Haunting Whispers (23 page)

“We’ll talk later. Let’s get you to your friend.”

*

She had surely been corrupted. Even after his warning, she disobeyed him. Arya followed her once again to the cop’s residence. Detective Butler was an excellent investigator and highly revered member of the police force. Too bad. Arya appreciated competence and loyalty, but she’d stepped over the line. No cop, especially a woman, could invade his turf.

Standing outside the broken window at Butler’s condo, he watched the cop put her hands all over his beloved. Perhaps she was coerced, tricked in some way to take part in this vile exhibit of depravity. She offered no resistance as Butler removed her shirt and slid her filthy hands lower. Irritation gave way to anger, then rage.
And she let it happen.

How could he have been so wrong about her? Their initial encounter had been his first, pure and promising. She was his hope and his salvation. He hadn’t needed to verbalize his plans. She could read his thoughts. Their connection had been deeper than words and beyond the comprehension of others. Now it seemed she had lost faith, abandoned him, and turned to another—to a
woman.
Her betrayal was the most humiliating and disrespectful insult. No other man was worthy of her, and certainly no woman.

The images in front of Arya glowed in a red haze and his vision momentarily blurred as the two women disappeared into the bedroom. His mounting fury jeopardized logical, precise thinking and he struggled to contain it. Fire burned in his lower body, arousing desires he could not yet satisfy. He clutched himself, squeezed, and immediately doubled over as the pain exploded. He bit his tongue until he tasted blood. Sweat drenched his body. Very soon someone would pay for this betrayal. While they writhed and groped in their perverted pleasure, someone she cared about would cry and beg in agony.

Hours later, secreted in the shadows, Arya waited patiently until the woman was alone and away from the streetlights. Her best friend would be the perfect target and would carry his message of disapproval back to her. She would acknowledge her horrible mistake and seek his forgiveness. Maybe he could still save her.

Arya smiled as he approached her from behind, the soaked handkerchief in one hand and his KA-BAR knife in the other. She squirmed in his powerful arms before going slack. He would receive no pleasure defiling her perfect body any more than he had with the others. The ritual was part of the process necessary to bring them back together. This particular act of retribution would have the bonus of taking place in Middleton, where it all began a year ago. He had indeed chosen well.

When Audrey walked into the stark hospital waiting area, her cirque family appeared to already be in mourning. Melvin and Tony huddled together holding hands in an uncustomary display of emotion. The girls’ alabaster complexions were streaked with tears, and they paced in a symmetrical pattern around the room. Her dear friend Sam stared out the huge plate-glass window, still as an acacia on a breezeless African night. She ran to him first, in need of his courage and physical support. Her insides ached for them, and while her mind screamed for news of Yasi, her heart railed against it.

“How is she?” Audrey asked as the others gathered around.

“No one has spoken with us yet,” Sam answered.

“What happened?”

Each member of the group looked at Sam, all of them either unwilling or unable to speak. “We do not know.”

“How badly is she hurt?”

Sam’s charcoal features twisted into a tortured mask, and when he tried to speak, only a choked cough emerged. He simply shook his head, unable to meet Audrey’s stare.

“Where was she?” Audrey tried again to get some useful information.

“Near the venue in Middleton.”

She felt as if she’d been sucker punched. Not
that
place. Though it was only a short drive from Kramer, Audrey associated its proximity to the distance in her memory. It felt light years away. Sam had no idea what had happened to her there, but he’d always been sensitive to her responses, overt and subtle. Their connection had made them an impressive performance act. She gave him her best attempt at a smile and started to ask another question.

Rae stepped forward, and Audrey read her impatience. Her cop face said the cryptic back-and-forth wasn’t working. “Somebody tell her what’s going on? How was she injured? Is it serious? Was she attacked or was it an accident?”

Sam was obviously unsure if he should speak freely in front of Rae. He knew better than most the complications involved in sharing cirque matters with the outside world. Audrey nodded for him to continue. “We were meeting for a drink. She didn’t come. Tony found her…later…in an alley near the stadium. She had been assaulted. This was the closest hospital.”

As Audrey heard the similarities to her own assault, her queasiness increased.

“Did you call the police?” Rae asked.

Melvin responded, his tone adding another layer of disapproval to his words. “
We
didn’t, but you’re obviously here.”

This isn’t about you. Focus on Yasi.
“Guys, please,” Audrey said. “Rae is trying to help. What
do
we know?”

One by one her friends shook their heads and looked away. They had no idea what happened to Yasi. They’d found her, brought her here, and now they waited for news of her condition. Unlike Rae, they weren’t trained to look for clues at the scene, to preserve evidence, or to think about an eventual arrest or prosecution. They were concerned only for Yasi’s welfare.

“I have to see her.” Audrey turned toward the nurses’ station as a doctor rounded the corner and headed for them. “How is she? Can I go in?”

The gray-haired man scanned the gathering and settled on Audrey. “She has asked to see Audrey. Is that you?”

She nodded.

“You can go in, briefly. She is stable but very heavily sedated. Don’t expect her to make sense.”

“I’m a police officer. May I see her as well?”

“She is
sedated
. No questioning at this time. I’m sorry, Officer. You’ll have to wait.”

Audrey took Rae’s hand. “She’s with me. I promise she won’t ask any questions. I need her.” Audrey felt she might collapse without Rae’s confidence and control. If she did fall apart when she saw Yasi, Rae would take care of both of them. She hadn’t been that sure of anyone since…since Yasi. The thought elicited a fresh flood of emotions. “Please, Doctor.”

“Be brief. Room 222.”

Audrey looped her arm through Rae’s as they walked toward Yasi’s room. It was hard to believe that minutes ago they were lying exhausted after their first lovemaking session. Now they walked another path with potential to change their lives yet again.

Yasi had always been important to Audrey, and she’d hoped she would be to Rae as well. If they had a future, the two worlds she’d tried so desperately to keep separate would have to blend into one. She tried to imagine Rae in her cirque family and vice versa, but horrific scenes of her best friend in the clutches of a maniac cluttered her mind.

As they approached Yasi’s room, Rae placed her hand in the small of Audrey’s back and massaged small circles. “Are you ready for this?”

“I don’t think anyone is ever ready for something like this.” Audrey told herself no matter what she saw when she crossed the threshold, this person was still her best and dearest friend. She willed herself not to react as Rae pushed the door open and stepped aside.

Yasi looked like an angel with a halo of dark, flowing hair. Her usually fair complexion was milk-white, blending into the bedding that encased her like a cocoon. A sheet covered her to her neck and, except for the small tubes snaking underneath its edges, she might’ve been asleep in her own bed. Audrey saw no marks on her porcelain skin, which she found strangely comforting. She wasn’t ready to know how her friend had been violated or to what extent. Even though Yasi would never be the same again, she still looked the same. Audrey bent down and kissed her forehead. “I’m here.”

“No!” Yasi’s eyes flew open and she screamed, “Get away.” Audrey stumbled backward as Yasi flailed her arms in a self-protective sweep.

Rae steadied her from behind. “Let her get her bearings.”

Audrey couldn’t bear the terrified look in Yasi’s eyes. She’d seen that expression in the mirror many times after waking from her own nightmares recently, accompanied by disorientation and total helplessness. Her heart ached as Yasi’s movements slowed and her unfocused gaze scanned the room. When she spotted Audrey, she stopped completely. “Aud?” She squinted in Rae’s direction. “Detective Butler?”

“Yes, darling, it’s me…and Rae.” Audrey returned to her bedside but hesitated to reach out again. “It’ll be all right. I’m here now.” Audrey wanted desperately to return normalcy to Yasi’s world. She’d never seen anything except love in her friend’s eyes. Tonight their sable depths burned with panic and questions.

“How did I get to the hospital?”

“The gang brought you in. Don’t talk now, darling.”

“Had to see you. Wanted you to know…I’m all right.”

Her words filled Audrey’s heart. Yasi always worried about her, even at a time like this. She placed her cheek against Yasi’s and whispered in her ear, “I love you so much. Don’t worry about me. Get better because we have things to discuss.” She pulled back and winked at her friend before inclining her head slightly toward Rae.

“You devil.” Yasi’s attempt to smile turned into a wince. “Need to talk to her.” Yasi shifted in bed and grimaced with pain. “Alone.”

“Alone?” Audrey suddenly realized she wasn’t sure why Rae was here beyond providing emotional support. When they left the condo she’d been too distracted to ask about Rae’s phone call. Was she on duty? Had she been assigned to Yasi’s case? Even so, Yasi wouldn’t know that. So why did she want to talk with Rae and what couldn’t she say in front of her? They didn’t keep secrets from each other. Maybe she was concerned about the new turn of events between her and Rae. That could definitely wait until another time. “Yas, you don’t need to do this now. There’ll be time to grill her later.”

“Have to talk to her now…before I sleep again.”

Yasi was holding something back. Audrey’s senses tingled, but she’d been too preoccupied with her physical condition to focus on her emotional one. “The doctor said you weren’t to talk much or be questioned.”

Yasi nodded.
“Please.”

“Okay, Yas. I’ll go fill the others in. Don’t tire yourself.” Audrey gave Rae her best take-care-of-my-friend look and stepped out of the room.

Rae pulled the straight-back chair closer to Yasi’s bed and sat down. She never got used to the haunted look in victims’ eyes. It conjured up an empathic ache. Everyone expected her to have answers for an unexplainable event, needed reassurance they weren’t to blame and guarantees that someone would be held accountable.

Rae’s job frustrated her. When she arrived, the crime had been committed, the victim irreversibly altered, and the suspect was usually gone. She had to console, investigate, and apprehend. Sometimes she felt like an overpaid sanitation worker cleaning up after the fact, no chance to amend anything or solve the real problem. She was particularly disappointed this time because she’d met, liked, and hoped to know the victim better.

Yasi drifted between sleep and semiconsciousness, and Rae waited until she felt strong enough to begin. Yasi probably wouldn’t be able to give her best answers at this point. As she flipped to a clean page in her notebook, she remembered the earlier phone call and jotted down the time and particulars she’d received.

A nurse in the ER had notified Kramer PD about the assault, and an astute dispatcher familiar with the Whisperer MO called Sergeant Sharp directly. The incident occurred in Middleton, technically the county sheriff’s jurisdiction, but they often called on Kramer for assistance in major cases. Not So had sent Rae directly to the hospital for the interview and patrol officers to secure the scene until she arrived. He wasn’t about to pass on this fresh opportunity for publicity. Yasi stirred and Rae closed the notepad.

“We don’t have to do this now.”

“You have to know.” Yasi took a labored breath. “Can’t tell Audrey.” She obviously had to dredge every statement from deep in her soul. “He wanted her.” She fell back against the pillow, tears streaming down her face. “Said she was
spoiled
now.”

The room closed in around Rae, and she stared at Yasi as if she’d spoken in a foreign language. For the first time in her life she felt real fear—not the adrenaline-charged surge she experienced in dangerous situations. This malicious force burrowed into her private life, gnawing on her newfound connection to Audrey. A sensation of misfiring nerves crackled up her spine, but if she hoped to help, she had to focus and do her job.

Rae opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out. She tried again. “Tell me.”

“He said it was her fault, that she didn’t listen. He whispered, this sick, spooky whispering. Then he cut me.” She pulled back the covers and motioned to her abdomen. “It was the same man who hurt Audrey, wasn’t it?” The effort clearly exhausted Yasi, but she seemed determined to continue. “You can
not
tell her. She doesn’t remember what happened to her, and she will blame herself. Promise me.”