Ties That Bind

Chapter 26

HIS FEELINGS OF ANGER AGAINST THE WORLD, the awkwardness of his first murder, were subsiding. They were being replaced with an intense amount of grief, remorse, and possible regret. But for once in his life, he had to prove himself. He couldn't allow himself to stop now, weaken. The time had come.

He had performed a favor, making for one less thankless person in the world. One less person to cause another pain and suffering. One less person before he built himself up to his true target. The individual who truly carried all the blame was his primary mark. The one who caused all of this. The one who created him and made him who he was becoming.

He sat on the edge of his bed, fanning fingers through his hair. The room appeared hazy, but he knew it was his eyes giving him that illusion. He tried to drown his memories of that night in hopes of excising the recollections of her begging for her life and the feel of her spirit leaving her body. The bags under his eyes gave testimony to his sleep deprivation. But now it didn't take shut eyes to see it all vividly. Flashbacks were hitting him in the day. Eyes wide open, mind seemingly occupied with something else prior. Somehow he had to find the courage to follow through with his plan. He would execute it for his sake, for sanity's sake, but more importantly for justice's sake. He couldn't be the loser this time. The thought of that was simply unacceptable.

Instead, he needed to focus on the rush and liberation that came with the kill. How in the moment of the act, he loved being the one with the control, the power. Playing God, as the expression goes.

Who has the right to decide life or death? I do.

Who has made the world a better place? I did.

He'd repeat these words as a chant, trying to build himself up so that he'd keep moving forward. He had to. Today he'd take care of the next one on his list, another beautiful woman. Yet one deserving to have the breath squeezed from her body.

*****

"SOMEONE BETTER BE DEAD." Madison loudly exhaled as she reached for her cell on the nightstand. One day to sleep in, was it too much to ask for? Apparently, as life had it planned out for her, it was.

She struggled to get a grip on the phone as it circled under her hand. She wasn't awake enough to pick it up. Her dexterity skills weren't operating yet. She ended up knocking the cell to the floor. It kept ringing.

She caught the time. Nine AM.

What day was this? She couldn't think.

"I'm coming," she said as if her caller could hear her as she balanced her weight on the bed and extended an arm out to reach it. One more ring and it would forward to voice mail. She opened it and placed it to her ear. "Knight." Her greeting fell on a dead line. It must have switched over to voice mail already.

She let out a yawn, which prematurely ended when the tune started up again. "You've got to be shitting me." At least when she let herself fall back against her pillow, she held the phone. Let's try this again. "Knight."

"It's Terry."

Hearing his voice brought back Friday. She was still angry. After all, wasn't she due for a couple days off? Part of her felt like telling him to take care of whatever it was himself. The other part sensed he had something urgent to say.

"A woman's body was found on the Bradshaw Trail."

The Bradshaw Trail ran through the entire city from one end to the other. "What part specifically?"

"Where the trail winds through Mitchell Park. You know where the woods are to the North side of it."

"I'll meet you there—"

"The vic's only in her mid-thirties."

"Stop there, I'll gather the rest at the scene. You know how I like to work."

"Wait, there's something I have to tell you."

She preferred to keep her mind fresh, not conjure up any speculative situations before arriving at the scene. She sighed loudly. "What, Terry?"

"The victim has a Gallo & Costa tie around her neck."

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