Chapter Five
Fenton trudged up the front steps of the Hawkley residence, tired and ready for a shower though he knew Parker, Frank, and Carson would be anxious to hear any news. Bess and Vanessa were with Sam getting a few things at the hotel before heading over. After meeting with Chief Durham, Fenton was ready to tell them everything including what happened to Jax and Ben. He didn't contact anyone because he wanted to get all the information he could before passing along anything. Fenton knew he was going to be bombarded with questions but he was relieved to see the one person he wanted to see most the moment he opened the front door.
Laura rushed over and wrapped him in her arms. She could feel the tension in his body but he soon calmed down and his shoulders slumped. Fenton felt at ease in his wife's arms then a strange thought popped into his head and it scared him. What if he lost her? Fenton didn't know what he would do if something happened to her or the boys. He thought about Carson and his life without Kate. The lawyer had raised his daughter on his own with the help of Hannah Gruen but yet he still grieved for his wife even after 20 years.
And what if they didn't find Nancy or Candace? Carson would lose his entire family. Fenton just couldn't bear that for anyone. Shutting his eyes, he tried desperately to block out the awful thoughts and images not even realizing he was almost sobbing until Laura shushed him. She stroked his hair and he calmed down once more, the thoughts gone into the depths of his mind.
"What are thinking?" she asked looking into his dark eyes. The same pain she saw in Frank she could see in her husband as well. "What did you see?"
"It's nothing." Fenton took hold of her hands and clasped them tightly.
"It's not nothing or you wouldn't be looking the way you do," Laura said softly. When he didn't answer she placed a hand on his arm. "I know you're worried. We all are. We just have to have faith that we'll find the girls. Do the police have any leads?"
"No, it's only been a few hours. We just know the make of the vehicle and there's a BOLO out for it." Fenton sighed. "I'm more worried about Frank, Carson, and Parker. The Hawkleys are the only family Candace really has and we're all family to Nancy. What if…what if we don't find them in time?"
"That's not the Fenton Hardy I know and love," she rasped squeezing his hand.
He looked into her blue eyes and saw the love she had for him. If he could just stand there with her forever he would but he knew that time was short and the lives of their loved were hanging in the balance.
"What?" Laura asked interrupting his thoughts.
"What would I do without you?" he smiled, his voice husky.
"I'm sure you'd survive somehow," she laughed. "Come on. They're waiting for you and I think Joe needs to be woken up sooner or later. He's drooling all over the upholstery."
Nancy rushed into the house and slammed the door, locking it just as the killer caught up. Her eyes went wide when she looked at his face, recognition registering in her eyes. She knew who he was and she needed to get away as fast as she could to alert the police. Pulling down her gag, a strong smell permeated her senses causing a little bit of dizziness. But Nancy was determined and ran through the house not really knowing where to go. There was not much she could do with her hands tied in front of her. There didn't seem to be a phone around either. Then she heard the sound of tinkling glass and a door opening. The killer was in the house with her.
Thankful that she shed her shoes in the trunk of the car, Nancy padded as quietly as she could toward where she thought the front door was. Then she saw it but before she could reach the door knob she was tackled from behind. Nancy let out a cry as the killer flipped her over his eyes flaming with fury. He had the look of sheer hatred on his face and she knew he was going to kill her.
"I was going to give you a chance, Nancy," he sneered pulling out a large knife, making sure she saw it. Nancy struggled under his weight as the knife came closer. "I wanted to hear what secrets you held in that pretty little head of yours but now, I'm just pissed off!"
As the knife came rushing down, Nancy did the only thing she could think of. She wriggled herself just enough to get her leg free and rammed her knee into the man's groin. He roared in pain and the knife dropped beside her face, nicking her cheek just a little. As the killer was stunned, Nancy pushed him off and kneed him in the face before scrambling toward the door getting out of his reach just in time.
Nancy ran away from the house as fast as she could, the warm summer air tingling her senses. She had no idea where she was only that she needed to get as far away from the man as she could. Running through the field in front of the house, Nancy wondered if there were any other houses nearby. By the time she reached the edge of the driveway, she was huffing from exertion. Although she was in great shape, the drugs she was given earlier were still in her system and she was growing more and more tired as she ran. A sign stood off to the side of the mailbox and her heart dropped as she read it. The pungent smell from the house came back into memory. That was what she smelled: chemicals and formaldehyde from a funeral home. It was an easy thing for her to remember if she was able to get away to get help.
Looking back toward the funeral home in the distance, Nancy made a mental note of what the house looked like. Then keeping to the shadows, Nancy rushed down the road, making sure to keep her ears perked for sounds of pursuit.
In the distance she could see lights and Nancy headed in the direction for maybe someone could help her or she could at least call the police. She knew staying on the road was dangerous but she couldn't chance losing sight of the lights and the possibility of getting help. As she ran along she stumbled and fell to the ground, skinning her knees and elbows since her hands were still tied in front of her. Nancy got up as quickly as she could but nearly fell over again. Her ankle had twisted in the fall and pain ripped through her causing her to grimace.
Stopping to catch her breath, Nancy looked behind her though there was nothing there. It was pitch black out though the moon was full but hiding behind clouds. She started to walk once again, her pace slowing dramatically but she had no choice but to continue on. Limping her way along, Nancy kept her ears tuned for the sounds of a car or footfalls. She didn't know where the killer was but she knew he would come after her. He saw the look in her eyes when she recognized him. If she got away, he knew he would be caught.
Her thoughts turned to Candace. She regretted leaving the woman behind but what else could she have done? Candace was out, more than likely drugged with something to keep her quiet. Knowing who the killer was put a target on her back but Nancy had to get help to save Candace. It was the only thing she could do even though she didn't know where she was or where she was going.
The lights grew closer but it was still slow going for Nancy. As she walked, the pain started to subside and she was able to walk without a limp though she still couldn't run when she tried. Nancy knew the man would never give up on finding her so the only hope she had was to get to the lights and hope there was someone nearby.
"I'm sorry about Ben, Parker," Fenton replied gravely. He just finished telling everyone what the police found and evidence that arose since he first called. "He happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time but he tried to help. We're going to find Candace and who did this no matter what it takes."
"Thank you, Mr. Hardy," the young man said sadly. "I appreciate your sympathy. He was a good man and a good friend. Do the police have any idea as to where Candace or Nancy are?"
"No," he shook his head. "And not that I don't trust or think the Milford Point PD are helpless but I feel we need to call the FBI on this one."
"I heartily agree," nodded Senator Hawkley. "In fact I've already made the phone call. They should be contacting Chief Durham any time now. Durham is a good officer but their resources are not the same as the FBI's. I want Candace and Nancy found as quickly as possible."
"Dad, this isn't about your reputation," Parker growled annoyed.
"Why would you think that, Parker?" his father defended looking surprised. "I want to find them fast because of the nature of this killer who's at large not because of my reputation. This is serious and this…person has been terrorizing people for years and I don't understand how it is that he has not only gotten away with it but also has never been caught! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so angry."
"I'm sorry too, Dad," the young groom bit his lip. "This isn't how I expected this weekend to be."
"None of us did, Parker," Fenton said gently. He looked over at Frank, Joe, and Carson who were standing nearby quietly watching the scene unfold. "Durham is allowing us to be a part of the investigation. If the FBI do decide to take over though, I hope that we can continue working with them as well. Durham has a set up a press conference for 9:30 this morning."
"I've already spoken to him about that," Senator Hawkley interjected. "The press conference will be here. By then the FBI will have arrived and we can really get started."
"Good," he acknowledged. "For now, let's all get some sleep. It's almost six so we should be able to get three hours in before the press conference."
"But, Dad…" Frank protested.
"No, buts, Frank," his father gave him a look. "The only way any of us is going to be able to find the girls is if we have some rest. It won't do them any good if we're falling asleep at the wheel, so to speak."
Frank huffed but didn't say anything more. A few minutes later, the group dispersed and he found himself in the bedroom where he shared with Joe for the weekend. Frank stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity thinking about Nancy. As he slipped into a restless slumber, he said a silent prayer that they would find her and Candace before the killer had his way with them.
The killer cursed nursing a bloody nose. How she was able to fight off the drugs was beyond him but he would get back at her in any way he could. She had to be out there somewhere and he was determined to find her. The killer hit the steering wheel in frustration as another wave of pain went through his nose. How could he have been so stupid to let his guard down? He knew she was going to be formidable. Hell, he had gotten to know her at times throughout the past few months. Yet she was able to get the better of him three times that night but she would soon regret it.
He drove slowly down the road, searching the fields and ditches. He drove with his headlights off and there were no street lamps along the road to give him away to her. The car ran smooth and was pretty quiet giving him the element of surprise. Being in bare feet, she couldn't have gotten far. He had to find her before she was able to get help. The killer saw the look on her face. She knew who he was and he couldn't let her get away.
Lucky for him the moon was full that night and when it came back out from behind a bank of clouds, he could easily see ahead of him. Finally there was movement just ahead of him. Someone was moving slowly. He smirked. He could see her silhouette even from where he was at. The girl had no idea he was behind her and he intended to keep it that way until the last second.
Just as she reached a crossroads, the killer gunned the engine. Nancy turned around the moment he hit her, a look of shock on her face. Her body went up into the windshield then rolled off landing several feet away as he came to a stop. The killer got out of the vehicle and cautiously walked over to her, ready for anything.
Nancy lay in a heap along the side of the road, her leg bent at an odd angle and her eyes closed. There was blood all over and though he didn't check her, he could see her taking short breaths. She was still alive but barely though he had no intention of finishing her off. The killer was just going to let her lay there until she died. He the road wasn't busy with barely any residents who lived out this way let alone being away at the crack of dawn so no one would be around to find her until it was too late. Besides, the animals were always looking for a meal. She would just feed them.
After a few minutes, the killer got back into his vehicle and started the engine. He couldn't see out the windshield but he still returned to the funeral home. The killer had no intention of leaving his current location just because of a girl who fought back. And if the police or the nosy Hardys started snooping around, he had a plan in place to ensure they found nothing.
The killed got out and went around to the trunk of the car. He opened it then lifted his other victim out. The woman was still out from the chloroform so he carried her to the basement where he set up his "workshop" of sorts. It smelled of chemicals but he had no intention of using them. It was the instruments he was going to use and then he'd bury his victim before disappearing for good.
Author's Note:
I know this chapter is really short but it is where I wanted to stop. I also know that I seem to be straying from the Hardys a lot and giving Nancy the spotlight. Obviously after this chapter, that won't be the case! Thanks to everyone who read the previous chapter and a special thanks to my reviewers! I love reading your thoughts and telling me what you think! My brain is not functioning at the moment so I will keep this short (it's been a long week!). I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think! Have a great evening and God bless! Oh, and one more thing: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
