Detective
Morgan Reynolds thought her nightmare was over when serial killer Gerald ‘The
Slasher’ Tate was sent to prison for her husband’s murder. But she was wrong. The Slasher has escaped and he’s making it
even more personal this time. Tate has
kidnapped her son and is giving her 72 hours to find the answers he wants or
Jared dies.
Excerpt: This scene takes
place shortly after Morgan learns that her son has been kidnapped by the serial
killer who was sent to prison for her husband’s murder.
Morgan had almost reached the bottom of the stairs
when she heard a knock at the front door. “It’s me, Russo, open up.”
She barely got the door open before he stepped
inside and took her into his arms. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She stepped from his arms. “Did
you find out anything?”
“None of his friends saw him after school, but one
of his teachers did remember seeing him leave the playground headed toward
home.”
“So he was waiting for him.”
“You’ve heard something?”
She nodded. “There was a message on my answering
machine. Tate has him.”
“Tate, are you sure?”
“I’d know that voice anywhere.”
“So it was him who killed those women?”
“And now he’s got Jared.”
“I don’t get it, Morgan, why would he risk coming
back here?”
“Because he intends to make good on his threat,”
she said softly. Morgan stepped past him and made her way into the kitchen.
After taking two cups from the cabinet, she filled them with the freshly made
coffee.
“You still think he’s innocent, don’t you?”
She handed him a cup. “I, without a doubt, think he
killed those women, but you and I both know the evidence that sent him to
prison was planted.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Morgan.”
“No, I don’t think he killed Kevin.”
“Well, if he didn’t kill Kevin, why did he kidnap
Jared?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense, but I know
he’s got him. Those two young women and the sudden disappearance of my son,
that isn’t a coincidence, Russo. He wants something.”
“I think he’s messing with your head, just like he
did for the year we tracked him, just like he’s been doing ever since. This
idea of yours, that someone else killed Kevin, he’s organized it as well. He
planted that seed of doubt in your head that day in the court room when he said
he’d destroy you.”
“Only because it made sense when nothing else did,”
she snapped. “The whole time we tracked him, he never once messed up. He was
meticulous. He didn’t take chances. The man we tracked would not have come into
a well-populated neighborhood, break into the backdoor, and murder a man in his
own bedroom while a young boy lay sleeping just down the hall.”
“Yet you think he slipped into the same well
populated neighborhood in broad daylight and kidnapped your son?”
“Because he has a different agenda. He’s willing to
take risks now because he knows he has nothing to lose. He knows when we do
catch him, he’s either going back to prison or to the morgue.”
“Which will make him all the more dangerous.” They
both turned to find Chase standing in the doorway. He stepped forward, a book grasped
in his outstretched hand. “I’m guessing this belongs to your son.”
Morgan hesitated momentarily, recognizing the book
immediately as Jared’s favorite. Then taking the book into her trembling hands,
she brought it up to her chest. “Where did you find it?” she asked softly.
“It was lying on the porch.”
She turned to Russo.
“He must have placed it there after I came in or I
would have seen it.”
“Seeing as how you two seem to already know who the
kidnapper is, I don’t guess it’d do much good to run this for prints.” He
reached inside his jacket, withdrew a plastic baggie and handed it to her.
She took it. Through the plastic, she could clearly
make out the crudely put together note of different-colored letters cut out of
magazines. IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR SON AGAIN, YOU HAVE 72 HOURS TO FIND THE
ANSWERS.
“Speaking of answers, if you two don’t start giving
me some straight ones real quick, I’m calling the captain,” Chase threatened.
“Please, Chase, you can’t do that.”
"I can, and I will if you don't tell me what is going on here."
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