II
STORM
T his wasn’t my first time visiting New York.
The first time was with Sierra. We took a trip and celebrated once I got my master’s degree. It was only for a weekend, but it was magical. Since Sierra was originally from the city, she took me sightseeing, and later on, showed me the best clubs.
But now, I absolutely abhor this city.
I arrived Monday evening and the first meeting with Kyle took place as early as seven on Tuesday morning. Time was of the essence, though I wasn’t too pleased to be up that early. Especially since my hotel was thirty minutes away from his place.
Officially, I worked as his assistant on this case, a consultant. We agreed on a solid price, and I couldn’t turn down that amount of money.
“When do you think you’ll be back?”
With the new information Kyle gave me, I was sprawled across the floor while on FaceTime with Sierra, who was scheduling all of my author events for the near future.
“I’m not sure,’’ I yawned. “I took time off work, but I can’t stay here for more than a month.’’
“You think you’ll resolve this in a month?”
“Absolutely not.”
“In December, you have two signings. I already paid for the arrangements, so you have to appear.”
It was already October, and two months wasn’t enough for me to be prepared. Mentally, I needed at least six months to ensure I’d be okay. Somewhere along the ride with Micah, I came to despise crowded places even more, to the point of having a panic attack if I was stuck in a crowded area for too long.
“I know,’’ I replied with a sigh. “Prepare everything else, and I’ll probably just meet you there.’’
Sierra groaned on the other side of the phone, pinching the bridge of her nose. “How are you feeling?”
The atmosphere changed. She was serious, with a look of concern morphing her features. Not a day went by without her asking me that. I was grateful to have her in my life, but her worry was getting overbearing. She was like a mama bear protecting her cub.
“I’m fine.’’ My response was honest, yet my heart thumped against my ribcage as soon as the words left my lips.
Why?
“You don’t sound fine,’’ she countered, quirking an eyebrow. “I told you; this is a bad idea, Storm. What will happen if you get entangled in his web again? This time, I doubt you’d get unscathed.’’
Sierra was one of many people who was shocked at how little it had affected me mentally. Although there were some bad days, it was nothing compared to how it should’ve been. Even at times when I was found sobbing, wailing and screaming, no one was able to understand that it wasn’t severe depression or trauma; it was anger.
Because he dared to abandon me.
Abandoning me after making me feel like the most loved person in the world was truly fucked up.
“You worry too much. Besides, I made a deal with Kyle. The moment I feel threatened or get the feeling something might happen to me again, I’ll leave. He’ll even grant me witness protection.’’
“Still, that man is not someone who could be stopped easily. How many people has he killed in the past year, and they were still unable to catch him? I don’t like your odds here.’’
I smiled. “Thank you for worrying about me, Sierra. I promise, I’ll be fine.’’
She blinked, clearly not believing a word I said. Instead of arguing with me further, she simply sighed and shook her head.
“I have to go now.’’ She yawned through her words, both of us clearly in need of some rest . “I’ll call you in the morning.’’
“Goodnight.’’
The moment she hung up the phone, I was off the floor, cracking my back in the process. I had a lot of things to go over before the morning meeting, and I had barely scratched the surface. All Kyle needed from me for the meeting were theories or to perhaps catch something other officers were unable to do.
It was only then that I realized just how much he was counting on me, and I didn’t like that.
Becoming too reliant on me meant pressure to finalize this as soon as possible, but that would only fuck up my personal vendetta. He was probably already aware that I didn’t come just for the money or out of the goodness of my heart to help them.
Which was why I paid close attention to that man.
The hotel room I was staying in was nice. It was all paid for by Kyle, so I had no right to complain. It had a small terrace, though the night was too chilly for me to take my work outside.
All in all, I was grateful that I wasn’t paying for a damn thing.
Sierra loved to call me cheap, but I just loved saving money. I never knew when I’d need it, what kind of an emergency might pop up, which was why I was pissed when a sudden knock at the door came.
It was a staff member, bringing me champagne and dinner. Briefly, I was thrilled, until the bill came later on and I wanted to rip out Kyle’s hair. I didn’t order it, but by the time I realized I had to pay for it, I’d already finished half of the bottle and the entire plate.
Only when I was slightly intoxicated was I able to focus on work properly.
Micah’s most recent victim was a man in his early thirties. His record wasn’t too bad. A few speeding tickets here and there, but nothing major to provoke anyone to kill him. He was arrested for underage alcohol distribution, but that was years ago.
The crime scene was gruesome.
His body was mutilated beyond recognition. Only his hair remained intact, which was used to find out who he was. He had severe burns all over his body, his fingers missing, eyes gouged out, and his tongue brutally removed.
It gave me chills. Goosebumps broke out on my skin and I shivered.
He was murdered in an alley where no traffic cameras reached. No witnesses, not a single person had walked by at the time of the crime. It was a crowded part of New York, so it was rather surprising how no one had seen anything or at least heard screams. He was bound to scream, given the wounds inflicted.
Well, unless the tongue came out first, then it was understandable.
I bit the inside of my cheek until blood filled my mouth, my brow furrowed. I couldn’t find a connection that had a reasonable explanation. Everything was a mess, and given the recent history, the chances of Micah still being in New York were slim.
Unless he had other business here, then it was highly unlikely.
Then again, when it came to that unhinged man, nothing was impossible.
It wasn’t until I got sent the location for the morning’s meeting that I realized Kyle was working on this case unofficially. We met up at his place, with a couple of detectives he used to work with.
They were all nice enough, though that was irrelevant. If Kyle decided to save his own ass later on, I could end up being in trouble for acting like a cop and working on a case that was kept confidential.
“You shouldn’t worry too much,’’ Adele said with a soft smile.
She was a woman in her early thirties, with a short pixie cut. She reminded me of a beautiful fairy, especially with her deep, sea-blue eyes. A kind smile that seemed to permanently be attached to her face was enough for me to slightly lower my guard.
“Should I be worried about getting arrested?”
“I’ll take full responsibility for you.’’ Kyle spoke before Adele could get a word in. “I need your help.’’
With narrowed eyes, I tilted my head. “I didn’t sign up for this. Does anyone – your superiors, I mean – know that I’m helping?”
Kyle glanced between Adele, Beck – another detective – and me a couple of times, before sighing.
“Yes. They just don’t know I flew you out.’’
I nodded.
“So, tell me, what exactly is my job here?”
“First of all, I’d like to conduct an interview. I know it’s probably uncomfortable for you, but I need every single detail of what happened during your kidnapping. No matter how small and insignificant it may be, I need to know.’’
“I gave multiple statements over the years to multiple sources.’’
“You might remember something new.’’
After four years? Doubtful.
“Alright.’’ I caved. “Let’s get it over with.’’
While Kyle was preparing necessary documents and his notebook, Adele was trying to get me as relaxed as possible. A cup of tea, and some meaningless conversation to pass the time. I wasn’t nervous or anxious.
I’d already lied to the police way too many times to count.
And I knew my story perfectly.
“Shall we start?”
Kyle was sitting across from me on a chair, while I was laying down on the couch. Eye contact was irrelevant to me. I was able to lie with ease, regardless of the circumstance or surroundings. Even his sharp eyes wouldn’t be able to uncover the truth. I didn’t want him to.
“Let’s start.’’
He took a deep breath, as if he was the one having his darkest secrets probed into. Then again, it was his job.
“Let’s begin with how he kidnapped you. What can you recall about the days before that, and on that day?”
“It was winter, and it was very cold. I was already paranoid, since I’d been getting many letters from him. So, stupidly, I decided it would be best for me to leave. I was living with my friend, Sierra, at the time, and didn’t want her getting hurt. I packed a bag and left in the middle of the night.’’
“What time was it?”
“I don’t recall. After midnight.’’
“Where were you headed?”
“The train station. I didn’t think it through, just packed a bag and left. I was going to pick a location when the time came, but he found me before I could think that far.’’
Kyle continued asking me questions, without realizing just how useless it all was. There wasn’t a single question he’d asked that I wasn’t prepared for; in fact, he couldn’t have thought of something new to ask, because there was nothing.
Even the sudden tears, shivering body, and quivering lips – I’d done it all once before.
“I think it’s enough for today.’’
I didn’t expect Adele to interfere, though I was grateful that she did. She poured me another cup of piping hot tea, and whilst I was waiting for it to cool, I couldn’t help but observe.
Across the room were the two former detectives, talking in hushed tones. It was evidently about me; however, their body language didn’t indicate they were wary, more like… they sympathized and pitied me.
“I have a suggestion,’’ I voiced, and their heads snapped in my direction.
“Yes?” Kyle raised a curious eyebrow.
“What if’’ – I swallowed harshly – “we use bait and capture Micah?”
“What bait?’’
Adele seemed to understand far too quickly. In an instant, confusion was replaced by disbelief, eyes widened and lips parted.
“We’re not using you as bait, Storm.’’ Firmly, she approached me. “It’s too dangerous, and I can’t use a victim to capture a murderer.’’
I lifted a shoulder. “Why not? At the moment, it’s the best – no, the only shot – we have.’’
“There are too many reasons to reject that. It’s best if you stopped trying to persuade us. The chances of capturing him using that method are maybe ten percent.’’
I blinked. “The chances of capturing him without it are zero percent.’’
“Drop it.’’ Kyle sighed in exasperation. “Your life would be at stake. I can’t risk that.’’
I rose to my feet and marched toward him, until we were at the same level, staring into each other’s eyes. “How long has he been roaming free, killing person after person? How long have you been trying to arrest him and how long have you been failing?”
Kyle’s jaw clenched as he fisted his hands at his sides. Slowly, I was getting through him, but he needed another little push.
“And besides, I wouldn’t be alone. I’d have you backing me up.’’
“It will backfire.’’
“It won’t. If it does, at least we tried. Sitting around won’t get us any closer to catching him.’’
“Why are you so certain he’ll come for you? He’s had years’ worth of time, yet he hasn’t.’’
I grinned. “Because now, we’ll lure him out.’’