by Ian Worrall
As she continues crying, the morning news comes up. The anchor, an Asian woman, is speaking.
“Seen here leaving court yesterday, Mike Blauer was acquitted for spousal abuse. Women’s groups are outraged. Many believe that his wealth as the billionaire owner of Tixeon International based out of Chicago enabled him to buy freedom. Our panel is here to discuss the implications.”
Melissa stops crying and wipes her face with one arm. Using the remote control, she turns the TV off.
“You coward, your wealth won’t protect you from me,” she says. With the stone set in her jaw, she regains her composure. No. I can’t run now or ever. I know my purpose. I do what I do for all the women who can’t hit back. I don’t need a man to take care of me. I use Danil the same way he uses me. He funds my mission, and I give him sex whenever he wants it. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Someone must protect women from the so-called men who harm them. “Vengeance is mine. I shall repay, so saith the Lord. What’s your answer to that, priest?”
Chapter 27
L oading storage crates into his SUV from his storage unit, Colton has parked far enough in that with the back door opened it blocks any security cameras that might be taking in his activities. Nosy little things. There’s no privacy anywhere.
But he has no worries. He wasn’t caught the last time in this city or in New York. Just have to find the little twat that survived. I’ve got something amazing planned for her. In one of these boxes will be what’s needed to find the girl that got away. Would she have changed her appearance in anyway?
With six boxes loaded in, the gear bag next to them starts moving and groaning. Colton unzips the bag to reveal a blonde girl approximately sixteen years old. Duct tape covers her mouth and her eyes open wide with terror when she sees a man with a stun gun pointed at her. The sharp jolt makes her world go black again.
Closing the door to the SUV he pulls out of the storage unit far enough so he can secure the door. Once done, he drives off and turns on the radio to listen to his favorite Country and Western music when the song is interrupted by the DJ.
“We interrupt this broadcast to bring your attention to an Amber Alert. Sixteen-year-old Haley Vater has gone missing from a local rest stop. She is described as five feet two, one-hundred and five pounds with blonde, shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing cut-off jeans and a blue tank top. Anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts is asked to contact police immediately.”
Colton starts singing, “I won’t be contacting the cops, or anyone else. Another girl is gone. And it’s my handiwork. La la la. Kiss my ass, world.”
The most daring one ever, he had gone to the rest stop to get rid of a bloody rag he used to clean up the back of his truck from his last victim. Her bleeding seeped out of the bag into the bed of the truck. Having the foresight to take out the carpeting, he also installed an easy-to-clean truck bed liner. It was a simple mop-up job done in the garage. After all, hosing the truck down in your garage or the driveway often enough might get the neighbors suspicious and leave some DNA left over in the drain. Some bleach and hot water erases the evidence.
But as he parked his vehicle on the roadway behind the rest stop, there she was, the pretty little thing wearing short shorts and a tight tank top walking to the women’s washroom alone. No way he could resist taking her. Taking his stun gun and Ka-Bar marine knife with him, he walked up to the washroom, knocking on the door and calling out, “Housekeeping. Anyone here?”
“Yes,” came back the lone voice. So, he walked in and under the door of the closest stall there were two legs with shorts around the ankles. After stuffing the rag in the garbage can, he kicks the door to the stall in, the girl sitting on the toilet seemingly frozen in place. Colton gave her a five-second jolt with the stun gun. After pulling her shorts back up, he shouldered the girl and carried her out of the washroom, his knife ready, just in case anyone walked in on him. A victim of opportunity, no one saw the girl’s abduction.
Colton ran as he carried Haley over his shoulder. He would have preferred to walk because there’s just something about carrying a helpless and unconscious female over his shoulder. But time was of the essence and he knew he’d have plenty of time when he got her home. He threw her cell phone down a drain outside his vehicle.
Chapter 28
D ressed in her black cargo pants and a black T-shirt, Melissa wipes up the spilled rum on her coffee table. There is carpet shampoo spread out on the stain on her floor. Chastising herself for her weakness last night, she realizes she had been passed out on the floor from drinking. That’s part of what got me in this place. I’ve gotta get my shit together. Can’t help women when I’m in this place. Got one more hit to do, then I’m taking out Mike Blauer. I’ll show that gutless bastard the price you pay for hurting women.
After stashing her leftover pizza in the fridge, she opens the cupboard next to it to reveal thirty bottles of rum. Great way to get free. Drink ‘em all and don’t wake up. But still got a mission to do, so, no, can’t do that.
She walks into her garage and opens the door to the tunnel. After climbing down the ladder, she punches in her security code and the door opens for her. Seeing no waiting files or packages on her next target, she closes the door behind her and starts towards Danil’s home.
With no windows in her garage, this tunnel should remain secret. Even if her neighbors are nosy, all they’ll see is her going to and from work. Nothing resembling a social or sex life.
She hears footsteps coming from the opposite direction from her. He’s not stomping. Good. With the motion sensor lights turning on as the two get closer to each other, it was still a relief to Melissa when the hulking figure of Danil came into view. She sees he’s holding no files or pictures of her next target.
“Hey there, my love.” He picks her up in his arms and kisses her on the neck. “I missed you.”
Melissa tilts her head back and closes her eyes as a thin smile creases her lips. Given what she is, this is the closest to love that she’ll ever get. And besides, even a contract killer needs to get laid. So, she wraps her legs around his waist and starts kissing back.
“I didn’t see any files on my side of the tunnel. That’s why I came down.”
“That’s OK, sweetie. You did great work. Took out Marcus, didn’t get the cops, and what’s more you even got two of the three who bombed the house.”
“What about the third?” she asks.
“We’ve got him. We’re going on a little fishing trip today.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“But first your reward for the amazing work you did.”
“You have the money already?”
“That will be after the fishing trip. You reward is some time with me.”
She fakes her smile before they continue kissing. He carries her down the tunnel, pausing to enter his security code, going through the panic room and into his house. He must think he’s got such a wonderful girl to let him do whatever he wants with me.
From her pants pocket, she pulls out the picture of the guy from the church.
“Can you get your contacts to run this to find out who it is?”
“What for?”
“Just a favor for your secret weapon.”
* * *
Two hours later, Danil, Melissa, and two other members of Danil’s crew are sitting on the deck of The Alexandra as it is motoring to its destination. Dressed in her cut-off jeans shorts and a bikini bra, Melissa is handed a piña colada as Danil pulls her onto his lap.
“Thought I’d warm you up a little if you’re getting chilly in the breeze.” He looks down at her smiling.
She kisses him. “Not that bad of a breeze, and it is summer, remember.”
“True.” He kisses her and she rests her head on his shoulder as he caresses her body. “How are you feeling?”
“Better now that I’m in your arms,” she says.
“I’ve seen the news.”
“The Drowner?”
“Yeah, him,” he says.
Melissa shrugs her shoulders and kisses Danil again. “You’ve trained me to deal with him should he ever find me.”
“He did a number on you.”
So did you, she doesn’t say. You’re as much to blame for making me into this.
“Just hoping the nightmares or any more of his victims that turn up don’t cause you to slip.”
Of course, his business is more important than his woman. “It won’t. You’ve trained me good on that as well.”
After another twenty minutes of holding his lover in his arms, the boat starts to slow down. One of the crew comes up to him and informs them they’re almost at the right spot.
Melissa looks up and sees there are no other boats within site. Despite the summer heat, she feels a chill run through her and she shivers. All the memories on this boat—her rescue that began another nightmare, the numerous “fishing trips”—are all part of her life now.
“Start chumming then.”
Melissa snaps out of her daydream.
The other two start dumping out chum. Bull, tiger, and possibly great white sharks might take the victim.
Monday and Friday would be the worst possible days to commit a murder out here. That’s when people are most likely to call in sick, especially on a beautiful day like today where the only noticeable waves are the wake from the boat.
One of the crew who was chumming puts his scoop on the boat deck and opens a crate. Inside is a black man, Robert Lawrence, the third man who bombed Danil’s house. He has shackles on his wrists with a hook in the middle of the chains. His mouth is duct taped shut. His ankles, though, are untied and he tries kicking at the Russian who takes a wrench and smashes his right knee cap. A painful moan sounds out as he tries to grab his knee. The other crew member unfastens the crane and moves it over to the man, attaching the hook of the crane to the hook on the shackles.
As they start to lift him out of the crate, Danil walks over to him with a look of derision on his face. “We could have been allies. Instead your leaders, Gary and Marcus, chose to go to war. They’re both dead. You will be soon too. Did they not tell you that the last ones who went against us got wiped out? No matter. In a few days, you’ll be shark shit.” Danil looks up to his crew. “Put him in.”
Fins are appearing in the water as Robert is dangled above for thirty seconds, a deliberate attempt to be more cruel than necessary. The tape muffles his screams.
He is lowered into the water in the middle of the chum, doing his best to try to keep his legs out of the water not realizing that the thrashing is attracting the sharks even more. One of the sharks starts its predatory run. With its mouth wide open, swimming on its side, the shark bites down hard on the man’s left leg. The shark shakes the hapless victim several times, tearing the leg off just above the knee. Blood gushes out causing an even bigger frenzy.
The crew raise their vodka glasses to the condemned man. “A toast to victory,” Danil says.
Melissa stands stone-faced as she watches the man being dangled over the water. She shows no reaction when Danil pulls her tighter to him and kisses her on the cheek. Despite being a killer, she was never overly cruel. Even to the rapists and child molesters. She only let them know what it was like to feel helpless and alone with no friends to help. Just like their victims went through.
About twenty seconds after the first bite, another shark attacks from below swallowing him up to his head. The shark bites down as it lands in the water severing the man’s head and arms. The head falls into the water and the arms are left dangling from the shackles as the shark swims down back into the water with his meal.
One of the crew moves the crane arm back on the boat, unshackles the arms and throws them into the water. Within seconds the arms and head are swallowed up by other sharks.
Danil smiles as he looks down at Melissa and kisses her.
“Something wrong my dear?” he asks.
“It was a good show. Just wish it could have lasted longer.” Actually, it was sickening. I never killed anyone like this. “How many more of his crew are there?”
“Assuming they don’t surrender, you’ve got ten more contracts to go.”
He leans down, and putting his arms around and under her backside, he lifts Melissa off her feet and they start kissing.
“You’ll get your money when we get home. Three hundred large,” he promises her.
“I’ve got to make a trip.”
“Where?”
“Chicago.”
“I see,” he says.
He does read the news and knows of the tycoon who was acquitted of spousal abuse. Not because he wasn’t guilty, like me, he can buy himself out of anything. Only the deluded buy into the myth of equal justice for all.
“Wouldn’t you like to stay here and hunt for The Drowner? I do have contacts in the police force.”
Like any good organized crime boss, Danil does have cops on the payroll. Helps to know when a raid is planned. They target the cops who might have financial problems or by simple human nature of greed, those who think it is quite unfair that those who uphold the law make a fraction of the money than those who break it.
“Maybe,” Melissa says. “You can gather some information for me while I’m away. I’ve got Arlene to head the group.”
He pats her on her backside as he continues holding her off her feet. “What other help do you need?”
“The three hundred thousand you owe me for the jobs would be great. Other than that, if you can find a throwaway car.”
“Something can be arranged.”
“I have one more meeting of the survivors’ group tonight before I go.”
Danil kisses her for several seconds.
Chapter 29
D ressed in a plain conservative red dress that covers everything from her scars to her toned muscles from years of weight training, black shoes, and very little makeup except for some red lipstick to match her dress, Melissa prepares the coffee maker for the Rape Survivors’ meeting that is to start in an hour. She sees a man in a suit and overcoat walking through the door. She starts to prepare for an attack. She feels as though her breathing and heart stop as she recognizes him as one of the detectives from the night of the bombing and the one who interviewed her and Danil in the hospital years ago.
He flashes his badge at her and she recovers her breathing as she realizes he doesn’t recognize her. His job requires him to meet with many victims and their families, so he can’t remember everyone he sees. So, this isn’t about that time. How she wishes she could have said something then.
“What can I do for you, officer?” she asks.
“It’s Detective Mitchell Burnlee,” he says.
“Sorry.”
“That’s OK.”
“So, what can I do for you, detective?” she repeats her question.
“I’m investigating a series of murders.”
“Oh?” Maybe this IS about ten years ago. “A serial killer?”
“This one, no. Fortunately it’s not one of those. At least not in the traditional sense.”
Melissa points to the coffee maker.
“Sorry about my manners officer, I mean detective, the coffee maker’s not ready, but I do have instant.”
“No, thanks. I got a Starchy’s coffee in my car.”
“You can afford that on a cop’s salary?”
Mitchell laughs as Arlene walks out from the kitchen with a tray of donuts and other pastries and lays them down next to the coffee maker and hot water urn. Mitchell notices there are three urns, one for regular coffee one for decaf, and the hot water urn for those who prefer tea.
“I treat myself once a month.”
“Don’t know if it’s good to offer a cop a donut, but partake if you wish.”
“Ate before I came. But thanks.”
There are three food trays, one for pastries, one for healthy snacks like carrots and other vegetables, and one for cookies.
“So, these mu
rders, you’re here to see if I know any of the victims?”
“Checking to see if you might know the killer,” he says.
“The killer?” she drops her chin as she brings her hands to her mouth in a praying gesture and makes her eyes go wide. “No one here has mentioned being one.”
“There’s been a bunch of rapists who’ve been murdered, about sixty in the state.”
Melissa raises her eyebrows. “Really? And I care about that why? You know what I do here don’t you?”
“I do know and I suspect you wouldn’t care. But murder is still murder.”
“Well, after seeing what being raped has done to women,” and experiencing it herself, she doesn’t add, “you’ll forgive me for not caring about a rapist who gets murdered. Don’t know what I can do about it.”
“A list of names?”
“Suspects, you mean,” she says.
“Any one of the women who’ve been raped would have a hell of a motive.”
“That they would, but you won’t get any help from me.”
“There are courses the police put on.” He hands her some pamphlets about teaching women to avoid being raped.
Melissa tosses them in the garbage. “You think we haven’t seen this bullshit before?” She starts to turn away.
“It’s not bullshit, miss.”
She turns back pointing her finger in his face. Mitchell sees the once serene little woman now red-faced and eyes narrowed. He can almost see the steam coming out of her ears. “Yeah? Instead of teaching women how to prevent themselves from being raped, try teaching men not to rape women in the first place.”
“We’re not all bad you know.”
“Any woman who ever got raped never did anything wrong.”
“OK.”
“Yeah, OK. They ask what was the girl doing alone at night? Or she shouldn’t have left her drink unattended. When it should be, the guy had no business raping her or putting roofies in her drink.” She points to the door. “Now kindly get the…”