Chapter Fourteen

Glen & Rachel to the rescue...almost

 

Rifling through the phonebook, Glen had found two entries for K. Buchanan.  One listed an address in the heart of the city’s seediest district.  The other address was in a close lying suburb that he knew to be at least upper-middle class.  Considering the fact that this monster was a partner in a psychiatric firm, Glen was certain that he didn’t live in the middle of the slums.  He heard the water turn off and the bathroom door open.  Rachel had composed herself and come out, looking simultaneously worried and determined.

 

“We have to do something, Glen.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.  I went through the phonebook and got an address.  It’s outside the city, but pretty close by.”

“We should call the police.”

Glen glanced over at his bulletin board, where Detective Ripley’s card was still tacked.  Ripley had been way too suspicious the last time Glen had offered him information, and he couldn’t risk being suspected any more than he already was. “No, I think we should head there ourselves.”

“But what could we possibly do against a b*****d like that?”  Rachel’s hands started to quiver.  She instinctively put them in her pockets.

“We won’t have to worry about that.  I know where he works and what car he drives.  We’ll just check the parking lot before we go to the house.  It will be safe.”

Not convinced, Rachel asked, “How do you know he doesn’t have someone there watching her?  He wouldn’t just leave her alone, would he?”

“The woman I saw in those pictures was strung up so tight that without help, she isn’t going anywhere.”  Glen could almost see Rachel’s brain spinning through ideas, possible outcomes.

“It’s still risky.”

Glen snatched the film from the kitchen table; growing impatient with her protests, and held it up, pointing to the hanging woman “Would you tell her that?  That we could have saved her before that b*****d killed her but we were too scared.  It was too risky.”

Rachel sat down and dropped her head into her hands.  Knowing he had crossed the line by mocking her with his tone, Glen moved over to her and lightly massaged her shoulders “I’m sorry”, he said, “I shouldn’t have yelled like that.  I know you’re scared, but remember, I’ve never been through anything like this either.  I just want to help.  That poor girl, I can’t imagine what she’s gone through.  What she’ll continue to go through if we don’t help her.  And I don’t trust the police.  The detective working the case of the hit and run that killed my friend has suspected me from the start.  I can’t let him think I’m involved in something like this.” 

Rachel nodded, wiping the wetness from her eyes with the back of her hand.  “OK, I’ll go with you.  I told you that I would help and I will, but we have to make sure he’s not there first.”

“We will.”

 

Rachel insisted on driving them.  The pair passed by Stowe, Buchanan and Associates on the way and saw Kevin’s car, parked right up front near the door.  Glen checked his watch.  Rachel had said that the offices closed at 7:00, so they had a couple of hours to do what they needed to do.  She turned the car onto the freeway and headed for the suburbs. 

 

Glen double checked the address he had written down.  46 Cloverfield Avenue.  He directed her as she drove.  “It should only be about a mile and a half from the off ramp.”

She bore left off of the freeway and onto the main road.  A couple of minutes later, they were turning on to Kevin’s street.  They found the house about halfway down on the left.  Glen asked Rachel to drive past it and park a bit farther down. 

 

They approached the house slowly and noticed that the basement window closest to the garage had been covered with newspaper.  Rachel waited at the edge of the driveway as Glen circled the property.  There were five other basement windows; a second one in front, two more at the back of the house, and one on each side.  None of those were covered.  The one nearest the garage wasn’t broken, so the paper had to be hiding something, or more likely, someone.  He waved Rachel over to him and they held hands nervously as he led her to the backyard.        

 

Rachel’s palm was sweating in Glen’s hand.  “Are you sure about this?” she asked.

Glen thought for just a second, “I’ve never been so sure about anything.”

 

Glen sat on the grass near the edge of the foundation.  Holding himself up with both arms, he kicked in the window, shattering it, sending shards of glass hurtling into the basement.  They could both hear a loud groaning, quickly turning to a muffled yell.  Glen pulled his coat sleeve down around his hand and cleared the remaining glass from the window frame.  Satisfied that he wouldn’t get cut, he slowly slid through, dropping quietly to the basement floor.  As Rachel stretched her legs through the opening, he held onto them, supporting most of her weight and easing her into the house.  They looked around and realized that they were in a storage area.  There were file boxes piled in both corners and a boiler and hot water heater nearer the center of the room.  Just ahead of them was a doorway.

 

Crossing into the front room, Glen noticed it was much dirtier than the storage area where they had entered.  The room was completely empty, save for a small end table against the far wall, and the woman hanging torturously from the rafters.  Her eyes widened as they approached her, and she began to yell wildly, trying to communicate through the gag and duct tape.  Rachel stopped in the doorway, obviously taken aback by what she was seeing.  She was far worse now than she had appeared in the images Glen had collected from Kevin.

 

A torn, bloody shirt and a pair of jeans lie in a pile just below the covered window.  The woman was stripped down to just her panties, which had become soiled with urine and feces, which had obviously streamed down both her legs.  Blood coated both her arms, obscuring the skin almost completely.  Bound, beaten, gagged, and weighted down, breasts painfully restrained, she let out a muted scream, partially from her condition, but mostly as a plea for help.

 

Glen became too shocked to move.  He turned back to the doorway and saw that Rachel had fainted.  Turning his attention back to the girl, he quickly realized that he couldn’t see the pile of clothes anymore, couldn’t see the window, couldn’t see the end table,  couldn’t see…

 

Reviews

[Alexander W. Quinn]

Oh that's just wonderful! Glen couldn't have picked a better point ot black out, huh? So...what's he going to learn about Giulia? Does she have some dark secret?? Will Kevin come back before Glen can "rescue" her???
Such a great story!