Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Gary sat behind the wheel. They’d parked on Rhoda Street, across the corner from Pawsey, which wasn’t as populated. He pulled up Google Maps. “There’s only the one house at the end,” he commented. “Behind it is nothing but salt marsh.”
It was a lonely house, no doubt about that, and it gave him the shivers.
What is Ludlow doing in there?
“I want a closer look.” Lewis got out of the car.
“Wait.” Gary unfastened his seat belt and followed him.
Riley too. “Lewis,” he called out urgently.
“What are you going to do? Walk right up to it and peer through the windows? You know we can’t do that, right?
Curtilage—ring a bell? Property boundaries?
” Not that he hadn’t had the same idea, but there were laws about this kind of thing, and one of them had to stay within the lines.
Lewis scowled. “There’s a car parked up at the house. At least let’s get close enough to see if the license number checks out.”
They could do that. “Okay, but don’t get too close.”
They walked about halfway up the street, keeping to the left where they were in the shadow of trees from a nearby property. Lewis squinted at the car. “Yup. That’s the one. So it’s a safe bet Ludlow is in there.”
“Then let’s go knock on the door,” Riley suggested. “We can do that.”
The side of the house they could see was in darkness. No sign of life. Beyond the house was the ocean, its waters reflecting the changing golden light in the sky.
Christ, this is excruciating.
Gary wanted to break down the door and charge through that house until he found Dan. Because everything in him was yelling that Dan was in there.
“Did you hear that?” Lewis said suddenly.
Riley frowned. “Hear what? The only things around here making any noise are the bugs.”
“Thought I heard a scream.”
“You’re hearing things.”
Gary caught up fast. “No, he’s right. I heard a scream too.”
Riley jerked his head from Gary to Lewis, and back to Gary again. “Oh. Fuck, I’m slow.” His eyebrows scrunched together. “Are we sure about this?”
“Yes, we are.” Because one way or another, they were going into that house.
“I’m gonna go back to the car and call this in,” Lewis announced. “We need backup.” And before Gary could argue, he ran toward Rhoda Street.
“Wait till he comes back,” Riley urged. “At least until we know help is on the way.” He cocked his head. “You got a plan?”
No, but Gary was working on it.
Hold on, Dan. We’re coming.
7.35 p.m.
“And what about the part you played in Paul’s death?” Dan demanded. Pissing Christopher off was risky, but he had to do something.
Christopher’s face darkened. “Shut up.”
“You’ve lived with the guilt ever since he died, haven’t you?”
“Shut up!”
Before Dan could twist the knife a little more, his pulse quickened, his breathing grew shallow, and his stomach clenched.
Gary is near.
He had no clue how he knew that, but with each passing second, his assurance grew.
He’s coming for me.
Dan raised his chin and forced steel into his voice. “You can’t deny it, can you? Yes, you’re angry at all those guys, but you’re also angry at yourself. Don’t bother lying to me. I felt it when we touched.”
“You don’t know anything.”
Dan stilled. “You think? That guilt you’ve been carrying around ever since Paul died? I knew about it before I even laid eyes on you. Everything you touched when you killed those men? It reeked of guilt. Anger. Remorse.”
Christopher’s eyes grew flinty. “You’re lying.”
Dan locked gazes with him. “Except you know I’m telling the truth.”
Come on, Gary. Please, be fast. I need you.
7:40 p.m.
“Dan’s in there.” Gary shivered. “We have to move now.”
Lewis’s brow furrowed. “Why not wait?”
“Because he’s running out of time.” Gary strode past the house and around it, searching for any sliver of light from inside that would point the way. To the rear of the house were french doors, and despite the curtains across them, a thin bright line showed at their base.
“I’ll go to the front and knock.” Lewis sprinted away from them.
Riley peered at the doors. “Thank Christ,” he whispered. “The frame is made of wood. We can break that down. If we need to.”
Gary had a feeling they’d need to. And then he froze.
Gary. I need you.
He didn’t know if he’d imagined Dan’s voice in his head, but it sounded so real, and the edge of fear running through it was enough to force him into action.
“We’re going in.”
7:45 p.m.
“I didn’t know, all right?” Christopher’s cheeks were flushed.
“I thought he was okay. I asked him enough times to come home, and when he didn’t, I figured he was getting along fine.
He was twenty-six years old, for Christ’s sake.
He wasn’t a kid. He’d been through college. He could take care of himself.”
“But he couldn’t, could he?” Dan’s heart pounded. “I’m going to make sure no more gay men pay the price for your overwhelming sense of guilt.”
“And how are you going to do that from the fucking grave?” Christopher yelled.
He lurched out of his chair and towered over Dan, his hands clenching and unclenching.
“Tell me, Mr. Psychic. Did your gift reveal exactly how I killed those men? Did you feel the fear that seeped from their pores, only they couldn’t move, thanks to the ketamine?
Did you feel the prick as I slowly pushed the needle into their bodies?
No? Then maybe it’s time you did. Because we are fucking done.
” He yanked open the drawer, and Dan’s throat seized when he saw the small bottle and the hypodermic.
Christopher inserted the needle into the neck of the bottle with precision, pulling on the stopper to draw out the clear liquid.
Dan’s heart fluttered; he was unable to tear his gaze away from the sliver of metal in Christopher’s hand that was coming at him, closer, closer, closer… .
Strong fingers gripped his arm, holding him steady, and the metal tip scratched the skin on Dan’s neck.
Dan filled his lungs and screamed at the top of his voice, “Gary!”
And before the cold needle entered his body, from beyond the curtains, a voice yelled, “Police, Mr. Ludlow!”
Christopher froze. “What the fuck? No. No!” He jerked his hand, and the movement scraped the needle over Dan’s skin.
It wasn’t intentional, but it unfroze Dan.
Now. Move. He threw himself forward, toppling the chair and knocking Christopher to the ground.
As Christopher scrambled to his feet, the sound of wood splintering and breaking glass filled Dan with blessed relief, and both Riley and Gary tumbled into the room.
“Careful! He has a syringe!” Dan hollered.
Gary lunged, flattening Christopher against the floor, and Riley grabbed his wrist, forcing him to drop the needle. Then he was on him too, cuffs in his hands, grabbing Christopher’s arms and tugging them behind him. Once they had him pinned, Gary jerked his head up to stare at Dan with wide eyes.
“Did he inject you? Do we need paramedics?”
Dan shuddered, his legs shaking. “It didn’t go in.”
“Thank God.” Gary waited until Christopher stopped struggling.
“Christopher Ludlow, you are under arrest for the murders of Trey Hopkins, Denver Wedel, Geoff Berg, Vic Zerbe, Marius Eisler, Cory Peterson, and Jack Noonan, and for the abduction and attempted murder of Dan Porter. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot—”
Christopher craned his neck to glare at Dan, his face red, his cheeks blotchy. “You know what? I made a difference. I wasn’t the first, and I will not be the last.”
Dan’s throat was still raw from his scream, and he simply stared at Christopher.
Gary continued Mirandizing him, and by the time he’d finished, Lewis came in through the busted doors, along with three uniformed officers. Gary and Riley got off of Christopher, and two officers hauled him to his feet.
“Get him out of here,” Lewis told them. “But take him out the front way. We wouldn’t want him to cut himself on all that glass, right?” The officers held Christopher firmly between them, and the third officer went ahead to open the front door.
Dan waited until they were out of sight before allowing himself to breathe more evenly. It’s over.
Gary unfastened Dan’s ankles and wrist and rubbed them. “Are you okay?” He and Riley helped Dan to his feet, and Riley righted the chair so he could sit.
“I’m gonna get one of the boys to call Dispatch,” Lewis said. He stared at the wall. “Jesus, would you look at that? The CSIs are gonna love this.”
“I’ve seen enough, thank you,” Dan croaked. Lewis strode out of the room.
Riley cleared his throat. “I’m gonna give you two a moment alone, okay? I’ll be right outside that door.”
Dan blinked, but Gary didn’t miss a beat. “Thanks, Riley. Appreciated.”
Riley paused. “And by the way? Whatever you have going on? It’s no one’s business but yours, so in my book, that means nobody needs to know about it.” Then he stepped carefully over the busted door frame and glass, and out into the evening air.
Gary knelt in front of Dan. “I thought I’d be too late.” Then he leaned in, and Dan lost himself in a fervent kiss.
“I knew you’d come,” he murmured between kisses.
Gary looked him in the eye. “I heard you.”
Dan managed an eye roll. “I think all of Boston heard me scream your name.”
“I’m not talking about that. I mean before.”
He frowned. “What?”
“I mean, I heard your voice inside my head. I could feel the terror like it was my own. You kept crying out that you needed me.”
“But… you couldn’t have. My gift doesn’t work like that.”
Gary held up his hands. “Hey, I’m just telling you what I heard, okay? It was your voice. I didn’t imagine it.”
Dan kissed him. “I believe you. Now, are you going to tell me how Riley seems to know about us?”
“Later. When I’ve got you far away from this place and the doc has checked you out. He drugged you, didn’t he? He put something in your coffee.”
Dan gaped. “How did you know that?”
Gary smiled. “A lot has happened since I left you at the hotel this morning. And once you’ve been declared fit, I’m going to take you back there, and I’m not going to leave your side all night.”
“What makes you think I’d let you?”
Dan needed to be held, reassured… treasured. But his joy at being rescued was tempered with the shock of what he’d seen when he’d held Paul’s gold chain. He couldn’t keep quiet about that, even if it meant one man’s life was going to change dramatically. I was given this knowledge for a reason.
Yeah. Sometimes he hated his gift.