Fatal Hunt

by Kristy Walker

  After Angie had changed her shirt and washed her hands and face, the surgeon came out to talk to Angie. He sat across from then and leaned in to put his elbows on his knees, folding his hands out in front of them. Blood covered his scrubs.

  ‘He couldn’t even change his shirt?’ Kacey thought incredulously.

  Angie didn’t even seem to notice.

  “Your husband is in recovery. He may or may not pull through. We have done all we can at this time, so now it’s just a waiting game. My advice would be to hope for the best, but expect the worst. I wish I had better news.”

  “Can I see him?” Angie choked out.

  “Yes. I’ll get someone to take you to him.”

  Angie turned to Kacey.

  “I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose him, Kacey.”

  “Let’s not think like that, Angie. The doctor said there’s hope. Focus on that. You have to be positive for your sons. I’ll stay out here and wait for them to get here. What do you want me to tell them?”

  “The truth … they deserve to know all of it.”

  Angie got up when the nurse came out to lead her to her husband.

  Chapter 74

  After a brutal day of sitting with Angie, consoling Angie’s sons, and then going back to work on the makeamatch.com case, Kacey was weary as she let herself into her house.

  She hadn’t felt this exhausted since after Dan died.

  She immediately felt better as Thor clumsily bounded towards her. She scooped him up and tried her best to avoid his wet puppy kisses. Finally, giving up the fight, Thor put his head on Kacey’s shoulder and snuggled his little body into hers.

  She went into the living room to find Jack fast asleep on the couch. She tiptoed past and went in to start supper and realized that what they needed was Chinese delivery. Kacey went back into the living room and deposited Thor behind Jack’s knees where he immediately fell asleep.

  She texted Mike that she was getting Chinese and to find out what Jack liked.

  Mike responded by calling.

  “Hey, why don’t you call it in and I’ll pick it up. She likes anything.”

  “Will do. Just come on in when you get here. You know the code.”

  Twenty minutes later, the house smelled like the best feast ever. Kacey had already set out plates and fixed their drinks. When everything was set out, Mike went to wake Jack.

  “Hey, sleepyhead. Time to get up and join polite society.”

  “Why, who’s here?” Jack teased.

  “Just get up, smarty pants.”

  They filled their plates and sat at the dining room table since Jack said that the couch was beginning to be molded to the shape of her butt.

  Supper was spent avoiding all topics of death and destruction. They talked about the coming baby, how Jack was feeling, and other mundane topics. By the end of the meal, Kacey felt much better. It had been such a depressing day.

  Mike offered to clean up while they relaxed in the living room.

  The two women settled in for the evening. Kacey reached into her storage ottoman and pulled out her knitting project bag. She closed the lid and put her feet up with a contented sigh.

  They chatted while Jack watched in fascination as Kacey knit on the tiniest baby hat.

  “That’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.” Jack finally said. “You have got to teach me.”

  “I would love to. It’s not relaxing at ALL when you first start, but if you stick with it and are patient … haha … it’s very relaxing. I have tons of yarn and needles so I can show you now if you want.”

  Mike walked in on the prettiest sight ever. Both women were on the couch, heads bowed down, Kacey patiently showing Jack how to throw the yarn over the needle to make a stitch, Jack watching her like a hawk, brow furrowed. They didn’t even look up as he sat down in the chair that Kacey had vacated.

  Thor tried to jump up on his lap, but couldn’t quite get there, so Mike reached over and picked him up.

  “Well, Thor, what do you say we go for a walk? That ok, Kacey?”

  She didn’t even look up, just absent-mindedly waved a hand at him. He rolled his eyes and muttered to Thor about how he seemed to have lost his place in this trio.

  Mike locked the door behind him and set the code.

  In another area of town, a man sat down in front of his computer monitor with a glass of scotch. He slowly sipped as he watched the two women. Somehow, the scene was cozy and comfortable. He leaned back and dreamed of what he could accomplish with these lovelies.

  Chapter 75

  “I’m going to need to go out of town next week.” Tom said as he kissed his wife goodnight.

  “It seems like you just got back. I miss you when you’re gone.” Sandy replied.

  “I know, babe. I appreciate how flexible you are. You wouldn’t believe the other wives. We can’t get through a meeting without someone calling and crying about being left alone with the kids and how long are you going to be gone, etc. It makes it harder on us and makes our jobs almost impossible when you are worrying about things at home.

  “Well, it gives me a chance to have Mike and Jack over now that she’s on the mend. Plus … I am pretty amazing.”

  “Yes you are.”

  Tom leaned over to kiss her again and switched the light off. All thoughts of loneliness and being apart were forgotten for the time being.

  Chapter 76

  He sat on his desk chair, absentmindedly twirling the knife in his hand while he rocked back and forth. What to do next. He was beginning to get edgy and needed another release.

  It was making him nervous to keep using makeamatch.com for his hunt. The cops had to have noticed the pattern by now. Maybe he should use another site. But since this one didn’t allow photos it was perfect for his purposes.

  His eyes went to the library book that he had on the corner of the desk. He put the knife down and picked it up. He thought about the last time he went to the library and walked past the new bulletin board in the entryway. Maybe he could place some kind of an ad. No, too vague. What if a man answered it? He shuddered. Awkward.

  In a sudden moment of clarity, he knew what he was going to do. It was perfect. With a flick of the wrist, he went to his favorite new video feed.

  Chapter 77

  Kacey and Mike stood in the middle of their ‘evidence room’. Red string was literally everywhere.

  “Um, Kacey … this is a little crazy.”

  “I know … I know. These women have so many connections, but the only one that makes sense is the dating site.”

  Captain Wells entered the room and cleared his throat.

  “I see we’ve been at it a while. Anything new?”

  “Just the ‘Professor’ angle. Everything he said on his profile was a lie, plus he used false information to get an account, so we have no idea who this guy is. Sir, I think we are going to have to use me as bait.”

  She held up a hand to stop him.

  “I know you don’t like it, but I think I have to.”

  “Detective, I was going to give my approval. I agree with you.”

  Kacey sagged a little in relief. She had been willing to go a few rounds with the Captain about it.

  “Get yourself a profile, and get yourself a team. You need every security in place. We know where you are and what you are saying every second. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir.” They both responded.

  Mike and Kacey sat down, side by side, and began working a profile that the professor couldn’t resist.

  Chapter 78

  The young man sat down on the park bench to rest a moment. Sweat glistened on his forehead and he removed his scarf to wipe the sweat off of his face and sighed in relief as the cold air hit his neck. His leg muscles were weak and quivering. Maybe today he had pushed himself too much.

  Training for a marathon was harder than he would’ve ever imagined. His black lab, Frisco, seemed to think so too. Neither of them were used to more than a fast walk.

&
nbsp; He got Frisco’s collapsible water bowl out and filled it. They sat for a few minutes, both of them panting. Gradually, both man and dog caught their breath, until they finally felt ready to go again. They sat a minute more just enjoying the view. He had always liked the way the trees looked bare of leaves. Stark, yet beautiful.

  Suddenly, Frisco lifted his ears and started whining and shifting around like he was trying to decide whether or not to chase a squirrel.

  “What is it, buddy?”

  He pulled the earbuds loose from his ears. Then untied the lead from the bench and let the dog nose his way into the wooded area.

  He breathed deeply and realized that he could actually smell snow coming.

  “Sounds like something my Nana would’ve said.” He said to the now agitated dog.

  The dog was now jerking so hard on the lead that it slipped out of his hands. He ran over to a mound of leaves and began digging.

  Now, there was more than the smell of snow hitting his nose.

  Frisco eagerly ran back to his master and sat down by his feet, whining … ears flat. He was clearly in distress. As he edged closer, slowly, he saw an image that would forever burn in his head. A bare foot was sticking out, half rotted.

  He emptied his stomach into the dead grass and, hands shaking, dialed 9-1-1.

  Chapter 79

  “I think we got it, Kacey.” Mike leaned back into his chair and hooked his hands together behind his head. “You are officially captivating.”

  “Wish I was this amazing in person, but with great power comes great responsibility.”

  “Oh, boy.”

  “Now we just wait.”

  Kacey stood up and started taking the red string down.

  “This is just annoying … and not very helpful. The answer is staring us in the face and we don’t need this stuff.”

  As they began tearing it all down, Kacey’s laptop ‘pinged’. She bent over to look at her screen.

  “Our first applicant.” She clicked on the icon. “Not ‘the Professor’.

  “Ping. Ping. Ping.”

  “Maybe I made myself a little too interesting.”

  Mike finished taking the string down while Kacey scanned through the dozens of chat requests that were coming her way.

  “Wow, Mike. These people are awful.”

  Mike leaned over her shoulder and read.

  “Creep … mama’s boy … creep … criminal … creep … ‘wow’ is right.”

  The room had been cleared of the string, leaving only the photos and evidence notes pinned to the cork board.

  Kacey slammed the laptop shut.

  “I’m hungry. Let’s go let Thor out and see how Jack is doing. There’s leftovers.”

  “Fine by me.”

  Chapter 80

  The detectives stopped by Captain Wells’ office to tell them they had a profile set up and so far no hits that fit their guy before heading out to see Jack and Thor.

  Mike called Jack on the way to tell her they were coming, so they wouldn’t surprise her. She was still a little skittish.

  As they walked through the door and disengaged the code, they could smell the leftovers warming up.

  “She must be feeling better.” Kacey smiled.

  They walked into the kitchen to see Jack at the stove with Thor looking up at her with adoration in his sweet brown eyes.

  “I think I found my main man, Mike … you’re out.” Jack leaned down to pet Thor on his head.

  Mike scooped him up and took him outside, saying something about Thor only wanting food and that he was going to have a man to dog talk with him outside.

  Jack and Kacey simultaneously rolled their eyes at the back of his head.

  “You look good, Jack. Feeling better?”

  “I feel great today. Just itchy at the incision, but I don’t feel as sore. It feels good to do something on my feet.”

  “Just don’t overdo it, please … Mike couldn’t handle it. He really does love you, you know.”

  “I know. And I love him, too.”

  Kacey got plates, utensils, and glasses out and set the table. Mike came in and they began to eat.

  Just as they finished their lunch, both Kacey and Mike’s phones began to ring at the same time.

  “Uh-oh.” Mike said.

  He stood up and walked to the other room while Kacey answered her phone from where she sat.

  He came back into the dining room just as Kacey was putting her phone back into her pocket.

  “We have to go, Jack. If you’re too tired, just leave everything out and I’ll get it tonight.”

  “I’ll take you up on that. I’m exhausted all of a sudden.”

  Mike got her settled on the couch and kissed her goodbye.

  “I’ll call you later.” He promised, as he shut the door behind him, after making sure to set the code.

  He watched her sleep. “She’ll do.” He said to no one.

  Chapter 81

  Kacey and Mike arrived at the park, lights flashing, within ten minutes. They could see the flutter of crime tape through the bare branches of the trees. The wind was just brisk enough to rattle branches together and rustle the few leaves that were still attached.

  Kacey pulled the collar of her coat up over her ears and tried to pull the front closed. Couldn’t quite button it.

  “Getting colder.”

  The two detectives walked over to where a flurry of activity was taking place. Officers parted as they passed through. A young man and his dog stood over to the side … he wasn’t looking so hot and the dog was whining softly … clearly upset at the way his day was going.

  Kacey pulled her scarf over her nose and mouth as they got close. The smell was faint, but horrible. The woman had been dead for a few weeks, at least. The only way you knew it was a woman was because of her clothing and hair.

  Dr. Forrester, who was on his knees, and bending over the body with a white handkerchief covering his nose and mouth, stood as he saw the detectives coming his way.

  “There’s really nothing I can do here … too much decay and animal activity. I’ll have to take her back to the morgue and examine her there. I’ll leave you two to do the dirty work.”

  Kacey tried to smile and say ‘thank you’, but found it impossible. Mike just nodded.

  Officer Calvin Robb and his temporary partner were canvasing the surrounding woods to see if they could find anything that would tell them what had happened to this poor woman. Mike went to get a closer look so Kacey went over to the unfortunate young man who had found the woman.

  “Hey.” She said softly. “Rough day, huh?”

  “I’d say.”

  “My name is Detective Kacey Yates. Let’s walk over to that bench and talk a minute.”

  Kacey led him to the same bench that he and his dog had rested at earlier. Purposefully choosing that location so that he wouldn’t have to see anything else … he really did look green.

  “How did you find her?”

  “Frisco … that’s my dog …” Kacey nodded to show him that she was following. “He started whining and acting agitated. So, I kind of let him lead a bit, figuring it was a squirrel or something. Then I saw a foot and …”

  As he was telling his version of what he saw, he swallowed hard, but it was no use. He began to sweat in the chill air and a white line began to form around his lips. Kacey jumped out of the way just in time as he turned and heaved.

  Kacey waited until he was done and handed him a tissue, trying not to vomit, herself. Clearly, she was a sympathy puker.

  “Ok, give me your number and I’ll contact you later if I need to, and here's my card if you think of anything you would like to add. You go on home and try to relax.”

  She thanked him as he turned to go. By the time she was finished talking to the young man, they had bagged the body and were putting it in the back of the vehicle. She went over to where Mike was talking to Officer Robb.

  “There’s just no way we can gather anything from here. To
o much bad weather, too many animal tracks and way too many people milling around for who knows how long.” Calvin took his cap off and ran his fingers through his hair, frowning. He slowly shook his head back and forth, anxiety furrowed his brows together and a fine line between his eyes was quickly turning into a deep crease.