What Happens on the Cruise

49. The Sound of Silence

"Austin's been asking for you. You can come back now," the nurse said.

"Okay. Thanks." Tim picked up the clothes he'd brought.

"I'll take those," she said, holding her hands out. He handed them to her and followed her back through a hallway to a room. Detective Dupree and another nurse were in the room. Austin was in the bed looking pale and tense. His neck had an angry purplish red bruise encircling it. He relaxed slightly and smiled when he saw Tim.

The detective surrendered the chair she'd been sitting in.

"Hey," Tim greeted Austin, sitting in the chair and holding out his hand. When Austin took it, he could see Austin's palm was badly scraped. "You've had us all at our wits end."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. We're just glad you're alive."

"I think I'm lucky to be alive," Austin responded.

"Yeah."

"I wanted you here when they told me what happened to me," Austin explained.

"Okay," Tim said. He reminded himself to stay calm, knowing what was coming next was likely to enrage him.

The detective paced across the room and back, debating something in her head. She nodded to herself and looked up at them. "Okay, I'm going to give you some details that I wouldn't ordinarily share because we really need your cooperation. I'm investigating what I believe to be a serial rapist. And I believe you're his latest victim."

"Good God," Austin swore. Tim squeezed his hand.

"Over the past three months we've had a series of rapes with similar MOs. The victim is drugged at a bar, taken away while their cell phone or sometimes their whole bag is left behind, and the next day they are found in a deserted area, naked, confused or unconscious, with signs of having been asphyxiated and sexually assaulted. They're always missing a lock of hair."

Austin reached up and fingered through his hair, finding a spot where it was much shorter than the rest.

The detective nodded and continued. "Their hair is frequently wet, and the lack of trace evidence on the body indicates they may have showered or been showered. Now, your case is unusual, which is why it wasn't immediately flagged as a possible connection when you went missing. Up to this point, all the victims have been very attractive, blonde women in their late twenties to early thirties."

Austin looked perplexed. "Then why did he target me?"

"Do you remember anyone at the bar who would fit that profile?"

Austin blinked, then his eyes grew wide. "There was a blonde. She got some kind of emergency call and I offered to pick up her tab."

"And?" the detective prompted.

"There was this guy who was like, 'She hasn't touched it. We should see if some other hot chick would like it,' and I was like, 'I paid for it, so I'm just going to drink it.'"

"Exactly," the detective said.

"You drank her drink," Tim told Austin as the narrative became clear. "He'd already drugged it."

"We don't know why he decided to deviate from form. Maybe he was annoyed at you or just angry in general. Maybe he targeted you because you'd revealed you were bisexual. But it appears he decided to adapt to his circumstances and take the victim fate had presented him with."

Austin shook his head. "It's all blank. I don't remember it at all."

"And you may not ever remember much. But this perpetrator is violent and sadistic. The victims all presented with some extreme injuries. And the assaults, the asphyxiation injuries were getting worse. He's been escalating. I've been terrified we were going to find our next victim dead."