Kidnapping cold case, p.14
Kidnapping Cold Case, page 14
Leaving him free to kill again.
After what seemed like eons, her abductor stopped the truck. She continued to lie limp along the back seat, although it wasn’t easy to hide her tension as she waited for him to open the door to drag her out.
“We’re home,” he said in a singsong tone.
There was something familiar about his voice, but she told herself it didn’t matter. The moment he pushed open his door, she bolted upright and grabbed the door handle on the opposite side from where he was. She half fell out of the truck, her muscles weaker than she’d realized.
“Jacy! Get back here!”
His tone wasn’t singsong now. He was mad. But so was she. She saw the large shed and knew that he would soon hide the truck inside, out of sight from anyone passing by.
She ran away from the shed, as fast as her legs could carry her. That, unfortunately, wasn’t saying much. For a moment, she thought she was running through darkness, but no, it was still daylight.
Then she realized that this attempt to escape was exactly the same way she’d run from her captor ten years ago.
She was surprised at how the brief memory had flashed in her mind. Still, she concentrated on running across the deeply rutted field toward a patch of trees not far away.
Hurry, hurry! Jacy used a zigzag pattern while she ran, mentally bracing herself for the sound of gunfire. Somehow, she knew the masked man would not give up as easily as he had ten years ago.
She heard a pop then something sharp hit her between the shoulder blades. She stumbled and pushed on, ignoring the pain. But her muscles went lax and the next thing she knew, she was facedown on the ground.
He’d hit her with the tranq gun! She wanted to cry as she struggled to drag herself forward.
“Did you really think you could get away from me so easily?” Her captor made a tsk-tsk sound. She lifted her head, trying to look at him, but her vision blurred.
Then darkness enveloped her.
Jacy had no idea how long she had been knocked out. But when she opened her eyes, she realized she was in an old stuffy house. The sofa she was lying upon smelled musty and stale.
Yet she was surprisingly warm. The scent of burning wood wafted toward her.
It took a few minutes for her to remember everything that had transpired. Suzanna Perry’s dead body with the dark bruises around her neck, being tased and then trying to escape only to be brought down by a dart fired from a tranquilizer gun.
A wave of despair hit hard.
How long had she been there? She carefully glanced around without moving too much, searching for her abductor. Too long, she thought grimly.
Cash hadn’t found her, and that was discouraging, too. Yet she tried not to dwell on that.
Strange that her captor had bothered to keep her alive, especially after the way he’d fired recklessly at them at Cash’s house. As she’d run across the field, she’d fully expected to be shot down by a bullet.
Not drugged.
The inconsistencies in his actions didn’t make sense. Then again, nothing about this guy was logical. Maybe his temper had gotten the better of him back at Cash’s place.
Now, the killer had her right where he wanted her.
Her mouth was cotton-dry, no doubt from whatever drug he’d put in the dart. She felt certain that her coat had helped dilute the amount she’d absorbed into her bloodstream. From the dim light coming in through dirty windows, she had to assume she’d only lost an hour, maybe two at the most.
Unless it was already the next day?
“Ah, I see you’re starting to wake up.” The oddly familiar voice came from behind her. Jacy slowly turned from her supine position on the sofa to look back over her shoulder.
Then gasped as the killer’s face came into view.
“Robbie?” His name came out in a hoarse whisper. Instantly a cascade of memories washed over her. Robbie White had been a good friend of hers throughout her freshman and into her sophomore years of high school. They’d never dated and, as far as she’d known, he’d never been interested in her in that way.
But looking at him now, she remembered the night ten years ago when he’d called out to her on the street. He’d asked for her help because his van was stuck in a ditch along the side of the highway. They’d walked over a mile to get there. She’d just gotten suspicious and had slowed down when he’d suddenly grabbed her wrists behind her back and tried to force her into the vehicle. He’d harshly whispered into her ear, I’ve waited long enough, Jacy!
Horrified by his intent, she’d wrenched out of his grip and run. His fingers had closed over her coat sleeves, but she’d managed to shed the garment, pulling her arms free from the jacket and sprinting away from him as fast as she could.
Incomprehensible to realize her close friend had done this. Not just trying to abduct her ten years ago, but everything that had happened since.
No wonder she hadn’t wanted to remember. The pain of Robbie’s betrayal had been too much.
“Well, well, I always wondered why you never sketched me.” Robbie’s face held an ugly, leering grin. She’d easily recognized him, even though he looked much different now than he had when they were younger.
Ten years ago, Robbie had carried extra pounds on his frame, worn thick glasses and had suffered from eczema. The man standing before her had lost a good fifty pounds and wore contacts instead of glasses. Although, looking closer, she could tell he still had a red rash along the side of his neck.
“According to the newspapers, you didn’t know who’d taken you that night,” he continued. “But I always wondered if deep down you had known. Especially after I learned you’d gone to work as a police sketch artist.” He let out a creepy laugh. “Did you like how I blinded you with the pepper spray and smoke bomb? Genius, huh?”
Lunatic was a better word, but she didn’t say it. “I didn’t know it was you—my memory was blocked until today. And I still don’t understand why you would want to hurt me!” She weakly pushed herself up on her elbows. “We were friends, Robbie. Friends!”
“You knew I wanted more.” He took another step toward her, his fingers opening and then closing into fists. She wondered if he’d punch her before he’d assault and strangle her. “But I wasn’t good enough for you then. I was too heavy, not cool enough.” He sneered. “You and all the other pretty girls acted as if I didn’t exist. But I do, Jacy. Every single girl I ever talked to didn’t see me. Didn’t seem to notice me as a man. Not even Beth, my next-door neighbor who went to Drake.” His lips curled. “I had no choice but to take them by force.”
She grappled with how to respond. It was true she hadn’t been interested in Robbie as a boyfriend, but they had still been friends.
Or so she’d thought. But, clearly, she’d been wrong.
So very wrong.
“I valued our friendship, Robbie.” She met his stare head-on, hoping to reach the boy she once knew. “You were important to me. But this?” She waved a hand at their rustic surroundings. She had no idea where they were, but it was someplace that he’d found abandoned or a house he’d purchased. He had lived in the rich subdivision, after all, with the car his parents had bought for him. “Friends don’t hurt each other like this. They don’t try to kill each other.”
“What do you know about it?” The disdain was evident in his tone. “I wanted more from you, Jacy. You dated that lame Steve idiot, who didn’t deserve you. Did you turn to me then? No, you didn’t. Because you were too blind to see what was right in front of you.” His face reddened with anger, making the eczema stand out in blotches. “Well, guess what? I’m in charge now. And you won’t be blind anymore. I intend to take what is rightfully mine.” He flashed an eerie smile. “You, Jacy. I want you.”
What? No! She tried not to recoil in disgust at the very thought of him touching her. Struggling to remain calm, she thought there had to be a way to get through to him.
“Robbie, do you remember when I dropped my food tray in the cafeteria the first week of school?” She held his gaze, hoping and praying that reminding him of their former friendship would prevent him from hurting her.
A lame plan, considering he’d killed so many other girls, each one looking just like her. It was depressing to realize he’d specifically chosen these other girls to assault and kill because of her.
Because she was the one who’d gotten away.
When he didn’t answer, she continued, “You were so sweet, Robbie. You helped me clean up the mess, then bought me a replacement lunch, because I didn’t have enough money. I was so happy to have your help, especially from someone a grade ahead of me. That was the first day we became friends, do you remember?”
She’d expected to see a flash of compassion in his eyes but found them to be cold and hard and bitter. In that moment, she knew the classmate she’d once considered a friend was gone forever.
Leaving a cold-blooded serial killer in his place.
* * *
Every muscle in Cash’s body was tight as he continued searching for the black truck.
Too much time had passed for this guy to still be out on the highways. No, Cash firmly believed he was holed up somewhere with Jacy.
He reached for his phone, intending to call Agent Boyd again, when it rang. He quickly answered, “Rawson.”
“We know more about this perp,” Boyd said. “Robert White did a little over seven years in jail for an attempted sexual assault in Illinois. He was caught thanks to the work of a forensic sketch artist who worked with the victim.”
Cash whistled under his breath. “Jacy Urban is a forensic artist.”
“I know. Interesting, isn’t it? When White was released, he reported to his parole officer for six months as ordered before he disappeared. There’s an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Illinois for violating the rules of his parole.” There was a brief pause before Boyd noted, “Oh, and he’s listed on the sex offender registry. Apparently the DA insisted on this as part of his parole because the girl he’d assaulted had been sixteen at the time.”
Again, just like Jacy. And the other missing girls. White had a pattern, that’s for sure. While the additional information was interesting, and explained the gap in White’s crime spree, it didn’t help them now. They needed to find his current location. “You mentioned searching the property in the area for any links to White.”
“I have, came up empty.” Boyd let out a sigh of frustration. “I’ve tried his mother’s maiden name, too, but that didn’t give us anything, either. His parents died, leaving him a nice sum of money, though. It’s possible he was able to buy something under a different name.”
The keen sense of despair was staggering. Cash tried not to let it crush him. He would not give up hope that they’d locate her. “There must be a way to find him, Boyd. He and that truck of his didn’t disappear into thin air.”
“My next task is to search every property in the area where the owner hasn’t paid any property taxes. Maybe he is using one of them.”
It was a good idea. Those who abandon their places, either because of death without heirs or just moving on, didn’t continue to pay their taxes. And if there wasn’t anyone to go after, the property just sat in limbo. Especially if there wasn’t a lien from a bank or other financial institution. “Okay, keep it within this fifty-mile radius for now. I want those addresses, ASAP. I’ll get other officers to help search every property you send over.”
“Will do,” Boyd agreed.
“Thanks.” Cash set the phone aside, his eyes raking the area. He stared at the GPS screen for a moment, refamiliarizing himself with his location.
He’d taken so many back roads that he was worried he’d gone too far off track.
Every minute that passed by without news from anyone in law enforcement was agony. Their search was taking too long. He winced when he realized two hours had passed since Jacy had gone missing from the rocky creek bed beneath the bridge where they’d found Suzanna Perry’s body.
Two hours!
He took a moment to look closer at the map of the area. He didn’t want to go over the same ground he already had, but still felt that it was more likely White had stayed north and west of where they were, only because the area was more rural, making it easier to hide.
But what if Cash was wrong? What if Robert White was smarter than they were giving him credit for being? After all, he’d avoided being caught for this long.
But not in Illinois, he reminded himself. No, he’d been caught before and had served jail time. He should have been connected to the girls missing in Wisconsin, but hadn’t been. A lapse he would take up the chain of command.
After they found him.
Cash blinked, bringing the map back into focus. Enough second-guessing himself. He’d always depended on his gut instincts to lead him.
And, of course, he’d always put his trust and faith in God.
Feeling better, he decided to go another ten miles west before turning and heading farther north. That would take him along the outer limits of his self-imposed fifty-mile search radius.
Glad to have a firm destination in mind, Cash headed for the next intersection. Turning right, he took a narrow winding road.
His phone rang and he quickly grabbed it. “Boyd? Do you have an address?”
“This is Vargas. I just heard that the cadaver dog has found Claire Simmons’s body. She has the same dark bruises around her throat. Both bodies are being taken to the ME’s office in Appleton.”
It was tempting to ask for them to be transferred to Madison, just because the city was bigger and their ME probably had more experience, but he held his tongue. His main concern was Jacy. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Believe it or not, that jerk buried her on the other side of the bridge,” Vargas said in disgust. “Officers were already scouring that area when the dog arrived. Took him less than two minutes to alert on Claire.”
At this point, Cash would believe just about anything. “You know, I was thinking about the way he chose that location. Almost as if he fully intended for us to uncover those bodies.”
“Even though the town of Bakersville is unincorporated?” Vargas asked, his tone tinged with doubt. “I don’t know about that. If not for the dog finding Suzanna, we’d still be stumbling around in the dark.”
“Yeah, but he also took Jacy from there. I’m convinced he has a police scanner that he’s using to get information. And what’s even more interesting is that he was able to get to the bridge so quickly.” Cash perused both sides of the road. “All of that reinforces my thought that he has Jacy stashed somewhere close by.”
“You mentioned getting an address?” Vargas asked.
“The feds are running a search on abandoned properties in the area. Those where the owners haven’t paid their property taxes in the past few years.” He glanced at the clock, silently acknowledging that only ten minutes had passed since he’d spoken to Boyd. “I’ll need resources to search the abandoned properties once we have specific locations to work with.”
“Understood, I’ll help in any way I can,” Vargas said. Cash knew the Appleton detective would want justice for the two dead girls they’d found. “Where are you now?”
“I’m on highway RR, which appears to be in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin.”
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of wide-open spaces like that.” Vargas exhaled then instructed, “Keep me updated.”
“You, too.” Cash was somewhat relieved that Claire had been found. At least both girls’ parents would be able to give their daughters a proper burial.
He hoped and prayed that the other girls’ bodies would be found soon, too.
What if Robert White wasn’t the right guy? If they’d gone down the wrong path, they may be missing a piece of property that was currently being used and paid for by the real killer.
The wave of doubt was difficult to ignore.
Tire tracks caught his eye. Cash hit the brake, bringing the SUV to a jarring stop. Was he imagining them? The hard-packed earth made it difficult to see the path clearly. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again.
Yeah, those were tire tracks all right. Barely there, he had to admit, but visible enough to raise his suspicions.
Especially since the tire tracks appeared to end at a large shed where he imagined the truck may have been hidden inside. Looking behind the structure, he noticed a farmhouse.
And smoke curling from the chimney.
Without hesitation, he continued driving along the road until he found a grove of trees. There, he parked and grabbed his phone. He tried Boyd first, but the fed didn’t answer. He left a message with a rough location and then called Vargas.
“I’m forty minutes out,” Vargas said. “Wait for me.”
“Get here as soon as you can.” Cash ended the call without promising to wait.
Forty minutes? That was time he didn’t have. He put the phone on silent, left the keys on the driver’s seat, then made his way through the trees.
No way would he let anything stop him from getting to Jacy as soon as possible.
FOURTEEN
Keep him talking.
The mantra had echoed through her mind since she’d regained consciousness. Jacy knew that stalling for time was the only thing she could do to get out of this mess.
She detested everything about Robbie and hearing him gloat about his crimes turned her stomach, but she did her best to string him along, anyway.
Secretly praying he wouldn’t be able to kill her, the way he had the others. If she made herself human in his eyes, reminding him of the friendship they’d shared, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t be able to do it.
A vain hope, but it was all she could come up with.
