Suffer (23 page)

44

DR. SINGER TOOK ONLY ONE break during the ten-hour marathon procedure. He was unaware that the room was still equipped with a video camera and microphone. Chief stayed up most of the night watching over the doctor from the monitor in the War Room. He was impressed with his stamina, but more impressed with his interaction with Diego. The doctor spoke for hours about his wife and family.

He told the killer how they were high school sweethearts. They went to the same college and were married six months after graduation. His wife became pregnant with their first child in his second year of medical school. He talked about the sacrifices she made that allowed him to continue his studies and become a doctor. She gave him two more children and was the glue that held the family together. The first time he broke down was when he told Diego he was two years away from retiring and buying her that beach house in the Keys. It was a dream they had shared since they day he proposed. His wife was loved by many and spent her entire life wearing a smile even on days when most would cry. She was his best friend.

The rest of the house managed a few hours of sleep, but were up early to begin their day. As the sun broke over the horizon, Evan was at the marina filling the fuel tanks of the boat. Grey was on his morning run, preparing himself mentally for the finale to come at sunset. Abby was standing outside her sister’s room with her ear pressed to the door. When she thought she heard movement inside, she knocked.

“Come in,” said Kate.

“Did I wake you?” asked Abby, seeing her sister sitting up in bed.

“No, I’ve been up for a while.”

“Can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure.”

Abby walked inside and climbed into the bed with Kate. She put her head on her shoulder and wrapped her arm around her. Kate responded by brushing the hair away from her face.

“I want you to promise me something,” said Abby, looking up at her.

“That depends.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I,” said Kate, looking down at her.

“It has nothing to do with what’s going to happen today,” said Abby, sensing Kate becoming defensive. “It has to do with after.”

“Okay,” said Kate, backing down.

“I’ve been doing some research and found a group in town I want you to visit,” said Abby, trying to look stern. “They come highly recommended. It’s a victim of violent crimes group, and before you argue with me, I’m only asking that you go once. That’s it. I’ll even go with you, but I want you to go at least once.”

Kate narrowed her eyes at her sister, but it was accompanied by a smile. “Okay, I’ll go. But I’d rather go alone. You can drive me and we’ll go have dinner after.”

Abby’s face lit up as if she was a child, turning the corner on Christmas morning. She’d expected much more of an argument from Kate. But most of the smile was thinking about the two of them sitting down in a restaurant for dinner. It proved to her Kate was at thinking about a future.

“I’ll even let you pick the restaurant,” said Abby.

“You don’t have a choice after the last place you took me,” said Kate. “That was the nastiest stuff I ever put in my mouth.”

“It was bad,” said Abby, laughing.

“Now you have to make me a promise,” said Kate.

“Sure. Anything.”

“You never ask me about this day.”

The smile left Abby’s face. “I promise. I just want it to be over.”

“So do I, baby sister.”

There was another knock at the door. It was the message Kate had been waiting for since waking up. Grey returned from his run and let her know they were ready downstairs. Dr. Singer was standing in the doorway when they went down.

“How are you?” asked Kate, reaching out and touching his arm. “You look tired.”

“I’m fine,” said Dr. Singer. “Everything went according to plan. He’s a little groggy, but I’m sure he’ll perk up when you start. I’ll need some help getting him back in the chair.”

“I’m your guy,” said Grey.

“That’s not what I meant,” said Kate. “How do you feel?”

Dr. Singer paused for a moment before he answered. “My wife is still dead and nothing I do to him will change that, but I enjoyed every second with him. If you’re asking me if I regret what I’ve done, the answer is absolutely not. He deserves worse, but the only place that will happen is hell.”

“Are you ready for this, Kate?” asked Grey.

“I am.”

They walked into the room to find Diego lying down, still strapped to the table. There were smears of blood along its sides and on the floor. They couldn’t see the full effects until they were standing over him. They both stared in astonishment.

“He’s alive?” asked Grey, unable to take his eyes off Diego.

“He is,” said Dr. Singer. “And awake, but he won’t be either for long. You need to move him soon – no later than this afternoon. The IVs are the only thing preventing him from going into shock.”

Grey and the doctor removed the restraints – there was no need for them anymore. They placed him in the chair and reapplied the duct tape so he couldn’t stand. Kate sat in front on him and held a large mirror face down in her lap.

“Diego,” said Kate, loud enough to get his attention. “Look at me.” He raised his drowsy head and stared at her.

“He’s done,” said Kate. “Thinking back, it may not have been a good idea to kill the wife of a surgeon. Wouldn’t you agree?”

She lifted the mirror so Diego could see his reflection. He started to breathe heavy and moaned while trying to open his mouth. The words couldn’t pass the sutures sealing his lips together.

“You already told me your last words,” said Kate. “I didn’t see a need for you to say anything more.”

She lowered the mirror to show her face to him. “You failed at taking my life, but you did take my eye, my finger, and left me with these scars. Do you remember, Diego? Do you remember the night you came into my home and took everything from me?”

Diego looked up at Kate, but then focused again at the image in the mirror. He knew the reflection was his. What confused him is that he didn’t recognize the face. Diego moaned again when he saw his left eye looking back at him from a specimen jar sitting on the table. Beside the jar were his hands.

“That was a bit of a technical issue,” said Kate. “It was easier and faster for him to just take your hands instead of removing each of your fingers. Either way, you’ll never be putting them on me or anyone else again. I’ll be sending those items to your grandfather.”

His breathing slowed as he stared into the mirror. Along with his left eye, Dr. Singer had removed the left lid to expose the empty socket. He also removed all the skin from his face, starting at his chin and ending at his hairline.

“You took my eye, so we took yours,” continued Kate. “You cut on my face, so we cut on yours.”

She placed the mirror on a stand beside her on the table. Kate checked the angle to make sure he could see himself. She turned and leaned in close to him.

“What you see in the mirror is what you did to me. It’s what I see every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep. They gave me an acrylic eye and sewed my skin together, but in my mind, I look just like you do now. It doesn’t matter how many surgeries I go through to try to erase what you did; I will always see myself looking like you.”

“I want to be alone with him now,” said Kate, turning to Grey. “He can’t hurt me anymore. I won’t be long.”

“I think you look fantastic,” said Grey, hovering over Diego. “The ladies are gonna love it.”

Grey left Kate and Diego alone in the room. In the killer’s condition, he felt comfortable enough to watch them from the monitor in the War Room. When he arrived upstairs, he found Chief glued to the screen.

“I don’t want Abby to see that,” said Grey, looking around for her.

“I don’t, either,” replied Chief. “She’s down at the dock with Evan.  Are you sure it’s okay to leave Kate alone with him?”

“Yeah, he’s still tied to the chair. I don’t think we have to worry about him pulling off the tape.”

“You know, I can see where setting his ass on fire would deter rape,” said Chief. “But if the scumbags of the world saw what happened to our friend down there, all crime rates would drop into the basement.”

“Very true,” said Grey. “No doubt I’m gonna have a few nightmares after seeing that, but I can’t imagine what’s going on in Kate’s head.”

“Be glad that you don’t,” said Chief.

Kate leaned in even closer to Diego. It caused Grey and Chief to stop talking and focus on her movements. She knew there was a microphone still in the room. What she had to say was for Diego only.

“Now you know what it feels like to be me,” whispered Kate. “Is it everything you thought it would be? How does it feel, knowing you’re going to die and there’s nothing you can do to stop it? Who owns who now, Diego?”

The monitor went black as Chief pressed the power button on the remote. Grey turned his head to see Abby and Evan walking toward the back door. Abby looked confused when she walked inside.

“Where’s Kate?”

“She’s downstairs,” said Grey. “She wanted a few minutes alone with him.”

“Have you lost your mind!” said Abby. “You left her alone with him?”

“He can’t touch her, Abby,” said Chief. “Trust me when I say he literally can’t touch her.”

“I don’t care. You can’t leave her alone, Grey. Not today. Not for a minute. You don’t understand her. I do.”

“What are you worried about?” asked Grey, matching her confused look.

“I’m worried about what she’s going to do after,” said Abby. “Caleb was her life. The only reason she’s been fighting to live is to punish the man that hurt him.”

“Are you saying you think she’s going to kill herself after she kills him?” asked Chief.

“I don’t know,” replied Abby as her eyes became glassy. “But someone needs to stay with her to make sure. She won’t let me near him, so it has to be you, Grey.”

“Okay, Abby,” said Grey, feeling her anxiety. “I’ll stay with her.”

“Thank you.”

Grey walked downstairs to find Kate a few inches from Diego, whispering into his ear. He walked around the table to make sure only Diego could see him. Kate felt the presence of someone else in the room and turned to look. Grey could see tears streaming down her face when she did.

“Is everything ready?” asked Kate, trying to regain her composure.

“Yeah. Evan just tied the boat to the dock. We can leave anytime.”

“We’ll wait a few more hours,” said Kate. “I want to give Diego a little more time with the mirror. Just make sure we’re there by sunset.”

45

CHIEF WAS AT THE BOAT dock preparing the ramp. Evan was hammering away and putting the finishing touches on the crate he had started the night before. Kate entered the kitchen to find Abby sitting on the counter with a cup of coffee. The sisters gave each other wide grins.

“Will you help me with something?” asked Kate. “I’ve wanted to do this since I bought the house.”

“Sure.”

Kate took Abby by the hand and pulled her off the counter, causing her to spill her hot drink. She laughed as she continued to pull her up the stairs. Abby was surprised at her sister’s strength and speed, but the only thing she cared about was that Kate was laughing. They skipped the last stair to the top floor.

“You start at the other end,” said Kate, holding her smile. “Open the curtains and windows in every room. I want this house flooded with light and fresh air.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Abby with tears welling in her eyes.

It was the first time the rooms had been exposed to sunlight and the cooling breeze coming off of Biscayne Bay. Diego had made them prisoners in the massive home since they’d taken their first steps inside. In a few hours, he would be a prisoner in his home – a wooden crate no bigger than his frame.

Kate took her time pushing the curtains across the rods. She unlatched the windows and inhaled through her nose to welcome the smell of the Bay. The view was breathtaking. Abby, on the other hand, couldn’t open them fast enough. On the back side of the house, she opened the window and yelled at the men working outside.

“Good morning, sexy!” yelled Abby to Chief at the dock. “You, too, Evan!”

“What light through yonder window breaks?” yelled up Chief. “It is the east and Abby is the sun!”

“That may be the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me!” replied Abby, moving to the next room.

“Really, Chief?” said Evan. “Shakespeare?”

“Fuck off, turd,” replied Chief. “Women love that shit. I’ve got a ton of ‘em. Besides, I just made a pretty lady’s day. You made a box.”

Abby finished her assignment in half the time it took Kate. She didn’t wait for the next order and bounded down the stairs. When they finished, every window and door in the house was wide open and welcoming the new day. Kate stood in the doorway leading to the backyard. She looked out to see her men working hard to make her world safe again. She closed her eyes and took a step into freedom. With the sun on her face, her first thoughts were of Caleb and Paul.

“Are you okay?” asked Abby, panting and joining her on the patio.

“I just miss my boys,” replied Kate.

“I know you do,” said Abby, reaching out for her. “But they’re both very happy for you right now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“I was never afraid of him, Abby. I was only afraid of what he would do to you or someone else. But after today, he won’t hurt anybody again.”

Chief stopped working when his phone alerted him to visitors at the front gate. He sent a message to Grey that he would send Evan with the golf cart. Grey replied that it wasn’t necessary. He’d already remotely opened the iron gates.

The vehicles pulled up to the front of the house and parked along the stone driveway. Each person getting out of the cars had a personal invitation to be a part of the last phase of Kate’s plan for Diego. A few of the visitors smiled when they saw the front door to the fortress wide open. The other faces were somber.

Sheriff Doyle and his daughter, Melissa, were the first to be greeted by Kate and Abby at the door. “I am so happy to meet you, Melissa,” said Kate, giving her a hug.

“I owe you my life,” said Melissa. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” said Kate. “But you also need to thank the man behind you. His name is Ramon. He’s our friend who led us to you.”

Both Sheriff Doyle and Melissa turned to thank Ramon. He graciously accepted their handshakes and hugs. He smiled at Kate with a silent acknowledgment, thanking her for not revealing his relationship to Diego.

Ramon walked up to Kate, reached down and took her hand. He turned her palm upward. He held a closed fist and a compassionate stare for a moment before dropping her wedding ring into her hand. As soon as it touched her skin, her eyes glassed over. After another silent thank you, Ramon turned and followed the sheriff and Melissa inside.

The somber faces belonged to Dr. Singer and his children. There would be no happy reunion with their mom. They were there to see justice served to the man who took her from them. They were all pleased the creature downstairs would get what he deserved. Not one argued or judged their father for his participation in Kate’s vengeance. They all knew the justice system would fail to punish him with the same severity of his crimes.

Evan finished the crate as the families talked together in the living room. He stood it upright and secured it to the hand truck that would be used to wheel him to the boat. He rolled it into the side entrance that led him to the room where Diego and Grey were sitting.

He stopped in his tracks when he entered the room. It was the first time he saw the results of Dr. Singers hard work. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Diego, who couldn’t take his eye off the crate.

“I told you to call me before you came in, Evan,” said Grey, standing between them.

“I forgot,” said Evan. “Holy shit! Is he alive?”

“I’m sure he wishes he wasn’t, but yes.”

Grey reached over to the table and picked up a hood and pair of scissors. He placed it over Diego’s head and then cut out a single eye hole. He adjusted it so he could see, but nobody else would be subjected to his horrific appearance. Grey wanted to make sure he could watch as everyone gathered to send him on his journey.

Evan helped Grey get Diego to his feet. They could both feel him tense against their grasp, but there was no fight left in him. They pinned him inside the crate to where he couldn’t move a muscle. They opened the panel Evan built into the box that would only reveal his hooded face. The device worked well as they moved him out of the room and into the backyard. Everyone was gathered at the boat dock as they approached.

“How’s my patient today?” asked Dr. Singer, winking.

His eldest son walked up to the killer. “Our mom is waiting for you on the other side. She’ll be whole and beautiful again. It’ll be the last beautiful thing you see before you’re sent to hell.”

Melissa was the next to face her abductor. “I beat you. The thought of this day is what kept me strong. It makes me happy knowing you’ll be burning soon.”

Abby tried to move forward, but Kate grabbed her arm, holding her back. “I don’t want him any closer to you. He doesn’t deserve to look at your pretty face.”

“I agree,” said Chief. “But I’ll let him look at mine.” He walked up to Diego, putting his face inches from the black hood. “Look around you, shitbag. Do you see the irony? There are twelve people standing here – a true jury of your peers. This is the way it should always be. The victims should decide the punishment. Take comfort in knowing it was a unanimous decision, and there’s no doubt you need to be removed from the earth. We’re just making sure it’s done proper in a slow and painful way. I’m very glad I can be a part of that. Bon voyage, turd.”

Grey took the handles and rolled Diego onto the deck. Kate followed. Evan untied the moorings and the engines roared to life. Grey eased the large craft away from the dock. The jury stood along the pier and watched as the boat disappeared around lands’ end.

It would take them hours to reach the edge of the two-mile deep Florida Canyon where Paul had ended his pain. She knew he’d still be there, waiting for her to bring Diego to him. Their timing was perfect. Grey killed the engines as they arrived at sunset.

Kate looked over the side as Grey prepared their cargo. The water around her was as smooth as glass, and she could see her reflection. Kate’s heart began to ache, knowing her husband was lying at the bottom of two miles of ocean. The urge to slip quietly under the surface and be reunited with her family was powerful. Grey noticed her staring into the deep blue. “I’ll do this, Kate. I have no problem sinking this piece of shit.”

“Thank you, but, no,” said Kate, turning around. “Help me with my gear.”

Grey stared at her for a moment before picking up the vest and helping Kate fasten the straps. He checked the tank, regulator, and gauges – and then he checked them again. When he was satisfied everything was in working order, he handed her a small emergency bottle. It contained five minutes of air.

Grey grabbed Diego by the buoyancy vest he forced onto him and stood him up on the stern of the boat. He removed his hood and made sure his handless arms were secured behind him. He checked the straps binding his ankles together and inflated the vest to full capacity.

“This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it’s gonna hurt me,” said Grey, landing a jaw breaking upper cut. The punch sent Diego into an uncontrollable back-flip as he impacted the Gulf of Mexico. The vest brought him upright to the surface.

Diego started to moan as the salt water flooded his open eye socket. He writhed in pain as the stinging liquid electrified the exposed nerves on his skinless face. A few seconds later, Grey heard Kate hit the water.

“Hold up, Kate. I need to put on my gear.”

Ignoring his command, Kate went for Diego. She opened the release valve on his vest and pulled him under. Grey was confused for a few seconds, but then the clarity sent him scrambling to put on his tank. An experienced diver, it took him thirty-seconds to adjust the last strap. As soon as he put the regulator in his mouth, he started tearing off his gear. Kate had released the air in his tank during the two-hour journey. With only his flippers and a mask, Grey went over the side.

He saw the shadowy mass of Kate and Diego in the distance. Also an experienced diver, Kate knew Grey wouldn’t reach them in time. She looked back once at Grey, and then continued to push Diego down into the darkness.

When Grey was forced to the surface after burning through the single breath in his lungs, Kate reached down on her ankle for the knife. She brought the blade up to Diego’s lips and slashed through the sutures. She jammed the regulator of the emergency air bottle into his mouth and felt him take a deep breath.

After the first, his subsequent breaths were short and labored. Without the protective layer of skin, the pressure at that depth was forcing the salt water deeper into his wounds. Kate knew the pain was excruciating. She stared into his face as they slowly descended from the weights in his vest pulling them toward the bottom.

She stopped their descent when she reached the maximum depth her body could take. Suspended in their silent world, Kate continued to stare coldly at Diego. She was waiting for the first twitch.

Holding on to his vest with a tight grip, Kate felt him jerk, trying to pull more oxygen from the depleted tank. She ripped it out of his mouth and watched his eye grow wider. She pulled him in closer as his body began to violently shake. He was dying in agony as his lungs filled with salt water.

Kate replayed the moment in her mind when Diego slit Caleb’s throat and ended her son’s beautiful life. When the shaking stopped, she pushed his lifeless body away from her. His dead eye was still looking at her as he hovered at arm’s length. She reached for the valve, and the last air bubbles escaped from his vest. She stayed motionless as his body disappeared into the black.