Crucified (2 page)

The chief shook
his head. “Taylor’s a good guy.”

“
Well, I guess we have our work cut out for us.” She stood, and
Seth followed suit. She picked up the photo of a bound and gagged
Casey Adams. “And time is of the essence.”

Chief Walker
pointed out the window. “You have rooms booked over there at the
bed and breakfast. If there’s anything you need, just say the
word.”

“
I have some equipment coming sometime this morning. I’d
appreciate a corner of your office to set it up.” Seth picked up
the file on Casey and tucked it under his arm.

“
I’ll have something set up right away.” He walked behind them
to the door. “I’ve told the postmaster you’d probably want to talk
to him.”

“
Thank you.” She shook his hand and opened the door. At least
they wouldn’t have to worry about those two getting under foot.
They seemed all too happy to hand over the reins.

Seth joined her
on the sidewalk.

“
So what do you think?” She put her hand above her eyes while
she fished her sunglasses out of her jacket pocket.

“
I think we need to find some coffee.” Seth smiled. His blonde
bang had fallen down across his forehead and he instinctively
flipped it back.

“
Maybe we should change into civilian attire.” She nodded over
to the diner window where the amount of people pressed up against
the glass had grown considerably since they went inside the
station.

“
Sounds like a good idea. Let’s check into the B&B and I’ll
meet you in the diner.”

“
Works for me.”

Seth sauntered
over to the trunk and pulled out two small suitcases.

Dianne’d lived
in Halifax all her life. How different it must be to live in such a
small place where everybody knew your name. There were no sirens
blaring in the background of nonstop traffic. No horns honking or
smog filled streets. In the midst of this tranquil little hamlet, a
maniac had abducted a young girl…a preacher’s kid. The only
suspect, a biker who never had so much as a fine for an overdue
library book. Did the ruggedly handsome biker take the girl?

Would they find
her before it was too late?

****

Casey struggled
to open her eyes. She blinked numerous times trying to focus in the
darkness. Painfully, she managed to inch her way across the rank
mattress and wedge herself upright in the corner. With every move,
the duct tape binding her wrists and ankles bit into her flesh.

An
insurmountable desire to scream was stifled by the duct tape her
captor had pulled taut across her mouth. She’d only seem him once
since being brought here and even then the darkness hid his
identity. He’d stayed long enough to snap a picture before he
slipped through the partially open doorway. The sound of it locking
behind him resounded through the room.

Who is this
man? Why is he doing this to me?

The last thing
she remembered was walking home from Tammy’s house when someone
came up from behind her and shoved a putrid smelling cloth in her
face.

She’d woken up
in this room, bound and gagged. There was no telling how long she’d
been unconscious. The only way to differentiate from day to night
was the sliver of a crack at the bottom of the door where light
filtered in.

Casey choked back the flood of emotion rising up in her. She
struggled for breath, unable to open her mouth. Tears poured down
her face unchecked, and she closed her eyes.
Am I going to die here?

Chapter
Two

Dianne slid
across the booth’s shiny red vinyl seat, reminiscent of the fifties
era. The crowd had thinned out considerably since they’d gone to
their rooms to change. She opted for faded blue jeans and a black,
short-sleeved blouse. She always made a concerted effort not to
dress in a way that might accentuate her more than ample breasts
when on duty.

She looked over
the rim of her coffee cup to see her partner walk into the diner.
He’d changed into dark jeans and a yellow polo shirt.

“
How’s the coffee?” Seth sat down across from her and picked up
a plastic covered menu.

“
I’ve had worse.”

She took
another sip of her coffee. “I think we’ll cover more ground if we
split up.” She drained her cup and dabbed at her mouth with a
napkin.

Seth nodded in
agreement. “I’ll pay Casey’s father a visit, and you can go talk to
Taylor Danson.”

Out front of
the diner, she stopped and put on her sunglasses. Despite the
bright sun perched high in the sky, a palpable cloud of unrest
settled over the town. The clicking of her heels on the asphalt
reverberated down the barren street. She slid in behind the wheel
and turned the Sedan in the direction of the auto shop on the other
side of town.

What do I know about Mr. Danson
?
According to research,
he owned the auto shop for just over a year now,
the previous owner made his transition difficult to say the least.
People referred to him as the best wrench for miles, but were quick
to point the finger at him when Casey went missing. The corner of
her mouth lifted and she narrowed her eyes.
And he’s not hard on the eyes either.

She glanced at
her reflection in the rearview mirror. “You’re on duty, Ms
Parker.”

Besides, in her experience, bikers were in a class all of
their own. Even if he didn’t have a record, he was probably just
like the others she’d come across over the years—smooth operators,
without a whole lot of respect for officers, especially
female
officers.

Dianne
double-checked the mirror. She didn’t wear any makeup on duty, and
always wore her hair up. She tried everything she could think of to
look like a no nonsense agent. As she parked the car, she reached
back and adjusted the strap holding her gun in place.

“
Here goes nothing.” She opened the door, noting it was a
typical garage, nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until she saw
the incredibly gorgeous specimen of a man walking toward her. He
wiped big, oil-stained hands on a rag. For a brief moment she
forgot why she was there. She swallowed deep and shook her
head.
Get a hold of yourself, Agent
Parker.

“
Hi, can I help you?”

“
Hello, I’m Agent Parker. I need to ask you a few
questions.”

Dianne watched
the smile fade from his tanned face. His brow creased and his
brilliant blue eyes clouded.

“
I already told Chief Walker everything I know.”

“
I’m sorry to take you from your work. It will only take a
minute.”

He sighed.
“Well, all right. I’m very busy, but we can talk in my office.”

Taylor led her
through the bay doors, across the tool filled shop, and opened a
glass door into his cluttered office. He moved a stack of papers
from a simple wooden chair that looked to be from a dining set and
motioned for her to sit down.

“
So how can I help you?” He sat on the edge of a long wooden
table, she guessed to be the mate for the chair he’d converted to a
desk of sorts. His overalls pulled taut across his broad chest, and
his blue eyes were not helping her to focus on the task at
hand.

“
When is the last time you remember seeing Casey?” asked Dianne
as she took a pad of paper from her back pocket and began taking
notes.

“
I guess it would have been the Friday before she went missing.
Her and that Tammy she’s always with were hanging out front of the
shop.” He narrowed his gaze at her.

“
Is that something they did on a regular basis?”

He shrugged.
“Johnstown is a small place, there’s not a lot for the kids to
do.”

“
Did you speak to either of the girls?”

He matched her
inquisitive gaze. “Nope. I might have waved. I don’t remember.”

She leafed through her notes. “That would have been
Friday
.
”

“
Like I told the chief, I was doing what I always do on Friday
afternoons—chasing clouds.” He held up his hand to halt her
response. “Before you ask… alone.”

“
Where did you ride to?” Dianne tapped the pad with her
pen.

“
No where in particular, just down by the ocean. I think I
stopped at the Wharf on the way home.”

Her eyebrow
arched. “Is there anyone who could verify you were there?”

He shrugged,
yet again. “Not too sure, maybe the waitress. We were talking about
Mary Jane for a bit.”

“
Mary Jane? I thought you said you were alone?” Her pulse raced
with unexpected jealousy.

Taylor laughed,
flashing a dazzling white smile. “MJ is my bike.”

Much to her
dismay, heat flooded her cheeks. “I see.”

The smug look
on his face, told her he’d seen her blush. Dianne stood up and
cleared her throat. “I think that will be all for now, Mr. Danson.
Thank you for your time.”

She didn’t
trust herself to look at him again. She needed to create some
distance between them if she had any hope of regaining some
semblance of composure. As luck would have it, the phone on the
desk rang and she made her getaway.

Outside, she
leaned against her car. Never, in all her years on the force, had
she let her personal attractions seep into her professionalism. For
whatever reason, the ruggedly handsome biker had her thoughts in a
muddle. It might be a good idea for Seth to handle any further
correspondence with the intriguing biker.

Taylor came
through the bay doors and sauntered over to her. Dianne forced her
gaze away from his intense blue eyes, but not too soon to see a
mischievous smile spread across his face.

“
Thank you for your time, Mr. Danson.” She offered her
hand.

He held her
hand while he responded. “Please, call me Taylor.”

Her gaze
flitted to his and her breath hitched. She pulled her hand away and
ducked into the safety of the Sedan, only to have him bend down,
his face inches from hers. His musky scent filled her senses and
her body tingled. She fumbled with the keys but managed to fit them
in the ignition, starting the car.

Taylor tapped
the hood of the car, waving to her through her rear view
mirror.

****

Casey gagged on
a scream that erupted from deep inside of her. Something crawled up
her arm toward her face. The blanket of night made it impossible to
see. She squirmed from side to side in a futile attempt to shake it
off. Her eyes grew big as the long spindly legs of a spider came
into her line of vision. It made its way across her face,
momentarily disappearing under her nose. She shook her head,
catching the spider off guard. It shot a web up above her face and
disappeared into the darkness.

Laughter gurgled in the back of her throat, bordering
hysteria. Surely she’d go mad if she had to spend much more time in
this place. That is, if she didn’t starve to death first.
How long can someone live without food or
water?
She hadn’t drank or eaten anything
since being brought to this god-awful place.

The monster that kept her here hadn’t made an appearance since
taking a picture of her.
Did he take it to
show my father?
He must be beside himself
with worry.

The tape bit
into her flesh as she tried to maneuver herself to an upright
position. She knew she needed to keep the circulation moving in her
hands and feet. Each time she tried to move her fingers and toes,
jolts of excruciating pain traveled up her arms and legs.

The door swung open, the light from a flashlight blinded her.
Cold metal met the skin just above her bound wrists.
He’s got a knife
.

Time stood
still as her captor sawed through the duct tape. Her hands fell to
her sides, rendered immobile as the blood rushed to her
fingers.

Casey lay
completely still. Icy tendrils of fear gripped her body. Gloved
hands brushed her cheek as he tugged at the tape across her mouth
and ripped it from her face in one stroke, taking with it a layer
of skin. Indescribable pain jolted every nerve ending in her body.
She welcomed the void to which her mind drifted as she succumbed to
the darkness once again.

****

Dianne sat in
the diner across from Seth. She couldn’t tell him about her
attraction to Taylor. From day one, they had it drilled into their
heads to stay emotionally detached from a case. What would he think
if he knew that all Taylor had to do was look her way, and her mind
turned to mush? Instead, she sipped on her iced tea as he told of a
very distraught Preacher Adams who immersed himself in prayer since
Casey’s disappearance, unable to eat or sleep.

“
I don’t know how much more the guy can take.” Seth shook his
head and sank his teeth into a clubhouse sandwich.

The door to the
diner burst open and a harried chief of police gasped for breath as
he closed the distance between them.

“
We got another picture!” He leaned over the table. His body
shook as he struggled to regain his composure.

Both agents
were on their feet, taking Chief Walker by the arm and ushering him
out the door.

“
Did they find it at the post office again?” asked
Dianne.

Chief nodded and plodded beside them as they made their way up
the street.
The culprit seemed to take
great pleasure in taunting them. Why else would he or she have
risked posting the picture in the same place?