Deadly Past (A serial killer novel) - FINISHED

Chapter 4

The room is strange to Sara. It looks like a warehouse. There are beams of sunlight shining through the gaps in the wall. The warehouse is huge and has nothing inside. She can hear the sound of cars in the distance. She is tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Her eyes are still trying to adjust to the light. The last thing she remembers is walking to Dan's house and a man hitting Chad over the head with something. He then put something over her mouth which caused her to lose consciousness. She is worried about Chad. She doesn't know if he is injured, or even if he is alive. She has a massive headache and she feels nauseous. She is starving and her throat is extremely dry. The confusion of not knowing where she is, overwhelms her. She pulls at the ropes, but they won't budge. Her wrists burn as the rope digs into her skin. She can't get her hands loose. She gives up and waits for an opportunity to break loose later. She calls for help as hard as she possibly can, but no-one comes. Half an hour later she hears movement outside the warehouse. "Help me! Help me please!" she screams. The door to the warehouse opens and her abductor enters the room. He is eager to see what type of victim she is. When she sees him approaching her, she starts to panic. She doesn't know what he is going to do to her. He is still wearing the hoodie from earlier and slowly walks towards the chair with a crate in his hand. "Afternoon Sara," he says as he stops in front of her. He puts the crate down almost a foot from her and sits down on it. "Who are you? Where am I? Why did you bring me here?" Sara asks all the questions that have been playing through her mind since she woke up. "You have an awful lot of questions," he says. His voice is calm and collected. He reaches out his hand and strokes her hair. She feels scared and violated. "You have such beautiful hair, and such a beautiful face. Your body is perfectly built. You are beautiful Sara, but just like all the beautiful girls out there you are evil. You girls use your beauty to hurt or misuse others without even thinking about what you are doing to them," he says with anger rising in his voice. "Without people like you, life would be so much better," he adds. Sara is even more scared now. He sounds very angry. How does he even know her name? "I didn't do anything to you. I don't even know you!" Sara says. She is on the verge of hysteria. "Let me go, please!" she pleads. The man seems even more angry. He gets up from the crate and puts his face a few inches form hers. He is so close that Sara can smell the alcohol on his breath. "I know you and I know your type. You play all innocent now, but I will never forgive her for what she did to me. Women are the root of all evil!" he says. "Not all women are bad," she says with a shaking voice. "Yes, they are. That is why I am slowly ridding this town of women like her. You are not the first girl to sit on that chair. There have been 32 girls here before you and all of them are in their graves and off to hell where they belong. You will join them soon," he says calmly and walks out of the room with the crate swinging in his one hand. Sara starts crying hysterically. The thought of her approaching death is too much to handle. "Help!" she screams at the top of her lungs. The man turns around and walks back to her. "If you don't shut up, I will have to shut your mouth for you," he says. She is shaking when she hears the anger in his voice. She knows that his threats are not empty. "You don't want me to do that, do you?" he asks. Sara just stares at him. He looks heartless with rage flashing in his eyes. "Answer me! Do you want me to shut you up!" he yells. "No," she says softly. "Good. We understand each other. Now you will shut up and sit here all night until I come back in the morning," he says and walks away. She is too scared to even make a sound. She just hopes that Chad is okay. If he dies, she will hold herself responsible. If she went to the police, they would've been safe.

Hugh and Peter arrive at Dan's house. It is a large double story home with a beautiful garden. It has a large garage which can hold up to 5 cars. Dan is very rich for his young age. They walk towards the front door and knock. A young man with long brown hair and green eyes opens the door. He is wearing shorts and flip flops with a white t-shirt. He doesn't look like he belongs in such a large mansion. "How can I help you?" he asks politely. He seems like a nice man. "We are looking for Dan Chambers," Peter says. "That would be me. Why do you want to see me?" he asks. "I am detective Peter Johnson, and this is detective Hugh Brown. We are from LAPD. Unfortunately, we have bad news about your girlfriend, Sara. She was abducted this morning between 9 and 10. We have to ask you a few questions," he explains. Dan looks shocked and visibly upset. He talked to her that morning, and now she is just gone. "Please come in," he says and holds the door open for them to enter. When they enter the house, they notice the surfboards stacked up on the left wall of the living room. The house is massive inside with expensive furniture and tons of rooms. Everything is neat, and the house is clean. There are stairs that lead up to the second story, next to the living room. "How did it happen?" he asks. He is pale as all the color drains from his skin. "She was on her way to your house with her brother, Chad, when a man struck him over the head and took off with her," Hugh explains. Dan sits down on the edge of the couch with his face in his hands. "I thought she was bailing on me after the fight. I thought that was why she didn't answer my calls when I called her earlier. I was angry at her when she is actually in grave danger," he says. Hugh can see how upset Dan is. "We will do everything we can to find her," Hugh says. "Ask your questions. Maybe I can be able to help," he says as he takes his hands away from his face. "When was the last time you saw Sara?" Hugh asks. "I saw her yesterday, but the last time I talked to her was on the phone before she left her house this morning. We had a fight yesterday, and she stormed off. I called her this morning to ask her to come over so we can talk it out. She agreed, but never showed up," he replies. "Did she mention anything to you about someone following her?" Peter asks. Dan gets up from the couch. "No, she didn't mention that," he says. "We are not accusing you of anything, but we have to ask this. Where were you between 9 and 10 this morning?" Peter asks. Dan feels hurt hearing that he is a possible suspect. "I was at home waiting for Sara. I can prove it too. I have security cameras throughout the house. I can show you the footage from this morning," he says. "That will be perfect," Hugh says. Dan takes his phone out of his pocket and goes to the footage. He finds the right place and shows it to Hugh and Peter. It shows Dan sitting on his couch watching tv and occasionally calling someone. "Thank you. That clears you completely," Hugh says. Dan still looks concerned. "Do you know how to find her yet?" he asks. He doesn't want things to end between him and Sara like this. "Not yet, but we are working very hard to get her back as soon as possible," Peter explains. "If you need anything from me, just ask. I will do anything to get her back safely," Dan says. "How often does Sara come here? Does she have a certain routine? That could be the way he knew where to go to get her," Peter asks. "She comes here after piano lessons during the school time. In the holidays she comes other days as well. She didn't have a routine now, since it is the holiday. She has piano lessons on Mondays and Thursdays," Dan says. "Thank you for your help. We'll keep you up to date with the case," Hugh says. "Thank you," Dan says. "We have to get going now," Peter says. Dan walks them out of the house and watches as they drive away. There is a lump in his throat as he thinks about Sara must be going through. He is scared, knowing that she is danger and that there is nothing he can do for her.