“What do you want from me?”
The Say grabbed Kevin’s collar and thumped him against the wall. Kevin winced in pain. There was blood running down the back of his head.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” The Say asked his face scarlet with rage.
“Where is Agent Smith?” Jules yelled.
“I had to kill him because he was in my way. He did not stay in his van as he was told, probably thinking too much about his unfaithful wife. What women can do to a man! You know how lucky you are that I am telling you all this? Why should I?”
Then Kevin realized that the person who called him was not Agent Smith. It was the killer.
“Woods had said to him one day, “If you ever get close to a killer, keep talking to him. The longer you can occupy him the more chance you have of getting out alive.”
Kevin looked around the room to see, if there was anything he could use to defend himself. The room was almost bare. The only thing he could use as a weapon was the chair, if he had the strength to reach it. He had to try; otherwise, he was dead. This time he was not at the school. Only Allie knew where he was. Would she tell the police about the call? She would be at her brother’s now, waiting for him to call her. Why did he not listen to her? She did not want him to go. He prayed Allie would tell the FBI where he went. She was his only hope. He did not know how long he could occupy the killer. He would run out of time quickly.
“Why are you killing all these people?” Kevin knew it was a provocative question but he had to risk it.
The Say loosened the grip on his gun.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “I had to kill a lot of people because of you.”
Kevin was not an FBI agent. One thing he learnt from Woods over the years, once the killer was in a talking mood, there was hope. Most wanted to explain their actions to the victim in the last minutes, before they killed them.
So far, the killer had placed his gun on the floor but his piercing eyes were watching him, not leaving him alone for one second. The dull light of the gasoline lamp flickered, a sign it needed more gas. Was that the moment he was waiting for? If the killer did not want to sit in the dark, he had to get up and fill the lamp. There was his chance.
“Didn’t they deserve to live?” Kevin asked.
“No,” The Say answered. “Like you. You don’t deserve to live.”
“What have I done?”
“You’ve seen who I am and I can’t allow that.”
He was on the right track. Woods would be proud of him. The lamp flickered again.
“Do you have any more questions before I kill you, dickhead?” The Say got up and reached for his gun. “What did you do with Woods?”
“You’re trying to buy time,” The Say said. He was cleverer then Kevin thought. Do not underestimate him. “He is still out there, looking for me. Nobody knows where you are. Doesn’t that tell you something?” He enjoyed that he had control about the situation.
“You are wrong. I told Allie. She would have told the police by now. I said to her to go to them if I m not back in half an hour. They will be here at any moment.”
The Say hesitated.
“It doesn’t change anything. You’ll be dead in a couple of moments and I’ll be gone long before they get here - if they get here.”
“How did you manage to escape?” Kevin asked, trying to ignore the pain in the back of his head.
“They didn’t know there is a small door in the wall hidden behind the picture.”
He was creepy, far creepier than Kevin had ever thought. “You are clever,” Kevin said, “but it doesn’t matter, they’ll catch you. You are as good as dead.”
“No, you are.”
“Give yourself up. You don’t have a chance.”
“Don’t try to be smart before you die.”
The Say kicked him in his stomach. Kevin cringed. “I don’t know what to do with your girlfriend, yet,” he said all of a sudden.
“Leave her out of this. Allie has nothing to do with it.” “Human beings are so dumb, especially you.” The Say shook his head. “I feel sorry for you, Kevin, Jules, Richard, or whatever your name is.”
He already had one hand on the door handle and his finger tightened the grip on the gun. Kevin saw him in a vague silhouette; the lamp was still flickering. At any moment, his life was going to extinguish, just like the light.
Chapter 36
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Woods tried to ring Agent Smith’s cell phone but there was no response. He threw the phone against the wall. Something was wrong. He tried to get out of bed and lifted his leg over the edge but the pain came back immediately. He winced. “Where is the damn nurse?” he yelled.
He had a bandage wrapped around his left thigh. They wanted to keep him at the hospital overnight for observation because of the gunshot but he refused. He needed to get out of here and tried Kevin’s phone but he was not answering either. What was going on? Woods sensed something was wrong. Juliet had driven him to hospital although he did not want to go.
“What are you doing?” asked the nurse, when she entered the room. She was a young woman, old enough to be his daughter. She picked up the phone and placed it back on the table. When she saw him trying to leave the room, she blocked the doorway and said, “You can’t leave yet. The doctor is on his way to see you. Also, you’re not allowed to make calls from your cell phone.”
“You’re not telling me what to do. Get out of my way. I want crutches, now. Do you hear me? I am Special agent Woods from the FBI and if you are holding me against my will, I will have you arrested and everybody else, who stands in my way. Do you understand? Now get me the crutches. What are you still waiting for?”
The nurse looked scared and stepped back, nearly in tears. She had not expected this outburst.
Woods reached for the phone and tried to dial Kevin’s number again. There was still no answer. Trying to ignore his pain, he crossed the room and opened the door.
“You have to use the wheelchair if you want to move around,” she mumbled, not sure, what he would do next. “The hospital won’t be responsible if…”
“Give me the damn crutches,” he yelled.
Her hands were shaking when she handed them to him. Woods pushed her aside and opened the door. Then he tried his best to walk with them and made his way down the hospital corridor to the exit. Where was Juliet? He needed her now!
He did not have time to look for her and hailed a taxi that was waiting outside. He showed the driver his badge.
“Step on it and drive as fast as you can to the Hercules building,” he commanded.
The driver looked scared when he saw Woods’ expression. “What if I get a fine?”
“You won’t, shut up and do what I say,” Woods said. While the car sped through the city, he called the police station. Sandy, the new girl, answered the phone. She sounded relieved when she heard his voice.
“Where have you been? Everybody is so worried about you. Nobody knew where you were.”
“Who is responsible for the van?” he yelled into the phone, ignoring her question.
“What van?” she asked puzzled.
“The van parked in front of the Hercules building, where else?”
“Oh that one you mean". Sorry, I’ll find out for you.” After a minute she came back and said, “It was Agent Henderson, but he didn’t show up for his shift.”
“What do you mean, didn’t show up? Where is Smith?” “I don’t know but I can ask if anybody saw him.”
“No, I can’t wait.” He hung up, panic written in his face. The taxi arrived at the Hercules building. He struggled to step out, fumbling with the crutches. Straight away, he noticed that the van was missing. Where was Smith? He would not have been so careless as to leave without finding a replacement for his shift. He knew how important this case was.
His blood boiled. Nobody, absolutely nobody could leave his shift before the new one arrived. How many times did he have to tell them tha
t? He called Agent Henderson’s number. “Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on? Why didn’t you show up for your shift?” He yelled him as soon as Henderson answered.
“Sorry, I was half an hour late. I locked myself out of my house and had to call my wife. By the time I got there, the van was missing. I thought Agent Smith moved it to another location.”
Woods swallowed hard. He needed a double scotch or two, right now. He needed it even more for what he was about to hear.
“You may want to hold your breath,” Agent Henderson said. Woods expected the worst.
“Go ahead.”
“I finally found the van. It was not hard. It was parked around the corner. The door was open, Agent Smith in a lake of blood. He was laying in the van, stabbed to death.”
“Holy shit…”
“It could have been me….”
Woods hung up.
That was only a couple of hours ago. Then he noticed the blocked off area. His team was there. Why did nobody tell him that?
A crowd gathered behind the police tape, wondering what had happened. He hobbled to the scene.
“Where is Kevin?” he yelled. They looked surprised when they saw him. Sam, the chief medical examiner said, “Shit, you look awful. Where have you been?”
“What happened here?” Woods asked, ignoring his question. “Smith’s phone is missing,” he said, and he filled him in. “Are you telling me the killer called Kevin? The rest I can only imagine.”
He could hardly stand up; his leg was collapsing under him. Sam led him to the car and helped him to sit down. “He must have called Kevin, pretending to be Smith then he arranged a meeting with him.”
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Woods called.
Hold yourself together, he told himself. Do not let him get to you.
“Everybody, I need everybody, Sam,” Woods said. “Get them to search every corner of this of this god damn city. And I need that phone traced by satellite.”
Where could the killer have asked Kevin to meet him? It had to be an empty place, like a church or warehouse.
Think try to read his mind. You have studied him all those years. If you do not catch him now you will never catch him, he thought to himself.
“Where is the van?” he asked one of the crime scene techs who came past.
“Crime lab took it five minutes ago.”
The killer did not need the van to get to his target. That meant it was not far. He walked, unless he had his own vehicle, but that meant more evidence to destroy. He knew that The Say was good at leaving as little evidence behind as possible. Kevin I pray I will be there on time. Hang in there. Remember everything I have ever told you, how a serial killers mind works. Do not forget one single word. The only thing I cannot offer you right now is protection. You are on your own.
Chapter 37
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The Say grabbed Kevin by his shoulders, and threw him on a chair, but Kevin stumbled and fell back.
“Let’s have a conversation then, if you insist, smart ass. I am in no hurry. I think you are not either. I do not think your girlfriend has told them anything. She is at her brother’s apartment right now, watching a movie. ‘Silence of the Lambs’, maybe?” The Say laughed menacingly. “Isn’t it funny how things work out at the end? It does not matter how long it takes. I’ll always win.”
Kevin gritted his teeth. The Say raked his thin hair back with his hands.
“Well, I’d better give us some light for a chat.”
He got up and pulled out a tin of gasoline from under the table. He poured some of the liquid into the bottom of the lamp, and all of a sudden, the room lit up again.
Kevin looked at window nearby, his only hope of escape; the killer had locked the door behind them. Was there a chance to get out of here alive? Not if the killer set the place, alight. The Say pointed the gun at him.
“And now don’t move. Otherwise I’ll kill you straight away,” he threatened while he took a piece of rope out of a bag and tied Kevin’s hands together. For the first time Kevin saw the killer’s face, close. He had scars under his eyes.
“You are evil,” Kevin said. “There is no other word for it.” The Say ran his right hand slowly over his chin as he was thinking.
“No, you are the evil one. Do you want to know how your life ends?”
Woods, where was his team? He needed them now! Kevin prayed.
“You could have walked away, asshole. It would have been much easier. Was it worth it?”
“You are crazy. There is no other word for it.”
The Say grinned, showing two rows of immaculately even teeth. Nothing about him was real. He seemed to enjoy the situation, watching Kevin on the floor in pain. That was what he called being in total control. This is what he was working for, to kill. It was worth every bit.
With effort, Kevin managed to ask, “Can I have a glass of water?”
Police sirens howled in the distance. Were they coming for him? He felt like somebody had punched a fist in his stomach. To make things worse The Say stuck his gun in Kevin’s face. He yelled out in agony. Where were the FBI men when he needed them?
“You don’t need any water where you’re going, idiot! Let us make your last moment interesting, shall we? Let us see if it was worth hiding from me all those years, what a shame that was all for nothing. In the end I win; you lose.”
He was playing cat and mouse again. Maybe Kevin still had a chance.
The Say took a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and placed the tin of gasoline next to them. He pushed the gun tightly against Kevin’s chest.
“You know, I’ve never wanted to kill you. I do not care who you were or what you were doing. My specialty is women you know; women of a certain kind but you fucked it all up and kept me busy chasing you and playing games with the FBI. That will all stop now.”
He was going to set fire to the boat. Shit!
The pain Kevin was experiencing made it almost impossible to speak. He croaked, “Let me help you. You need help.” The Say released the pressure of the gun a little and laughed. “You want to help me? The only one who needs help is you and you will not get it. Do you think you are smart? You tell me.”
Then he shot Kevin in the leg. The pain was like a jackhammer throbbing trough his body.
“This gives you a little idea about who you’re dealing with, just in case you want to run off.”
The Say grinned.
Blood was running from Kevin’s leg, soaking his trousers. The colour had left his face.
The Say opened the lid of the can and started to pour gasoline throughout the cabin.
“The most important thing now is to get rid of you,” he said. Kevin was going to die. He tried to stretch his leg out but the pain was unbearable.
“While the boat goes up in flames and your body burns in hell I will be long gone. Woods will be very disappointed that he will not be able to live with himself anymore and kill himself. All that trouble he went through for nothing. What a waste of time.”
He shook his head, a sadistic smile on his face, while he continued walking through the cabin, pouring the highly flammable liquid over the floor. Suddenly he stopped and looked at Kevin.
“Did you know that it was me who dated his daughter? I supplied her with the drugs. He could not even protect his own flesh and blood, one failure after the other. How can Woods ever live with that?” He was now talking to himself. “The game is over. You’ll never find me.” When he finished he turned to Kevin.
“Any final thoughts about your precious girlfriend before you die?”
Allie! We could have been so happy.
“Don’t hurt her,” Kevin winced. Several seconds passed. The Say said finally,
“His daughter was one of them. She was highly addicted to heroin and needed the money for it.”
He laughed again. Kevin knew he had little chance of getting out alive but he was going to fight to the last second. “You are insane. Give yourself up. You will never get
away with this. Sooner or later they will catch you.”
With the last bit of energy he had left, Kevin was using a controversial strategy to change the killer’s thinking. “Wrong again,” The Say smiled. “It doesn’t work. I am giving the orders. See this?” He showed Kevin the empty canister. “This is it. This is how your life ends. This time you won’t get away.”
He walked to the door, unlocked, and reached for the lighter. “Why are you killing all these women? What did they do to you?”
“It's a long story, and you don’t care anyway. Your time is running out, Kevin. So no more talking.”
“Promise that you will leave Allie alone.”
Kevin’s pain was so strong now that he could only whisper. He was not sure if the killer had heard him. He was losing a lot of blood. The Say hesitated.
“She will be next, although she did me a huge favor, helping me find you. It was a long journey. Every journey ends and yours ends right here. Ah, something I almost forgot.” He turned and faced Kevin. “Did you know that I am Allie’s exhusband, Chris? I thought I would leave the good news to the end. Now rot in hell, asshole.”
He walked out the door.
Chapter 38
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I left the police station and walked back to the apartment, thinking about what to tell Roman and Monika. Everything was starting to sink in slowly. It had cooled down a lot. The air was refreshing, exactly what I needed right now. The walk was good for me; it seemed like a memory from a previous life.
It was eight o’clock when I arrived. Roman sat in his white recliner armchair, resting his feet on a stool, reading a book. Brahms played in the background. Monika sat on the couch, looking weirdly out of place. It looked like she had been writing something.
“Allie, where the hell have you been? I wanted to go to the police but Roman did not want me to.”
“You’re lucky we didn’t,” Roman said.
“We were worried sick about you. What happened?” He looked at my dirty clothes wit a disapproving glance “You don’t look like you’re coming from the spa and tennis club!”
To Catch A Butterfly You Need A Net Page 15