Murderer's Mockery

The late afternoon sun shines brightly from the powdery blue skies above. Lush green mountains blur past as the two officers continue towards home. The sergeant is so lost in her own harrowing thoughts that she doesn't pay attention to her surroundings. 

Rachel's face loses all color as the killer's frightening words continue to echo in her head. Her cell tumbles amongst the trash scattered across the floor but she's in such a dazed state she doesn't notice.

"It'd be a shame if something happened to them." The killer said, his voice dripping with terror. His implied threat confirmed her worst fear that he's always watching, waiting for the opportunity to do her family in. Something Rachel 's suspected from the beginning with the types of games he insists on playing, making each of his killings about her or a member of her family.

 Rachel then imagines finding her baby's tiny bodies in a shallow grave. Her father and younger sisters are in a narrow trench beside them. "I won't let that happen to them. I won't I won't," she says, forcing herself out of that horrid state of mind. 

Jerry looks over to find Rachel trembling in her seat, tears streaming down her colorless face. Pulling to the shoulder of the road he skids to a stop. In a state of panic he turns and asks, "What's going on, Sergeant?"

Glancing over, she says, "He threatened to harm my kids. He threatened to hurt my kids."

"Pulling back onto the road, Jerry flips the lightbar on, pushes the pedal to the floor and says, "We'll be there in twenty, Sarge." 

Rachel pictures the miles between her and her hometown then says, "It might be too late by then." Shaking the horrid thought from her head she says, "I'll call my sister, tell her to go somewhere safe. Then call Joe and tell him what's going on." Finding her phone amongst the empties, Rachel pushes the call icon on her cell and waits. Precious seconds drags by. The line remains dead. "What's wrong with this thing? She glances at her screen to find she doesn't have a single bar. More frightened than ever she turns and says, "We're in a dead zone Jerr. We're in a stinking dead zone."

"Hang on." Racing to the top of the hill, he looks over and says, "You should be good now."

Rachel quickly makes her call. The phone rings twice then goes to voicemail. Hanging up she tries again only to be told the user's mailbox is full. "Damn it, Becca." 

"Can't get a hold of her?"

"No, but maybe my neighbor can." Mrs. Grimshaw, this is Rachel from next door."

"Hi, hon, how are you and how's your adorable kids?" 

"Fine, fine." I hope she thinks as the killer's earth-shattering words replays in her mind. 

"Could you please ask Becca to call me. She should be in my apartment or hers across the hall. It's urgent so…" 

"I would if I could, but I'm not home. I'm at the doctor's office getting checked out again. If it's not one thing it's another with me these days it seems. The joy of growing old I guess." Sighing, she adds, "Enjoy your youth while you can, hon."

 "I will." Hanging up she calls her husband. Joe it's Rachel, could you run by the apartment and check on Becca and the kids, for me. The killer said something about them and I want to make sure they're alright and that they're safe." 

"There's no need for you to worry, honey, they're." 

Why does he have to be so damn bullheaded she thinks. Frustrated, she shifts in her seat. "Didn't you hear me, Joe, the killer threatened to harm our kids." She yells.

"Honey, listen to me, please, Becca and the kids are fine they..." 

"You don't know that they are for sure, Joe." Rachel snaps on the verge of tears yet again.

 "I do, honey, because they are standing right here." 

"They're At the station?" She questions trying to remember the last time Becca was there. 

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was trying honey but you were so panicked that you wouldn't let me finish."

" I'm sorry Joe, really I am. It's just.." She starts to cry. "The killer has been watching them, Joe, them and us for a while now I think. And I'm so afraid that one of us will be next on his list."

"Are you sure he's watching and not playing another one of his games with you?"

"Yes, Joe, I'm sure I'm sure. Wiping the tears from her face, Rachel quickly explains. "Yesterday he said that I left in such a hurry I didn't kiss anyone goodbye which was true, and today he commented on the kids, calling each by name saying how little Joe looks like you and Lulu like me. He…He went on to say what a shame it would be if something happened to either of them. How devastated our family would be." 

"He said that?"

"He did. So when I couldn't get a hold of Becca I imagined the worst, that he'd already..." The water works begin again. 

"Well, you can relax, honey because, they're all safe and sound." 

Wiping her tears away she says, "They are for now, but what is going to happen when they head home?"

"I'll double the details on them until the killer is caught." 

"That would make me feel a lot better Joe, thanks. Wait, double them?" 

"Mike's been keeping an eye out since this first began."

"You didn't tell me this why?"

"I didn't want you to blow it out of proportion worry the way you always do. So how did your notifications go?"

"One mother was devastated, the other came to the door drunk and probably high, giving us an attitude acting like she couldn't have cared less that her daughter had died." 

"Unfortunately not all women are meant to be mothers, you know that." 

She recalls what she went through as a child and thinks, Oh too well. "The second mother did give us a general location and a description of the 2012 kidnapper. So it looks like we're reopening that old case."

"I thought you liked working on the cold cases."

"I usually do, but I've looked through this file numerous times and forensics didn't find any evidence or a single lead." 

 "At least you know a little more about the kidnapper than they did, right?" 

"The description is so generic I'm not sure how much good it will do."

 "We've captured criminals with less." 

Rachel recalls a case they worked on a few years back. Like this one there was nothing to go on and the witness description was spotty at best, but with good policing they were able to figure it out. "True." 

"And you said you got a location too, right?"

" An old farmhouse somewhere off of seven south."

Pulling up google maps, Joe types in the vicinity. He pulls up the street view and says, "You're talking hundreds of miles and over two dozen houses."

"It'll be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, Joe." She glances over at Jerry and adds, "That's if the house hasn't been destroyed. Besides, it's unlikely we'll find much of anything after nearly thirteen years."

"True, but what if there's a connection between the kidnapper and the murderer?"

 "I highly doubt that, since their crimes are so far apart and only two of the original kidnapped victims were killed. Besides, each has a different MO.

"Do they?"

"One kidnaps, the other kills."

"Right, but both think they're doing the world a service. A vigilante of sorts. At least that's how they see it in their own twisted minds. That's why I think we should follow your new leads, see where it takes us."

"It might be a waste of time and manpower, Joe, chasing after a twelve year old ghost instead of using those resources to stop our recent perp. Besides, it's hard to say how many more lives the killer will take while we waste time going house to house."

"Normally I'd agree, but my gut is telling me to follow this new lead." He glances at his computer again and says, "I'll tell you what we'll do. I'll get a team together this evening, so we can start searching in the morning. When we return, I'll have the men work on the new case with you."

Exhausted cops, wanting to go home instead of working a lead, just what I need, Rachel thinks. "I have a better idea, captain. You leave me our two best detectives, Jerry, and Kirk and take the rest." 

"You drive a hard bargain, Sergeant, but I'll agree to that. At least for now."