Somehow the skip we were chasing made it through our blockade. I was hot on Gerald Torrance's heels as he rounded the back side of the commercial building and headed for the river. I was mentally begging him to stop while Ram and I were verbally commanding him to do the same. He was ignoring our demands and I really hoped he didn't intend to do what I feared he might. The last thing I wanted was to take a swim in the Delaware.
We were losing daylight. The pitch of night was quickly sliding into its place. Sadly, my hopes of staying dry were fading with the light. Without looking back, Torrance sped over the rough terrain. For a moment, I was left to wonder if he was actually human, as he increased the distance between us. How in the hell was he not slipping on the large rocks or turning an ankle with the uneven ground?
He landed on the last large rock before the ground gave way to water then launched himself into the air. Only, instead of splashing down into the river as I expected, he morphed into a large, ugly buzzard. His extended wingspan caught the wind. He let out a horrible screech, as if in mock of our inability to now reach him. Then he ascended into the sky and flew away.
I slid to a stop, mere inches from the same rock. My attention was focused on the bird disappearing into the fading light. Either I was dreaming, or stuck in some sort of alternate universe, because no fucking way was this real.
"What the fuck was that?" Ram asked from behind me.
Feeling only marginally better about the situation, I turned to look at him. "So, I'm not dreaming. You saw that too, right?" If I was going crazy, at least I wasn't alone.
He nodded. His gaze cut from me to the now empty sky and back. "That wasn't real, right? I mean no man can just morph into a bird and fly away."
Did that mean we were having some sort of joint hallucination? "You're right, a person can't do that, but how is it we both witnessed it?" I glanced back at the sky, then down to the river in front of me. The daylight was gone now, with only enough illumination from the moon to see bits of the light reflected in the rippling water.
Damn, I hated that I'd have to tell Ranger we'd lost Torrance. Besides the fact that his bond was worth a hundred grand to Rangeman, I didn't have a plausible excuse as to why he got away. There had to be a better explanation than what Ram and I could formulate.
Expecting to have my ass called to the mats for losing Torrance, I turned with Ram to head back to the industrial building. It was then that something in the water caught my attention. Flashlight in hand, I clicked it on and swept the beam toward a spot on the shore a few feet away. Weeds, reeds, and an overhung tree helped to trap garbage and debris in a little alcove near the bank. In the middle of the flotsam was something that had my stomach dropping into my toes.
"Is that what I think it is?" I asked Ram.
His attention shifted to where my flashlight illuminated the water and he groaned. "Awe hell. Why us?"
If Ram was seeing it too, that meant it wasn't an illusion either. Our night was about to get so much longer because of it. The long blonde hair floating along the top of the water lead me to believe the body was probably a female. Though now a day, sometimes it was hard to tell. Knowing my night was spiraling down into a completely different level of suck, I pulled my phone from my belt and hit speed dial for Ranger. "Yo," he said.
"We lost Torrance, but we found a floater," I said. "You're gonna want to call TPD."
"Copy that. Stay with the body," Ranger said and hung up.
I rolled my eyes as I re-pocketed my phone. It wasn't like we or she was going anywhere.
I remained on the rock and watched the water flow by. Periodically, I would sweep the flashlight over the body, just to make sure it was still there. It felt like forever before the TPD finally arrived. As they approached, I kept my flashlight trained on the body, so they could see it for themselves. Then I held it there while they set up their own lights so they could begin gathering evidence. "Ram," Carl Costanza called. "Give me a hand pulling her from the water."
Ram groaned, but handed me his flashlight, stepped forward and accepted the rubber gloves from Costanza. As he and Carl pulled the body free from the water, they turned her over and laid her on the bank. My heart stopped as I stared down at the woman. No! Oh please, no!
I awoke on a gasp, immediately reaching to my nightstand for my weapon. Then I turned on the light. I scanned the room as a cold shiver rippled through me and I struggled to regulate my breathing. Another God damn nightmare.
I glanced at the digital clock. The numbers revealed that I still had about an hour and a half before I needed to get up. I tossed the covers off and crossed to the bathroom.
Standing in front of the mirror I stared at my reflection. The eyes looking back at me weren't mine. They belonged to the beast who lived inside me. The one I'd let free whenever I was performing special ops work. The one who could kill without guilt one second and fiercely protect in the next. Right now, he was fighting to get out and gain some control over this situation. No good could come from allowing him to break free.
That didn't stop the need to call the hospital and check on Casey from swamping me. They probably wouldn't tell me anything. After all, it wasn't as if I was next of kin or even had medical power of attorney for her. No. As much as it sucked, I'd have to wait for Bobby to call.
I crossed back to my bed and plopped down on the side. Then I opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out the stack of envelopes. I set them on my nightstand, opened the first one and settled back against the pillows.
Dear Lester,
I was so surprised to receive your letter and I hope my reply finds you well. Thank you for the stationary set and stamps. The facility would have provided me everything I needed to write you back, but doing it on such beautiful paper helps to lift my spirits.
To answer your question, yes, I remember you from the night I was rescued. You were the blond I asked Stephanie about when she was protecting me in the bathroom. She was so brave and strong that night. I can only hope to be like her one day.
Anyway, you asked how things were going here. My answer would be okay, I guess. The first week was terrible for all three of us. The withdrawal symptoms were horrible and made me so sick. The nurses here did their best to help ease our suffering. It was still rough and I'm glad that part is over.
Never would I have ever thought that I'd be a drug addict, but here I am. I guess you could say it was a side effect of trying to survive a ghastly situation. Clayton told me and Maddie that it would be easier for us to do what he expected of us if we were relaxed. Unfortunately, Izzy was already an addict before he kidnapped her.
Maybe Maddie knew what he meant, but I didn't. At first, I was grateful for the drugs, because the effects they produced really did make certain things easier to handle. By the time I realized I was addicted, it was already too late. Then I started to hate the drugs, because I knew when he brought me a pill or stuck me with a syringe I was about to be used again.
I still have the cravings for the drugs, but they're happening less often and aren't nearly as intense. Which is good. My counselor said with some people they'll continue to fade, but they may never completely go away. So, we just have to wait and see what happens. Though I'm not sure if I'll ever be completely free from what Clayton Blackmore did to me.
In the meantime, I've been going to individual and group therapy and have been trying to involve myself in the activities offered. My therapist said that the police contacted my family to let them know I was alive and safe. It's been a month and I haven't heard from anyone.
Honestly, I don't expect to either, so receiving your letter was a happy surprise. I'm not sure if you can understand how alone I feel right now.
You asked what I needed while I was here. They have a big list of things I'm not allowed to have while I'm here. Also, the facility provides a lot of my basic necessities. So, I really don't need much. What I want but am not allowed, is headphones and a portable radio. That way I could listen to music when I'm trying to fall asleep at night.
Quite a few of us are still suffering with nightmares and hearing the screams and crying makes me feel sad and incredibly lonely. I guess that's probably the worst part of being here.
I'll be glad when Spring finally breaks. Maybe the warmth combined with the smell of fresh cut grass and flowers will help to improve my mood. Well, it's about time for painting class, so I'm going to close this letter.
I hope you'll continue to write to me. I meant it when I said that your letter really helped to brighten my day.
Your friend,
Casey.
I refolded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. Then moved on to the next. Twenty minutes later, I'd read and re-read four of her letters and was feeling even worse about leaving her alone at St. Francis.
I really needed Bobby to call and check on her for me. Until that happened, there was no fucking way I was going back to sleep. I might as well head down to the gym early and get a jump start on the day.
