No One to Hear You Scream

by K. J. Dahlen

  Cole paused in his writing and then resumed. He re- capped the pen and threw it on the desk. "I've been looking for this killer for four years."

  "He's been killing for that long?" Rob asked.

  Cole nodded. "At first, he killed about every six months or so-it's just been lately that his killing has escalated. His last three murders have been about a month apart."

  "His last murder was about ten days ago." Sam spoke very quietly. Alec was worried at his tone. He knew that when Sam spoke softly, trouble was brewing.

  Cole looked over at Sam. "That's true, but I think your wife was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

  Ian jerked his head to look at Sam. "Your wife was one of his victims?"

  Sam nodded.

  "Then what are you doing working this case?" Ian asked.

  Cole shook his head. "We really don't want you out there looking for this killer. We've got more man-hours in on this case than you could ever hope to have, and we'll get him eventually."

  "I'm not about to let her killer go free so you can catch him eventually," Sam said. "And I don't care how many hours you have on this killer. You haven't found him yet. Maybe I will."

  "You do realize that your relationship to one of the victims could affect your judgment, don't you?" Ian suggested.

  Sam stiffened. "My judgment is just fine, thank you very much. I want this creep off the streets, hopefully buried six feet under them."

  Nobody noticed the flash of pain in Cole's eyes at that statement. He couldn't let his secret be known, not just yet. He had too much to do first. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. He cleared his throat and tried again. "That's what we don't want. We don't need you on a rampage, looking for trouble"

  "You don't have to worry about me," Sam told him. "This is the closest anyone has gotten to the killer, and I don't intend to back off now."

  "You may not have a choice," Ian warned Sam. "Not if you want to keep that badge"

  Sam glared at Ian and said, "With or without my badge I would still be looking for this murderer."

  "Do you want justice or vengeance?" Cole asked. Sam turned his glare on him. The silence in the room thickened with tension.

  "Vengeance is not a part of this equation. I am going after a serial killer. That my wife was one of his victims is irrelevant. We know that he's responsible for at least seven other murders, and God only knows how many we haven't found yet. As an officer of the law, I can't let that go, and I won't. I let your people take over one of my cases already, and they screwed up. That won't happen again, not with this case"

  Cole glanced away. The animosity between the two men was apparent, and Cole knew he had to back off if he wanted to salvage what was left of his case. Besides, if they knew what he knew about this killer, he would be in the same position as Sam, and that wouldn't do. If the killer had murdered his wife, he wasn't sure he could leave the case alone either. Cole knew that Sam wouldn't back off, but neither would he. This case was important to him as well, but for a different reason.

  He glanced over at Rob and asked, "What do we know about his latest victim?"

  "Her name is Sable Willows."

  Cole looked over at Ian and nodded. "We'll need access to a boat to check all the backwaters in this area. If he's still around here, we should be able to find him."

  As the police were getting themselves organized, a dark-haired man was entering a cafe just a few blocks from the police station. He smiled at the waitress and ordered his usual breakfast, a cup of green tea and a bagel with cream cheese. As he sat there and sipped his tea, the other patrons would have been surprised at the thoughts running through his head. He was working out the design he would carve on the back of his current kidnapping victim. His dark eyes, so much like those of Cole Davidson, were lost in thought as the elements of the design swirled through his head.

  Sable came to in a fog of unreality and confusion. Her throat hurt, and her right arm felt very heavy. She tried to pull it toward her but met with some resistance. Looking up, she saw that her right wrist was shackled. She frowned and tried to sit up. At first her head swam and she felt sick to her stomach, but after a few minutes her head cleared and she looked around.

  The room was small, and she felt it dip and sway. Pulling on her wrist only tightened the rope. With her free hand, she tried to work the rope loose. She was able to loosen it enough to slip it off her wrist. She rubbed her bruised and raw wrist gently, and staggering, she went over to the window. She found herself looking out at the backwater bayou. It was dark out, and she didn't see anything familiar and couldn't get a fix on where she was.

  She made her way over to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. Panic set in, and she kept pulling on the handle. She didn't want to be here when whoever had brought her here came back. The door wouldn't budge, so she went back to the window. It wasn't very big, but Sable thought she could squeeze through it if she could get it open.

  She looked for a lock on the window but couldn't find one. She picked up a small lamp from the bedside table and tried to smash the glass, but the tempered glass wouldn't break, and there wasn't anything in the room hard enough to break it.

  Suddenly she stopped struggling with the window and peered outside. An outboard motorboat was coming her way.

  The passenger was alone. Somehow she knew it was her kidnapper. She watched as he removed his black cowboy hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Fear swelling within her, Sable caught her breath. She knew he was going to kill her. Why else would he have brought her so far into the backwaters?

  Then her eyes hardened. She wasn't going to let the monster win. He might kill her, but she would go down fighting. She went over to the door and heard him come aboard the boat. Her eyes darted around the room looking for something, anything, to strike the first blow. She caught sight of a heavy glass vase of flowers. Dumping the flowers on the floor, she raised the vase and waited. Her eyes were glued to the slowly turning doorknob. She took a deep breath.

  He came into the room and stopped short. The bed he had tied her to was empty. Surprise caused him to hesitate, and that's when Sable brought the heavy vase down on his skull. The pain exploded in his head, and for a brief moment he couldn't see, it hurt so bad. He staggered and would have fallen to the floor, but he grabbed hold of the bed instead. He reached for the knife he had hidden on his right side and swung it toward her.

  Sable dodged the arc of the knife and raised the vase to hit him a second time. The knife slashed at her once more, this time piercing her skin. She screamed but managed to bring the vase down on him again. It broke and he collapsed. He was still for a moment, and Sable wondered if she'd killed him, but she wasn't about to wait around and find out. She stumbled through the door and off the boat. She got into the outboard motorboat and pulled on the cord to start the motor. She turned the little boat away from the houseboat and got out of there.

  Sable didn't know if she was headed toward land or away from it. Her side was bleeding, but she was determined to survive. All she knew for certain was that she had to get away from him.

  A while later, she made another turn and found herself in the main part of the river. She could see a large area of lights nearby, and she headed the little boat toward the lights. Bumping against the shoreline a few minutes later, she stumbled onto shore and made her way toward the lights. She had no idea where she was going-only that there were probably people ahead of her. She knew that if her kidnapper survived the head injury, he was just behind her and she had to put as much distance between them as she could.

  About fifteen minutes later, she stumbled into the middle of the street. She could see and hear the people near her, but she was unsure of where she actually was. When the people nearby saw the blood on her clothes, they tried to get away from her. She saw their faces and felt their fear. Breathing heavily by this time, she was about to pass out from the loss of blood when she felt someone's arm take the weight of her own body. Opening her eyes,
she saw a face she didn't recognize. His blue eyes had concern and compassion in them, not the malice of her kidnapper.

  "Please, I need to go to the police," she begged.

  He frowned. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital first?" the stranger asked her.

  Sable shook her head. "Please, the police. The man who stabbed me is out there on the river, and I don't want him to get away"

  The man nodded and looked around the neighborhood. He saw a station sign just ahead on the street. "There's a station not too far from here. Can you walk there?"

  "I think so. Please don't leave me alone"

  The stranger smiled. "I won't."

  As he helped her down the street and into the police station, Sable knew time was of the essence. Even now her kidnapper could be watching her and waiting for her to be left alone. It was only when she was in the station house in a room full of people that she felt safe enough to let the stranger go. She lay her head back against the wall and let herself rest for a moment. The buzzing of conversation lulled her into a light sleep.

  When she awoke a few hours later she noticed the beeping sound of a monitor and the smell of hospital antiseptic. How had she gotten here? She tried to sit up but she was in too much pain. Running her hand along her side, she felt a bandage. Had she fallen or fainted at the police station?

  Sable looked around the room. She was alone, and that fact didn't bring much comfort. She tried to look at the clock, but it was just out of her line of sight. She didn't know why, but she felt she had to get out of the hospital. She was flinging back the sheets and swinging her legs over the side of the bed when the door opened. She jerked her head toward the door and was about to scream when two men walked into her room.

  "Are you going somewhere?" the first man asked her.

  Sable wet her dry lips with her tongue. Her fight-orflight response kicked in, and she felt the adrenaline giving her body a sudden boost of energy. "Who are you guys, and what do you want?"

  "We're the police," the second man told her gently. "You came to see us but passed out before we could meet"

  "Can I see some ID, please?" Sable asked. She couldn't take her eyes off them, and she prayed she wasn't making a mistake by accepting their reason for being here.

  Both men reached into their pockets for their badges. Flipping open their wallets, Sable could see they did have proper identifying badges. She could also see the badges were different from each other. "Why aren't they the same?"

  The one named Rob smiled. "My friend here is from south Louisiana, but we are both working on your case."

  Sable frowned. "I have a case?"

  "What do you remember of the last day or so?" Sam, the other man, asked.

  Sable lay back on the bed and pulled the sheets up. "I remember being out dancing with some friends. We had gone out to check out the jazz bands playing down by the river. Some guy in a black cowboy hat started dancing with me. At first it was a little freaky. I mean, he wore the hat down so low that the brim hid most of his face, but the music was loud and we'd been drinking a little, so I didn't really care. I finished the dance and went back to my friends. I didn't notice him again until I was walking home."

  "Then what happened?" Sam asked.

  Sable felt tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know. One minute I was walking down the street, and the next minute he jumped out of nowhere and his hands were around my throat. I tried to fight him off, but he was just too strong. I couldn't even scream for help, the attack happened so fast. I tried to struggle-I even clawed at his hands, but I couldn't get away from him. I managed to cry out. I could still hear the party going on a block away, but I couldn't call out loud enough for anyone to hear me. All I could see were his eyes. They were so black. When I struggled and tried to cry out, the blackness in his eyes got darker. It was like they were pulsing, and the more I struggled and cried out, the blacker they got. I could feel the darkness surrounding me. I know that doesn't make any sense, but that's the way I felt. I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew I was on a boat out in the middle of no-man's-land."

  Rob looked at Sam with interest. "What kind of boat was it?"

  "A houseboat, I think. He had me tied to a bed. I managed to get free, but I couldn't get out of the room. The door was locked, and the window did not open at all. I tried to scream for help, but no one heard me" Sable closed her eyes at the memory of how helpless she'd felt on the boat.

  "What happened next?" Rob asked gently.

  "I saw someone coming in a little motorboat, and I hid behind the door. When he came in, I hit him with a vase. It was the only thing I could find in the room. He went down, but he wasn't out. I had to hit him again, and that's when he sliced open my side. Anyway, I managed to get out of the room, and I stole the little boat and made it back to town. That's all I can remember." Sable's finger plucked at the hem of the sheet as she told her story.

  "Don't worry, Miss Willows, you'll be safe here," Sam assured her.

  "What if he comes looking for me? Who was he, and why did he want me?" Sable cried out in pain and confusion. "I don't even know this man."

  "Unfortunately, we don't have any answers yet. When we catch up with your mystery man, we'll ask him," Rob told her. "We'll talk again later. The doctor says you've lost a lot of blood, so we'll leave you to rest"

  Sable felt tired and soon drifted off to sleep. When she woke, the room was dark, but she knew she wasn't alone. She could hear him breathing. She could smell his cologne. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and the sound echoed in her head. Fear made breathing difficult and she wanted to run but she knew she couldn't. Her limbs were suddenly very weak. She was at his mercy, and she could only pray that someone would come into her room and tell her that it had only been a nightmare. She shifted her gaze and saw his silhouette in the chair in the corner of the room. Her breathing stopped as she fixated on the outline of a cowboy hat. She closed her eyes, hoping it would go away.

  He got up from the chair where he was waiting for her and stepped over to the bed. Leaning down, he placed his hands on either side of her head. When her eyes sprang open, he could see the fear in them, and his black eyes took on an ungodly glow. "I found you. You should know that I will always find you. The police can't protect you from me. If they get in my way, I will kill them to get to you. We have some unfinished business to take care of, and I won't be stopped" He gently cupped her chin and tilted her face to his.

  "Rest for now, but know that I'll be back for you. Any time, any place you go, I will find you, and the next time we meet, we'll finish what we started"

  Sable wanted to scream but fear was closing her throat. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought she would pass out. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe, but all she could hear was her own labored gasps. A few minutes went by, and when she opened her eyes, he was gone. The room was empty except for her. She found the light switch, and when the lights came on, she looked around. She was alone.

  She knew she had to get away from the hospital. She had to go somewhere he couldn't find her. She sat up too fast and the room spun. Holding the sides of her head, the spinning finally stopped and she was able to push the sheets down. She yanked the IV out of her arm and got to her feet. Her arm was bleeding, but she couldn't worry about that right now. She had to get dressed and find a way to escape.

  As the sun rose high enough to flood the town with light, Sam and Cole walked down the street toward the station house. Sam was hungry for the first time in days, so they were planning to stop for breakfast at the small cafe near the station. As they pushed the door open, they heard the familiar sounds of an eating establishment, the clatter of dishes, the clink of silverware, and the buzzing of conversation. They sat down at a booth and waited for the server to greet them.

  "So what's your take on what happened yesterday?" Sam asked Cole.

  "I think the fact that Sable got away from the killer was pure luck on her part," Cole told him.

  "What d
o you mean by that?" Sam frowned. He didn't trust Cole, but there was an uneasy alliance between them. For now Sam was holding back his judgment of his true motive. When Sam had shown up at the police station this morning, he'd caught the look of irritation in Cole's eyes. He knew the other man didn't want him working this case, but Sam wasn't going to let that bother him. Sam sensed there was something Cole was holding back about the case, and he wasn't going to let that happen. Sam wasn't going to let anything stop them from finding this killer.

  "I mean that this killer doesn't usually give up his victims until he's done with them. He never has before," Cole pointed out. "I have to find the men's room. I'll be right back"

  Sam watched him leave the table and was lost in thought when the server brought coffee a minute later. The fact that she only brought one cup didn't register for a second. It wasn't until she brought out another cup, a little teapot, and a bagel with cream cheese and set it up where Cole had been sitting that Sam even noticed what she was doing.

  "Excuse me, we haven't ordered yet," Sam told her.

  The server, Millie, just smiled. "That's what he has every morning. Don't worry-I'll be back for your order."

  Sam was still frowning when Cole got back. He sat down and looked at the food in front of him. Looking at Sam, he asked, "What's going on here? I didn't order this."

  "According to the server, this is what you have every morning." Sam stared at him. "Is there something you're not telling us?" Sam's inner alarm was buzzing loud and clear, and he was listening.

  Before Cole could respond, Sam's cell phone rang. He didn't take his eyes off Cole as he answered the call. He listened for a moment, then ended the call. "We'll deal with this later. That was Rob at the hospital. Sable is missing. We're supposed to meet him there"

  A few minutes later, Sam and Cole rushed down the hospital corridor. They stopped short of the room Sable should have been in and found Rob just inside the doorway.

  The room was in shambles. The bed was pushed out of the way; the sheets lay on the floor. The bedside table was overturned, and the water pitcher and glass were on the floor. The closet doors were open, and there was blood and water everywhere-on the bed, on the floor, and on the furniture. "This doesn't look good," Cole whispered as he ran his fingers through his dark hair. Sam just glared at him.