Chapter 28
Thursday, October 13, 2 P.M.
The stench pulled Angie out of a deep sleep. When she reached consciousness she recoiled, wishing she’d not awoken. Her limbs were stiff, and her head pounded with a force that took her breath away. She raised trembling fingers to her head and tried to open her eyes. The faint light in the room made the pounding worse, forcing her to lower her lids.
Where was she?
Headache or no, she had to find out where she was and get out of here. Pressing her hand to her head, she rolled on her side. Her fingers brushed concrete, and she realized she was on a cold floor. The slight movement made her sick to her stomach, and she curled her bare feet up.
As the putrid smells swirled around her, fear bit at her and stirred terrifying scenarios in her head. God, what was he going to do to her? She thought about Lulu and Sierra. Had they found themselves in this same place, scared and alone?
She pushed up on her arm, bracing as her head spun, and her stomach churned. She opened her eyes again and watched as the room spun. It would be easy to just drop back and let the maelstrom wash over her. But there was no telling how long it would take for her mind to clear and she’d bet anything she didn’t have much time.
Pressing her fingers into her stomach, she pushed up onto her knees. The room was very basic, a utilitarian workroom that sported a large tub and a workbench with all kinds of tools. There was a plastic case that appeared to be filled with bugs.
The sight of the creeping insects crawling over a mound of flesh set her off. She turned to the side and vomited what little she had in her stomach. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. God, where was she?
Tears stung her eyes as she stared at cinder-block walls. This windowless room could be anywhere, and no one was likely to find her.
“Don’t do this to yourself, Angie. You’re a survivor.”
“We are a great deal alike, you and me.” The man’s voice radiated from a shadowed corner. He’d been watching her struggle and retch.
“How are we alike?” Disgust dripped from the words.
“Survivors. Near-death experiences. You and your cancer. Me and …” He abandoned the edge of the shadow and moved toward her.
Micah appeared.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. Why me?”
He turned and knelt in front of her. “Because your sister took my family from me, and now I’m going to take her family from her.”
“Eva didn’t take your family.”
“Mother said she was the dark temptress and she needed to be stopped. Eva is like her father. Soulless. A taker.” He traced her hairline.
She jerked away. “None of this makes sense.”
He rose, awry smile tipping his lips. “It will very soon.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve a few toys to fetch before we begin to play.”
Setting up a direct feed between the police and the state prison didn’t happen often. But Malcolm had called in favors, bullied, and begged to get Louise Cross to a computer screen so that they could talk. He’d have driven down to the prison but feared Angie didn’t have the four hours it would take for the round trip.
Louise had agreed to talk, but her condition had been non-negotiable. Only Eva could ask the questions.
Garrison had sworn when Malcolm had told him. But after the wave of temper had passed he’d seen what needed to be done. When he told Eva the situation she’d only been annoyed that he’d waited so long to bring her into the mix.
Now Eva sat in front of the computer screen in the police department’s conference room. It was a plain, simple room awash in tired beiges. A drop ceiling and conference table and chairs dated back to the eighties.
She smoothed shaking hands over her thighs. Garrison stood to her right, his arms folded but his body braced for a fight. “When will she appear?”
“It should be any minute,” Malcolm said. “No matter what she says to rattle you, don’t rise to the bait. We need answers about Micah and where he might have taken Angie. He wasn’t at his home, and the family has dozens of properties. We need it narrowed quickly.”
She nodded, then glanced up at Garrison. She smiled. “It will be fine. I’ll play any part to satisfy that bitch and save my sister.”
Garrison smiled. “That’s my gal.”
The monitor clicked on, and the prison warden appeared on screen. A tall, thin man with a pointed chin, he had owlish eyes magnified by the lenses of his thick glasses. “Detective Kier, are you ready?”
Malcolm leaned over Eva’s shoulder. “Ready.”
They watched as the warden moved from the screen and the door behind him opened. Louise Cross, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and shackles, made her way to the screen. She sat and stared directly into the camera. Her eyes, bright with excitement and insanity, glistened.
Malcolm stepped back, and Eva leaned forward.
Louise couldn’t see Eva’s hands or the way she’d twisted them so tightly together that her knuckles were white with stress.
“Hello, Louise,” Eva said. Her voice didn’t project the usual strength, but it was steady.
Louise’s gaze narrowed and she smiled. “Eva. It’s good to see you. You look well.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve put on weight. It suits you.” She looked almost gleeful. “Do you think of me often?”
“Yes.”
“I hope the burn is healing.”
“I’ll always have a scar.”
Louise seemed pleased as she said, “I am sorry for that. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Eva swallowed. “I know.”
“Do you?” Louise leaned into the camera. “I didn’t think you did. You haven’t responded to my letters.”
Eva hesitated as if searching for the right words. What did you say to the woman who’d tortured and nearly killed you? “Louise, you know I’m here to talk about Micah.”
Louise’s brows knitted. “Why do you want to talk about Micah?”
“We think he has Angie.”
Louise sat back in her chair, her jaw tightening. “Why would he take her?”
“He’s suspected of killing a couple of women.”
Louise muttered an oath. “I told him not to take any unnecessary chances. Fool.”
Eva tensed, knowing she’d hit a hot button. “He’s taken a lot of chances. The police are hunting him.”
She nodded her head. “He’s my last child. I wanted him to stay safe. That’s why I wanted him to keep his secrets.”
Malcolm’s jaw tightened. Secrets? What the hell was Louise talking about?As much as he wanted to shout the question into the screen, he held steady.
Eva held her composure. “We need to find him, Louise. If Kier and Garrison can get him, they are going to do their best to keep him alive. Other law enforcement officers might not really understand him. They could hurt him.”
“He’s my only child.”
“And I don’t want you to lose him.”
Tears glistened in the old woman’s eyes, and Malcolm didn’t know if they were real or not. He never imagined that Louise loved anyone more than herself and her own dark needs.
“Help Kier and Garrison find him, Louise. We need to save him. Where would he go that is safe? Where would he hide?”
For several seconds she didn’t say anything. Her body swayed as she drummed her fingers on her thigh and chewed her lip. Seconds ticked. It seemed she had dipped into another world.
“Louise. Tell me. Where is Micah?” Eva said.
Louise refocused her gaze. “Kier is there, and so is Garrison?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t hurt him,” she said to the detectives.
“No,” Malcolm answered with a clear voice, knowing he’d do what needed to be done to save Angie.
“There’s a house in Alexandria. It’s on the river. His father bought it years ago.”
“His home is on the river. Are you talking about the same one?” Eva said.
She shook her head. “Yes.”
“We sent a patrol car to that house,” Malcolm said. “No one has seen him.”
A prideful smile tipped the corner of her lips. “His father had a half dozen ways of getting into that house so that no one would see him. There are rooms off the basement that his father built. Both my boys loved those rooms.”
Malcolm straightened, ready to bring down the force of the city on that house.
Eva touched the screen as if for a moment she saw the woman she’d once thought of as a second mother. “Thank you.”
An odd flicker of tenderness flashed in Louise’s gaze. “There is something I need to tell you about Micah. It’s a secret only I know.”
* * *
Angie wasn’t sure how much time passed when she heard the sound of a door scraping open. After Micah had left she’d wanted to search the room and find her escape, but she could barely stand, let alone walk. She’d been sick several more times before she’d rolled on her side and fallen into a fitful sleep.
Now, thankfully, her stomach was calm and her mind clear. Her body still felt shaky, but she could sit up without the world spinning. She rose slowly, steadying herself with one hand on the cinder-block wall.
The room wasn’t as large as she’d first imagined. The stainless-steel table in the middle of the room had a drain underneath and a light overhead. It also came equipped with leather straps at the head and feet.
Water sloshed gently in the tub. The oddly soothing sound drew her closer. She staggered toward it and stared into murky, oily depths that smelled foul. She covered her nose and stared deeper. In the swirling water, she saw something floating in the current. The current caught the object and pulled it briefly to the surface. It was a foot.
Angie staggered back. The bones in water. The beetles in the cage. The police had found three bodies that had been stripped of flesh. “My God, Dad, how could you be a part of something like this?”
The door opened to the room, and she whirled around. Micah Cross had returned. With her mind clear, this time she could see that his entire demeanor had shifted. Meekness had been replaced by an intense energy that reminded her of a lion on the hunt.
She did remember that he’d promised to return with toys. Bracing, she took a step back.
His gaze locked on hers. He smiled. “You can see the difference, can’t you?”
“Not changed. Returned to my true self.”
“I don’t understand.”
Manicured fingers reached for the buttons on his shirt. He slowly unfastened each button.
“What are you doing?”
He laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve no interest in you sexually.”
“You said something earlier about stealing Eva’s family.”
“There is that. But I feel the need to tell you the whole truth. I don’t get the chance to tell the truth to anyone, and I need to say the words out loud.”
“What words?”
He shrugged off his shirt and revealed a chest and back covered with pink, puckered flesh. The deformity covered nearly his entire upper body.
“I laid in bed for months. The pain was so terrible that I thought I’d go insane.”
“What happened to you?”
“You can’t recognize burn scars when you see them?”
The pieces of this dark puzzle connected. Her sister Eva had nearly died in the fire that had killed her rapist Josiah Cross. Micah’s brother. “You were at the fire that nearly killed Eva.”
His eyes brightened with appreciation. “I was. But there is more.”
Eva had spoken of Micah years ago. Gentle. Soft. Nothing like his violent twin. “Eva never saw you there.”
“No, I arrived just as the blaze started to eat through the house. After my brother was dead.”
“You tried to save Josiah?”
He tapped the edge of his nose with his fingertip. “You’ve got it half right.” He leaned forward a fraction. “There’s a big secret that I’ve been keeping for a very, very long time.”
The intensity of his gaze had sharpened to razor points.
She raised her hand to her throat. “You escaped the fire.”
Appreciation gleamed as he waited for her to guess the rest of the story. “I did.”
“I read all the reports until I memorized them. They found your body.”
“Not mine.”
The dark truth dawned. “They found Micah’s body.”
Josiah had been in so much trouble with the law, but Micah had not. Darius Cross wanted to keep his troubled, surviving son out of jail. Josiah Cross might not have been able to weather a trial and avoid jail time, but Micah could. Darius had changed other evidence in the case. It made sense that he’d alter autopsy reports.
“You’re Josiah?”
Laughter rumbled from his chest. “Bingo.”
“Josiah Cross is alive!” Garrison barely controlled the rage burning through his body.
Malcolm wove in and out of traffic, the lights of the marked cars flashing. “I always thought that guy was too good to be true.”
Garrison fisted his fingers. The woman he’d loved had been savagely raped by Josiah Cross and suffered at the hands of his family for it. And now he had the chance to right a wrong. “Drive faster.”
Malcolm prayed they would be in time to prevent another tragedy.
“You’re Josiah,” Angie said. Terror knifed at her in-sides, but she kept her voice calm. Keep him talking. He wants to talk about himself. And she intended to use that fact to buy as much time as possible.
“Surprise!”
“How? What happened?”
“Micah and I liked to play games with people. Often we’d switch places. It was a rush to know we could fool anyone. We did that a couple of times with his girlfriend in college.”
“Her name was Kristen?”
“Good memory.”
“Why did you go to the sorority house that night?”
“Your sister fascinated and angered me. I wanted her, and she’d have nothing to do with me. Here she was the daughter of that lowlife Blue Rayburn, and she turned me down. I wanted to teach her a lesson.”
Angie remembered what a bright and motivated kid Eva had been in high school. She’d been making herself into a success despite the fact that she’d lost so much. And these monsters wanted to strip her of her successes.
She could barely keep her rage contained. “How did Micah figure into your plan?”
“He was along for the ride. He wanted to watch.” Josiah shook his head. “He and I had always been a team, and I was willing to share.”
Tears choked her throat. “What happened?”
“You know what I did to your sister? After I burned her, she passed out from the pain. Micah came inside and, we switched. It was his turn. I went out the front door for a smoke. I had no idea Kristen had come in the back door. She struck and killed Micah and set the house on fire. I tried to go in and save my brother, but when I looked at him on the floor I knew he was dead. The place was already in flames, so I ran.”
He’d left Eva to die.
“The curtains were on fire and fell on me. That’s how I got my burns.” He shook his head. “But your Eva found her way out the other door. She’s a survivor. Like me.”
“Your father sent you to Europe during Eva’s trial so no one would guess.”
“It wouldn’t have taken any guessing. I was burned and in pain. There was no hiding it. Father had lost one son, and knew if the truth was discovered he’d lose his other one. Josiah attended Price University so the cops assumed it was Josiah.”
“And you became Micah.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“You got off.”
“Not really. Father kept me heavily medicated for years. When he got sick, I tossed away the pills. But it took over a year to get back to my old self.” Anger hardened his features. “So much time lost because of your sister.”
“She had nothing to do with Micah’s death.”
“She is the dark temptress. She drew me to her. If she’d not done that I never would have been at that damn house.”
He grew silent, and she panicked. Keep him talking. “What about Dixon?”
“He and my father crossed paths years ago. Under very similar circumstances as a matter of fact.”
“Dixon killed Fay for your father?”
“No. Dixon never had a taste for killing. His dark appetites were sexual. He and my father shared a woman once.”
“What happened?”
He seemed relaxed, happy to talk. “Fay thought she could manipulate my father into marriage. She knew he and Blue were running guns through the museum, and she tried to blackmail him. When that didn’t work, she took up with Dixon. He was young and weak. When Father approached Dixon, he threatened to kill him. Dixon confessed that he and Fay had cheated. Dixon said he wished he’d not been so gentle with Fay. Father suggested that they could both get revenge and have a bit of fun if they worked together. Dixon agreed. Dixon took Fay, and when he was finished with her, Father brought her here and killed her.”
Her heart tightened. “Did my father help him?”
For a moment he hesitated. “I could lie but what’s the point? The truth is so much more interesting. Darius learned of the process from your father. The idea of stripping the flesh from his mistress’s bones appealed. When Fay’s body was found later, your father put the pieces together. He confronted Darius and threatened to go to the police. Father simply reminded Mr. Carlson that he had your safety to consider. After that, your father kept his mouth shut.”
That’s why her father had kept her from the museum and why he’d grown so distant. You’ll never be vulnerable. Those had been the words he’d uttered after her surgery. Oh, God. He had been protecting her.
Josiah leaned toward her as if they were best friends. “You’re lucky, you know. If Dixon and I were still working together you’d be in fairly rough shape by now.”
She was at the mercy of a killer and oddly grateful that she’d not had to face Dixon. “What happened with you two?”
“We met at a charity function a couple of years ago. I could see the dark need in him hadn’t faded with the years. I suggested we team up. He’d been excited. We killed three prostitutes. And then he got bored. He hired Lulu. Got sloppy. Said too much. She ran, and you know the rest.”
“What happened after the trial?”
“I demanded he stop and he did. Then this past summer he contacted me. He swore he’d be careful. So we started hunting again. But the whores were like shooting fish in a barrel. I wanted more challenging prey. I saw Sierra on stage and knew she’d be the next one. I told Dixon about her and could see the delight in his gaze. The things he wanted to do to her …”
“You could each work it so that you had alibis when women vanished.”
“Exactly. When Dixon finished with a woman, it was my turn. But then he broke the rules a second time.” He shook his head. “I forgave him once, and then he went against me again.”
“What did he do?”
“He wanted to keep you all to himself. He didn’t want me to kill you.” A grin tipped the edge of his mouth. “My father taught me well…. If someone crosses you, you take everything from them.”
“Your father took Fay’s beauty. And you were smart, so he drugged you and took your ability to think.”
He frowned, pensive. “Yes.”
“Did Dixon tell you about Fay?” Her words sounded rough, like sandpaper.
“Father told me about Fay before he died. He thought I’d not remember because of the drugs. But I remembered. I suppose Daddy needed to cleanse his soul.”
“Did Blue know?”
“Blue ran the guns. He knew about Darius’s affair with Fay, but he wasn’t involved in the murder. Blue was so worried about being respectable and getting one over on your father. Poor dumb Blue wanted the reputable life. And he had a thing for your mother.”
The download of information had her brain reeling. She couldn’t talk any more about her parents or the destruction of their lives.
“Who is your next partner?”
“I don’t want another partner. There’s a certain pleasure in doing things by yourself.”
There was nothing left for him to tell her. Nothing left to talk about, and still she scrambled through her memory searching for something to talk about. “What’s next for you?”
“I don’t know, long term. I’ll lay low for a while. Maybe a trip to Europe. But in the short term you and I have unfinished business. The time for talking has ended.” He grinned. “I must say, though, I’ve enjoyed it. You are smarter than the others, and your quickness is refreshing.”
Desperation coiled in her gut. “Then keep talking to me.”
He shook his head. “Time to play, Angie Carlson.”
Malcolm, Garrison, and three other squad cars pulled up in front of the Cross house. They’d cut the sirens several blocks back, fearing that Josiah would hear their approach and kill Angie.
Guns drawn, they moved to the front door and rang it. A maid answered.
Malcolm raised his finger to his lips, telling her to be silent. “Where is the basement access?”
She pointed toward the kitchen. He and Garrison moved through the house and down the stairs. They could see the outline of a secret door illuminated by an interior light.
They rushed the door.
Josiah lifted Angie to her feet. “So how do you want to die? I have many ways I can steal the breath from you. I’m feeling generous, so you can choose.”
Her legs wobbled, but she tightened her gut and straightened. “How did you kill the others?”
“More talk. You were wise to choose law as your profession.”
He dragged her toward a metal table. “I’ll cut your wrists and watch the blood drain. I was nervous with Sierra and rushed. With Lulu, I had a bit more time. But with you, I’ve been careful to clear my entire night. If I do this right, it’ll take all night for you to die.”
Angie jerked free of his hold. She whirled, ready to run for the door, but the drugs in her system made her dizzy. The sudden movements made the room spin, and she fell to her knees.
Josiah laughed. “It’s why I drugged you.You’re awake enough to know what is happening but not mobile enough to run. Great combination, if I do say.”
He wrapped his fingers around her arm. Thoughts of Malcolm, Eva, even David swirled in her head. So much love had come into her life. So much she should have embraced but didn’t.
She should have grabbed the chance with Malcolm and loved him despite the risk of loss. She should have tried harder at life after her second chance.
“You monster.” She reached around and raked her fingernails over the back of his hand. “I might die, but I want you to carry scars from me forever.”
“Bitch.” He drew back his hand and slapped her hard across the face. She fell back to the floor. Her brain rattled against her skull. He grabbed a knife from the workbench.
And then in the next moment the world exploded.
The door burst open and Malcolm appeared. His face a mask of anger and fury he shouted, “Back off, Josiah!”
Hearing his real name threw Josiah off for an instant before he rallied and raised his knife to stab Angie.
She braced for pain.
Malcolm fired his weapon. The bullet struck Cross in the chest. The man stumbled back. He hit the wall and slid to the ground, a plume of blood exploding on his scarred chest. He dropped the knife clutched in his hand, and his head slumped forward. Malcolm moved forward and kicked the knife far away from Josiah.
Garrison moved into the room, his gun trained on Cross as his gaze swept the room for any other threats. When both detectives were satisfied Josiah worked alone, Malcolm holstered his weapon.
With Garrison still alert, Malcolm knelt beside Angie. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Her voice was a raw whisper.
Garrison loomed over Cross as the uniforms arrived.
Angie glanced at Josiah. Wincing, she looked away and up at Malcolm. “I can’t stand so well. He drugged me.”
“It’s okay, Angie.” Malcolm cradled his hand under her elbow. “I’m here. I’m here.”
She leaned into him, savoring his scent and the feel of his body against her.
“Everything is going to be okay, Angie.” His voice was low and rough. His grip was firm and tight and so very soothing. “I swear.”
Angie gripped his arm. “I believe you.”