Chapter 38: Terror Mounts

*****The Hospital Parking Lot Where We Left Off*****

Mac gasped for breath and tried to struggle against the man who had her. She was able to break away for a moment and let out a scream. Then the man managed to get his hands around her throat again, cutting off her air. She saw spots and knew that she was about to lose consciousness.

"Hey, let her go!" a man called. Another woman yelled, "Someone call the police!" Then the woman realized that she should call them and pulled out her phone.

Suddenly, the Good Samaritan pulled Mac free from the man, and she grabbed a breath. The stranger hit her attacker, knocking him to the ground. Then he threw himself on the attacker, pinning him to the ground.

The hospital security guards finally made their way outside, and the woman pointed.

Mac finally could breathe well enough to focus on the stranger who helped her. When she was able to take him in, she realized that he wasn't a stranger. She knew who he was.

"Mr. Lamb?" she asked, surprised. Her voice came out in a whisper.

Dan Lamb gave her a look of concern. "Are you okay?" he asked her. "It's Cindy, right? You go by Mac?"

Mac nodded. The security guards made it to their side, and Dan got off the attacker, allowing them to secure the man.

"He was trying to strangle this woman," Dan told them.

"The police are on their way," the guard told him. "Are you alright, ma'am?"

Mac put her hand to her throat, swallowing. She thought her vocal chords were damaged. "I'm okay," she whispered.

"You shouldn't talk," Dan advised. The woman he'd been walking with approached.

"Is she okay?" the woman asked.

"She's okay," Dan replied.

"Thank you," Mac murmured. He had saved her life. She pulled out her phone and sent Dick a text. Please come to the hospital. I was attacked in the parking lot. I'm okay.

Sirens were heard. Two minutes later two deputy cars were there. Mac was glad that Leo was one of the deputies. He frowned when he recognized her. "Mac, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked.

"This guy tried to strangle me. Mr. Lamb heard my scream and saved me," Mac said in a whisper. Her throat hurt badly.

"The paramedics are on their way," Leo said. He looked at Lamb. "Sir, why were you on scene?"

"I was escorting Ms. Mayes to see Parker Lee. Ms. Mayes is the associate dean of Hearst. They wanted to see if they could help Parker in some way," Dan explained. "We heard her cry out. I came to help while Tonya called 911."

"That man was trying to kill her!" Tonya confirmed, pointing to the man in the mask, who now had his hands behind his back in handcuffs.

"How about we see who this is?" Leo suggested, pulling off the man's mask.

Everyone was silent as they man's identity was revealed. Only Lamb recognized the man. "Danny Boyd? That's who you are, right?"

"How do you know this man?" Leo asked.

"He's a cousin of the Fitzpatricks, who own the Styx. My brother was always investigating that place for criminal activity when he was sheriff. He could never find anything to pin them on, though," Dan explained.

"Why were you trying to kill this woman?" Leo asked him.

Danny remained silent. Leo repeated the question. Finally, Danny said, "I want a lawyer."

Leo looked annoyed as he read the man his rights. The deputies put him in a car.

"Do you think that's the guy killing all the women?" Tonya asked anxiously.

"It's too soon to tell," Leo said.

"Where's Mars?" Dan asked.

"He was called to the beach because another body washed up," Leo said grimly.

"Who?" Mac whispered.

"I don't know. It's a bad scene. All we know is that the victim is female," Leo said. The paramedics had arrived and were examining Mac.

"Ma'am, we want to walk you into the hospital and get this checked out," the paramedic told her.

Then they heard a loud squeal from a vehicle and a door slam. Then a loud voice, "Mac!"

Dick had never been so scared in his life as when he got Mac's text. He had been on his way to campus and made an illegal U-turn. When he approached the hospital and saw the police and paramedics, his fear increased. He slammed on the brakes and rushed out of his truck, leaving the engine running in his fear.

He spotted her right away. The paramedics were treating her, so she must be hurt. He yelled her name as he ran toward her.

"Dick, she's okay," Leo assured him as Dick approached.

Dick looked panicked as he took in her appearance, looking for signs of injuries. There was no blood, but he saw the marks on her neck—ugly bruising was already visible. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she whispered, trying and failing to smile. Seeing Dick made her emotional, and she started to cry.

Greatly alarmed, Dick pulled her against him. "I'm here, babe," he murmured.

"She was attacked by Danny Boyd, who was wearing a ski mask. He tried to strangle her. Dan Lamb and the associate dean of Hearts were in the parking lot and heard her struggle. Dan saved her life," Leo explained to Dick.

"Thank you, dude," Dick told him. He had a vague memory of Mac explaining Dan's position with the university when Max was arrested, but he didn't really care. All he cared about was that the man saved the woman he loved.

"We need to take her inside to the hospital and do an x-ray. A doctor needs to look at her," the paramedic told Dick.

Dick nodded and looked down at Mac. "Babe, go with them. I'll be right behind you. Then I'll take you home," he told her. He kissed her, his gut clenching at her forlorn look. However, she let the paramedic lead her to the ambulance. Dick held out his hand to Dan. "You ever need anything—money, a recommendation, anything, call me. I will do anything I can to repay you for what you did for me. That woman is my world," he told Dan.

Dan smiled. "I just did what any man would've done if they'd been here," Dan said.

"Do you think this guy who attacked Mac is the same guy attacking women?" Dick asked.

"It's too soon to say," Leo said. Dan nodded in agreement.

"I'll catch you guys later. I need to follow Mac," Dick said. He was a step behind them and pulled out his phone to call Logan and spread the news.

******Hearst******

Logan had been hanging with Jason and Daisy after class, waiting for Veronica when his phone rang, and he got the news. His stomach clenched in dread. He hated giving Veronica bad news. He shared the news with Jason and Daisy.

Daisy gasped. "Oh, God! We need to go to the hospital!" she exclaimed.

"Dick assured me she was okay, but her throat was bruised," Logan said.

Daisy visibly shuddered, fighting tears. Everything was just wrong. First Parker and now Mac. Were any of them safe?

"I'll go find Eli," Jason said. "We'll see you at the hospital."

When Veronica heard the news, she began to cry. All she wanted was to bring her baby into a world of love and peace. Instead, her friends seemed to have been marked for death. For her, it was clear, the killer had an agenda that involved her friends. Another attack off campus was not a coincidence. She just had to figure out if it was she, Logan, or Duncan that was the catalyst.

Logan pulled her against him, knowing that being pregnant brought her emotions much closer to the surface.

"Do you want to go see Mac?" he asked.

She nodded against his chest and pulled back, wiping her eyes. "Let me send Wallace a text. He'll need to know," she said.

Wallace was in a session with Dr. Addison. After greeting Thea, he reluctantly said goodbye while she headed to class. Naturally, he tried to get her to skip the day and go back to his place. However, she'd laughed and informed him that she'd be happy to play with him later. Getting his girl to skip a class—there would have to be a near end calamity.

"What's the smile for?" Dr. Addison asked. Wallace had just finished describing his horrific spring break.

"I was just thinking about my girlfriend Thea. I tried to get her to blow off the day, but she wouldn't," Wallace said.

"Thea has been a positive influence on you. I'm happy for you, Wallace. Having a stable and loving relationship will help you to keep your emotions from overwhelming you," he said.

"Yes, she's the best thing that ever happened to me," Wallace said, smiling.

"Yet people can be taken from us. They get sick, they die, they can be killed. You can't center your entire happiness and life around one person," Dr. Addison advised.

Wallace frowned, not liking the way the conversation was going. "I hope to have decades with her. Anything else would be too awful to contemplate," Wallace said.

"I sincerely hope you do," Dr. Addison said. "Yet if the worst happened, I know you will go on without her. You are a very strong person, Wallace. She enriches your life, but she's not your reason for being."

Wallace considered that a moment and nodded. "I guess so. But my being is much happier with her next to it!" he said, grinning. Then his phone vibrated. He glanced down and saw the message Veronica sent. "Damn!"

"What's wrong?"

"Another friend's been attacked. Someone tried to strangle Mac in the hospital parking lot. She's okay, I guess, but we're going to go see," Wallace said, standing up.

Dr. Addison frowned. His patient was a loving and kind man that seemed to have more than his share of tragedy. "I'm sorry to hear that. Things are bad now, but I know they'll get better," he told Wallace.

"I really hope so, sir," Wallace said.

"If you need to talk about this some more, call and get an appointment. It's important that you don't bottle this stuff up," Dr. Addison said.

"Thanks, Dr. Addison. It's good talking to you about this. You don't expect anything from me," Wallace said.

Dr. Addison watched him leave, hoping that no more hits would come his way.

An hour later, Mac and Dick walked into the ER waiting room to find all their friends and Mac's parents—both sets.

"Are you okay?" various voices asked.

"She's fine," Dick answered for her. "Her vocal cords are severely bruised, and she needs to rest them."

They gave her a hug, glad to see that she was okay. "I'll be fine. Sorry to take you from class," Mac whispered, unable to stay silent when surrounded by so many who cared about her.

"You sound awful! You poor thing!" her mother said.

Marilyn agreed. "I have some scarves you can use to cover up that bruising, dear," she offered. "I'll bring them by later."

"She'll be with me," Dick said firmly.

"Come see us when you're feeling better," Sam said, kissing his daughter. He'd left work in a panic when his wife had called.

Keith Mars appeared before anyone could leave. "Mac. Everyone," he said, acknowledging the group.

"Dad, what's the deal? Is Danny Boyd behind all these killings?" Veronica asked.

"We can't speculate. He's been charged with attempted murder now. His lawyer is good and has a bail hearing scheduled for this afternoon," Keith shared.

"You don't think he'll get out?" Dick asked in alarm.

"He's got a prior record—minor stuff, but he has ties to the community. It's hard to say," Keith said. "We're working hard to connect him to the other murders. If we can do that, then he should be denied bail."

"They better not release that maniac!" Marilyn exclaimed. Mac's other mom agreed. The two moms shared a look of understanding. This was their brilliant girl that they both adored. Keeping her safe was the most important thing.

"Don't worry. I'll keep her safe," Dick said.

"I'll give you the name of the security firm my dad hired for Daisy and Jazmin," Jason said. He pointed to their guards standing a discreet distance away.

"Good idea!" Sam said.

"It couldn't hurt," Keith acknowledged, knowing a feeling of security was important to the women. "Making the girls feel safe is important. My guys are working around the clock. We're going to figure out if Danny's our guy. If not, we'll find the one who is."

"Do you think Veronica should get one?" Logan said, trying to sound casual. He'd been thinking about it since his talk with Jason and didn't know how to bring it up. However, the timing now was too perfect.

Veronica gave him a sullen look and opened her mouth to protest, but Daisy cut her off.

"Of course, she should! A paid and trained bodyguard is the best thing for her and the baby. No point in risking the life of her baby, right Veronica?" Daisy asked, giving her a pointed look.

Veronica pouted, hating to be out maneuvered. However, Daisy was using the one weapon she couldn't fight against. "Fine," she conceded.

Logan smiled in relief. Finally, he could do what he wanted without upsetting her.

"What about the new victim?" Dick asked. "Who is it?"

Keith grimaced. "The poor woman was so bloated that we're having to use dental records and finger printing to ID her. It may take a day," Keith said.

"How long has she been dead?" Veronica asked.

"A few days," Keith said.

"The killer seems to be escalating. Three—maybe four if we count Mac—victims in a week," Veronica said, frowning.

"That means he'll make a mistake," Weevil said. "If the guy who attacked Mac is our guy, he's made his last."

"What if he's not? What if the guy is still out there?" Jazmin asked worriedly.

"We'll get him," Keith assured them.

Across town, the killer laid back unconcerned about the way things were unfolding. They thought they had him. They thought it was over. They had no idea.

The fun was just beginning.

*****Chapter End*****