Conduit (28 page)

David opened the basement door and
gazed at his latest prize, the best of the lot. With her hands restrained
behind her back, Cassie sat in the corner of the room, the same corner as the
other women before her.

But Cassie was different than all the others. She was Emily’s
conduit and had been with Emily for many years. Their connection was already in
place, and it was stronger than he ever imagined.

Clumps of dried blood matted the blonde hair on the side of
her head. The laceration that occurred during their struggle had stopped
bleeding hours earlier, but David hadn’t washed the blood away. While she was
still asleep from the Ketamine, he had checked the wound to make sure it wasn’t
serious.

He could barely contain his excitement, and the urge to rush
back upstairs and get his knife overwhelmed him. With Cassie in his basement, Emily
would come to him very soon.

“What do you want with me?” she asked.

“Let’s not waste time playing games. You know what I want. You’re
going to bring Emily to me.”

“I’ll never help you get to Emily,” she said.

Her loyalty to Emily amused David, and he wondered what it
would take to break her of that. “You don’t really have a choice. I can sense
her with you just sitting there.”

“Why Emily?”

“Emily’s special,” he said. “We’re meant to be together.”

“If you’re meant to be together, why all the theatrics? Why
kill eight women to get to her? You could have just introduced yourself and
asked her out.”

Cassie’s naïve questions annoyed him, but he decided to
indulge her. “I have to test her first. If she can find her way to me, then she’s
worthy.”

“So you use these women to contact her? What would you do if
she didn’t find her way to you?”

“I’d kill her,” he said. “But I really don’t want to do
that.”

She pondered his words, but appeared unfazed. “You’re quite
adept at what you do. Have you done this before?”

“There have been other women like Emily,” he said. “I
thought they were the ones, but they never paid much attention to me, not like
Emily.”

“So you killed them,” she said.

“You’re starting to understand.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand in the true sense of the
word, but I understand why you think you needed to do what you’ve done.”

“I can accept that.” They were starting to come to terms and
he found it easy to talk with her. He had spent so much time with women that he
couldn’t wait to kill, but Cassie was more intelligent than most. He should
have expected as much from Emily’s best friend and business partner. Maybe he’d
have to hold off on hurting her for a little while.

“So why take me?” Cassie asked.

“I wasted so much time on all the others. No, that’s unfair
to say. I didn’t waste time on all of them because some were necessary to
connect with Emily, but you’re her conduit. You are already connected to her, and
on a much deeper level than anyone else. You can help me reach out to her and
convince her to come.” He decided to give her hope, one of his favorite parts
of the kill. “Once she finds me, I will let you go.”

“I’m sure you understand why I’m apprehensive about that arrangement.
Maybe I don’t want Emily to come to you. Or maybe I think if she does come, you’ll
still kill me.”

David grinned. “You’re different than most of the women I’ve
met.”

“I would hope so,” she said. “Since we have a bit of time
together, might I ask about your career?”

He had never thought about what he did as a career, but he
supposed it could be classified as such. Cassie’s interest in his work
perplexed him. She should be more afraid, and while he could sense some of her
fear, her behavior and words didn’t exhibit it. “Why do you want to know about
my career?” he asked.

“When I was a cop, I spent a lot of time studying people
like you, trying to figure out why it is that you do these sorts of things.
Maybe before you kill me, I’d like to find out a little more about you. Who
knows? You might end up liking me and decide to keep me around.”

“If you studied people like me in the past, then you must be
far more scared than you’re letting on. You might view me as a research project,
like I see the women who sat in the very spot where you are now, but if you
know I’m going to kill you then I still think you’re afraid of me.”

“I am afraid,” she said. “I’ve been afraid since you grabbed
me at my house, and I’m not going to insult you by telling you otherwise. But I’m
also curious, and I’d like the opportunity to know more about you.”

Her words fascinated him, far more than any other words
spoken by a woman before her. David decided to use his time with Cassie to his
advantage. He had many unanswered questions about his life and his desires to
kill women, and she might be able to provide those answers he sought.

“If I answer your questions about my life, will you tell me
more about myself? Will you tell me why I had fantasies about dark things when
I was younger and why I had to act on them? I’ve always wondered why I have to
do these things.”

She pursed her lips and studied his face for a moment. “If
you tell me enough about your life, then I might be able to explain some things
that you’ve wondered about.”

He was never able to speak with someone about his work, and he
thought it might be fun to share his life’s details for a change. It wouldn’t
hurt to divulge some of his secrets to her and gain more perspective on his
life and work in the process. She wouldn’t be alive later to tell anyone what
he said.

David settled down on the floor in front of her, ready for a
long and gratifying discussion. “Cassie, you can ask me whatever you want.”

The detectives and crime scene unit
crawled in and out of Cassie’s house like ants on an anthill. The Chief had
called Lionel to pledge the support of every department in the search for
Cassie, but it did nothing to help Lionel’s overwhelming helplessness.

When they had arrived at her house and she failed to answer
the door, Lionel used his extra key to enter. Her car was still in the garage
and there had been a struggle in her bedroom. There was no doubt that someone,
presumably the killer, took her from her home against her will.

Lionel sat on the hood of Shawn’s unmarked patrol car, his
shoes resting on the bumper. He swung his gaze across the street, toward the
neighbors congregating on front lawns to speculate why the cops had taken over the
normally sleepy cul-de-sac. He had seen neighbors on front lawns many times
before while at a crime scene, but now he wanted to yell at them to mind their
own business and stop intruding on his pain.

Shawn jogged down the stone walkway from Cassie’s front porch.
He jumped up next to Lionel on the hood of his car and pulled off his latex
gloves. “Have you heard from Emily?” Shawn asked.

“Nothing,” Lionel said. “The unit that went to her house
said everything appeared to be in order. She wasn’t home, but her doors were
locked and intact. They peeked through the garage window on the side of the
house and her car was gone. There’s nothing to suspect she had been taken as
well.”

“She’s probably at her boyfriend’s house,” Shawn said. “We’ll
hear from her in the morning when she wakes up to all your messages.”

“What did I do?” Lionel asked.

“You didn’t cause this,” Shawn said, not for the first time
since arriving at Cassie’s house. “There’s no reason to believe the killer
knows Cassie is working on the case. Outside of us and the Chief, hardly anyone
at the station knew about her involvement. You didn’t put her in this position.”

Shawn was trying to make him feel better, and he was most
likely right. The killer probably did not know Cassie was working the case. She
just happened to be his next target.

“If this guy had been stalking Cassie like the other
victims,” Shawn said, “she would have noticed it and reported it to us. If he
followed her at all, it was only for a very short time.”

Lionel turned to Shawn. Out of nowhere, he asked, “Do you really
have a thing for Cassie, or is Barbara reaching?”

“This isn’t the right time, Leo.”

“I don’t know what else to talk about. They won’t let me in
there and I don’t know what to do. I just don’t want to keep thinking about her
being gone.”

Shawn moistened his lips and his eyes studied his shoes. “Cassie’s
a beautiful girl,” he said. “She’s smart and damned stubborn. So yeah, maybe I
am starting to have a thing for her, but I would never do that to you. It might
be weird for all of us.”

Lionel slapped Shawn’s back. “I guess that if someone was to
have a thing for her, then you’re not so bad.”

“Not so bad?” Shawn echoed. “I suppose I’ll have to settle
for that.”

“If we get her back, maybe we’ll see about that dinner.”

“We’ll get her back, Leo. I swear to you, we’re getting her
back.”

Headlights caught Lionel’s attention. A black Jeep pulled up
to the crime scene tape perimeter. Emily jumped out of the passenger side, while
a man climbed out of the driver’s side. “Uncle Leo!” Emily called, as he walked
toward her. She slipped under the crime scene tape and ran over to him.

Lionel gave her a big hug, and Shawn did as well. Lionel
noticed the man standing on the other side of the crime scene tape still, and
he waved him over. The man dipped under the tape and moved over to them.

“This is Jake Hanley,” Emily said. “Jake, this is Uncle Leo
and his partner, Shawn Brandt.”

“Good to meet you both,” Jake said, and shook their hands. “I
just wish it was under different circumstances.”

“Same here,” Shawn said.

“Did you get my messages?” Lionel asked.

Emily nodded. “What happened?”

“It looks like he took her from her house, most likely in
her bedroom,” Shawn said.

Emily lifted her hands to the back of her neck. “This can’t
be happening.”

“Is there any way the killer knew you and Cassie were
working on the case?” Shawn asked. “I know you were both being discreet, but
did you possibly run across someone who could have been the suspect?”

“No,” Emily said. “In fact, all of the people we spoke to are
women, except maybe a few people at Diane Murphy’s memorial and Sam.”

“Sam isn’t our guy,” Shawn said.

“Uncle Leo, I know there are detectives and the crime scene
unit in there, but I have to go in.”

“I’m sorry, Emily,” Lionel said, “but that’s not a good
idea. You don’t want to expose yourself to that and you have no police training
like Cassie does. You might accidentally contaminate the crime scene.”

“I have to go in, and Jake needs to come with me. We’ll wear
shoe covers, hair nets, latex gloves, lab coats, whatever you tell us to wear.
We’ll follow someone exactly as we’re told, and we won’t touch a thing. I’m at
her house a lot more than you are and I might see something that can help.”

“And why does Jake need to go in?” Shawn asked.

Emily took Jake’s hand. “I need him for support. I can’t do
it alone. He’s a jury consultant and has investigating experience, so he may be
able to help me.”

Lionel looked at Shawn for an answer, but he just shrugged.

Emily walked up to Lionel and locked eyes with him. “We need
to go in,” she said in a low tone. “We’ll be able to find things none of your
guys can find. You know that’s true.”

Lionel did know. He had thought it for a long time. Even though
he didn’t understand it, Emily could help in ways no one else could. That’s why
he had wanted her and Cassie on the case to begin with. They were both good
detectives, but Emily was different.

He shifted his gaze to Jake. He had never met the man
before, but something was different about him, in the same way Emily was
different. She didn’t want Jake in there just for support, but because he possessed
the same kind of detective skills. Cassie needed both of them in her house
right now.

“Okay,” he said. “You guys can go in. Because she’s my
niece, I’m not allowed inside the crime scene. You can be my eyes and ears. I
want to know everything you can tell me. If you see anything that can help, let
Shawn know when you’re inside so he can get a crime scene tech on it
immediately.”

“When we get to the front door, I need you both to sign into
the crime scene with the officer standing there,” Shawn said. “I’ll get
approval from the Chief for you both when I go into to the station later.
Better to ask forgiveness than permission, or so they say. I’m in charge of this
crime scene, so if anyone asks, you’re with me.”

“Forget this,” Lionel said. “I’m going in, too.”

“Leo, there’s no way the Chief will okay it,” Shawn said.

“You just said it. Forgiveness later, right?”

Shawn threw up his hands. “Sure, let’s break all the rules tonight.
But the same thing goes for you. You’re not touching a single piece of
evidence.”

“Okay, boss.” Lionel followed them to the front door.

Shawn checked them in with the officer at the front door and
directed them in putting on necessary protective gear. He asked Emily to put her
hair in a tight bun to minimize the risk of hairs falling out. “I know you’re
here all the time,” he said, “and your hair is probably all over her house, but
we’re doing this the right way.”

After they entered the house, Shawn said, “The front door
locks were picked, but Cassie wouldn’t have noticed anything wrong because she
parked in the garage and came in through the door attached to the laundry room.
He surprised her in the bedroom and attacked her in there.”

“Can we start at the laundry room?” Emily asked.

They followed Shawn through the kitchen. Emily walked into
the laundry room, while Shawn, Lionel, and Jake stood in the kitchen near the
doorway. Emily turned around and walked toward them, much as Cassie would have
when she first entered the house. “After she came home, she set her purse down
on the kitchen counter and went straight for the bathroom.”

“How do you know she went to the restroom?” Lionel asked.

“We were together all day. She dropped me off at Jake’s
house after we were done at work. She hadn’t used the bathroom since lunch, and
she didn’t use it at Jake’s house.”

“That makes sense,” Shawn said. “Let’s retrace her steps.”

They walked back through the kitchen, and Lionel noticed Cassie’s
purse on the kitchen counter, just as Emily said. He normally would have
noticed it when they first walked into the kitchen, but he was thinking like the
uncle of a missing girl, not as a veteran homicide detective.

Stopping in the hallway by the guest bathroom, Emily closed
her eyes. “She used this bathroom because it was closest,” Emily said, with her
eyes still shut. “Before she left Jake’s, she said she wanted to take a nap and
a shower before going to your house. She would have gone back into the kitchen
to get her purse before taking a nap since she always keeps her cell phone close
to her.”

“But her purse is still in the kitchen,” Shawn said.

“That’s because he grabbed her when she came out of the
bathroom and not in her bedroom,” Emily said. She pointed to the carpet below
her feet. “Right here is where he grabbed her.”

“But the struggle is in her bedroom,” Shawn said.

“Trust me, her cell phone is never more than a few inches
from her at all times. She would have gone back for it after using the bathroom,”
Emily said.

“He picked the locks on the front door and waited for her in
the hall closet,” Jake said. He walked down the hallway and stopped in front of
the coat closet. “He was in here.”

Lionel walked slowly toward Jake. “How could you know that?”
he asked.

“If you pick the locks of the front door,” Emily said, “and
you want to keep your prints or DNA or whatever confined to a limited area,
this is where you would wait for someone.”

“Plus he knew Cassie would come into the house through the
garage,” Jake said. “She would have had to walk through the kitchen and right
past this hall closet. If he didn’t hear the garage door open or hear her walk
into the house, he definitely would hear her walking down this hall if he was
in the closet.”

“She went into the bathroom,” Emily said, with her eyes
closed again, “and he exited the closet and waited in the hall, surprising her
when she opened the bathroom door.”

“That sounds very logical,” Lionel said. “We need to get
this closet printed and scoured for any evidence.”

Shawn called down the hall for a tech and directed them to
start on the hall closet. “Work your way down the hallway, too. He may have
first grabbed her in the hallway.”

“How did they end up in the bedroom?” Lionel asked.

“That one I can answer,” Shawn said. “She kept one of her
guns in the nightstand. We’ve already photographed and bagged it. The rest of
her weapons are in a gun safe in her home office, so the gun in her nightstand
is the one she would have gone for first.”

“When he grabbed her in the hall, it wasn’t tight enough to
keep hold of her,” Emily said. “She wiggled free and ran to the bedroom to get
her gun.”

“It would have been easier to get her gun than going for her
cell phone in the kitchen and trying to call for help,” Lionel said. “The cell
phone option would have taken way too long.”

“But he caught up to her in the bedroom,” Shawn said, “and
she never made it to her gun.”

“Can we go to the bedroom?” Emily asked.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Shawn asked. “There is
some blood. It’s not enough to be serious, but we think it’s her blood and she
was hurt in the struggle.”

Emily drew a shaky breath, and Jake placed his hands on her
shoulders from behind her. He leaned over her shoulder. “Em, we don’t have to
do this if you don’t want to.”

“Yes, we have to,” she said.

Shawn nodded and led them into the bedroom. Two crime scene
investigators worked on the bedroom, dusting for prints and collecting
evidence. “Guys, can you give us a minute?” Shawn asked.

The investigators finished what they were working on and
left the room. Shawn turned to Emily and Jake. “The room has been photographed
and most of the evidence has been collected, but please do not disturb
anything.”

“We’ll be extra careful,” Jake said.

Emily walked around the room with Jake right behind her.

Lionel shielded his eyes with his hand for a moment. He didn’t
want to look at the scene where Cassie had been taken, and he definitely didn’t
want to see her blood.

When he gathered the courage to look around, the first thing
he saw was her bed. The messy comforter hung off the edge, as if Cassie had tried
to climb over the bed and was dragged off of it, or was picked up and thrown
down. The askew pillows and sheets pulled up from the mattress told Lionel
there had been a huge struggle once he had her on the bed.

The previous crimes had no evidence that the killer raped or
sexually assaulted any of his victims, but the thought of his niece being
helplessly attacked on her bed and restrained was too much for Lionel. He
looked away from the bed and tried to keep his focus on other things so he
wouldn’t see it in his peripheral vision.

Next to the bed was a broken lamp from her bedside table.
Her alarm clock was on the floor as well, along with a capped bottle of water
and a paperback novel. Lionel didn’t immediately see the blood Shawn mentioned,
so he stopped looking around the room before he found it.

“How did he get her out of the house?” Emily asked.

“We think she was drugged,” Shawn said. “We found a cap that
looked like it could have covered the needle of a syringe.”