Nina and Adam left the apartment around four in the afternoon. In honesty, they did need sleep, both of them. She would let him crash on her couch for a while. It was too far of a drive just for a nap and a return trip.
Their bullshit had cost him many hours today and he was far from amused. Trying to have any kind of serious discussion today was a moot point. His mind was off somewhere in the woods and making her pay. Slowly. The cut into her side and leg were horrifyingly painful, but those were just the first of many to come. For the first time in a long time, Mike Ward might have run into some trouble.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Laying on the couch at Nina’s trying to get at least a couple hours of sleep, Adam couldn’t quiet his mind. Now they had three dead women, Priscilla missing and possibly a cop that was involved from the beginning. The last part made sense due to the fact that they had no evidence whatsoever to go on in the previous murders. This one was different because Priscilla obviously had fought back and he couldn’t kill her and dispose of her on the side of the freeway. Is that why there was no signs of a struggle with the other victims? They trusted their killer.
Here they were attempting to relax, all the while the killer could be going in and out of the apartment, was helping with the search efforts and making himself appear to be nothing short of a saint. Adam was unaware that Beth Tony and select members of the police force were going to try to take down one of their own. It was a challenge with Ward having a radio and could hear all of their transmissions. Finding a way around that was imperative. With cellphone signal a touch and go thing further away from the city, it was the only alternative they had.
On the very last communication over the radio, even though it had been coded as something else, Mike Ward heard that they were on to him. It sent his mind into overdrive while his actions remained calm. He was educated on the subject matter quite well. He had to plan his escape back to the cabin quickly and efficiently in order to dispose of that bitch. She had been in his way for too long now. Even now, while she was imprisoned in that dilapidated, run down shack his father used for hunting, when Mike was a kid, she was still causing him problems.
“Officer Long, hey man, I’m going to run down to the precinct for a few. There are a couple files I need to look at on this case. I’ll be back in about an hour. If Det. Tony shows up, tell her I went to grab those.” He told the uniformed officer that was still standing by the door.
“Will do, Detective.” He answered.
Mike knew that he had to leave and he had to leave now. He would have to take his government issued car and swap it out for the older black Honda he had bought just for this occasion. Well, killing that broad, not running from his own co-workers. It was non-descript, too many of them to stand out on their own and he had never registered it in his name. The tags were still good for a few months, so if it was ran and came back clear, it would be of no significance to them.
With the thirty minute drive looming ahead of him, he knew that he had to go now. Once he got there, it was going to have to be done. He couldn’t afford to take the chance on moving her anywhere else. They wouldn’t know to look there to begin with, but driving around with a dirty, unkempt, tied up woman in the car might tend to draw some unwanted attention. He parked the police vehicle at a gas station and took off on foot to reach the Honda.
Priscilla was unsure of how far she had ran, but eventually she had to stop and rest. The pain from her side and her leg was to the point of being unbearable, but she pushed herself even farther. When she stopped and sat down, she noticed the blood. Her side was bleeding rather heavily and she was hoping against hope that there wasn’t a trail leading him directly to her. Taking off her already blood soaked shirt, she tied it around the open wound to try and slow the bleeding at least. Her leg would have to wait, it didn’t appear to be as severe as her side.
She knew that she had come a good distance from the cabin and now she found herself in the middle of a swampy wooded area. The lush, vivid greens growing wildly could benefit her greatly if she needed to find somewhere to hide. She wasn’t sure how straight of a line she had been able to run with the terrain changing under her feet so frequently, but she knew that no matter where she was it was better than where she had come from.
Her days growing up in Pennsylvania had given her an advantage in being out here. The temperatures were moderate so she wasn’t worried about hypothermia during the night, as long as she could find something to use as cover. She had spent many hours playing in the woods behind her house to be somewhat comfortable in her surroundings. Getting away to a more distant location was imperative. The adrenaline that was pumping through her during her escape had started to wear off and she was feeling every ounce of pain. The single most important thing that she needed to do was avoid passing out. She could rest later, but the passing out could be deadly and leave her as an open target.
Watching the sky through the trees she could tell that it was somewhere in late afternoon or early evening. She could watch it and at least follow west until it set. There, she would have to find shelter of some sort for the night. “You can do this, you know you can.” She said to herself. While she was walking, she started to pay attention to the sounds she made when she moved. There was the rustling of the grass and leaves beneath her feet and the creaking of fallen twigs being stepped on. If she wasn’t very careful he could hear it if he was close enough. Sound traveled through the forest fairly well. Yet another thing to be cautious of. Then you have the wildlife, she told herself. “Don’t even go there.” She scolded. Thinking of every other living thing in the forest would be her undoing. She had to concentrate on only one thing. Survival.
Adam couldn’t get Priscilla out of his head. She consumed his thoughts entirely. Since she had been missing he had been sick. Those words they shared in anger were not supposed to be the last words between them. He couldn’t live with himself if they were. Just over a day since she was reported missing and he found himself sinking into a terrible depression. For many years he lived a lifestyle that most would find bizarre, not the norm. Always searching out that one long term female to have as his own. One that he would be able to conform to his own wants and one that would willingly do so, wanting to please him. He had a dominant streak in him from a young age and didn’t fully understand it until he was much older. There was no need for a permanent relationship, neither party was bound to the other. While these were sexually fulfilling relationships where he was in control, he had in recent time been longing for that emotional connection as well.
When a friend told him about the new girl at Nina’s and what she was capable of, Adam knew that he had to see for himself. He needed new entertainment for the club on party nights and perhaps she would be what he was looking for. Steve had been correct, she was amazing. There was a quality about her that differed from the other girls that danced at the club. She was very confident yet did not lose that streak of vulnerability. It showed in every movement she made both on the stage and off.
He had watched her several nights before she noticed him and it was she that initiated their conversation. Impressed with her conversational skills he knew that she would bring a completely new level of entertainment into his home, not only for his guest’s enjoyment but more specifically for his. She had made it clear as glass that she didn’t date nor sleep with any clients which was a bonus for him because as much as he might want to, he wanted this to be different.
Adam Linston was not familiar with women who stepped up and challenged him, nor with a woman that would argue her standing points on any issue. He found that he was quite taken with her instantly. What he couldn’t do for unknown reasons was proposition her at her place of employment. It didn’t matter that it was in a strip club. Finding it necessary to gather courage enough to ask her to go to lunch with him, which was another oddity in and of itself, so that he could ask her about his parties. Unfortunately it was going to be very short notice as the party was also the following
night, recognizing that she might not be able to accept he would leave it open for her to participate in the second one that month.
The look on her face had been priceless. He remembered it like they were still sitting there. Watching the scenes of the memories play out before him he hung his head. From taking her home for the first time, to walking in the gardens, to making love, it all rolling like a film inside his mind. She had opened up to him about her relationship with her mother. Every painful detail. He knew it wasn’t easy for her and was very happy she was comfortable sharing with him. He couldn’t stop thinking about it and it eventually ran to the ending. It wasn’t an ending he was willing to accept. What could he do to try and change the outcome if it wasn’t too late?
Getting up from the sofa he told Nina that he was going to go try to find her himself. He couldn’t sit around and wait for them to find possible clues as to her whereabouts. Starting with Mike Ward, he was going to narrow down the prime locations that he could possibly have taken her. He didn’t care how long it took.
“Adam, please be careful and let the cops do their job.” Nina reminded him.
“Yeah, look where that’s gotten us. The cops did their job alright, one of their own fucking did this.” He snapped angrily.
“Det. Tony is working on that, they have to play this out so he doesn’t run. If he runs before they know where to look we might never have any of the answers we need.” She argued.
She had no way of knowing that when Mike Ward left Priscilla’s apartment that he was going to do what he should have done much sooner. It was the only part of the plan that didn’t move forward the way he had intended.
As the two were speaking, Det. Tony knocked on Nina’s door. “I have to be honest here and tell you that we have no idea where Mike Ward is at the moment. The Chief of Police is setting up a press conference right now to make the public aware of the current situation. If there is more pressure on him, then he is more likely to make a mistake which will give us the break we need.”
“What now? He’s out there running free and if he has Priscilla he will go kill her?” Adam fumed.
“We don’t know that. It is not the time to panic, there are so many things that could play out.” She warned him. “There are detectives right now that are going through every person or contact he might know. His cellphone is being tracked for the last tower ping and any new ones that may appear. If he’s turned his phone off completely it won’t ping. What we have going against us is that he can remain one step ahead until he screws up.”
“That’s lovely. I know it isn’t your fault and I’m not angry with you, but it’s not a big hope booster when you hear it said that way.” He told her.
“I agree. Now, I have to get out of here so I can get started on all of this. They are running property searches in the nearby counties, anything that he might own or have a lease on. If he has her, it can’t be too far from here. He came in to help when I called him.” She replied. “That is a big relief. He didn’t have time to take her far away.”
“What can we do to help?” Nina asked.
“For now, I’m going to need you both to hang tight until we learn anything new. Hunting him down would be more than dangerous, it would be stupid. He is most definitely armed and obviously not afraid to kill.” She answered with brutal honesty.
Beth was furious with herself. When she first allowed the notion to cross her mind, she should have called him on it the first time. His reaction had given her everything she needed to make an educated guess. She didn’t because she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and not admit that another law enforcement officer could be responsible for these heinous crimes. Now she had two more people tangled up in this web and it was getting harder to keep them under control, and that was understandable. Finding him was her first priority. Getting him off the streets to keep him from hurting anyone else. Finding Priscilla Barnes was also imperative. If they found her dead, they would be able to find closure in her death instead of the heartbreaking pain of not knowing.
Since they knew that they were dealing with a homicide suspect that was on the run who also happened to be law enforcement, both the State Police and the FBI had been called in. The FBI would lead up the manhunt for Ward. He was extremely dangerous to the community as a whole. His police vehicle had been located abandoned in a gas station parking lot not far from Priscilla’s complex. Checking the surveillance tapes from the store, they watched him go west until he was out of camera view. The city was checking all of the intersection cameras they had in his general direction of travel. After searching they had determined that he entered a black 2011 Honda. The plates that were ran did not come back in his name.
Agents were dispatched to the registered owner’s home address, two towns away. The name that appeared on the current registration was Margaret Bailey. Mrs. Bailey opened the door to the uniformed officers. “Yes, how can I help you?” She asked in her soft voice. At eighty seven years old she wasn’t loud anymore.
“Ma’am, excuse us, do you own a black 2011 Honda by chance?” The officers looked at each other awkwardly.
“I did, but some young man bought it from me quite some time ago.” She explained. “I can’t drive and my Allan isn’t here anymore to drive. It did me no good and I put the sale money to good use.” She added.
“Do you remember who you sold it to?” They continued to question her at the door.
“Would you like to come in and have a seat, my old bones hurt standing here.” She said gently.
“Thanks, we’re fine, but please make yourself comfortable.” The younger officer spoke first.
“Again, I’m sorry, but do you remember who you sold it to?” He asked her.
“I do, I sold it to one of you.” She said.
“One of us? No ma’am, I think you might be confused, you didn’t sell it to one of us.” The older officer smiled at her.
“Well of course not, silly. Not you two specifically. One of you…another officer. Said he needed a good running car for the side. I’m old but not senile.” She smiled at them warmly.
“No you are not, not by any means. Do you remember the officer’s name?” They asked her.
“Yes, I sure do. I try to remember names because you never know when you are going to need them.” She paused, “His name was Ward. Mike Ward.”
“Thank you Mrs. Bailey for all of your help.” Both officers said in turn.
“Any time. Would you boys like to stay and have some fresh cookies and milk?” She offered.
Smiling warmly at her the oldest officer replied, “Not today, but if it were any other day I would love some.”
“Well come back any time and you can have some.” Margaret smiled sweetly.
Calling the information in, the younger officer said, “I can’t believe this shit.”
“You and me both. I’ve worked everything or so I thought. Now, I have. Grandma there at least was able to give us the link we needed between Ward and that car.” He replied.
As the FBI began to coordinate SWAT team members for searches of different areas, Ward was just turning onto the road that led to the cabin. He had to hide this car, they undoubtedly knew what he was driving, he was well aware of the use of cameras in these situations. He came to a stop and pushed the car into the large area of marshy grass. If he could push it far enough he would be able to make sure the tall marsh grass surrounded and covered it, leaving it with the appearance of being undisturbed. Being in a state of more panic than he was accustomed to, only made these menial tasks seem challenging. He had to think and remember step by step.
Sitting in silence, Priscilla thought she heard a car door close in the far distance. She knew she had to force herself to get up and get moving before she lost all light. It got darker faster inside the forest than it did above or outside of it. She could no longer run and each step was causing intense pain. Trying not to focus on that, she began to count her steps. Not only would it keep her somewhat concentrated, it
would give her a vague idea of how far she had traveled. Nothing scientific or perfectly measured but more for the sake of keeping her sane. Everything looked the same and it didn’t look like she was making much progress. The further into the forest she walked the more the surroundings began to change. The underbrush was extremely thick and overgrown, her footing becoming unsteady in places. It slowed her pace greatly, but she was determined to not give up. Making it this far with her injuries had been the closest thing to a miracle as she was going to get. “Keep going Barnes.” She told herself in a whisper. “You need to find some water and soon.”
Questions kept running through her thoughts. Was Adam looking for her? Did anyone have any clue who was doing this or why? Who was the man in the shadows and what did he want with her? So many questions with so few answers. All that remained a definite was that he wanted her dead. The one main question that was seared into her brain was, did he know yet that she was gone? That’s the only one that mattered at the moment. The longer he didn’t know, the better off she was.
It was starting to get too dark to see well and she knew that she needed to find a place to hide and rest. Straining to see the surrounding hillside to her left she noticed that there was a cut out from the erosion on the hill. It was small but she thought she could make herself fit so she could close her eyes. She pulled a few of the larger fallen branches from the hill and crawled into the hole. It was cramped and it was painful but once she had randomly pulled the branches into place she would remain unseen.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
At the Philadelphia International Airport, Nancy Barnes had checked in and was heading through security. She had not been well until recently and had not received a reply from her daughter in response to the postcard that she had sent nearly two months ago. Determined to make things right between them, she made the decision to go and visit. It had been many years since she had spoken with her daughter and there was no one to blame but herself. Now as she was aging, she knew that the time had come to attempt to make amends and try to build some type of a relationship with her only child. Not to mention she needed Priscilla to sign off on legal documents, thanks to her late husband.
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