Forgetting Jane (29 page)

Who cares. Jane hugged her knees to her chest, put her head down and rocked in place. What was she going to do?
Where’s Elias?

Trembling out control, Jane was suddenly cold. An icy wind swept past her. She lifted her head and exhaled a breath—it frosted the air.
Jane
.

“Jane Proster, I can feel you here with me,” she whispered.

The metal cuffs on Caroline’s wrist and ankles sprang open and she crumbled to the floor.

Jane launched forward and caught Caroline before she hit the cement.

Caroline’s dead weight strained against Jane’s small frame, but she managed to drag her away from the horrid wall.

“Thank you,” Jane called out. She hoped the girl heard her.

As Jane pulled Caroline to the other end of the basement, a string that hung from the ceiling brushed across her face. Jane pulled on it and a small light turned on. With great relief, she found a small pile of rags and laid Caroline on them.

Jane brushed back Caroline’s hair. One eye was completely swollen shut. Her other eye was staring up at her.

“Are you all right, Caroline?” Jane touched her cheek.

Caroline lightly shook her head no. With a shaky hand, she touched a part of her abdomen where the blood seemed fresh. “He st-stabbed me.”

There was so much blood on Caroline’s body, Jane couldn’t see the wound and the low lighting didn’t help. She took one of the rags and wiped the blood away. There was a deep laceration just below her belly button. The blood seeped out every time she breathed.

Jane got up and quickly looked around the basement for something to stop the bleeding. She found duct tape on one of the shelves and used it to cover the hole.

“I’m getting us out of here. You need to hold on,” Jane said as she put the last strip of tape on Caroline’s stomach. She found a small blanket in the pile and covered her.

The blonde grabbed her hand. “Thank you,” Caroline said in a strangled whisper.

“You’re going to be okay. Elias will find us.” Once Jane said the last word, Caroline closed the one eye and dropped her hand from Jane’s.

Tear ran down Jane’s face. She shook Caroline. “Please, Caroline, open your eyes. You’re not going to die on me.” She checked her wrist and found no pulse. “Hold on,” she whispered into her ears. “Don’t leave me.”

Jane knew it was too late. Caroline was dead. She took the blanket and covered Caroline’s face.

Jane wiped away her tears with her forearm.
Can’t feel sorry about this.
The only way to survive was to stay strong and be smart. She sucked back her fear and sorrow and took a good look around.

The one light bulb didn’t give enough light to see the full basement, but Jane walked around and found nothing to use as a weapon. She looked down at the rags Caroline was lying in and realized it was clothes. Women’s clothes.

Jane rummaged through the pile, found a ripped up shirt and slipped it on. The shirt barely did any good. The hem reached her hips and there were so many holes, but at least she wasn’t totally naked.

The floorboards above her began to creak. Jane heart raced faster with every footfall. She needed to get out of there before the deputy came down and pasted her in Caroline’s place.

All the windows were boarded up except for the one in the far corner. She took the hanging light and pointed in the direction of the coal furnace. The pane was painted black and the hole was very small. Though, Jane was willing to try anything.

Another creak from above made her heart slam against her chest. This was her only chance to escape. She took a few deep breaths before she slid behind the hot furnace.

She grated herself against the wall. Broken bits of wall cut into her exposed abdomen. Jane felt the heat from the pipes on her ass, giving about an inch span between the hot metal and her rear end.

Jane accidentally touched the pipe, which made her press harder against the rough wall. A few red blotches wouldn’t matter, if she was dead. The pain didn’t deter her. She scraped along the wall until she stood right under the window.

She reached up and tugged at the frame. It was old and brittle from termite damage. Her luck. Jane nudged the lock handle up and pushed the window open. The cold fresh air was a welcoming feeling on her face and into her lungs. But there was no time to relax.             

After seizing the window with both hands, she had to figure out a way to climb up. The only way was to step onto a hot pipeline that jutted out of the wall. Jane wished she had wrapped her feet with the rags. Too late to go back. Rags or not, she had to get out of there fast.

She took a couple deep encouraging breaths and stepped onto the pipe. The moment the bottom of her tender feet touched the metal she wanted to step off. Jane endured the scorching pain that seared her sole and shot up through her leg.

Jane’s burning flesh fractured her concentration, but she pressed on. After planting her arms on the outside part of the window frame, her legs hovered centimeters over the furnace. Almost there.

Jane used what little upper body strength she had left and wormed her shoulders through the opening. She had to turn partially on her side so her hips could squeeze through the window. Right before she slid her legs through, the deputy grabbed hold of her legs.

With all she had, Jane kicked and twisted, trying to free herself. However, something sharp dug deep into her burned foot. She screamed out in torment as he kept gouging at her sole.

“You’re not getting away from me, bitch." Jane heard his rant through her shouts.

She turned on her belly and used her arms as leverage and kicked with all her might. Jane broke free and crawled out the window. When she tried to get up, searing pain shot up her foot, which made her collapse. Looking down at the damage, a small knife stuck out of her foot. Blood quickly pooled when she pulled it out. The bastard had cut open a part of her heel and exposed the bone.

Jane had no time to worry. She had to get up to run, but the second she got up, Jane fell to the ground instantly. Everything spun. The mix of cold and pain made her dizzy. A whisper clung in the wind; it was the girl in the yellow dress, telling her to hang on.

There were shrieks coming from inside the wretched house. Jane attempted to get up again but fell over.

She couldn’t run. Her foot was way too damaged and bleeding terribly. Fighting back was her only choice. Jane got on her knees and with a firm grip of the small knife, she waited for the deputy.

The world spun around her. Jane closed her eyes to help regain her focus.

A hard kick across her middle knocked out her breath. She fell forward, face first onto the ground.

She tried getting up but her body protested. In that instant, pain exploded across her face. Jane wasn’t sure what hit her; she didn’t see it coming.             

Her vision faded in and out. Jane’s eyes were playing tricks on her. At first, the girl in the yellow dress hovered over her, but then she changed. The deputy stood there naked, with a large knife in his hand.

“Help,” Jane called out. Her head swam from one image to the next and back again. Nothing was clear anymore.

She tried to stay awake, but between the blinding pain and cold, Jane knew this was the end and slipped into the dark.

E
li sped to the lake and found the state officers marking various areas. He couldn’t ask for their help. He had to find Jane on his own. Magda said Tom’s grandfather’s house was near the lake. With luck he’d find it.

He backed up the truck and headed back toward his house.

His cell phone went off. “Chief McAvoy.”

“Hey, Eli, it’s Mike.”

“Can’t talk right now—”

“Wait. I completely bypassed one of the evidence you sent me,” Mike said quickly.

“Which evidence?”

“Your ripped up card. I put it together but didn’t get a chance to check for fingerprints.”

“What did you find?”

“I got three fingerprints off it. Yours, Jane Doe and your deputy’s.”

“Thanks. Please fax this to my office right away.”

“You’re welcome. Sor—”

Eli hung up. He didn’t need to hear what he already knew as truth. When he sped back down Route 41, the familiar strangle in his throat caused him slow down. Tom played Eli like the fool. He repeatedly hit the steering wheel, blaming himself for not seeing the deputy as he was. A monster.

Throughout this whole ordeal, he’d wanted this damn case solved, have the farm sold and to move his ass back to Half Moon. Now, all he wanted and cared about was to have Jane back safe and alive.

When Eli drove around the bend, the girl in the yellow dress appeared on the side of the road. She pointed in the direction opposite his house, east toward Route U. He slowed to see her, but she disappeared. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up.

Fear clawed at Eli’s composure. He pushed the ill feeling aside, turned around and drove as fast as he could. He should put the lights and siren on but he didn’t want to alert Tom.

When he neared Route U, his cell phone went off.

“Chief McAvoy, this is Holmes.”

Eli’s body turned numb. He didn’t want to hear that they had found Jane’s body. “What?”

“Jansig found out your deputy has his home off of Route U. Jane Doe must be there.”

“What is the address?”

“W6641 Birch Hill road. Do you know where this property is located?”

He glanced at his watch. “Yes. I’m about five minutes away from there. It’s before Sawyer county boundaries,” Eli said as he pushed the gas pedal down to the floor.

“We are on our way. And you were correct about the two killers scenario. Your deputy and Chief Henley had worked together for many years. My officers found photos of them with the women they killed. Some of the victims matched the photos you found.”             

“They fooled everyone,” Eli said in disgust.

“Your deputy’s house is really clean.” Holmes explained. “We are trying to get a court order to exhume Henley’s body for DNA samples. We think Tom killed Henley.”

“Then why dig him up? If Tom did kill him, justice is served at that end.”

“McAvoy, our ETA is fifteen minutes. Don’t proceed without us.”

“10-4,” Eli acknowledged, then hung up. There was no way in hell he was about to wait for them.

He took the serpentine road hard to the right, left and hard right again. Eli’s adrenaline reached the boiling point. He swerved on to Birch Hill Road and didn’t let up on the gas pedal until he pulled up to the dirt driveway.

He grabbed the extra gun out from under his seat and tucked it in the back of his jeans. He left the truck door open and made his way along the left side of the driveway, using the tall bayberry bushes as cover.

Gun drawn, Eli made his way up to the house. As he stepped onto the old dilapidated porch, he heard screams coming from the back. His heart stopped.
Jane
.

Eli raced around to the rear of the old grey house and saw her on the ground. Ashen-pale and bloody—was she dead?              

Tom stood over her with a bowie knife in his hand and a gun in the other.              

Jane moved. She tried getting up but fell back to the ground. Agony etched across her face, until their eyes met. She gave him a small smile. His heart jumped in reaction.
She’s alive.
Relief flooded him as he turned his focus back to Tom. Now he wanted the son of a bitch to pay for what he had done.

“Tom!” Eli shouted. His gun aimed dead center at Tom’s chest. He wasn’t taking any chances; he’d shoot to kill.

Eli held himself steady. “Deputy, I want you to drop that knife and gun,” he said loudly.

The long jagged scars all over Tom’s body gave clues to his horrific life.

“Well, it’s about fucking time you showed up, Chief. I barely contained my enthusiasm, having your whore all to myself.” Tom grabbed Jane by the hair and pulled her up to his side. He took the barrel of his forty-five and scratched his bloody cheek.

“Drop it, Tom.” Eli tried to stay calm.

“Okay. I’ll drop my gun.” Tom turned and whipped it toward the house. “See? I’m listening. Besides, the gun’s empty.” He licked the corner of his mouth and grinned.

“Step back from her, Tom. It’s between you and me.”

The deputy pointed the knife at Jane’s neck. “Make me,” he said in a low growl, taking the tip and nicking her skin. A small drop of blood seeped out.

“I don’t want to shoot you, but I’ll kill you where you stand if you mark her again,” Eli countered as he took a step closer.

“You better halt your ass right there, Chief.” He drew the knife to Jane’s jugular, then dragged it down to her chest, leaving behind a red line.

With his gun trained on Tom, Eli spoke evenly. “It’s too late. The State police knows what you and Henley have been doing all these years. Torturing and killing innocent women.”

“You have no fucking clue, Chief Eli. Chief. Ha! You’re not fit for that title. I should have gotten that job. Then none of this bullshit would have happened. I’d be king of the world,” he said, waving the knife in the air, then quickly pointed it back to Jane. “Henley was a crotchety old fool. He thought he was God. He thought he was my teacher, but I’m the one who taught him. I’m the God.” Tom chuckled. “But I got to give him credit. He told the Mayor to enact you before I killed him. I should have done it sooner—then this wouldn’t have been an issue.”

“Why did you kill him? Was he going to rat you out?”

With his right arm locked around Jane, Tom lowered the knife, with the point digging into his leg. “He had no right telling me what I can or cannot do. Henley got what he deserved. He turned all righteous on me. Too bad I didn’t make him suffer more.”

Out of the corner of Eli’s eye, Holmes and his men pulled up and had surrounded the house. One of the officers hid in the bush behind Tom, not twenty feet away, ready to bring him down.

Tom brought up the knife to his forehead. Blood dripped from the tip onto Jane’s shoulder and chest. He swayed, then righted himself. “You know this is not my fault,” Tom said low enough that only Eli and Jane heard him.

“What are you talking about?” Eli took another step closer. “You killed all those women.”

“I’m not stupid. Tell those FBI fuckers to stay back or the bitch will die. I don’t care.” Tom had the knife to Jane’s chest. She winced as he twisted the blade and the tip pierced her skin. Jane cried out in pain. “I told you, tell them to back off.”

“Keep back,” Eli shouted. “Tom, you said I don’t know. Tell me.”

Tom straightened up. Stone cold eyes directed at him. “My poor bitch of a mother ruined me. She wanted me to cut out the welts my grandfather gave her from the night before she died. But she made me take it too far and…she died and left me to my grandfather.” He dragged the tip of the knife down Jane’s arm, to her fingers and back up to her chest. “Do you know my grandfather showed me the way to righteousness by punishment? I didn’t want to learn, but I had to…endure.” Tom paused to wipe the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand. “He also taught me that all women were whores. They had to be beaten to learn abstinence.” Tom laughed. “I remember Grandfather would come into my mother’s room. He’d fuck her, then beat her for his sins—You can’t hide. I know you’re there.” He called back toward the bush and turned back to Eli.

“Tom, don’t do this,” Eli said, his finger sitting on the trigger. “We can work something out.”

“Do you want to see how it feels to watch your whore be killed right in front of your eyes? I did. My grandfather taught me no mercy.”

“Deputy, put down the knife and we can talk,” Holmes shouted. He stepped out from behind the house. He walked up beside Eli and stopped. “Put down the knife and let Jane Doe go.”

“Her name isn’t Jane Doe, asshole—and I don’t have nothing to say to you,” Tom spat out.             

“What about me, Tom?” Eli inched forward another step. “I’m here. You want the job? You can have it.”

Tom’s face lost all expression. “If you take another step Eli, I’ll pluck her heart out.” He then looked at her. “Poor Christina. She already lost a lot of blood from her foot.” He shook her like a rag doll and gave her a kiss on her temples. “I can see why you keep her close. She tastes yummy.”

“Christina? Is that what Jane’s real name is?” Eli mouthed to Jane, “Are you ok?”

She gave a slight nod. Paler than usual, but she was alive.

“Don’t you want to know why I did this, Eli?” Tom asked in a sweet tone. The way he trailed the tip of the knife up and down Jane’s skin was a contradiction to his delivery.

Eli had one chance to get to Jane. Since there were many guns trained on Tom, he lowered his weapon and took a large step. “Yes, I do. But you need to put down the knife.”

“Don’t tell me what I need to do!” Tom pointed the knife straight at her neck.

“All right. I’m listening, please don’t hurt her,” Eli said, dropping the gun.

“I did this because…I can.” Tom chuckled.

“How long had you and Henley been doing this?” Holmes interrupted.

“Forever,” he whispered, looking down at Jane.

Eli didn’t like the way the deputy said that. He took another step closer and hoping what he’d say next would drag Tom’s attention back to him. “I know why Henley left me in charge. He always told me in private that he didn’t trust you.”

Tom’s head snapped up and took a step toward Eli. “Trust? He had no clue what trust was. You want to know why I killed him? Because the bastard told me I had to stop. He said I’d get caught.” Tom spat. “I shot the bastard with his own gun. And no one found out.”

“Until now,” Eli countered. He glanced down on Jane. Her eyes were closed.

“Until now,” Tom laughed. “Do you know how many women I’ve had over the years? Lots and lots. From all over the world. I’m that good. I would have never got caught.”

“Why don’t you put the knife down?” Holmes asked as he sidestepped to Eli’s left.

Tom ignored the officer’s question. “Since it’s a day of confessions. You know the first person I had the pleasure of killing was my cousin Jane. How ironic, ha? She was thirteen. Hardly a woman, but…” Tom shuddered and loosened his grip on Jane. He closed his eyes for only a second. “Jane whined constantly. She was visiting my grandfather. I had to teach her a lesson of obedience, like my grandfather had taught me. But do you know what? I really didn’t mean to kill her. I got so caught up that I couldn’t help myself.”

“Tom. It’s over. Drop the knife,” Eli said evenly. He was a few feet from them, but Jane wasn’t out of danger yet.

“I can still see her, you know. She haunts me, but I don’t give a fuck. She can’t hurt me,” Tom whispered, and then shouted, “You can’t hurt me, bitch!”

“Oh yes, she can,” Harold screeched out as he raced out from the other side of the woods. “Jane’s here for you, Tom.”

Harold was knocked down by one of the officers. The rifle in his hands went off, which bit off the brittle wood siding of the colonial house. He was quickly grabbed and dragged back to safety.

Tom wrenched Jane around her middle and pulled her off her feet. The tip of the knife dug into Jane’s neck. “Don’t come any closer!”

“I want to take him alive,” Holmes shouted at his team.

Jane’s eyes popped open. Even from a distance, her eyes were as black as onyx. Her face held no emotion. Eli knew this wasn’t going to end well. The little girl had taken over her body.

“Tom, you can’t do this,” Jane said, but her voice was different, childlike.

Tom released Jane and spun her around.

The deputy’s face turned ashen. He stumbled back from her, waving the knife between them. “You stay away from me. You’re dead.” Eyes wide, fear now etched around his gaping mouth. Tom tripped, almost dropping the knife, but quickly gained his balance.

Jane tilted her head. “Did you miss me, cousin?”

He shifted the knife into his other hand. He extended the point to her. “I…I—“

“Yes, Tommy.” Jane smiled. The wind picked up like a mini tornado. Blasts of snow, dirt and decayed leaves slurred around them. “Yes, it’s me, Janie,” she said, taking a step closer to him.

Eli wanted to lunge forward and grab her but she stepped out of reach. Jane was still within arm’s reach of Tom’s knife.