Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Dan felt as if his eyes had been glued shut, it took such an effort to open them.
He was seated on a chair, and although he couldn’t make out details yet, he knew the room was shielded from daylight.
There was a lamp somewhere. He wondered for a moment why he couldn’t move his arms. Then he realized they were tied behind the back of the chair.
His ankles were bound to the chair legs.
His head was like lead, and he closed his eyes again.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, if only for a brief spell.”
And there it was, confirmation of what he’d learned before whatever drug Christopher had used had dulled his senses.
He’s going to kill me.
Dan squeezed his eyes even tighter, his stomach roiling. I’m not ready to die. Because if that were to happen, then he really was the butt of some enormous cosmic joke. Why draw Gary and me together, connect us, only to rip us apart?
Keeping his eyes shut was not going to make this nightmare go away. He’d have to face it sooner or later.
He opened them to find Christopher in a chair facing him. Dan’s gaze was drawn instantly to the wall behind him, and his heartbeat quickened. A large photo had been placed in the center, and on the left were images of the seven victims, each one crossed in red.
Christopher’s eyes were watchful. “I didn’t give you a full dose. The side effects usually peak within two hours, but they can persist for longer. I wanted you awake. You’re probably feeling disoriented. That will pass.”
“Let me guess.” The words came out as a croak. “Rohypnol.”
Christopher grinned. “Clever man. You gave me quite a shock when I looked out of my treatment room and saw you there. How did you get onto me so fast?”
“I wasn’t looking for you. I only went there to make an appointment for a test.”
His face hardened for a second, and then he schooled his features. “A clever gay man, I see.” His brow furrowed. “You really didn’t suspect me?”
“All I know about you is your name and that you work at the clinic. And only because you told me.” That wasn’t the whole truth. He’d learned a little more than that when Christopher had put his arm around Dan to guide him to the car. “What do you do there?”
“I’m a physician’s assistant.”
Dan managed to raise his eyebrows. “And why would I suspect you? Aren’t you trained to save lives, not take them?
” He gazed at the wall once more, and cold settled on him in a heavy layer that seeped into his bones.
“Oh my God. That guy you were telling me about? The one you suspected? You were talking about yourself.” He stared at the center photo. “That’s Paul, isn’t it? Your brother.”
“Right again. You’ll have to say hello for me. Because you’ll be seeing him long before I do.”
Dan knew Christopher’s words were meant to strike fear into his heart.
It was working.
“They’ll come looking for me.”
Christopher smiled. “Not if they don’t know where to look. No, they won’t ever find you.” He stroked his beard. “I could make you victim number eight, but I don’t know enough about you for that. So you’ll be nothing more than a spare.”
“They can track my phone,” Dan blurted.
“Not if I’ve removed the battery. And I did that as soon as you were out.” He got up from his chair and walked over to a desk. Dan took that time to assess his surroundings. The room contained nothing but the desk and two chairs. Long curtains hid the windows, and he had no clue where he was.
Christopher opened a drawer. “Your phone can join my collection.”
“I have an appointment at your clinic on Friday.”
He gave Dan a smile that chilled his blood. “Then I’m afraid you’re going to miss it.”
Gary, where are you?
Why couldn’t I have been born telepathic instead of psychic?
Lewis was waiting for them as Gary pulled into the precinct parking lot. “Any luck at the hotel?”
“No sign of him since he left there in an Uber this afternoon,” Gary informed him. “I’ve tried tracking his phone and Ludlow’s. Neither are showing up.” He gave Lewis a hopeful stare. “Tell me you had better luck.”
“I found a property registered to Christopher Ludlow in Quincy. Pawsey Street. And the license number of his car.”
“Then why are we still here? Get in the car and let’s go.”
Lewis leaned in and grabbed his arm. “Hey, wait a sec. We don’t have a warrant. What’s more, we have no hope of getting one. We’ve got DNA that might be Ludlow’s, but we can’t prove that. Even if we had Ludlow’s to compare it to, the test takes too long. Dan could be dead by then.”
“We’ve got probable cause, all right?” Riley leaned across Gary, his voice rising.
“A witness saw Ludlow take Dan to a car, and Dan was apparently in a bad way. Ludlow works as a PA at the clinic all the victims attended. Not to mention how his brother died. So I say we burn rubber and pray we’re not too late.
As for what we’ll do when we get there? I guess we’re playing it by ear.
” And with that, he gestured to the back seat. “Well, get in, then.”
Gary was offering up the same prayer.
7:20 p.m.
There has to be a way to slow him down.
Christopher had started talking about Paul, and so far, there seemed no stopping him. Not that Dan was complaining. The longer he talked, the more minutes ticked by, giving Gary and the others a chance of finding him.
What chance? They don’t even know who they’re looking for.
Dan tried hard not to believe that. Chance had brought him to that clinic, to the very man they sought. He had to believe it was also at work to guide them to him. And in the meantime, Dan needed to touch Christopher and pray he learned something, no matter how small.
Remember the guilt? So overpowering you could’ve drowned in it? Work on that.
Christopher was keeping his distance.
Come here. Let me touch you. Just once. Dan prayed once would be enough.
He stared at Paul’s photo. He’s the key, the lever. Dan forced himself to speak calmly. “Killing all these men won’t get you closer to the truth.”
Christopher frowned. “What truth?”
“The knowledge that’s eluded you. The man who was responsible for your brother’s death.”
He sneered. “I already know. It was someone exactly like the sluts I’ve already dispatched.”
Dan kept up a silent litany to whoever watched over psychics and police officers. “And what if I could give you a name? Don’t you want to know?”
Stupid question. The longing on Christopher’s face….
He straightened his expression. “What are you talking about?”
Dan attempted a shrug. “You know all about me. You know how I work. It was in the papers, remember?”
That earned him another sneer. “Didn’t work so well for you this time, did it? You didn’t have a clue who I was when I approached you on Dix Street. And I don’t believe in your gift.”
“You should. Because it’s real.”
“Oh really?” Christopher retook his seat, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. “We’ve got time to waste. No one is coming. So how do you intend proving any of this?” His tone held amusement.
Come on. Give me something to wipe that smug smile right off of his face.
Something to shake him, and maybe buy Dan a little more time.
“I work primarily by touch.” Dan cocked his head. “Do you have something that belonged to Paul? Something personal?”
“What if I do?”
“If you give it to me, there’s a good chance I’ll know who was with him when he died.
” He hoped. He really hoped. Please, God, just this once?
Let it work because I need this. Dan breathed deeply.
“You said the police told you there’d been someone else in Paul’s apartment that night. Don’t you want to know who?”
Christopher swallowed, and Dan knew he had him on a hook. “Yes, I want to know.”
Dan glanced around the bare room. “Well… what do you have of Paul’s?”
Christopher didn’t move for a moment, and Dan’s heart hammered.
Come on, come on, you know you want this.
Then he got up and walked over to the desk again.
He opened another drawer and withdrew a small carved box.
He placed it on the table, opened it, and removed a gold chain.
“I bought him this for his eighteenth birthday. He was wearing it the day he died.”
Dan gave him a hard stare. “I can’t touch it if my hands are tied, can I?” He was clearly no physical risk to Christopher, too slight to even contemplate overpowering him.
Christopher regarded him in silence, and as the seconds ticked by, Dan’s pulse quickened. He’s not going to do it.
“Will one hand be enough?”
Thank you, Lord. Dan nodded. Christopher put the chain on the table, went behind Dan’s chair, and freed one hand. Dan kept still as he fiddled with his bonds, not wanting to give him a thing to worry about.
Christopher placed the chain almost reverentially into Dan’s palm, and for one brief moment, Dan grasped his hand until Christopher pulled free.
It was enough. The emotions he’d felt as he’d held items from the crime scenes surged over him in a tide, only stronger and more vibrant.
I have you.
Dan held the chain tightly and closed his eyes. The image that came to mind sent a violent shock wave through him, and he had to take several deep breaths to recover his control. He knew what he’d seen was the truth. The visions never lied.
Oh my God. Now what do I do?
“What did you see?” Christopher demanded.
Dan had to take a moment to force calm into his voice. “The police got it wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was a guy with him. They hooked up, and then he left. But Paul needed a hit, a fix. There were no drugs in the apartment, so he called a number someone had given him. A dealer. They brought the stuff that killed him. It was nothing to do with the guys he’d been hooking up with.”
Christopher gaped at him, shaking. Then his face hardened once again.
“You almost had me doubting myself for a moment. No. So what if it was some low-life drug dealer who ended his life? His ‘lifestyle’ and subsequent death had been the result of the men he’d associated with.
They corrupted him. They were the ones who got him into drugs.
They convinced Paul he was gay. They sucked him into a world where he did not belong.
” He locked gazes with Dan, his face red. “They killed him.”
And just like that, Dan knew he’d run out of chances.
Except….
Go with his feelings of guilt. Don’t let him off that hook.
It was all Dan had left to play with.