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THIRTY-FIVE
Head throbbing and eyelids heavy, Susie Hartwig dragged herself back to consciousness. Dim light surrounded her, and the cold from the hard surface beneath her seeped into her bones. Too afraid to move, she lay still and listened. Hearing nothing, she lifted her hands and ran her fingers over the back of her head and then peered at them, expecting to see blood. Her eyesight was out of focus, but she could make out the black granite walls surrounding a small room with a mattress on the floor, and a sink and toilet. Pushing down waves of panic she tried to control her fear. She’d read books about surviving situations like this. It had been advised by Mayor Petersham after the first six or so serial killers had come to town. Staying calm could be the difference between life or death. Swallowing her fear, she assessed her situation. Her first priority was her safety and the second was to escape.
Rolling onto one elbow, she scanned the small area. A metal box without a lid sat beside a sturdy door, and as her eyesight cleared, she made out bottled water and a pile of silver packages. Shivering, she touched the scanty negligee covering her nakedness and tried to pull it down to cover her. It didn’t take a genius to understand that the man she’d helped last night had kidnapped her and locked her in this tiny room. The thought of him touching her made her sick to her stomach. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed the bars covering a square toward the top of the door, but they were covered. She had seen similar doors in jails in movies set in the old West. Could he be holding her on a movie set? Or was this part of an old mine? She pushed to her knees and slowly stood. Her head swam and her stomach rolled as she ran her hands over the slimy damp walls. Her palms slid over the grooves the pioneer miners had left behind when they’d dug them out of the mountainside using pics and shovels. The hard black granite was familiar. It had been around her all her life. I’m still in Black Rock Falls.
The door had no handle, but she pushed her shoulder against it in the hope it might open, though it was shut tight. She heard a noise and, in fear of her life, froze on the spot. A whisper hardly more than an exhalation of air came through the crack in the wall.
“Are you okay? Be very quiet or he will hear us.” The woman’s voice paused for a beat. “My name is Poppy. I’m a deputy. Who are you?”
Heart thundering in her chest, Susie pressed her lips to the fissure. “Susie Hartwig. Where are we and why is he keeping us here? Is this anything to do with the bodies they found in town?”
“I think so. I figure we’re his stock of murder victims. He’s given us all a number and I’m twenty-five, so he’s been doing this for a while. We’re no longer human to him, and forget about reasoning with him. Pleading or crying is a big mistake, so try and keep it together.” Poppy’s voice was just above a sigh. “If you want to survive, don’t make any noise. He likes you to be afraid of him, so look him straight in the eye and remain silent. There are more of us here, but the others are down another passageway. He moved me here yesterday, but I don’t know why.”
As terror lifted the hairs on her body, Suzie pressed her mouth to the gap. “What will he do if he hears us talking?”
“The moment anyone cries out or makes a noise, he drags them into the open space just outside, ties them up, and murders them.” Poppy gave a muffled sob. “He seems to know everything we do. I figure he has CCTV cameras down here. I have a plan to escape. Keep your head down and don’t question anything I do even if it seems as if I’m on his side—I’m not.”
Trembling, Susie nodded, even though the woman couldn’t see her. She had no idea if the person on the other side of the wall was the killer just trying to trick her. A rush of panic gripped her, and she pushed it aside and took a deep breath. Good people would be out searching for her. “I’ll be missed. I know the sheriff and everyone in the department. She’ll be out hunting for me right now. We’ll just have to survive long enough for her to get here.”
“I know her too and I hope she’s as good as her reputation. I sent her a message on the last victim. Dr. Wolfe will find it for sure.” Poppy let out a long sigh. “I guess we’ll soon know if Sheriff Alton lives up to her reputation.” Footsteps slow and deliberate came from outside. “Don’t say a word. He’s coming.”
