Fire Angel

by Susanne Matthews

  “Wait.” Jake wanted to go after Alexis, but considering the way Frank was leading them around by the nose, this seemed too providential. “This guy has been one step ahead of us all the way. He had to know we’d figure he’d taken Alexis and that we’d check his house. How old is that slip?” he asked the tech, praying it was recent, but convinced it wouldn’t be.

  “March of last year,” the woman admitted.

  Jake nodded to Ev. “Before he started his killing spree. The place in Lavigne is a decoy. By all means send someone to check it out, but I’ll bet it’s rigged to explode like the house was. If he killed Sloan, and I’m damn sure he did, he wouldn’t risk spending any more time in that area. If he was using the tannery, he moved somewhere else, someplace closer.”

  He swallowed the terror clawing at him. Frank had had her almost two hours. More than enough time to torture and kill her, and do God alone knew what else.

  “Let’s go see Nick. The snow stopped just before he called. Maybe Frank left us breadcrumbs to follow.”

  Ev nodded. “You’re right. We’ve been dancing to his tune long enough. Time to change the music. Pierre, go to Lavigne, take Saunders with you. I’ll call the OPP and have them meet you there. Stop at the Martin Leo Troy Armory. They’ve got a bomb dog there just back from Afghanistan. I’ll set it up. If there’s nothing there, fine, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Come on, Jake. Let’s go.”

  Jake nodded. As long as he did as he was told and didn’t think, he’d get through this, but time wasn’t on their side. They might’ve prevented the next fire by exposing the Fire Angel, but until he was in custody, all bets were off.

  * * *

  Alexis awoke, her head pounding once more, shivering, so cold she could barely move her hands and feet. Realizing she was on the cement floor in her underwear, she panicked. Where were her clothes?

  Rolling over, she gagged on the putrid scent of decayed flesh that threatened to suffocate her.

  “I didn’t want to leave you until I was sure you were awake, so we could have a proper farewell.” He held her Ruger in his left hand. “Nice weapon, by the way. I can’t wait to test it. I have a couple of busybodies to get rid of. I’m going to leave you here for a bit. By now Jake and the chief should be on their way to the tannery and I don’t want to miss the show. This place used to be a rendering plant. They closed it down a while back when it failed some safety standards. I’ve found it quite convenient for my business. Come and see.”

  Since he yanked her upright, Alexis couldn’t very well refuse, but she couldn’t stop the scream from escaping her lips either. On the back wall, she saw piles of sawdust and white sand. Traps of various sizes and shapes lined the closest wall. From a makeshift line, the skins of dead animals in various stages of tanning hung all around the room, some without heads, others, heads intact, but eye sockets empty. Unable to stop herself, she vomited onto the floor, splashing the yellow liquid all over her bare feet and legs.

  Frank laughed, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

  “Don’t worry. I promise to clean you up later. Here.” He handed her half a bottle of water.

  She wanted to refuse it, but between her shivering, her thirst, and the vile taste in her mouth, she couldn’t even speak. Her hands shook so badly, she spilled half of the precious liquid down her chest.

  “You were wondering about the sand? I find a mixture of sand and sawdust work well on the smaller animals. Cold?” He tossed a couple of partially cured racoon pelts at her.

  Too cold to argue despite the smell, she covered herself as best as she could with the furs, grateful for the slight heat they provided.

  “Do you have any idea how much all this is worth?” he asked. “Thousands of dollars. I have an order for a sow and her cubs next spring. It should fetch me fifty grand. But that doesn’t matter to you, does it? You’re rich in your own right now, aren’t you. Grandpa had bags full of money, didn’t he?”

  She refused to answer. He didn’t seem to expect her to.

  “Come on over here.” He dragged her to a chair near a large green garbage bin. “I don’t want you wandering around in the dark. You might fall and hurt yourself.”

  She tamped down her horror.

  He pushed her into the chair, yanked the furs out of her hands, tossed them on the floor beside her, and pulled out plastic ties, the kind she’d jokingly told Jake she used as handcuffs.

  “Frank, for the love of God, please don’t do this,” she begged, her teeth chattering so badly it was hard to speak.

  “God gave up on me years ago, just as he did on you. Now, “ he said, tying her to the chair, the plastic cutting into her flesh. “Sit tight. I wouldn’t wriggled my hands and ankles too much. The place has a bit of a rat problem. They might abandoned the offal if they smell fresh blood and come after you. I would hate to come back and find they’d been at you before we’d had our fun. I won’t be long.”

  “No, Frank, don’t leave me here. Don’t leave me alone. I’ll do anything you want me to do,” she cried, tremors racking her body, her trembling stronger than ever.

  “I know you will,” he said, as he flipped the light switch. “You’ll be compliant, just the way I like my women. Ironic, isn’t it? You’re about to freeze to death in a warehouse full of furs.” He laughed. “It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. I turned off the heat earlier.”

  “Please, Frank, I beg you. Don’t do this.”

  She heard the door open.

  “I’ll be back,” he said in a perfect imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, then whistling “The Hearse Song,” he closed the door.

  “No,” she screamed. “Frank, don’t leave me here.”

  The sound of the car engine moving off told her he didn’t care.

  Tears coursed down her cheeks. The room was cold and so dark, it felt as if she were buried alive. The two raccoon furs lay on the floor, just beyond her reach. Rather than burning her as he’d done the others, the Fire Angel would let her die of hypothermia. It couldn’t be long now. She couldn’t feel her hands or her feet and the trembling had almost stopped.

  Jake would never find her in time. In fact, he might not make it through the night himself since he was heading into Frank’s trap. They would be together, but not in this world.

  Alexis licked her lips as she heard the unmistakable sound of scurrying rodents. If she stayed quiet, they might come close to her before she died.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” she said, teeth chattering once more. “I’m a big girl. He won’t win, and neither will you. They know who he is and even after I’m gone, they’ll hunt him down just as he did all the animals in here.”

  Slowly, she began to sing, imagining the can of whoop-ass she’d open on Frank when he came back. The aroma of her vomit mixed with the other odors. The scratching came again and her panic rose. Time to find her safe place before she went as crazy as Frank was.

  “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” she tried to sing, but the trembling was too strong.

  * * *

  “I don’t know anything else,” Nick said, holding his head in his hands. “The car pulled up, she got in, and he reversed back up the road. Wait. I saw lights in the trees. He must’ve turned right and gone along the back road around the lake. Why would he do that? That road doesn’t lead anywhere now.”

  “What do you mean by now?” Jake asked.

  “In the summer, there’s a scout camp down that way, but at this time of the year, there’s nothing. I don’t even know why the township still plows it. The only other buildings along that way are the old meat packing and rendering plants, but they were closed a decade ago.”

  “That’s where he is,” Jake cried, convinced he was right. “It’s the perfect place to take care of business. It probably stinks so much around there, even after all this time ... That’s where he took her. He would have access to water—there’s a swamp back there. All he would need is a generator, and since he wouldn’t be there all the time, it woul
d be ideal and no one would bother him.”

  Nick stood and walked to the windows facing the lake.

  “Jake,” he said. “Look.”

  Across the lake, every now and then, lights glimmered between the trees.

  “He’s coming back,” Ev said, standing beside him and sneering. “No doubt he thinks we’re all at the tannery and doesn’t want to miss the show.” He grabbed his phone and dialed Pierre.

  “Yes, Chief,” Pierre answered on the first ring.

  “Have you checked the building yet?”

  “We have. According to the way the dog went nuts, the place must be full of explosives. I was just going to call you. Have you found Alexis?”

  “Not yet, but we think we know where he’s keeping her. Listen to me. Frank is on his way to you. It’ll take him a good forty-five minutes to reach you. In the meantime, I want everybody out of the cars. Leave two or three of them there and get away from the area. Find a place to park where you can see the place but can’t be seen. We’re pretty sure he’s on his way to light the place up.”

  “Do you want us to apprehend?” Pierre asked.

  “No. Let him do his thing. He’ll probably watch a bit and then leave. Have someone follow him, but stay the hell back. If we’re wrong and she’s not where we think she is, he’s the only one who can lead us to her.”

  “Got you,” Pierre said. “I’ll have the OPP get me an unmarked car. Be careful, Chief.”

  “You, too.” Ev ended the call.

  While Ev had been on the phone, Jake was getting dressed, so angry, he could barely button his jacket.

  “If he’s locked her in one of those plants, he’s left her in the dark, probably without any heat. We got to go. We’ve got to get to her, Ev.”

  “I know. Hang on. I need to make one more call.”

  Jake was so antsy, he was coming out of his skin.

  Nick touched his arm. “He won’t pass the driveway for another five minutes. You need to make sure he’s gone before you go up there if you’re going to save her.”

  He nodded. Patience was always in short supply. Tonight, it didn’t even exist.

  “That’s right, David. Bring whatever you’ll need to treat a patient for hypothermia and shock. Stop at the clinic and then Nick will show you where to go.” He listened. “I know. There’s always that possibility, but think positive, for everyone’s sake.”

  Ev reached for his coat. “He should be past the driveway by now. We’ll head out.” He turned to Nick. “Follow us with David. He’ll be here soon.”

  Nick nodded. “I’ll pray God’s with her and gets you to her in time.”

  Jake nodded, too overcome to speak.

  Ev drove like a bat out of hell down the rough country road, stopping at the sign that read Gypsum Meats. The road hadn’t been plowed and there were no foot prints leading in. What if they were wrong? What if the car Nick had seen had been a couple of teenagers looking for some privacy?

  The next time the car stopped, the roadside marker read, Camp Wakanga, Boy Scouts of Canada, but a gate crossed the laneway and from the amount of snow piled in front of it, it hadn’t been opened in days.

  Jake fought to keep the despair eating at him from taking over.

  “She’s got to be at the rendering plant,” Ev said, but Jake no longer shared his conviction.

  “I was hoping he’d used one of the other places,” Ev added. “I worked in one of those plants in Alberta one summer. Dirtiest, grossest job I ever had, but the money was good. It was years before I could eat meat again. It’s just up here on the left. You’re awfully quiet.”

  Jake looked over at the chief. “I’m adding my prayers to Nick’s. I’m in love with her, Ev. I have been for twenty years. I thought we had a chance once we figured out it was him.” Emotions clogged his throat. “She’s got to be okay.”

  Ev stopped at the sign, Gypsum Rendering Plant. Ahead of them were the unmistakable tracks of a car.

  “I told you she would be here,” the chief said. “Let’s hope he doesn’t have a partner watching her, or some kickass dog I’ll be forced to shoot.”

  Following the road in, the chief drove as slowly as he could. He stopped the vehicle on the edge of the driveway. Getting out of the Hummer, he went around to the hatch and pulled out his shotgun, handing another to Jake.

  There were no lights on, no smoke coming from the chimney, nothing to indicate the building had been used except for tracks indicating someone had gone into the side door ahead of them. What if they were wrong? What if Frank had her in the car and wasn’t going anywhere near the tannery?

  “Door’s unlocked,” Ev whispered, slowly opening it. If it were at all possible, it was colder inside than it had been outside.

  “Hello?” he called. “Paradise Police Department.”

  Jake couldn’t stand it a second longer.

  “Alexis,” he cried. “Honey, are you here?”

  Ev turned on the flashlight, starting at the sight of furs hanging from the ceiling. Rats scurried across the floor and behind the dumpster. Something red and white caught his attention.

  “That’s hers, isn’t it?” he asked.

  Jake gazed at the red and white tuque and then at the coat, slacks, and sweater beside them so angry, he saw red. Was she in that dumpster? Were the rats feasting on her?

  Grabbing the flashlight out of Ev’s hand, he hurried toward the dumpster and stopped when he saw the slumped body in the chair beside it.

  “She’s over here,” he cried, removing his jacket to cover her. He checked for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. “She’s alive, but just barely. I’ll kill the son of a bitch. I’ll rip him apart with my bare hands.”

  Using his pocket knife, Jake cut the plastic ties that bound her to the chair and carried her out to the Hummer, turning on the engine and blasting the heat. He sat with her in his lap, tears coursing down his cheeks rocking her and mumbling, “It’ll be okay. You’re safe now,” over and over again, but she didn’t rouse.

  Ev came out of the building, rifle raised, just as the second vehicle pulled in. He hadn’t even heard it. He lowered the window slightly.

  “Don’t shoot,” David said. “It’s me. Did you find her?”

  “Yes, Jake has her in the Hummer. She’s unconscious. It can’t be twenty degrees in there, and he’d tied her to a chair half-naked.”

  “Jake,” David called. “Let me inside to have a look at her.”

  He unlocked the doors.

  “She won’t wake up,” he said, tears clogging his throat.

  David got inside and examined her as best he could given that she was still in Jake’s arms.

  “We need to get her back to the clinic. Carry her over to your SUV. She’ll be okay, I promise.”

  Jake nodded.

  “Jake,” Ev said, as he stepped out into the cold once more, his coat still wrapped around Alexis. “I know you want to go with her, but she’s safe now, and we have a killer to catch. He’s going to be coming back for her. We need to stay here and wait for him.”

  David touched his shoulder. “Go. Do what you need to do. Get this son of a bitch. Nick and I will take care of her. We’ll see you at the clinic when it’s all over.”

  Jake bent and kissed her brow. “Tell her the Fire Angel is out of business and I’ll be back soon.”

  “You can tell her yourself in the morning. Nick, let’s get her back. Your house is about to be downright tropical.”

  * * *

  After David and Nick had left, Ev pulled the Hummer around back. Jake had gone inside and unlocked the door closest to them. Now, they sat in the vehicle with the heat on, waiting to hear from Pierre. If they hadn’t found her when they had, she might well be dead by now. Over an hour had passed, but it took time to get to Lavigne, especially since it had started to snow. Ev had called off the APB on the Ford. The last thing he wanted was the car stopped and an officer killed.

  When the Bluetooth beeped, Jake jumped.

  “Y
es,” Ev said.

  “It’s me. He didn’t hang around long. Must’ve had it rigged to explode with a cellphone. The sedan pulled to a stop about half a block from here. He got out, pulled out a cellphone and ... Boom! He waited and watched about ten minutes then got back in his car and drove away. I can’t believe I thought that guy was my friend. Was she there?”

  “She was, and she’s safe now. We’re at the old Gypsum Rendering Plant near the scout camp. Give him a twenty-minute head start, and then get over here. Hopefully, it’ll all be over by the time you arrive.” He hung up.

  “If we’re lucky, he’ll go for suicide by cop and save us all a lot of trouble,” Jake said.

  Ev scowled. “There’d better be lots of evidence that he fired first, but Jake, I want this bastard alive. I want to know why the hell he did what he did. If he’s insane, they’ll lock him up in Penetanguishene, and toss away the key.”

  “And if he’s not? If he’s found competent to stand trial?”

  “Then the results will be the same. He’ll never see the light of day. The system works. I need to believe that, and so do you.”

  Jake nodded, but if Frank fired first, he knew he would have no trouble taking him down. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. The worst thing about stakeouts was the waiting. Seconds, became minutes and minutes became hours, giving you too much time to think, time to worry about life and people in particular. David was the one with the expertise Alexis needed right now, but damn it, he wanted to be there with her.

  “Jake.”

  Ev’s voice roused him. How could he have fallen asleep?

  “We’d better get inside. There are lights coming down the road.”

  Opening the car door, rifle in hand, Jake followed Ev back to the building,

  “Now, remember, we need him alive. I want to see him answer for his crimes.”

  “I know that,” Jake said, “but does he?”

  Jake opened the back door of the rendering plant, assaulted once more by the stench from hell. He hadn’t thought anything could smell this bad—the back of that squad car had been a pleasant perfume compared the this. The closest he could imagine was freshly roasted ass after a suicide bomber had taken out a market and all the donkeys and carts had gone up in flames. He’d rubbed the camphor under his nose as Ev had instructed, but it barely made a dent in the stench. How could anyone have worked in here?