Chapter 38
Anna
“You clearly don’t remember the way. We’ve been on these back roads for almost two hours. Small house surrounded by fields is not helping. That’s almost every house. I thought you said you could take me to him. Go over what you can remember.”
Boston let out an aggravated sound. “It was a house, Anna. A small house. There were fields everywhere. Fields like these,” he said, waving his hand at the empty rows of dirt. “I was so sure I could make it back. It was dark, though, and the drive seemed to last forever. And Dr. Patron, he wouldn’t shut up. It was distracting.”
“You didn’t think to at least get a street name?”
“Distracting, Anna. Just like right now.” His head turned, and he lifted his hand, pointing. “That might be it. Take that road.”
“That…one?”
I could barely speak. Although I hadn’t come in this way when I was looking for Lucy, I suddenly realized where we’d ended up. That fact that we’d come in from the east side made no difference.
“Gibson and Clairmont. Gibson and Clairmont!”
“What?”
Turning onto the road, I slammed my foot down on the accelerator. Boston’s hands shot to the console and door while he tried to steady himself.
“Whoa, whoa. What are you doing? Slow down!”
“It’s the same house. The one with Linda or Lucy!”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. You said this was a client’s home?”
“Yeah. Dr. Patron said they were out of town.”
“Clients, though?”
“We already knew Linda was a client.”
“But so are you. So is Daniel. We assumed because she was schizophrenic it was all she was. What if they’re more than that? What if…?”
Our gazes locked for the briefest moment. Trees began lining the road, and between two, a dirt driveway opened. I pulled in, thrusting my door open while I pulled my gun from underneath my cardigan.
“Did you have that on you the entire time?”
“I always have it on me somewhere.”
“Somewhere?”
“Boston, focus. We stay quiet, and we move fast.”
“What exactly are we doing? No one is here.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Anna, no one is more suspicious than me, but put that thing away. If someone is here, the last thing we want to do is go in guns blazing. If they are clients, and Davis is still down there, I don’t see why they wouldn’t let us in. They don’t suspect we know anything. And it’s not like we’re cops. We can question them. Maybe someone will slip up. If they do, then we do something better than shoot them.”
I nodded, holstering my gun as I met him at the front of the car. Nerves had me looking in all directions, and I wasn’t the only one. Even if Boston tried to play the rational one, I could see his need to get to the bottom of this. There was an odd electricity in the air. It left my skin tingling and my nerves shot.
“Let me do the talking.” Boston knocked, waiting a few seconds before he rapped on the door again. “I think it’s empty.”
He grabbed his shirt, using it to turn the knob. The look we gave each other was a mutual understanding—a caution for the unknown—a silent promise we’d watch over one another.
Creaking sounded as he eased open the wooden door. Even though there was silence, we were both light on our feet. The same antique looking furniture filled the living area, and I broke away from Boston, easing my head back in the bedroom that had held the broken table and lamp. It was gone now. A new comforter lined the bed, and there was no sign of anything out of place.
“Where are you going? The basement’s down there.”
I looked over at Boston’s whispering. “Basement?”
“Yeah…there’s a door off the kitchen.”
Sickness swirled, and like every time when fear hit, my hand pressed into my stomach.
“I didn’t check that. I didn’t know.”
“Let’s go. We’re wasting time.”
Turning back to the bedroom, I couldn’t help but want to go inside. Something was calling me in. It was a feeling I didn’t understand.
“Anna? What are you doing?”
“I don’t know.”
Tracing the footboard, flashes of being tied to No One’s bed flooded in. I headed around the far side. Boston’s footsteps came closer, but he was quiet as I came up to the top of the bed. Pushing the pillows out of the way, I scanned the headboard, reaching down to feel behind the mattress. Metal brushed against my fingers, and I gripped, pulling the cuffs into view. A shuddering breath broke through the room behind me, but I didn’t turn. I dropped them, using my anger and strength to push the mattress off-kilter. Thick straps with attached cuffs were curled on top of the box spring, hidden from view. Why hadn’t I done this the night I searched the room? I had been so focused on finding an actual person, I had neglected to look for the little things that might restrain one.
“He had to have had her. It had to be him.”
Tears clouded Boston’s eyes. His face was tight with emotion as he paced and flexed his fists.
“You think these clients are covering for him?”
“Don’t you?”
It took me a moment, even though my gut told me I was right. “Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“We can’t forget about the other girls. Braden said Lucy’s injuries were consistent with theirs. Dr. Patron did have the knowledge with Daniel being a patient, but he was in the hospital when her body was mostly likely…discarded. I guess the clients could have done it for him. They definitely weren’t here when it happened. We just don’t know anything for certain.”
A roar went through the room, and glass shattered at Boston’s punch to the dresser’s mirror. His hand swept the knickknacks off the top, and he went crazy. Heartbroken yells increased as he pulled the drawers free, throwing them across the room. It wasn’t enough for the pain he was feeling. One minute, he was reaching, and the next, he grabbed behind, pushing the dresser over. His leg reared back, but I was already gone from noticing anything more happening with him. All I could see were the dark cracks around the floor.
“Help me.” I slid to my knees, locking on the small handle to the secret hatch that had been hidden. The weight was more than I’d expected, but Boston was right behind, easily pulling it open. Darkness loomed below. My hands were shaking so hard, I could barely grip the bottom of his jeans for stability.
“Anna...this isn’t right. God, this place…I can’t stand it. What do you think is down there?”
“Shit. I don’t have my phone on me. Do you have yours?”
“Yeah.”
Boston took it from his pocket, handing it over. I turned on the flashlight from the camera, seeing the space only went down a few feet. My breath caught at the bloody towel resting at the bottom.
“Is that—?”
“Take my hand.”
I didn’t let him continue. Our palms fit against each other, and I held around his wrist as I turned, sliding myself down into the darkness. When my feet touched the ground, the top of Boston’s body was inside the opening. He let go, and I moved the light around the small, empty room before turning it to face the stained towel. With the tips of my fingers, I lifted. Dark smears were scattered throughout, and glistening floated off the material. I squinted, crouching as I reached down to the dirt, lifting strands of blonde hair. Bile burned my throat as I stood.
“Bring me up.”
“Did you see anything?”
Cold. Numbness. They chilled my blood as I turned off the light and placed his phone in my pocket. When I took Boston’s hand and made it back into the room, his words were barely registering. I kept the strands clenched in my palm, walking throughout the room while deep male screams came from somewhere in the distance. I heard them, but they didn’t break through.
“Anna. Did you hear me? We really need to take care of Davis. There’s no telling if the clients will come back.”
“Let them,” I muttered.
“But he’s getting louder. What if someone comes by unexpectedly? We need to shut him up.”
Walking into the bathroom, I scanned the space. Aside from a bottle of shampoo and body soap, nothing of personal use could be found. I stopped at the tub, immediately lowering to sweep my finger in the drain. Blonde. More blonde.
“Anna, please. I’m ready to end this. I’m ready to find Dr. Patron. I have talk to him. I have to know.”
“And you think he’ll tell you the truth?”
“Probably not, but I have ways to make him.”
I turned, easing the hair from my grasp to place it on the counter by the sink. Boston stepped from the threshold, picking up the strands that weren’t connected to the tangled web I got from the shower.
“Lucy.” The name was but a tortured whispered.
“I found what you’re holding from the towel in that hidden room. That, in the drain,” I said, pointing. “Unless Linda also has blonde hair…” I let myself trail off. “I can have Braden run the DNA, but I’m afraid it’ll be pointless with the way we obtained it.”
“Let it. If this belongs to Lucy, I don’t want Dr. Patron in jail. I want him to suffer.”
“And that’ll be obvious given the circumstances. It’ll be too risky. We have to get him to admit it or slip up. It’s the only way to end this.”
“What if I’m okay with not needing a confession?”
My eyes narrowed as he stuffed all the hair in his pocket.
“You mean kill him anyway?”
“He’s not a good person. He protected Daniel. Maybe he even protected him here. Then you bring in these other clients? No. I want them all dead. There’s no telling what the hell is really going on, but something is. Look at what he does. Dr. Patron wreaks of guilt. That’s good enough reason for me.”
“Boston, he protects you.”
“I don’t kill innocents. I kill those who deserve it.”
“Lucy’s mother deserved it?”
Hazel eyes blinked rapidly as he stepped back. “That was different. She wanted to take Lucy away from me. She was feeding her ideas of a life that didn’t involve me.”
“She was her mother. She only wanted what was best.”
“I was best. God, I fucking did everything I could for Lucy. I loved her, and I showed her every second of every day. It’s not the same, Anna. Dr. Patron, men like Daniel, they don’t deserve to live.”
“So, you’re going to kill him? You’re going to kill Dr. Patron?”
“Do you have a good reason why I shouldn’t?”
So many things clouded my judgement. My own killer was with Boston, but the woman who had heard those girls’ screams couldn’t let this go.
“Actually, I do. Dead, he means nothing. You have no justice for Lucy. You will never know the truth of who killed her. Alive, there’s still a chance. Wait. Let’s do this right. If Dr. Patron was somehow involved, we’ll get to the bottom of it. If it comes out he’s guilty, you have a partner in making him pay.”