Nadia Siddiqui - Preyed Upon

by Microsoft Office User

  courage, but you have to understand that once you graduate--if you graduate--you're

  going to be tossed into a system controlled by politics and bureaucrats that could care less

  about you or your sister. Out there,” Captain Wills pointed at the office window, “cops

  take care of cops . . . and cops want cops they can depend on. Women cops don't measure

  up when it comes to walking into a crime-infested neighborhood at midnight. Can you

  understand that?”

  “I can pull a gun trigger just as well as a man—”

  “It's not about who can pull a trigger,” Captain Wills told Tori, allowing his voice to

  become harsh. “It's about caring for the cop next to you and even giving your life for him.

  I'm not bashing women, but I am saying that when the frying pan hits the fire, I want

  someone I can depend on at my side. You, Cadet Whitfield, may be standing here showing

  courage and determination, and I respect that, but what I don't see is your willingness to

  become a team player.” Captain Wills pointed at Detective Lory. “You openly attacked this

  man's character on public television. Do you think this man will ever want you at his side

  when the pan hits the fire?”

  Tori glanced over at Detective Lory. “I—”

  “And that doesn't just go for Detective Lory,” Captain Wills added. “Every cop who

  saw your interview now sees you as a hostile enemy. You attacked one of their own.”

  Captain Wills shook his head. “I can't force you to go home. I understand you sold your

  home and put all of your belongings in storage.”

  “I intend to serve as a cop in Nashville once I leave North Ridge—”

  “And track down your sister. Yes, I assumed,” Captain Wills stated. “Cadet Whitfield,

  as I said, I can't force you to go back to Greenson. Your lawyer has made it very clear that

  if you are forced to quit, we will face an angry barrage of bullets. So what I'm going to do

  is say this: I want you to listen to Detective Lory, and when he finishes speaking, I want

  to follow me back to the auditorium where you will give the detective a public apology

  before your fellow cadets. A crew from the local news station will be present. If you are

  willing to offer a public apology, then I will do everything within my power to help you

  become the cop you need to be with the warning that you should not expect to become a

  super hero in the process. If you refuse, then you will be allowed to remain and cycle

  through, but I will warn you that if you do graduate, you will not be welcomed by any cop

  with open arms. Do you understand?”

  Tori clearly understood what Captain Wills was telling her. Becoming a cop wasn't

  going to solve her problems. Yet, after being attacked and nearly killed, Tori had made up

  her mind to become a cop not just to find her sister, but to step out in a dangerous, deadly

  world and fight. However, as she stood before Captain Wills listening to a hard sleet fall

  outside the office window, Tori realized that she was missing one vital ingredient: She was

  standing in her fighting corner determined to face the world alone. “Detective Lory,” she

  spoke in a clear voice, “I think you are an arrogant, pompous jerk that could have done

  far more to find my missing sister. You treated my sister's case with disrespect. For that I

  will always remain bitter toward you. However, you are a cop and as I stand here, I realize

  that a criminal will try to kill you as quickly as he or she would me. I realize that we must

  operate as a team against a very deadly world. I will offer an apology, but my apology will

  be toward every cop . . . not personally aimed at you.”

  Detective Lory stared at Tori with disgust. “The sooner I'm rid of you the better,” he

  snapped and then grabbed a brown folder. “Listen, the guy you shot dead,” he said, diving

  into police work and putting his personal emotions aside, “was a guy by the name of Larry

  Dawson Langers. This Langers guy has a long criminal record . . . mostly drugs, but a few

  assaults. He had no known address . . . just a street bum who got out of jail a year back.”

  Tori stared at Detective Lory with focused eyes. “I'm listening.”

  Detective Lory made a sour face. Working with the likes of Tori Whitfield sickened

  him. The woman, after being released from the hospital, had stood before a television

  camera and deliberately attacked his character and reputation as a detective. However, as

  disgusting as Tori was in his eyes, Detective Lory had to admit the woman had guts—and

  that counted for something. Maybe, he thought against his better judgment, maybe there

  was a cop hiding in Tori some place; a real cop. “Langers had no family . . . parents

  divorced when he was two . . . mom died of cancer . . . dad died in prison. No brothers or

  sisters.”

  “What does this mean?”

  “Shut up and listen,” Detective Lory barked. “Langers was seen in the Nashville area

  the day your sister went missing. I checked with a few men’s shelters and was able to tag

  one.” Detective Lory slid the file to Tori. “Langers autopsy showed he had some very

  expensive drugs in his system, drugs a homeless bum shouldn't be able to afford. Seems

  to me he was hired to do some criminal work. The question is . . . by whom?”

  Tori felt her heart speed up as she examined the contents of the folder. A photo of

  Larry Langers, a criminal history report, an autopsy report, a drug screen report, a few

  blurry photos of the Opry Mills Shopping Center parking lot; real police stuff. “I thought

  that Matthew Rogers might have been involved because of my sister’s life insurance

  policy. I was wrong.”

  “You bet you were wrong,” Detective Lory snapped. “Matthew Rogers is clean as a

  whistle. As a matter of fact--and I didn't tell you this-- he hired a private investigator five

  months back to find his wife.”

  “When you mentioned the marriage problems . . . and then Larry Langers showed up

  in the school parking lot and knew about me, I assumed—”

  “Never assume,” Detective Lory barked at Tori and made a disgusted face. “Assuming

  will get a cop killed faster than you can blink. “Captain, I'll be in the auditorium waiting

  for my . . . so-called apology. In the meantime,” he said and pointed a finger at Tori, “start

  thinking about who else might have wanted you dead.”

  “We'll be along shortly,” Captain Wills assured Detective Lory, who nodded and left

  the office. “Cadet Whitfield,” he said in a calm voice, “today, as you stand before your

  fellow cadets and issue your apology, I want you to learn that allowing your emotions to

  control your mouth leads to destruction. Remember what the Bible teaches us about those

  who can't control their emotions.”

  “I always control how I feel . . .” Tori bit her tongue. As a woman who prided herself

  on keeping her emotions in check, she had allowed her anger at losing her sister to be

  directed at a single cop—and in return, had allowed her tongue to cause her to become a

  marked outcast. “Yes, Captain, I will remember to control the words I speak.”

  “In the meantime, study the contents of that folder and see if you can help Detective

  Lory.” Captain Wills stood. “Whoever is involved in your sister’s disappearance doesn't

  want you picking at a scab. It would benefit yo
u to assist Detective Lory in finding this

  person.”

  Tori stared into Larry Langers’ ugly, cruel, face and saw a cold-hearted killer look

  back at her. “He's a killer, but there's an even deadlier killer loose out there . . .

  somewhere,” she whispered, feeling a deep fear grip her heart as she reached up and

  touched her scarred neck.

  5

  leep was not a possibility. Tori lay awake in her bed staring up at a dark ceiling,

  listening to heavy sleet falling outside. The sleet was predicted to turn into snow

  S before morning, but so far, that hadn’t happened. Classes for the following day had

  been canceled due to the weather. All cadets had been ordered to spend the day in

  their dorms studying. Tori's mind wasn't on a bunch of law codes. “If Matthew wasn’t

  involved, how did Larry Langers know who I was?” she whispered in a deeply worried

  voice.

  Because Tori had not been assigned a roommate, she had the depressing dorm room

  all to herself. After standing before a room full of cynical cadets and offering a weak

  apology that was aimed more at cops as a whole than at Detective Lory, Tori was greeted

  by cold stares and an icy reception. Even the female cadets--except for Haley--shrugged

  Tori off into a lonely corner. Tori didn't care. Even if she failed to become a cop, at least

  Detective Lory had broken down and shared vital information with her. “I gave up my

  life,” Tori whispered, “but I've gained some ground.”

  Realizing that sleep was not going to arrive, Tori pushed a brown blanket off her body

  and sat up. As she did so her cell phone rang. Tori's troubled eyes traveled to a wooden

  desk sitting next to the bed. Who would be calling her at such a late hour? Her parents?

  Not likely. Matthew? Maybe. An old friend? Possibly. Tori stood and slipped her feet into

  a pair of running shoes, grateful that she had remained in her assigned sweatshirt and

  pants rather than changing into a night gown; she approached the desk and looked down

  at her glowing phone. A number that she didn't recognize appeared on the incoming call

  screen. When Tori saw the number, deep fear crawled into her heart and settled into a

  dark corner. She drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves and then answered the call.

  “Hello?”

  “Leave it alone or your nieces will die,” a deadly voice hissed. “I'm parked right in

  front of Matthew Roger's house. If you persist in trying to find your sister, I will kill your

  nieces.”

  Tori felt an icy hand had burst out of the darkness of the room and slugged her in the

  gut. Losing her sister had been traumatizing. Now, if she allowed her sweet nieces to be

  killed, Tori knew she would never forgive herself. Paula and Noel were all Tori had left of

  her missing sister. “Who are you?” Tori demanded. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Leave it alone,” the voice hissed again. “Leave the police academy . . . go west . . .

  start a new life . . . and forget everything . . . or else.”

  Desperation and misery gripped Tori so tightly that she could barely breathe. How

  was she supposed to simply run away like a scared puppy and forget all about her sister

  and nieces? “You tried to kill me—”

  “And you nearly caused me to lose my right eye,” the voice snapped at Tori like a

  viper striking at an innocent trail walker. “You were lucky!”

  Images of being strangled entered Tori's anxious mind. Without realizing it she

  began caressing her wounded neck. “Who are you?” she demanded.

  “If you don't back away, I'm going to kill your nieces,” the voice threatened Tori

  instead of answering her question.

  Tori closed her eyes and pictured two sweet, innocent faces. How could she risk the

  lives of two innocent children? But then, how could she run away scared and desert her

  sister? What would Amanda Rogers want her to do? Amanda had always been a timid sort

  of woman who avoided arguments and conflicts. Would Amanda approve of Tori's

  actions? And what about Amanda's daughters? Would the missing woman demand Tori

  stay and fight or flee? The answer came easily: Flee. Only Tori couldn't flee. Tori was a

  fighter, but what about the lives of her nieces? Was her desire to find her sister more

  important than protecting two innocent lives. “Please, Lord,” she prayed, “show me what

  to do.”

  “Back down or else,” the voice continued to threaten Tori.

  “No!” Tori was shocked to hear a strong, angry, voice thunder from her mouth as if

  an angel had spoken for her. “You may kill everyone I love, but I'm going to spend the rest

  of my life tracking you down . . . whoever you are. I will not run away scared; do you hear

  me? I'm going to find the truth and when I do, you will answer to me.”

  Silence fell on the other end of the phone. Tori listened carefully. After about three

  minutes of absolute silence, the voice spoke. “If you want to see your sister alive again,

  back down!”

  The first thing Tori noticed was that the voice speaking to her had suddenly lost its

  threatening tone. Why? And then, out of nowhere, a question arose in her mind: Why was

  the killer threatening to kill Paula and Noel and not Matthew? Tori was certain Matthew

  Rogers was innocent of all wrongdoing, and yet the killer speaking to Tori was sparing his

  life. Why? That's when a curious notion struck Tori like a distant hand reaching from a

  faraway land. This guy isn't fully in charge. He's taking orders from someone else. But

  who? Mentally Tori rejected the questions rushing at her and stuffed them into the filing

  cabinet in the back of her mind. “Classes are canceled for tomorrow. I'm driving back to

  Greenson. If I find my nieces unharmed, I will call this number and arrange for my sister

  to be brought safely to me. If you do as I say I give you my word we will drop the matter

  completely and never look back. I'll even leave the police academy and return to a teaching

  position.”

  Silence once again. Tori could feel rather than hear the killer thinking about her offer.

  And then she heard the sound of two people whispering to each other. Someone was

  sitting next to the killer. Who? Tori strained to hear the second person in the vehicle,

  struggling to decipher whether the person was a man or a woman. “No deal,” the killer

  finally spoke in a deep, hateful voice. “Back off or your nieces die.”

  “No,” Tori snapped, standing her ground. “I'm not going to rest until I have my sister

  and you are behind bars. You know where I am. Come and get me!” Tori ended the call

  and then phoned the Greenson Police Department. “Yes, this is Tori Whitfield . . . get a

  cop out to 327 Pine Falls Lane. The man who attacked me in my home just called my cell

  phone and threatened to kill my nieces! Hurry!”

  A sleepy sounding woman took down Tori's information. “I'll call dispatch and get a

  cop out there right away, Ms. Whitfield.”

  Tori thanked the woman and then called Matthew's cell phone. To Tori's relief he

  picked up on the third ring. “I was afraid you wouldn't answer my call—”

  “Did you call to accuse me of killing my wife again?” Matthew asked. He was sitting

  at a warm kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee while staring at a photo of his missing wife.

  “Matthew, the man who tried
to kill me just called my cell phone. He's right outside

  your home. He threatened to kill Paula and Noel. Make sure your alarm system is on and

  then go upstairs, get your gun, and check on the girls. Hurry!”

  “What?” Matthew exclaimed. He jumped to his feet and nearly tripped over the gray

  robe that covered a pair of green pajamas.

  “I called the Greenson Police Department. A cop is being sent out to your home. Just

  do as I say,” Tori begged, feeling helpless and weak. “I'm leaving the campus as soon as I

  end this call. I should be back to Greenson in about two hours.”

  Matthew fled from the kitchen and ran up a back staircase to the second floor to

  check on his sleeping daughters. Both girls were safely asleep in their beds. “The girls are

  safe,” he told Tori running into a large master bedroom. “I'm getting my gun right now.”

  “Make sure the house alarm is set.”

  “I set the alarm hours ago,” Matthew assured her, reaching into an expensive night

  stand and pulled out a Glock 19 that was identical to the one Tori owned. “Okay, I have

  my gun. I'm going back downstairs.”

  “No, stay with the girls until help arrives,” Tori pleaded with Matthew and then felt

  her wounded neck again. “Matthew, the man who tried to kill me knows who I am. How?

  You have to help me.”

  “Tori, I don't know what's going on or how the man who took Amanda knows about

  you. Maybe Amanda told him?” Matthew asked, stepping out into a dimly lit hallway.

  “Amanda wouldn't have known I was going to quit my job and apply for the police

  academy,” Tori informed Matthew. She struggled to form one feasible answer to her many

  questions. “No. This man has been watching me, Matthew.” Tori walked to the dorm

  window, pulled back a cheap brown curtain, looked out into a cold, dark night and

  screamed. “Matthew . . . forgive me for asking, but have you been talking to anyone about

  me?”

  Matthew walked down the hall and stopped at the top of a luxurious staircase. The

  staircase spoke of money—the entire house spoke of money. Matthew was certain money

  had everything to do with the disappearance of his wife. “I . . . confided in Robert Winds

  that I didn't believe you should leave your job at the high school and try to become a cop.