Silent Justice (22 page)

Suddenly, as if it were an afterthought, he reached behind his back and produced a pistol. Annie’s eyes bulged as she stared at the weapon. Had she misjudged him? Did he have plans to use the gun on her?

“I wish you could’ve left me alone,” he said, holding the weapon in one hand, his arm at his side, the barrel pointed toward the floor.

Annie’s gaze moved to the eyes of the killer. She didn’t see murder in them. There was no coldness like she had seen in brutal killers in the past. Rather, his eyes were filled with a sadness she couldn’t understand.

“What do you plan to do?” she asked carefully.

He raised the pistol and looked at it a moment, then dropped his hand again. He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”

“You could let me go,” she said, hope in her voice, but doubt in her heart.

His lips were tight and grim. “I can’t do that.” He glanced around the room, his eyes finally resting back on hers. “Are you warm enough?”

“I’m fine,” Annie said.

He tilted his head. “May I ask you a question?”

“Shoot,” she said. “Uh … I mean, go ahead.”

He smiled slightly at her slip-up, then said, “Why’re you so kind to me? After what I’ve done? I’ve killed three people, maybe even more for all I know, and yet you don’t seem to be afraid. Not only that, but if you’re telling the truth, you’re the only person who truly wants to help me.”

“Maybe because I’m a mother,” she said, wondering if she should continue. “I have a young boy, and if he was in your situation, I’d want to do everything I could to help him.”

Adam nodded slowly, then asked, “And your husband? Is he like you? He seems to be rather angry.”

“That’s because you don’t know him,” Annie said. “If you did, you would see he’s a compassionate man.”

“I bet he’s a good father, too,” Adam said, a note of bitterness in his voice.

“Yes, he is,” she said, and paused. “Tell me about your father.”

Adam’s shoulders slumped and he gazed over her head, unseeing, his mind in thought. Finally, he said, “My father has been dead now for almost a year. He was okay, but he never understood me. Always pushing me to be what he wanted and wouldn’t accept my illness. Thought I was putting it on.” He sighed. “When I dropped out of school, he tried to get me a job at the mill, but I couldn’t work there.”

“Why?” Annie asked.

“Couldn’t concentrate on anything that long.” He laughed. “I’m a pathetic excuse for a human being, I know, but that’s the way I am.”

“I don’t think you’re pathetic.”

“How can you not? I’ve killed people. Murdered them in cold blood. People I liked. I think that makes me very pathetic indeed.”

Annie had no answer for that.

“And I like you,” he continued. “Does that mean I might kill you too?”

Annie’s gaze moved to the weapon held at his side, his finger firmly on the trigger.

“I can’t help it,” he said. “Sometimes I have a desire to kill. I hear voices in my head, demanding I do evil things, and I have to listen or they won’t leave me alone.”

“Do you hear them now?” Annie asked.

He shook his head. “No, but I did earlier today.”

“What did they tell you?”

“To kill myself. But I couldn’t do it.”

“Then you have the power to resist,” Annie said.

He dropped his head and sighed. “Sometimes.” When he raised his head again, his eyes were sad. “But it’s not only the voices. It’s my blackout spells. Periods of time when I’ve no idea what I’ve done. I only know it was something terrible.”

“How often does it happen?”

The sadness remained in his eyes. “Seems like every day now. It started after my father died, and it’s been getting worse lately.”

“You need to get some help,” Annie said gently, compassionately.

“There’s no help. My medications don’t do anything anymore.” He laughed out of self-pity. “Besides, I’m not a priority. I’m a murderer and no one is going to care about me getting any kind of help when there are more deserving people out there who don’t kill.”

He had a point, and she knew Adam was intelligent enough not to get taken in by any false promises she might make. She understood why he didn’t want to surrender. The best he could expect was to be confined to a psychiatric facility with a constant stream of medication to keep him docile for the rest of his life.

“There’s no future for me,” he said. “And no easy way out.”

Annie pointed toward the weapon in his hand. “Do you think that’s the answer?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But for now, it’ll keep me safe until I decide what to do.”

He glanced around the room, tears welling up in his eyes. Then he turned abruptly and strode toward the stairs. “I have to keep you here for now,” he said, and then turned and plodded up the steps, tucking the pistol back behind his belt as he went.

The door closed, the lock slid shut, and she was alone again. She was unsure if she was safe, or if his dark side would take over and come back.

Annie was at the mercy of an unpredictable and dangerous man, a man out of control, and she had no way out.

Chapter 40

Thursday, 12:51 p.m.

JAKE HAD KNOCKED on every door on Mill Street, and in each case where someone was home, he’d been informed Annie had been there earlier, asked a few questions, and then moved on. He was no further ahead in the search for his wife than he was an hour ago. In addition, she still wasn’t answering her cell phone and his text messages were ignored.

He went back to his car, circled the surrounding streets again, and then parked on Mill Street at the spot where he had dropped Annie off. He hoped she would return on her own with a simple explanation, but he knew in his heart something was very wrong.

His cell phone rang. He prayed it was Annie and was disappointed when he looked at the caller ID. It was Lisa Krunk.

“I don’t have time to talk to you now,” he said. “I’m in the middle of something that can’t wait.”

Lisa’s voice came over the line. “As you know, Jake, in the past, I’ve always tried to help law enforcement whenever possible.”

What was she getting at? She rarely did anything to help unless there was something in it for her.

“What do you want, Lisa?” Jake asked, trying to remain patient.

She paused, probably for dramatic effect. “I have some information you might find helpful.”

“Helpful in what way?”

“To find Adam Thorburn.”

Jake sat forward. “I’m listening.”

“I had the pleasure this morning of interviewing Virginia Thorburn.”

Jake shook his head in disgust. “Will you get to the point, Lisa?”

Lisa gave a long, drawn-out and exaggerated sigh. “In fact, if I hadn’t caught her in the street, I doubt I would’ve gotten a word from her. She wasn’t all that happy to see me.”

That statement didn’t surprise Jake. Rare was the time when anyone was pleased to see Lisa. Her expertise in bringing out the negative in the people she interviewed was well known by those who had been subjected to her questions.

“What do you have for me, Lisa?” Jake asked, his patience slipping away.

“I want to interview you and Annie when this is all over. Would you do me that favor, Jake?”

There it was. Her demands. They weren’t unreasonable, but there always had to be something; her conscience never came into play.

“If it helps me find Annie, you’ve got a deal,” Jake said.

“Annie’s missing?” Lisa asked in her usual way of faking concern. “How long has she been gone?”

Jake bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to let that out, especially to Lisa. “I haven’t been able to reach her on the phone,” he said. “But I’m sure she’s okay.”

There was a short pause on the line and then Lisa spoke again. “In my attempt to get at the truth, I was able to dig out an important bit of information from Mrs. Thorburn.”

Jake’s patience was expended. “What did you find, Lisa?”

“It seems Virginia Thorburn has been meeting up with Adam on more than one occasion, the last time perhaps as recently as this morning. I caught her in a lie when she said she hadn’t seen him since Tuesday morning—”

Jake interrupted. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Apparently, Adam told her he didn’t kill the two people, but he killed the second one on Tuesday evening.” Lisa chuckled, well pleased with herself. “She was flustered and stormed away after she let that slip. I want to use it in my news story this evening, but I thought you should know.”

“If it helps us locate Adam Thorburn, then you’ll get the interview.”

“And one more thing.”

Jake sighed. “What is it?”

“Will you ask Detective Corning if he’ll sit in on the interview?”

“I can’t speak for him, but all right, I’ll ask him. No guarantee on that one.”

“Thanks, Jake. I knew I could depend on you.”

The line went dead and Jake hung up thoughtfully. He knew Adam had been home the day before, when he’d seen him coming from the basement window and chased him across the yard of the steel mill. But it was doubtful Adam had seen his mother at that time, or he would’ve left through the door.

The rosebush Jake had seen near the hut in the swamp was further proof Adam had been home more than once.

He believed Mrs. Thorburn knew more than she was letting on. Why else would Adam have fled the house the day after the first murder—after spending the night at home? The only one who could’ve told him the police were on his trail was his mother.

She was protecting her son, which was understandable, but in the process she might be putting more lives in danger. If what Lisa had said was true, and she had no reason to lie about it, then he needed to have another talk with Virginia Thorburn.

He started the Firebird and drove up the street, stopping in front of the Thorburn house. The unmarked car still sat across the street from the dwelling, not a fun job for the officers inside the vehicle.

He stepped from the car, approached the side of the house, and knocked on the screen door.

Virginia Thorburn peeked through the window of the door, her face contorting into a frown when she saw him. Jake was sure she wasn’t going to let him in, but a moment later the inner door swung open.

Jake tugged on the screen door. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Thorburn. May I speak with you a moment?”

“What about?” the woman asked, folding her arms and leaning against the door frame. She wasn’t going to invite him in this time, that much was evident.

Jake glanced past the woman, hoping to see Annie inside. She wasn’t, of course, and as he stood one step down from the doorway, he was still two inches taller than the woman. Jake looked down into her eyes and studied her face. “I’m looking for my wife. Did she drop in to see you today?”

Mrs. Thorburn nodded. “She was here a couple of hours ago.”

Her eyes told him she was telling the truth. “Have you seen Adam today?” he asked bluntly.

She hesitated, fumbling for an answer, then, “No, I haven’t seen him. I don’t believe he’s around here anymore.”

Jake saw the lie in her eyes. Lisa Krunk had been correct. “Where is he, Mrs. Thorburn?”

“I … I don’t know.” She frowned deeply. “I told you I haven’t seen him.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “If you do, tell him I’m looking for Annie and I’m coming for him.”

Her eyes told him everything he needed to know except where his wife was. This time a hint of fear showed on her face, then anger. “I haven’t seem Adam and I don’t know where your wife is.”

“Mrs. Thorburn,” Jake said, “you can get into a lot of trouble for harboring a fugitive.” Jake motioned toward the kitchen. “Is he here now?”

“No, he’s not here?”

“Is my wife here?”

She took a deep breath and let it out in a long-suffering sigh. “Your wife’s not here.” She stepped back and reached for the doorknob.

Jake held the door from closing. “Don’t forget,” he said. “Make sure you tell him I’m coming for him and he’d better be careful.” He moved his hand from the door and it slammed in his face.

He stepped down off the porch, allowing the screen door to swing closed, then made his way back to the Firebird. He got inside, tried Annie’s cell in vain, and then started the car.

He could be fairly certain neither Annie nor Adam was in the Thorburn house. The cops at the road, or the ones in the garage, would’ve seen him for sure, and Adam wasn’t that careless.

There was no doubt Virginia Thorburn was lying to him about something. The only reason she would lie is because she was protecting her son. Jake believed she knew exactly where he was hiding out. And if Annie was in the clutches of the madman and Mrs. Thorburn knew about it, she would be in a whole lot of trouble if anything happened to his wife.

If his message to Adam alarmed her, then she would be sure to contact her son. Jake knew Adam didn’t have a phone—at least not one in his own name. But whether in person or by phone, Jake couldn’t be sure, but one way or another, she would deliver his message.

And he would wait until she did.

Chapter 41

Thursday, 1:06 p.m.

ADAM THORBURN let the steaming water cascade over his head and run down his body. It seemed like a long time since he had taken a shower, and the hot water felt relaxing as it washed away his stress. He would have to be careful not to use too much for fear of getting caught. That is, if he stayed here. Right now, he was uncertain what he was going to do. All his plans seemed to get thoroughly messed up.

He shut off the shower and stood still a moment, his eyes closed, taking deep breaths to further calm his anxiety, then stepped from the shower and picked up a cloth he had found in the kitchen. It looked fairly clean, and he used it to dry off before hanging it carefully on the curtain rod to dry out.

His clothes were stained, but clean enough until he could get some fresh ones or get the current ones washed. Maybe he would scrub them in the tub before he went to bed and let them dry overnight. His socks especially. They were kind of grimy, and he hated pulling them on again after his shower.