(2011) The Gift of Death (32 page)

No one can hear you scream. That was the line that Gleason had used. That night. When he had kidnapped her, raped her, tried to kill her.

‘
No, you can’t do this. Help. Help me!’

She heard him take hold of something from the work bench. Then the horrific scrape of metal. He was running the edge of some kind of blade across a sharpening device.

‘
I’ve got to tell you this may hurt.’

She felt the tip of something press onto her forefinger. Then the feel of his breath on her face. His voice dropped to a whisper.

‘
Do you remember that present I sent you?’

She nodded in silent acknowledgment. She was too frightened to speak.

‘
Well, it’s about to become a reality.’

41

‘
I think we’ve got a lead,’ shouted Lansing across the investigation room. He had been scanning 911 calls for anything that could give the team a clue to the abduction of Cassie, the murder of Kaplinski and the disappearance of the cab.

‘
What’ve you got?’ said Josh.

‘
A report from a guy – a Wayne Farson - over in Van Nuys. Says he was driving home from work on the 405 when a cab – emblazoned with the Courtesy Cars logo - suddenly pulled out in front of him and nearly hit him. Farson flashed his lights at which point the cab driver went crazy. Suddenly began to hit his breaks, then slowed down so he was behind Farson and started to tailgate him. Apparently did everything to intimidate him. Nearly caused a couple of really bad accidents. Farson was so pissed he followed the cab, coming off the 405 and into Van Nuys. Admits he was going to teach the guy a lesson, but when he got to the house he changed his mind.’

‘
Why?’ asked Josh.

‘
Heard the screams of a woman from inside. That’s when he called 911.’

‘
Did he get the plates?’

‘
No, didn’t think about it until after the guy parked the cab in the carport.’

‘
Okay – let’s get someone over there. What’s the address?’

‘
15104 Raymer Street. Zip 91405.’

‘
Curtis?’ he shouted. ‘You’re coming with me. And Lansing? Inform any cops patrolling the area of the situation. If they arrive on the scene before us, we don’t want a bloodbath. There’s a blind woman in there.’

42

Kate rang as Josh’s car sped towards Van Nuys. He started to fill her in on the latest development before she had a chance to speak.

‘
We’re on the way now,’ he said.

‘
What’s the address?’

‘
Kate, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

‘
Look – when Cassie gets out of there she’ll need someone she trusts. Not that she doesn’t trust you, but she’ll feel more comfortable with me than a trauma counsellor or whatever.’

Josh thought about it for a second. ‘Okay. It’s 15104 Raymer Street, Van Nuys.

‘
I’m in Beverly Hills. I’ll be there in twenty.’

There was silence on the line.

‘
Josh – do you think Cassie’s okay?’

He didn’t say anything. Kate knew from past experience what that meant.

‘
If she’s alive, we’ll get her out.’

Kate didn’t like the sound of that.
If
she’s alive.

‘
I promise,’ he said.

43

Cassie felt the sharp edge of the knife play around the tip of her forefinger. She couldn’t bear this long drawn out form of torture any more.

‘
Just do it, you fuck,’ she said. ‘Get it over with.’

‘
Not so fast,’ he said, tracing a ring of blood around the top of the digit. ‘I’m kinda enjoying myself here.’

‘
No shit,’ she said, choking back her sobs.

He moved the knife onto the base of her nail and slowly started to push back the rim of skin into the nail bed. Then he used the blade to trace a pattern into the surface of her nail.

‘
You know you shouldn’t bite your nails, don’t you?’ he said. ‘Did your momma never teach you that?’

She couldn’t speak now.

‘
You know I never really knew my momma.’ His voice was wistful, faraway. ‘She died when I was just a little boy.’

She felt him readjust the knife in his hand. Then she felt a greater pressure on her skin as he began to push the tip of the blade into the first joint of her forefinger.

‘
Perhaps all this would have turned out differently if she had still been around.’ He sighed and then coughed. ‘But there’s no point living in the past, is there. It’s the here and now that counts. Isn’t that right?’

She heard him inhale just before he punctured her skin. The pain took her breath away. She thought she was going to be sick.

‘
They say the ends of the fingers are one of the most sensitive parts of the body. Do you think that’s so?’

He pushed harder now. The tip of the knife dug deeper into her skin. Then he started to move it sideways.

‘
The first one is bound to be the worst,’ he said, his voice taking on the tone of a concerned doctor. ‘By the time we get to the ninth I don’t think it will be so bad.’

As he started to slice into her skin she passed out. Her head dropped forwards, limp as an old rag doll. The next thing she was conscious of – besides the pain that seemed to consume her – was a noise in another room.

‘
What the fuck?’ he said. It was the voice of her torturer. He sounded confused, afraid even.

‘
Drop the knife,’ said the other voice. A man’s voice. Authoritative and firm. Trustworthy. It was the police. They had come to rescue her.

‘
I’ll blow your fuckin’ head off, you know I will,’ he said. ‘Drop the knife. Now. And hands up against the wall.’

She heard the knife fall onto the floor. Then she felt herself melting, floating away to another, darker place without any pain.

44

Josh stood back as he kicked the flimsy wooden door. A moment later he was inside the house. He took out his gun and moved silently through the living room. Nobody. A half-eaten bucket of takeaway chicken. Some beer bottles. Then he moved to the kitchen. Nothing but dirty dishes and the smell of meat fat that hung in the air. From one of the rooms he could hear the sound of rock music.

He moved towards the noise. He was quiet as he walked. Stealthy. But he was ready to blast someone’s brains out at a moment’s notice. He’d just about had enough of this psycho. Playing his fucking games. Thinking he was so damn clever. Well, the sick fuck wouldn’t feel so clever when he had a gun pointed at his head. He just hoped he was in time.

Quickly he moved towards the bedroom. He kicked the door inwards and, as he entered, adjusted his eyes to the gloom.

‘
Police. LAPD!’ he shouted.

He could see two figures on the bed. A man and a woman. Naked. They quickly covered themselves with the bed sheet.

‘
What the fuck?’ It was a man’s voice, confused, spaced out.

‘
Hands in the air. Now.’

His back up team surrounded the bed, guns aimed at the figure of the man. One of the officers pointed a torch at the bed. A beam of light illuminated the scene. The smell of sex hung in the air.

A couple – wide-eyed like frightened rabbits on a busy highway – stared at the officers with fear and disbelief. He had long straggly, blond hair, a little goatee. She was a brunette, with hooded eyes and red lipstick smeared across her face.

Josh felt sick to his stomach.

‘
Fuck,’ he said to himself. He had to think of something. ‘Okay, get some clothes on,’ he said to the man in the bed. ‘We have reason to believe you were driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.’ He turned to a fellow officer. ‘Search the place. Tell me if this guy’s just a user or a supplier.’

He walked out into the light to see Kate’s car pull up outside. As she got out of her Saab she saw the disappointment in his face. His face was deathly pale and it looked like all the life had been drained from his eyes.

‘
Oh my God,’ she said. She feared the worst. ‘Is she? Don’t tell me she’s –‘

‘
It’s the wrong fuckin’ house,’ he said.

‘
What?’

‘
Just some drugged up couple who obviously get off on a bit of light domestic violence.’

‘
But –‘

‘
But what Kate? I’ve fucked up. Again. That’s what. First with Walsh. And now this. What’s the fucking point?’

‘
Josh, you can’t think like –‘

‘
What am I supposed to think? I may as well hand in my badge.’

She had never seen him like this. So full of frustration. So near to the point of being broken. He had always appeared the strong one, so sure what to do.

‘
But you can’t give up now. What about Cassie?’

‘
She’s –‘ He thought she was probably dead by now, but he couldn’t bear to tell her. He slumped against the car, ran his hands through his hair.

‘
No. No way is she -’

He looked at her, biting the corner of his mouth.

‘
I just don’t believe it. She can’t be.’

‘
Kate. We need to face facts. Somebody’s outsmarted us here. He’s been playing with us all the time. Right from the beginning.’

‘
But –‘

‘
But nothing. He’s won. It’s game over.’

45

She woke up to feel somebody stroking her hair. It was a sweet, soft touch. It reminded her of something from her childhood. She was in bed, ill, and she had heard someone come into her room. She opened her eyes to see her grandmother by her. The old lady reached out and ran a hand over her head. She remembered the smell of her, a mix of lavender soap and milky oatmeal. She revelled in the deliciousness of the memory. Then she recalled something else. Something not so lovely. The sound of that man’s voice. The near escape through the carport door. The thud of the chain as it hit her shoulder. The feel of oil on her face. And then the pain in her hands as the man tightened the vice around her.

There was something wrong. She couldn’t feel her fingers. At all.

She jolted upwards, flailing around in panic. She remembered what he said he was going to do. She couldn’t breathe. She didn’t know where she was. She had nothing to orientate her.

‘
Hey, calm down,’ said the voice. It was the voice of another man. Kinder, somehow. ‘You’ve nothing to be afraid of now.’

‘
W – where am I?’

‘
You’re safe. That’s all that matters.’

‘
Are you a cop?’

‘
You could say that.’

‘
And him? Where is he?’

‘
You don’t need to worry about him. He won’t harm you any more.’

‘
Am I in hospital?’

‘
No. Not yet. But you will be. Soon, I promise.’

‘
What’s happened to my fingers? I can’t feel my fingers. Did he –‘

‘
He tried to, yes. But I stopped him. I’ve given you an injection to kill the pain. You will have some pain when that wears off, but by then you should be in the hands of the doctors.’

‘
Do I -? I mean – is there anything missing?’

‘
No. He cut quite deep and you’ll have a pretty nasty scar, but you’ll be fine.’

‘
What’s your name?’

‘
I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.’

‘
Are you a doctor?’

‘
No, no I’m not, but I know a bit about medicine.’

She felt sleepy. She tried to resist the impulse but the pull was too strong.

‘
You need to get some rest now. It’s the drug, one of the side-effects. But don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.’

She didn’t know why she trusted him, but she did. He said she was safe and she believed him. She tried to thank him, but the words disappeared on her lips.