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Within ten minutes he was in the driveway. After cutting the engine, he sat quietly, glancing out the windshield at the oppressive house. Now wasn’t the time to hold back, run away from his desires. He adjusted the collar of his shirt, pinching his tie, and eased out of the car. Humming, his mood dramatically improved as he danced up the steps, inserting the key into the lock. When he walked inside, he breathed in the sweet aroma of wood polish and a faint hint of her perfume.
“Honey, I’m home.” The echo bouncing off the ceiling was a profound and extremely sweet sound. He was indeed at home. As he walked into the kitchen, his mood continued to improve. The moment his hands touched the knobs for the double doors, he was euphoric.
He flung open the doors and stood just inside the landing. Even from across the room, her beauty was unmistakable, classic in a nonconforming way. “You were waiting for me. Such a good little girl. Good girls who obey are rewarded.” When she didn’t answer, he grinned and took off his suit jacket, rolling up his sleeves. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
Even her reflection in the bank of mirrors was incredible. Her long hair was freshly washed, her body glowing in crisscrossing marks. Even her makeup, while garish was icing on the red velvet cake. Chuckling, he sauntered toward her.
She didn’t struggle or make a whimper around the ball gag. She was docile and ready. Her eyes reflected his presence and a single tear slipped from one eye.
“My pet. I’ve so missed you.” Rubbing the side of her face, he eased a single finger down her nose to her lips, tracing a circle around her swollen and cracked lips.
Saliva dripped past the red rubber, oozing on both sides of her mouth. Her eyes were no longer vacant, merely an understanding that she belonged to him.
He slipped the gag from her mouth, allowing the circular piece to dangle past her chin.
“Master,” she croaked.
He closed his eyes. There was nothing like having a family.
* * *
“What do you mean you have no idea where he is?” Montana snapped into the phone. He jerked the steering wheel to the right until the tires squealed. Their only lead was MIA. Of course. They couldn’t catch a break.
“Watch out, partner. Jesus Christ.” Grant was pitched against the passenger door.
He gave the man a harsh look and launched into the officer once again. “You let him go. Really?” Excuses he didn’t need. “How could he outrun you? You have a freaking Challenger for God’s sake. What does he have, a Ferrari?”
“Cool it,” Grant hissed.
“Look. Find the car. All I want to do is talk to him. When you locate him, let me know. I don’t want you going Rambo on me, or we’ll lose him. Got it?” He punched the brake.
“Goddamn it, Montana!” He gripped the dashboard as he was plummeted forward.
“Yeah. Yeah. I get it. Just find him. Thanks.” Montana ended the call and slunk back in his seat. “They lost him.”
“I take it you mean Michael?”
“Yes. The only lead we have.”
“Other than the good doctor.”
Montana shot him a nastier look. “If she doesn’t call in ten minutes, I’ll have her picked up.”
“Boy. The Sarge is going to love this shit.” Grant laughed. “Oh, come on. Why don’t we go ahead and start tackling some of the names on the list and stop by and see a few?”
“Which do you suggest we start with first, the Senator or perhaps the Governor. No, how about the Police Commissioner?” Montana huffed. “I can imagine just how fast our jobs are going to be in the can. We can’t talk to any of them unless we are certain they have something to do with the crimes.”
“Since when did you start playing politics?” Grant asked.
Montana snorted. “Since I don’t want any of this getting to the press. There’s enough bullshit out there as it is. Can you imagine if we throw out some heady names?” The truth was, he wanted to do just that and see what slithered out from under a rock. Powerful men might have their secrets, but when people started dying, he had zero sympathy.
“Well, if we don’t talk to them then we’re at a dead end. I can’t find any secret payments made to Jenna Gammond. She seems like a normal girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bouncer certainly was.”
“Looks can be deceiving. Keep checking. We should go down the list from Ms. Devereaux and cross reference to any sex crimes. That’s at least a start. Double check that with Mark Ramos’ name as well.”
“Not a bad idea. Maybe he was in the wrong place too. You know how serial killers are.” Grant half laughed then cleared his throat. “At least we should also have the final autopsy soon.”
“They are dead. They were tortured and strangled. I think we know how they were killed.” When Montana’s cell phone rang, he hesitated. “Detective Givens.”
