“But, Riley honey, we aren’t going to have a lot of time together. Your boyfriend Luke is already searching for you. In fact, I just talked to him earlier this morning. I called him to ask if it was true that you were missing. Course I knew all along. It was just fun to lie to him. He asked me to post your photo and George’s on the newspaper website.”
“How did you and Maime meet?” I asked, stalling.
“I’ve been planning my revenge on George for a long time. I kept up with him. Facebook is wonderful for stalking your prey. It told me everything I needed to know. When I saw how he was neglecting his pretty little wife, I started paying attention. Well, we get along like a house on fire,” Ben said.
He stood and reached out for Maime. “Don’t we, baby?”
She came over to him and fell into his arms. They kissed. Then he looked down at me and said, “When Maime told me all about what a horrible husband George was I decided he really needed to pay. Maime wanted a little payback on the rotten women who couldn’t keep their hands off her man. It was a win-win for everyone.”
“Why kill Lisa? Maime, George broke up with her for you,” I said. I was trying to understand each kill. I may not get out of this alive, but I wanted to know as much as I could.
“She was in the way. George really liked her. She just kept coming around when we first started going out. She moved away, but then I saw her from time to time in Little Rock. I wanted her gone,” Maime said with some satisfaction in her voice.
“You’re just going to kill me? It’s that easy for you both? What about George?”
“Oh that’s the fun part. Are we ready to end our little game?” Ben asked. He pushed Maime an arm’s length away from him.
He pointed the gun between us both and said to George, “Okay, George, who dies? Their lives are in your hands, George. Who is it going to be?”
CHAPTER 88
BEN YELLED, “COME ON, GEORGE! We don’t have all night. You decide, buddy.”
Ben swung the gun between Maime and me, waiting for George to answer. Maime actually looked a little worried, like this wasn’t part of the plan, but she didn’t say a word.
“Your sweet Maime?” Ben asked, pointing the gun at her.
“Or your feisty Riley?” he asked, aiming the gun back at me.
I couldn’t get loose. I was a sitting duck. I squirmed and twisted my wrists, trying desperately to untie myself. I moved my ankles around trying to loosen the bind. Neither was giving an inch. Maime was standing there her hand pressed to her mouth. She looked terrified. I couldn’t even save myself. I could barely move. My muscles, weak from the cold and the drug, had stopped cooperating.
I yelled clearly panicked, “Maime, come on. This has gotten out of hand. Nobody else has to die. What do you think Ben is going to do after I’m dead? After George is dead? Maime, you’ve seen too much. He isn’t going to let you live.”
She was listening to my plea. I knew she was, but Ben’s voice was louder than mine as he swung the gun between the two of us.
“George, stop this. Nobody has to die. Maime, come on. What is wrong with you people? This is insane.” I was pleading for my life. Nobody was listening or doing anything as Ben continued to swing the gun, taunting us.
“If you can’t pick, George, I will. Or maybe I’ll just kill you instead,” Ben shouted.
He walked over to George and pressed the barrel of the gun to his temple. Ben nudged it harder against George’s head, yelling in his face, “Come on, you coward, who dies? You’ve got three seconds. One. Two…”
George finally cried out, “Riley, kill Riley. Let Maime live.”
Before I knew what was happening, Ben aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger. I heard the noise almost the same instant I felt the pain rip through my right shoulder not far from my chest. Blood poured down my arm. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even reach my hand around to press against the wound. I was in so much pain my breath caught in my throat. Short raspy breaths of air.
Maime looked terrified like maybe she was next. George didn’t even look at me. His eyes were closed tight. Ben was laughing, a maniacal laugh. Tears rolled down my face.
“Stop your bellyaching,” Ben chastised me. “You’ll be dead in a minute. It won’t hurt anymore. Good boy, George, you finally picked the right girl. But it’s too late, you don’t get her. She’s mine.”
Ben walked over to Maime and wrapped her in his arms. Maime fell into him, but her body was stiff. Not like it had been before. I could tell she was really afraid. Something was wrong other than the obvious. I think Ben was going off script. None of the victims had been shot. They had been drugged and strangled.
With Maime still in his arms, Ben looked over at George and said, “This is how it’s going to go. First, I’m going to strangle Riley. Then, when she’d dead, I’m going to shoot you. Not a kill shot. No, that’s too good for you. A gut shot maybe. Let you bleed out. When you’re just about dead, I’m going to call Luke and tell him that I found the cabin and rushed in to save Maime and Riley. I had my gun with me. I accidently shot Riley in the process and shot you in enough time to save Maime. I’ll be the hero. I’ll have killed a serial killer and saved a victim.”
“Is that why they all had on jewelry, to tie them to George?” I asked. My voice didn’t sound like my own. The pain was getting more intense and the blood was pooling on the floor under my right side.
“Of course, I had to make it obvious. You’ll have a pretty ring on. You aren’t going to be left out, don’t worry. George is so vain. He had to engrave everything with his initials. It was an easy thing to use,” Ben explained casually.
I wondered when his first kill was. He was far too casual about this to have just started.
“It will be over soon, Riley. You won’t feel any more pain. I promise. Sorry I had to shoot you, but I’m an unlikely hero. I had to set the stage. Make it look convincing.”
“You won’t get away with this. Luke will figure it out,” I said. I knew I was grasping. Luke believed George was the killer. Ben’s set up would assure him of that. Luke already trusted Ben. It would just look like Ben was better at his job than they already thought. Ben would get away with it.
“Even if Luke figures it out, Maime and I will be long gone,” Ben said definitively.
He walked over to me and looked down at me propped against the wall. He said softly, “Ready to die?”
He shoved me down hard onto my back. I screamed in pain when his hand hit my shoulder. Ben straddled my chest. I felt his weight on me but couldn’t do anything about it. He was heavy, and I was trapped under him. He wrapped his hands around my throat and applied pressure.
He was cutting off my air supply with his hands. He was going to choke me to death. I struggled against him the best I could. He was so heavy on top of me. I was losing consciousness quickly. The last thought I had before I blacked out completely was that at least he hadn’t drugged me like the others. Even shot and tied up, I could still move.
CHAPTER 89
A SINGLE GUNSHOT rang through the thick dense woods, stopping Cooper cold in his tracks. He stood silent for a moment, trying to figure out which direction it came from. Up ahead to his left. He raced towards it. The sun was setting so it was hard to see much beyond a few feet in front of him.
Just as Cooper was starting to think he might have run in the wrong direction, he saw light up ahead. It was a rustic and very old cabin. One story. Pitched roof with a front porch held up by four wooden beams. There was a door in the middle and two square windows to each side.
Cooper slowed his pace and tried to quiet his footsteps against the leaves and sticks that crackled and popped beneath his weight. The silence made each step boom against its backdrop. Cooper saw the BMW and George’s Chevy Tahoe. This was it. The place. He knew Riley would be inside. He said a silent prayer that the gunshot wasn’t the end of her life.
Cooper approached the window with his gun drawn. The blinds were closed, and it was hard to s
ee in. He could see what he presumed was the back of George’s head. Maime stood off to his left against the wall. They both stared at Riley who was motionless on the ground. Ben straddled her chest, choking the life from her.
Acting quickly, Cooper took a few short strides and kicked the door in, aiming his gun in Ben’s direction. He fired off two shots both hitting Ben, one in the side and the other in the back of his head. Seconds passed too slowly for Cooper. Ben’s body jerked as the bullets made impact. He slumped down on top of Riley, covering her. Maime moved quickly grabbing for the gun on the table next to where George remained. Cooper couldn’t see his face and wondered if he was dead.
Maime aimed and fired at Cooper barely missing him. Cooper advanced on her and shouted for her to stop. She aimed and got off another shot before Cooper could get to her. A bullet sliced his arm, ripping off skin as it buzzed by. It lodged in the wall behind him.
He tackled Maime to the ground as the glass windows exploded around them, heavy booted reinforcements advanced into the cabin. Cooper landed with a hard thump as he threw Maime to the ground, kicking the gun out of her reach.
Cooper looked up to see Luke running to Riley’s side. They pulled Ben’s lifeless body off of her. Riley was covered in blood.
Cooper watched as Luke felt for a pulse and wiped the blood away from Riley’s mouth. He started CPR. Cooper collapsed his head back against the wood floor. He prayed he wasn’t too late.
Officers came in and pulled Maime off the ground and put her in cuffs. She was screaming and shouting the whole time that she was a victim and that her father would have them all fired. Nobody listened.
She wasn’t injured in any way, even from Cooper tackling her to the ground. They took her away in a squad car. Cooper could hear the sirens wail as it moved farther and farther from the cabin.
He watched Luke still performing CPR. Finally, another detective working on Riley with Luke nodded that there was a pulse again. The paramedics arrived seconds later and loaded Riley onto a stretcher. Luke stayed by her side. He mouthed a thank you to Cooper as he followed Riley out to the ambulance for transport to the hospital.
Cooper finally saw George’s face. Someone had done a pretty good job of giving him exactly what he deserved. He watched the officers untie his hands and then his ankles, which were also tied to the chair. They helped him up and read him his rights as they slapped the cuffs on him.
He may not have killed any women but nobody would consider him innocent. If Riley didn’t make it, Cooper was pretty sure both George and Maime would be held accountable. Either way, Cooper was hoping George was facing some criminal action.
Cooper stood watching George escorted out by two detectives – one on either side of him. When George got to the cabin door, he turned to Cooper and said, “You know I never meant to hurt her. I really didn’t. I just loved her too much to let her go.”
Cooper wasn’t sure if he meant Riley or Maime. It didn’t matter now either way.
CHAPTER 90
LUKE PACED THE FLOOR OF THE ICU. Riley was still in surgery. The ambulance had first taken them to Hot Springs Mercy Hospital. The doctors realized quickly the gun shot had nicked part of Riley’s right lung and more invasive surgery was needed. They airlifted her to UAMS in Little Rock.
That was three hours ago. The surgeon thought Riley was going to make it, but they tried not to be overly optimistic.
Luke finally stopped pacing and sat down in the waiting room, which the hospital tried to make as comfortable as possible for families. It was empty other than him. The last family had left hours ago. It was nearly one in the morning.
Luke was expecting Riley’s mom Karen to come in at any time now. A few hours before, Cooper finally showed up, got a few stitches in his arm, and offered to pick Karen up at the airport.
Emma had been to the hospital twice, but Luke sent her back home. There was nothing anyone could do but wait.
The news story broke about an hour ago. Captain Meadows handled the press conference for Luke. He was surprised Cap had actually credited Cooper with the shot that killed Ben. Luke’s cellphone was racking up messages and texts asking about Riley. There were more people than she realized who loved her. He was first on that list.
“You’re the young man that breathed life back into my daughter?” Karen asked as she walked into the waiting area.
Luke stood and walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t think she was expecting it, but she hugged him back.
Cooper hung back by the doorway.
“How is she?” Karen asked. “I want to speak to the doctor.”
“She’s still in surgery.” Luke pointed to Cooper and said, “He’s really the one to thank. Ben would have killed Riley if Cooper hadn’t been there in time.”
Luke stepped back and appraised Riley’s mother. She really didn’t look like Riley at all. She was short, small-framed, short blonde hair and clear blue eyes. But the fire, a hot temper burning in her eyes was all Riley. Luke guessed Karen was tougher than she looked.
“The man who tried to kill her is dead?” Karen inquired.
“Yeah, I shot him twice. I didn’t have a choice,” Cooper explained.
“Please don’t be sorry about it. Better you than Riley’s father. He would have tortured him first. You gave him an easy death.” Karen paused and then added, “Probably easier than he deserved.”
Luke never heard Riley talk about her father. Just that he wasn’t a great guy, mob connected in Ireland. Luke wasn’t necessarily surprised to hear what Karen had to say on the subject, but the direct manner in which she spoke about it was a little shocking.
Just then, Doctor Bill Avery, a trauma specialist, interrupted the conversation. He updated them that Riley was out of surgery and stable. He was able to remove the bullet, reset her shoulder, and close the tear in her lung. It would be a slow recovery, but she would live.
Dr. Avery also said that there didn’t seem to be any permanent damage from the strangulation. That the time her oxygen was cut off was so short there would be no long-term damage.
Cooper and Karen looked as relieved as Luke felt.
“Can we see her?” Luke asked.
“Yes, but she’s asleep. She won’t wake up for hours and won’t respond to you now. Let her rest. Don’t stay for more than a few minutes,” Avery said before leaving.
Luke let Karen go in to see Riley first. She stayed in there for about fifteen minutes. Luke watched as she came out and spoke with the nurse.
Karen walked back to where Luke was standing and said, “She’s okay. I imagine you want to spend the night here with her. We both can’t, and I think it would mean a lot to her if you were here when she woke up. Cooper tells me my daughter has a house here. I’d like to go there. Cooper said he’d drive me over so you can stay.”
Luke nodded and handed her the key to Riley’s house. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”
“I’m sure. Besides, if she woke up and saw her mother here in Little Rock, it might send her into cardiac arrest.” Karen broke into the same wide grin as Riley’s and then she hugged Luke.
After Karen and Cooper left, Luke walked down the hall and stood in the doorway watching Riley sleep. All he had to do was flash his badge at the approaching nurse. She pulled up a comfortable chair to put by Riley’s bed.
Riley was pale and a mess of tubes and monitors, but she looked peaceful in spite of it all. When he arrived at the cabin earlier that night and saw her covered in blood and not breathing, he thought he had lost her.
Luke swore right then if she lived, he’d never leave her side again no matter how much she fought him. He pulled the blanket a little higher around her, moved the hair back from her forehead, and rested his hand over hers. He stayed like that for a few moments. Then he sat back in the comfortable chair planning only to rest his eyes. He fell asleep more soundly than he had in months.
The next morning
“Am I in heaven or hell?” Riley whisp
ered as she woke. It was loud enough to wake Luke. She had her head turned and was smiling at him, waiting for his response.
Luke opened his eyes to see her smiling face. He got up and kissed her lightly on the lips and teased, “That depends. Your mother is in town and staying at your house.”
EPILOGUE
Three months later
THE FIRE CRACKED AND POPPED. I was happy to be home in Little Rock. I wrapped myself snugly in a blanket and sank into my couch. My injuries were healing nicely. I still got tired more quickly than I had prior. I wasn’t used to having to take it easy.
I hadn’t started back to work yet and was living off of savings for now. It was a good break whether I liked it or not. Other than physical injuries, I fared pretty well.
The doctors encouraged me to seek out some therapy to process what happened, but I was doing okay. I still had nightmares of being suffocated. When I woke each night, Luke was right there with me.
Luke and my mother still looked at me like I was going to crack at any moment, but they were easing up. I think they were finally understanding that I was going to be okay.
I would like to say I’d forgiven George, but I’m not sure I ever will. He almost got me killed. Luke and I talked about it. I decided not to press charges against George for kidnapping me. It wasn’t really up to me though. It was really up to the prosecutor’s office, but after a meeting, the consensus was that it didn’t really serve any purpose to make George go to jail.
Ultimately, he was trying to save Maime’s life. It was totally misguided and showed me without a doubt how little he valued my own life. Sometimes though, I let myself believe he was probably doing the best he could in his own screwed up way.
If I were to be honest, I’d trade him in a heartbeat for Luke. George’s life was pretty much destroyed anyway even without jail time.
Deadly Sins Page 28