The Surf Leash Strangler

Chapter 13

(WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of rape and physical abuse.)

Ryan Adams lived in a small one-bedroom unit. It was situated deep within the 02 district and sat at the back of a grouping of several other units. Veronica and Walsh pulled up out the front as SWAT pulled up in their own car. Pierce jumped out of the front seat and nodded his greeting.

"Let's keep this simple," said Veronica. "Pierce, go through the back. Check for any side entrances as well as the back door. Walsh, we will take the front door. He shouldn't be expecting us – hopefully – but be careful."

They all nodded.

Veronica secured her vest and checked her gun. Flicking off the safety, she followed in line behind two SWAT members as they approached the front door. The driveway up to the back unit that belonged to Ryan Adams didn't provide much cover, but there also wasn't really any place to run.

At the front door, Veronica and Walsh stood to the side. When they got the confirmation that the back door was covered, Veronica gave the go-ahead. The leading SWAT member broke down the front door and strode in.

The house was small. The entrance led into the living space, mostly bare besides a couch and a TV that sat on the floor. They moved into the kitchen that was bare and dirty. Pierce came through the back with the other two members of the SWAT team and shook his head. The house was empty.

"All clear," said Walsh.

Veronica let out a heavy breath. "Fuck."

The SWAT team cleared out; their job was done. Veronica looked around the living room and knew there was nothing of use. She walked back down to the bedroom and cringed at the mess. Unlike the rest of the house, there was stuff everywhere. A double bed was shoved against one wall, the bedding shoved into the corner. There was a TV with a DVD player sitting on top of a set of draws at the end of the bed, and besides that was a video camera. The draws were overflowing with clothes; one draw was full of old magazines – a mixture of porn, cars and videography. It was an odd collection.

There was also a built-in cupboard. Veronica pulled open the doors and took in the organised boxes. This was clearly important to him. An old shoebox, looking a little worn, stood out. On the front, in messy handwriting, it said 'memories'. She pulled the box out and found CD's, a lot of CDs. Each CD was in its own case; the case had a name and a date. The first one said, 'Amy, November 18, 2002'. Taking out the CD, Veronica placed the box on the bed and dug out the remote for the TV.

Pierce appeared at the door. "Find anything?"

"Maybe." She showed him the disk.

Pierce moved over to stand by her as she put the disk in. It took a moment to load, but the fuzzy screen cleared and became a somewhat blurry video of Ryan Adams. He looked younger than the photo they had of him; he looked like a teenager. He smirked at the camera before adjusting something beside it.

"Did this fucker film himself having sex as a teenager?" asked Pierce.

Veronica cringed.

Ryan moved away from the camera and turned towards the door. He seemed to hear something before walking out of the room. About a minute later, he reappeared with a girl.

"She couldn't be more than fifteen," said Veronica.

The girl had dark hair, Chinese features and was wearing a soft yellow sundress. Her cheeks were tinged pink as Ryan pulled her towards the edge of his bed, where they sat down. Ryan started to kiss her, and the girl, who Veronica assumed was Amy, seemed comfortable. But when Ryan tried to take it further, she said no. Amy shook her head and tried to stand, but Ryan pulled her back and shoved her onto the bed.

Veronica couldn't stop herself from clenching her eyes shut as she heard Amy cry out. Ryan laughed. As Veronica looked back at the screen, Ryan forced himself on Amy. She struggled against him, her hands trying to push him off, tears falling down her cheeks, but he didn't stop.

Not able to watch anymore, Veronica paused the video. "It seems our unsub has been at this a lot longer than we thought."

Pierce picked up the box. "You think every single one of these is women he has raped?"

"Probably."

Pierce flicked through the discs. "There are a few names repeated, but that could just be a coincidence…hey, there's a few with the name Alice." He pulled one out and held it out to Veronica.

She took the disc. It was dated around the time they would have been dating. She ejected Amy's disc, handed it to Pierce, and put in Alice's. Just like the video before, Ryan set up the camera. It was a different bedroom from the first one, and it wasn't the room they were standing in. From the room, it looked almost feminine. Ryan stepped away from the camera and sat on the bed; a smiling Alice walked in a few seconds later. She was dressed in lavender coloured lingerie. Veronica waited for it to turn bad, but it didn't. She sped up the tape, but it seemed that Ryan didn't only tape himself raping women; he taped any sex he had.

"This one is dated a few days before she committed suicide," said Pierce as he pulled out another CD.

Veronica changed them over. The scene before her was a different room again, and Ryan looked made. Alice walked into the room; her eyes were sunken, cheeks red. Ryan noticed her and backhanded her. Alice stumbled but didn't say anything or fight back. Ryan screamed at her, his words going on about her being useless and good for nothing. Veronica's stomach twisted as she watched Ryan grab Alice by the hair and say, 'well, you are good for one thing.' After forcing Alice to orally pleasure him, he forced her onto the bed. And she cried through every moment.

Veronica stopped the CD and ejected it. "We know now why Alice committed suicide." She handed the CD back to Pierce. "Those tapes will need to be documented. This asshole will be charged with every single assault I can prove."

Pierce nodded.

Veronica moved back to the cupboard and opened a few other boxes. Some had clothes, one had photographs of what looked like friends and family. And there was a box labelled Alice. Inside were a few pieces of female clothing, some jewellery and a lot of photos. The photos ranged from happy photos, naked photos, and also ones that it didn't seem Alice knew he was there.

Veronica understood exactly what had happened to Alice. Ryan Adams met her, became obsessed and stalked her. He charmed his way into her life, made her love him, and then things turned bad. He took his anger out on her; his violent tendencies turned Alice's life into a living hell. One she couldn't escape. It drove her to end her life just so she could escape him.

It made Veronica feel sick.

At the bottom of the cupboard was another box. No label, but also light. Veronica pulled it out and inside found a scrapbook. Her first thought was Alice, but she found a picture of Ashely Black, the first victim, as she opened it. In messy handwriting around her picture were notes about her, the way she walked and laughed, and then details about her schedule; the next page had more photos of Ashley, all from a long distance; and the third page had ones of Ashley naked. Her hands were bound to a wooden bed frame, and she had tears falling down her face.

The pages that followed were every single of his victims. All of them started with the stalking and ended with their torture. The final page surprised Veronica. A new victim. She fit the victimology; the handwriting around her photo used phrases like 'exact' and 'perfect'. But there was nothing else, no photos to indicate he had actually touched her yet.

Snapping the scrapbook closed, Veronica stood and walked out of the room, Walsh walking back into the house as she did.

"I know who his next victim is."

Veronica wasn't good at waiting; she never had been. They had sent what they had to Jimmy, and they were hoping he could find her, but they had to be patient. They had an APB out on Ryan Adams, but there was no way of knowing where he was. At this point, he could be anywhere. Veronica only hoped he wasn't far and that they could find his next target before it was too late.

Veronica pulled out her phone, sat down in the conference room at the field office, and took a minute. She needed something – someone – to keep her sane while she waited.

"Hello, Bobcat."

Veronica smiled. "Hi." Just hearing Logan's voice made her feel better.

"How has your day been?" he asked.

She let out a long sigh.

"That doesn't sound good."

Veronica leant her head back against the chair. "We've made some good progress. Identified our unsub, but now we don't know where he is."

"And now you have to wait until you hear something?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, I hope they have food coming for you. Waiting was never your strong suit, and I recall, during a few stakeouts that I accompanied you on, that food was a good distraction for you." He cleared his throat. "Or my fingers and tongue were."

Veronica flushed. That was not the type of talk she had expected, and she was very glad that she had the conference room to herself. "Logan," she scolded.

He laughed. "What? Don't tell me you don't remember. We were parked outside that motel; you were wearing that cute denim skirt."

She smiled and shook her head. She did remember that night and how he had distracted her too well that she missed the money shot, but the orgasm had been worth it. As was the sex that followed.

"I do remember," she said. "That's not something I can do to pass the time when I'm sitting in a Federal office building."

"No, I suppose not. How about I bring you food instead?" he offered.

Veronica's heart swelled that he was willing to find a way to help her. "That's okay, you don't need to. I sent Pierce off to get coffee."

"Pierce?"

"Oh, yeah. He's one of the guys on my team from Virginia. He got stuck with me for this case."

"I wouldn't say he was stuck with you."

She smirked. "You might not think that way, but the poor kid got his head bitten off by me a few days ago. I think he wishes he was back home by now."

"Why'd you bite his head off?"

Veronica bit her lip. "I was tired…and a little bit of an emotional mess. He called our boss, worried, and then our boss called me. So when I got off the phone, I may have said a few choice words out of annoyance."

Logan said, "Well, I guess you can cross him off your Christmas card list."

"Yeah, it probably wasn't my finest moment. I should probably apologise to him."

"Maybe I should apologise for making you unstable."

She frowned. "Who said I was upset about you?"

"Please, it's me. Everyone is upset when they miss me." She could hear the smirk in his voice, and it made her roll her eyes.

"Whatever, princess."

"I prefer Prince Charming."

"You can prefer whatever you want; that doesn't mean I'm calling you that."

The banter came so naturally. And it allowed Veronica for a few minutes to forget that she had to wait to find an address for a potential victim or her unsub. She sat up in her chair when she saw Pierce heading back towards the conference room, coffee and food in his hands.

"I better go; my food is about to arrive," she said.

"Alright, no problem. Before you go, have dinner with me tomorrow night?" asked Logan.

Veronica smiled. "Sounds good to me."

"Great, say 7 at Dick's. I'll kick him out for the night, so it's just you and me."

"That sounds perfect."

"Great. I'll see you then. I love you, Veronica."

"I love you too."

Pierce pushed the door open as she ended the call. "I got coffee, and they had a chocolate muffin, almond croissant, and a triple chocolate chip cookie, so I got all three."

Veronica smiled. "Great, thanks, Pierce."

He nodded. "Not a problem. Consider this my apology for butting into your private life."

"No, don't apologise. While I don't like it when anyone pries, I do understand where you were coming from, and I did overreact, so I am the one that is sorry." She reached over and grabbed her coffee, taking a sip.

"No sweat. I was warned not to get nosy; I should have listened." He sat down across from her.

She frowned. "Who warned you?"

Pierce smirked. "Everyone." He laughed and pulled out the cookie, breaking it in half.

Veronica shook her head, joining his laughter.

It was thirty minutes later when Veronica's phone rang. It was Jimmy.

"Tell me you have some good news," said Veronica.

"Who's the man?" replied Jimmy. "Not only do I have an ID on possible victim number nine, but I also have everything you could want to know about Ryan Adams."

Veronica smiled. "Lay it out."

"Ryan Adams, born July 28, 1987. As you know, he lives in a single bedroom unit that he actually owns; he doesn't rent it. The house was bought and paid for by Johnny Adams, Ryan's deceased father. Mr Adams also owned a surf shop; it was pretty popular back when he was alive to run it. Ryan inherited the business when his father died, along with the unit and an old 1986 blue Chevrolet van."

"That surf shop explains the endless supply of surfboard leashes," said Pierce.

"And why he didn't come up in any of the searches. Is the van still registered under his father's name?" asked Veronica.

"Yes, it is," said Jimmy.

"I say we check the surf shop; if it's closed, then it might be where he takes his victims for the forty-eight hours that he holds them for," said Veronica.

Pierce nodded.

"Jimmy, send me the address for the surf shop."

"Just did."

"What about the other girl?" asked Pierce.

"Right. Catherine Hyde; 24. She is currently a student at Hearst; she went back after two years abroad. She lives in the dorms on campus, and she works at a café across the road. I've just sent you the specifics," said Jimmy.

"Okay, great, thanks, Jimmy." Veronica ended the call. "Pierce, take Walsh and go to Hearst. One of you check her dorm, the other check the café. Hopefully, she is still there. I'll head to the surf shop."

Veronica pulled up to the surf shop owned by Ryan Adams. The front windows were boarded, and the amount of dirt piled up at the front door made it look abandoned. Veronica strapped on her vest before climbing out of her car and joining the SWAT team that had come with her. They broke into two teams. Veronica moved to the front with two officers while the other three headed out the back.

Inside it was dark, dusty and damp. The shop was still laid out with stock; walls of wetsuits, surfboards, towels and anything else you could imagine still sat in their original places. The place had shut when Johnny Adams had died, and it seemed that Ryan had never bothered to try and reopen it. They moved carefully across the shop floor, and Veronica paused when one of the officers alerted through the radio.

"Blue Chevy van parked at the rear; confirmed plates matching target."

Turning towards a door that said STAFF, Veronica kept her gun at eye level and reached for the door. She tried the handle and found it pushed open. The back room was a staff room. There was a fridge that was running and a couch facing a blank wall. She moved through the room and looked through the small window in the door; from what she could see, it was an office. She tried the handle, and again, it was open. Veronica pushed back the door and slowly swept the room. The room looked more used and not as dusty as the rest of the shop. A computer was on, a screen saver bouncing across it, and an open can of beer sitting beside it. Ryan Adams was there, and it seemed there was another door that he could be hiding behind.

Veronica looked over her shoulder and nodded to the SWAT officer. He moved toward the door as she grasped the handle. She gave a silent count of three before she pulled it open, and he moved through. The door led into a basement.

"Hey, what the hell!" a familiar voice called.

Veronica followed the SWAT officer down. "This is the FBI. Let me see your hands!" She locked eyes with Ryan Adams, dressed in nothing but a pair of sweat pants; he looked stunned as he took in the two guns aimed at him. "I said, let me see your hands!"

Ryan raised his hands, holding them high. The SWAT officer moved forward; he grabbed one hand and pulled it behind Ryan's back as he cuffed him.

"Ryan Adams, you are under arrest for the rape and murder of eight women. You have the right to remain silent…." The words fell from her lips as she watched the SWAT officer lead Ryan towards the stairs. They had him, and he wasn't going anywhere.

Veronica took a moment to look around the basement. It was defiantly the place he had brought each of his victims. The bed Ryan had bound them to was freshly made, and there was a camera set up at the end of the bed. They had caught him in the middle of getting ready for his next victim.

She walked over towards the camera and spotted a shoebox sitting on an old shelf. It was labelled 'test subjects'. She frowned and opened it. Inside were eight CDs. She picked up the first case and read, 'Ashley Black, 6/10'. The next CD read, 'Franny Hector, 3/10.' And so on it went. 'Shelly Pomroy, 9/10'. He had rated his experience with each victim.

Veronica had been sure that each victim had been Ryan trying to replace Alice; maybe he wasn't trying to replace her exactly, maybe he was looking for the next best one. He had his type, but he wanted one that would satisfy him completely. From what she had seen of Alice's final tape, she was broken. He wanted someone to submit to him completely. Ryan had tried with each victim, and when they didn't break or give in, he killed them and moved on.

Thank you so much for reading.

I would love to hear what you think. Even if it's as simple as a 'can't wait' all feedback is appreciated.