Bloodstain (10 page)

Chapter 16

Jason found the number in the memory of his phone. It was almost midnight but he had to call. Mrs. Walker had obviously been asleep. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Walker, this is Detective Strong. I’m very sorry to wake you.”

“Detective Strong?”

“Yes. Detective Vanessa Layne and I spoke with you and your husband a little over a week ago.”

“Oh, yes…Of course. It’s very late, Detective. What is it that couldn’t wait until morning?”

“I don’t have time to go into the details
, but my partner has been taken, and we believe it’s the same man who took your daughter.”

Jason could hear Mrs. Walker suck in her breath.
“We saw the news, of course. We didn’t realize who the abducted detective was.”

From the background came the voice of Mr. Walker.
“Who is it?”

The phone was partially covered
, but Jason could still hear Mrs. Walker telling her husband who was calling, and about Vanessa.

After
some muffled noises, Mr. Walker came on. “What is it we can do for you, Detective?”

“Mr. Walker, do you or your wife recall a friend of Marcie’s from school
who had a large birthmark on his face?”

“Well…yes. A
boy with a rather large one went to high school with Marcie. I only met him once, quite by accident.”

Jason held his breath as Mr. Walker turned to his wife.
“Do you remember the boy’s name who came by the house looking for Marcie? He had a large birthmark on his face.”

Jason
couldn’t hear the answer but Mr. Walker came quickly back on. “My wife doesn’t remember his name, but she thinks his picture is in the high school yearbook. She’s gonna’ look for it. Do you want to call back?”

“Actually, would it be alright if I came over?”

“Now?”

“Yes. If his picture is in that book, I’ll need to see it.”

“Very well. See you when you get here.”

Jason hung up and called Lieutenant Patton.
“Patton.”

Jason
didn’t know if the lieutenant was at home, but he definitely wasn’t asleep.

“Lieutenant, this is
Jason. I’m on the way to the Walker’s house. Stephanie Morris’ sketch has given me a lead. Mrs. Walker’s looking for a school yearbook that may contain our guy’s photo.”

“Keep me posted.”

“Yes, sir.”

*******

Time had stopped for Vanessa.

After what seemed like hours, she
couldn’t tell how long actually, Norman came back in without a word, and moved to the far end of the room. She heard a click, like a lock snapping shut, followed by footsteps walking back to the door. He left again.

Vanessa looked around. The closet at the far end of the room was now close
d and had a padlock on it. She couldn’t put her clothes back on if she wanted.

She curled back up on the mattress.
Shaking, even though she wasn’t cold, fear unlike anything she’d ever known, suffocated her. The loss of control over her own life was something she’d never experienced, and each girl before her must have felt the same paralyzing fear.

Vanessa had been in street fights while on patrol.
She’d been involved in a gunfight when responding to a bank alarm. Nothing had approached the kind of fear she felt now. She was helpless. No weapon, no clothes, no escape.

She fought for control. She wanted to run to the window, start pounding
, and scream at the top of her lungs.

There’s
no point, the room has to be sound proofed in some way, or he wouldn’t have risked firing his gun.

Her
thoughts went to her partner. Jason was her best hope, maybe her only hope. He had to find her before it was too late.

God, please help him find me!

*******

Jason arrived at the Walker’s home twenty-five minutes later. The lights in the house were on. He parked and walked up to the door.

Mr. Walker opened it before Jason could knock. “Come in, Detective.”

“Thank you. Did Mrs. Walker have any luck finding the yearbook?”

“She’s still upstairs looking. Would you like some coffee?”

“No
, thank you. I’ll just wait if it’s okay.”

“Of course.”

Jason was about to sit when he heard Mrs. Walker coming down the stairs. “Found it. Hello, Detective.”

“Hi, Mrs. Walker
. You found the yearbook?”

“Not only did I find the book, I found his picture.”

Jason’s adrenaline surged. “Excellent. May I see?”

She handed him the book with th
e page open to a row of photos. Jason spotted him immediately.

Norman
Thomas Lasiter
.

The name
didn’t ring any bells. “May I take this book?”

“Of course. Please let us know when you catch him.”

“I will. Thank you, and I apologize again for getting you out of bed.”

Mr. Walker shook his head.
“It’s no trouble.”

Jason headed for the door, and back to the hospital.
He needed to show the picture to Stephanie Morris.

Normally,
they’d put together a photo line-up,
if
they could find five more individuals with Port Wine Stains. Vanessa didn’t have that kind of time.

He called and updated the lieutenant as he drove.

*******

Back at the hospital,
Jason found Stephanie Morris asleep with the TV on. A nurse followed Jason into the room, checking the monitors. Jason had no choice. “I need to wake her.”

“She needs to sleep, Detective.”

“I know, but a life is at stake, and I need her to look at a photo.”

“I’ll need to call the doctor.”

“We don’t have time for that. It’s life and death. Please, just let me wake her.”

“Very well
, but I’ll have to note it on her chart. Dr. Nance wanted her to sleep as much as possible.”

“I understand. I
t won’t take but a minute.”

Jason walked over and shut off the TV. The change in noise seemed to stir the girl. Jason touched her arm.
“Stephanie? Stephanie?”

She opened her eyes and gave him a half
-smile.

“Detective.
Is everything okay?” She sat up, pulling on her shoulder, and wincing. “Did you see the sketch?”

“Not yet.
I’ll see it when I get to the station. I have a photo I need you to look at.”

“Okay.”

She rubbed at her eyes before accepting the yearbook from Jason. His heart pounded, but he did his best to hide it. He needed a positive ID with zero influence from him.

The lieutenant had suggested rather than point out the suspect
’s picture, Jason should show her the entire page of senior photos, and see if she picks him out. It wasn’t a true photo lineup, but it was better than nothing.

With t
he yearbook in her lap, Jason opened it to the page he had dog-eared. “I want you look carefully at all the male photos on this page. If you see the man who attacked you….”

Before Jason could finish the sentence, her finger came to rest on the picture of Norman Lasiter.
She began to shake, and tears welled up in her eyes. She turned away.

He could
tell by her reaction she was certain. He didn’t bother asking. “Thank you, Stephanie. I have to go. Are you okay?”

She nodded, and as he got to the door, she stopped him.
“Detective Strong?”

He turned and met her eyes
, which now held resolve and anger. “Get him!”

“I will…. I will.”

Jason ran for the elevator even as he dialed the lieutenant. His phone read 1:45 in the morning.

“Patton.”

“Lieutenant, I have an ID on our guy. I need an address.”

Jason heard the lieutenant grab a pad and pencil.

“Our suspect’s name is Norman Thomas Lasiter. He went to high school with Marcie Walker.”

“Give me five minutes.”

Jason smiled to himself. He figured John Patton wouldn’t be asleep, but he didn’t expect him to be at the station. He should know better, Lieutenant John Patton would not rest when one of his own was in danger.

It was no more than three minutes when the lieutenant came back on.
“Norman Lasiter. Age 22. No priors. Last known address is 125 Rio Grande.”

“You’re kiddin
g me!”

“No. Why?”

“That’s two blocks from Marcie Walker’s house. I’ve driven past that street probably ten times in the last week.”

“I’m on my way with
the S.W.A.T team.”

Jason
, already pulling out of the parking lot, headed back toward the neighborhood he’d left an hour ago. “I’m going there now.”

“JD.”

“Yes?”

“Be careful. No unnecessary risks until I get there.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Jason
hung up and gunned the engine.

Chapter 17

Exhaustion had finally taken over and Vanessa had dropped into a fitful sleep. She twitched and moaned as a dream moved through her.

The nurse helped her onto the birthing bed.
Vanessa was so relieved to be alive, and to see Rob standing there with her. They’d survived the ordeal, and now it had come time for them to meet their baby.

“Let me take a look,”
the nurse raised the sheet and did a quick exam. “Looks like we’re almost ready. I’ll get the doctor.”

Vanessa waited for a contraction to end before smiling at Rob.
“Our baby will be here soon!”

The nurse returned to the room with the doctor followin
g behind. Vanessa’s heart leapt into her throat. It’s him. Her abductor, with the birthmark on his face.

She started to panic
, but Rob seemed unconcerned, and the doctor acted as if he didn’t recognize her. She was hit with a major contraction, and when she opened her eyes again, he was on a stool below her. “Okay, Marcie. Push the next time.”

Marcie, he called
me Marcie. She looked at Rob, but he was still smiling. Didn’t Rob hear what the doctor just called her?

Another contraction came
, and she pushed. She felt the baby being born.

“It’s a boy!” the doctor said
, and held the child up toward Vanessa.

A
large birthmark covered the left side of his face!

Vanessa scream
ed.

She awoke to the sound of her own scream, and found her abductor staring down at her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and despite being naked, she was sweating.

“Sweet dreams?”

Vanessa ignored the comment and wrapped her arms across her chest.

“Get up.”

She didn’t move.

He pulled
his gun and pointed it at her. “Get up now.”

Keeping one arm across her chest, she pushed herself to her feet.
Weak from no food or water, the room spun as she stood. For a moment, she thought she might fall. He reached out to steady her, but she pulled back, forcing herself to stand.

“Hold out your hands.”

She did as she was told and he produced another zip tie. Looping it around her wrists, he pulled it tight. The plastic cut into her wrists but she held her tongue. She wasn’t giving this animal any more satisfaction.

Grabbing her by the zip tie, he pul
led her along behind him, out of the room, and down the hall toward the garage. He opened the door, and she started down the steps, almost pitching forward face first onto the floor. He jerked her upright, before she could fall, and put her into the back of his truck.

He reached into his pocket and produced another zip tie, this time proceeding to pull
it tight around her ankles. The metal truck bed was cold and hard. Every way she turned hurt her.

Lastly, he put a strip of duct tape over her mouth.
Shutting the tailgate and pulling the topper door down, he twisted the latch shut, and left her there.

Vanessa was glad to
be out of the room, but being put in the truck, meant one thing. He’s moving toward the last step in his ritual.

He
’d prop her up against her own tree. The one she would die against.

*******

Norman locked the topper door and went back in the house. He suspected every cop in the state was looking for his pick-up, which was why he was going to take ‘Marcie’ out in the middle of the night. His preferred place to kill was a forest, but at two in the morning, he couldn’t be traipsing through a forest with a flashlight. It’s too risky, especially since they knew where he normally went.

Sit
ting in a chair in the living room, he tried to come up with an alternative. He saw the old photo of him and Mark Jensen. Mark had been his only friend in high school. The picture was of the two of them in Arnold Park. It was their favorite place to hang out, when the weather was hot, mainly because of all the shade trees.

Of course! Arnold Park.
It’s perfect. Trees and enough light from the surrounding area to see. I’ll have to get away in a hurry, the gunshot will be heard, but it’s perfect.

He took the picture
off the wall and looked at it. He remembered telling Mark he was going to ask Marcie out, and Mark warning him not to do it. His friend was right, of course. She had rejected him. Norman had made her pay. In fact, he made them all pay.

Arnold Park
is a good choice for this Marcie
.

Norman laid the picture on the table and went out to the truck.

*******

Vanessa heard Norman get into the truck. He started it and activated the garage door opener. She listened as the chain pulled the door all the way up and braced herself as the truck started backing out onto the street. She was shaking from the combination of fear and the cold truck bed. Her face
is still sore from the blow against the wall, but otherwise she was unhurt from her ordeal. She knew that was about to change.

Vanessa
continued trying to stretch the zip tie restraints, but was only hurting herself. They weren’t going to come loose. She examined the inside of the truck, each passing streetlight giving her a brief glimpse. She needed something sharp. Anything that might help her get free.

Come on girl, think. You know
you’re headed to the woods. He’s gonna’ undo your feet to make you walk. You may be weak, but you can still fight back, you have to. For Rob, for the baby. You’ve played it soft, counting on Jason to find you. Now, it’s up to you. You can’t wait for anybody to come. You have to give it your best shot.

The pep talk made her feel better, a little less helpless.

The truck began to slow and finally came to a stop.

*******

Jason had blown stoplights and ignored speed limits to get back over to the neighborhood where both the Walker’s and Norman Lasiter lived.

Jason guessed the suspect live
d in the same house he grew up in, just blocks from the people whose daughter he murdered. Somehow, he should have figured it out.

As he turned down Rio Grande
Street, he slowed to a crawl. He didn’t want to alert Lasiter by flying down the road, but everything in him wanted to do just that. To go barreling into the driveway, rush the house and if drawn on, put this animal down.

I
t was too risky. He controlled himself, and moved down the street slowly until he got to one-twenty-five. His heart sank. The garage door was open, and the black truck gone.

Jason wheeled into the drive and called the lieutenant, informing
him he was at the house, and the truck was on the move. He got out, went into the garage, up the steps, and slowly opened the door. Pausing, he drew his gun, and listened for any sound. None came.

“Police!”

He waited. Nothing.

“Norman Lasiter, this is the police!”

Still nothing.

He was struck with a wave of nausea, the smell in the house turning his stomach.
From the garage door, he made his way into the kitchen. The filth and odor were overpowering. Having cleared the main house, he started down the hall toward the bedrooms.

The door to the first was open
, and the room was a mess, like everything else. He cleared it and moved to the second door.

The second door was closed, and when he opened it, he found what
was apparently the bedroom of Norman’s mother. The bed was made, dust covered everything, and it was the only room so far that wasn’t a disaster. In fact, it looked like it hadn’t been touched since the last time she was there.

Jason opened the third bedroom door, flipped on the light switch
, and stopped. The walls were covered in multi-colored writing, and it took him several tries before he could make sense of it.

“I will never call you bloodstain again.”

Each time he saw a different handwriting, he would read it
aloud.

“
I will never call you bloodstain again.”

He realized he had said it three or four times before it dawned on him what he was doing.

This is what Stephanie Morris was talking about.

At the far end, in green marker, was a handwriting he recognized. Vanessa’s
, and his knees nearly buckled from thinking of her there, forced to write something over and over, that she probably didn’t understand. He saw the closet at the far end, just as Stephanie had described, but it had a lock on it.

The mattress caught his eye. His mind began to picture Vanessa on it. He turned and walked out. He still had a job to do
, and focusing on anything else wasn’t going to help.

Moving back into the living room, he began looking for any clue that might tell him
where Norman Lasiter had taken Vanessa. The lieutenant was already on his way to the state forest that had been Norman’s previous drop site. Jason doubted he would go back there.

It’ll
be somewhere new, probably close.

He scanned the room. No computer. No open books or maps. He checked by the phone for notes and found none. He went into the kitchen, checking for notes stuck on the fridge. He came up empty.

Jason walked back into the living room and scanned again.

There has to be something. Wait,
what’s that?

On the far wall was a
white spot, unusual in the grime surrounding it. Something had been there until recently. He searched the entire room for a frame the size of the white spot and found one.

Jason picked up the photo of two boys. One was o
bviously Norman, the Port Wine Stain told him that, but he didn’t know who the other boy was.

Why is this
off the wall? Did he go to this boy’s house? Did it have anything to do with where Vanessa is?

He examined the picture closer and something in the background caught his eye. He flipped on his flashlight and wiped the dust off the photo with his sleeve.

Arnold Park. The picture was taken at Arnold Park. Is that where he took her? I know where that is!

It was all he had, so he ran with it. As he went back to his car, he called the lieutenant.