The Last Victim (A Ryker Townsend Story)

by Jordan Dane

“Yeah.”

  She helped me to the bed and scavenged for blankets to keep me warm. Justine made me lie down before she hoisted my leg and elevated it onto pillows to slow down the bleeding. On my back the dizziness had returned, but it felt good to lie down and take the weight off my ankle.

  “Do you think he was looking for something?” I asked. “Why would he rip things up like this? Stealing I can understand, but this is…rage.”

  “The guy’s deranged. He fixated on Nate after he reported him. I told Nate I didn’t like him living alone and isolated. I wanted him to stay with a friend until I figured out Matson’s deal, but he refused. He said he wouldn’t let the guy intimidate him, not even after he found the butchered animals.”

  “What animals? Tell me.”

  “We could never pin anything on Matson, but after the confrontation with him, Nate found animal carcasses strung from trees on his property, around his cabin. The smell was bad enough, but the scent of blood brought the bears in, foraging for food. That was a dangerous thing to do.”

  “How were the dead animals strung up? Any details could help.”

  “The smaller ones were strung with fishing line, but the bigger carcasses were hung with rope and staked into the tree trunks,” she told me. “Nate never heard him do it. They would just appear and got closer and closer to his home. He dealt with bears for months, but he knew it was Matson.”

  “Forgive what I’m about to ask.” I hesitated. I had a hard time focusing and knew I had a fever now. My thoughts were muddled.

  “Go ahead.” She stopped picking up the pieces of Nate’s life and sat on the edge of the bed. “Say it.”

  “Do you think Matson’s obsession with Nate was…sexual? Our ME found evidence of…rape.” When I saw the shock on Justine’s face, I sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t know how else to say it.”

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  “I don’t know how far Matson would’ve gone to hurt him.” A tear spilled down her cheek. “That kind of degradation and torture would have terrified Nate, but to take away any future he had with his son would’ve been worse. Whoever did this to Nate had to know him well enough to find the one thing that would devastate him. Matson would’ve known about his boy, Tanner. Nate talked about him all the time. That’s all I can say with any certainty. Sorry I can’t be of more help.”

  Hearing her talk about her regrets with Nate, I thought about the happiness they may have squandered because of bad timing, different ambitions, whatever the excuse. I didn’t know if it would’ve been a good thing for them to be together. I only knew they quit before they found out and Justine would always wonder.

  Nate had died, but at least he had his son, Tanner, to be his legacy. My one thing that would devastate me, if I didn’t have it, was my job. It was important to me and to those unnamed souls whose lives I saved because I stopped someone from killing, but I still felt like I’ve been missing something.

  I carried the weight of a hard to describe emptiness. A void I wasn’t sure how to fill. I thought about the choices I’d made—and what the unopened boxes sitting in my living room said about me. All of it made me sad and feeling bad didn’t help my sullen mood.

  “No. It’s okay. I understand.” My eyes were getting droopy and I couldn’t focus. I was getting sucked into ‘what ifs’ and the only thing that would buy me was a one-way ticket on the pity train. I didn’t like it. “It can’t be easy for you to talk about Nate, not like this.”

  “No, it hasn’t been. No one knows about my feelings for him, but it’s been good to share things, especially with you.” She touched my forehead and brushed back my hair. “You don’t look good. Your skin is hot and clammy. I think you have a fever. I’ve got something in my gear for that.”

  She left me to haul our stuff inside and search her pack and Nate’s supplies for anything she could use as first aid. After she found what she wanted, she came back to me.

  “Here, take this.” She had a few white tablets in one hand. In the other, she had a tin cup of water.

  “What is it?”

  “I had meds in my Trooper first-aid kit. A couple of aspirins for your fever and a pain reliever for your ankle.”

  “No pain med. Only aspirin. I want a clear head if Matson shows.”

  Justine grimaced.

  “Okay, but say the word if the pain gets bad.”

  She picked out two pills and handed them to me. After I tossed the tablets in my mouth, she held the cup of water for me to wash them down.

  “I’ve got fresh bandages, but I’ll wait until the aspirin kicks in before I dress your wound. That’s gonna hurt like hell, I’m afraid,” she said. “No more talking until I get this place in shape. I got work to do and you need to rest.”

  I nodded. Through half-lidded eyes, I watched her clean up the cabin. I’d closed my eyes and lost track of time until I woke to the sound and the warmth of a crackling fire in the stone hearth. Gazing into the blaze, I drifted in and out of consciousness as I listened to the scuffs and thumps of Justine’s boots on the wood floor. The throbbing burn of my ankle had gone numb as long as I didn’t move.

  “You ready to see the damage?” Justine looked ready to hurt me.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  She cut away the soaked shirt she’d used to bind my ankle and stem the bleeding and sliced open my pant leg. With the wound exposed, I got my first look at the injury that had me flat on my back. The metal teeth of the trap had slit the skin of my calf in gashes, down to the bone in spots. After I’d hit the trap and it held me, my momentum from running had done the worst damage and caused jagged steel to rake down my leg.

  “This needs to be cleaned. I can’t just cover it up. Infection can set in too fast.”

  “Okay. Do it.”

  With meticulous care, she rinsed my wound in water and cleared dirt and debris from the gaping trenches before she applied an antibiotic ointment and fresh bandages. It hurt like hell, as promised.

  “We’ll have to change the dressing daily and be careful not to disturb the clotting, or else you’ll start bleeding again.”

  I winced and nodded after she was done and settled into the covers she tossed back over me. I stared into the red burning embers of a dying fire in the hearth, mesmerized by the glow that flickered in the dark until I closed my eyes and gave in to the numbness crawling through my body.

  When I felt the mattress jostle, I saw the shadow of Justine climbing into bed with me. The intimacy shocked me. We were still strangers, even though we were on the fast track to changing that. I don’t know what I’d expected. Guess I thought she’d be more wary of me and choose the privacy of her own sleeping bag, but that didn’t happen.

  Justine nestled close to me with her clothes on and a blanket over her. Although her move to join me had surprised me, I had to admit. I liked having her in bed with me. I closed my eyes and listened to her breaths with the warmth of her body next to me.

  ***

  Hours later

  A red light throbbed like a steady pulse. A heartbeat in the dark. Masking the rhythm was the raspy and frantic gasp of someone running and the buzzing undercurrent of flies. In the distance I heard the caw of a raven and the frantic flap of wings that set me on edge. The erratic and unsettling sights and sounds made me sicker. Sweat poured from me and trickled down my body until the wetness pooled. Water swirled up my skin and inched toward my chest and chin. I craned my neck to keep above the swell, but something held me down.

  Can’t breathe. Help me.

  I felt a weight crushing my chest and I couldn’t move. I had my eyes open, but everywhere I looked, I only saw the pulsing red light cutting through the darkness. I reached out my hands to feel my way through an endless void—tumbling weightless, end over end—but something cut into my wrists and tethered me to a growing danger. As the tether got shorter, I was tugged toward a place I didn’t want to go.

  Something warm and sticky drained down my arms. I smelled the stench of blood—and a far wor
se odor—and I fought harder to pull away. Flies clung to my skin, feeding off me.

  No! Get off me.

  The more I thrashed, the more frantic I became. A raging fever churned under my skin as the weight on my chest took shape. Someone was on top of me.

  I can’t breathe.

  With the red glow casting its eerie light across a chasm, it took time for my night vision to adjust to the murky depth. It felt as if I’d been blinded by the light and could see what lay beyond it. I wasn’t alone. A dark faceless silhouette stared down at me as I lay helpless underneath the dead weight of the body straddling my chest.

  You...

  I heard the sound of another’s voice, as if someone spoke through me, and all I could do was watch…and do nothing.

  The dark face disturbed me. With my heart pounding through my throat and ears, I couldn’t take my eyes off the black shadowy skin that puckered and undulated as if every cell were alive. The shriek of the raven and the drone of flies got louder.

  The shadow shifted and raised its arms. In the red throb of light, I saw the glint of a knife hovering over me.

  Oh, God. No! I jerked under the weight, but couldn’t get away.

  The blade plunged into my chest. I cried out in agony, drowning in the blood filling my lungs. The face of my killer broke apart into hundreds of flies and writhing maggots slithered down. The winged insects swarmed over me and fragmented the body that had held me down. I was free of the burden, but it was too late.

  In shock, I gasped as I stared at the blade protruding from my heart.

  No! No!

  ***

  “No! No!” I yelled and shoved at the hands holding me down. I felt sick. I wanted to throw up.

  “You’re having a bad dream, Ryker. Another one. It’s the fever this time. You need more aspirins.” Justine’s voice cut through the haze. “Please…take the pain meds. You need ‘em. You’re making your ankle worse. You have to stay still, or you’ll start bleeding again.”

  I shook my head, but Justine put something in my mouth and made me swallow water from a cup.

  “I know…what happened to…Nate,” I mumbled. “I know what he saw…when he died.”

  “No. You’re hallucinating. You couldn’t have seen it. It’s the fever talking.”

  Justine washed my forehead and neck with a wet cloth to cool me, but stopped when she realized what I’d said.

  “What exactly did you see, Ryker?” She held my face and forced me to look at her. “How can you know what Nate saw? That’s…crazy. You’re scaring me.”

  Caught in the vise of my nightmare, I forced the haunting images from my mind. I stared at Justine until I let my gaze drift through the shadows of the cabin to ground me in reality. I was wounded and sick and stranded unless I could make my way down the mountain.

  A dead guy had led me here, possibly straight to his killer, a skilled and angry hunter who looked to be out for more blood. That was my reality. I slowed my heart by taking deep breaths and waited for the meds to take hold.

  Get a grip. Let it go.

  What I’d told Justine made no sense, yet it still felt true. Even before I’d gotten the call to investigate the crime scene in the Cascade Mountains, the dream had started in DC. It was as if I were channeling Nate through a strange vision at the worst torturous moment of the guy’s life—the instant of his death. I didn’t understand any of it.

  How could I trust my nightmares—and who would believe me if I could?

  Chapter Ten

  Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

  The next day

  Ryker Townsend

  An abrasive metal sound jolted me awake from a dead sleep. I cried out as I thrashed free of my bed sheets, stunned. It took me time to realize where I was and what I had heard—the scrape and clack of a spoon on a skillet.

  I felt like an idiot.

  “Ah, hell.” I collapsed onto the mattress, gasping.

  My heart pounded my ribs and the sudden rush to sit up left me dizzy. My body was on a collision course I couldn’t stop and I hated not being in control. Some people knew how to behave when they were sick. I wasn’t one of them. I fought every symptom, like my defiance would make a difference.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “No. Sorry. It’s all me.”

  With the things I see in my job, it wasn’t hard to hear the rasp of metal and not flash on a knife grating flesh from bone. Justine’s culinary skills had nothing to do with my mental state and she didn’t look as if she’d taken offense.

  “I’m making us breakfast. How are you feeling?” She had a fire in the hearth and stood cooking over a camp stove. “You look…”

  “Look like what?”

  I really didn’t want to know.

  “You don’t wanna know.”

  She’d read me, admittedly not much of a challenge. It sounded like she’d teased me, but the worried look on her face told me she wasn’t joking.

  “I don’t think I can eat,” I said. “I feel…sick.”

  The smell of food made me queasy. I knew that wasn’t a good sign. What the hell was wrong with me?

  “Maybe you’ve got a concussion. From the bump on your head, you must’ve hit the ground hard.”

  I hadn’t been thinking clearly and this morning I felt worse, but I didn’t want to worry her.

  “We gotta talk. Make a plan.” I propped a pillow under my head and winced with every move.

  Justine took the skillet off the stove and sat close enough for me to see her with my bad eyes. The light coming in from the windows blinded me and every squint made my head pound. My misery would be compounded by having to actually think. If I could’ve found a way around the strain of mulling over my situation, I would’ve done it, but that would require more mulling. The irony made my head hurt and I was back to square one. We needed a plan.

  “I came to see if Nate had a laptop here,” I said. “…and search his place for any connection he might’ve had to the Seattle area. I’d appreciate your help.”

  “Yes, of course. Anything I can do.” She furrowed her brow and watched me with laser focus. “That’s why I came. It hasn’t been easy being here, but if there’s anything I can do to get you one step closer to Nate’s killer, that’s why I’m here.”

  “Being at his cabin again, it’s been hard on you, hasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, you have no idea, but I had to come. I had no choice.” The vulnerability had returned to her eyes. “I’m worried about you. We have to consider going back…and when to do it.”

  I couldn’t shake my bleary eyesight. The muddled edges of my vision forced me to see everything through a foggy tunnel. It was as if I were trapped in one of my dreams, unable to tell what was real.

  Justine wanted to talk about going down the mountain, but if we got ambushed, I wouldn’t do her much good in my condition. I could make everything worse. I couldn’t think or see straight. Maybe I did have a concussion.

  “I’m not sure how safe that would be with Matson out there. If you’re dealing with me, he could take both of us out easy. We’d be in the open.” I hated putting her in more danger, because of me. “You could leave me here and try it on your own. You’d move faster without me and besides, I’d have my gun and whatever Nate left here for weapons. I could hold out until you got help.”

  I listened to my voice as if someone else were speaking. Muffled sounds made it feel like my ears were stuffed with cotton. I was getting worse, but I struggled not to let my growing list of warning signs show. Justine was worried enough.

  “You’re too messed up to stay here alone, Ryker. Matson could slit your throat in your sleep. You were delirious last night and if your fever gets worse…” She didn’t finish. Didn’t have to. She only shook her head and said, “Besides, if Matson got to me on the trail, you’d never know it. You’d be waiting for help that would never come.”

  “What do you propose?”

  “I think we should stay together…here. You nee
d me to take care of you. If I can stabilize you in a day or two, it would be easier to make the trek down.”

  “And if you can’t, what then?”

  Justine only shrugged and avoided my eyes. We both knew what would happen if I got sicker. Her option sounded overly optimistic.

  “What about Matson?” I asked. “He’d still be out there, whether we stay or not.”

  Justine got quiet with a grave look on her face.

  “I could hunt him. He wouldn’t be expecting that. If he still has your phone, I can get it back. We could call for help and get you a doctor. With him out of the picture, we’d have options without looking over our shoulders.” She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t have to leave you for long…and you’d have your gun. He may not even know you’re hurt.”

  “Come on. He’s a hunter. He has to know I’m wounded. I left enough blood on the trail and his trap is full of my hide.” I winced at my aggravated headache. “If my team can’t reach me by my SAT phone, they’ll know something is up. They’ll track me. My cell can be located by satellite. Matson may not realize that. If he leaves the phone on, it’ll be like a beacon.”

  “Oh, yeah? Good to know.” Justine sighed. “Well, I’m not leaving you. End of argument. Since my head is clearer than yours—which is not a high bar, by the way—you’re gonna have to trust my judgment. You good with that?”

  I had no choice. She would beat me hands down if it came to an arm wrestle or a rigorous game of rock, paper, scissors. After I nodded, Justine got back to work and made breakfast. The food smell tortured me, but after she’d brought me a plate, I ate what I could. I had to keep my strength up…and the food down.

  She’d made a skillet of potatoes, onions, sausage and cheese from items she’d brought in her backpack. In a plastic tub, she’d brought her leftover salmonberry cobbler and served it cold. If I felt better, the hearty breakfast would have tasted good, but I had to force every bite.

  We ate in silence with Justine keeping her eyes on me. She could play poker with the best of them. I had trouble reading her. After she took away my plate and cleaned up, she was the first one to break the stillness as she sat at the table, working.