Murderer's Mockery

The golden rays of morning sun stream through the eastern window, casting a warm, inviting glow across the pink, tricolored room. The soft shimmery lights dance on the walls, illuminating every corner as delicate patterns sway gently across the carpeted floor.

Tears stream down Rachel's sallow face as memories of her and her husband replay in her mind, all the fun times, the laughter they shared. The countless nights they walk hand in hand under the starry skies. Joe's proposal at Thorn Crown Chapel. How their momentous occasion was made even more romantic by the historical sight's breathtaking view shimmering in the full moonlight. The reason why it's their favorite spot today. She then recalls the romantic nights following their I do's. "I love you, Joe, more than you'll ever know," she cries. He's been her best friend, her partner though both good times and bad. He's the one that helped her work through the trauma from her horrid past. "You're my soulmate, my true love, and I'll never find another like you," she sobs.

 She then pictures her two beautiful babies in her mind. Hiccupping, she glances at the cord again. "I have to get out of here for them." 

Gritting her teeth, she pulls down as hard as she can. The loop slides to the middle of her hand. "I'm almost there." She tries again. The rope slips a fraction more. "I can do this." With every bit of strength she has left, she yanks on her extremity, pulling it free from her restraint, "Now the other." Rolling on her side, she unties the knot.

 I need to figure out how to get out of here without getting zapped, she thinks, swinging her legs off the bed. An idea suddenly comes to mind. I wouldn't get tased if the electricity was off. Where would the fuse box be? The basement, pantry or a hall closet, maybe? 

 Springing out of the bedroom, she bolts down the steps. She searches the three areas but doesn't see it anywhere. Determined, she checks the remaining bottom floor but doesn't see a breaker box anywhere. It might be upstairs? She checked all the rooms but it wasn't there. Maybe I missed it. She rechecks the downstairs but it's nowhere to be found. She then recalls how the electric company insisted breaker boxes be placed on the outside, in case of an emergency they claimed. "There goes that Idea. " She sighs, plopping down on the couch. 

"Wait, he couldn't have wired the doors coming in and out the way he does." She looks over to see heavy iron bars in front of the front door, the back door is the same. "A window is my only hope, but how?"

**** 

The bustling activity of the squad room surges throughout the room. There's constant ringing phones, urgent conversations, and the occasional laughter in the distance as the rookies share strange events. 

Amidst the organized chaos, detectives pored over case files while uniformed officers hustling around, each absorbed in their tasks. 

Jerry navigated through the maze of desks towards the back. Turning, he eyes the chaos and thinks, The place is a zoo today. The energy and intensity of the space never wavers as he continues to watch the activities unfold. Boss is lucky, he doesn't have to put up with all of this. He then recalls what the mayor said. Maybe someday soon we'll have our own work area too, somewhere away from all the mayhem. He promised them an expansion post election, and is now claiming he's budgeting it in. 

Jerry turns towards the office to find the captain pacing back and forth across the worn hardwood floor, mumbling to himself. He'll be happy to hear that we finally got a lead. Tapping on the door, he steps inside. "Boss we ran the sketch the girls gave us through facial rec and came up with a name."

Joe's face brightens. "Yeah?"

"According to the DMV, his name is Kevin Clark. His last known address is upstate, but his parents owned a home in Green Forest, a property he inherited after their demise." 

"That might be enough for a warrant."

"We could at least go out for a little chat, if nothing else." 

Plopping down at his desk, Joe reaches for his phone. "I'll see what I can do," he says, picturing the judges in his mind. Some tend to be more lenient than others.

.""What do you want me to do, boss?

 "Get a team together. And Jerry, make sure they all wear their vests. It's hard saying what this psycho will do if he's cornered."

"Copy that, boss."

There's a knock on the door, they turn to find Kirk in the entryway."

"Sir, I found the perp dragging Rachel to his car on a diner's security cam." 

"Is it the same guy the girls described?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can you get a license plate number or the make and model from the footage?"

"I was able to get both. The car is registered to his mother Patricia Clark. So I imagine it like the house was bequeathed to him. "

"Put out a bolo."

"Already done, captain.."

"We definitely have enough for a warrant now, boss." Jerry smiles.

***

Rachel is sitting on the couch, mapping out a plan. So, If I short circuit an outlet the breaker would flip. She glances around her surroundings then adds, The way older houses are wired, the front room and part of the kitchen should be on the same one. Wait, wood isn't a conductor, is it? She thinks back to what her science teacher had said. Its tight molecule structure and lack of free electrons makes it an insulator, so electrical current shouldn't be able to run through it. Springing to her feet, she sprints to the first window and finds their frame is metal not wood. She glances around the room to find the remaining three are the same. Darting upstairs she checks the windows to find they too are metal. "My original idea will still work."

Hearing a loud bang she glances out to find what looked to be a stray dog running towards the woods. She then sees a metal box below her. So even if I did short circuit the house the generator would kick on within a matter of seconds. It could be turned off. Yeah, I highly doubt that seeing how he was expecting me to try to escape and his warning about the electrical current. Wait, don't generators only kick on if the main power source is out? She glances towards it. "That's a chance I'll have to take."

Rachel grabs all the electrical apparatuses she can find, and plugs them in. I hope this works, she thinks, running from one outlet to another turning everything on. "One last thing." She flips on the TV. The overhead lights dim. "I'm almost there." She's looking around trying to figure out what else she can do when she hears the announcer say,

"A police sergeant was abducted late last night while searching for two missing girls. The children are safely at home with their mom, but the detective remains unaccounted for. The police believe this man is responsible." Rachel turns to find Kevin's picture on the screen. "Her kidnapper is considered to be armed and dangerous. If you see this man do not approach him. You should call the number at the bottom of your screen." She then sees her husband step up to the mic. His complexion is sallow, his eyes red and swollen like he's been crying for days.

He gulps down the emotions threatening to escape as he glances across the crowd. "There is a reward for any information leading to his capture." 

"He's alive. Joe is alive, Rachel smiles staring at her handsome husband on the screen. "Don't worry, Joe, I'll be home soon." Plugging in a hair dryer, she turns it on, but nothing happens. "I've plugged in everything I can. The kitchen." Running to the room she turns on the toaster, the microwave, and the coffee pot but the lights remain on. She flips on the overhead light, still nothing. She's reaching for the dining room switch when the house goes dark. Now's my chance she thinks, running to the window, Unlocking it, she tries to push it up but it wouldn't budge. She tries wiggling it up, but the pane remains firmly in place. "I'm getting out of here one way or another." She grabs a baseball trophy from the bookcase. I hope this isn't plexiglass, she thinks, swinging it around. The glass shatters around her. "I'm almost there. "She's knocking the shards away when a metallic rattle echoes through the house. She then hears Kevin say; 

"Honey, I'm home."