Shaking her head, she desperately tried to shake the memories of Wes out of her mind. There was no time to mourn him now. She had to think clearly.
“How could you do it?” she whispered.
Andrew laughed. “He begged me not to do it, said he loved you. Well, that wasn’t a reason to spare him, was it? But it was a reason to kill him, and to kill who started it all, the person who took him away from me, who deserved to suffer for what you’d done. You’re just like my mom. You take exactly what you want, and then you toss everything else aside like worthless trash. You’d have tossed Wes aside one day too, but it would have been too late for me. Nobody betrays me like that and nobody treats me the way you did. He needed to die, and you needed to suffer.”
Her captor began to pace out his mania. His agitation building. In between his laps across the room he turned to stare at her with menace as he spat out the words, words that had Chelsea shaking her head in disbelief.
“I invited him over for old times’ sake. All he could talk about was you and how cool it was that he had his life together and that he would be marrying into money. He was so surprised when I cut him.”
Chelsea screamed and shook her head even more violently to rid herself of every memory, of every thought, of every part of this horror. A clear head is what she needed to get away from this animal. She wished again that she wasn’t bound so she could block her ears. She didn’t want to hear any more, but he kept going anyway.
“They never found his body. They’ll find yours, though, but they won’t find me. Oh, I will enjoy watching every last drop of your blood spilling, bitch.”
Oh god, Wes... Lucas, I need you… Thinking about what happened to Wes and remembering Lucas was almost too much to endure.
“When the fun of watching you cry over Wes wore off, it was time for you to die, so I started practicing, to get it just right. Seeing the terror in their eyes, watching their blood spill and hearing their last breath was like sweet medicine to my soul. I enjoyed cutting those other girls as I thought about you. Now you are my last, Chelsea. My ultimate prize. It’s been worth the wait. Soon, you too, will taste the feeling of nothingness.”
He started to undo his jeans again and Chelsea was bracing herself for what was to follow when she heard a knock on the front door. Andrew looked up alert and tense.
“Don’t make a sound or whoever it is gets it,” he said to her with threatening look as he removed the gun from the waistband of his pants. He disappeared out the room.
Didn’t he say if I yelled no-one would hear me? Should I try?
Confusion reigned. If she called out would she be putting someone in jeopardy? Was she willing to take the chance, to save her own life at the risk to another?
Andrew peered through the peephole and saw two detectives standing at the door, one of them the bitch’s lover. So, you think you’ve found me? Well think again. Chad Wilson lives here, not Andrew or Wesley, for that matter. I bet you’re looking for Wesley. I shall be very disappointed if you aren’t. I knew eventually you would find out about his record and assume it was him. Exactly what I wanted, I will get away with murder and you will continue to look for a dead man. He caught a glimpse of Hudson as he ventured down the side of the house and around the back. Look all you like, you won’t see anything. After a several minutes they left. Now I can finish what I started.
“Your boyfriend was here but he’s gone now. No-one is going to save you,” Andrew said when he returned. “Time to hear you scream again.”
Two emotions raged through Chelsea: relief because he wasn’t going to rape her and fear regarding the pain she was about to endure again. She didn’t know which one was winning. When he took out his knife, fear won.
Lucas…. I love you... If only I could see you one last time... Wes….
Again she tried to block out the pain so she wouldn’t give him what he wanted. It was excruciating, and she didn’t know how much longer she could take it. She screamed again, from the pain, from the anger, for Wesley and, most of all, at the thought of never seeing her loved ones again. She could feel the blood streaming from the incision in her chest and, for a slight moment, hoped she would bleed out and the nightmare would be over. But he stopped the bleeding and cleaned the wound as her emotions switched between relief and despair. He then left her alone without saying another word.
Lucas... come back.
If he came once, he might again. Lucas was thorough and would not give up. Something led him here, maybe it would again. She needed to hope, it was all she had left. Andrew wasn’t going to see reason. If someone didn’t find her soon, she was going to die here.
Hours passed and the pain from her wounds dissipated whilst her desolation overwhelmed her. There was no escape.
Later that day – at least she presumed it was the same day - she heard another knock on the door. She yelled out until she was hoarse, but the knocking soon stopped and whoever it was went away again. She possessed no clue as to the time or how much of it had gone passed. Her mouth was so parched, and her throat hurt when she swallowed. All she could do was think and hope. She thought about his beautiful amber eyes, his sexy smile, his passion and tenderness while tears rolled down her face. She screamed in frustration. Regardless of the uselessness of it, she screamed for help again. Endless minutes passed. Her yelling became a squeak as her voice finally gave out. Her wrists began to bleed again from pulling relentlessly at her bindings.
Chelsea lost all hope of ever being found alive. Hot tears slid down her cheeks and her croaky sobs filled the empty room. Goodbye, my love.
“It’s getting late and there isn’t much else we can do tonight. I’m going home so I can get an early start in the morning. Perhaps you should do the same,” Maggie said after hours of fruitless scouring of files and interviews.
“I’m just going to go through everything one more time. I think we’re missing something. I can’t just sit around at home. I have to find her.”
“Suit yourself,” she replied. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Oh God, Chelsea, where are you? What is he doing to you? I can’t lose you too.
Lucas read through every report and interview on file. He called the techs working on the stolen car and advised them to run any fingerprints found against Wesley Robinson’s - now accessible since his file had been re-opened. He cursed when he saw, due to the age of the case, that there was no DNA from Robinson’s juvenile record. They would have nothing to check the hairs that had been found against, unless they found Wesley. Even if they had a comparison it wouldn’t tell them where he was but at least they would know if they were looking in the right place. Now he had nothing to check to be sure.
While reading through the files for what felt like the hundredth time, one of the techs arrived with the results from the car. Plenty of fingerprints but none of them were Wesley’s. Was it even the kidnapper’s car or had he been wearing gloves?
As the night progressed and each minute passed, his despondency grew. What was he missing? His gut told him the house across from Chelsea could be where he was holding her, but he couldn’t bust in there on instinct alone. He needed a reason and at the moment he didn’t have one. All he had were dead ends and his despair. According to the neighbor, he wasn’t blond. Could he be wearing a disguise? He could be, after all, using a different name. Anything was possible, but it wasn’t enough to obtain a warrant or to enter the house. His hands were tied. A dark-haired man who kept to himself who lived across the road from Chelsea hadn’t answered the door. No probable cause there. He checked his phone for the hundredth time, urging the detectives watching the house to call. Lucas contemplated waiting there himself but knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from kicking down the door. He could barely contain the urge now.
Returning his attention to the files in front of him, he searched them again, looking for something, anything that could give them a clue, a reason to charge in there.
I know she’s there. I can feel it
. Forget the job. I have to know.
If he didn’t check, he was going to lose his mind. He swiftly stood up, ready to charge into the suspect house, consequences be damned.
Captain Shaw intercepted Lucas as he strode towards the exit.
“Where you off to, Hudson?” he boomed. “Have you found a lead?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“You’re going alone?’
“Yes, Captain.”
“You’re not going to do anything to jeopardize your career are you, Detective?”
“Ah, I would prefer not to answer that.”
“I’m aware of what’s happening with this case, Hudson. I realize you have a hunch about where the perp may be but I’m advising you strongly to follow procedure.”
“He’s going to kill her!”
“Give it one more night, Lucas. We have men on the house and they will keep trying. If they don’t get lucky, well it’s up to you then.”
“I can’t give it one more night. Do you know what he did to those girls?”
“Of course I do. If I have to, I’ll take you off the case, then, if you go there tonight you will be doing more than breaking procedure. I’m doing this for you, Lucas. You’re one of my best men and I would hate to see you go because you lost your head. If this were a different girl, you would wait.”
“It’s not a different girl.”
“I know, but please just wait.”
“Ah fuck it all!” He stormed out of the precinct.
Charlotte opened her eyes to see her whole family by her bedside. Harold, Bradley and Hayden had driven down first thing that morning and had been sitting vigil by her bedside since they’d arrived.
Her Pa was snoozing in a chair in the corner and her parents were sitting either side of her. Hayden was sitting in the opposite corner looking downcast and miserable.
“Where’s Chelsea?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, honey, there’s been no news yet,” said Sarah, her voice filled with distress.
“Mom, Dad, what will we do without Chelsea?”
“Lucas will find her. You have to believe that, Charlotte” Sarah said.
Carrie was just about to go to bed when there was a soft knock at the door. She opened it to find her brother looking worse than she’d ever seen him and still wearing the same clothes from the night before. Haggard, unshaven and disheveled, she’d never seen him looking worse. His expression was the worst of all and it broke her heart. His torment was apparent in every feature.
“Oh, Lucas, honey.”
He walked in, sat on the couch and put his head in his hands before groaning in anguish.
“I might know where she is,” he said through his hands, “but due to fucking procedure I can’t go in because if I do and we catch him, he could get away with it. I almost went there tonight anyway, risking the case and my career. I still want to... I don’t care about my job, my life... if she...”
“Is she worth losing everything for?”
“Yes, the thought of life without her… I just can’t....”
There was nothing she could say to make it better, so she did exactly what she had done the night before. She held him.
Chapter 31
Fate
Saturday
Dawn’s first light spilling through the window woke Lucas. He opened his eyes tentatively and found he was curled up on Carrie’s constricting couch. He sat up slowly, feeling stiff and tired from another sporadic night’s sleep.
Although still desperate to locate Chelsea, he felt slightly better after obtaining some rest. He decided to go home to shower and change with the aim of freshening his mind as well as his appearance, before heading into the station. He called Detective Smith on route.
“Hey, Hudson, we haven’t seen any signs of life. We tried several times last night but got no answer again at the door. I’m just about to try again now.”
“Call me as soon as you know.”
“Will do, either way.”
Lucas tapped his fingers anxiously on the desk, waiting for his phone to ring, whilst looking over the files he was now beginning to memorize. He jumped when it rang.
“Hudson.”
“Yeah, it’s Smith.”
“How did you go?” he asked, holding his breath.
“It’s not Robinson.”
“Did he answer the door?”
“Yeah.”
“Did he see anything?”
“No, he said he was working.”
“Did you find out his name?”
“Yeah, Chad Wilson.”
“What?” Did he hear right?
“Chad Wilson, but he’s not our perp.”
“Chad Wilson is either the killer’s alias or his accomplice. Didn’t you read the file?” Silence followed. “Smith?”
“We read some of it. I thought Wesley Robinson was our suspect, so I didn’t think it was him when he said his name was Chad. I asked him what he saw, if he knew the girls and his name. I thought you would want to know when he was home. You know more about the case and I thought you would want to talk to him yourself. I fucked up. I’m sorry.”
Damn rookie detective. He knew he should have gone himself.
“Are you still at the house?” Lucas asked.
“No, we left when it wasn’t Robinson. Sorry man, we can go back...”
“I got it.”
He flew out of his chair and, as he ran from the station, he called Maggie’s phone.
“He answered the door,” he said when she’d answered.
“Who did?”
“Chad Wilson.”
“What?”
“It’s the right house, Mags. I’m on my way there now.”
“I’ll call for backup and meet you there. I’ll be there in about twenty-five minutes. I’ve just left home.”
He hung up, jumped into his car and fired up the siren.
The drive went in slow motion. When he finally arrived, he decided he wasn’t going to waste time waiting for back up.
The pounding on the door woke Chelsea. She heard someone call ‘Police, open up,’ but it didn’t sound like Lucas. The persistent knocking and calls to open the door had occurred several times the previous evening. At least she thought it had been the previous evening. Was it morning now? Chelsea wasn’t sure, but she guessed it had been several hours since the last knock. The room seemed lighter despite the blackened windows, so she thought the sun must be up. Each time the knocks came, she called out but knew no-one could hear her. They weren’t giving up and Chelsea allowed hope to enter her heart again.
She heard Andrew yell out ‘Just a minute’ from the hall near the front door. Could someone hear her if she yelled out?
“Help! I’m in here.”
Andrew appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a dark wig and baseball cap.
“If you make another sound, whoever it is, will die. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice almost gone now. Even if she yelled with all she possessed, no-one would hear her.
He disappeared down the hall. Was he actually going to open the door to the police? She couldn’t believe it? Maybe there was a chance after all.
Andrew opened the door to the young detective. As he wasn’t Hudson or his good-looking blonde partner, he figured if he kept his face concealed, it was safe to answer. Perhaps they would cease their persistent knocking if he did.
“Good morning, I’m sorry to bother you so early, Sir.”
“That’s okay. What can I do for you?”
“My name’s Detective Smith and we’re looking into a kidnapping which occurred across the street. Could I could ask you a few questions.”
I don’t think he recognizes me.
“Sure, I’ll do my best, Detective.”
“Were you home on Thursday night?”
“Um, no, I was at work. I work night shift sometimes.”
“So, you didn’t see what happened across the street?”
“No
, Sir, I was out from about seven until well after five a.m. I wasn’t aware something had happened.”
“Do you know the girls who live across the street?”
“No, I haven’t been living here very long and don’t know any of my neighbors. I keep to myself and I work a lot, so I don’t really see much that goes on in the street. I like to mind my own business.”
“Okay, Sir. I won’t take up anymore of your time.” He turned to leave. “Oh, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Chad Wilson.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wilson. Have a nice day.”
He left, and Andrew smiled smugly to himself. He was definitely going to be able to finish what he started with Chelsea now. They wouldn’t be back.
No! Please come back.
Didn’t Lucas ask her if she knew a Chad Wilson? The detective hadn’t recognized his name. Chelsea was sure she’d heard the name before. He’d shown no recognition, so maybe this wasn’t the name Lucas asked her about. She couldn’t get anything straight in her head. Had her last chance for survival just passed her by?
With a heavy heart she closed her eyes and waited for Andrew to come back.
Time passed slowly, and she even wished he would come back and finish what he started so it could all be over.
“Well that should be the last time we see them. I think it might be time for me to try again,” he said when he finally appeared.
Chelsea allowed her mind to drift and fade slowly towards the darkness. Fear and sadness consumed her. The pain seemed endless now. She accepted her fate and her heart broke for Lucas. Through the thickening haze she heard pounding.
“This is the police, open up.”
Lucas? Now I’m hearing things. Maybe I’m dead or dreaming. I can hear his voice even in... She drifted towards the darkness once more.
Rich Girl (Broken Wishes Series Book 1) Page 20