Chapter 18

Sara

Bruce walked into the room and set a file in front of Sara as he took the seat across from her.

"So what'd you find out?" Sara asked nervously looking expectantly at the older man across from her.

"Well the good news is his real name is really Mark Jacobs so we were able to dig up a lot of information about him to help us out..."

"But... What's the bad news?" She asked feeling his hesitancy.

"You're not the first."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this has happened before. There were...others." he replied not quite sure how to put it.

"How many?"

"Five."

Sara closed her eyes and swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

"What happened to them?" she asked staring at the table.

"Sara, it's really not important..."

"What happened." she interrupted. "I want to know."

"They're dead." he said pulling out the contents of the folder.

He laid out five pictures of the women and placed them in front of her. Sara placed her hand over her mouth as she thought of the monster that could have done such a thing.

"They shared only one thing in common. They were daughters of dead ex governors and senators."

"Why haven't they arrested him if they know he did this?" she angrily.

"Well... just like you, with each new girl came a new name and appearance. Police had they're suspicions but nothing solid with which to hold him on. The only thing that we haven't been able to figure out is why he is doing it." Bruce explained slumping back into his chair.

They sat in silence until Sara finally spoke up. "His dad."

"What?"

"When he told me his real name he mentioned his dad. Something about him being a wrongfully endicted and sent to die in prison." Sara spoke up hoarsely.

"Hardly. His father, Phillip Jacobs, was rumored to be a mob boss who ran beneath the Flazone family. He was always trying to warm his way into the Senate seat so he could have a free run of the streets for he and his boys to conduct their business. Probably would have made it too if he hadn't been ratted out by an anonymous source."

Sara sat silently trying to digest all of this at once. What was she going to do now? What was to keep her from being next?

"Sara, I've arranged a safe house for you. You may be there for a while but it's the only option we have."

Sara looked down once again at the photographs on the table. She was silent a moment before she rose her head up to meet Bruce's concerned expression.

"No." she spoke up.

"What?" Bruce asked confused.

"I'm not going to a safe house."

"Sara..."

She held up her had to silence him as she continued. "I've made my decision. Someone very special to me once told me that you can't keep running away from your fears, you just have to open that door and face it and it would go away." Sara paused and swallowed another lump in her throat as the memories flooded through her.

"If I disappear what's to keep him from going after someone else? More innocent people could die if I walk away now. It may not have started with me but it's going to end with me."

Bruce shook his head silently before adding "Sara, I don't know if I can let you do this."

"I'm not asking for you're permission Bruce. I'm doing this with or without you." she said looking at him again. "But it would be a lot easier with you."

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Sara sat in the back of the van with Bruce as he and his team of three other guys prepped her for what they hoped would be a successful mission.

"Alright you're good to go. Are you sure you wanna do this?" Bruce asked as Sara buttoned up her shirt covering the wire taped to her stomach.

"Will you stop asking me that? I'm more than sure."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Have you come up with a plan yet as to what you'll say to get his confession?"

"Um... kinda." Sara replied finishing the last button.

"Kinda! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? You asking me to send you in there alone with a serial killer and you don't even have a plan?!"

Sara couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at his outburst.

"Don't freak out on me Bruce. Just relax; I know what I'm doing."

"Alright, just remember to be careful and not let him touch you. We'll be listening in here so if you need any help just say the word and we'll storm the gates and get you out."

"How will you know if I need you? I can't just come out and say it or he'll know something's up."

"I guess we'll have a code phrase."

"Code phrase?"

"Yeah, if you need us to come in and get you you'll say a certain sentence and we'll know you need help. But it has to be something subtle so he won't catch on."

"Sounds good to me. What's the sentence?"

Bruce sat back and thought hard until he finally thought up a good one.

"Okay I got it. 'Pass the ketchup.'"

"What? You can't be serious." she replied with a laugh.

"I am so serious. Its perfect." he answered with an innocent grin on his face. "You got something better?"

"No that's fine. Who am I to argue with the experts?"

"We're ready sir." one of the agents spoke from the front seat.

Bruce nodded back in agreement and turned back to Sara.

"It's time. Are you ready?"

Sara sighed in response "It's now or never."

Sara discreetly slid out of the van and made her way across the street to her house. It was time to open the door and make the monster disappear.