by Liz Bradford
“For sure,” Gavin said.
Amelia spoke again, “So, back to my original question, what’s his motivation today? Is it to ‘take care of’ anyone that could identify him?”
“I don’t believe so. Now this is speculation, but I think he’s come back to kill them out of a desire to ‘finish the job’ so to speak. They weren’t able to identify him at all in the past, so he has no need to cover his tracks. I believe that somewhere along the way he found that he received greater satisfaction in killing them. It probably started by finding sexual satisfaction by causing his victims to suffer. He’s stimulated by the pain he infli—” He stopped mid-word when he looked across the squad room and saw Ella walk in with Doug. She really didn’t need to hear any of this.
“How did you come up with this?” Becca asked.
He brought his attention back and looked at Becca. “Research. A lot of research. I read case study after case study this weekend.”
“Fun.”
“Not really, but necessary. Anyone else have any other questions?” He looked over at Ella. She was standing by the door talking to Scott Rebus. Every muscle in Adam’s body constricted, he did not like the idea of Scott being near her, either, not after the way he had treated Heather.
Jared’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “I think you guys covered all the bases pretty well. Anything else we need to do today?”
Adam shook his head. With Ella here, he lost all ability to concentrate on the case.
“I don’t think so,” Amelia said.
“All right, who’s up for calling it a day?” Jared asked.
“I am.” Adam said. He grabbed his hat and blazer and headed to Ella. His palms started sweating. He was looking forward to a quiet evening with the girl of his dreams.
He slammed his car door and walked toward the pub. The entire day had been a bust. Ella was always with Adam. He had tried to follow Adam after he picked her up from school to find out where Ella was staying, just like he had more than half a dozen times over the last two weeks. But even in Adam’s stupid muscle car he always managed to lose him. He was taking her somewhere he just had to find out where.
He had visualized how he would take her in a variety of situations. Maybe Adam would bring Ella to the station again. When he saw her arrive at the station yesterday afternoon his mind had started spinning. There had to be a way to get her out of there. But a building full of cops would make it tricky. He had spent all night fantasizing about what he would do if given that opportunity.
If he found out where she was staying, maybe he could break in during the night and take care of business there. He would rape her again no matter what since the alley he had first taken her in had been destroyed when they built the new Wal-Mart. He looked forward to having her again. And this time she would suffer. His heart beat a little faster about finally having his way with her. And then she would die.
He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly to regain his composure before stepping into the pub. He was looking forward to a few drinks with some of the other guys from the station. Taking a moment to relax was just what he needed. Throw back a few beers, maybe shoot some darts. And he could regroup about how to take Ella. He had already figured out where Hillary was staying, and if he had to, he would take care of her first. He had already adjusted his plan by taking the golden opportunity to take Clarissa. And she had been the perfect substitute for Brooke. Just as Ava had been for Angela. He smiled. Two more in Hazel Hill before he moved on to the other places he had lived before he discovered how satisfying it was to kill his victims.
“Hey,” the bartender greeted him, “what can a get for ya?”
“I’ll take a beer.”
“What kind?”
“I’ll take one of your best local IPAs.” He leaned on the bar while he waited for the barkeep to get his beer. He looked around the pub. It was a family friendly sort of place with a large dining room with the bar along one side. At the back of the restaurant was a little stage that he presumed was for the regular karaoke nights. A couple of pool tables and dart boards were tucked into the corner.
“Here ya go.”
He took his beer and took a long swig as he continued to take in the scene. The pub wasn’t busy, enough patrons to keep business running on a Wednesday evening, but it wasn’t crowded by any means. He went around the side of the bar and sat on a stool where he could see the door while he waited for the other guys to arrive. The bell on the door jingled, and he looked up. He smiled. She was here. He watched Ella walk across the dining area. Tonight could be the night. She was special. He preferred not to know his victims, and he had barely known the names of some of his victims, initially anyway. But he made an exception for Ella. He had wanted her; he wanted to hurt her. He had never liked the way that beautiful little redhead looked at him. He would show her who was superior once again. Now he just had to wait until she was away from the other five in her party.
Chapter 14
Ella slid into the large corner booth after Becca, and Adam slid in next to her. Her heart did a funny little flutter at his nearness. Maybe she shouldn’t be spending so much time with him. Oh, but she was enjoying it. He had come to her classroom once school was over and helped her do little things this afternoon. They had just chatted while they moved the students’ desks around, and he followed her down to the copier and held stacks of books for her while she copied worksheets for the next two weeks. It had been wonderful. And now they had gone out to dinner. Caleb and Amelia had gotten a babysitter, as had Jared and Becca, so they all went to a little pub for dinner.
“What’s good here?” she asked Adam.
“The fries are always top notch. Can’t really go wrong with anything.”
She opened her menu and started looking at her options when a pretty young waitress came up to their table.
“Hey, Adam,” she said.
“Hey, Susie.”
Ella watched closely as Susie leaned close to Adam and tried to flirt with him.
“You guys going to need a few minutes? Can I get some drinks for you? Adam, you want your usual beer?” she asked as she touched Adam’s shoulder.
Ella’s stomach churned. It was happening. She knew what Adam was like. She was silly to think that something could happen with them. Adam leaned towards Ella and slid his arm along the back of the seat where she sat. Her heart skyrocketed. Did he really move closer to me and away from her?
“No beer tonight, but I’ll take a coke, Ella?”
“I’ll take a coke too.” She smiled up at Adam.
Susie took the rest of the groups drink orders while Adam looked over her shoulder at the menu instead of picking up his own. Her body was doing crazy things in response. Her heart raced, her stomach fluttered, and her hands became incredibly sticky. A feeling she was so unfamiliar with. She hadn’t felt this way since she was in junior high.
Once Susie brought their drinks, they all ordered. Ella leaned her elbows on the table as she played with her straw. She listened to the conversation her friends had but didn’t participate much. She was simply enjoying spending the time with them. Before long, their dinner came, and everyone grew quiet as they ate.
During the meal a DJ got up on the little stage that was at the back of the restaurant by the bar. “It’s karaoke time, folks. Y’all need to start picking your tunes and warmin’ up your pipes. It’s time to sing!”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot Wednesdays was one of their karaoke nights.” Adam bumped her arm with his elbow. “So, what do you say, Ella?”
“Wait, what?” She looked at him as a smidgen of terror coursed through her veins.
“You and me. Let’s sing a song like old times.”
“Oh, Adam, I’m not going to know any of the songs they have. I hardly listen to the radio.”
“Come on, I know one for sure that we can do.”
“Now, how would you know I know it?”
“Because I used to sing it to you all the time when we were kid
s.”
Her cheeks increased in temperature by a thousand degrees. She knew exactly what song he was talking about.
“Oh, do it, Ella,” Amelia said.
Becca added, “We all know you have an incredible voice, so I know you can’t be nervous about that!”
Adam pinched her shirt sleeve and tugged slightly while giving her the best puppy dog eyes.
She wavered. “Okay, fine.”
The smile on Adam’s face stretched to his ears. “Excellent. I’ll go sign us up.” He was gone in a flash and back just as fast.
She picked at the last few fries on her plate until it was their turn to sing. She took a swig of her coke and slid out of the booth with Adam. The butterflies in her stomach turned into a tornado. Singing never made her nervous.
They went up to the stage and picked up the microphones. She smiled at Adam, whose face was beaming. She started tapping her foot to the beat, and once Adam started singing the melody of “Brown Eyed Girl” she threw in a few harmonies here and there, until the chorus where they harmonized beautifully, just as they always had. She hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. When they reached the third verse, Adam surprised her by changing the words to “swimming with you down at the lake and making out on the raft with you...” The temperature of her cheeks shot up again. And she laughed so hard she could barely finish the last chorus with him. They put their mics down and headed back to the table. As they walked, or were they floating, back Adam squeezed her arm and pulled her into a side hug. She wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him back.
“You guys!” Amelia said. “That was awesome!”
Jared clapped. “I’m impressed.”
Ella blushed a little more and managed to squeak out a “thanks.”
She settled back into the booth and took a few slow breaths. That was so much fun! Lord, thank you for laughter. And for Adam. Her heart did a little flip. Oh God, I’m not sure I’m ready for these feelings. Her emotions were taking a fast turn. She needed a little air. “I’m going to have to excuse myself to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you,” Amelia said.
She smiled at her friend. Adam slid out of the booth to let her out and squeezed her shoulder, sending her heart all over the place again. She patted his arm as she walked away with Amelia.
“You guys really sounded great. Your voices! Oh my word! They’re perfect together.”
She managed to say “thanks,” and they walked into the bathroom.
Amelia went straight into a stall, but Ella just stood there, and as soon as the door shut behind her, the overwhelmed feeling took hold. Her chest tightened, and her lips quivered. She clenched her eyes shut and pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to cry, but it was coming whether she liked it or not. The tears came. A slow trickle ran down her cheeks. She took a few steps forward towards the sink. She grabbed it to steady herself and tried not to sniffle. The stream of tears continued. She was completely overwhelmed by her emotions.
The door opened behind her, and Becca walked in. “Decided I should go, too.” Ella made eye contact with Becca in the mirror and quickly diverted her eyes. “Ella?” Becca walked over and put a hand on Ella’s shoulder.
Ella started at the contact, and Becca removed her hand and leaned against the sink next to the one Ella was leaning over.
“You all right?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m such a hot mess. I don’t get it. I was just laughing a few moments ago. And it was real, just as real as this.”
Amelia came out of the stall, and Becca moved so she could wash her hands. Amelia said, “You’ve been through a lot lately especially with Adam.”
Ella wiped her eyes and turned and leaned her back against the side of the stalls. “True. It’s so confusing. I have pushed people away and avoided physical contact for so long. But I find myself just wanting to fall into his arms. It feels so weird. This feeling is so foreign. I haven’t felt this way since well, since I was fourteen. Why does he have this effect on me?”
“I wonder,” Amelia said, “if the physical past you have with Adam is actually helping you get beyond what happened to you that’s caused you to physically push people away.”
“But sometimes when he touches my arm or something, the flashbacks flare in my face. I want to let him hug me. I want to hug him. But I’m so afraid. What if I go into a full flashback? How can I ever get close to him?”
Becca answered, “One step at a time. I don’t know you super well, but I do know Adam. While he’s… been around the block, for lack of a better way of putting it, he’s the most patient man I’ve ever met. He’s compassionate. And if you do have a flashback with him, he’ll help you cope with it. Heck, he’s trained for that.”
“He did help a lot when I had one at his house last week. Oh, but I’m so overwhelmed with the emotions of all of it. I loved him so much, so I can’t tell if it’s just my old feelings for him resurfacing or if it’s new genuine feelings. I’ve forgiven him for all that happened, but I feel like I should still be hurt or… put off by it.”
“Why should you?” Becca asked.
“I don’t know. I guess it’s what people expect.”
Amelia said, “We don’t expect you to feel that way. But we know Adam, today’s Adam.”
Becca added, “Yeah, the guy that learned the hard way to never go back on his word. May I ask? Are you the one he learned that lesson with?”
Ella bit her lip and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Thought so. If you’ve moved past it, you’ve moved past it. It’s that simple. Don’t feel guilty for opening your heart to him again. You can trust him with it. I’m not sure I would tell just anyone that about him, as he’s never been serious about any girl in his life since I’ve known him, but I’ve never seen him look at someone like he looks at you.”
“So true,” Amelia said. “He looks at you like he would stop heaven and hell to just be near you.”
Ella blushed again and let her lips turn up at the thought of Adam wanting to be near her.
“But how do we know these emotions are real and not just sentimental?”
“Well,” Becca said, “first, I know exactly what you mean. I had to weigh that when Jared came back into my life. So, when you are with him do you only think about back when you were kids or are you in the here and now?”
She looked up at the ceiling as she contemplated Becca’s question. “Hmmm… here and now.”
“The emotions are real not just sentimental. And some sentimental isn’t bad. It’s a solid building block into a renewed relationship.”
Ella took in a deep refreshing breath. A smile turned her lips up, but if faded quickly. “But what about his relationship with Christ, or lack thereof. I want to see what could be there for us, but I don’t want to be disobedient to God about being in a relationship with someone who’s not actively walking with the Lord.”
Amelia said, “That’s a tough one. Because as much as I think you two are so adorable together, you’re right. You’re a believer, and he isn’t.”
“I just wish I knew why he walked away from the faith.”
“Away?” Becca and Amelia said in unison.
“Yeah, you guys didn’t know that he grew up in the church?”
“Not a clue!” Becca said. “Man, I really thought I knew the boy.”
Amelia said, “I’m surprised by that. As much as he’s not closed up, he clearly hasn’t told me everything. But, Ella, I think we just keep praying. Praying that Adam turns to Christ. Praying for you as you continue to heal from the past. And praying for yours and Adam’s relationship, whatever that may look like.”
“Thanks! Both of you. If I was a hugger, I’d totally hug you now.” All three women chuckled. Ella turned and looked in the mirror to assess the damage from crying. “Ugh, I look like a complete mess.”
“Here,” Amelia reached in her purse and pulled out a small makeup bag. “I learned to carry makeup in my
purse after Evan died because I never knew when I would break down and need to reapply. Comes in handy still since I never know when the pregnancy hormones will send me into a fit of tears.”
“Right?!” Ella touched up her face and handed the bag back to Amelia. “Thanks. And Becca, I have to say, I totally see it now.”
“See what?”
“What Adam says about you being like Heather. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but whatever it is, you’ve got it just like her.”
Adam looked down at his watch, the ladies had been in the bathroom for quite a while.
“Don’t worry, Jamison; they’re talking about you,” Jared said.
“That’s what I’m worried about. My partner and pseudo-big sister talking to the girl I like… that doesn’t bode well for me.”
“Ha. Those two adore you,” Caleb said. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“You really like her, don’t you?” Jared asked.
“Is it that obvious? Ah, man. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. It’s driving me crazy.”
His friends just shook their heads. They knew exactly what he meant. He had seen the exact same look that he was sure was on his face on theirs when they fell in love with the other two women in the bathroom.
“Hey, guys,” Patrick appeared out of nowhere beside their table. “How’s it going?”
Adam wasn’t typically a vibe kind of guy, but whenever Patrick came near him, he got a bad one.
Jared replied, “We’re good, just out to dinner with the ladies. What are you up to this evening?”
“Just grabbing a drink with some of the guys.” He turned and looked towards the bar where a few other police officers were gathering.
Caleb asked, “You guys going to get in on the karaoke? You just missed a rousing rendition of ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ by Adam over here.”
“I heard it, but nah, not my kind of thing,” Patrick said.
Past Patrick, Adam saw the women walk out of the restroom smiling and talking. He smiled. Being away from Ella even for a few minutes was longer than he liked. He never wanted to leave her side. And not just because he wanted to be sure she was safe. It was a silly little feeling like when he was fourteen. He slid out of the booth, so he could let Ella and Becca in.