She Will Be Mine

Chapter 2: Charlie

​When I made it to the 50th floor of the Empire State Building, I walked right into Murphy's office. Having been discharged from the hospital only a little before he had been, Murphy didn't look much better than I felt. Circles under his eyes, the chief grasped a cup of coffee like it was his lifeline. I grabbed my side as I slid down into a chair and faced the chief.
​"He has her," I could barely spit the words out of my mouth. "The man has her. That bastard just called me and gloated about the whole thing," My voice broke as the reality hit me hard.
​The chief nodded, the news not fazing him at all. "I got a call. The man sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. He gloated like she was a prize that he had recently one. I tried to trace the origin of the call, but it was a number I didn't recognize, and the system could not pick it up either." Murphy stood up and began to pace his office, and I slumped down in my chair.
​"We have to find her. We just have to," that was all that mattered now. Des needed us, and we could do nothing to help her from here.
​"Charlie, I want to find her as much as you do, just calm down for a minute OK? We have no information about her whereabouts, where she was last, nothing. It won't help her if we don't take the time to figure out who this guy really is. We have to pour over all the information we have, and look to see if we missed any clue to his identity. Any small clue will help us at this point," Murphy grabbed my shoulders and made me look in his eyes. "We are going to find her, ya hear me?" He gripped my shoulders hard before releasing me to the chair. I slouched into it and pulled at my cap. I closed my eyes, fingers grazing my temples. The details of the previous nights flashed before my eyelids, but it all blended together. All I could make out was Desiree's face. I prayed that I would be able to see those eyes again, with life still aglow inside her.
* * *
​Danny gazed down at his prize before him. Desiree lay fast asleep on his bed, gag wrapping around her head. Hair covered the mattress around her, entangling in her arms that were fastened to the headboard above her. Grabbing her ankles, Danny tied them tightly together and then latched them to the footboard using cuffs. After the handiwork was completed, he lay down beside her and watched her dream on.
​He rubbed his hands through her hair as her eyelids flickered towards consciousness. Fear registered in the pupils as she saw who she was looking at. Danny laughed at her. "You think you would be used to us meeting like this darling," he spoke with the satisfaction of a winner. "You should get used to it quickly; you won't be seeing anyone else ever again." She tried to speak, but the gag was shoved deep into her throat.
​"If you want me to take that off," Danny gestured towards the gag, "You have to promise not to scream. I will punish you if you lie to me,"
​Des nodded quickly, and he ripped the gag out of her mouth. She coughed and sucked in air, breathing air freely. "You are so beautiful," Danny caressed her face and leaned in closer.
​"No." Des tried to stop him, but his lips were already covering her. He masterfully shoved his tongue down her throat, and she had no choice but to lie that and take it. Danny wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her closer. The ropes cut into her wrists and ankles, causing blood to drip onto the white sheets. As Danny pulled her closer towards him, her shoulders contorted, causing one to be pulled out of the socket. She screamed, and he slapped her across the face. "Stupid girl," he spit into her face. "I told you not to scream."
​Tears streamed down her face as she tried to look at her arm. The shoulder was cocked at an awkward angle, and movement just made pain sear through her arm and back. "Please," she whispered. "Help me,"
​Danny only laughed and grabbed her arm hard, making her scream again. Pain shot through her arm and made her tremble. "I told you not to scream," he laughed at her pain and pulled again. She made no noise this time, and only allowed him to continue.
​As he leaned in for another kiss, she passed out from the pain, and he groaned in frustration. "I will always have you," he whispered into her unconscious ear. "You are mine."
* * *
​Murphy and I sat across from each other, pouring over the details of the mass killings. All of the notes began to blend together as my eyes scoured for any detail we had missed in the original investigation. Pictures of the crime scene lay in front of me, from the tree that Victor has sat in to the bathroom of the home. Out of the corner of my eye, a small black fragment lay in the corner of the picture. I looked like a small piece of clothing. Clothing contains DNA. The realization hit me quickly and I exploded.
​"Chief!" I shouted and jumped up and down. "I found it! I found it!" he looked at me like I belonged in an asylum. "Look there," I pointed to the black thing in the corner of the picture. "Have you seen that before?" As his eyes narrowed, Murphy grabbed his glasses and peered at the photo.
​"Chief, this could be a piece of clothing," I watched his reaction as the message sank in. Without another word; we both grabbed our jackets and flew out of his office at full speed.
* * *
As the two men raced to the scene of the crime they failed to notice a man's shadow lurking around the corner of the office. Sneaking in, Danny looked at the image on the desk. Fear flickered in his eyes as he recognized the garment. He slammed his hand on the desk and ran after the men. I will not let them win, the thought raced across his mind as he opened his car door and took off. She is mine!