Whisper in the Night (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Yeah.” Emily handed a Thermos and a brown paper sack to her. “Turkey on rye and coffee. I figured, like my dad, you all won’t have eaten since breakfast.”

Jenna gladly took the offering. Kane’s stomach had been rumbling for the last hour. “Thank you so much. We’ll see you later.”

“Thanks, Emily.” Kane smiled at her. “Don’t forget to feed your dad.”

“As if.” Emily gave them a wave and headed back to the house.

Jenna’s cellphone beeped a message. It was from Maggie. She scrolled through. “No list of possible residences yet but the mail-truck driver called the hotline with a lead. He noticed a pickup on Goldmine Road heading toward the old brickworks around two this morning. Apparently, there is an old manager’s house out there. It was rented by a recluse who died three months ago and likely has a root cellar.” She added the coordinates to the GPS. “Okay, let’s go.”

Five

He cracked open a bottle of beer and took a long drink as he watched the live news coverage of Lindy Rosen’s kidnapping. He grinned at the sheriff’s pleas for negotiation. “Huh? As if I’d be so stupid. The idea is for you to find me. Tick tock, Sheriff, tick tock.”

The cops were running around like ants after honey and moving in different directions with no clue to where he’d hidden the girl. They’d nothing to go on, no description of his truck, not one fingerprint, zip, nada, and why? Because he was a master of deception. Having the talent of being able to merge into the community without a hint of anyone discovering his secrets made him special, like a super-villain in a comic book.

He liked that he blended in, he was ordinary; it made the game of deception so much sweeter but messing with the sheriff’s mind was the bonus. Sending her the clip of Lindy all trussed up was only part of his plan to outwit the sheriff and her bunch of deputies. He’d watched them strut through town like they were superior, but he was the special one. Not many had a mind like his, or the smarts to keep one step ahead of law enforcement. This wasn’t his first kidnap. It was too easy and in Black Rock Falls, he wanted to up the ante. He needed a challenge, a buzz of excitement to add to the thrill, and with Sheriff Alton b

atting a thousand since taking office against the other so-called serial killers she might supply what he craved. Hey, any fool could kidnap and murder but he’d twenty-seven notches on his belt and wanted to make his score at least thirty by summer.

He sipped his beer, and then replayed the video of Lindy. When she’d woken, he’d seen fear in her eyes and loved the way her bottom lip trembled. They were all different – some cried and begged and others spat and screamed at him. Others were quiet, as if they’d accepted their fate. He grimaced. The passive women gave him little pleasure and he preferred the ones with attitude. Hell, Lindy had been terrified of him in her bedroom and the frightened ones always promised a good fight.

Excitement fluttered in his stomach. The lead-up to the kidnapping had been exciting, walking into a house and taking his prize divine – but the kill… He moaned in ecstasy, sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a low whistle. The kill he savored.

Six

Sinister shadows bathed Stanton Forest by the time Kane drove onto the on-ramp to the highway. He glanced down at the GPS and flicked on lights and sirens. Until they got within a mile of Goldmine Road, he needed to haul ass. He hit the gas, enjoying the way the engine roared into action, the front lifting with the power and the tires gripping the highway as they accelerated to eighty then cruised at a hundred mph.

As they left Stanton Forest way behind, grasslands stretched out in an endless expanse of fresh bright green. On this side of town, the grass would turn yellow, left untouched by cattle. Too many old mineshafts littered the lowlands to risk grazing animals. Industry had taken over and various industrial plants dotted the countryside like clumps of mushrooms. He glanced at Jenna. All business as usual, she seemed unusually quiet. “You okay?”

“I guess.” Jenna moved around in her seat. “It’s because this case stirs up a heap of old memories I’d rather forget.” She cleared her throat. “I know first-hand how it feels to be trapped in a confined space, tied up and ready to die by the hand of a lunatic.”

Aware of her frightening experience – when two men she’d trusted kidnapped her with the intent of raping and murdering her – and the PTSD that followed, Kane squeezed her hand. “Yeah, but we made it in time to save you and we didn’t have a deadline. You’re doing everything possible to find Lindy.”

“I’m frightened we’re not going to find her in time.” Jenna let out a long sigh. “I feel like we’re being played.”

Kane switched off his siren but kept the blue and red lights flashing to warn other motorists. “It’s possible. This guy is different to most kidnappers. He hasn’t made any demands.”

“How many types are there?” Jenna turned to look at him. “And where does he belong?”

He flashed past an eighteen-wheeler as the GPS announced Goldmine Road was four miles ahead on the right. “There are so many types it’s hard to place him in a category. Most who follow his pattern want something – money usually – or why send the video?”

“So if not money, what does he want?”

Kane glanced at her. “I’ve no idea. Usually, when they abduct a victim the last thing they want is contact with law enforcement, so I figure we can rule out someone who wants a child sex slave or a quick kill. He’s made no demands but has made contact for a reason.” He sighed. “If he doesn’t make any requests within the time limit, we’ll have to think outside of the box.” He shot her a look. “Perhaps he’s using the kidnapping to get to you.”

“I don’t think I’ve upset anyone lately.” Jenna’s mouth turned down. “But then being sheriff is a good enough excuse for some.” She straightened in her seat and gave him a determined look. “Okay, we go in using stealth and I’ll inform the other teams to do the same.” She called Maggie to ask her to contact everyone with her new orders. After disconnecting, she turned to him. “Don’t be a hero. The grasslands have the same laws as the mountains; you’d be surprised how many people have gotten themselves killed walking onto people’s property unannounced.”

Kane smiled at her. “With you to watch my back, not a chance.”

He slowed to take the corner and turned off the lights. The GPS informed them the address was 500 yards on the left. Kane slowed to a crawl and peered through a line of trees, searching for any telltale signs of inhabitation, but no smoke came from the chimney and vegetation grew right up to the front porch. As they approached the gate, Kane looked at Jenna. “It looks deserted; this would be the perfect place.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t see a truck.” Jenna picked up the radio mic and called in their position. “Let’s take a look.”

Kane scanned the immediate area, searching for tire marks or disturbed brush, but found nothing notable. He kept to the tree side of the driveway, using the shadows as cover, then stopped behind a clump of trees about twenty yards from the main house and turned to Jenna. “There could be another way in here; there are dirt roads all over this area and he could be hiding his vehicle in the barn.”

“I noticed a few tracks along the highway heading this way.” She jumped out the truck and pulled her weapon. “We’ll check the barn for a vehicle first, although he could’ve left her here and be holed up anywhere.”

“No doubt watching the search on TV.” Kane grimaced. “Having media coverage telegraphing our every move doesn’t help.” He followed her from the truck with Duke close on his heels.