Nothing is working out, is it, Diner?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Why are you here?”
“Came to tell you that we had to let Aaron Stevens go but we kept the Charger.”
“Fine. Fuck him. We’ll find Sarah without his help.”
Tim got up and stormed past Marina.
“I’m sure we will,” she said behind him.
He passed Detective Mason standing outside his office door.
“What are you looking at?” Tim asked.
“Death warmed over. A zombie. You’re looking bad, Detective Simmons. Maybe bereavement leave is in order.”
Tim turned to face Mason. He never really liked Mason or his straight-laced partner, Diner. And now they hung over this case and his office like he was a suspect.
“What gives you the fucking right to—”
“Detective Simmons!” Diner shouted as she exited his office. “Move along. Go home. Sleep. Don’t come back until you’re thinking straight.”
Doors opened along the corridor. Their colleagues stepped out to watch the fracas.
Tim wouldn’t give them the pleasure or the satisfaction of decking Mason. They weren’t worth it.
He spun around and strode for the exit. He would be back later in the day and when he returned, he would investigate The Club. Maybe he’d pay them a visit. Why had his daughter been there? They had to have picked her up for some reason because she would have never gone there voluntarily. Whatever the reason was, what Sarah said made more sense now. When she told him Vanessa feared cremation, he had thought of the consortium, The Club. That was how they dealt with the unfortunates that died while under their care. But there was no way Vanessa would know that.
But if she had been there …
It all ends in death and she didn’t want to be cremated.
He was sure now that it would end in death if they had taken Vanessa there. He suspected what really happened inside the walls of The Club’s warehouse. He knew what they did to young, clean, innocent girls and boys.
It looked more and more like this would all end in death.
The Club’s or his.
Chapter 13
Sarah’s bullet, guided by Vivian, made a clean entry into Belinda’s right eye. It left a gaping black hole beside her nose and a large red hole at the back of her head. The arm that had guided the blade across the young girl’s throat had faltered, stopped and slipped to Belinda’s lap.
The girl in Belinda’s clutches had screamed at the sound of the gun, but the gun’s report had drowned most of it out. The girl had also jumped in panic, jerking Belinda’s arm away from her enough that as the blade began to cross her flesh, it only nicked a small piece of skin below her jaw line. Other than the bruises on her face, being startled and going out of her mind at the sights in the macabre basement, the girl was physically fine.
“Get up,” Sarah said, amazed that she could find her voice.
Vivian’s numbing of her gun hand wore off as fast as it came on.
The girl was already crawling away from Belinda’s body. At the stairs, she clambered to her feet and rushed up the steps, only stumbling once.
Without looking back into the corner, Sarah checked Belinda’s pulse to make sure she was gone.
“Is she dead?” the girl on the bed asked, her voice weak.
“Looks that way.” Sarah scanned the woman’s body. Their eyes met. Insanity lingered behind the soft brown eyes of a once beautiful woman. What the woman must’ve endured down here had changed her forever. This was the kind of thing a team of therapists could listen to in group therapy and then be in need of therapy themselves for having heard it.
“What happened here?” Sarah asked with trepidation, not sure she wanted to hear the truth.
The girl rolled back in the bed until she was staring up at the basement ceiling. She panted, breathing in and out in gasps now. Between breaths, she tried to speak.
“They
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Why are you here?”
“Came to tell you that we had to let Aaron Stevens go but we kept the Charger.”
“Fine. Fuck him. We’ll find Sarah without his help.”
Tim got up and stormed past Marina.
“I’m sure we will,” she said behind him.
He passed Detective Mason standing outside his office door.
“What are you looking at?” Tim asked.
“Death warmed over. A zombie. You’re looking bad, Detective Simmons. Maybe bereavement leave is in order.”
Tim turned to face Mason. He never really liked Mason or his straight-laced partner, Diner. And now they hung over this case and his office like he was a suspect.
“What gives you the fucking right to—”
“Detective Simmons!” Diner shouted as she exited his office. “Move along. Go home. Sleep. Don’t come back until you’re thinking straight.”
Doors opened along the corridor. Their colleagues stepped out to watch the fracas.
Tim wouldn’t give them the pleasure or the satisfaction of decking Mason. They weren’t worth it.
He spun around and strode for the exit. He would be back later in the day and when he returned, he would investigate The Club. Maybe he’d pay them a visit. Why had his daughter been there? They had to have picked her up for some reason because she would have never gone there voluntarily. Whatever the reason was, what Sarah said made more sense now. When she told him Vanessa feared cremation, he had thought of the consortium, The Club. That was how they dealt with the unfortunates that died while under their care. But there was no way Vanessa would know that.
But if she had been there …
It all ends in death and she didn’t want to be cremated.
He was sure now that it would end in death if they had taken Vanessa there. He suspected what really happened inside the walls of The Club’s warehouse. He knew what they did to young, clean, innocent girls and boys.
It looked more and more like this would all end in death.
The Club’s or his.
Chapter 13
Sarah’s bullet, guided by Vivian, made a clean entry into Belinda’s right eye. It left a gaping black hole beside her nose and a large red hole at the back of her head. The arm that had guided the blade across the young girl’s throat had faltered, stopped and slipped to Belinda’s lap.
The girl in Belinda’s clutches had screamed at the sound of the gun, but the gun’s report had drowned most of it out. The girl had also jumped in panic, jerking Belinda’s arm away from her enough that as the blade began to cross her flesh, it only nicked a small piece of skin below her jaw line. Other than the bruises on her face, being startled and going out of her mind at the sights in the macabre basement, the girl was physically fine.
“Get up,” Sarah said, amazed that she could find her voice.
Vivian’s numbing of her gun hand wore off as fast as it came on.
The girl was already crawling away from Belinda’s body. At the stairs, she clambered to her feet and rushed up the steps, only stumbling once.
Without looking back into the corner, Sarah checked Belinda’s pulse to make sure she was gone.
“Is she dead?” the girl on the bed asked, her voice weak.
“Looks that way.” Sarah scanned the woman’s body. Their eyes met. Insanity lingered behind the soft brown eyes of a once beautiful woman. What the woman must’ve endured down here had changed her forever. This was the kind of thing a team of therapists could listen to in group therapy and then be in need of therapy themselves for having heard it.
“What happened here?” Sarah asked with trepidation, not sure she wanted to hear the truth.
The girl rolled back in the bed until she was staring up at the basement ceiling. She panted, breathing in and out in gasps now. Between breaths, she tried to speak.
“They
Similar Books
