A Killer's Watch (10 page)

“That’s possible,” Jeri frowned, then shook her head. “It’s
also possible that nothing spooked him, that the feed stopped due to a power
outage, or because he’s doing maintenance.”

“If it comes back up in the next day or so, that may be
true. But I think we scared him.”

“If we focus on all of the properties we’ve already
searched, we may miss something important on the ones we haven’t searched.
Allison doesn’t have time for us to make mistakes,” Jeri reminded him.

“What we need is an aerial search, preferably one with heat sensor
capabilities.” Ethan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

“For something to read a heat sensor underground, through
concrete, you’re talking military grade equipment.”

“Not necessarily. Who do you think designs and sells that
stuff to the government? Private contractors, that’s who. We just need to find
one willing to lease us the right equipment.”

“Then we rent a helicopter, fly over the property. You’re a
genius, Ethan Barnes.” Jeri leaned over to kiss his cheek.

“Thanks, but don’t get too excited. Getting our hands on the
right sensor could be tricky. I’ll get Nate on it,” Ethan was already dialing
the phone.

As he told Nate what they needed, Jeri took the time to
revisit the list of properties they’d already searched. Each property fit the
criteria of having more than two acres, most had much more than that. Each
property was worth well over a million, not just the five-hundred thousand mark
Jeri had originally set. Each of the property owners fit the size and race
profile of the man in the videos. So, in theory, any of the places they’d
already inspected could host the kill room.

Each of the property owners had been surprisingly willing to
let them search the premises. So far, they had met no resistance, whatsoever.
She knew that Monique and Chloe had the same experience. It stood to reason
that the killer would be reluctant to let them in, would never give them carte
blanche to search the basements and shelters.

Unless he knew that they were searching in the wrong place.

With properties this large, an underground room could be
anywhere. With the kind of money these people had, they could afford to build
an underground structure without pesky things like permits.

But what if they didn’t build it. What if it was already
there? The rooms had power, obviously. But he could supply power using an
extension cord, couldn’t he? But those lights were wired in, or at least they
appeared to be. Would that mean that the power company would be aware of the
structure?

Jeri’s mind whirled with possibilities, none of which gave
her any clues.

Diana Post flipped her long, blond hair over her shoulder as
she began walking the two blocks from the bus stop, to her house.

Boys are so stupid, she thought, glancing out of the corner
of her eyes to where Allen and Becky walked hand in hand. He doesn’t even know
that she likes Justin. He doesn’t even know that
I
like
him
.

“
It’s his loss,
”
her mother would say. But that still didn’t make her
feel any better.

Turning at the corner, Diana walked the last block alone.
Her house was set away from the others on the street, a fact that her parents
were proud of, but she didn’t understand why. Diana wanted to be closer to her
friends. She felt separate, isolated, living so far away from everyone else.

Stopping at the mailbox, she reached in and pulled put a few
envelopes, and a few magazines. Nothing interesting, just house stuff that her
mom liked.

Sighing at the injustice, Diana trudged the rest of the way
down her drive, stopping at base of the front porch. Part of her wanted to go
to the swing, her favorite thing when she was ten. But she was much too old for
the swing now, no matter how much she enjoyed it. What would her friends think,
if they saw her swinging like a third grader?

Even though the possibility was remote, Diana was not
willing to take the chance. Unzipping her backpack, she retrieved the house
keys as she slowly climbed the steps. Normally, she loved having the house to
herself for a couple of hours, before her mom came home from work. Today, she
really wanted company.

Unlocking the door, she went inside, stopping to place the
mail on the table in the foyer, and her backpack on the floor. Going straight
to the kitchen for a snack, she didn’t notice the door to the powder room open,
slightly.

Bypassing the bowl of apples on the counter, Diana headed
straight for the snack cabinet for chips and chocolate.

~~~

Standing in the shadows of the powder room, Graham listened
as his prey went about preparing a snack. She often retreated to her room after
school, to listen to music and chat with her friends. Or, as she told her
mother, to do homework.

Graham knew that he had an ample window of time to take the
girl, but he didn’t want to waste a moment. His truck, parked in the garage,
ensured an easy getaway, and the syringe filled with ketamine rested against
one palm.

He was ready.

Slipping through the open door, he eased his way down the
hall toward the kitchen, where Diana stood at the fridge, waiting for a glass
to fill with ice. Her back was to the hallway.

Perfect timing, he thought, racing up behind her.

The noise from the icemaker blocked any warning she may have
had. By the time she saw his reflection in the stainless, he had his hand over
her mouth, and the needle in her neck.

She didn’t even have a chance to scream.

Ignoring the broken glass and bits of ice all around him,
Graham scooped Diana easily in his arms, and carried her to the garage.

Everything went so smoothly, Graham wondered at the veracity
of Anson’s warnings. Preparation was important, of course, but this was almost
too easy.

Laying her in the truck bed, on blankets he’d arranged in
advance, he wrapped her wrists and ankles with duct tape, putting a strip over
her mouth, for good measure. The drug should keep her out for at least two
hours, but he had to plan for contingencies, like traffic, or an accident, or
anything else that could cause a delay. It wouldn’t do for her to awaken at an
inopportune time.

Closing the metal cover, he wondered briefly if she would
have enough air for the trip, then shrugged off the concern. It was a truck
cover, not an airtight enclosure. She would be fine.

Pressing the button to open the garage door, he quickly
jumped in the cab and started the engine. As soon as the door opened, he was
ready to move.

He didn’t pass one soul leaving the neighborhood, but he
didn’t allow himself to relax until they were several blocks away. Only then
did he take the time to remember her face, so lovely, so like Aubrey’s at that
age. It made him wistful for happier days, for a season long since passed, filled
with carefree moments, and images of Aubrey.

Always, Aubrey.

The first time he laid eyes on her, she was strolling along
the river walk, with one of her friends. Graham thought she was the most
beautiful thing he’d ever seen. As luck would have it, he and his friend, Beau,
were confident in their approach, being that they were so much better than most
of the folks hanging out by the river.

Prep school taught them to appreciate their position in
life, to embrace the role of leader, in any situation. Graham never once
doubted that the beautiful creature would accept his advances, would even be
flattered that he chose her, among so many others. He was not wrong.

Aubrey and her simpering friend, whose name he could not
recall, accepted their invitation to get an ice cream. It was the beginning of
the most wonderful summer of his life.

As the miles between Fremont and his home, just outside of
Toledo, disappeared, Graham relived the times he’d shared with Aubrey.

Going for long drives in the countryside; Aubrey loved his
new convertible, insisted that they ride with the top down, whenever the
weather permitted.

Swimming in the river, and laying on the bank afterward,
feeling the sun dry their bodies.

Talking for hours, about everything and nothing, as the sun
dipped lower on the horizon.

If pressed, he would admit that the nights were his favorite
part. Parking beneath a million stars, with her head on his shoulder.

Aubrey was a good girl, she did not believe in sex before
marriage. As difficult as it became, Graham respected her wishes, and held
himself in check.

Not everything was off the table. Passionate kisses led to
fumbled explorations, and unfulfilled desires.

“It will be so much more special, after we’re married,” she
told him.

And he believed her.

About everything.

She loved him, as much as he loved her.

Of course, his parents did not approve. Aubrey did not come
from the right circle of people, but Graham didn’t care. She was his one true
love, and he
would
marry her.

September came too soon, sending Aubrey and Graham their
separate ways. She went back to the local high school, while he went east, to a
boarding school that promised the future of an Ivy League education.

Devastated, but unable to convince his parents otherwise,
Graham promised to call Aubrey, every day, and to visit as often as his schedule
allowed.

Aubrey promised to wait for him, assured him that he was the
only man for her, that she was his, and only his, for all time.

Her lies became apparent soon after he invited her to visit
him for the October formal. He’d made all of the arrangements, even bought her
a dress, and sent it to her as a surprise.

Graham put high hopes in the formal, believed that the
distance he’d recently felt from Aubrey would dissipate, once they were
together. He understood that she had been busy, sometimes too busy to take his
calls, but that was okay. She’d promised to be his, forever.

He still remembered how it had felt, standing at the
airport, watching strangers disembark. He stayed at the terminal, long after
the stewards and the pilots had come through. Long after the officials had
closed the gate.

The cell phone he bought her went to voice mail, soon after,
the number was disconnected. She didn’t return his emails, didn’t respond to
his letters, never offered an explanation as to why she’d stood him up.

Over the Thanksgiving holidays, Graham went to her house,
determined to hear the truth from her. But she hid behind her father, and a
restraining order that he would never understand.

What had he done to make her hate him? Why had she ended
their love, so abruptly?

Graham never tried to contact her again, but he kept watch
on her, from afar. He attended her high school graduation, spied on her between
classes, at the local community college. And when she got her first job, he was
there, cheering her on from the privacy of his car. She never knew that he watched
her, that he followed her every move.

No other woman held the same appeal for Graham as Aubrey,
but he dutifully went on dates and assignations, many of which were set up by
his mother. Belinda Graham wanted grandchildren. She wanted to see her boy settled
down and happy. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that it would never
happen, not unless Aubrey came back to him.

The day she married was the saddest day in Graham’s life.
Until she had her first child. A daughter, with beautiful blue eyes, like her
mother.

Something snapped in Graham as he gazed down at the
squirming baby girl, through the glass in the hospital’s nursery. All hope that
Aubrey would someday be his disappeared that day. He knew that he would remain
alone. He also knew that he would somehow make Aubrey pay for the lies, and the
heartache.

Finding Anson on the dark web gave him renewed hope, and the
means to extract his revenge. The more he followed Anson’s teachings, watched
him experiment with different forms of torture, the more Graham’s desire for
revenge turned into a bloodlust. For a time, watching Anson was enough, but
when the teachings stopped, thanks to Anson’s untimely demise, Graham knew that
he had to step up, to take over where Anson left off.

It was his calling, now. His legacy.

Keeping tabs on Aubrey, and now her family, gave him the
tools he needed to spy on anyone he so desired. Finding girls who reminded him
of Aubrey was easy, tapping into their computers, watching them when they
believed they were alone, became the way he found his own followers. It never
ceased to amaze him, the number of men, and women, who preferred a voyeuristic
lifestyle.

He made it easy for them. For a small, monthly fee, they
could watch the girls he chose for them, be a part of their lives from the
shadows. And for some, be a part of their death.

The thought brought him full circle, to the girl that rode
in the back of his truck. She was his prize, in more ways than one. Not only
did she remind him the most of Aubrey, she was the first one he’d dared take
from the safety of her home. But she wouldn’t be the last.

“Nate says that we can’t get the sensor for at least two
more weeks,” Ethan reported, after tossing his phone through the car window.

“That’s ridiculous, Allison doesn’t have two weeks,” Jeri
responded.

“It doesn’t matter, that’s the best we can do. I told him to
reserve it, just in case.”

“We have to find a way to determine what other underground
structures may be on the properties we searched this morning. It’s the only
thing that makes sense. The website is still down, which tells me that it’s not
a fluke. He knows that we’re onto him.”

“The only sure way is to get warrants for the entire
properties, unless Anna or Dylan come up with another way.”