Twisted (Burbank and Parker 1)

She no longer can. I’m being squeezed into a corner from which there’s no escape.

Worse, the demons won’t relent. Each day their shouting grows louder, stronger.

I feel the walls closing in. Sweat is pouring down my face, my body. The morphine can dull the pain, but not the panic.

I’m being crushed on all sides.

Midtown North

New York City

11:05 A.M.

Tina looked like a bewildered kid when Sergeant Erwin showed her in. Her eyes were wide, her stance was rigid, and her gaze was darting everywhere. It reminded Sloane, once again, how young twenty-one really was, and how much Tina had been through.

“Come in and take a seat, Tina.” Bob spoke very gently and kindly to her. “I can offer you water, soda, or coffee. Which would you like?”

“A Coke would be great. Thank you,” she said in a small voice.

Bob nodded, and headed off to get the soda. At that moment, Tina spied Sloane and the relief that swept over her was palpable. “Sloane,” she acknowledged, leaning over the table to greet her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Sloane rose, reached over, and squeezed Tina’s arm. “That’s why I waited. I want to be here for you. But I want you to understand that, technically, you can ask me to leave. This is a law enforcement investigation, and I no longer officially fall into that category. It’s up to you. Just tell me if you’d prefer I go.”

“No. Please stay.” A shaky swallow. “I thought I was pretty strong, but I’m on the verge of losing it.”

“I will stay, and you won’t lose it. You’re strong. Just sit down and take a few deep breaths. I promise, Sergeant Erwin is a great guy. He just wants to catch the scum who attacked you and potentially others—women who weren’t as well trained as you are, and couldn’t escape.” Sloane gestured toward Derek, who’d risen to his feet and was waiting quietly. “This is Special Agent Derek Parker of the FBI. He’s a major part of this investigation, too. I can personally guarantee he won’t bite. He and I worked in the same field office when I was with the Bureau.”

Tina managed a small smile. “Hello, Agent Parker.”

“Nice to meet you, Tina.” Derek shook her hand. “I’m sorry for what you went through. But from what Sloane tells me, your attacker is sorrier. You did some serious damage to his body.”

“Not serious enough.” Tina grimaced. “The cops have checked all the local hospitals. No one with the kinds of injuries I inflicted on him admitted himself.”

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t need medical attention. It just means he didn’t get it anywhere that would have kept a record of his visit.”

“I didn’t think of that.”

Bob returned with the soda, and they all sat down.

“I know you’ve been through this a dozen times with the local police, but just once more, tell us what happened early Saturday morning,” Bob began.

Tina recounted the entire incident, from when she stopped at the oak tree for her water break, to when her assailant attacked her, to the steps she took to extinguish him as a threat.

“I’m impressed,” Bob said, smiling faintly. “I know some cops that couldn’t retaliate that quickly, at least not without drawing their weapons.” He jotted down a few notes, then continued. “Can you describe the knife he held to your throat? Clearly, it was large enough to injure your shoulder.”

“It was big and intimidating. The blade was at least half a foot long, and broad, too, a couple of inches wide. It was made of thick steel, with a curved edge near the top. The handle was dark, with ridges for the grip. Oh, and it had a narrow vertical piece dividing the handle and the blade. Kind of like a guard to prevent the user from cutting himself when he held it.”

“Sounds like a Bowie,” Derek concluded. “It’s powerful and versatile. The big ones can be as long as swords. And the ones with saw teeth machined into the back side of the blade have been used in the military for decades. A good choice for this Unsub, and an easy knife to come by.”

Tina’s head came up. “That reminds me. I think he was in the military at some time.”

“What makes you say that?”

“When I grabbed his shoulder, I felt a chain around his neck. And when he jerked forward in response to my blows, dog tags fell out of his shirt, dangling from the chain.”

Bob was scribbling notes again. “Could you make out anything on the dog tags?”

“No. It all happened too fast. The whole thing lasted about thirty seconds.”