Sweeney was conniving and highly intelligent. He tested off the charts and had a borderline genius IQ. The accomplices wouldn’t be easy to locate. He purposely didn’t tell Taylor’s sister where he was so she couldn’t give him up if caught. Dante figured he had a woman helping him now and as soon as her part in his scheme was over, she’d be dead, too. He’d move on to the next link in the chain. They needed to snap the chain and stop his plans.
Dorian glanced up from his laptop. “There were twenty-four women who sat in the courtroom every day of the trial to support Sweeney.”
“Are you kidding me? Twenty-four?” It astounded him to think that there were that many desperate, delusional women out there who would fall for the charms of a serial rapist and murderer.
“Warped, huh?”
“Seriously twisted.”
“It’s a paraphilia,” Dan told them. “Hybristolphilia. A person, usually a woman, who’s sexually attracted to a man who has committed outrageous or gruesome crimes such as rape or murder.”
“It’s hard to believe that many women suffer from that particular psychiatric disorder,” Dante muttered.
“Plus, Sweeney’s hot,” Maggie added. All gazes flew to the petite blonde in outrage. “What?” She opened her hands. “He is. I’m not saying I’d rip off my panties and wave them in front of him like a bullfighter.”
“Ah, jeez, Magnolia Blossom, don’t put that visual out there.”
She smacked her husband with the back of her hand. “What I’m trying to say is that if he targets women with low self-esteem who are easily manipulated, and showers them with praise and love, they’d do just about anything for him.”
“Like a mousy librarian or a wife whose husband left her for a younger woman,” Dante said, thinking of the lady who facilitated his escape from prison and the one who helped him abduct her niece.
“Exactly,” Maggie agreed. “Like it or not, Sweeney’s gorgeous. He modeled underwear and appeared on TV. That helps his cause. To a woman who has lost confidence in herself, having a man like that focus his attention on her is like a narcotic. She becomes addicted until he’s all she can think about.”
Dorian cleared his throat. “If we’re done with the psychology lesson, can I get back to what I was saying?”
Maggie made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “By all means.”
“Of those twenty-four who sat in the courtroom every day, sixteen visited him in prison at one time or another. He has ten, count ‘em, ten different Facebook fan pages devoted to him, each with several hundred followers. These women…and in some cases, men…are beyond sick. They wax poetic and pen songs about him. Some even write what’s called ‘real person fiction’ where they all but put him on a pedestal, making him into a tragic hero.”
Dante shook his head in disgust. “What is wrong with people?”
“If we count all the folks who follow him on social media, the network of potential accomplices could be in the thousands.”
Dante rubbed a hand down his face. “In other words, needle, here’s a haystack.”
#
Grace had never been so frightened in her entire life, not even the time Molly stayed over and they watched a scary movie on TV without her mommy knowing about it. It was about a man wrapped in dirty white rags who killed people. They only made it through thirty minutes of the show but it scared her. She was sure the mummy was hiding under her bed and he was going to jump out and grab them at any second.
The man who kidnapped her scared her more than the murderous mummy. He made her swallow some kind of yucky liquid and she fell asleep. She didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping or where they were. She woke when the man carried her inside some kind of camper. He tied her leg with a rope so she couldn’t run away. She was still sleepy from whatever he made her drink two times. Her lids drooped but she forced herself to stay awake.
When he brought her inside, she was relieved to see a woman waiting for them. She felt better knowing she wasn’t alone with the mean man. The woman acted nice to her when the man was around, but she mostly ignored her. That was fine with Grace. But then she started to worry. What if the man and woman took her so they could make her their new daughter? What if she never got to see her mommy again? Or Grandpa and Grandma? And she was going to get a dog this summer. Mommy promised.
Tears welled in her eyes. She prayed her mommy would find her. She’d cried when she got to talk to her for a few seconds. Mommy sounded scared. She had no idea where they were or how long they’d been in the truck. It was daylight out now but she didn’t think it was the same day. Mommy would be so worried. A tear spilled over and ran down her face to pool in her ear.
The man’s phone rang and he stepped outside to talk. She wondered if he was asking Mommy to pay him money to get her back. Mommy would, she had no doubt. She lifted her head to see what the woman was doing. She wanted to work on the rope around her leg but she didn’t know what she would do if she got loose. She had no idea where to go, she just knew she needed to get away from the man. They were in the middle of the woods. That’s all she could tell by looking out the windows. What if she got free, only to run into a snake? Or get eaten by a bear? Or a tiger?
Maybe it would be better to stay with the man for a while. He was cute for an older guy, but not nearly as cute as Kai’s dad. She’d seen him several times and he was so handsome. Kai looked a lot like him. She wanted her mommy to meet Kai’s dad so they could fall in love and she could see Kai every single day.
She flashed back to the man hitting Kai and another tear leaked out. She hoped he was okay. The last time she saw him, he’d been bleeding as he helped the other kids escape. She wished she could have escaped with them. But he stayed on the bus with her. Hopefully he wasn’t hurt too bad. She didn’t know what happened to him once the man stopped the bus and made her drink the smelly liquid.
The door opened and the man came back inside. Grace tensed, trying to shrink as small as possible so he would leave her alone. He might be cute, but he gave her the heebie-jeebies. He smiled creepily at her and she slammed her eyes shut. They flew back open when the cushion dipped and he eased down beside her. He brushed her hair back from her face and she recoiled.
“Don’t be afraid, Grace, my darling. You don’t ever have to be afraid of me. I’m your daddy.”
Chapter Ten
Kai had his nest all set up. Now all he needed to do was steal Grace away from the man and hide her until his dad found him. He had no doubt he would. His dad could do anything.
It had to be early evening now. He hadn’t heard anything from the camper in a few hours, so he figured the man must be taking a nap. He took one, too. When he woke, he devoured an iced strawberry pop-tart and finished a bottle of water. Now he needed to pee. He checked the peep-hole but didn’t see anyone. He carefully shifted the branches so he could slide out. When he was sure the coast was clear, he crawled behind a tree, trying to stay as low to the ground as possible. After he took care of business, he glanced around the area. He needed to get an idea of where he was while it was daylight. He moved stealthily into the woods, making sure to mark his path. He’d been walking for a few minutes when he came upon a lake. There were no houses or docks or boats anywhere he could see. He walked around the edge for a bit, seeing no signs of life and then headed back before it got dark and he couldn’t see the trail. He made his way to the camper and approached from the side. He needed to know if Grace was okay. He couldn’t see anyone so he eased closer. He was just about to stick his head against a window when he heard the jingle of a ringtone. He waited and then the screen door slammed open.
Kai froze. Good thing he just emptied his bladder, otherwise, he’d have wet himself. He frantically searched for a place to hide, afraid to move too much or else the crunching leaves might give him away. He dove beneath the camper and wedged himself behind a wheel, thankful now for his short stature. When he complained to his dad that he wanted to be tall like him, his dad would tell him to just wa
it and he’d have a growth spurt. He’d been the same height as Kai when he was his age, now he was six-five. He hoped he’d grow that tall, too, but it worried him a little that his mom had only been five-four. Even if he didn’t grow very tall, he could still be a SEAL. He pushed the thought away, deciding to worry about it later. For now, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of danger.
The man was talking about someone named Cassie and how she’d messed up badly, but he didn’t use the word mess. He used the forbidden f-word. Feet suddenly appeared in his line of sight and Kai sucked in a breath. The man stood right in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying he wasn’t discovered. The man stayed for what seemed like forever before finally turning around and going back inside the camper. Kai’s breath rushed out on a mighty exhale. That was close…too close. He was positive he would be caught.
He waited a few minutes and then eased out and carefully pulled himself up until he could peek in the window. The man was sitting next to Grace and she looked scared to death. The man started to stand so Kai decided he better get back to his hiding place. He darted over and scooted the branches aside. He’d just slid inside when he heard the camper door slam open again. He rearranged the branches as best he could and stuffed the dark jacket in the hole to further disguise it. Then he rolled over to his peephole to watch. The man came out but he couldn’t see where he was going. A few seconds later, a car door slammed. “I thought you said you bought stuff for the kid,” the man yelled.
The woman opened the screen door and stuck her head out of the camper. “I did. It’s in the back seat.”
“No it isn’t.”
The woman huffed and stepped down the metal step. “It was there,” she insisted. “I bought all the things you wanted plus a few others.”
“Well, it isn’t here now.”
“How is that possible? I even packed everything into a cardboard box.”
Kai smiled at the carton with affection.
“Where did you go after you bought the stuff?”
“The drug store, the bank.”
“Did you leave the car unlocked?”
There was a pause. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s a small town. There’s not much crime.”
“Did you notice the box when you arrived here?”
A longer pause. “Well, no.”
Kai patted the cardboard container with a smile, glad to know he was safe from his petty larceny.
The man huffed. “What’s the kid going to eat?”
“Let me get my purse. I’ll get more supplies,” the woman offered. She hurried back to the camper and grabbed her bag.
“Pick up some steaks while you’re there,” the man told her. “And don’t forget the other stuff we talked about.”
“Anything for you, my love. Be back soon,” the woman trilled.
A motor started and then slowly faded away. The man went back inside the camper and a few minutes later, he came out holding Grace’s hand. “Let’s take a walk, darling. The fresh air is good for you.”
“I don’t want to go for a walk,” Grace wailed.
The man’s voice hardened. “Behave or I’ll have to hurt your mom. You don’t want that, do you?”
Kai eyed the tire iron with purpose. He could sneak out right now and bash the man in the skull and grab Grace. But the man was kinda tall. What if he missed his head and only glanced his shoulder? He knew for a fact he had a gun. He’d shot that woman outside of the bus. No, no sense in risking it. He needed to be patient. The time would come when he could get Grace away safely. He had to believe it. The man was mean and threatened her mom but at least he didn’t act like he was going to hurt Grace.
The march of their footsteps crunching in the woods grew distant. He couldn’t tell which direction they went. Time creeped by. Finally the sound of shuffling leaves grew closer and Kai prayed his job of camouflaging the hole held up. He breathed a sigh of relief as they passed by without so much as a pause. The man was chatting away, talking about birds and squirrels. He didn’t hear Grace speak at all. He checked his peep-hole but he couldn’t see them to tell how she was holding up. She had to be scared out of her mind.
Gravel crackled and a horn tooted. “I’m back, sugar. I got all kinds of treats and toys for the girl. Plus the other thing you asked me for.”
“Did you remember the steaks?”
“Filet Mignon. Only the best for you, sugar.”
“Well, put them in the freezer. Grace and I just decided we want to go to the fair in town.”
“But…I just came from there,” the woman whined. “It’s an hour drive and it’s getting late.”
“Then let’s get a move on. I’ve got a hankering for hot dogs and cotton candy. Take the kid and get her all fixed up like we talked about. I’ll carry in the groceries.”
“All right.” The woman passed by holding Grace’s hand.
“And for God’s sake, put something decent on,” the man ordered. “We want to look like a family. No sense drawing undue attention.” The woman disappeared into the camper with Grace. A few minutes later, the man followed with bags of groceries.
A loud scream jerked Kai upright and he banged his head on the bottom of the rock. He swayed and clutched his forehead as stars swam in his vision. He blinked, shook if off and peeked out the hole.
“No!” Grace wailed.
“Shut-up and sit still,” the woman yelled.
Kai’s heart was pounding. What were they doing to her? Grace was quiet now but he fretted about what to do. If they were hurting her and he sat here and did nothing, he’d never be able to forgive himself. He was just about to try his luck with his karate skills and the tire iron when the door opened and they stepped outside. The man appeared first, followed by Grace—oh, no! They cut her beautiful hair. It was so short. Spiky. And black. She looked so wretched that Kai’s eyes watered, and not from the blow to his noggin. The woman came out behind her and gave her a shove to catch up with the man. Kai heard a strange sound and realized it was him growling like a feral animal. He wanted to make these people pay for putting Grace through this torture. He waited for them to leave and then waited a few minutes longer. He wanted to get a look around the trailer, see if there was a phone or computer where he could send his dad a message.
Once he was sure they were gone, he emerged from the hole and stretched. He was used to being active so all of the laying around doing nothing was killing him. He wanted to play baseball with his friends or shoot hoops with his dad. They were building a new house and he would have his own pool soon. He couldn’t wait to swim every day. He jogged in place to get his blood flowing and then approached the camper.
He said a quick prayer that they didn’t lock it. He twisted the handle, surprised that it opened easily. He tugged on the screen door and slipped inside. The couch sported a pillow and fuzzy pink blanket. There was a rope attached to a bolt on the floor…obviously how they’d been restraining Grace. That was good to know. No way could he pick handcuffs, but he could saw through a rope with his Swiss Army Knife. Another thought struck and he bent down to loosen the knot around the bolt. Maybe the man wouldn’t notice and he could just untie Grace instead of having to slice through the rope, which would take more time.
After he worked on the knot, he looked for anything that would be useful in his hidey-hole. His eyes skimmed over the table and score…a computer. He started to head that way when a noise outside caught his attention. Oh, no, a car! They were coming back. He was so dead.
He danced in place, his eyes frantically searching for a hiding place. He opened a door, relieved to find a bathroom. He could use one right about now. He darted inside and eased the door closed just as someone entered the camper. He stepped gingerly into the shower stall and crouched down behind the dingy white curtain. The urge to pee was an uncomfortable pressure. There was banging around and cursing. He froze when the door to the bathroom whipped open so forcefully, the shower curtain fluttered. It was the woman. All she had to do was look do
wn and she’d see him. He held his breath. She grabbed something and shut the door, not even glancing in his direction.
Kai’s shoulders slumped in a relieved exhale. That was close. He needed to be more careful. He stepped out of the shower and cracked the door, listening to the sound of the car motoring away. He took care of his pressing need, washed his hands and then started for the computer when something caught his eye. All of Grace’s long red hair was lying in a pile in the bottom of the trash can. He picked up a bunch, found a rubber band-thingie on the sink and bound them together. He would give this to Grace after he rescued her. Maybe it could be like a rabbit’s foot or something for good luck.
He hurried back to the computer and dropped down on the bench seat as he opened the lid. He really wanted to send his dad a message. The log in screen instantly popped up and Kai’s heart fell. He had absolutely no idea what passcode to try. It was only four numbers but getting them right was astronomical, probably like a gajillamillion to one. Rats.
He tried a few different combinations, not surprised that they didn’t work. He knew next to nothing about the man so he had no way of guessing the code. He’d try Grace’s birthday but he had no idea what it was, either.
He scooted off of the bench and searched the cabinets. He found a mega pack of batteries, another flashlight, a large carving knife, a package of Oreos and a battery operated radio and a small battery-powered fan. Never know when he might need that. He found a plastic bag to carry his contraband, carefully keeping the knife separate. He checked the back bedroom and found a cabinet with an extra blanket and pillow. Nice. He pulled them out. On the side table was a large box of Trojan condoms. Eww. He didn’t even want to think about them using those. He toyed with the idea of swiping them for spite, but maybe they would provide the distraction he needed to grab Grace, so he left them in place.
In the bathroom, he grabbed two unopened toothbrushes, a box of toothpaste, a bar of unopened soap and a few rolls of toilet paper. He found Band-Aids and a tube of antiseptic cream. Closing the door to the medicine cabinet, he checked his cheek where the man cracked him with the gun. The wound was ugly. He squirted some of the cream on his finger and smeared it over the gash. After pulling the strips off the bandage, he applied it over the ointment. He gathered the items and added them to his bag. He grabbed the pillow and blanket, palmed the knife and checked outside. All clear. He hated to leave without finding a way to contact his dad, but he didn’t come across a cell phone and had no way to send a letter.
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