Chapter Thirty-Five
Room of Death
Butch
Butch had gone to town to pick up a few things, and saw the deputy leaving St. Johns.
It was easy to follow, and it surprised him when he pulled off the highway and went towards the lake.
Was he going fishing? Butch drove past when the truck pulled off the side of the road and stopped.
He parked around the next bend and left his vehicle, carrying the rifle.
In the scope, he watched as the deputy began pacing next to his truck.
Even though the circumstances were strange, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take the man out. It was a clean shot, and he quickly moved his truck so it was on the opposite side of the road across from the deputy’s vehicle.
Then he saw Willow drive up and park her old truck.
Why was she meeting the deputy after he’d been stalking her?
How could she be involved with him? Were they friends?
Anger burned deep in his gut. The Willow of his vivid dreams was almost holy, and now his head spun.
Maybe his dreams had been trying to tell him something completely different.
The dreams that afflicted him since he was a child were called olfactory hallucinations.
Most people didn’t smell things in their dreams or solve complicated problems like him.
The internet had provided a window into his mind, though he kept his search to a minimum.
The government could be tracking him, and he had to appear like a normal trucker.
Now he was taking her to his place. Willow moved slightly, drawing his attention back to her. He tipped the rearview mirror so he could see her clearly. She didn’t look at him. Would she tell him the truth about the deputy if he asked?
Quiet filled the truck cab until they drove onto the ranch.
“We’re driving past your homestead. If you try anything, I’ll kill the old man and those dogs of yours. Don’t tempt me. Do you understand?”
She was looking out the window when she nodded.
“I want a verbal answer, and I want you looking at me when you give it.” His smooth and commanding tone was something he practiced so his victims stayed calm.
She turned her head and met his gaze in the mirror. She gave another nod before offering a whispered, “Yes.”
He followed the twists and turns on the dirt road as the sun sank behind the hills.
Eventually, they passed Willow’s place. Butch had inspected her house once when she and the deputy were gone.
Even if the old man was working out front, the most he would see was the top of Butch’s truck.
Willow didn’t move, though she looked out the window.
It took another twenty minutes to arrive at his place.
“Stay where you’re at,” Butch said when he approached the entrance.
He got out of the truck and opened the large metal gate.
A prominent “No Trespassing” sign hung from one of the steel rungs.
He pulled the truck through, jumped out, and closed the gate.
Before he took his seat again, he stared at Willow.
His heartbeat accelerated. She was his now, but he didn’t know what to do with her. He hadn’t planned for this, which made him jumpy. He’d almost worshiped her, and now his feelings were tarnished by her actions.
He pulled up to the barn and hit the garage door opener. Slowly his long-nose Pete with its shiny chrome came into view. He pulled in beside it. Willow didn’t take her eyes from the passenger window. He reached into the glove box and removed a Taser.
Without saying anything, he got out of the truck and walked around to her door. “Remove your seatbelt,” he said with the Taser partially hidden.
Sluggishly, she did as he said. Her body tensed, and he wasn’t stupid. He zapped her before she put her plan into action. She jerked repeatedly as he held it to her pectoral muscle for about ten seconds.
“I’ll do it again if you fight me,” he said when he released the trigger. Terror flickered in her eyes for the first time and he savored it. “Get out and walk alongside the truck until you get to the back of the garage.”
She followed his direction without looking at him.
He held the Taser steady, ready in case she tried something.
The garage light had turned on when the door slid open.
They reached the back, and he pushed her slightly against the wall.
Her eyes met his. He slid his hand beneath the plywood and released the locking mechanism. The door swung open.
“After you,” he said.
As soon as she entered the dark interior, he flipped on the light. The twelve-foot tunnel was lined with shelving units where he stored dried food and other necessities like paper products and cleaning supplies.
“Keep going and stop at the door,” he said when she hesitated. When she didn’t move, he hit the Taser’s trigger. “Forward.”
They stopped at the back, and he accessed another hidden door by swinging the shelf out this time. The interior odor hit them, and Willow stepped back. In time, the smell wouldn’t bother her.
“Enter.”
He flipped another light, and she let out a small gasp when she saw the room. From the pulley system hanging from the ceiling to the two large cutting islands, he had to admit, the room was impressive. He pushed her slightly when she didn’t move forward, and she stumbled.
“Stay to the right and walk ten more feet.”
She stopped and turned to him when she saw it. “No,” she said a moment later, and began shaking her head.
The chain secured to the floor always upset his victims. “I’m securing you for your own good. You’ll be safe, and I won’t need to hurt you again with the Taser.”
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me before,” she accused.
“If you cooperate, I won’t.” Even though he was angry, he didn’t want to lie to her, and he wasn’t sure why. If she had been pleasuring the deputy, he would hurt her very badly.
Her shoulders tightened the second before she swung at him.
At the same time, she kicked out, and almost took him down.
He zapped her with the Taser again, but she jerked away, and he had to scramble to his knees to zap her again.
He put his body weight behind it, and took her to the floor.
After he released the trigger, he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the chain.
It was connected to the wall with a foot cuff on the end.
She tried to swing around, and this time her foot connected with his shin.
He punched her on the side of the head, hitting her ear.
She cried out, and he was able to get the chain on her ankle.
Using her hands, she slid her butt toward the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees.
“I have items that will make you more comfortable,” he said, breathing harshly. “The simple things like a blanket and pillow come with a price. If you’re nice and stop fighting, you’ll be happier.”
She didn’t answer, but her eyes tracked him until he left the cold room.
A few minutes later, using the carcass cart, he wheeled the body past Willow. She watched as he slid the deputy onto one of the middle tables. Pulling open a drawer, he removed a shark knife and began cutting the man’s clothes off. They went into a pile in the corner to be burned later.
Willow made a low keening sound when he eviscerated the body. Butch ignored her. The blood flowed into the indented sides of the table and ran into a floor drain. The drain led to a separate septic system from the house and eventually was digested into the ground water.
Once the deputy was stripped, he grabbed the hooks from above and jerked them forward until they hung over the body. Piercing each armpit, he dug them in until the top part of his body was secure. He cranked the chains until it swung free of the table.
Willow gasped loudly and then buried her head in her arms, rocking slightly.
He grabbed the deputy’s arm and pushed him down the rail until he was out of the way.
The temperature in the prep room stayed at a constant forty degrees due to how far underground it was.
The body needed time to rest before the processing began.
He walked to a side closet and removed the items Willow would need.
The chain attached to her leg gave her enough room to lay on the camp bed he unfolded, and to reach the portable composting toilet he rolled out.
He placed a pillow and two blankets on the camp bed. If she behaved, she would keep them.
He hadn’t forgotten his anger, and he almost hoped she misbehaved.