Chapter 13
Nancy Beth Gooch and Belle Steele were excited about the start of the county fair. Both of them were brunette beauties who couldn't wait until the pageant. Although the two girls were the 'bestest' of friends, there was some competition playing along. Belle thought she had more of a chance to win than Nancy Beth. She went by two names and was from a small town in Arkansas. She might have won many pageants out there, but Brandonvale was a different story. She and Belle had gone out to the fairgrounds earlier. The workers were busily setting up the rickety rides and the kid stuff. Neither girl was interested in that. They were wanting the pageant to come along so one of them could win. Belle, of course, thought she had it in the bag. Nancy Beth had the same attitude. Thus far, they were the first to arrive. Someone made mention that a new girl who had recently moved here would also be in the competition. They immediately dismissed her. After all, they were the two hottest chicks in town. Just ask any of the guys on the football team, and they would certainly agree.
Their parents, however, were subscribers to the paper, and they read the letter supposedly sent by some sicko. When both sets of parents found out, they immediately wanted to take their daughters out of the competition. After some tall begging, their folks relented and allowed them to enter the pageant. It would be a wonderful night. Nancy Beth even teased Belle by stating that she just might bleach her hair blonde so not to attract the nut job out looking for girls to kidnap. Besides, they didn't believe the Miami nut job was coming here. Why would he bother? He had more to look for in a large city such as that. They were young, they thought they were invincible. Their parents would tell them repeatedly that they were not invincible. But what did adults know anyway? They were all weird. They couldn't wait for everything to start. They weren't the only ones. The duo known as TSK were loving every minute of it themselves.
Lincoln had rented out a rat hole of a room twenty miles out of town. He had gotten here days ago. He had had plenty of time to look around, feel out the environment. He saw plenty of saucy little girls, too. There were two in particular who caught his eye. And one would have to be completely in the dark if they didn't guess Nancy Beth or Belle. He didn't know their names, but they were similar to each other. Same color hair, same sapphire hued eyes, and nubile little bodies. They were also completely oblivious. Lincoln had gone over to watch the carnival dicks setting up their games and rides. The two girls were there, watching as well, cooing over who they thought was cute or who they thought was a loser. He stood and watched them for over an hour. They had no idea he was there. If there hadn't been so many witnesses, and if Holly had gotten here sooner, he could have nabbed them both. He had plans, big ones. He was from Long Bush, Florida. It was right outside Brandonvale, it was just smaller, poorer, and deeper in the woods. He had a place to hide them until he was ready to see to them. He had to steer clear of the FBI, because there were agents swarming the fucking place.
He turned toward the door when he heard a knock. He knew this place didn't have room service or a turn down courtesy, so it had to be Holly. At least, it better be her. He went to the door, peeked out the peephole, and it was her. Thank God for that. He opened the door to let her in, and the first thing she did was throw her luggage onto one of the double beds. It screeched in protest at the weight. How much did she fucking need anyway? They weren't planning on being here that long. Sometimes, he wondered why he messed with her. She made a good accomplice and all, helping him when he needed it, but she also had her faults. Sometimes she liked to act smarter than he. He definitely didn't like that.
"What took you so long to get here," he demanded.
"Traffic was murder, Lincoln," she snapped. "Sue me."
He wasn't one to beat on women, well, women with whom he was involved. However, today, she deserved it. He backhanded her hard. "Don't get mouthy, Holly. We have a lot to do before the pageant."
She rubbed the side of her face, gazing at him reproachfully. One call from her would end all this. She knew the right people to contact. "Who are we picking?" She asked instead, instantly crushing the idea of telling on him.
"These two."
He gave her his digital camera and showed her the pictures. Neither of them knew he took their picture. They were too busy looking at the guys, wondering how big their dicks were. He knew girls like this, that's all they thought about. He had a special liking to one of them. He thought he heard the other girl call her Nancy Beth. She had a slow drawl, a heavier accent that wasn't the norm around these parts.
Holly stared at them, instantly knowing which one Lincoln would like. She had the hair, the eyes, and the body. There was something she had as well. Pretty hands. This one would lose her hands. What about the other one? She seemed more snotty in the photo, more sure of herself, but her eyes were the most prominent feature she possessed. He would probably take her eyes. He liked doing that.
"We have work to do, Holly, and not a whole hell of a lot of time to do it. Get on some grubby clothes, we're digging some trenches."
The night that Donovan sat outside long after Rachel had gone to bed, he had been contemplating a few things here and there. He still hadn't come to any solid decisions based on those contemplations, but at least he had time to think. He came into the bedroom, noticing that Rachel was fast asleep. He sat on the side of the bed and slowly came out of his clothing, trying hard not to wake her. However, the instant he laid beside her, her eyes came open. He smiled, apologized, and promptly made love to her. They lay in a tangle of arms and legs by the next morning.
Donovan awoke before her, he showered and dressed. While Rachel slept, he went out on the deck to look at the woods beyond the house. He thought he was being watched last night. He couldn't see anyone, of course, but the feeling still remained. Someone was out there, and that someone was watching him for some reason. He believed it was the killer. He also believed the killer walked amongst them. More and more, the evidence pointed at Ashcroft. Each time a murder occurred, it happened near him, or he happened to show up at the same time. He didn't know why he refused to see it in the past. Was it because at one point Jack Ashcroft was his friend? It was hard to believe that a friend like him would step off the deep end so horribly. If he was the killer, then who was his accomplice? He didn't like being here, something terrible was bound to happen.
He turned when he noticed Rachel coming out onto the deck. He had meant to close the doors, but he thought the noise would disturb her. She approached him from the back, leaned her cheek against him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He placed his hands over hers. She smelled so very nice. It wasn't perfume or a bath wash, it was just her own smell. After a moment, she moved away when she felt him turning toward her. He kissed her deeply, his tongue tracing gentle lines along her mouth. The way things were right now, it was hard to believe they had epic fights the first time they were together.
"Did I wake you?" He asked.
"Sort of. I noticed you missing beside me, so I came looking for you. I assume we hit the midway today?"
"Yeah, but the fair won't be in full swing until tonight. We need to meet with all the girls in the pageant," he said. "We aren't necessarily telling them who we are, they think we're pageant officials."
"Pageant officials? We certainly make a motley looking crew, don't we?"
He smiled. "I've been told before I resemble an actor, maybe I can pass for him as a judge. What do you think?"
She laughed. "Oh, Frank, you kill me. I'm sorry, but you're so much more hotter than he."
"Yeah, I know," he said with a devilish grin. "We need to get the team together for a meeting."
He dreaded this fair, he completely dreaded it.
Lily woke up in bed alone. She shared a room with Jess Lockwood, but their beds were two twin sets. When she looked to the next bed, Lockwood was still asleep. She hadn't heard from Donovan yet, so she wasn't sure when they had a meeting scheduled. What she needed to do was get out her laptop and do some more research. She left the bed quietly, hoping she wouldn't awaken Lockwood. She didn't. She jumped into a pair of leggings, a tunic top, and sandals. Once more, she looked back at Lockwood. He was still out. Good.
She carried her laptop outside, hoping fervently that she could get a WiFi connection. To her utter delight, she did. Hallelujah. The couple housing them had a sun porch, and it appeared to be vacant. She walked toward it, found the screen door open, and entered the sun porch. She set up her laptop and went to work.
Lily Wells prided herself as an excellent hacker. She knew Donovan's old friend, Cody, and he had been her mentor all the way through her training. She knew how to get around firewalls, etc., and could usually find anything she wanted. She opened her hacking program and waited. Lily was no outdoor kind of girl, but she mused this was nice. Her attention went back to her laptop when she heard a loud 'ding,' which meant her program opened without a hitch. She typed in Jack Ashcroft's name and waited. Within a few minutes, she had what she needed. His hometown, which was not far from here. She scribbled the name of the town on a piece of paper and slipped it down her bra. She then turned off the laptop. And it was good for her. By then, Lockwood was awake.
"Donovan called. We have a team meeting at nine," Lockwood said.
His chest was bare and he wore a pair of black silk pajama bottoms. He looked pretty hot. She wondered if he had a girlfriend. Shaking it away, she said, "Take notes for me, Jess. I have to take a trip this morning. I'll be back in a few hours."
He scratched his head and smiled at her. "Okay, Lil, but it's your funeral."
"I think Donovan will understand," she said softly.
Leaving Jess behind, Lily grabbed their SUV and took off on her own adventure. It took about thirty minutes to find the town of Long Bush, Florida. It was a small town, more so than Brandonvale. According to what she found on her computer, Jack Ashcroft came from Long Bush. She had never heard of it. Before she went any further, she drove out to the city hall. In small towns, everyone knew everyone. She was counting on that. She pulled into the parking lot and went inside.
She was met by an overweight woman in her mid-sixties with dyed black hair that looked horribly gruesome on her. "What can I help you with?" She asked nicely.
Lily felt horrible for thinking badly of her, but she couldn't help it. "Yes, I'm looking for the Ashcroft residence."
The woman made an odd face. She looked as if she couldn't believe someone was asking for the Ashcrofts. And Lily was right. She was. No one had asked about that family for several years. "What do you need to look for, dear? No one has lived there in some years. It was condemned by the city twenty years ago."
Condemned? Why would anyone condemn a property? "May I ask why?"
A pained expression came on her face. Why anyone would want to visit that property, she would never know. "Well, some time ago, there was a fire in their horse stables. All the horses were burned alive. The elder Ashcrofts were also burned in the fire and died there. The south corner of the house is the only part untouched. There is a shed out there, too, but no one uses it."
Interesting. Very interesting. Lily was more intrigued than she had ever been. Hadn't Ashcroft told them his parents divorced early on and were then killed? "Is that so? Could you please tell me where to find it? Also, do you know what happened to Jack Ashcroft?"
Another pained expression came over her face. "I could, miss. But I would advise against it. It's dank, old, and dangerous. Albert and Lucille Ashcroft's boy was sent to the state hospital for a while. You see, he had a breakdown. He was really young back then. Lots of people think he started the fire. Last I heard, he moved to Miami and married some gal out there."
Lily's heart began to pound in her chest. Unbelievable. There had been nothing like that on record. And married? She didn't think the woman was talking about Rachel, either. "I really need to go out there, ma'am. I would appreciate directions."
"Of course," she said. "I don't mind helping a bit. Just be careful. Lots of rotting boards and things out there."
After securing directions out to the Ashcroft property, Lily was on her way. It took only a few minutes to reach it. It was out in the country, the property surrounded by trees and swamps all around. It looked more like something she would see in Louisiana. There were only two structures. One was half the house. She didn't know why someone didn't come out here and tear it down. She put on a pair of heavy rubber gloves and grabbed an evidence kit in case she found something. She also donned a pair of heavy rubber boots. As soon as she was put together, she began to walk toward the buildings left on the Ashcroft property. The house looked completely unsafe, but the shed wasn't so bad. It actually looked like it had been used recently.
Lily went over to the shed and saw that the door was locked. A heavy padlock hung from the loop on the front door. She cursed heavily at that sight. She didn't bring any bolt cutters, but she did have a small hacksaw in her kit. She could easily cut a hole in one of the boards and pry it loose. She set about this grim task with gusto. It was hotter than hell out here, so she had to keep wiping sweat out of her eyes. She had cut a square piece out of the shed wall that was big enough for her to try and yank the board out. She grabbed the jagged piece she had cut and began to pull on it. It was hard work. Someone came out here regularly and maintained the shed. Was that someone Jack Ashcroft? She didn't know, but she knew she fucking wanted to see what was inside that shed.
The board was in good shape, but it was weak enough for her to force it out and up. There was a small space left. It was large enough for her to squeeze through. She left her tools outside and crawled through the hole. When she brought herself up to her feet, she saw that the shed was fairly large with a dirt floor. There were lock boxes of all sizes inside. After a moment, she began to notice an odor. One never forgot the smell of a dead body. She turned and reached out the hole she made for her evidence kit and saw. She then walked over to the first lock box. It, of course, was locked. However, she had a small screwdriver in her kit. They usually worked wonders with the types of locks on the boxes. The first one she went to was smaller than the rest. She took her screwdriver and went to work prying off the lock. It snapped within minutes. The smell of death was overwhelming now. She had to dig out a mask from her kit. She slowly opened the lock box. As soon as she opened it, she dropped it. It was a stupid move, but she was surprised. There was a glob of tissue inside. She wasn't a medical examiner, but she was pretty sure it was Nona Pope's larynx.
Lily turned away and fought the urge to puke. It was overwhelming her. Oh dear God, what had she walked into here? She blindly reached for her cell phone. No signal. Shit! She had to get out of here where she had a signal and call Frank Donovan. She had found the lair of the TSK, and it was Jack Ashcroft. It had been Jack Ashcroft all along. Heaven help them all. She darted for the hole she'd made. She managed to crawl half way out when she saw a pair of feet. They belonged to a woman. She was wearing high heeled shoes. Before Lily had a chance to react, the woman grabbed a hand full of her hair and pulled as hard as she could to get Lily out of the shed. Lily screamed and cursed.
Thinking fast, Lily balled her hands into fists and ground them into the woman's feet. She bawled out a curse word of her own, but let go of Lily's hair quickly. She then managed to escape the shed. She was about to attack the red haired bitch when someone attacked her from behind. She immediately lost all her air. There was a rope wrapped tightly around her throat.
"You were smarter than I thought," Jack Ashcroft said. "Too bad for you. You should have brought back up. Isn't that the first thing you're taught in training?"
Lily would have said something if she could, but she was quickly losing consciousness. When she completely blacked out, Ashcroft dropped her limp body down to the ground. "When I fix the fucking shed," Ashcroft said, "we'll hide her in here."
Mary nodded. "I'm sorry, baby. I tried to get here before she did."
"Don't worry about it, we have her now. She didn't warn the others. Let's get busy."
Donovan, Lockwood, Hurtz, Ashcroft, and Rachel met in the conference room at the Brandonvale Police Department. He was irritated that Lily hadn't answered her voice mail. Lockwood, who was sharing a room with her, said that she had needed to step out for a bit, but would be back in time for their meeting. Donovan didn't know if he was angry or worried.
"We will need to brief Lily later," Donovan began. "As for tonight, it's the first fair opening. This is when the pageants will be held. All of us have a role to play. We need to stick as closely to the contestants as necessary, especially those with dark hair."
"Hurtz and I will be taking care of the press side of things," Ashcroft said. "What is everyone else going to do here tonight?"
Donovan was irritated at how Ashcroft seemed to believe they were all just goofing off tonight. "Lockwood is posing as security. Rachel and Lily are make up artists. Does that satisfy you, Jack?"
Ashcroft smiled sweetly. "Surely." He just didn't know that his precious Lily was tied up in his shed with his tokens. Two girls would soon join them, so would Rachel. Everyone would die but Rachel. She was having his kid. There was no way she would die yet. As soon as she had his kid, he and Holly would raise it. "How long do you think we should monitor the fair?"
"Throughout the duration, because if nothing happens tonight, plenty will happen later on," Donovan said.
"Are we finished?" Ashcroft asked. "I need to pick up some supplies if I'm acting as a reporter for the county paper."
Donovan shot his eyes at Ashcroft. He didn't like how he was acting. "Yes. If anyone sees Lily between now and tonight, please pass along the information."
Lily awoke later with a sore throat and a headache. Mary Gold and Jack Ashcroft had tied her up and threw her in the trophy room. The smell of death was horrid. There was no escaping it. They replaced her mask with a gag. After repairing the hole she cut in the shed, Ashcroft left for a meeting with the team. Mary stayed here with Lily. She sat in the shed and watched Lily. She didn't know how the other woman could stand to be in here with that smell. It was literally making Lily sick. She had nearly vomited twice, resisting to prevent choking on her own puke.
"Lincoln has plans for you," Mary said. "Nice plans. He only wanted two girls tonight. Now he's going to have three. Oh, and the lady he got pregnant. She's going to be here, too. See, me and Lincoln tried to have a baby, but I'm not able to. So, your friend is going to give me a baby. Won't that be nice of her?"
Lily glared at the other woman. Who the fuck did she think she was? Further, how did she think Lily could answer her gagged? Didn't she realize that the team would miss her, because she was a part of them. They were in Jack Ashcroft's old home town. He was getting crazier by the second. It suddenly made sense to Lily. She could see how he managed to pass all the FBI psychological evaluations and other tests. Mary had rearranged some things, making sure that he passed and had impeccable references. The sick fuck had burned up his family, turning a shed into a trophy room. What the hell? If she could get out of these bonds, she would make sure this bitch wouldn't touch another person.
"I know what you're thinking," Mary said. "You think that if you get loose, you're gonna kick my ass, huh? Well, honey, my Lincoln has left me prepared. If you escape, I am to shoot you on the spot. I know how, too. He taught me. So, whatever you're thinking, you might as well stop."
Lily mumbled a 'fuck you' to Mary. The rest of the team were pretty smart. They wouldn't let Jack Ashcroft or Mary Gold get away with this.
The first event of the annual county fair of Brandonvale was well on its way. Hundreds of young girls converged on the tent to sign in for the pageants. Donovan, Hurtz, Lockwood, Rachel, and Ashcroft saw many girls pass by them. Several had dark hair, only two had dark hair with sapphire eyes. One was Nancy Beth Gooch, the other Belle Steele. They all took notice of this, as well as Jack Ashcroft. He was dressed well for his assignment. He wore a press badge, fake glasses, and carried a digital camera around his neck. Sooner or later, he could get them off to themselves.
Rachel worked with the females, signing them up, putting them into different age divisions. She noted all the females with the traits special to TSK. There were two. She put gold stars on their applications and then handed those off to Donovan. Those girls would need extra attention. The room was filled with girls, it was chaotic and worrisome. They all expected TSK to strike tonight.
After the chaos of having the girls signed up for the pageant, the group broke for lunch. Rachel and Donovan picked a small café a few blocks away from the fairgrounds. They ordered their food and sipped iced tea while they waited.
"I haven't heard from Lily, Frank, I'm worried," she said.
He nodded. "I noticed. She wouldn't stay away so long."
"No," she said. "Why don't I keep my eye on Jack and see where he goes? Maybe he knows where Lily is?"
"I don't like that, Rachel. It could be dangerous."
"Maybe," she said.
"Maybe, hell," he said. "It is. Wait until I can go with you."
Rachel drank some of her iced tea. "Okay, okay."
"While we have a moment, I'd like to talk to you about something," he said. "When we get back to Miami, I'm going to find a new place to live. Would you consider living with me?"
She smiled. "Wow. Our first shack up in about ten years? Sure, I'd love to."
He leaned toward her and kissed her softly. "Love you, Iris."
She accepted his kiss. "Love you too, Wilson."
When they finished lunch, Donovan went back to the fairgrounds to try and locate Lily. Rachel begged off and said that she wanted to stay behind to prepare herself for their next step. What she was doing would send Donovan off the deep end. Rachel saw Ashcroft jump into his rented car. He didn't take Hurtz with him, so he intended to do something alone. She jumped into the SUV they drove down here and followed him at a safe distance.
They drove for about thirty miles until Rachel saw Jack turn down a dirt road. She didn't follow him down that road. Instead, she pulled off to the side and got out of the vehicle. She had her side arm, so she felt relatively safe. She walked down the road close to where he turned off. When she got close, she could see half of a burned house. She moved further onward until she saw Ashcroft's rental. She hung back. She heard him talking to someone, but couldn't make out who it was. Rachel stepped into some brush where she could see better while staying hidden. He was standing near a shed, talking to a familiar looking woman. It was Mary Gold, Nathan Fitzgerald's secretary. What the hell? He didn't know Mary Gold. When she saw him kiss her, she was shocked. What the hell was going on?
Instead of confronting them, she walked back toward the SUV. It was time to call Donovan. When she climbed into the car and grabbed her phone, there was no signal. She had no choice but to start the car and go back to Brandonvale. She had barely gotten the SUV started when Ashcroft's little red rental car came out from the road. He looked directly at her. Sweating now, Rachel gunned the engine and floored it. The SUV almost fishtailed, but she quickly righted it. On this country road, there was no traffic, so it didn't take long for Ashcroft to catch up to her.
Rachel could see the little red car advancing quickly. She jammed her foot down on the gas and managed to get ahead of him. What she didn't know was that Ashcroft's car was a V8. As soon as he floored it, he was on her, ramming the back of the SUV. Each hit threw Rachel forward, keeping her from going faster in the SUV. Each time she got ahead, Ashcroft caught up. He rammed the back the of SUV hard, enough to dent the bumper. Rachel was swiftly losing control of the big SUV. She was heading toward a ditch. She jerked the steering wheel to the left, but it was not enough. The car hit the ditch at sixty miles per hour. She was saved only by the seat belt and air bag.
She released the seat belt, struggled past the air bag, and suddenly realized her nose was bleeding. The window was already down, so she was able to climb out. The ditch was dry, thank God, but it would be a hard climb out of here. She didn't know if Jack had crashed. She hoped he did. As soon as she was out of the wrecked SUV, she checked her shoulder holster. Her side arm was still there. After a steep climb out of the drainage ditch, she managed to drag her body up to the main road. Sitting not two feet away was the little red car Jack had been driving. The front end was ruined and smoking. Jack was no where to be seen. She hoped he was knocked out in the front seat.
Cautiously, Rachel walked down the side of the little country road. About half a mile up, there was a farm house. Hopefully, she would get help there. They would have a phone and she would call Frank. She barely got five steps down the road when she heard the fast clocking of feet behind her. She didn't turn around. It was Jack. She was sure of it. She ran as fast as she could. She then remembered her side arm.
Rachel stopped, drew her weapon, and held it level with Jack's leg. She fired. He anticipated the shot and darted to the side. She fired again, but again, he was able to dodge it. Rachel then began to run again. The farmhouse was closer now. She would be safe. She would call Frank. Behind her, Jack went into a flying tackle and hit her body full force. She fell to the road, face first, and hurt her already bloody nose. She reached blindly for her gun, but Jack was on her. He took her piece and planted the muzzle against the back of her head.
"You're pregnant, baby, so I won't kill you. I'm going to hold you until you give birth, then you're going to give the baby to my wife. Do you understand?"
He spoke to her in a rational voice, one so sane it was insane. "Fuck you, Jack. You're not touching my baby."
"I'm sorry, Rachel. The baby belongs to me and Holly," he said gently. He had a radio with him, the kind police officers use. "Hey, babe. I'm just down the road with Rachel. Could you bring some rope, a gag, and come get us?"
The radio crackled. "You bet, Lincoln. I'll be there in about five minutes."
"Thanks, babe."
What now, Rachel thought. What the fuck now?