Chapter 3

The figure watched from the window as Elizabeth’s small red Jeep pulled into the driveway. Laughing softly, it watched as she walked up the lane and unlocked the door, completely oblivious to the sight that awaited her in the kitchen.

Ѱ

“I’m home!” Elizabeth called as she stepped into the house. “Catherine? Joshua? Hello?” Frowning, she looked around and listened carefully. Not a single sound, not even from Josh’s room. Fear began to build up inside her as nobody returned her call. “Catherine? Joshua? Is anyone home?”

She turned the corner towards the living room and tripped over something solid and warm. “Joshua?” Her son was tied up, his face covered in bruises, his mouth gagged with a kitchen towel. “Oh my gods, Joshua are you okay?” Quickly, she untied him, rubbing the places where the rope had burned into his skin. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, but I think Catherine’s gone. I was in my room, blasting music and playing games, you know the usual. Then something happened and everything blacked out. I woke up to find myself tied and gagged on the floor.”

“Catherine…Catherine!” Elizabeth ran into the living room and up the stairs, yelling Catherine’s name on the top of her lungs. She flung the door open to find Catherine’s dolls scattered on the floor, with no sign of her daughter. Something caught her eye and she turned, staring at the message written on the wall in thick black marker: Surprise.

She heard a horrified shout downstairs and turned to run downstairs. She collided with Joshua at the doorway to the kitchen. “Oh my gods,” she whispered hoarsely. Hanging from the kitchen ceiling by the overhead light was Catherine, her hands clutching a story time book that read, “Dear Teddy Bear,” on the front cover. “Joshua, call the police.” She heard her son dial 911 in the background, but she couldn’t move. All she could do was stare at the dangling body of her child, “Catherine,” she whispered brokenly as she collapsed on the floor.

A sound behind her finally caused her to break out of her frozen stance. Maralyn Jackson stood behind her, her eyes focused on the body, her face drained of blood. “Oh gods, what happened? Elizabeth, are you okay?”

“Do you think I’m okay?” Elizabeth spat, “My child’s dead! Catherine’s dead because of a SOB.”

Maralyn bit her lip worriedly as she took a step back, “I’ll call Jade,” she mumbled. Elizabeth didn’t hear her; all she could do was stare at the body.

10 minutes later…

Nathaniel got out of his unmarked squad car just as a dark blue Subaru pulled up behind him. Frowning, he turned to see Jade jump out of her car, her face tear-streaked. She didn’t even glance his way as she ran towards the Harris home. “Ms. Erik,” he called, when she ignored him, he called again, “Ms. Erik!”

Jade whirled around, stunned for a moment. Upon seeing him, her pain filled eyes cooled, “Detective Coulter,” she greeted.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” he said feeling slightly awkward.

Jade nodded coolly, “Just figure out who did it and send that b*****d to jail. Actually, don’t even him that courtesy, just put him in the chair and get it over with.” Tears filled her eyes again, but she blinked them rapidly away as she turned. The arrival of another car stopped her from walking into the house. “Seth,” she whispered.

Nathaniel watched as Jade’s older brother approached them, his friend close behind. “Jade,” he murmured as he drew her into his arms, running his hand up and down her back soothingly.

“She’s dead Seth, some sick b*****d killed her,” Jade broke down and began to sob.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’ll find him,” he soothed. Seth turned to stare at Nathaniel, “Seth Renner, FBI.” Nathaniel nodded silently, not bothering to hide his surprise, he was grateful to have some backup anyway. “Come on,” gently, he led Jade towards the house, “Put your brave face on sis, Elizabeth and Josh need you to be strong for them.” Jade nodded, taking several deep breaths and drying her eyes. “Good girl, let’s go.”

Nathaniel watched as brother supported sister to the house, stopping at the doorway so Jade could enter on her own. After they disappeared, he turned to glance at Seth’s friend. “Don’t tell me you’re also FBI,” he commented dryly.

The man glared at him irritated, “No, I’m Dr. Conley Warren.” Nathaniel nodded stiffly, as he pushed past ‘Dr. Conley Warren’ and made his way towards the house.

“Thank heavens, you’re finally here,” Maralyn cried out when he entered. “It’s about time, do you have the team?”

“They are on their way here,” he replied curtly. He continued walking until he ran into someone as he turned the corner. Instinctively, he reached out to steady the person and found himself staring face to face with Jade Erik. Her blue eyes were faded and puffy, silently, she pointed behind her. Nathaniel peaked over her shoulder and caught sight of Catherine Harris’ small body hanging by a rope from the ceiling. His gut clenched as he stared at the horrific sight.

“Has anyone touched her?” he asked gruffly. Silently Jade shook her head, still in shock. Cursing himself and his lack of will, he drew her into his arms, hoping it would seem kind of friendly, seeking to offer her comfort and shelter. Surprisingly, Jade turned into him, buried her face in his shoulder, and simply cried.  For a few minutes, he just held her there, whispering soothing words. Slowly, her sobs faded and she stared up at him again.

“Sorry about that,” she sniffed.

“It’s cool,” he smiled.

“I got your shoulder wet and probably covered with snot.”

Nathaniel chuckled, “It’s cool,” he repeated. “Come on,” he held out his hand and led her into the kitchen where the rest of the group was gathered. Seth nodded when they entered, his eyes were grateful when they met Nathaniel’s. Dr. Conley Warren’s gaze however held anger, pure anger. “He would have to do a background check on Dr. Warren,” Nathaniel thought, making a mental note in his mind as he handed Jade over to Seth.

“Mrs. Harris, can you please tell me what happened?” he asked softly.

Elizabeth looked her, her face pale, “I went out for an hour to buy groceries. I didn’t want to leave, but Catherine insisted that she was going to be fine. I came back an hour later to find the house completely empty. At first I thought Josh was probably reading his magazines and Cat was sleeping, then I walked into the living room and tripped over Josh. He was tied up and gagged in the doorway. He told me that someone had knocked him out from behind and he woke up in the living room. I ran upstairs to Catherine’s room, hoping that this was just some kind of joke.” She broke off, gasping for breath.

Jade left Seth’s side to wrap her arms around Elizabeth. Smiling at the other woman’s support, Elizabeth continued, “Her room was empty, her dolls lying on the floor. On the wall right next to the door was a message written in black marker that read, ‘Surprise.’ I was shocked, but then I heard Josh’s yell so I ran back downstairs and into the kitchen. That was when I saw Catherine’s body hanging there,” she jabbed a finger at the ceiling. She broke down and began to cry again.

Nathaniel shifted uneasily as he watched Jade tighten her arms around Elizabeth. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. They were dark blue, full of anger and pain. “Nathaniel.”

“I’ll do my best Jade,” he murmured.

“Thank you,” she whispered. He nodded and backed out of the kitchen. Taking one last glance at the body and at Jade he headed out. When he reached the car, he heard footsteps behind him and turned, it was Seth.

“Mind if I come back to the station with you?” he asked.

“You’re not going to stay with Jade?” Nathaniel asked.

“She’ll be fine. I know she will.” Nathaniel nodded slowly as he got into the car, watching in his rearview mirror as Seth got into his. He pulled away, Seth following close behind. Once again, he took a glance at the house to see Maralyn standing there, watching them leaven.

When they arrived at the station, Nathaniel was instantly bombarded by his coworkers about the murder. Waving everyone off, he ducked into his office, letting Seth slide in after him. “Is it always this crowded?” Seth asked.

“It’s been a while, murders don’t usually happen in this town. It’s pretty calm; the most dangerous thing is usually gang fights.” Seth nodded, “Seth, I need you to tell me about Conley Warren.”

He watched Jade’s brother frown, “What do you need to know? He’s a clean guy; I grew up with him after I ran away from home to escape my abusive father.”

“Your father abused you?”

“Um…yeah? That’s why Jade dedicates her life to helping abused children find better families and a better future.”

“Okay, now get back on topic. I want to know everything you know about him.”

“He grew up in Brooklyn, NY and has a younger sister named Stephanie who is a high tech lawyer. He used to date Jade when he studied at the University of Minnesota and I think he proposed to her, but she turned him down. He works in the police morgue as one of the main doctors and yeah. That’s pretty much it. No drugs, no alcohol, clean. Now why do you ask?”

“He was staring at me with a sort of anger when I questioned Elizabeth.”

“He’s just protective. I think he’s still in love with Jade who has obviously moved on. After seeing you comfort her probably triggered jealousy in him.”

“It wasn’t a jealous look; it was much more than that.”

“Just drop it, Conley wouldn’t hurt anyone. He acts like he’s so tough, but he’s a big softie.”

“I’ll drop it for now, but something’s telling me that he’s trouble,” Nathaniel muttered.

“Hey, if someone is trouble, it’s probably me. Do a background check, I don’t care. I’ve gotten into more gang fights than Conley has given his sister random presents because he loves her and he gives them to her frequently.”

Nathaniel nodded slowly, still feeling a bit uncomfortable. “Okay, I’ll try to see if the CSI team can come up with any DNA left by the killer. I’ll send patrol cars out to scout the Harris’ neighborhood.”

“I’ll see if I can pull anything up from the FBI database.”

Ѱ

“Mom, is Catherine really dead?” Natalya asked.

“Yes darling, she’s dead. Someone broke into her house and hanged her in the kitchen.” Natalya shuddered and hugged Maralyn tightly.

“Jade, are you okay?”

Jade started, “Um, yeah, I’m fine. Darn, I’ve got an appointment in half an hour and I’m ready to collapse.”

“Can’t you cancel it?” Maralyn asked.

Jade shook her head, “I can’t, my patient is Michael Smithson. He’s just been adopted and is having a lot of trouble adjusting. The Smithsons are a kind family and very patient with him. He still gets nightmares of his father whipping him with a belt. It’s horrible.”

“Poor kid,” Maralyn murmured. “Let’s head to Starbucks, my treat. You can get your green tea mocha thing. That usually peps you up.”

“Thanks Maralyn, you’re the best,” Jade smiled as she followed Maralyn and Natalya down the street to Starbucks.

“Nat, you want anything?” Maralyn asked.

“Um, can I have a strawberry smoothie?”

“Sure kiddo,” Maralyn grinned. “Here ya go Jade,” she handed Jade her mocha.

“Thanks girlfriend,” Jade glanced at her watch. “Gotta run, I need to ‘compose’ myself a bit before I see Mike.”

“All right, catch you later,” Maralyn called. Natalya waved goodbye while sipping on her smoothie.

Jade left and began to walk towards her office building two blocks away. She arrived 10 minutes before the appointment, taking a few calming breaths, she washed her face in the bathroom and applied some makeup, hoping that her eyes wouldn’t appear too puffy. Sighing, she walked out of the bathroom and towards her office.

Plastering a smile on her face, she greeted Michael as he entered, his eyes were mournful. “Hey Jade,” he mumbled.

“Hey Mike, how’s it going?”

“Fine.”

“You got to give me something more than that buddy. How’s school, you fitting in?”

“Kinda.”

“What about the Smithsons? Do you like them?”

“I guess.”

“I heard that they have a dog, what his name?”

“Her name is Rainbow.”

“Mike, how are you really doing?”

Michael finally looked up, “I’m okay. My nightmares haven’t been going away. Every night I dream of him hitting me with his belt. I remember it really clearly. He was always in style; he only hit me with belts made from the finest leather that he bought from Kenneth Cole.”

“Every single night?”

“Yeah.”

“I wish I could do something to help, but you’re kind of young to be taking sleeping medications.”

“Can’t I just take it?”

“No,” Jade smiled. “So, you joining any sports team? I heard that you’re really good at soccer.”

“Mrs. Smithson is letting me join the elementary school team in the fall when school starts.”

“That’s great Mike!”

“I guess,” he mumbled.

“So, you going let me dangle?” Jade raised her eyebrows.

Michael finally gave her a grin, “Maybe….”

“Oh come on, you’re killing me here!” Jade laughed.

Michael smiled, “So, um….”

“Mike come on,” Jade pleaded.

Michael bit his lip, “Okay, um, Rainbow’s getting puppies and Mrs. Smithson said I could keep one as my very own. She said I could teach it to play soccer with me.”

“That’s amazing,” Jade grinned. “What are you going to name your puppy?”

“Well, if it was a girl, I was going to name her, Jade,” he whispered shyly.

“Aww, thanks Mike.”

“Yeah, I really want to get a girl, but if I get a boy I’m going to name Gingerbread, cause my mom always made Gingerbread cookies for me and Dad before she died.”

“That’s really sweet Mike,” Jade smiled.

Saralyn popped her head in, “Y’all done in there?”

“Yups,” Jade replied. “Do I get a hug?”

Michael wrinkled his little nose, “Hugs are for girls and babies.”

“Well sucks for you dude, cause I happen to be a girl,” Jade commented. Michael grinned as he reached up and gave Jade a quick hug. “Oh no you don’t,” Jade grabbed him when he tried to escape and squeezed him tightly. “You be careful okay?”

“Yes Jade. See you next week,” Michael rewarded her with his biggest smile yet.

“See you next week pal,” Jade replied. “Mrs. Smithson, how are you doing?”

“Lovely, thank you so much Jade. Oh, I heard about what happened with the young girl and I wanted to say that I’m so sorry for what happened. Also, if you get the chance, I made a cake and I was wondering if you could drop it off at Mrs. Harris’ house. A mother to mother gift, I know how it feels to lose a child.”

“That is very kind of you, thank you,” Jade’s eyes welled up with tears.

“Stay strong Jade,” Mrs. Smithson leaned over and hugged Jade. “Come on Mickey Mouse, we got to get back to Rainbow.”

“Bye Jade,” Michael waved as he took Mrs. Smithson’s hand.

Ѱ

“Yes my dear Jade, stay strong.” A figure watched Michael and Mrs. Smithson get into a small silver car. “You are going to need all your strength for the gift that will await you tomorrow.” Laughing softly, the figure ducked behind a building, got into a car, and drove away, planning its next move.

Ѱ

Mrs. Smithson stood in the kitchen washing the dishes when she heard Rainbow barking madly. Frowning, she glanced out the window to see a car drive away. Shrugging, she continued on with her task until she heard a scream. Startled, she almost dropped the plates. “Robert?” she called to her husband.

“What is it?” Robert popped his head in from the study.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Probably Mike having a nightmare again, I’ll go on up.” She watched as he made his way up the stairs. A few minutes later she heard a shout, “Charlotte get up here!”

Heart thumping, she raced up the stairs and into Michael’s room and stopped frozen. His room was covered with wires that were connected to guns. One wrong move and the string would pull on a trigger and a bullet would go through Michael’s small shaking body. “Michael, can you make your way to us without touching anything?”

“Daddy killed Mommy with a gun, straight through her heart,” he whimpered, “Mommy!” he pointed. Charlotte and Robert both turned to see a mannequin that was no doubt dressed as Michael’s mother with a bullet hole through its heart.

“Oh my gods, Robert, call the police.”

15 minutes later….

“Not another,” Nathaniel muttered as he drove up to the Smithson’s house. He saw Jade’s frozen figure as Mrs. Smithson described the scene. “Jade?”

She turned slowly, “What is going on? Why is this happening? To these poor children?”

“I don’t Jade, but I’m going to try to figure it out okay? I need to you to stay calm.”

“I’m trying Nathaniel, but I really want to just explode,” she muttered.

“Jade,” Nathaniel turned to see Seth and Conley arrive. Conley was once again glaring at him.

“Seth, I’m so scared.”

“Everything will be fine. We need to secure everything down,” he soothed.

“What if Mike dies as well?”

“He won’t, we’re bringing him to the station,” Nathaniel promised. He looked around, Conley had walked over to the sidewalk where Maralyn had parked and was talking with Natalya. Maralyn herself was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to Jade, but something caught his eyes. Whirling around, he watched Conley lead Natalya to his car.

“Hey Jade, I’m going to drop Natalya off at Maralyn’s place and I’ll stay with her until Maralyn gets home. Take your time.”

“Thanks Conley, see you tomorrow Natalya.”

“Bye Jade,” the girl called.

“Where is Maralyn?” Nathaniel asked.

“She inside talking to Charlotte Smithson,” Jade replied.

Upstairs, Michael watched the cops ask his mother and father questions. He was in their bedroom, the door was locked and the window shut tight. Shivering he walked into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. A sound made him turn, “Mrs. Smithson?” he called.

He heard a bark, “Come here Rainbow, come here girl.” Another bark, this time fainter. “Rainbow?” Michael walked out of the bathroom to find Rainbow muffled and tied to the door. “Rainbow, who tied you?”

“It’s about time you came out of there. I was getting impatient,” a voice mumbled behind him.

Michael whirled around, “Who are you?”

“You do not want to know honey.”

The figure approached, “Get away from me!” He cried out as the figure grabbed him and stuck a needle in his neck.

“I’ll be nice and make everything painless if you cooperate,” the figure snarled.

“Get away from me!”

“Don’t you want to see your mother?” the figure taunted.

“Go away!” Rainbow growled in the background. Michael tried to fight, but whatever the figure had injected into him was taking effect. “Go….away….” he fell unconscious.

“Thank god, that took a while,” the figure muttered. Rainbow snarled, “Oh shut up you stupid dog.” The figure opened the window that overlooked the backyard, “Adios doggie!” the figure called softly as it leapt outside with Michael in its arms.

The door opened a few minutes later, “Michael, come with us, we’re taking you the station.” Charlotte stopped. “Michael? Michael?! Robert, Detective, Jade, he’s gone!”