Temperature Rising (14 page)

“Come on, Laken. You can do it.”

Her head jerked to one side and back. “No.” The cry was barely discernible.

“No?” Justin glanced at him, but he focused his attention on her.

“Yes,” Mac demanded. “Come to me.”

Her head flipped back and forth again harder, as if she were struggling. She dislodged the mask. “No,” she cried out again. It was filled with agony and fear. “He’s going to… kill her. He’s hunting. Run!” The scream seemed to be ripped out, making everyone jump. “He’s there. Run, run. Look back.” She panted.

“Laken, you’ve got to fight him.”

Her head now thrashed back and forth so hard that Justin had to grab her to keep her from falling off the cot.

“Someone see if Dr. Shannon can get down here fast,” Mac yelled over his shoulder. “Tell her it’s Laken Williams. That she’s locked in on the killer.”

“Her temperature’s dropped to almost a hundred and four. Keep talking to her. It’s working,” David announced.

“That’s it Laken, fight him.” Mac stroked back her hair.

“He’s going to kill. He wants to kill.”

“Where is he, Laken? Can you tell me where? Something that you know, something that can help me stop him? Something that can save her?”

“Marinette,” she gasped out.

“Marinette,” he repeated. “The bar. Are they there now?”

Her head shook, this time in a controlled shake.

“Can you see her?”

Laken cried out. “Look. He’s behind you. He can taste the kill. She deserves to die. It’s his right to kill her. Thinks she’s as good as a man. He saw the way she acted, looking down on men. She needs to be taught her place.”

“Her temperature’s climbing again.”

“Laken, listen to me. Concentrate on my voice. Come on, you can do it. We can stop him, but you’ve got to help me.”

“Dr. Shannon says she’s on her way. She said you need to keep talking to her, do what you’re doing. Try to get her to describe everything, and see if she can become detached from the killer,” someone said behind him.

“Laken, I need you to tell me where he is. You can do it. Look around and tell me what you see.”

A whimper tore deep in her throat.

Mac fought to push down the panic raising in him at her obvious pain. “You can do it. Come on, sweetheart.”

“Street.”

“Good, where? What can you see? Come on, read me a sign.”

“Bank.”

“Good, what bank?”

“The Sip.”

“Sip. Someone get units to Hawthorn and hundred and sixth. Now!” Mac ordered, sending them to where a small coffee shop sat on the corner. “Where are they Laken?”

She jerked up from the cot. “No, don’t go, don’t go… in. No, no.”

“Temperature’s spiking.”

Mac grabbed her shoulders tight, holding her still. “Laken, where at? Where is she going? Fight him, baby.”

“Parking.” The word barely made it out between gasps.

“That’s it. Tell them to check the parking structure,” Mac again ordered over his shoulder.

A whimper escaped her, tearing at him. “I have you. I’m here, but I need you to tell me where she is. Where are they, Laken?”

“Temperatures dropping again,” David said, taking another reading.

“She’s going up, she’s walking faster. Needs to run… to get out of there. He’s moving faster. The witch thinks she can get away. No!” Laken screamed. “Don’t face him. Run. Run.” She went rigid, terror etched deep in her face. “Fight, fight him.” The words struggled out of her as she stiffened on the cot, every muscle in her body going rigid. Her breath came in short, pained pants. The paramedic pressed the oxygen mask back over her face.

A paramedic swore. “Her vitals are spiking. Her body can’t handle this.”

“Give her something,” someone yelled.

“We can’t. She’s not stabilized enough.”

“Laken!” Mac yelled at her helplessly.

****

Laken jerked. She saw the woman swing up her hand with her purse in it, but the Hunter knocked it away easily.
She’s
pathetic if she
thinks
she
can
stop
me.
She’s
nothing compared to
me.
He didn’t see her other hand come up until the claws dug into his face. He roared in feral anger. Digging his fingers into her neck, he shook her roughly.
Does
she think she
can
defy
me?
Her head flipped back and forth. He pulled her up to face him, his hand going into his pocket to pull out the knife. He was raising it behind her back when the spit caught him in the face.

Another roar erupted from him as he drove the knife down. The woman went rigid in his hold, the scream failing as it came out. He let her drop. She landed on her side instead of face down. Angrily, he pushed her over with his foot then placed the sole on her back and ground down, but it wasn’t right. The calm didn’t come. She had deserved to die. He didn’t doubt that, but it wasn’t right.

He stared down at her and raised his hand to wipe the spittle from his face. Displeasure instead of peace filled him.
It should’ve been the other one.
That’s what was wrong.
It should have been the other.
She was to blame.
It was her fault,
he ranted in his mind
.
He had to kill her before the hunting would be right again.

The sound of a car coming up the ramp filtered in just before the Hunter slipped into the shadows.
The police!
It was the witch’s fault.
The last thought came just before she fell free, and Laken knew he was talking about her.

****

Laken jerked again and went so limp Mac felt a new wave of panic. “Laken.” Her name tore from him in a whisper. It was then he saw her chest draw in a deep breath and he felt a surge of hope, but inside, he wondered if that meant the woman, whoever Laken was seeing, was dead. Well, he couldn’t worry about that right now. It was someone else’s job. His concern was the woman before him. Mac wasn’t prepared for the hand that rested on his shoulder and jerked. He hadn’t seen Laura Shannon push her way into the room.

“It’s okay, Mac, she’s free now. Her body just needs rest.”

“Temperature plunging. One-o-one point seven,” the paramedic said as if confirming.

“Pulse is returning to more normal,” Justin added to his partner.

“Laken,” Mac whispered, and leaned forward to brush a kiss on her forehead. “It’s okay. I’m here. Just rest now.”

She sighed but didn’t stir.

“She’s stabilized,” David announced, and a collective sigh came from the people crowded in the back of the cell and doorway.

“Keep monitoring her,” the doctor told them. “You can transport her now. There shouldn’t be any problem, though I haven’t seen anything like that before.”

“Neither have I,” Captain Amos Carter exclaimed loudly from the doorway. “Was that real?”

“Oh, yes,” Dr. Shannon answered. “I hope you have men there.”

“Yeah, we have it covered. Okay, everyone back to work. Show’s over. Get her transported to the hospital to check her out.” The captain’s voice barked at the back of the crowd, but before anyone could move, a radio squawked through the already tense atmosphere. Everyone froze listening to the request for medic and ambulance at the parking garage. They found a victim with one stab wound to the back, but she was still alive. The already hushed cell picked up a tomblike stillness until they brought a gurney in and forced everyone out of the way.

Mac steadied Laken’s neck and shoulders as they shifted her to the gurney. She remained limp, her chest barely rising.

As the paramedic spread a blanket over Laken, Dr. Shannon caught Mac’s attention. “I’ll stop by the hospital later. I’d like to put her back under if she’s up to it. See if we can learn anything more. But I’d prefer to do it at the hospital in case we have troubles. What she goes through is very violent.”

Mac nodded. “I’ll be there with her,” he said, stating the obvious and then starting to follow the gurney out. At the doorway, Amos caught his arm pulling him back.

“I’m going to the hospital,” Mac shot out, leaving no room for argument.

The captain nodded. “Figured. I still don’t know what to think.” The man’s head shook in disbelief on his big thick neck. “Mac, they found the woman. She’s still alive, barely. They aren’t sure if she’ll make it to the hospital, but if they hadn’t reached her so soon…” The man who had seen a lot in his career looked down the hall after Laken in pure puzzlement. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself, and I’m still not sure I do.” Amos removed his hand, letting Mac go.

Mac understood what the man was saying. He’d believed her already, but still, what he’d just witnessed was enough to freak him out.

At the ambulance, Justin stopped him from getting in. “We don’t need an officer. She isn’t going anywhere.”

“She’s my fiancée.” The lie came out so easy Mac decided it was close to the truth. It sure felt right.

“Your fiancée was in jail?” The man looked at him in disbelief.

“Long story, but she isn’t under arrest. She witnessed a murder.”

“I kind of feel like I did, too.” The man let him pass.

They were almost at the hospital when Laken began to stir, but she settled under Mac’s touch. Her eyes fluttered open as the gurney was lifted out.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Mac caught her hand that didn’t have the IV in, bringing it to his lips.

“He killed again.” Her voice was rough and raspy, filled with pain that reflected in her eyes.

“Maybe not.” He let out to give her a chance of hope. “They found her. She was still alive.”

“Did they catch him?” Her eyes sparked with need.

He shook his head. “No, but they’re searching. No.” He reacted to her tensing. “Don’t worry, just rest.” With his other hand, he stroked back her hair. Her eyelids dipped once then stayed closed as she drifted into a restorative sleep.

Mac didn’t dare take his eyes off her. Her vitals had all returned to normal and the doctor had assured him that, though exhausted, she was fine. She was sleeping peacefully and her body just needed rest to rejuvenate. Still, he couldn’t seem to shake off the fear of losing her. Now it was all settled down, it was worse because he had nothing to keep his mind from dwelling on all that happened. How she had burned with fever at a dangerous level and how shallow her breathing had become.

He never wanted her to go through that experience again.
He
never wanted to go through watching her go through that again. They had to catch the killer. They had come so close to getting the Hunter because of Laken, but the Hunter had managed to slip away. Mac knew he had to get him. He tried to force his mind to go over everything. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much.

The man was careful, but he had slipped up this time. The woman had managed to scratch him so they now had DNA evidence. And with one mistake, there was a chance of another. It could be that the killer was losing his control, which might give them an advantage, but it also made him more dangerous.

Time was ticking before he would kill again. Mac looked down at Laken. Dr. Shannon would be in soon, and he knew, if the emergency doctor agreed, she’d want to hypnotize Laken. He also knew they needed to get more information, but the thought of Laken living through it again sent dread coursing through him.

He caught the faint flutter of her eyelids and leaned forward. She drew in a breath and stirred in the bed. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and was rewarded with a slight smile.

****

Mac was sitting by her, with her hand locked in his, when Laken opened her eyes. He looked haggard, but the smile that he gave her reached to the deepest part of her heart.

“Is it that bad?” Laken’s voice cracked with the words.

“You tell me. How do you feel?” He brought her hand to his lips.

She took a deep breath, getting a strong smell of hospital, but it felt free after the police station. “Tell me first — am I under arrest?”

“No,” he said firmly.

“Then I’m tired and thirsty.” He was already reaching for the water before she finished the sentence. “Can I go home now?”

“They’re going to hold you tonight, to be on the safe side. I’m afraid the police department is going to stress that so they don’t get hit with a big lawsuit if you have a…” he paused for the right word, “…relapse.”

“It must’ve been quite a show I put on.”

“I’d say a lot of people are going to be thinking of it for quite a while.”

“The woman?” The shake was back in her voice.

“She made it through surgery, but it’s still too early.”

“They really did find her?” She tried to pull herself up but fell back in the bed, weak.

“Easy.” He leaned up over her, brushing back her hair and cupping her cheek in his hand. “She was right where you described to me. You saved her. She wouldn’t have lived if we hadn’t gotten there so fast.”

Elation pushed back the fatigue and lingering fear, leaving her with hope. “You mean that?”

“Yes.”

Laken didn’t know if she could quite believe that the awful images could really be for good. But then again, wasn’t that why she had gone to the police that first day, a hope that she might be able to help? Her thoughts locked on it for a few minutes. Mac remained silent beside her.

“You’re going to need me to go over it?” She finally looked at him.

His fingers still holding hers tightened. “Yes, when you’re ready.” He looked away then back to her. “Dr. Shannon will be here in a while. She wants to hypnotize you again.”

Her chest constricted like steel bands were clamping down, so she could only nod in reply.

Mac seemed to pick up on her distress. “You don’t have to do it.”

Laken managed to shake her head, loosening the tightness in her throat enough to get the words out. “No, I want to help. Need to try.”

“I’ll be right beside you.” He squeezed down his hand.

Laken wanted to tell him that was the one thing she was afraid of, that after seeing the strange sickness that was part of her, he would not want her anymore. Pain echoed deep in her soul and must’ve shown on her face because Mac reacted.