I shut down Wilford’s laptop and hurried out of his office to the lab. The sharps container was still there; I had to take it before Jeremiah could dispose of it. I needed all the evidence I could get. With the container in hand, I locked the back door and headed to my car—only I never made it there.
It felt like a bee had stung my shoulder, but then I felt a warm, tingly feeling shoot through my veins. My eyes started to close and the container fell out of my arms. “What’s happening?” I mumbled, the words not making any sense as they left my mouth. I thought I was going to fall to the ground, but instead, I was picked up and carried back inside the clinic.
“Don’t worry, you stupid cunt. It’ll all be over soon.”
I wanted to fight, but I couldn’t move. All I knew was that I was in trouble…and there was no one around to help.
Chapter 28
Derek
“Derek!”
Her screams echo in my ear, but I can’t see her. It’s not Brianna this time but Hayden. I can see her car down the street, in the same spot as the accident, only it’s not mangled. My heart races and I run toward it, but the faster I run, the farther away I get.
“Please, Derek! Help me!”
“Dammit, I’m coming. Hang on!” I yell back. I try to get to her, but I can’t seem to get any closer. Her cries tear me apart, and the feeling of losing her overwhelms me. I’ve already lost one love, I can’t lose another. My muscles burn, but I push through it to get to her. I rush down the ravine and Hayden is on the ground, looking up at the night sky. Her face is tear-streaked, and when she turns my way, she blinks once and then closes her eyes. “You’re too late.”
My eyes sprang open and I shot out of bed. My body was covered in sweat and my heart pounded relentlessly in my chest. I looked over to make sure Hayden was safe beside me, but there was no one there.
“Hayden?” I called out. The bathroom light was off, so she wasn’t in there. It was one o’clock in the morning, according to the clock. Where was she? Getting out of bed, I slipped on a pair of boxers and walked out of the room. There were no lights on in the rest of the house, and the dogs were huddled up together in a corner, yawning sleepily at me. “Hayden?” Still no answer.
I searched all the rooms to make sur
e she wasn’t sleeping in one of the guest beds. Maybe I’d pissed her off? My head was in a fog, but I didn’t remember making her mad before we fell asleep. I hurried to the living room and glanced out the window to see if her car was still outside; it wasn’t. What the fuck? I ran back to my bedroom and grabbed my phone. There were no text messages from her. I called her number, and it rang continuously until her voicemail greeting came on. Impatiently, I tapped my foot until I heard the beep. “Hayden, where are you? Call me as soon as you get this.”
I threw my phone on the bed. I didn’t like her leaving in the middle of the night without telling me where she was going. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I grabbed my phone and rushed downstairs to the kitchen to grab my keys. Wherever she was, I was going to find her.
However, when I reached for my keys, I saw her note on the counter.
Derek,
I know you’re going to be mad at me if you read this. I’m kind of hoping I get back before you wake up, but if not, just know this was something that had to be done. I have to know what happened at Stonebrooke. Allowing the blame to be put on my shoulders isn’t right, especially since I know I didn’t do anything wrong. Please understand that I have to do this. I’ll be back soon.
Love you,
Hayden
“Dammit, Hayden,” I growled. If she were caught she’d get into a whole hell of a lot more trouble than she already was. I called her again and still no answer. “Fuck.”
I didn’t know if I should go there or wait for her to get back. As much as I wanted to snap at her for doing something so foolish, I had to believe she was making the right decision for her. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, I sat down at the bar and waited. If this was something she really felt she had to do, I could understand that, but sneaking off was the wrong move. And she was going to hear it when she got back. Only I didn’t want to wait.
Chapter 29
Hayden
I was in a daze, my vision blurry. It was so dark I couldn’t see anything, but I could smell the antiseptic. The floor was hard against my back, my head throbbing as I tried to lift it. I couldn’t move.
“Sleeping Beauty finally awake?”
The voice was taunting and cruel, a tone I’d never thought possible from Jeremiah. My mouth was so dry. I wanted to scream and yell at him, claw his eyes out for doing what he’d done, but I couldn’t. He’d drugged me and I was afraid of what else he was going to do.
He turned on the hallway light, allowing a terrifying glow to seep into the lab. I could see his shadow from across the room and held back my tears when he approached. In his gloved hands, he held a knife; it reflected the light and I had to close my eyes. I didn’t want to imagine what he was going to do with it.
Lifting me off the floor, he roughly slid me back to the wall and I banged my head. I wanted to rub my skull, but my limbs were too heavy. “Why?” I croaked.
He tilted my chin up with the knife; the blade was cold and I shivered. I didn’t want to look at him, but I had no choice. No amount of drugs could take away the fear I felt when I looked into his eyes. They were empty, detached.
“Why?” he repeated, spitting the word at me. “For six years, I’ve worked my ass off at this clinic. It should be me Wilford gives it to, but yet he turns around and stabs me in the back. This place is mine.”
I felt sick to my stomach and tried to take in a deep breath, but the effort was fruitless. My whole body was weakened. “I don’t understand,” I cried. “I thought you…”
He chuckled darkly. “That I what, had a thing for you? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted that pussy of yours since the day you started working here.” He brushed his fingers along my cheek and I cringed. “But you kept pushing me away, and when I finally started making ground, that worthless fucking cocksucker got in my way.” His eyes darkened and he stood, scowling down at me. “I had it all planned out. You were supposed to fall in love with me and we’d both run this clinic, but you fucked it all up by coming here. Better yet, you might have saved me. I had no idea Wilford had security cameras in this place. I’m just glad Kellie left before I had to drag her down with you.”
My eyes widened and I gasped, the words hard to form on my tongue. What the hell did he give me? “How…did…you…know?”
A slow smirk spread across his face. “I came here to cover my tracks and dispose of the sharps container, but you almost beat me to it. I was home free until you decided to be a sneaky bitch. I can’t have you telling everyone what I’ve done, now can I?”
“How could you…kill them?”
He snorted. “Simple, just put a needle in and let ’em go. It had to be done.” He pulled out his phone and sighed. “Looks like I’m running out of time.” My body felt like it was running down, but I had to keep my eyes open. Jeremiah typed something on the computer, and then the printer roared to life.
“What…are you…doing?” I asked, dread settling in the pit of my stomach.
“Reading your suicide note. It’s kind of sad how emotional you get over these animals. You were so distraught after losing your job and killing those innocent pups that you couldn’t live with yourself anymore.” He frowned at the letter and then laughed. “Such a tragedy.”
Fear overwhelmed me, and my heart rate spiked. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, but my attempt at escape was futile; I didn’t get very far before he pulled me back, holding the knife at my throat.
“Please don’t do this,” I begged.
He shrugged. “It’s too late, Hayden. You already know too much.” The knife lowered and he grazed it across my chest on down to my thigh. “Although I do have to say I’ll miss this body of yours. It’s a shame to waste it.” Holding me in place, he closed his lips over mine, forcing his tongue inside. I tried to fight him off, but I couldn’t. When he pulled back, he licked his lips and smiled. “Goodbye, darling.”
Straddling my waist, he held me down with his weight and grabbed my wrist. “Stop,” I cried, feeling the edge of the knife dig in to my skin. I screamed with the pain and felt the blood dripping out of my veins as he sliced me open. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I choked on my breaths. He was going to slit my wrists and leave me for dead.
“Hayden,” a voice shouted.
Jeremiah jerked his head and glanced behind him. “Fuck,” he hissed angrily. It was Derek. Jeremiah hurried off and I didn’t see where he went, but I knew he was still there. I could hear Derek kicking the back door and then the sound of it bursting open. He rushed in and saw me. I could barely see him through my tears.
“Holy fuck,” he growled, racing over to me. He saw the letter and a terrified look crossed his face. “What the hell did you do?” Ripping off his shirt, he wrapped it tightly around my arm.
I shook my head. “Not…me. Jeremiah.” My voice was so low he couldn’t hear me.
His gaze was frantic as he looked me over and pulled out his phone. He called for help and hung up. I was close to losing consciousness, but over his shoulder, I could see Jeremiah coming closer, the knife poised high.
With every ounce of energy I had left, I grabbed Derek’s hand. “Behind you.”
Chapter 30
Derek
I was so distraught from seeing Hayden covered in blood that I couldn’t think straight. So when she said, “Behind you,” I didn’t move fast enough. The blade sliced across my back as I ducked out of the way. Staring up at me with a murderous glare was that fuckhead Jeremiah. Rage consumed me when I realized what was going on. He was the one who’d hurt Hayden. Now he was going to pay.
He lunged and tried to stab me with the knife, but I rolled away and kicked his legs out from under him. When he fell, he grunted in pain and I hoped like hell one of his legs had broken. I punched him in the face and he sliced me on the arm. Growling, I grabbed his wrist and slammed it on the ground over and over until I heard his bones break. The knife skidded across the floor and he panicked, his gaze darting from me to the door. I made the mistake
of glancing over at Hayden, and he used that momentary lapse of judgment to get away. He punched me with his good hand and scrambled out from underneath me. I wanted to chase after him, to kill him for what he’d done. Instead, I rushed to Hayden’s side. “Baby, I’m here. Help is on the way.”
Her face had paled and she sucked in a breath. “Go get him, Derek. Don’t let him get away.”
“I don’t want to leave you. Not until I know you’ll be okay.”
She clenched her jaw, her voice raw. “Please…do it for me.”
My gut clenched; I knew that if I found him, I’d probably kill him. Nodding, I kissed her head, praying like hell she’d be okay until I got back. “Hang on, baby.”
I rushed out the back door and quickly looked around. It didn’t take long to find Jeremiah disappearing into the woods. All I could see was red and I took off after him. He ran with a limp, but he was faster than I would’ve thought. Knowing what the fucker had done to Hayden and what his end goal had been made my blood boil. Teeth clenched, I pushed my body to the limits and caught up with him. I grabbed him around the neck and tackled him to the ground, the impact of the fall causing me to lose my breath.
“You son of a bitch,” I growled, slamming his head into the ground.
I punched him on the side of his face and watched his head snap to the side. Blood gushed out of his nose and he gasped for air, but I couldn’t stop. He had planned to take Hayden away from me.
Over and over, I punched him until a light flashed behind me. “McLaughlin, stop! Put your hands in the air and step away from him.” It was Jason Avery, my friend from the police department who’d investigated the accident that killed Brianna. My breaths came out in rapid pants and my heart raced. I did as he’d said and stepped aside slowly, my body shaking with rage. My hands were covered in Jeremiah’s blood as I lifted them in the air.