Conduit (29 page)

“If he struggled with Cassie, he probably used his teeth to
get the cover off,” Jake said.

“That’s what we thought also,” Shawn said. “We had a guy
take it straight to the lab to have a tech swab it for saliva. If they find any
saliva, we’ll see if we can pull DNA from it.”

“That’s a lucky break,” Jake said. “Is he normally that careless?”

“Never,” Lionel said. “But he’s been making more and more
mistakes.”

“I’ve seen enough,” Emily said.

“Did you see anything else that might help?” Lionel asked.

Emily shook her head. “Just the closet and the hallway.”

Once they were back outside, Lionel gave Emily another hug. “Thank
you so much for coming,” he said. “You both helped out more than you can
imagine.”

“You have to find her,” Emily said. “If there’s anything
else we can do—”

“You’ve already helped a lot,” Shawn said. “Go home and try
to get some sleep. Jake, will you be staying with her?”

“I’ll take her to my house and keep an eye on her,” Jake
said. “I won’t leave her alone for a second.”

“That’s probably best,” Shawn said. “We’ll call as soon as
we know something.”

Lionel watched Emily and Jake walk back to his Jeep. He had
always questioned how Emily knew more than she could possibly know, but tonight
he was thankful she could pick up on those things.

“You should go home, too,” Shawn said. “It’s not going to
help for you to stay up all night with me. One of us needs to be rested when we
review everything in the morning.”

“You’re right,” Lionel said. “I’ll get a uniform to run me
home. There’s no point in making Barbara come out here to pick me up. She doesn’t
need to see all of this.”

“We’ll find her, Leo,” Shawn said. “She’ll be home safe tomorrow.”

Lionel nodded, and walked away to find an officer to take
him back home to his wife.

Bob was still asleep in his spot on
the back of the recliner when they returned to Jake’s house. Emily went
straight back to the bedroom without a word, but Jake didn’t follow her or try
to engage her in conversation. Silence had filled his Jeep on the drive back,
and every time he said something, she would only nod or shake her head in
response.

Jake walked around the house, making sure all the locks were
still secure on both the doors and windows. As an added precaution, he checked
the closets in all the rooms to make sure no one was hiding.

Back in the bedroom, Emily was still in her clothes. “Aren’t
you changing into your pajamas?” he asked.

“We have so much work to do.”

“There’s nothing we can do at almost two in the morning. You
need sleep, I need sleep. Neither of us will be effective tomorrow morning if
we haven’t slept.”

“He has her, Jake. There’s no way I can sleep tonight knowing
that she’s with him.”

“He won’t do anything to her, not for quite a while. You’re
the one he wants and she’s your conduit. She’s the closest thing he has to you.
He won’t hurt her until he can fully exploit that. You said yourself it could
take time before he starts using her to get to you.”

“But what if he doesn’t wait?” Emily said. She mashed her
quivering lips together and her eyes glassed over. “She’s my best friend, Jake.
I can’t take any chances with her life.”

Jake pulled her to him. She buried her face in his shoulder
and her damp cheeks wet the side of his neck. “We’re not taking chances with
her life, but we won’t do any good by sitting up worrying all night. Shawn and
Lionel are doing everything they can, and maybe they’ll be able to get some DNA
from the syringe cap. But we won’t know any of that until the morning, so for
what’s left of tonight, we need to sleep.”

“You’re right,” Emily said, and she broke away from him. “We
can’t help her right now. In the morning, we might have a clearer idea about
how to find her. Did you feel him at her house?”

“As soon as we walked up to her front porch. It was
impossible not to.” He could still feel him now, but he hadn’t wanted to tell
her. The man who took Cassie left a trail of malevolence that was easy to
recognize.

Jake had never experienced such an evil presence and that
same person was in Emily’s mind. He couldn’t bear the thought of that monster
wanting to get to her. After experiencing the intimacy of her letting him into
her mind, he hated that the killer had forced his way in and invaded her to the
point that it physically drained her and made her ill. Jake couldn’t take
chances of letting him get anywhere near Emily.

“I think we should split an Ambien to help us sleep,” he
said, changing the subject. “A full one and we’ll sleep too late, so I’ll cut
one in half.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “I’ll go get ready for bed.”

When Jake returned from the kitchen with half of an Ambien
tablet for both of them, Emily came out of the bathroom, dressed in the pajamas
she wore earlier. He handed her the pill with a glass of water. She swallowed it
with a sip of water and gave him back the glass for him to take his half of the
pill.

After climbing into bed, Emily crawled into his arms. Her
chilled body shivered against him, and he tightened his hold on her. “Are you
okay?” he asked.

“I’m really scared, Jake,” she whispered through the dark. “I’ve
never been so scared.”

“Don’t be scared. We’re going to find Cassie and everything
will be fine. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You’re safe here
with me.” Jake kissed her forehead and held her close. Though he intended his
words to be true, he couldn’t tell her that he was just as frightened.

Jake had been asleep for at least a
half hour before Emily snuck out of his bed. The Ambien he took would keep him
out for a few more hours, giving her plenty of time to go through with her plan.

She eased the bedroom door shut to shield him from any noise
she made, and crept down the hallway, into the living room. She wished she’d had
the foresight to keep her overnight bag in the living room to change into some
warmer clothes before she left. With her bag in the bathroom, she couldn’t change
into something warmer and risk rousing Jake, so her pajamas would have to do.

In the living room, she slipped on her shoes and picked up
her purse. At the dining room table, she dropped her half of the Ambien pill in
her purse, having hid it between her fingers after she took the glass from Jake.
She hated the deception, not only then, but what she had to do now. There was
no other choice. She had to find Cassie and she was running out of time.

Emily dug in her purse until she found a piece of paper and
a pen. She composed a note to Jake, explaining everything she could without
being too lengthy. She took her cell phone out of her purse and sat it on top
of the note. Even though the police might be able to track her if she had it, taking
it with her could result in Cassie being hurt and she wasn’t willing to take
that risk.

She removed her car keys from her purse, and took the
ignition key off the ring. At the last moment, she unzipped a pocket in the
back of her purse and pulled out an extra key for her car.

Before she moved into the garage, she went back into the
living room. Bob popped his head up from his sleeping spot on the recliner and
meowed at her. She scratched behind his ears, leaned over, and kissed his furry
head. “Keep Jake company for me until I come home,” she whispered.

In the garage, she took the garage door opener out of his
Jeep and climbed into the front seat of her car. She put the extra key in the
glove compartment. If things worked out the way she hoped, Cassie would check
the glove compartment first for a key. In high school, Emily’s mom refused to
allow her to buy a car with money saved from her after-school job, so she
borrowed Cassie’s car from time to time. Cassie always left an extra key in the
glove compartment for her. She hoped Cassie remembered their arrangement.

With the other key in the ignition, she pressed the button
on the garage door. Though Jake’s bedroom was in the back of the house, there
was always a chance he could hear the garage door open and close.

She waited for a moment, but Jake did not run out of the
house to find out why she was leaving. The engine roared to life and Emily
threw the car into reverse. Using the gas pedal as little as possible, the car
rolled out of the garage and down the steep driveway. At the bottom of the
driveway, she turned onto the street and closed the garage door.

Emily drove to a nearby mom and pop grocery store that
closed several hours earlier. She pulled her car into the delivery bay behind
the store and silenced the car’s engine. She wasn’t sure what time the store
began taking deliveries, but with the darkness swirling in her mind and the
sensation of the killer from Cassie’s house, it wouldn’t take long for her to
contact him.

Her eyes slid shut and she bowed her head. She gripped the
steering wheel, focused her breathing, and called out to him. Remembering Marta’s
warning to keep her mind closed, Emily opened her mind as much as possible and probed
the darkness that resided within.

Moments later, she heard her name. At first she thought it
was Cassie, but then she recognized the low tones as being a man’s voice.
Relief rushed through her. He hadn’t hurt Cassie to the point of making her
call out to Emily.

Having made contact with him, Emily visualized the alley
where police had found Jillian Waters. She threw every detail of that alley
into the darkness, hoping that he would pick up on where she wanted to meet. She
had to get them onto familiar territory to ensure Cassie’s safety.

The voice came back to her, confirming he knew where to find
her. Emily opened her eyes. It wasn’t too late to go back to Jake’s house, or even
to call Uncle Leo, but having anyone else waiting for him in the alley would
put Cassie in danger. Though she had never been more terrified in her life,
Emily put the car in gear and took off toward the alley.

Emily turned off the car’s
headlights and backed into the dark alley where the mutilated body of Jillian
Waters was discarded. Using the red and white glow of the brake and backup
lights to guide her, she maneuvered through the narrow channel and parked
behind the three commercial trash bins.

Cassie and her captor were not there yet, giving Emily a few
minutes alone to prepare for their arrival. The alley provided several options
for Cassie once she was out of harm’s way. If she didn’t find the key Emily
left in the glove compartment, Cassie was familiar enough with the area that
she could find her way to a phone and call Uncle Leo. If all else failed, Sam
lived around the corner in his homemade shelter. Because the killer was unaware
of Sam, it was one more resource for Cassie to use to get help.

Though his presence in Emily’s mind had grown larger than
ever before, it would feel much different once they were face to face. She
hoped when he stood in front of her, the darkness in her mind would start to
fade away rather than take over every part of her.

Standing in front of her car, fear racked her body and her
rigid joints threatened to lock into position. Still in her pajamas, she rubbed
her bare arms to try and keep warm, but it wasn’t nearly enough in the coldest
and darkest hours of the spring night. The cold should have been the least of
her concerns, but it allowed her to focus on something other than what her fate
might be once she was with him.

Emily had no illusions regarding what was about to happen. Once
she exchanged her freedom for Cassie’s, there would be no need for him to hurt
anyone else, but she would still be with the man who had killed eight women to
get to her. After that, she had no idea what he would do or how exactly she
could get away if Jake didn’t quickly find her. Everything she did depended not
only on Cassie getting away safe, but also on Jake finding her once he woke
from his Ambien-induced sleep.

The darkness had so completely filled her mind that she
feared she wouldn’t be able to find her way back to Jake on her own. All of the
light he left behind after being in her mind would be snuffed out as soon as
she was with the killer. She was asking so much of Jake. Though they had not
yet said it, she believed he loved her as much as she loved him. He wouldn’t
leave her stranded with this monster for long, but would find her and direct Lionel
and Shawn to rescue her.

The air around her thickened and a car pulled up in front of
the alley. It blocked the entryway, with the passenger side facing her. Leaving
the headlights on, the driver exited the car and walked around to the back seat
on the passenger side. Emily gulped down large breaths, so as not to drown in
the black circling her mind like a vulture waiting for her death.

The driver opened the back door and yanked his passenger out
of the car. Emily was relieved to see the shadows of Cassie’s familiar face
illuminated by the interior car light. Her hands appeared to be tied behind her
back, duct tape covered her mouth, and he dragged her against her will down the
alley.

He stopped in front of the trash bin closest to his car and Emily
got her first look at him. Clean-cut with short dark hair and striking features,
he towered over Cassie. He looked like any other person walking down the
street.

Emily assessed Cassie’s appearance. Her condition was better
than Emily expected, with just a few bruises and some matted blood on the side
of her head. Seeing Cassie alive reinforced that she was doing the right thing.

“I can’t believe you’re finally here, Emily,” he called down
the alley. “You came alone?”

“Yes. I’m sure you would sense it if someone else was here
with us.”

“I’m really glad you didn’t bring anyone. It wouldn’t have
gone well for any of us if you had. Unfortunately, we still have to go through
some precautions.” He gestured to the trash bin next to her. “I need you to
throw your car keys in there. We can’t have Cassie following us now, can we?”

As she approached the trash bin, Emily was glad she had
prepared for this moment by bringing the extra key for Cassie. Her car key
clanged against the interior of the metal container, signaling a temporary end
to her freedom.

“Please,” Emily said, “let Cassie go. I’ll go with you
willingly, but I need to make sure she’s safe first.”

Cassie shook her head to protest Emily’s proposition and
squealed from behind the duct tape covering her mouth. Emily didn’t let it
deter her plan. Cassie’s safety was far too important.

He took a gun out from the waistband on the front of his
jeans and aimed it at Cassie. “Take two steps forward, Cassie, and get on your
knees beside the trash bin,” he said. “Face the wall and don’t look at either
of us.”

Cassie followed his instructions, keeping her eyes on Emily until
she turned toward the building. She knelt down on the ground and faced away
from them with her head bowed.

“Come to me, Emily,” he said. “Move very slow.”

Emily held her hands up to her shoulders and inched toward
him, pausing between each step. She only thought about her breathing and tried
to ignore the sickness rising inside her core.

When she was a few feet in front of him, he said, “Stop
there. Lift up your shirt so I can see your waist.”

Emily complied, and turned around so he could see that
nothing was tucked into the waistband of her pajama bottoms.

“Keep your back toward me,” he said. “I’m sure you
understand why I have to take these measures.”

“I do,” Emily said. His footsteps neared and she kept her
hands up next to her head to demonstrate compliance. She squeezed her eyes shut
and tried to still her trembling body.

“Don’t try anything, Emily. I would never hurt you, but I do
have the gun on Cassie. Even though she and I got along well, I have no qualms
about killing her if I’m forced to. I’m going to pat you down and make sure you
don’t have anything on you. No weapon, no wire, no transmitter of any kind.”

His left hand felt along every inch of her clothing and Emily’s
stomach hollowed out each time his fingers pressed into a different part of her
body. She kept her hands in the air and reminded herself that she was doing
this for Cassie.

After patting her down, he swung his arm over her shoulder and
down to her stomach, restraining her against him. Matching his backward steps,
they moved away from Cassie and toward his car. In his grip, his touch pumping
fear through her veins, her plan suddenly seemed severely underdeveloped.

Wanting to stall the inevitable and hoping for a last minute
miracle to save her before she disappeared into the darkness, she said, “I don’t
know your name.”

“David,” he said. “We have to go now, but there is plenty of
time to talk later.” The gun moved out of Emily’s view, and the next thing she
saw was a syringe. “I’m not giving you very much,” he said. “Just enough for us
to get home and for you to get a few hours of sleep. It will sting a little bit,
and I’m sorry for that.”

The needle pierced the side of her neck and Emily cried out.
The liquid from the syringe set fire to her neck. He yanked the needle out of
her neck and threw the syringe to the ground. He no longer seemed concerned
with leaving evidence behind now that he had her.

“Stand up, Cassie, and walk toward Emily’s car.”

A blur swiped over Emily’s eyes and she had difficulty
watching Cassie follow his commands. In her peripheral vision, she saw the gun
lift. She tried to call out Cassie’s name to warn her, but no words came out before
the gun fired. Cassie fell to the ground, and two more bullets left the gun.

Emily tried again to call out to Cassie, but her limbs gave
way and her body collapsed against David. He helped her into the backseat of
the car and she tumbled over on her side. The car door shut and she lost
consciousness.