by T. R. Ragan
“Just let them go.”
“Did you really think for one moment I would let you go? Everyone must pay for your lies, Lizzy. You’re a liar.” He pulled a switch blade from his pocket and waved the knife in front of Brittany’s face.
Lizzy screamed at the top of her lungs, moving the chair up and down, making as much noise as possible, prompting him to come at her instead. He used the back of his hand to knock her in the side of the face.
Brittany sobbed, her tears mixing with the blood oozing from the gash on her cheek.
“Why are you doing this?” Lizzy asked. “Why couldn’t you just leave us alone?”
He let out a hearty laugh. “You don’t know?”
Hayley’s arm moved. She was alive.
Lizzy needed to keep him busy, keep him talking. Keep him away from Brittany and Hayley.
He moved the knife over Lizzy’s forehead, stopping every inch or so to pierce her skin with the tip of the blade. “You promised me you would stay with me forever,” he said. “I believed you, Lizzy. I loved you as I would have loved my own daughter.”
“Leave them alone and I’ll go with you now. We can start over. I never should have left you. I’ve missed you—”
His laughter bounced off the walls, cutting her off before she could finish her sentence. His eyes appeared dark and vacant as he tapped the blade of the knife against the tip of her nose as if he were deciding what to cut off first. Blood oozed down her forehead and into the corner of her right eye.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said excitedly before he disappeared from the room.
“Brittany,” Lizzy said, talking fast. “You have to be brave.” She had so much more she wanted to say but there wasn’t time.
“Hayley.”
Hayley opened her eyes. “I’m all ears.”
Lizzy was filled with relief at hearing Hayley speak. “I need you both to make noise while I dislocate my arm so I can loosen these ropes. He won’t know what I’m up to when he comes back. He’ll think we’re trying to attract attention from the neighbors. Now!”
They didn’t need to be told twice. Brittany screamed at the top of her lungs while Hayley shouted obscenities, drowning out any noise Lizzy made as she used the floor to knock her shoulder out of its socket, crying out in pain as she did so. She hadn’t dislocated her arm in years. The pain wasn’t anything like what she remembered. It was much worse.
Spiderman rushed into the room just as Lizzy managed to wriggle back onto the wooden chair. He was clearly annoyed by the racket they were making, and he quickly shut the door behind him. “Quiet,” he said, “or I’ll cut all your tongues out. You know I will, Lizzy.”
In a gloved hand, he brought forth one of his beloved spiders. “Now that we have an audience, I’d like to show Brittany one of my prized possessions.”
“Leave her alone.”
“This isn’t just any spider, Lizzy. This is a prized Australian funnel-web spider: the most poisonous spider in the world.” He dangled the spider above Hayley’s face as he made his way to Brittany.
For years Lizzy had thought the worst was behind her. But she’d been wrong. She’d never felt so helpless in her life. She should have called Jared on her way to meet Spiderman. He would have done the right thing. He wouldn’t have called in the troops and risked Brittany’s life. He was a good man. But there hadn’t been enough time to think things through.
Spiderman held the spider inches from Brittany’s face. It was a glossy, hairless black thing. Lizzy bit her lip and shook her head, letting Brittany know she needed to stay calm, say nothing. And yet the crazed look she’d seen in his eyes, told her Spiderman was on a mission and nothing was going to stop him.
“You didn’t deserve what you got from your sister and her friends,” Lizzy said in desperation. “Trish and Julia and what was her name? Oh yes, Lisa. They deserve to rot in hell for what they did to you. I know what they did, Sam. I know about your parents and how your father never paid any attention to you. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”
It was working. He turned to face Lizzy.
“Put the spider away,” Lizzy said. “Let them go. Everyone knows why you’ve done the things you’ve done. They understand. They’ll forgive you as I have forgiven you.”
His lip curled into a sneer.
“Now, Brittany!” Hayley shouted. “Do it now!”
Brittany’s arm swung away from the wall. The thick chain broke away from the metal ring and whipped Spiderman in the face. The spider dropped from his hand. He covered his face with both hands and screamed out in agony.
Lizzy struggled to get free from the ropes. She needed more time. Lizzy saw Brittany struggling to release her other arm from the manacle. It was no use. All three of them were in a tight spot.
Spiderman fell to his knees. He removed his hands from his bloodied face and pointed an accusing finger at Lizzy. “She almost had me there, didn’t she? Guess who’s going to die first?”
Lizzy used her free arm to untangle one knot and then another. Endless knots. Spiderman was coming out of his stupor, and his face, she noticed, wasn’t the only part of his body that had been injured. Even in the car he’d looked pale. He’d obviously lost a lot of blood, which meant Hayley must have put up a good fight.
He got to his feet, then stumbled to the bedside table and shuffled around inside the drawer until he realized the knife he was looking for was lying on the end of the bed.
Another knot came free.
The man was unstoppable.
Just like Lizzy.
She pulled free.
Using every ounce of dead weight, every bit of strength she could summon, she lunged for him. They crashed to the floor, Lizzy on top, their combined bulk barely missing Hayley who didn’t move. Spiderman lifted himself from the ground, and suddenly, as if he was Hulk, he picked Lizzy up and tossed her to the side.
Brittany kicked and screamed as Spiderman approached her. Clearly, she was done staying calm. She’d had all she could handle.
Lizzy hadn’t had time to push her shoulder back into place. Her arm hung limp at her side. The pain was excruciating. If she had more time, she would bend her elbow to a ninety degree angle and then use her other arm to coax her shoulder into place. But this wasn’t Disneyland. She made a fist instead, used her good hand to hold onto her bad arm, and slammed her dislocated shoulder into the floor. White-hot pain shot through every nerve ending.
Lizzy turned toward Brittany just as Spiderman lunged forward with his knife. Lizzy screamed, unable to stop him.
A shot rang out at close range.
Jared stood beneath the doorframe, gun aimed, ready to fire a second shot.
Spiderman fell forward. Brittany used both legs, bent at the knees, to kick him off of her, sending him staggering backwards onto the floor.
“Brittany!” Lizzy cried out.
After checking Spiderman for weapons, Jared dragged him unconscious across the room and cuffed his wrists behind his back to the bedpost.
Lizzy untied the ropes from her ankles while Jared made his way to Brittany. Free from the ropes, Lizzy stripped the bedcover from the bed and covered Hayley’s body. She knelt down beside her, thankful to see that she was breathing. “Hayley,” she said. “Don’t you dare think about leaving us.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Hayley said, her voice weak.
Relieved, Lizzy worked on getting Hayley untied.
“Tell your boyfriend the keys to the manacles are in the dresser drawer.”
After he had freed Brittany, Jared helped Lizzy cut Hayley’s bindings.
Lizzy and Brittany held onto one another while Jared swooped Hayley, blanket and all, into his arms.
Lizzy brushed the hair from Brittany’s face so she could take a good look at her. Despite the nasty cut on her cheek, her niece was going to make it out of here alive.
Brittany stopped Jared at the door. She looked at Hayley, trying not to cry as she said, “You saved my life.
Thank you.”
“You saved your own life,” Hayley said.
The sound of sirens grew close. Jared gestured with his chin for Lizzy to take the gun from his holster. “Keep an eye on him while I take care of Hayley. She’s lost a lot of blood.”
“Go with Jared,” Lizzy told Brittany. She didn’t want Brittany in the same room with the man. He was still alive.
Brittany looked from Samuel Jones to Lizzy, hesitating.
“Now,” Lizzy said. “Call your mother. She needs to hear your voice.”
Brittany nodded and then disappeared through the same door Jared had just exited.
Lizzy kept the gun pointed at Samuel Jones. He didn’t deserve to be called Spiderman. He was no superhero. He was a killer, a man without a conscience.
Samuel Jones lifted his head.
Before she knew what he was up to, he pushed himself to his feet, easily pulling the wooden bedpost from its holding.
“Stay where you are,” she said, the gun aimed at his chest, her hands shaking.
Although his hands were cuffed behind his back, he was now free to move about. He’d been badly injured even before Jared shot him, and yet he still managed to get to his feet.
“You’ve always been too soft,” he said when she failed to fire the gun.
“Stay where you are or I’ll shoot.”
“Why did you lie?” he asked.
“Because I wanted to live.” She took a step backward toward the door. “Why did you kill those girls?”
“I told you. They were menaces to society.”
“They were kids. It’s not easy being a teenager. You haven’t done anyone any favors. You’re no hero, Sam.”
He took another step toward her and that’s when she saw his beloved spider climbing over the stiff outer collar of his bloodied button-down shirt. The arachnid must have crawled on him when he was on the ground cuffed to the bedpost.
“I’m warning you. One more step and I will shoot.”
“I know your worst fears. I know everything about you. I had so many plans for you. You have no idea.”
“You’re a sick, disgusting man. And you don’t know me at all.”
“I know you better than anyone, Lizzy. And I know you won’t shoot me,” he said. “They may put me behind bars, but this isn’t the end. I can promise you that.”
He stepped closer. The spider disappeared inside his shirt. “Give me the gun, Lizzy.”
“I might not have to shoot you, after all,” she told him. “Not if your Australian friend gets you first.”
He caught her meaning and looked around, unsure as to whether she was telling the truth or not. Agitated, he pivoted and then stopped cold. Their eyes met and that’s when Lizzy knew he’d been bit. He winced. And then his eyes grew round with shock and fear, perhaps even with pain.
He’d been right about one thing, Lizzy thought. She wasn’t sure if she would have shot him. She’d wanted to. She’d felt the trigger beneath her finger, cold and deadly, but she hadn’t been able to do it. She wondered if he was right about her all along.
Lizzy watched him struggle to find the spider, no easy task with his hands behind his back. She hoped she was looking at Samuel Jones for the last time. He didn’t look like a serial killer. He didn’t look like a killer at all. He looked normal, like someone you might pass on the street without notice. A man turned evil by chance. A man who lived and worked in their community and who had single-handedly taken the lives of too many girls...girls who deserved a chance to mature and grow...girls who would have learned from their mistakes and made a difference in the world just by being in it.
Every part of Samuel Jones began to twitch, including his tongue. Not a pretty picture. Saliva covered his bottom lip and a thick sheen of sweat formed over his brow. “Help me,” he said as he fell to his knees.
But Lizzy had already left the room.
Chapter 38
Sacramento, California
Sunday, March 21, 2010
“Mary was my sister and my best friend,” Jessica told the crowd, comprised of family and friends, but mostly strangers, people who had lived in the community for decades. People who wanted to see Mary put to rest so that they, too, could move on, knowing their children were safer now that Samuel Jones was dead.
“She was the kind of friend everybody should have. Mary and I used to play on the swings at the park and make grandiose plans for the future. We were going to travel, learn new languages and explore the world together. There wasn’t anything we couldn’t do. We had our whole lives ahead of us.” She paused to wipe a tear. “Unfortunately, Mary was taken from me and my family too soon. But let’s not be sad. Not today. Mary wouldn’t want us to be sad. She was the happiest person I’ve ever known. Look around you,” Jessica said, holding her arms wide. “It’s a beautiful March day and today we are here to celebrate Mary’s life. I am going to remember her smile, her laughter, and her dreams. I am going to return to school, learn a new language, and get my degree. Afterwards, I will travel and explore the world. And everywhere I go Mary will be right there with me because I will carry her in my heart and I will never forget her. Never.”
Lizzy stood at the front of the crowd. Jessica’s gaze locked on hers, and Lizzy smiled at her new friend, thankful that Jimmy and his team had located Mary’s body along with three other girls buried in Samuel Jones’s backyard.
Last week, Jared had spoken with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies at CSU and after explaining Jessica’s situation, the dean had agreed to give her another chance. She would be returning to school in the fall.
Today’s memorial was being held outside at the Sierra Hills Memorial Park on Greenback Lane in Sacramento. The air was warm for this time of year, the sky a deep blue brushed with a few strokes of ivory. Mature oaks and sixty foot sycamores dotted the seventy acres of rolling hills.
For this memorial, Lizzy thought, the Sacramento community had come together. People were showing their compassion by giving generously to the Mary Crawford fund, allowing Jessica and her family to give Mary a proper burial.
Samuel Jones’s name would not be mentioned today. Two days after Samuel Jones died, his older sister, Karen Crowley, finally told her story. A young Samuel Jones had been tortured by his sister’s friends, two of which had since died under peculiar circumstances. After Karen’s parents had left for vacation, leaving Karen in charge of her younger brother, she and her friends had drank, smoked weed, and snorted crack cocaine. After Sam threatened to call their parents, Karen’s friends took Sam to the basement where they taped him to a chair, covered his eyes and mouth with duct tape, and poked him with cigarettes. But Karen hadn’t realized what her friends had done until three days later when she picked up the telephone and called her brother’s friend, thinking he was hiding out there. When Karen finally located Sam, he was a mess. Found on the floor, still fastened to the chair, he’d been bitten by a black widow. Karen knew this because when she found him the dead spider was clutched tight in his fist. Although Karen Crowley was clearly remorseful, she insisted no harm was intended. She was released and had already returned to her family in Europe.
Lizzy spotted Hayley in the distance. Hayley lifted her bandaged hand in acknowledgement and Lizzy walked that way. It had been four weeks since Jared had come to their rescue. Hayley had burn marks on her arms, legs, neck and face. Like Brittany, her hair had been cut short at weird angles so Lizzy had paid a stylist to cut Hayley’s hair in a short side-swept haircut with a long sweeping bang. Although Hayley wasn’t the type of kid who liked to be gushed over, Lizzy didn’t care. She slipped an arm around Hayley’s side and gave her a long squeeze.
Cathy had offered to take Hayley into her home, grateful for all Hayley had done to keep Brittany safe. After much coercing, Hayley had agreed. “How did you get here?” Lizzy asked.
“Your sister let me take her car.”
“Wow, she must really like you.”
Hayley smiled, but she sounded sad w
hen she said, “I guess I sort of got carried away, didn’t I? Getting caught by that lunatic and then letting him get the best of me. I really thought I could take him out.”
“You never should have put yourself in danger, Hayley, but you did good. You did real good.”
“So did your niece. She’s a tough kid—you know—for a cheerleader.”
Lizzy nodded and couldn’t help but think of how proud Cathy had sounded when she told Lizzy how well Brittany was doing in school and how Brittany had made the cheerleading squad. The side of Brittany’s face had required nineteen stitches in all, but her wounds were healing nicely and the doctors said the scars would hardly be noticeable by year’s end.
Cathy had also taken Brittany to talk with Linda Gates so Brittany could discuss what happened and also talk about her feelings about her parents’ recent separation. With everyone’s support, Lizzy felt confident Brittany would be able to move forward and go on to live a normal, healthy life.
Hayley gestured toward Jared, who had parked his car. He was running late after stopping by the hospital to visit Jimmy. Jimmy was having tests done after discovering he had cancer.
Jared looked exceptionally handsome in his dark suit and tie.
“Are you going to marry that guy?” Hayley asked.
“No, I don’t think so.” Lizzy tilted her head for a better look at him. “Besides, he hasn’t asked me.”
They shared knowing smiles before Lizzy quickly changed the subject. “I was wondering if you would be interested in traveling to schools across the country. Together the two of us could teach children everywhere how to defend themselves against the evils of the world.”
“Sounds like a job for a superhero,” Hayley said.
“Exactly.”
Hayley rubbed her heavily bandaged hand. “I don’t know. I’m not as courageous as I sometimes pretend to be.”
Lizzy sighed. “Neither am I.”
“I was really scared.”