Nate wound his way through a small subdivision to find the one house that belonged to Jessica Rappaport’s father, David. Nate had not been the one to break the news to David about his wife Lea. For that he was grateful. Maybe the fresh face wouldn’t bring back so many bad memories.
After circling the neighborhood for what seemed like hours Nate came upon a small stucco house that looked like the small stucco house next to it except this one was painted a light brown while the other was painted a light mauvish color. Nate couldn’t be sure. Both homes had Spanish tiles on the roof, brown painted garages and no less then three palm trees in the front yard.
The yard was neatly trimmed but on the brownish side. This didn’t surprise Nate since they hadn’t had much rain lately. The sun was still up but hanging on by a thread. It was Fall, October to be exact and the sun was going down earlier and earlier but still there was a twinge of light at 7 in the evening and Nate was grateful for it.
The neighborhood was strangely quiet for so early on a Saturday evening. No children on bikes or playing in driveways. No elderly men and women sitting on their chairs on their porches watching the world go by. Instead there was nothing. He didn’t think his car was too obviously a police vehicle nor did he think this neighborhood would have been that concerned. Maybe there was something he didn’t know.
Nate lifted his hand to knock but before any sound came the door opened. A woman with a bikini top and very short shorts stepped out. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her skin was a leathery tan like she had been outside too much. She pulled sunglasses over her eyes as she stepped into the sun. She didn’t look Nate’s way.
“Get back here woman!” A man’s voice came from inside the house.
“I ain’t comin’ back. Besides, you got visitors.” The woman replied as she climbed into the Ford Mustang Nate had been sure not to park behind.
“What the…?” The man’s words were cut short when he saw Nate on his front doorstep. “Who the heck are you?” Only he didn’t say “heck” and his question was followed by more curse words. Nate waited without saying a word. Then, “Well, what do you want?”
“Mr. Rappaport?”
“That’s me. Are you some kind of reporter? Cause I’m sick of talking to reporters and I don’t got nothing else to say.” David Rappaport wore no shirt and his shorts were far enough down that Nate could see his underwear underneath. The distinct smell of cigarettes and alcohol had assaulted Nate the moment the door had opened. The smell was stronger when David was in front of him. David’s hair was what anyone would call “dirty blond” with a mixture of blond and brown. Unfortunately for David his appeared to also be truly dirty. It also lacked any style and was sticking up and laying down in no particular order on his head.
“No, sir, I’m with the FBI and I need to talk to you for a moment.”
“The FBI?” David’s brown eyes bore into Nate full of suspicion and wariness. This seemed odd to Nate since he had checked the man’s record and he’d had none. What was there to fear from the FBI or the police?
“Yes, sir. I’m here to talk to you about your daughter.”
A quizzical look crossed David’s face. “My daughter?”
“Jessica. You are David Rappaport, are you not?”
“Call me Dave.” A string of curse words followed his statements. Then he added, “Come in.” Dave stepped aside and Nate stepped through the door next to him. The smell became stronger like a stale bar that hadn’t been aired out in months. A non-smoker Nate was almost overwhelmed by the stench. There was almost no furniture in the small house. A torn up sofa sat across from an older but quite large TV. A TV stand table sat next to the couch. Empty beer bottles took up most of the tabletop.
The living room connected to the dining room which was empty except for a hanging chandelier indicating where a table should go and a desk to write on sitting against the wall. An opening above the desk gave Nate a peek into the kitchen beyond.
“Did you find her body then?” Dave asked with no emotion in his voice. Immediately Nate got suspicious. Why would he ask such a thing? Apparently sensing his uneasiness Dave added, “I seen the news. I ain’t no idiot. If you’re here that has to be why.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Rappaport that is why I’m here. We found Jessica’s body this morning beside a lake in Sarasota. Do you know anything about this?”
“Look, Jessica was Lea’s kid. I adopted her when she was six to make Lea happy. I’m not really into kids so I didn’t much care for her but I liked Lea enough.”
“Mr. Rappaport, I have to tell you that I have come here to inform you about Jessica’s death. I must also tell you that Jessica was murdered so for me to hear a response like that from you does not make me think well of you. Do you understand what I’m saying?” The last sentence came out slowly and carefully to ensure that David Rappaport did not miss Nate’s meaning.
Dave quickly back peddled making clear to Nate that he understood. Dave threw his hands up in the air, “Look man, I didn’t have nothin’ to do with Lea’s or Jessica’s death.”
“Looks like you’ve moved on pretty quickly.”
“Her?” Dave indicated outside the window with his thumb. Nate nodded. “She’s just a friend.”
“Do you have a lot of ‘friends’?” Nate held up his fingers to indicate quotes.
“I have a few.” Nate looked at Dave again. His hands went up again. “It’s not like me and the old lady was getting on well. We had a few fights, no big deal. I’ve made a few new friends since we got married and Lea ain’t happy about it. But she was getting over it. She had to if she wanted to keep me.” Dave paused then added, “And she did.”
“Because you’re such a wonderful guy?”
Dave shrugged.
“Mr. Rappaport, did you have any idea that Jessica was pregnant?”
“What the…?” Dave proceeded to curse again. More than once. Saying things about Jessica that Nate had never wanted to hear. He was talking about a twelve year old girl. His words should not be coming out of a grown man’s mouth.
Nate cut him off, “Do you have any idea who the father is?”
“How should I know? That girl ran around with anybody.”
“Mr. Rappaport, she was twelve. I haven’t met any twelve year olds who run around with people.” Nate moved closer, “If you did anything to her, I swear that you will not get away with it. I will personally see to that.”
“Check me out, man, I’m clean.” The hands were in the air again.
Nate nodded. “I need to check out Jessica’s room.”
“Sure, fine.” Something flashed across his eyes. Then it was gone. “This way.” Nate followed Dave down a small hallway that ended abruptly in a bright pink room. The room was painted a bright pink on all four walls. Underneath the lone window opposite the door was a twin sized bed. It was covered in a black and white animal print comforter. The matching pillows and shams had a pink trim. A black-painted dresser was on the bed’s left. A matching desk was on the bed’s right. Animal print and pink trim were everywhere. Nate smiled. This girl had taste.
The room was perfectly neat and tidy. Not a thing was out of place. The bed was made and all the toys were put away. Pictures hung straight on the wall and sat straight on the desk. A pink laptop lay closed on the desk. Perfectly placed. Nate threw open the closet doors and found small clothes lined up in a row. The top of the closet was empty, the bottom was lined with shoes. Also perfectly straight. Three white boxes the size of shoe boxes were stacked in the closet corner. Flipping them open he found some papers inside each one.
Nate didn’t know that many kids but he had yet to meet one that kept their room this perfect without a reason. That reason was either a parent made them keep it this way or a parent did keep it this way. As Nate looked over the room Nate was betting on a little bit of both.
For all its cleanliness the room looked searched. When Nate opened up the desk drawers they had definitely been rummaged through. There were no papers in any of the drawers. There were plenty of pens and markers and crayons but no paper. The girl had to write on something.
Next Nate moved to the dresser and opened each drawer. Instead of being neat like the rest of the room the drawers were a mess and overflowing. Shorts were mixed with tops were mixed with pants. The entire room had the feel of being gone through and then straightened out afterwards in an attempt to make it look like no one had been there.
Someone had been looking for something.
Nate looked under the bed. Nothing.
Walking slowly across the floor Nate listened for a squeak or a crack. The floor beneath the carpet felt solid. Even at the corners and molding.
Assuming the obvious places had already been searched Nate checked out the less obvious ones and carefully began cutting open the mattress. Without a warrant he had to do his work discreetly. He had been given permission to search the room but if it appeared that he was tearing the place apart Dave could quickly ask him to leave. Then, if Dave had been the one to search the room he would search again and possibly find what he had been looking for and hide it. This was assuming he hadn’t already found it.
Nate couldn’t think about that.
Whatever might be hidden was not in the mattress. Or the pillows. Or under the bed.
Feeling between the mattress and box spring Nate felt something strange. A lump that shouldn’t be there but could easily be missed if one was just glancing. The question was how to get at it without attracting the attention of Dave who had left Nate alone to get a beer.
Nate knew he had left for a beer because he had offered Nate one. Twice. The man was into this alcohol. No surprise to Nate.
Quickly Nate unmade the bed and flipped the mattress. He ran his hand over the mattress again and found the same discrepancy. He cut into the mattress with a pocket knife. If Nate had been honest he would have hoped for a diary. The kind that spilled her guts. Said everything that needed to be said. Told him who got her pregnant and why she was kidnapped.
Instead he found a piece of paper with one word: zebra98
Nate made it for a password of some kind. Glancing at Jessica’s laptop Nate had a thought. But first he had to remake the bed as carefully as he had found it.
“Find anything?” Dave was standing in the doorway with his beer. Nate took a deep breath and hoped that Dave didn’t see him jump.
“Nothing yet.” Nate made a show of smoothing out the bed’s comforter and passing over the rest of the room with his eyes. His eyes landed on the laptop. “Can I take the computer? Maybe she stored something in there?”
“I don’t know, maybe. I checked around the room a bit, didn’t find anything.” He made a swirling motion with his beer to indicate the entire room.
That would explain the lousy search job.
“I understand. I’m going to take the computer and a few boxes from the closet. Maybe something in there will give us an indication as to who the father of her baby might be. DNA takes time.”
“DNA? What can they test?” Dave asked.
“Technicians will take DNA from the baby. When we have something to compare it to we’ll be able to tell who the father of the baby is.”
“And how long does that take?”
“Right now we have nothing to compare it to. Once we do it depends on how quickly the lab can get us the results. Sometimes a week, sometimes as much as six weeks.”
“Hmm, yea, I hope you find something.” Dave stepped out of the doorway and towards the front door of the house. Nate took that as his cue to leave, grabbed Jessica’s computer and a few boxes, then followed Dave to the front door.
With a wave and a nod the two parted ways and Nate made his way back to his cruiser. He left Dave staring after him on the front doorstep. Not for a second did Nate buy Dave’s innocent and helpful act. Nate could only hope Dave’s secret was contained in the laptop and three boxes he had taken from the house. And that that secret would lead to a break in his case and not a bigger set of complications.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Chapter 25
**** Author's note: I apologize for the delay in getting up another chapter - it's been a busy week with the end of school and traveling to Florida - now that I'm here I will try to update and write more frequently - thanks for bugging me! ******
Nate cut the interview with Annabeth short. Ashley had been through enough. She didn’t need the third degree on something Nate was sure she didn’t do nor had anything to do with. With a gentle hand, Nate steered Ashley past Annabeth and to Nate’s car. Nate opened the passenger side door and waited for Ashley to seat herself comfortably before closing it behind her. He walked around the front of the vehicle keeping his eyes on Ashley the entire time in case she decided to get out of the car and run.
“You need a break,” Ashley said when he made it to the driver’s seat. Always like her to think of others first.
“I’m fine. You’re the one I’d worry about,” Nate said. “You’re not leaving my sight again until we catch the monster responsible for this.”
“I’ll be okay, Nate, really…”
“You say that and yet you’re not,” Nate said. Nate looked out the front window at the chaos in front of him. Part of him wanted to jump out of the car and get back to work but the rest of him knew he needed to be right where he was. In the quiet with Ashley.
“Ashley, I just… It’s been twelve years…”
“Nothing’s changed.”
“Why not?”
“Nate, they were shot down in cold blood. You don’t just get over that.”
“Have you thought about forgiving and letting go?” Nate chose his words carefully. To him it had been twelve years, to Ashley it was yesterday.
“How can I forgive the man that murdered my only son? Who murdered my husband? While I was twenty feet away!” Ashley looked out her own window leaving Nate to stare at the back of her head. It was a nice head, with her brown hair pulled back into a playful ponytail. Or it would have been playful if the head it was on wasn’t so angry.
“Ashley, the man who murdered them is in jail. You have to let it go…”
“I can’t!” The ponytail swished as she turned back to him, her face now red and flushed. “This man took my family away. The life I had. Everything I loved. What am I left with? What does it matter?”
“But you’re still here. And that isn’t an accident…”
“I’m here so Jimmy can taunt me. So he can flaunt what he did in front of me for twelve years. I wish he would’ve killed me that day. I wish I had died there with Donnie and Aidan.”
“But you didn’t.” Nate couldn’t help but push a stray strand of Ashley’s hair back behind her ear. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall and looked away once more. “Have you ever thought there could be a reason?”
“Of course,” Ashley looked Nate in the eye. “I’m here to help find the scum of the earth who hurt children. I’m here to save the children even when I couldn’t save my own. I instruct the courts when to take children out of their homes to keep them safe and yet, I couldn’t keep my own son safe…” Her voice trailed off as she bit her lip.
“Ashley, that sounds like a rehearsed speech. Have you thought deeper then that? Like there’s a chance that someone higher then you is keeping you here for another reason?”
“Like a higher power?” Her sarcasm was not lost on him.
“Yes, like a higher power. Like God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. That kind of higher power…”
“Not your God speech again. You can’t seriously be throwing this in my face.”
“Ashley, I’m not throwing it in your face. I’m worried about you. I have been for a long time,” Nate paused and ran his hand down Ashley’s cheek. “Sometimes, Ashley, the forgiveness isn’t for the person who has done the wrong but the person who has been wronged. The anger that you’ve been holding in has been affecting you. Jimmy’s rotting in prison and he doesn’t care if you hate him or not. In fact, he may want you to. Maybe it’s time for you to do something for you and not for him.”
“But I don’t know how.” The tears were spilling out now. With his eyes, Nate traced them down her cheek and onto the collar of her shirt. Nate wasn’t sure what to say so he said nothing. The truth was he didn’t have the answers. He had never experienced such a painful loss as what Ashley had been through. What he did know is that after twelve years she hadn’t been able to move on and she truly needed to.
“The truth is, Nate that I want to move on. But every time I try I see Aidan’s face and I feel like I’m being unfaithful. Like I’m not a good mother…”
“But you were the best mother. Aidan knew that as tiny as he was. He loved you and so did Donnie and I know that both of them would want you to be happy. They wouldn’t want you sitting around miserable,” Nate said.
“I know all that. I’ve tried. I went back to school. I got my Master’s and I got a job. I started helping kids. I did go on with my life but yet, it doesn’t feel like it at all.”
“When was the last time you dated someone?”
Ashley looked down at her perfectly manicured hands. Painted a light pink they sparkled when the sunlight hit them making the tan on her arms appear even darker. “It’s been a while.”
“And how did that end?”
“Look, I have a mad man following me. You know about the flowers but what you don’t know is every time I start seeing someone strange things happen. One guy went missing. One guy got hit by a car.”
“That might not have been related…”
“After each incident I got a note from Jimmy taking credit for whatever went wrong.”
“It doesn’t make sense. He’s in prison. How can he be contacting you?” Nate rubbed his chin in thought. “Stranger still, if he truly was a deranged husband why would he still care about you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve gone over it again and again. All I can come up with is that his actions caused him to lose his girlfriend permanently and he still blames me.” Ashley sighed and Nate wished there was some way he could take away her pain.
“Seems like it was his own fault.”
“I know that and you know that but delusional people don’t necessarily understand. When he was tried and convicted he said his reasons for killing Donnie and Aidan was because he was angry with me for counseling his girlfriend to leave him and he wanted me to know the same pain he felt.”
“And you have. The only way to move on now is to be better then him. To not continue to feel the pain. Maybe even to date someone else.”
“Nate, I’ve already told you what happens when I date someone…”
“I’m willing to take my chances.” The words came out before Nate had a chance to stop them. The smile Ashley tried to hide after he did said them made him glad he had.
“Thanks Nate, I appreciate all you’re trying to do for me. I have to work through this. I know that. I’ve spent so many years hiding and crying that I feel like I’ve lost myself.” Ashley wiped away the tears that still remained on her cheek and forced a smile. Nate understood from her demeanor that the conversation was over. “You’ve got work to do and so do I. Thing may not be right in my life but these families need my help and that’s something I can do.”
“I agree. I need to finish up a few things here and then head back to the office. I don’t want you out of my sight so please stay put.” Nate drilled into Ashley with his eyes but she did not respond or nod. “Am I clear?” Finally an almost imperceptible nod. The real question was whether or not she would actually listen.
Nate climbed out of the driver’s seat and headed back to the scene. As he gathered information from Eric and Annabeth he found that not much had changed. The medical examiner had Jessica’s remains on the way back to the morgue and the crime scene technicians were processing the scene. So far they had gathered very little. It appeared that the girl had not been killed here, instead her body had either washed up on the shore of the “lake” or it had been dumped next to it. Because of Ashley’s phone call Nate was going with dumped next to it.
The homeowner’s of the house directly in front of the lake had been contacted and checked out. They had been out of town for over a week. While it appeared Jessica had been dead for a few weeks the technicians had not yet found any indication that the body had been in its final resting place for more than a few days.
“See the soil impressions here?” One of the technicians asked pointing to the area that once held Jessica’s body.
Nate had nodded as though he understood.
“If the body had been here for a longer period of time we wouldn’t see as much leaf breakage,” the technician pointed to the branches around the indentation. “The trees would have had time to re-grow but as you can see they haven’t. These branches have been recently broken. I’d say this is where they left her body.”
Nate nodded again. He didn’t care about the science behind what the technicians found just that they did their job and that their reports made sense both to him and to a jury. Juries these days wanted hard evidence including DNA to tell them who did it and why. Science had never been Nate’s thing but he knew how important it was and why he needed it to put criminals behind bars. And so, he always politely nodded when the techs gave him information and never rushed them.
“Thanks for your work.” Nate left the technicians and other agents to do their job. Now he was left with the dreaded task of informing another father about the loss of his child. While his talk with Ashley had made him feel better nothing could take away the pain and dread he felt when notifying a family of a deceased loved one. Especially when that one was a child. Nate prayed for at least the thousandth time that this would be the last one. Because if it wasn’t he didn’t know what he would do or how much more he could handle.
Nate cut the interview with Annabeth short. Ashley had been through enough. She didn’t need the third degree on something Nate was sure she didn’t do nor had anything to do with. With a gentle hand, Nate steered Ashley past Annabeth and to Nate’s car. Nate opened the passenger side door and waited for Ashley to seat herself comfortably before closing it behind her. He walked around the front of the vehicle keeping his eyes on Ashley the entire time in case she decided to get out of the car and run.
“You need a break,” Ashley said when he made it to the driver’s seat. Always like her to think of others first.
“I’m fine. You’re the one I’d worry about,” Nate said. “You’re not leaving my sight again until we catch the monster responsible for this.”
“I’ll be okay, Nate, really…”
“You say that and yet you’re not,” Nate said. Nate looked out the front window at the chaos in front of him. Part of him wanted to jump out of the car and get back to work but the rest of him knew he needed to be right where he was. In the quiet with Ashley.
“Ashley, I just… It’s been twelve years…”
“Nothing’s changed.”
“Why not?”
“Nate, they were shot down in cold blood. You don’t just get over that.”
“Have you thought about forgiving and letting go?” Nate chose his words carefully. To him it had been twelve years, to Ashley it was yesterday.
“How can I forgive the man that murdered my only son? Who murdered my husband? While I was twenty feet away!” Ashley looked out her own window leaving Nate to stare at the back of her head. It was a nice head, with her brown hair pulled back into a playful ponytail. Or it would have been playful if the head it was on wasn’t so angry.
“Ashley, the man who murdered them is in jail. You have to let it go…”
“I can’t!” The ponytail swished as she turned back to him, her face now red and flushed. “This man took my family away. The life I had. Everything I loved. What am I left with? What does it matter?”
“But you’re still here. And that isn’t an accident…”
“I’m here so Jimmy can taunt me. So he can flaunt what he did in front of me for twelve years. I wish he would’ve killed me that day. I wish I had died there with Donnie and Aidan.”
“But you didn’t.” Nate couldn’t help but push a stray strand of Ashley’s hair back behind her ear. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall and looked away once more. “Have you ever thought there could be a reason?”
“Of course,” Ashley looked Nate in the eye. “I’m here to help find the scum of the earth who hurt children. I’m here to save the children even when I couldn’t save my own. I instruct the courts when to take children out of their homes to keep them safe and yet, I couldn’t keep my own son safe…” Her voice trailed off as she bit her lip.
“Ashley, that sounds like a rehearsed speech. Have you thought deeper then that? Like there’s a chance that someone higher then you is keeping you here for another reason?”
“Like a higher power?” Her sarcasm was not lost on him.
“Yes, like a higher power. Like God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. That kind of higher power…”
“Not your God speech again. You can’t seriously be throwing this in my face.”
“Ashley, I’m not throwing it in your face. I’m worried about you. I have been for a long time,” Nate paused and ran his hand down Ashley’s cheek. “Sometimes, Ashley, the forgiveness isn’t for the person who has done the wrong but the person who has been wronged. The anger that you’ve been holding in has been affecting you. Jimmy’s rotting in prison and he doesn’t care if you hate him or not. In fact, he may want you to. Maybe it’s time for you to do something for you and not for him.”
“But I don’t know how.” The tears were spilling out now. With his eyes, Nate traced them down her cheek and onto the collar of her shirt. Nate wasn’t sure what to say so he said nothing. The truth was he didn’t have the answers. He had never experienced such a painful loss as what Ashley had been through. What he did know is that after twelve years she hadn’t been able to move on and she truly needed to.
“The truth is, Nate that I want to move on. But every time I try I see Aidan’s face and I feel like I’m being unfaithful. Like I’m not a good mother…”
“But you were the best mother. Aidan knew that as tiny as he was. He loved you and so did Donnie and I know that both of them would want you to be happy. They wouldn’t want you sitting around miserable,” Nate said.
“I know all that. I’ve tried. I went back to school. I got my Master’s and I got a job. I started helping kids. I did go on with my life but yet, it doesn’t feel like it at all.”
“When was the last time you dated someone?”
Ashley looked down at her perfectly manicured hands. Painted a light pink they sparkled when the sunlight hit them making the tan on her arms appear even darker. “It’s been a while.”
“And how did that end?”
“Look, I have a mad man following me. You know about the flowers but what you don’t know is every time I start seeing someone strange things happen. One guy went missing. One guy got hit by a car.”
“That might not have been related…”
“After each incident I got a note from Jimmy taking credit for whatever went wrong.”
“It doesn’t make sense. He’s in prison. How can he be contacting you?” Nate rubbed his chin in thought. “Stranger still, if he truly was a deranged husband why would he still care about you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve gone over it again and again. All I can come up with is that his actions caused him to lose his girlfriend permanently and he still blames me.” Ashley sighed and Nate wished there was some way he could take away her pain.
“Seems like it was his own fault.”
“I know that and you know that but delusional people don’t necessarily understand. When he was tried and convicted he said his reasons for killing Donnie and Aidan was because he was angry with me for counseling his girlfriend to leave him and he wanted me to know the same pain he felt.”
“And you have. The only way to move on now is to be better then him. To not continue to feel the pain. Maybe even to date someone else.”
“Nate, I’ve already told you what happens when I date someone…”
“I’m willing to take my chances.” The words came out before Nate had a chance to stop them. The smile Ashley tried to hide after he did said them made him glad he had.
“Thanks Nate, I appreciate all you’re trying to do for me. I have to work through this. I know that. I’ve spent so many years hiding and crying that I feel like I’ve lost myself.” Ashley wiped away the tears that still remained on her cheek and forced a smile. Nate understood from her demeanor that the conversation was over. “You’ve got work to do and so do I. Thing may not be right in my life but these families need my help and that’s something I can do.”
“I agree. I need to finish up a few things here and then head back to the office. I don’t want you out of my sight so please stay put.” Nate drilled into Ashley with his eyes but she did not respond or nod. “Am I clear?” Finally an almost imperceptible nod. The real question was whether or not she would actually listen.
Nate climbed out of the driver’s seat and headed back to the scene. As he gathered information from Eric and Annabeth he found that not much had changed. The medical examiner had Jessica’s remains on the way back to the morgue and the crime scene technicians were processing the scene. So far they had gathered very little. It appeared that the girl had not been killed here, instead her body had either washed up on the shore of the “lake” or it had been dumped next to it. Because of Ashley’s phone call Nate was going with dumped next to it.
The homeowner’s of the house directly in front of the lake had been contacted and checked out. They had been out of town for over a week. While it appeared Jessica had been dead for a few weeks the technicians had not yet found any indication that the body had been in its final resting place for more than a few days.
“See the soil impressions here?” One of the technicians asked pointing to the area that once held Jessica’s body.
Nate had nodded as though he understood.
“If the body had been here for a longer period of time we wouldn’t see as much leaf breakage,” the technician pointed to the branches around the indentation. “The trees would have had time to re-grow but as you can see they haven’t. These branches have been recently broken. I’d say this is where they left her body.”
Nate nodded again. He didn’t care about the science behind what the technicians found just that they did their job and that their reports made sense both to him and to a jury. Juries these days wanted hard evidence including DNA to tell them who did it and why. Science had never been Nate’s thing but he knew how important it was and why he needed it to put criminals behind bars. And so, he always politely nodded when the techs gave him information and never rushed them.
“Thanks for your work.” Nate left the technicians and other agents to do their job. Now he was left with the dreaded task of informing another father about the loss of his child. While his talk with Ashley had made him feel better nothing could take away the pain and dread he felt when notifying a family of a deceased loved one. Especially when that one was a child. Nate prayed for at least the thousandth time that this would be the last one. Because if it wasn’t he didn’t know what he would do or how much more he could handle.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Chapter 24
Todd Purcell zipped up his pants as he exited the room. With a grunt and a shrug he made his way to the kitchen to get a beer. Always good after a little pleasure.
He stopped short when he sensed him. He hadn’t seen him yet but Todd could always tell when he was there. His heart beat faster and his palms started to sweat. Todd called him the Man. Truth was he didn’t know his name but he knew he answered to him.
“How was she?” He asked from darkness of the living room.
“Louder then the others. That ones a screamer but we’ll break her. We always do.” Todd tried to keep his voice light, to keep the tremor out of it but it was impossible when he was around. This was the one man that Todd both feared and admired.
“What about the others?” It was more of an accusation then a question. Todd knew he would have to answer for his actions but had hoped that killing Jonathan would have been enough. Now he wasn’t so sure.
“That was Jonathan’s mess. I took care of him.”
“I know. It’s all over the news. Your incompetence is not encouraging.” The Man was close enough to see now. The faint light of the kitchen was absorbed by his black eyes. Did this Man even have a soul?
“It wasn’t me. Jonathan…” He held up his hand and Todd stopped his words.
“I know who it was but I paid you for five girls. Now you only have two. I expect you to make up the difference. And you only have one week to do it. I am not leaving the country without all the girls I need.”
“Two? What about Jessica?” Todd’s palms were sweaty again. This wasn’t part of his deal. Where would he find three more girls on such short notice?
“Let’s just say that she didn’t work for me and her family will pay the price.” He moved back his jacket and Todd didn’t miss the gun in his belt. “The price was for five girls and I will have them or you will meet Jonathan’s fate.”
“What about the other girl?” Todd asked.
“Which one?”
“Kayla. When do I get to break her?” Todd licked his lips. Of all the girls she was the youngest and most beautiful. He yearned to feel her soft skin.
“She is mine and she is off-limits. Take the other one but do not touch her.”
Todd held up his hands, “Fine, fine! I get the idea.” Todd shrugged and grabbed his beer out of the refrigerator. He took a swig and looked back at The Man. Why was he still here? He only showed up when he wanted something and yet he hadn’t said anything. Todd eyed the Man’s gun again and his heart began to pound. Was he here to kill him?
The Man grinned, “Don’t worry Todd, I’m not here to kill you. I, do, however need you to do something for me.”
He handed Todd a list of names. These would be the other three girls they needed. The Man gave explicit instructions that these girls were not to be taken in the same way as the others. They already had enough trouble with the FBI especially Agent Zimmerman.
“You will get this done or you will meet the same fate as your friend Jonathan,” The Man patted his gun and left Todd alone in the apartment. Making appointments for Julia’s suitors would have to wait. He had a lot more work to do and not a lot of time to do it in if he valued his own life.
Ashley held on to Nate’s hand and let him bring her to her feet. She leaned against the tree and looked around her. The woods, the lake. Something just wasn’t right. Something had been wrong with Jessica.
“Something’s wrong,” Ashley said.
“What do you mean?” Nate asked.
“I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about Jessica. Something isn’t right.” Ashley began walking towards the lake and towards Jessica. “I need to see the body.”
“The medical examiner isn’t here yet and you need to clear the scene. I can’t let you…”
“Nate, you called me here to help. My gift may be to talk with children but I am a trained Forensic Psychologist and you need my opinion. I wasn’t wrong about the other things, I’m not wrong now.”
Nate sighed but allowed Ashley to come with him to examine the body when Dr. Brekken showed up. Ashley said little as they waited. She kept her eyes averted from the tiny form that still lay covered by the lake. She could tell by the gray color of Jessica’s hands that she had been there for a while.
Ashley looked the girl up and down. Despite her grayish tone Ashley could see old bruising. Her wrists and ankles appeared to have rope marks around them. She had been bound. Some of her wounds looked fresh but some looked old. Ashley crouched down to get a better look. Tree limbs covered most of the body. Her tank top was covered in mud but Ashley thought it used to be yellow. A bright color for a beautiful child. Child, who did this to you? Ashley raised her hand to lift away a branch from across Jessica’s legs.
“Don’t touch the body,” An officer chided from behind her.
Ashley held up her hand in acknowledgement. She hadn’t been around long but she knew enough not to touch things. Without the branch it was obvious that Jessica’s pants were torn and hanging on by a thread. Blood pooled around her groin area, soaking into the dirt. “She didn’t wash up here, she was placed there.”
“It’s a bad body dump if I ever saw one,” Nate said.
“I don’t think anyone was trying to hide her. Remember, someone sent me here. It had to be for a reason.” Ashley pointed to marks on Jessica’s shoulders and legs, “Do you see these marks, Nate? These are old wounds. This is a deep scar underneath her arm that doesn’t look like it healed properly.”
“How can you tell?” Nate asked.
“See how wide the scar is? It looks like there was gaping skin open in this area. If it had received proper treatment it would have been healed in a straight line, or at least a jagged one. This looks untouched…”
“Good observation Ms. Parks,” a female voice came from behind Ashley. She stood to see the medical examiner, Dr. Brekken walking towards them. Her short brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she wore dark rimmed eyeglasses that made her look like a TV nerd. But the freckles on her face gave her such a girlish look that one would know the glasses were only there to accentuate her intelligence.
Ashley stepped out of the doctor’s way and let her get to work. Crime scene technicians took photographs of every move that was made. This tiny girl was being reduced to a sum of photographs and whatever her family remembered of her. At least what was left of her family which as far as Ashley knew only included her father. Twelve years reduced to a nightmare ending. Maybe it was better that Aidan’s life ended so young. Better to avoid the real pain of this horrible life.
“She was pregnant,” Dr. Brekken’s words cut through Ashley’s tirade against life.
“What?” At least four voices around Ashley asked the same question.
“Tell-tale bump right here,” Kelly pointed to Jessica’s abdomen. How Ashley had missed it she wasn’t sure given the clinginess of the girl’s clothes.
“She’s only been missing for four weeks…” Nate said.
“Then this was from before the kidnapping. I’d say she’s between three and four months along.”
“She was only twelve,” Ashley bit back the tears that threatened to overflow. How could it be worse? Nate grabbed Ashley’s shoulders and attempted to turn her away from the scene but Ashley dug her rubber soled heels into the ground. She wished she’d had her stilettos, those would stick better. When Ashley didn’t move, Nate let her go but his eyes relayed the message that they would discuss the topic later.
“What was the cause of death?” Nate asked turning his attention back to Kelly.
“Strangulation. Looks like with a belt around the neck. If I had to guess I’d say a man’s belt but we’ll know more once I get her back to autopsy.”
“Same COD as the other victims,” Eric said.
“True,” Kelly replied, “But if I remember correctly, Dr. Folek told me those girls were strangled by hand, this girl was strangled by a belt. More forethought, less anger. I believe you have more then one killer.”
“Was she raped?” It was Nate again asking the question that everyone wanted to know the answer too but didn’t want to ask.
“I can’t tell that here, I need to get her back. Dr. Folek and I will perform the autopsy and I’ll get you results as quickly as I can.”
One of Kelly’s assistants had rolled the black gurney down between the houses and the trees and back to the pseudo lake. After Jessica was loaded onto the gurney and zipped into the black bag that covered her face, Ashley finally felt free to leave the area. Nate followed without a word, making no attempt to hide his protective stance. If someone was going to get to her, he would have to go through him.
Despite her desire to be self-sufficient, Ashley didn’t mind Nate next to her. She didn’t mind his protective nature.
The kiss.
Ashley had just discovered a dead body after a voice on the phone told her where to go and all Ashley could think about was Nate’s kiss. She hadn’t really noticed him before… No, that was a lie. She’d always noticed Nate but she never thought that he wanted anything to do with her. Sure they’d flirted in college but when Donnie came along Nate never said a word. He was in their wedding. He called and visited when Aidan was born. He never said a word. Had she missed it or just chosen to ignore it?
Ashley walked with Nate through the backyard and into the front. Unlike the other girls Ashley felt no evil here. No terror. No fear. Jessica hadn’t been killed here, only dumped.
The once quiet cul-de-sac now bustled with police cars, ambulances and fire trucks. Officers were working everywhere, canvassing the neighborhood and taping off the scene. Horrible yellow tape already covered the yard Ashley had exited. With nothing better to do two paramedics rushed Ashley and walked her to their bus leaving Nate standing alone in the driveway.
“I’m fine, really.” Ashley pushed the paramedics back.
“Are you injured ma’am?” One of them asked.
“No, seriously I’m fine. I need to help Agent Zimmerman, please let me go.” Ashley pushed to stand. Her world swam around her but she stood still lest the paramedics decide she needed to go to the hospital for some reason.
“Wait there Ms. Parks. I have some questions for you.” Ashley recognized Nate’s Lieutenant, Annabeth Porter and sighed.
“Yes, Ms. Porter?”
“How did you find Jessica’s body?” Annabeth’s black hair was slicked back into a bun and away from her dark face. Her brown eyes had a tint of purple around them and her large lips were colored soft lavender. Ashley thought it looked nice on her.
“I was jogging when my phone rang. I answered it…”
“Do you know who called you?”
“No, I didn’t recognize the voice or the number.”
“And yet you did what he said,” Annabeth’s tone was no less then demeaning.
“He told me that if I didn’t listen he would kill Officer Easton.”
“And yet Officer Easton is dead. How do I know you didn’t shoot him and then find this little girl?”
“I didn’t kill anybody.”
“But maybe you’re working for someone who did…” Ashley knew Annabeth had to ask these questions but they were still painful to hear.
“I have no idea…”
“Then why are we always coming back to you? What’s your connection?” If only Annabeth knew how much Ashley wanted to know the same thing.
He stopped short when he sensed him. He hadn’t seen him yet but Todd could always tell when he was there. His heart beat faster and his palms started to sweat. Todd called him the Man. Truth was he didn’t know his name but he knew he answered to him.
“How was she?” He asked from darkness of the living room.
“Louder then the others. That ones a screamer but we’ll break her. We always do.” Todd tried to keep his voice light, to keep the tremor out of it but it was impossible when he was around. This was the one man that Todd both feared and admired.
“What about the others?” It was more of an accusation then a question. Todd knew he would have to answer for his actions but had hoped that killing Jonathan would have been enough. Now he wasn’t so sure.
“That was Jonathan’s mess. I took care of him.”
“I know. It’s all over the news. Your incompetence is not encouraging.” The Man was close enough to see now. The faint light of the kitchen was absorbed by his black eyes. Did this Man even have a soul?
“It wasn’t me. Jonathan…” He held up his hand and Todd stopped his words.
“I know who it was but I paid you for five girls. Now you only have two. I expect you to make up the difference. And you only have one week to do it. I am not leaving the country without all the girls I need.”
“Two? What about Jessica?” Todd’s palms were sweaty again. This wasn’t part of his deal. Where would he find three more girls on such short notice?
“Let’s just say that she didn’t work for me and her family will pay the price.” He moved back his jacket and Todd didn’t miss the gun in his belt. “The price was for five girls and I will have them or you will meet Jonathan’s fate.”
“What about the other girl?” Todd asked.
“Which one?”
“Kayla. When do I get to break her?” Todd licked his lips. Of all the girls she was the youngest and most beautiful. He yearned to feel her soft skin.
“She is mine and she is off-limits. Take the other one but do not touch her.”
Todd held up his hands, “Fine, fine! I get the idea.” Todd shrugged and grabbed his beer out of the refrigerator. He took a swig and looked back at The Man. Why was he still here? He only showed up when he wanted something and yet he hadn’t said anything. Todd eyed the Man’s gun again and his heart began to pound. Was he here to kill him?
The Man grinned, “Don’t worry Todd, I’m not here to kill you. I, do, however need you to do something for me.”
He handed Todd a list of names. These would be the other three girls they needed. The Man gave explicit instructions that these girls were not to be taken in the same way as the others. They already had enough trouble with the FBI especially Agent Zimmerman.
“You will get this done or you will meet the same fate as your friend Jonathan,” The Man patted his gun and left Todd alone in the apartment. Making appointments for Julia’s suitors would have to wait. He had a lot more work to do and not a lot of time to do it in if he valued his own life.
Ashley held on to Nate’s hand and let him bring her to her feet. She leaned against the tree and looked around her. The woods, the lake. Something just wasn’t right. Something had been wrong with Jessica.
“Something’s wrong,” Ashley said.
“What do you mean?” Nate asked.
“I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about Jessica. Something isn’t right.” Ashley began walking towards the lake and towards Jessica. “I need to see the body.”
“The medical examiner isn’t here yet and you need to clear the scene. I can’t let you…”
“Nate, you called me here to help. My gift may be to talk with children but I am a trained Forensic Psychologist and you need my opinion. I wasn’t wrong about the other things, I’m not wrong now.”
Nate sighed but allowed Ashley to come with him to examine the body when Dr. Brekken showed up. Ashley said little as they waited. She kept her eyes averted from the tiny form that still lay covered by the lake. She could tell by the gray color of Jessica’s hands that she had been there for a while.
Ashley looked the girl up and down. Despite her grayish tone Ashley could see old bruising. Her wrists and ankles appeared to have rope marks around them. She had been bound. Some of her wounds looked fresh but some looked old. Ashley crouched down to get a better look. Tree limbs covered most of the body. Her tank top was covered in mud but Ashley thought it used to be yellow. A bright color for a beautiful child. Child, who did this to you? Ashley raised her hand to lift away a branch from across Jessica’s legs.
“Don’t touch the body,” An officer chided from behind her.
Ashley held up her hand in acknowledgement. She hadn’t been around long but she knew enough not to touch things. Without the branch it was obvious that Jessica’s pants were torn and hanging on by a thread. Blood pooled around her groin area, soaking into the dirt. “She didn’t wash up here, she was placed there.”
“It’s a bad body dump if I ever saw one,” Nate said.
“I don’t think anyone was trying to hide her. Remember, someone sent me here. It had to be for a reason.” Ashley pointed to marks on Jessica’s shoulders and legs, “Do you see these marks, Nate? These are old wounds. This is a deep scar underneath her arm that doesn’t look like it healed properly.”
“How can you tell?” Nate asked.
“See how wide the scar is? It looks like there was gaping skin open in this area. If it had received proper treatment it would have been healed in a straight line, or at least a jagged one. This looks untouched…”
“Good observation Ms. Parks,” a female voice came from behind Ashley. She stood to see the medical examiner, Dr. Brekken walking towards them. Her short brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she wore dark rimmed eyeglasses that made her look like a TV nerd. But the freckles on her face gave her such a girlish look that one would know the glasses were only there to accentuate her intelligence.
Ashley stepped out of the doctor’s way and let her get to work. Crime scene technicians took photographs of every move that was made. This tiny girl was being reduced to a sum of photographs and whatever her family remembered of her. At least what was left of her family which as far as Ashley knew only included her father. Twelve years reduced to a nightmare ending. Maybe it was better that Aidan’s life ended so young. Better to avoid the real pain of this horrible life.
“She was pregnant,” Dr. Brekken’s words cut through Ashley’s tirade against life.
“What?” At least four voices around Ashley asked the same question.
“Tell-tale bump right here,” Kelly pointed to Jessica’s abdomen. How Ashley had missed it she wasn’t sure given the clinginess of the girl’s clothes.
“She’s only been missing for four weeks…” Nate said.
“Then this was from before the kidnapping. I’d say she’s between three and four months along.”
“She was only twelve,” Ashley bit back the tears that threatened to overflow. How could it be worse? Nate grabbed Ashley’s shoulders and attempted to turn her away from the scene but Ashley dug her rubber soled heels into the ground. She wished she’d had her stilettos, those would stick better. When Ashley didn’t move, Nate let her go but his eyes relayed the message that they would discuss the topic later.
“What was the cause of death?” Nate asked turning his attention back to Kelly.
“Strangulation. Looks like with a belt around the neck. If I had to guess I’d say a man’s belt but we’ll know more once I get her back to autopsy.”
“Same COD as the other victims,” Eric said.
“True,” Kelly replied, “But if I remember correctly, Dr. Folek told me those girls were strangled by hand, this girl was strangled by a belt. More forethought, less anger. I believe you have more then one killer.”
“Was she raped?” It was Nate again asking the question that everyone wanted to know the answer too but didn’t want to ask.
“I can’t tell that here, I need to get her back. Dr. Folek and I will perform the autopsy and I’ll get you results as quickly as I can.”
One of Kelly’s assistants had rolled the black gurney down between the houses and the trees and back to the pseudo lake. After Jessica was loaded onto the gurney and zipped into the black bag that covered her face, Ashley finally felt free to leave the area. Nate followed without a word, making no attempt to hide his protective stance. If someone was going to get to her, he would have to go through him.
Despite her desire to be self-sufficient, Ashley didn’t mind Nate next to her. She didn’t mind his protective nature.
The kiss.
Ashley had just discovered a dead body after a voice on the phone told her where to go and all Ashley could think about was Nate’s kiss. She hadn’t really noticed him before… No, that was a lie. She’d always noticed Nate but she never thought that he wanted anything to do with her. Sure they’d flirted in college but when Donnie came along Nate never said a word. He was in their wedding. He called and visited when Aidan was born. He never said a word. Had she missed it or just chosen to ignore it?
Ashley walked with Nate through the backyard and into the front. Unlike the other girls Ashley felt no evil here. No terror. No fear. Jessica hadn’t been killed here, only dumped.
The once quiet cul-de-sac now bustled with police cars, ambulances and fire trucks. Officers were working everywhere, canvassing the neighborhood and taping off the scene. Horrible yellow tape already covered the yard Ashley had exited. With nothing better to do two paramedics rushed Ashley and walked her to their bus leaving Nate standing alone in the driveway.
“I’m fine, really.” Ashley pushed the paramedics back.
“Are you injured ma’am?” One of them asked.
“No, seriously I’m fine. I need to help Agent Zimmerman, please let me go.” Ashley pushed to stand. Her world swam around her but she stood still lest the paramedics decide she needed to go to the hospital for some reason.
“Wait there Ms. Parks. I have some questions for you.” Ashley recognized Nate’s Lieutenant, Annabeth Porter and sighed.
“Yes, Ms. Porter?”
“How did you find Jessica’s body?” Annabeth’s black hair was slicked back into a bun and away from her dark face. Her brown eyes had a tint of purple around them and her large lips were colored soft lavender. Ashley thought it looked nice on her.
“I was jogging when my phone rang. I answered it…”
“Do you know who called you?”
“No, I didn’t recognize the voice or the number.”
“And yet you did what he said,” Annabeth’s tone was no less then demeaning.
“He told me that if I didn’t listen he would kill Officer Easton.”
“And yet Officer Easton is dead. How do I know you didn’t shoot him and then find this little girl?”
“I didn’t kill anybody.”
“But maybe you’re working for someone who did…” Ashley knew Annabeth had to ask these questions but they were still painful to hear.
“I have no idea…”
“Then why are we always coming back to you? What’s your connection?” If only Annabeth knew how much Ashley wanted to know the same thing.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Chapter 23
“Anything yet?” Eric leaned over Nate’s desk looking at the spread of paperwork covering it. Pictures of the missing and known deceased girls were all over it. Even though the entire group had a working white board covered with pictures and marked with timelines Nate liked to have things right in front of him. It allowed him to move things around and rearrange them in his own mind whenever he needed to.
“I just got back the financial analysis from all five families…”
“You got access to the Fleming’s financials?”
“Michael allowed it. Claims he has nothing to hide.”
“And does he?” Eric asked.
“Not that I can tell so far. We have accountants digging deeper. This is just their preliminary report. Everything seems pretty normal. Three out of the five couples filed for divorce.”
“Which ones?”
“Sykes, Rappaports and Lamberts.”
“Do you think it’s significant?”
“Could be. It’s easier to target a single mother but when I talked to Collin Lambert he said they were reconciling and not going through with a divorce,” Nate said.
“But maybe whoever was stalking them didn’t know that.”
“Then they weren’t very good on their surveillance were they?”
“Not all bad guys are smart, Nate!”
“We could only hope they were all dumb.”
Nate laughed at Eric’s comment as Eric returned to his desk. It would certainly work in their favor if all criminals laid it out for them and made it easy to find and arrest them. Unfortunately for Nate this wasn’t the case for their current situation.
As Nate continued to sift through his paperwork he heard his cell phone ring. Digging through the stuff on his desk he found his phone and saw that it was Ashley’s number. Odd, he thought, didn’t I just talk to her?
“Zimmerman.”
“Nate, its Ashley,” her voice was a low whisper. Nate sat up on high alert.
“Ashley, what’s wrong?”
“I’m in trouble, Nate. Something is wrong. Hold on…” He could hear crunching noises coming through the phone followed by an “ouch” and then she was back. “Nate, I found Jessica.”
“Where is she? Is she alive?”
“No, I found her body. It’s not far from Michael’s house.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m not sure. It’s a long story.”
“Where is Officer Easton? He was supposed to cover you.”
“He’s not very good at his job. But Nate he might be dead…”
“What?” Nate stood up from his seat and began motioning for Eric. When Eric didn’t look up at him he began snapping. That got his attention and he was by Nate’s side once again.
“I heard shots fired. At least two. I was talking to this guy on the phone. He told me where to go. He said if anyone came or if Officer Easton followed me he would kill him. I did as he said but then I heard shooting. I don’t know if it’s at me or him. Nate, I’m scared.”
“Ashley, tell me where you are and I will be there in minutes.”
“I’m around the corner from Michael’s. Maybe a mile or two away. I don’t know the street. I was jogging. I’d gone like a mile when my phone rang…”
“Ashley, what happened?”
No response. More crunching, then heavy breathing, then “Oh God, no, no, no!”
Nate lost the connection.
“Eric, we have to go. Ashley’s in trouble. I need them to put a tracker on Ashley’s cell phone. I’m not getting a connection but I don’t think she turned it off. We should be able to find her.”
“Got it.”
“I’m leaving now. She said she’s not far from Michael’s. I’m heading there now. Call me when you have the exact spot.”
Nate didn’t wait for an answer or response. Instead he grabbed his keys and ran to his cruiser. With lights blazing and his foot on the gas he was near Michael’s house in just under thirty minutes. He had yet to hear from Eric as to Ashley’s exact location so he went to Michael’s and began to bang on his front door.
“What is wrong with you?” Michael asked as he opened the door. “Didn’t Ashley just talk to you?”
“Where is she?”
“She went for a run.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know an hour, maybe two.”
“Two hours. You don’t find that odd?”
“I have no idea how long she normally runs for.”
“Michael, she’s in trouble. She just called me. We have to find her. Do you know which way she went?”
Michael’s face changed and in place of his anger was concern. He stepped out onto his front lawn and pointed down the street. “I have no idea but I would guess she ran down the street this way and out of the neighborhood. It’s where I would go.”
Nate didn’t wait for a second guess and took off running in the way he thought she would go. He picked up the pace when he spotted Easton’s cruiser a few blocks ahead of him. He was out of breath by the time he made it to Easton’s driver side window. How did Ashley run this much?
He didn’t have to look to know something was wrong. Easton should have, would have seen him coming and yet he wasn’t moving. Wasn’t turning to look. Red streaked the window around the two small holes that punctured it. Cole Easton was slumped over his steering wheel. From what Nate could tell the holes through the window continued into Cole’s head. Blood streaked the driver’s seat and down Cole’s back.
Ashley.
Nate pulled out his cell phone. Searching through the numbers received he found Ashley’s number and dialed it. “Please, please, Ashley pick up the phone.”
“Nate?”
“Ashley, are you okay?”
“I’m okay. I don’t think he was shooting at me.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
“Is it Cole?”
“I’m afraid it is. I’m standing by him now. Where are you?”
“I’m just past the fence, turn right and go down the street. I haven’t heard anything in a while. I thought he was here, Nate. I thought he’d found me…” She cut off her words with sobs.
“Stay on the phone with me till I find you. I’ll be right there.” Nate walked around the car and to the end of the fence. Houses dotted the landscape in front of him. These homes were much closer together then the houses in Michael’s neighborhood. The houses were much smaller too but there was no doubt in Nate’s mind that the owners of these houses had money or at least enough credit card debt to keep their homes looking perfect. Twelve manicured lawns later Nate came to a dead end.
“Ashley, were are you?”
“I’m… I’m in the wo..” Ashley’s voice was muffled and distorted but Nate think he caught “woods”. Woods? Where were they? Nate turned in a circle but all he saw were houses. One of them must have led to woods but which one?
“Dispatch this is Agent Zimmerman, I need backup at 1141 Sequoia Court Port Richey.”
“Copy that Agent.”
“Ashley?” Nate spoke into the phone. When he got no answer, he yelled into the air, “Ashley!”
“I’m behind the house in front of you. There’s a stream or a large puddle but you have to go through the yard.” Ashley’s voice came through Nate’s phone more clearly now. Nate looked in front of him and saw trees behind the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. He carefully picked his way through the yard.
“This is not good. I need a warrant. I’m in a yard that I shouldn’t be. Ashley, are you in danger?”
“I don’t think so. Not right now. Nate, I thought he came back…” Her voice was coming through louder now. She had to be close.
Movement caught his eye behind a tree. Straight hair behind a tree. Ashley.
Nate tiptoed over to her not missing the small grayish hand that protruded from the water that was attempting to pass for a lake in the backyard. “Ashley, are you okay?”
“I’m in one piece,” Ashley said and smiled at Nate. It was a sad attempt but Nate was grateful for it. “That’s Jessica.” Ashley pointed to the hand.
“I know.” Nate took Ashley’s hand and knelt in front of her. “Ashley, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“No, Ashley, you’re not. You haven’t been okay since you lost Donnie and Aidan. Please stop lying…”
“Nate, you’ve always wanted to take care of me. Always. Even before Donnie and Aidan. You don’t have to do it…”
“But what if I want to? What if I care enough about you to care for you?” Ashley wouldn’t meet his gaze. Just like her to avoid confrontation, to avoid her feelings, to avoid feeling at all.
“Nate, it’s not your job.” Ashley pulled her hands out of Nate’s.
“It’s not about a job, Ashley. I’m here because I care for you, I care about you. Sometimes maybe too much.” Nate clamped his lips together. Maybe he was sharing too much. No, for the first time he was finally saying what he needed to. “Ashley…”
Sirens stopped Nate short. His back-up had arrived. He had to work. He had to rope off the scene. He had to take pictures. He had to question Ashley about the phone call and the dead body. Make that two dead bodies. But first, first, he had to try just one thing.
Nate leaned in to Ashley and gave her a small kiss. More of a peck at first but when she returned his gesture he kissed her more. Did she know what he felt for her? What he had always felt?
“Agent Zimmerman, we need you to clear the scene. The Lieutenant is here to question you both.”
Nate nodded his response and stood. He held out his hand to Ashley. When she placed her hand in his Nate knew that it was his time to fight for what he wanted. But would Ashley truly return his feelings? After fourteen years of rejection Nate wasn't so sure.
“I just got back the financial analysis from all five families…”
“You got access to the Fleming’s financials?”
“Michael allowed it. Claims he has nothing to hide.”
“And does he?” Eric asked.
“Not that I can tell so far. We have accountants digging deeper. This is just their preliminary report. Everything seems pretty normal. Three out of the five couples filed for divorce.”
“Which ones?”
“Sykes, Rappaports and Lamberts.”
“Do you think it’s significant?”
“Could be. It’s easier to target a single mother but when I talked to Collin Lambert he said they were reconciling and not going through with a divorce,” Nate said.
“But maybe whoever was stalking them didn’t know that.”
“Then they weren’t very good on their surveillance were they?”
“Not all bad guys are smart, Nate!”
“We could only hope they were all dumb.”
Nate laughed at Eric’s comment as Eric returned to his desk. It would certainly work in their favor if all criminals laid it out for them and made it easy to find and arrest them. Unfortunately for Nate this wasn’t the case for their current situation.
As Nate continued to sift through his paperwork he heard his cell phone ring. Digging through the stuff on his desk he found his phone and saw that it was Ashley’s number. Odd, he thought, didn’t I just talk to her?
“Zimmerman.”
“Nate, its Ashley,” her voice was a low whisper. Nate sat up on high alert.
“Ashley, what’s wrong?”
“I’m in trouble, Nate. Something is wrong. Hold on…” He could hear crunching noises coming through the phone followed by an “ouch” and then she was back. “Nate, I found Jessica.”
“Where is she? Is she alive?”
“No, I found her body. It’s not far from Michael’s house.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m not sure. It’s a long story.”
“Where is Officer Easton? He was supposed to cover you.”
“He’s not very good at his job. But Nate he might be dead…”
“What?” Nate stood up from his seat and began motioning for Eric. When Eric didn’t look up at him he began snapping. That got his attention and he was by Nate’s side once again.
“I heard shots fired. At least two. I was talking to this guy on the phone. He told me where to go. He said if anyone came or if Officer Easton followed me he would kill him. I did as he said but then I heard shooting. I don’t know if it’s at me or him. Nate, I’m scared.”
“Ashley, tell me where you are and I will be there in minutes.”
“I’m around the corner from Michael’s. Maybe a mile or two away. I don’t know the street. I was jogging. I’d gone like a mile when my phone rang…”
“Ashley, what happened?”
No response. More crunching, then heavy breathing, then “Oh God, no, no, no!”
Nate lost the connection.
“Eric, we have to go. Ashley’s in trouble. I need them to put a tracker on Ashley’s cell phone. I’m not getting a connection but I don’t think she turned it off. We should be able to find her.”
“Got it.”
“I’m leaving now. She said she’s not far from Michael’s. I’m heading there now. Call me when you have the exact spot.”
Nate didn’t wait for an answer or response. Instead he grabbed his keys and ran to his cruiser. With lights blazing and his foot on the gas he was near Michael’s house in just under thirty minutes. He had yet to hear from Eric as to Ashley’s exact location so he went to Michael’s and began to bang on his front door.
“What is wrong with you?” Michael asked as he opened the door. “Didn’t Ashley just talk to you?”
“Where is she?”
“She went for a run.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know an hour, maybe two.”
“Two hours. You don’t find that odd?”
“I have no idea how long she normally runs for.”
“Michael, she’s in trouble. She just called me. We have to find her. Do you know which way she went?”
Michael’s face changed and in place of his anger was concern. He stepped out onto his front lawn and pointed down the street. “I have no idea but I would guess she ran down the street this way and out of the neighborhood. It’s where I would go.”
Nate didn’t wait for a second guess and took off running in the way he thought she would go. He picked up the pace when he spotted Easton’s cruiser a few blocks ahead of him. He was out of breath by the time he made it to Easton’s driver side window. How did Ashley run this much?
He didn’t have to look to know something was wrong. Easton should have, would have seen him coming and yet he wasn’t moving. Wasn’t turning to look. Red streaked the window around the two small holes that punctured it. Cole Easton was slumped over his steering wheel. From what Nate could tell the holes through the window continued into Cole’s head. Blood streaked the driver’s seat and down Cole’s back.
Ashley.
Nate pulled out his cell phone. Searching through the numbers received he found Ashley’s number and dialed it. “Please, please, Ashley pick up the phone.”
“Nate?”
“Ashley, are you okay?”
“I’m okay. I don’t think he was shooting at me.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
“Is it Cole?”
“I’m afraid it is. I’m standing by him now. Where are you?”
“I’m just past the fence, turn right and go down the street. I haven’t heard anything in a while. I thought he was here, Nate. I thought he’d found me…” She cut off her words with sobs.
“Stay on the phone with me till I find you. I’ll be right there.” Nate walked around the car and to the end of the fence. Houses dotted the landscape in front of him. These homes were much closer together then the houses in Michael’s neighborhood. The houses were much smaller too but there was no doubt in Nate’s mind that the owners of these houses had money or at least enough credit card debt to keep their homes looking perfect. Twelve manicured lawns later Nate came to a dead end.
“Ashley, were are you?”
“I’m… I’m in the wo..” Ashley’s voice was muffled and distorted but Nate think he caught “woods”. Woods? Where were they? Nate turned in a circle but all he saw were houses. One of them must have led to woods but which one?
“Dispatch this is Agent Zimmerman, I need backup at 1141 Sequoia Court Port Richey.”
“Copy that Agent.”
“Ashley?” Nate spoke into the phone. When he got no answer, he yelled into the air, “Ashley!”
“I’m behind the house in front of you. There’s a stream or a large puddle but you have to go through the yard.” Ashley’s voice came through Nate’s phone more clearly now. Nate looked in front of him and saw trees behind the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. He carefully picked his way through the yard.
“This is not good. I need a warrant. I’m in a yard that I shouldn’t be. Ashley, are you in danger?”
“I don’t think so. Not right now. Nate, I thought he came back…” Her voice was coming through louder now. She had to be close.
Movement caught his eye behind a tree. Straight hair behind a tree. Ashley.
Nate tiptoed over to her not missing the small grayish hand that protruded from the water that was attempting to pass for a lake in the backyard. “Ashley, are you okay?”
“I’m in one piece,” Ashley said and smiled at Nate. It was a sad attempt but Nate was grateful for it. “That’s Jessica.” Ashley pointed to the hand.
“I know.” Nate took Ashley’s hand and knelt in front of her. “Ashley, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“No, Ashley, you’re not. You haven’t been okay since you lost Donnie and Aidan. Please stop lying…”
“Nate, you’ve always wanted to take care of me. Always. Even before Donnie and Aidan. You don’t have to do it…”
“But what if I want to? What if I care enough about you to care for you?” Ashley wouldn’t meet his gaze. Just like her to avoid confrontation, to avoid her feelings, to avoid feeling at all.
“Nate, it’s not your job.” Ashley pulled her hands out of Nate’s.
“It’s not about a job, Ashley. I’m here because I care for you, I care about you. Sometimes maybe too much.” Nate clamped his lips together. Maybe he was sharing too much. No, for the first time he was finally saying what he needed to. “Ashley…”
Sirens stopped Nate short. His back-up had arrived. He had to work. He had to rope off the scene. He had to take pictures. He had to question Ashley about the phone call and the dead body. Make that two dead bodies. But first, first, he had to try just one thing.
Nate leaned in to Ashley and gave her a small kiss. More of a peck at first but when she returned his gesture he kissed her more. Did she know what he felt for her? What he had always felt?
“Agent Zimmerman, we need you to clear the scene. The Lieutenant is here to question you both.”
Nate nodded his response and stood. He held out his hand to Ashley. When she placed her hand in his Nate knew that it was his time to fight for what he wanted. But would Ashley truly return his feelings? After fourteen years of rejection Nate wasn't so sure.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Chapter 22
Ashley hung up the phone. She had meant what she said. She was afraid. Afraid for herself as well as for Kyle. He may have “dodged a bullet” last night but it didn’t mean that whoever was after her wasn’t going to kill him anyway. Two dead girls proved that they weren’t afraid of killing children.
“You okay?” Michael asked after Ashley laid her cell phone on the table. His gaze was intent on hers.
“Yea. I’m just a little nervous about Kyle.” Ashley attempted a small smile.
“He’ll be okay.”
“How do you know?”
“He has protection. Double protection in fact…”
“But how do you know? If something happened to him because of me I could never forgive myself.” Ashley fingered the gauze bandage that was still on her neck. The bleeding had stopped and Ashley could tell it was actually a small cut that probably wouldn’t leave a scar.
“Trust me, he’ll be fine,” Michael said and ran his fingers over her arm.
“But if someone could just show up in his room, anything is possible. Aren’t you worried about your own son?”
“I’m choosing to trust Nate.”
Ashley wanted to press him. How did he really know? And if he did really know, how did he know? It didn’t add up. She didn’t buy the line about trusting Nate. From what she had seen Michael didn’t even like Nate.
She watched Michael eat his breakfast and finished her yogurt and water. The TV behind her cut through the silence.
“In other news, the body of Jonathan Gardner was discovered by joggers yesterday. You may recall that Mr. Gardner was a suspect in the disappearance of five girls over the past few months and was wanted for questioning.”
The shot cut from the reporter behind the desk to a clip of Michael’s plea for information at his news conference.
“If anyone knows anything about these missing girls now is the time to come forward. We are looking for a man named Jonathan Gardner,” Michael paused and held up a mug shot of Jonathan. “He is the man that rented the house behind me…” Michael’s words trailed off and the station returned to the female reporter in a black suit jacket. A purple top peeked out from underneath.
“Emily Sykes’ body was found in the house there and Daisy Brandt’s body had been found the day before. Police are still searching for information in this case as well as the whereabouts of the other three missing girls including Julia Lambert who was taken just two days ago…”
The TV went black and instead of seeing the news Ashley now saw the leather couch that sat in front of it. Michael had moved from his seat at the breakfast table in the kitchen to the adjacent family room. He held the remote in his hand.
“Are you okay?” Ashley asked quietly.
“What if she doesn’t come back? What if she’s gone forever? What will I do?” Michael sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. Ashley left her seat and joined him on the couch.
“You can’t think like that. We will find him. We will find whoever is responsible.”
“But how do you know? You have no idea. For all you know her body could lying in a ditch somewhere,” Michael’s words were short and accusatory.
“They found Jimmy. That’s how I know.” Ashley bit her lip to hold back her tears. Michael’s anger wasn’t directed at her but his words still bothered her.
“But this is different. It’s bigger.”
Again Ashley bit back the tears. How could this be bigger then her husband and son being gunned down in the driveway of her own home? Just because more girls were involved? Was their pain greater then her own?
“I don’t know exactly how Michael but I trust Nate. You said before that you trusted him. Then you have to let him do his job…”
“I trust him with Kyle but we know where Kyle is. We have no idea what happened to Kayla. None of us do. What would I do without her?” Michael stood from the couch and went down the hallway towards his bedroom. He didn’t turn around to speak to Ashley again.
Ashley stared at the walls around her and the blank TV. She wanted to help Michael. She wanted to help Kyle and yet she was failing miserably. It was like her talent had been left in Maryland and here in Florida she was useless.
Feeling the need to do something Ashley changed into her running clothes and pulled on her sneakers. She had not been jogging since she had gotten to Florida and the need to exercise and stretch her muscles was becoming overwhelming. She certainly wouldn’t heal well if she was weak. Leaving a quick note for Michael she headed out the front door.
A marked police car sat out front. Ashley leaned into the window to let the balding officer know where she was headed. Leaning the driver’s seat up, he turned the car on waiting for her to run ahead of him. He was not to let her out of his sight.
At first the pumping bothered her neck and she could feel it throbbing but after a few blocks the pain went away or she became accustomed enough to ignore it. Her head still throbbed from where she had hit it but the Advil she had taken was beginning to work its magic.
After a mile, Ashley looked behind her to find the police cruiser crawling behind her. The officer behind the wheel looked bored as though no one’s life was in danger. Considering he probably saw very little action why would he think otherwise? Ashley turned a corner and found herself out of Michael’s neighborhood and on to a major road. The officer had to turn on his flashers and he didn’t seem happy about it. She decided to pick up the pace and turn in to the next neighborhood she came to.
A chiming sound broke her rhythm. It was coming from the pack she wore around her waist. It may not look great but it certainly held the few things she needed. God forbid she get stranded somewhere without a phone. She slowed to a walk and grabbed the phone out of her pocket.
She didn’t recognize the number calling, “Hello?”
“Is this Ashley Parks?” The male was certainly male. Or was it?
“Who is this?” Ashley asked. She made sure the officer was in her line of site as she talked into the phone while putting a finger in her free ear. She made an effort to slow her breathing. She needed clear head.
“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I have information for you.”
“What kind of information.”
“You have to meet me…”
“Are you kidding me? I’m not meeting you anywhere.”
“Yes you will!” The voice was a male she didn’t recognize. Ashley kept quiet. She had no intentions of going anywhere or meeting anyone she didn’t know but she also didn’t want to argue with this man and make him any angrier then he already seemed to be.
“Do you hear me?” The man asked.
“Yes but I’m not meeting you anywhere,” Ashley repeated more firmly.
“You will do as I say or more people will die.” Silence as if he was waiting for a response but what could Ashley say to that? “Do you understand me?”
“I understand.” Ashley tried to catch the eye of the officer who was still sitting in his cruiser on the side of the road. He had pulled over when Ashley had stopped but had made no motion to get out and see if she was okay. He seemed more interested in his coffee. Even waving his hands frantically did nothing to attract his attention.
“Stop that now.” The voice said.
“Stop what?” But Ashley knew what. What she didn’t know was how. She searched the tree line across the street and saw nothing. She spun around to look behind her but it was just fence line and she couldn’t see anything beyond it.
“Do not make any more attempts to get the officer’s attention. He cannot help you. If you get his attention and he makes any movement out of the car I will kill him. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes…” Ashley stammered. Her heart pounded in her chest. Even without drawing attention to herself if the officer actually took his eyes off of his coffee he would see her heart beating out of her chest, wouldn’t he?
“While the officer isn’t looking I want you to walk forward quickly to the next street and take a right. If he follows you he dies. You must come alone.”
“And if I refuse?” Ashley asked.
“You will not refuse me! I will kill him, do not test me!”
“Who are you?” Ashley didn’t move from where she was. Maybe if she kept him talking he would forget about his request and leave her alone.
“You may call me Jimmy.”
Jimmy? Oh, God! No, it couldn’t be.
“Do you remember me Ashley?”
“But you’re in prison. I know you’re there…” Ashley’s legs were giving way and she collapsed on to the pavement. For the first time the officer looked up from his coffee. Seeing her on the ground he opened the door.
“He gets back in his car or I kill him.”
Ashley made no move to get up until she heard the unmistakable sound of a rifle being cocked. She jumped to her feet ignoring her fear and her pain.
“Are you okay?” The officer asked. For the first time Ashley was able to read his name on his uniform “Easton”.
“I’m fine. Sorry, I just got a cramp.”
“We need to get back. You almost done with your run?” Easton asked.
“Yea, sorry, I’m just on the phone for a second and I’ll be moving again shortly. Thanks.”
“You sure?” He must have seen her heart coming out of her chest because he began searching the surroundings.
“Get him back in the car,” Jimmy said in her ear.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Can I have some privacy please?” Ashley pointed to the phone and motioned him back to his cruiser. Easton looked around again but then nodded and returned to his vehicle.
“You just saved his life. How does that feel?” Jimmy asked.
“I…I don’t know.”
“Too bad it didn’t work for Donnie and Aidan.”
“You son of a…” She cut her words off knowing she didn’t want to anger him. Officer Easton’s life depended on it. Maybe her own as well.
“Do as I say!” Ashley pulled the phone away from her ear. “Walk. Now.”
Obediently Ashley glanced at Officer Easton who despite his earlier concern had returned to his coffee or maybe it was a Sudoku puzzle. He seemed entirely too interested in it. She began walking quickly to the next street which was also the end of the fence line. Glancing back to make sure she wasn’t followed she turned the corner.
“What am I looking for?” Ashley asked.
“Just be patient,” Jimmy said. “I want you to jog to the end of the street.” When she hesitated he added, “Now! I’m done repeating myself.”
Ashley didn’t argue this time. Instead she jogged down to the end of the street. The street ended into a cul-de-sac and she was staring at houses all around her. She looked around having no idea where to go.
“There is a white house right in front of you. Go to the right of this house through the yard and behind it.”
Fine, you creep, Ashley thought but did not voice her thoughts.
“Behind the house is a patch of woods and a small pond. Look at the edge of it. You will find what you’re looking for.”
“How will I know?” Ashley asked.
Silence on the other end.
“Hello? Are you there?”
Nothing. Ashley closed the phone and stuffed it back in her pack. She made her way through the small patch of woods all the while arguing with herself over the stupidity of going forward. What if this was all a joke? She knew better. This wasn’t a joke.
At the edge of the pond she saw something covered in moss. Creeping closer Ashley knelt down to see what it was. And then she saw it. A tiny hand protruded from underneath the growth of moss.
“No God please! Not this. Not this.” Ashley pushed back the moss scared of what she would find. And there it was. The face she didn’t want to see. The third girl that had gone missing was now the third girl dead.
Gun shots from behind her. Two if she counted correctly. Ashley ducked behind a tree. Jessica Rappaport was not coming home alive and if Ashley wasn’t careful, neither was she.
“You okay?” Michael asked after Ashley laid her cell phone on the table. His gaze was intent on hers.
“Yea. I’m just a little nervous about Kyle.” Ashley attempted a small smile.
“He’ll be okay.”
“How do you know?”
“He has protection. Double protection in fact…”
“But how do you know? If something happened to him because of me I could never forgive myself.” Ashley fingered the gauze bandage that was still on her neck. The bleeding had stopped and Ashley could tell it was actually a small cut that probably wouldn’t leave a scar.
“Trust me, he’ll be fine,” Michael said and ran his fingers over her arm.
“But if someone could just show up in his room, anything is possible. Aren’t you worried about your own son?”
“I’m choosing to trust Nate.”
Ashley wanted to press him. How did he really know? And if he did really know, how did he know? It didn’t add up. She didn’t buy the line about trusting Nate. From what she had seen Michael didn’t even like Nate.
She watched Michael eat his breakfast and finished her yogurt and water. The TV behind her cut through the silence.
“In other news, the body of Jonathan Gardner was discovered by joggers yesterday. You may recall that Mr. Gardner was a suspect in the disappearance of five girls over the past few months and was wanted for questioning.”
The shot cut from the reporter behind the desk to a clip of Michael’s plea for information at his news conference.
“If anyone knows anything about these missing girls now is the time to come forward. We are looking for a man named Jonathan Gardner,” Michael paused and held up a mug shot of Jonathan. “He is the man that rented the house behind me…” Michael’s words trailed off and the station returned to the female reporter in a black suit jacket. A purple top peeked out from underneath.
“Emily Sykes’ body was found in the house there and Daisy Brandt’s body had been found the day before. Police are still searching for information in this case as well as the whereabouts of the other three missing girls including Julia Lambert who was taken just two days ago…”
The TV went black and instead of seeing the news Ashley now saw the leather couch that sat in front of it. Michael had moved from his seat at the breakfast table in the kitchen to the adjacent family room. He held the remote in his hand.
“Are you okay?” Ashley asked quietly.
“What if she doesn’t come back? What if she’s gone forever? What will I do?” Michael sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. Ashley left her seat and joined him on the couch.
“You can’t think like that. We will find him. We will find whoever is responsible.”
“But how do you know? You have no idea. For all you know her body could lying in a ditch somewhere,” Michael’s words were short and accusatory.
“They found Jimmy. That’s how I know.” Ashley bit her lip to hold back her tears. Michael’s anger wasn’t directed at her but his words still bothered her.
“But this is different. It’s bigger.”
Again Ashley bit back the tears. How could this be bigger then her husband and son being gunned down in the driveway of her own home? Just because more girls were involved? Was their pain greater then her own?
“I don’t know exactly how Michael but I trust Nate. You said before that you trusted him. Then you have to let him do his job…”
“I trust him with Kyle but we know where Kyle is. We have no idea what happened to Kayla. None of us do. What would I do without her?” Michael stood from the couch and went down the hallway towards his bedroom. He didn’t turn around to speak to Ashley again.
Ashley stared at the walls around her and the blank TV. She wanted to help Michael. She wanted to help Kyle and yet she was failing miserably. It was like her talent had been left in Maryland and here in Florida she was useless.
Feeling the need to do something Ashley changed into her running clothes and pulled on her sneakers. She had not been jogging since she had gotten to Florida and the need to exercise and stretch her muscles was becoming overwhelming. She certainly wouldn’t heal well if she was weak. Leaving a quick note for Michael she headed out the front door.
A marked police car sat out front. Ashley leaned into the window to let the balding officer know where she was headed. Leaning the driver’s seat up, he turned the car on waiting for her to run ahead of him. He was not to let her out of his sight.
At first the pumping bothered her neck and she could feel it throbbing but after a few blocks the pain went away or she became accustomed enough to ignore it. Her head still throbbed from where she had hit it but the Advil she had taken was beginning to work its magic.
After a mile, Ashley looked behind her to find the police cruiser crawling behind her. The officer behind the wheel looked bored as though no one’s life was in danger. Considering he probably saw very little action why would he think otherwise? Ashley turned a corner and found herself out of Michael’s neighborhood and on to a major road. The officer had to turn on his flashers and he didn’t seem happy about it. She decided to pick up the pace and turn in to the next neighborhood she came to.
A chiming sound broke her rhythm. It was coming from the pack she wore around her waist. It may not look great but it certainly held the few things she needed. God forbid she get stranded somewhere without a phone. She slowed to a walk and grabbed the phone out of her pocket.
She didn’t recognize the number calling, “Hello?”
“Is this Ashley Parks?” The male was certainly male. Or was it?
“Who is this?” Ashley asked. She made sure the officer was in her line of site as she talked into the phone while putting a finger in her free ear. She made an effort to slow her breathing. She needed clear head.
“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I have information for you.”
“What kind of information.”
“You have to meet me…”
“Are you kidding me? I’m not meeting you anywhere.”
“Yes you will!” The voice was a male she didn’t recognize. Ashley kept quiet. She had no intentions of going anywhere or meeting anyone she didn’t know but she also didn’t want to argue with this man and make him any angrier then he already seemed to be.
“Do you hear me?” The man asked.
“Yes but I’m not meeting you anywhere,” Ashley repeated more firmly.
“You will do as I say or more people will die.” Silence as if he was waiting for a response but what could Ashley say to that? “Do you understand me?”
“I understand.” Ashley tried to catch the eye of the officer who was still sitting in his cruiser on the side of the road. He had pulled over when Ashley had stopped but had made no motion to get out and see if she was okay. He seemed more interested in his coffee. Even waving his hands frantically did nothing to attract his attention.
“Stop that now.” The voice said.
“Stop what?” But Ashley knew what. What she didn’t know was how. She searched the tree line across the street and saw nothing. She spun around to look behind her but it was just fence line and she couldn’t see anything beyond it.
“Do not make any more attempts to get the officer’s attention. He cannot help you. If you get his attention and he makes any movement out of the car I will kill him. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes…” Ashley stammered. Her heart pounded in her chest. Even without drawing attention to herself if the officer actually took his eyes off of his coffee he would see her heart beating out of her chest, wouldn’t he?
“While the officer isn’t looking I want you to walk forward quickly to the next street and take a right. If he follows you he dies. You must come alone.”
“And if I refuse?” Ashley asked.
“You will not refuse me! I will kill him, do not test me!”
“Who are you?” Ashley didn’t move from where she was. Maybe if she kept him talking he would forget about his request and leave her alone.
“You may call me Jimmy.”
Jimmy? Oh, God! No, it couldn’t be.
“Do you remember me Ashley?”
“But you’re in prison. I know you’re there…” Ashley’s legs were giving way and she collapsed on to the pavement. For the first time the officer looked up from his coffee. Seeing her on the ground he opened the door.
“He gets back in his car or I kill him.”
Ashley made no move to get up until she heard the unmistakable sound of a rifle being cocked. She jumped to her feet ignoring her fear and her pain.
“Are you okay?” The officer asked. For the first time Ashley was able to read his name on his uniform “Easton”.
“I’m fine. Sorry, I just got a cramp.”
“We need to get back. You almost done with your run?” Easton asked.
“Yea, sorry, I’m just on the phone for a second and I’ll be moving again shortly. Thanks.”
“You sure?” He must have seen her heart coming out of her chest because he began searching the surroundings.
“Get him back in the car,” Jimmy said in her ear.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Can I have some privacy please?” Ashley pointed to the phone and motioned him back to his cruiser. Easton looked around again but then nodded and returned to his vehicle.
“You just saved his life. How does that feel?” Jimmy asked.
“I…I don’t know.”
“Too bad it didn’t work for Donnie and Aidan.”
“You son of a…” She cut her words off knowing she didn’t want to anger him. Officer Easton’s life depended on it. Maybe her own as well.
“Do as I say!” Ashley pulled the phone away from her ear. “Walk. Now.”
Obediently Ashley glanced at Officer Easton who despite his earlier concern had returned to his coffee or maybe it was a Sudoku puzzle. He seemed entirely too interested in it. She began walking quickly to the next street which was also the end of the fence line. Glancing back to make sure she wasn’t followed she turned the corner.
“What am I looking for?” Ashley asked.
“Just be patient,” Jimmy said. “I want you to jog to the end of the street.” When she hesitated he added, “Now! I’m done repeating myself.”
Ashley didn’t argue this time. Instead she jogged down to the end of the street. The street ended into a cul-de-sac and she was staring at houses all around her. She looked around having no idea where to go.
“There is a white house right in front of you. Go to the right of this house through the yard and behind it.”
Fine, you creep, Ashley thought but did not voice her thoughts.
“Behind the house is a patch of woods and a small pond. Look at the edge of it. You will find what you’re looking for.”
“How will I know?” Ashley asked.
Silence on the other end.
“Hello? Are you there?”
Nothing. Ashley closed the phone and stuffed it back in her pack. She made her way through the small patch of woods all the while arguing with herself over the stupidity of going forward. What if this was all a joke? She knew better. This wasn’t a joke.
At the edge of the pond she saw something covered in moss. Creeping closer Ashley knelt down to see what it was. And then she saw it. A tiny hand protruded from underneath the growth of moss.
“No God please! Not this. Not this.” Ashley pushed back the moss scared of what she would find. And there it was. The face she didn’t want to see. The third girl that had gone missing was now the third girl dead.
Gun shots from behind her. Two if she counted correctly. Ashley ducked behind a tree. Jessica Rappaport was not coming home alive and if Ashley wasn’t careful, neither was she.
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