66. Noah
NOAH
OCTOBER FLASHBACK
The sounds of the waves crashing against the metal wall are the only thing that can be heard.
The night is silent, just like I like it.
I’ve been sitting on my back deck for the last hour letting the cool October air seep into my veins.
Tonight’s the night I end Rayes. One more final breath for Parker to hear.
Just add the tally onto my sins because the count doesn’t matter anymore.
Nothing else matters…except finding her.
*Ding*
Jeremy
Hey. You good?
You never texted me back about the chick?
Everything go okay?
Noah
It went fine. Thanks.
No problemo, Cuz. Hey, wanna go grab a drink? I think that new bar off Fifth is still open.
Nah. Busy tonight. Maybe tomorrow, though.
Why are you always busy?
I can’t help but laugh at the last message. He’s not wrong. I’m always busy. If I’m not working on my own cases, I’m trying to sabotage my father’s cases, hunt down the scum who have slipped through the cracks, or searching for her.
Noah
How about we go out tomorrow night for dinner?
My treat.
Jeremy
Aww, you think you can just wine and dine me to make me forgive you for ignoring your favorite cousin?
Yeah, yeah. Just figure out where you want to go.
Hmm…Anywhere I want?
Yep.
Price doesn’t matter?
Nope.
I’ll think of something. Maybe French?
No. Wait. I think I’m feeling Italian.
Goodnight, Jeremy.
Goodnight?
But it’s only eleven.
God, you’re old.
Fuck. I do feel old. I look up at the clear sky.
Only the moon and stars are out tonight, not a single cloud.
It’s strange. The moonlight illuminates my backyard, and I watch as a small squirrel runs down a tree followed by a larger one.
They frantically race around the yard zigzagging through the rows of trees and bushes squeaking and chattering before scampering back up another tree.
They disappear inside the hole in the trunk, and the world falls silent again.
“Welp. I guess it’s time for me to play.”
I stand, cracking my neck once more before making my way back inside my house, grabbing my mask off the counter, then slowly walking toward the laundry room. It’s going to be a long night. A long, painful, bloody, and oh-so-satisfying night.
When the secret door opens, the rush of stagnant air flows into the room. No matter how much I clean down here, the coppery tang of blood will always linger thick enough that you can taste it in the back of your throat.
Each step takes me deeper into the darkness. The muffled cries of Rayes are only drawing my demons closer to the surface. When I reach the bottom step, I flick on all of the lights. It’s time to set up my hunting ground.
I take a few minutes, moving in silence as I place the different pieces around the maze. Each dead end will hold another one of the sins he’ll bleed for tonight. Each photo will force him to see the truth of what he did.
“Please…I know you’re there. Noah, right? Wasn’t it Noah? That’s what he called you,” Rayes whimpers.
He’s blindfolded so he can’t see where I am, but Parker isn’t. I’ll let him continue to watch. He’s watched countless other men die, so what’s one more?
As I pass by one of the openings to the center of the maze where I keep them held, Parker’s eyes lift to mine. Those eyes that once burned with hate now look like snuffed-out embers barely simmering with heat. He watches me, wounded and waiting for the next scream to die out.
“I can hear you,” Rayes snaps.
No, you can’t.
“Shut the fuck up,” Parker snaps at Rayes before putting his head down.
He’s watched the same routine enough times. He knows exactly what’s going to happen. I slowly walk closer to Rayes until I’m right behind him. As if he can feel the heat of my body, he snaps his head from side to side blindly searching for me.
“Please. Just let me go. I promise, I won’t tell anyone. I’ll disappear. Just let me get my daughter…”
“Your daughter?” I hiss next to his ear causing his body to jolt sideways.
“Please, no one will ever know.”
“You’re right, no one will ever know, because you won’t live long enough to tell them.”
I watch as the last thread of hope he was clinging to is severed. His body slumps forward as he sobs. He fucking sobs like a child.
“Pathetic. At least be a man and own up to what you did,” I snarl as I place all my tools into a bag.
Can’t have anything out in the open that he might be able to use as a weapon. No, the only thing I need is my mask and my knife.
I reach down to the sheath against my thigh. My favorite knife is in it just begging for its next taste of blood. It’s a nine and a half inch tactical survival knife with a black stainless steel drop point blade with a serrated edge and a black metal handle.
I place the final pair of pliers into the bag, then haul it back through the maze to the door, open it, and toss the bag onto the stairs. It’ll be safe there.
I flick off the main lights before the door clicks shut and the brickwork lines back up into place. Seamless, absolutely hidden. And now, time for the fun to begin.
I slowly make my way through the familiar darkness. The path I know like the back of my hand. I’ve memorized each turn, where to cut them off, where to steer them, and where to trap them in the end. It’s all planned out, every fucking step.
I’m the one in control.
“Rayes,” I snap, watching in the low glow from the single lightbulb as the man snaps his head to the side.
I press a button and the main lights turn off, but another set turns on illuminating the maze in a low red light. It’s just barely bright enough to see in front of you, let alone see what’s hiding in the darkness.
“I’m going to cut off your ropes. You’re going to sit there until I say go, and when I do, I want you to run.”
“Wha…What?” he stammers as he feels me step up behind him.
“You’re going to run. You can take off the blindfold so you can see where you’re going.”
“But you’re just going to kill me.”
“Maybe. I’m feeling generous today. If you can escape before I catch you, you’re free to leave.”
I grip his wrists pulling his arms higher as his shoulders strain against the awkward angle. I slip my knife into the small space between his bound hands and slice, my knife easily cutting apart his ropes.
His hands immediately claw at the blindfold as he stands and spins toward me.
“Ah-ah, Rayes. Sit,” I growl, and he obeys, dropping back into the chair but never taking his eyes off of me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did…”
“You do. You know exactly what you did. Your wife.”
His eyes go wide as he stares at the unblinking skeleton mask in front of him. He finally realizes why I have him here.
“Who are you? Were you fucking my wife? Is this some kind of revenge for her death?”
I can’t stop the maniacal laugh that bubbles from my chest. It’s always the same with these men. They demand to know if I was fucking their wives, as if that would be the only reason for someone to seek justice for the crimes they’ve committed.
“No, but I’ve fucked your daughter. Pretty little thing. She screamed so beautifully while she was choking on my cock.”
He somehow grows even paler in the dim lighting, and it only spurs me on.
“Tell me, Rayes, why did you do it? Did she finally stand up to you? Tell you she was leaving you?” I ask as I take a step back deeper into the shadows.
“It was a robbery,” he stammers. “They broke in, and she was home alone. They’re the ones who…”
“There was no robbery, Rayes. If you wanted that lie to be convincing, you probably should have actually removed some of the valuables in your home. Ones that would’ve been taken in a real robbery.”
Another step back into the darkness, and I can see the struggle on his face as he tries to keep me in his view.
“You could’ve busted open that glass display case on the mantle.
Removed those precious trinkets you thought showcased how rich and powerful you were.
Maybe you should’ve wrecked the place a bit more.
Had a few Rolexes go missing. Maybe the gold cufflinks that sit on top of your dresser.
Or maybe even the wads of cash you kept stored in the top drawer in your closet. ”
“No…How could you know that?”
“I know everything, Rayes. I’ve watched you. Studied you. I’ve been inside your house, just like I’ve been inside your daughter,” I smirk.
“You fucking bastard,” he snaps as he stands.
“Sit. Down,” I say flatly.
His raised fist lowers as he sinks back down into the chair, finally looking away from my barely visible silhouette. Only the light on the mask can be seen from the shadows now.
“You were willing to offer me her flesh for your freedom just yesterday…Now you’ve suddenly grown a conscience?”
“Please don’t hurt her…She’s all that’s left.”
“Of your bloodline? Yeah, I’m aware. Don’t worry, I won’t harm a single hair on her head.
I’m not like you, Rayes. I don’t hurt the innocent.
So here’s how this is going to work. Leave using any path you wish.
Count to ten out loud as you walk through the dark.
Once you hit ten, the hunt is on. If you find the door and escape, you’re free, but if I catch you… ”
“You’ll kill me.”
“Exactly. Now…start counting.”
I stand against the far wall watching him scamper into the darkness then wait for him to hit ten before I strike.
I can hear his panicked breaths as he slowly tries to maneuver in the dim lighting to find the hidden steps.
He’s counting out loud, slower and slower with each number.
Annunciating each letter as if it will buy him more time.
The second he says ten, I can hear him panic.
His steps echo off the brick walls that make up the maze. Each twist and turn will have something special at the end of it. A photo or a medical form showing him all the damage he did to her over the years.
“Help me! Someone please!” he screams as he races through the maze.
“No one can hear you screaming, Rayes. It’s just you, me, and the ghosts. Oh, and Parker too, ” I laugh as I cut him off at the next turn.