Death isnt enough, p.21
Death Isn't Enough, page 21
Noa shuddered. “I’ll tell your parents. All of this is my fault. I’m so sorry, Jamie.”
“Cut the shit, Noa. I told you last night none of this is because of anything you did or didn’t do.”
“Hey, the baby can hear you,” Noa said.
“No, it can’t.”
“Got you to stop crying.”
Jamie sighed. “We will find Maddie and end Eric. I need to talk to my parents. And no, they won’t blame you, so stop your self-pity bullshit.”
Monday, 28 June, 10:30 a.m.
He helped Madison to her feet. She forced her arms to wrap around his waist. “What’s next?” Madison asked.
“Nothing for you to worry about. Soon, the three of us will be a family. Emily needs to come to us. And she will. I know just how to get her to come home.” He ran a hand down Madison’s stomach and cupped her in his palm. Madison stepped back, but he moved with her.
“Not in front of him.” She looked towards Richard Davenport.
“He won’t tell anyone, and I can blindfold him if you’re worried about your modesty.”
Foster pulled Madison towards the bed. “You have no idea what you make me want to do to you. But first I need to get Emily back. Sit down, Maddie.”
Madison obeyed, keeping her eyes on his, fighting the urge to flinch when he touched her.
Foster stepped away from the bed and headed towards the shelves. Leather straps dangled from his hand as he returned to her side. “Remove your clothes and lie down on your back.”
With unsteady hands, Madison undressed. Foster strapped her to the bed, kissed her hard and covered her mouth with a strip of the same silver tape that covered Davenport’s mouth.
“I’m sorry, my love. This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.”
Madison blinked. Tears slipped down her temples. He, again, walked to the shelves; Madison watched his every move.
Foster slipped his hands into leather gloves. He removed something from the glass case. From Madison’s position, she couldn’t see the object in his hand.
“Maddie, I love you. I’m doing because I don’t have a choice. If I don’t, Emily won’t come.” Foster lifted his hand to her face. Hairy legs crept over the glove.
Madison shut her eyes, grateful it wasn’t a snake. Few people knew about the tarantula she kept in her apartment. If she survived Foster Ericson, she might never look at the spider the same. Make him believe you fear the spider, and not him. Forced, muffled screams came from behind the tape covering her mouth. Madison rolled her head from side to side.
Eight legs tapped over her face, or was it sixteen? Ignoring her curiosity, Madison kept her eyes shut and focused on breathing faster.
Madison’s tears were real.
Foster took a step back and yanked on the metal chain, still fastened around her ankle. Hell’s umbilical cord.
“Your beautiful, Madison. They’re so lucky to touch you like this. Just a bit more and I will have enough to send to her. Are you cold? You have goosebumps all over your delectable skin. Don’t worry, my love, I know how to set you on fire.”
Chapter 46
Monday, 28 June
Emily, I’m breaking my own rules sending you this, but it’s time you came home. Now.
Attached is a reminder of the extents I go to for you. She doesn’t know I killed her brother yet, but in time she will understand I did it because of how much I love both of you.
I have a surprise for you! Please hurry, I can’t wait to give you the ultimate gift.
Come home, my love. It’s time for us to be a family, as we were always meant to be.
I won’t bother warning you about the consequences of what will happen if you don’t come. Your soul screams out to mine. Don’t tell me you can’t hear it.
It’s time for our bodies to become one, and our beings to bask in our love. For more than a decade every cell in our bodies have ached for each other.
It’s time.
Come, my Emily, and be mine as I am yours.
Forever.
Chapter 47
Monday, 28 June, 11:00 a.m.
The scent of coffee and ash hung in the room. Noa sat next to Luke, trying to think of the best way to tell his parents their daughter was in the hands of a killer. She clutched Luke’s hand, feeling his pain reverberate through her palm. His pain was hers. My fault.
“Aaron, Laura, this is my fault.” Luke stiffened next to her. Noa stroke her thumb over the back of his hand. Earlier, they had decided she would tell them – Noa demanded and hadn’t left Luke any choice in the matter.
“Maddie was abducted by the same man who abducted me two-and-a-half years ago.” Noa stared at her knees and inhaled as much air as her lungs allowed. “The same man Jamie’s been hunting for the deaths of five people, and the attack on me last Tuesday morning.”
Laura whimpered. Luke left Noa’s side to comfort his mother.
“I’m sorry for bringing this man into everyone’s lives.”
Aaron rose and turned his back to the room. He picked up the poker and jabbed it into the ash in the fireplace. “Who is he?”
“A person I thought was my friend. I had no idea he’s the devil.”
“What is Jamie and the rest of them doing to locate Maddie?” Aaron stabbed again at the remnants of the ravages of fire.
“Jamie has tracked Maddie’s last movements. She’s been missing since Saturday afternoon, but we believe she went to him willingly, as her roommate said she met someone the previous night. Jamie found footage of them together at the club. Police officers have been sent to his home and office. Officers in Shadow Bay are at the construction site where he’s supposed to be overseeing the construction of a new hotel. I believe he doesn’t intend to hurt Madison. I realise it isn’t comforting to hear, but it buys us time to find him and get Maddie back.”
Luke pressed his mother’s head to his chest. “We know he’s wounded and will require medical attention. All the hospitals, doctors and even vets in a hundred-kilometre radius have been informed to be on the lookout for him. Mom, I promise you, we’ll bring Maddie home.”
Laura lifted her head, wiping her eyes. “You’re supposed to be dead. You can’t leave the farm without putting yourself at risk. And Jamie’s pregnant.” Anguish tore through her.
The sound broke Noa’s heart.
“I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I should never have come here.” Noa pushed to her feet and walked towards the door.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Aaron asked, pointing the poker at her back.
“To go find your daughter and keep your other children safe.”
“You have so much to learn about being part of a family. When the shit hits the fan, we don’t go our separate ways. We stick together and sort it out. Together.” Aaron dropped the poker at his feet and marched up to Noa. “Did you invite this man into your life knowing what he is?” He held up a hand. “Did you hide from life for two-and-a-half years because of what he did to you?”
“I didn’t invite a psychopath into my life. We were in the same group of friends and I would’ve killed him had I known what he is. Yes, I hid from life, but I also lived with Foster for a year after moving here.”
“Where did you stay?” Luke asked.
“A house he rented not far from here. After I moved out, Foster cancelled the lease and rented a house in town.” Noa rubbed her hands over her arms. “To be close to me.”
The message alert on the phone Luke had given Noa that morning sounded. She jabbed at the screen with her thumbs and stilled. Her heart lodged in her throat. Noa turned to Luke and nodded. “We need to leave.”
She turned her attention to Aaron and Laura. “I’m sorry for all of this. I promise to do whatever I have to and bring Maddie back to you.”
As Luke climbed into the SUV, he asked Noa about the message.
“He sent an email with a video attached. Let me watch it first. It might be of Maddie.”
“She is my sister. We don’t have time to argue about this. Press play.”
Noa understood but didn’t agree. She played the video anyway.
Her screams filled the SUV.
Spiders walked over Madison’s face and chest. As soon as Luke saw Maddie’s naked form, he looked away.
Noa read the message for a second time before turning to Luke. She laid a hand on his shoulder, knowing nothing she did could ease his fear. Luke had seen what Foster Ericson, aka Eric Foster, did to his other victims. “There’s only one place Foster ever called home.”
Monday, 28 June, 11:30 a.m.
Foster placed the tray in front of Madison and waited for her to finish the meal, never taking his eyes off her. She forced every bite down her and smiled. “Thank you. It was delicious.”
“Not nearly as delicious as you, Maddie.” Foster pressed his mouth to hers, licking his lips as he pulled away.
Madison forced concern into her voice. “Perhaps Doctor Davenport should look at your wound again. I don’t want you to get an infection.”
“It’ll hold. Shouldn’t be much longer until Emily gets home.” Foster lifted his shirt. A brown stain evident on the gauze. “Must’ve torn a stitch.”
“Let me at least change the dressing for you. The last thing I want is for you to get an infection.” Madison touched his stomach. He agreed and watched her every move as she removed the gauze, cleaned the wound and put on a new dressing. “You popped a stitch. Please have him look at it.”
“I’ll be fine as soon as Emily walks through the door. He can fix me up, before I kill him.” Foster grinned at Davenport.
Madison bit her tongue, forcing worry into her words again. “Honey, do you really think my brother will let her come to you? Luke hasn’t left Noa’s side in a week.”
“I love it when you call me honey. No one has ever called me by a pet name before.” Foster lied but wasn’t about to tell Madison about the time he’d spent with a cougar. Judge Gallagher. The dead bitch.
Holding Madison’s head between his hands, Foster said, “I’m not worried about Super Detective, Luke Taylor. He can’t help either of you from where he is. You see, my love, I ensured the three of us will be together. Forever.”
Foster pressed his mouth to her forehead, and whispered, “I killed him.”
Laughter and pain collided in the dank room.
Monday, 28 June, 11:30 a.m.
Noa waited for Jamie’s feedback on the information she’d given her about the house Noa had shared with Foster.
“The house is in his name,” Jamie said.
“Thanks, I’m heading there now. Just need to get King first. He’ll become suspicious if King isn’t with me.”
“SWAT is forty-five minutes out. You’re not going in alone.”
Noa heard Jamie’s car accelerating. The adrenaline coursing through her did the same.
“Maddie might not have that much time. Let me go in and stall him until SWAT gets there,” Noa said as Luke placed a hand on her leg.
“I’ll go with her and use the fact that I’m dead to our advantage. Trust me, Jamie, I won’t let him hurt Maddie.”
Jamie cursed. “I don’t like this, but we don’t have a choice.”
“No matter what happens, you stay outside. Think about the baby,” Luke said.
“I can’t let you go in alone.”
“This isn’t my first hostage situation. I’m more experienced than you are, Jamie. Not rubbing it in your face, just stating a fact.” Luke turned the key in the ignition.
Monday, 28 June, 11:45 a.m.
Soon Emily would be home and they would be a family. His family. Mine. Foster ran his hand over Madison’s lower abdomen and smiled.
Foster hated the way Richard Davenport’s eyes were glued to his every move. The invasion of his privacy was a small price to pay to give Emily the ultimate gift.
Madison’s neck was warm and intoxicating under his mouth. He grinned against her throat when she moaned. Maddie was such a remarkable young woman – and all his.
He hated putting her through the torture of having spiders crawl all over her. Foster had crushed them with his gloved hands as soon as he removed them from Madison’s smooth skin. No one touches her and lives.
“May I give him water? He’s no good to you if he dies of dehydration,” Madison whispered as he thumbed her nipple through her shirt.
Foster shook his head hard. “It takes more than a few hours to die of dehydration and she’ll be here soon. I need to get ready.”
He left Madison sitting on the edge of the bed and opened his laptop to access the live feed from the cameras outside the house. The scent of copper now tainted the once musty wine smell he’d loved. If only these walls could talk.
A black SUV pulled up in front of the garage. All the months. All the wasted time. Finally, it was over. It had been worth it.
“Emily’s home where she belongs.” For the first time since she had moved out of this house his heart felt full.
His perfect Emily walked up to the front door, their dog by her side. Foster loved King. After all, he had given him to Emily as a gift. “Welcome home, my love,” he said to the woman on screen, as he watched her open the front door.
Monday, 28 June, 11:55 a.m.
The cold inside the house mirrored the temperature outside. There was no sign of anyone living here. No trace of the furniture Noa remembered which had stood in the living room or adjoining dining area. She had lived a year under this roof. Noa knew every nook and cranny.
Noa bent down and scratched King’s ear. “Find Foster. Like old times when we played hide-and-seek. Go get him.” She patted King’s back and watched him scurry through the house.
“Foster, we’re home! Where are you?” Noa called out. Silence answered.
King rushed past her legs and into the kitchen. His excited barks lead Noa to him; the dog pawed at the pantry door. The smell of fried bacon lingered in the air, and Noa noticed dirty pans in the sink.
Noa’s heart began to beat even more violently in her chest.
“Good boy.” She ran her hand over King’s back and bent down to hug him. With her face pressed to his neck, Noa whispered, “find squeaky.”
King’s head lifted, his tail wagged, and he darted through the kitchen. Good luck.
Pushing to her feet, Noa opened the door. In the middle of the pantry’s floor – a trapdoor. It was propped open. Was this always here?
With careful steps Noa descended the stairs, her legs unsteady, her mind focused on Maddie.
Noa tapped on the steel door at the bottom. “Foster, are you down here? King is looking for you all over the house.”
“Welcome home, Emily.” The sound of his voice made her fists clench.
Noa exhaled slowly, smiled and opened the door.
Monday, 28 June, 12:05 p.m.
The amount of police cars, standing next to the road leading to Foster Ericson’s house, looked like a line at a drive-thru. At the end of the road was the house of a serial murderer. A sadistic killer who now had her sister and her best friend. Jamie prayed silently, placing a hand against her stomach.
Captain Johnson marched towards her car, and she rushed to meet him.
“You’re not going in. That’s an order, Edwards.”
“Yes, sir.” Jamie gritted her teeth. “My brother should be inside by now.”
“We’ll discuss Luke being here later. We need to brief SWAT and I see the paramedics are pulling up.”
Jamie turned to see the ambulance coming to a halt.
She followed Captain Johnson and relayed the only information she had – a trapdoor in the pantry. A SWAT officer placed a box on the mobile operations table and Commander Voight stepped up behind him. Jamie knew Voight’s record; it was as long as both her arms combined.
“Butch, get the drone up. I need eyes. Fucking old houses with no blueprints,” Commander Voight barked.
Jamie walked up to him and extended a hand. “Commander, as I told you earlier, I believe the suspect is holding three hostages. The first is Noa Morgan. She entered the house of her own free will to stall him and buy us time.”
Commander Voight shook Jamie’s hand and returned his focus to the screen now lighting up inside the carry case. Not a box as Jamie had first thought.
“Who is that?” Voight pointed at a form running towards the house.
“Former Homicide Detective, Luke Taylor. Brother of Madison Taylor, the second hostage, and boyfriend of Noa Morgan.” Jamie still couldn’t believe Noa and Luke were living together. This wasn’t the time to ponder their life decisions.
“Taylor? Good to know he’s inside. Heard nothing but good things about the work he did while in Narcotics.”
They watched Luke disappear under the roof covering the porch via the screen.
“Who is the third civilian? I’ve only been briefed on Madison Taylor and Noa Morgan.”
“We have reason to believe the suspect lured Doctor Richard Davenport here. The suspect was shot last night when he tried to kill Luke and needs medical attention. Davenport’s phone records show he received a call originating from this area shortly after the shooting. Davenport isn’t at work or his home and his phone is switched off.” Jamie kept her eyes on the screen. “The suspect has used surveillance cameras in the past, we can expect him to have the same setup here. He’s good at keeping them out of sight.” Jamie knew there wasn’t time to elaborate on the cameras found in Noa’s home and her own.
“Rose, Cornwell and Brown, you round the house and set up position on the south. Use the tree line to your advantage. Spindler, east. Harris, west. Slay, Duke and the rest of you, with me. We’re going in. I don’t care if he comes out in a bag, but we won’t have a civilian casualty. Am I clear?” Commander Voight’s team nodded in unison. They checked their rifles one last time, and headed for Foster Ericson’s house.
