Ellie hadn’t made it home yet. She found Bethany’s lack of concern disconcerting.
“Oh come on, she would have answered one message!” She ignored the warning looks from both Bristol and Henderson. “You might have worked with her before, but not everyday like these guys. Jordan is not like that!”
“You know her so well,” Bethany said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “She texted me though, said that we’d talk later. I guess she got cold feet.”
“Then where the hell is she?” Ellie didn’t care if the course of the conversation was slightly awkward for the two men present, Jordan’s partner and their boss.
“I don’t know. We’ll find out soon. What are you still doing here anyway?” Bethany asked.
“I hate to say it, but she’s right,” Bristol said. “I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted you to go home.”
“Sir…”
“I mean it, Harding. Go home.”
“Don’t worry,” Henderson told her. Exchanging a glance with Bristol, he followed Ellie outside the room. “We’ll figure this out. I’ll keep you updated, I promise.”
“You didn’t want to say that in front of her, did you?”
“No.”
“I know Jordan’s dealing with a lot of…stuff right now,” Ellie said. “I need to know she’s okay. You’ll check on that real estate agency again?”
“First thing tomorrow,” he said. “The sergeant is right. You should be home.”
“Yeah. With all that unpleasantness, I nearly forgot about the guy who waved a gun in my face.”
“You did well. Take some time to relax,” he advised. “I’ll call you as soon as I know more.”
“Thank you.”
On her way home, Ellie drove past Jordan’s apartment. Since Bethany was still at the department, she was a minor concern at the moment. She drove around the building, noticing that Jordan’s car was not in its spot. Where was she? Ellie wanted to tell her she didn’t care much about a surprise. She wanted to be sure she was safe, because bad things happened, every day, without warning.
She assumed that Henderson and his colleagues would take the necessary measures if they thought something was wrong. Ellie was unnerved by how they had relegated her to the sidelines. She should call Libby or Kate and see if one of them—or both—were up for a girls’ night out.
Spending all night home alone would drive her crazy.
Ellie was glad to find Kate at home and ready to have some girl talk over a drink or two. She also had an idea what would be the subject of said girl talk: Kate had been present during the search in Gleason’s house, when they’d found the maps. Maybe there was something they could figure out together.
If only Jordan called.
* * * *
Daylight. She hadn’t seen daylight in forever, or so it seemed to Judy when she managed to open her eyes. The sun was setting, judging from the play of shadows of the floor. How many days? The surface was unusually soft. She moved her hand a fraction, wincing at the pain.
Pain. Cold and heat alternating. His eyes. Her heart was racing, fragments coming back to her, all of them hinting at the same terrifying picture.
She had to get out of here.
She didn’t know if she could make it, to her feet, let alone the door, but she had to try. Otherwise, the pain would never stop. She had to try. For her. For…what was her name? She remembered her crying, all the time. Lori.
They had to find Lori.
She stifled a scream when she put weight on her foot, stumbling to her knees again. The next time, she got to her feet, holding herself up against the wall. Looking back, Judy saw blood on the floor, but she didn’t know if it was hers.
Get out.
She couldn’t afford to let her attention stray. If he found her, the punishment would be worse than anything. The punishment for those who didn’t learn was death. Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, she moved further, until her fingers curled around the intricate wrought-iron pattern of the front door.
* * * *
“I hate it, really. I don’t want to think about another woman that way.” Obviously, there was something Ellie had to get off her mind first. After the second beer, it was a little easier, though Kate wasn’t overly sympathetic.
“You’re jealous,” she stated.
“Of course I am, but that’s not the point.”
Kate laughed. “I think it’s exactly the point. I mean…Yeah, she’s been a bit of a bitch, but she’s kind of entitled, don’t you think? Her girlfriend is sleeping with someone else. You, to be correct.”
“Do you have to say it like that?” Ellie asked miserably, amusing her friend even more.
“How else do you want me to say it?”
“Oh, please, shut up.”
“Now, don’t be rude. I understand. You’ve had to deal with a lot of shit lately, and it’s normal you were looking for a little distraction. The problem is involving someone who has issues of their own. I assume.”
Ellie didn’t tell Kate that her assumptions were too close for comfort, but changed the subject instead.
“You were on the scene that day. Why does he hide these things in the threshold?”
“Maybe Gleason didn’t,” Kate said. “Maybe someone was trying to set him up.”
“He did know things though. He was somehow involved.”
Kate looked thoughtful. “I don’t know as much about the case as you do, but he seemed pretty crazy to me, Gleason, I mean. He might have contacted someone to harm his wife, but that person is certainly cleverer than he was. Someone who knows about these old hiding places.”
“Yeah.” While Ellie knew that Derek Henderson cared about Jordan, and he would follow up on the lead Ellie had told him about, she was still restless, even after two beers.
There was no message from either Jordan or Derek.
“I’m sorry, I…I need to check on something. I’ll pay for your cab, or you can come with me.” One thing she couldn’t bring herself to do was leave Kate without knowing if she’d get home safely. Too much had happened already.
“As long as you promise me you won’t get into trouble…I’ll be okay. I’ll just call Jensen to pick me up…come on, like you hadn’t figured that out yet.”
Ellie thought ruefully she hadn’t been that good at seeing what was right in front of her lately. She would find out where Jordan was though, and go from there. Bethany might be rightfully pissed at her, but her earlier dismissal was revealing. She didn’t seem to care all that much.
Ellie waited until Jensen arrived and left for Jordan’s apartment building once more. What if she was home already? Much as Ellie hoped this could be the case, she doubted it, her fear for the possible scenarios growing.
* * * *
With consciousness returning, she immediately started to flail, and almost passed out again before she could regain enough control to breathe through her nose, slowly. Her leg was on fire, her head pounding, but with each moment, Jordan became more aware that her problems were bigger than that. While the cut might not be life-threatening, the strain on her arms and legs reminded her of it with every pained heartbeat. The bastard had strung her up by her wrists, only her toes touching the stone floor.
Damn him and his medieval fantasies.
Jonathan Darby stood in a corner, smoking a cigarette, watching her with the fascination one might give a bug under a microscope. She had dealt with people like him in an interrogation room, never in their favorite hiding place where they had the upper hand. For a moment, the fear enveloped her, stole her breath even more. Time was ticking by as she struggled to get her bearings, while he kept observing her silently.
“I’m so glad you’re with me, Jordan,” he said eventually. “I’ve been looking forward to this. I believe you might benefit a lot more from our lessons than Judy did.”
She was trying to force the question out before she remembered the duct tape, her struggles amusing the killer in front of her.
�
�Don’t worry about Judy. For now, you should worry about yourself.”
When he stepped closer, she kept an eye on the gleaming end of his cigarette, tensing in anticipation of more pain, another layer over the ever-present ones, but he tossed it to the floor and put it out with his shoe.
“I’m going to tell you how this works. I’m not a monster.” His lips curved into a smile at her expression. “Yes, I know you believe that, but it’s not true. In fact, all I want is to help you get on a better path in life, be a better person. I know it’s tough, but I’m here to help you. You don’t want to continue your life as a lying, cheating whore, do you?”
He ripped off the duct tape, his words still resonating with such force she forgot about the pain for a heartbeat—but only a heartbeat.
“Is that why you killed the women? You didn’t like the way they lived their lives and you thought it was up to you…to stop them?” She coughed, wishing she could get anywhere near the bottle of water on the table behind him.
“I know you have many questions. I’ll try to answer them as we go along.” He brushed his hand over her cheek, making her skin crawl, and despite the heat in the room, she shuddered. “The truth is, no one wants to live like that, but some of them were stubborn. It’s not my fault they didn’t listen. They died. It happens.” He leaned in closer. “I have a good feeling about you. I think we’re going to get along well.”
Jordan was tempted to spit in his face, but she was aware that everything depended on her ability to keep him talking. He had never killed right away, so she did stand a chance. Angering him, as long as she was the one in cuffs, was not a good idea.
“Maybe. You should know I’m not cheating on anyone. I broke up with my girlfriend. That’s why I needed a new place, remember?”
He smiled. “Then let’s make sure you’ll never do it again, shall we?”
“Hey, what the hell are you—”
He had ripped her shirt open, for what purpose, was unclear as there was no way to get it over the cuffs without opening them, which he clearly didn’t intend. She had to keep her mind clear of worst case scenarios, although they became more likely by the minute. Her pants came down next. She couldn’t help the pained gasp as the fabric dragged over the cut, tears pooling in her eyes against her will.
“Hey, don’t cry yet,” Darby said, patting her shoulder. “This isn’t too bad, but we have to clean it up a bit anyway. You don’t want to get it infected.”
What I don’t want is to be here, with a psychopath who thinks he needs to educate me.
“How considerate of you.”
“Don’t be sarcastic. I’m not the one who screwed up, remember.”
He did a fairly quick and efficient job of cleaning the cut, but her relief was short-lived when he grabbed the small bottle, whose contents she could identify by the unmistakable smell. “Oh no, I don’t think that’s necessary…”
For a moment, she feared she’d throw up on him, but it didn’t happen. When he had finished bandaging the cut, she was drenched in sweat though, trembling hard. She could handle it. She had to. As long as he didn’t get any other ideas, she’d bide her time until her colleagues found her.
“Welcome to your lesson,” Darby said.
The tables would turn soon.
Chapter Thirteen
Still no message, and no sight of Jordan’s car, which meant she hadn’t returned. Ellie stood in front of the empty parking space until the futility of her actions hit home with her—and, the possible omissions. Was she the only one who was worried sick by now? Sure, both Henderson and Bethany knew Jordan better. It was hard to tell whether they didn’t care, or they thought it wasn’t necessary to keep Ellie in the loop—about anything. The latter was probably closer to the truth.
Bethany was a professional. If she thought anything was wrong, she wouldn’t be so petty to let jealousy get in the way, not if Jordan’s life was in danger—or would she? Ellie still wondered about the connection between Gleason and the man who had attacked her, and most likely kidnapped the other women. How had they found one another?
“What are you doing here?”
Jumping at the unexpected voice behind her, Ellie spun around, facing Bethany who looked more exhausted than angry. Hopefully that meant she could make a quick escape.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to bother you. I’m just worried about Jordan.” Ellie had expected irritation or disdain, but Bethany’s real reaction was almost worse.
“It’s all your fault,” she claimed, her cool façade crumbling. “God, did you really have to do that? If something happened to Jordan, it’s on you. She’s never been so distracted.”
“This is not helping. I better go.”
“That’s right, run away, why should you take any responsibility, right? You’re doing the best you can to destroy a good relationship, but hey, nothing wrong with that!”
“I wasn’t…I’m sorry.” Ellie raised her hands. “I wanted to make sure she’s okay. Sorry.” If she was repeating herself, that was because every word between them seemed like walking on a minefield. Concern for Jordan was the safest possible subject.
“Don’t you think I want that too? Henderson is the last who heard from her, since she ran out on me. Imagine how that felt when he showed up on my doorstep this morning, and I had to come up with an explanation, because the one thing I didn’t want to tell him was that she spent the night with you?”
At least, with Bethany losing her composure like this, Ellie could be fairly sure she did care, in her own way—which didn’t solve the problem they had in the first place.
“What did Henderson say? Are they doing anything?” She sounded equally as desperate, Ellie realized.
Bethany shrugged. “The usual. You know as well as I do, it’s tricky this early, especially with someone who has a history of running when things get complicated. We can’t dig into her finances yet, but if she doesn’t come home tonight, I might go there rather sooner than later.”
Ellie nodded. She didn’t want to prolong this conversation unnecessarily, but she didn’t think she could wait another night. “Did Detective Henderson say anything about that real estate agency?”
“He’s going to check it out tomorrow. Now…would you mind?”
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Ellie stopped herself short of saying ‘good night’ when it was so clear neither of them would have one. She walked a few steps and then stopped.
Bethany groaned. “What now?”
“Jordan said she had a surprise for me.”
This was no time to walk on eggshells. Ellie was scared Jordan’s troubles might be worse than hiding from her relationship issues.
“Oh my God. What do I have to do to make you leave me alone?”
“Think about it. Somewhere, someone must have seen her today.”
“Are you for real? I don’t want to discuss this with you. Ever. Go home.”
This time, Ellie obliged, but she was far from giving up.
* * * *
“Ellie? What the hell are you doing here?”
She had to be doing something wrong, greeted like this for the second time within a few house.
Ellie wiped a hand over her face and smoothed down her hair, fairly embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep at her desk. When the reason registered with her, the fact Henderson had caught her like this was the least of her concerns.
“Did you hear from Jordan?”
Outside, the day was dawning. It was an early start for Jordan’s partner as well. He shook his head. “I’ll see the realtor in a bit. Maybe Jordan went to visit him. Coffee?”
“Yes, please. Thank you. Is that true?” she asked, following him into the break room. “What Bethany said about Jordan? I didn’t get the impression she’d do something like this, go away and not let anyone know, even on the job. I am scared.”
Henderson regarded her thoughtfully, as if he needed a moment to weigh his words.
“I am worried too,” he admitt
ed. “Please, don’t get this the wrong way, but you don’t know her very well. Jordan is a good friend, and a better cop, but she has her own way of doing things. With excellent results that most of us can be jealous of. Nonetheless it wouldn’t be the first time. I can’t speak for Dr. Roberts, and I don’t know how much Jordan has told you.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t discuss this with you.”
Why not? Ellie bit back the sharp response, knowing it would do no good, though she was tempted. Why not, when I seem to be the only one who gives her any credit that goes beyond lip service?
“Yeah, whatever. When you talked to the guy, let me know?”
“Sure. Look, I’m sorry you had to leave the task force. Next year, things might be easier for you. Keep up the good work, and you’ll be moving upstairs soon enough.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Talk to you later.”
Ellie sat back, wondering who else she knew might have a desire to punish a cheating partner.
* * * *
He walked past the agency—it wasn’t opening time yet—having a hard time to keep from whistling as the sliding doors of the police department opened to him. He hoped to be able to see Jordan Carpenter’s empty desk. It might not work that way, but he felt ecstatic, even after a long night, and another loss.
He didn’t think Judy would make it far, and if they found her body, the police wouldn’t be able to tell more than they had with the other woman. He always took care to keep the scene clear off too many hints and clues. He would need another scapegoat though, soon, but first there was something else on his list.
Jonathan Darby thought of the woman who had been convinced she could stop him, and currently wasn’t having such a good time after the early lessons. When he left her this morning, she’d been a lot less defiant than when they got started. He’d let her down not too gently, and she curled up on the floor, shivering, the heavy chains not giving her a lot of leeway. She was almost ready to acknowledge her faults.
“Good morning. Jonathan Darby,” he said to the female officer at the front desk. “I’d like to speak to Detective Carpenter, if possible?”
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