Deadly Desire

  Matt shook his head. "Are you telling me he finished with the girl and then started over?”

  "Looks that way," Evelyn replied. "He was very careful and these cuts were made over a three to four month period. Also notice the markings on her wrists. It looks like she was chained to something. The markings are wide enough to look like some sort of bracelet. It looks like she was shackled."

  "I don't think that was noted on the other bodies." Matt looked more closely at the victim's wrists as the coroner continued to talk.

  "May not have been. I think he kept her longer which gave more time for her bruises to come to light."

  Matt nodded his head. "Thanks, doctor. I appreciate the time you have taken with us."

  "My pleasure, gentlemen. I'll send my report along with all the evidence from the body on up to Atlanta as soon as I get back from lunch. Has anyone notified her next of kin?"

  "Still waiting on an ID, but I think we'll have that before we get back to Atlanta," Matt replied.

  The men shook hands with the coroner and left the office. The drive back to Atlanta was once again silent as the brothers thought about the horror their latest victim had gone through.

  ♥ Chapter 4 ♥

  He was beside himself. His latest pretty was so beautiful. He just knew she would scream as well as the last one. He couldn't wait until she woke up and discovered where she was. That was fun for him, when they first realized they were his. When they woke up chained to a wall, they would scream and scream thinking someone might come for them. But no one could hear their screams out here. No one but him.

  ~

  Several hours later, Kristin woke up. She was shackled to a concrete block wall. She looked around carefully. Her only chance of survival was to keep her wits about her. She observed every detail of the room she was in. Noticing what looked like out dated hospital equipment and stainless steel tables, she wondered if she were in an old abandoned hospital or asylum of some sort. She continued to look around for any type of weapon she could find. There was just enough light for her to see her immediate surroundings, beyond that, it was pitch black.

  Kristin had no way of knowing what time it was, if it was morning or night, or when the maniac who took her would be back. She decided she needed her strength to deal with whoever was holding her. It would be pointless to expend her energy trying to get out of the shackles binding her.

  Laying on the ground and getting as comfortable as she could, Kristin tried to get some sleep. She wanted to be ready for whatever she was about to face.

  Watching her on a monitor in another room, her captor cursed at the show he was getting. Why wasn't she screaming in terror? Why was she just sitting there meekly and not trying to get away? She was ruining his fun.

  Normally he just sat and watched them for several days, letting the terror and fear build. Letting them wonder what was about to happen to them. It made him laugh to watch them squirm and try to get out of their shackles. They couldn't though. The shackles were made of iron and he checked them regularly to make sure they were working like they should.

  But this one was not reacting like the others. This one was not panicking. Why? Why was she ruining this part for him?

  He decided to leave for now before he made a mistake. He would be back tomorrow to see if she was fearful yet. If not, he would give her something to fear. He would start on her early.

  Laughing at his train of thought, he calmed down quickly and left the abandoned building. It was dark. He would sleep then visit the beauty in the morning.

  ~

  Finishing with the evidence from the latest victim, the crime lab informed Matt that several pieces of plant life had been discovered on the body. They had seen similar on a few of the other bodies but the samples were too small to test until now. This particular plant species did not live in or grow in any of the counties the girls had been taken from or where they had been dumped. The assumption was it was from the place the killer lived, worked, or was holding the girls captive. It was from only a few counties in Georgia and those were close to the Florida state line. But they agreed the most likely place to find it was in Seminole County.

  It didn't take Matt long to pack his bags after hearing this news. He decided not to take Derek with him this time. He knew Amber might need him. He did call Derek and explain where he was going and why. Derek agreed to continue to work from the Atlanta end and the brothers would continue to keep in touch.

  Matt left from Atlanta about five in the evening that Friday and didn't stop until he reached his destination. Pulling into Donalsonville about nine he found a hotel and stopped for the night. He grabbed his overnight bag and walked to the front desk. He told them he needed a room but he was unsure how long he would be staying.

  After getting settled in his room, Matt went back out to find some food and get a feel for the area. Not sure what he would find here, Matt planned to search the area for a few days before moving on to the other counties on his list of possible suspects. He would talk to the police from each county and make them aware of the lab's findings.

  Running through a fast food drive thru, Matt grabbed a burger and continued to drive around. He noted the quietness of the town and its historical presence. He also found that the town was a few short miles from a major state park. State parks offer acres of land and solitude. He would note that as well.

  Finishing his supper, Matt drove back to his hotel for the evening. He would sleep and then contact the local and county police in the morning.

  ~

  Kristin heard a door bang open. She sat up waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room. She could hear footsteps, but she couldn't see where they were coming from. She heard banging and rattling as if someone were preparing something. The person sounded angry and frustrated to her. This is it, she thought to herself. She was prepared to fight.

  He was angry. She was sleeping peacefully as if in her own bed. How dare she ruin this for him? He would show her. He would teach her to fear him.

  He walked to where she was chained. Kristin could see him better now. The man looked to be about six feet tall with sun bleached blond hair and baby blue eyes that would have most women swooning. Tall and muscular, he didn't look like a maniac. Kristin had the feeling she knew the man but wasn't sure where she had seen him before.

  He had on a tool belt of some sort, but hanging from the belt were not the normal tools like a hammer and screwdriver. Instead, he had filled his tool belt with knives and other wicked looking devices. Kristin swallowed her panic. She must focus.

  "Now you will scream for me, my pretty," said a voice with a slow southern drawl. Kristin had heard that voice before. She was trying to remember where when his words sunk in.

  Now Kristin knew what the maniac wanted. She would refuse. She would try with everything within her to keep silent. She would rather die quick than give this maniac what he wanted.

  He knelt down at her feet and grabbed one. He began slicing the bottoms of her feet. Kristin gritted her teeth. He worked on the right one first ending with a carving of a heart into her ankle. Still Kristin refused to scream. He started on the left and was getting more and more frustrated with her lack of response.

  Screaming at her, he lunged over her with his knives. He pulled his hand back and came down on the side of her face with the flat of the biggest knife. Moaning, Kristin fell to her side. She could feel blood running down her face. She only had one chance to escape. The man had walked away from her mumbling and cursing about ruining it for him. He then turned and ran at her, a knife pointed straight at her heart.

  Kristin put her feet up, caught him in the stomach and shoved with all her strength. Catching him off guard, Kristin managed to shove him back against the blocks of the wall. Hitting his head, he crumbled to the ground. Gasping from the pain in her feet at the impact, Kristin quickly searched him for a key to unlock her shac
kles. She almost cried when she finally found what she was looking for.

  As she was trying to fit the key in the lock, Kristin heard her captor moan. He was coming too and she was trying to hurry. She needed to get free before he noticed what she was doing.

  The maniac woke up in a rage. He looked at Kristin and stood up. Not noticing she had a key and was unlocking her shackles he stepped up to her and grabbed her by the throat. He slammed her head into the wall and watched her as she slid to the ground. He laughed and walked away.

  Leaving the building where he housed his victims, he went back to his house. His head was bleeding slightly. He needed to see to it and then he would take a nap. This evening he would have to get rid of the pretty and start his search again. He was still outraged by her reactions.

  ~

  Matt met with the Donalsonville City police and the Seminole County police departments to inform them off what had been found so far. He explained about the evidence found on several of the victims that had led them to their county. Each assured Matt they would be on the lookout for any suspicious or unusual behavior in the area.

  Matt left them with a copy of his profile for each department to go over in case they recognized one of their citizens in the description. He then walked down the streets of Donalsonville. Matt liked to do this. It helped to clear his head when dealing with this kind of sick monster.

  Matt had dealt with some nasty criminals in his years with the bureau, but this one was especially crazy. He had issues he was trying to work out by carving up young women who reminded him of someone in his past. Possibly his mother or a wife that had betrayed him. Until they captured him, they probably would not know which.

  Each of these young ladies was just entering adulthood. Each had barely been on their own. Three of them were in college. They still had their whole lives ahead of them. And then this guy decides it has to end.

  Not realizing just how far he was walking, Matt continued to go over the details in his head. He was walking off his anger and frustration at the fact that so many girls had to die for the police departments to decide to work together to find this guy.

  He wanted to hit something, but knew that was unprofessional. He was from out of town, a visiting law enforcement officer. He had to keep his head in a situation like this. Instead of punching something he continued to walk.

  ~

  Kristin woke up groaning. Her head was pounding and still bleeding. She looked around and listened carefully. She was alone. She had managed to get one of her shackles off before her head was slammed into the wall. Looking down, she realized she still had the key in her hands. Kristin sighed in relief. She began working frantically to get the other shackle off all the while listening for any sound of the maniac.

  Kristin managed to free her other hand. Tears streaming down her face now, she tried to stand. She immediately fell to the floor. Her feet had been cut up so badly, it was next to impossible to stand. She would have to find a way.

  Kristin crawled down what appeared to be a hallway. She found a knife, probably dropped by the monster, and tucked it into the waistband of her shorts. She continued to crawl. Each time she heard a sound, she froze. Please don't let him come back, she silently pleaded.

  Finally finding a door that led to the outside, Kristin pushed it open and crawled out. She had to pause to let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight. Looking around, she realized her guess had been right. She was inside an old hospital that had been turned into an insane asylum and then abandoned all together. She remembered reading about it.

  Once more she tried to stand. It was no use. She needed to clean her feet somehow. Kristin had no idea exactly where she was or which way it was back to town. She just started crawling away from the hospital as fast as she could.

  Hungry and bleeding, Kristin was not sure how far she would make it on her hands and knees, but sheer determination kept her going for several hours. She eventually found a stream to wash her feet in. It felt so good to her burning raw skin. She climbed into the stream and lay in the water to try to cleanse as much of her body as she was able. She gulped down some of the water as well hoping to keep from dehydrating.

  It was getting close to sun down and Kristin still had no idea where she was or where she was going. She ripped off parts of her t-shirt and wrapped the wet rags around her feet. She would get a lot farther if she could walk.

  When Kristin finished doctoring her feet and cleansing her wounds she tried to stand again. Although still painful, they were a lot more bearable to walk on. She continued on until she found a road. She decided to follow it hoping it would lead her to a town and a doctor.

  ~

  Matt decided to walk back to the hotel and get his car. He wanted to drive out to Seminole State Park since his lab had told him that was the most likely location of the plant species they had found on the bodies.

  He grabbed some supper and then began to drive south down the highway that would lead him into the park. About halfway there, he spotted a woman walking down the road. She looked to be limping and bleeding. Stopping to ask if he could help, Matt was surprised when she started running.

  Jumping out of the car, Matt chased the woman as she darted off the road and into the bushes. He caught up to her and just as he reached out to touch her shoulder, she fainted. Matt grabbed her and lifted her noting the wrappings on her feet. He could barely tell what she looked like for all the blood on her face.

  One thing was for certain. She had black hair and very scared brown eyes. He had seen the fear as she looked back over shoulder just before he caught up to her.

  Matt walked back to his car holding the girl that was light as a feather against his chest. Not knowing if this was one of TGT's victims but assuming it was, he made the decision to drive her back to Atlanta to the hospital where his sister-in-law worked. She would help take care of the young lady.

  He knew she needed medical attention quickly but he trusted no one in this town and running his sirens would allow him to be back in Atlanta in less than two hours.

  As he placed the young lady in the car he spotted the knife sticking out of the waistband of her shorts. Wondering if she had found it or had already had it when she was abducted; he slowly took it out of her shorts trying not to cut her. It was a wicked looking knife and had blood on it. He found an evidence bag in the trunk of his car and placed it inside. Hopefully, it would have some clues as to the identity of her abductor.

  Matt drove back to the hotel and grabbed his bags. He quickly checked out, bought a couple of waters from the vending machine for the young lady to drink if she woke up, and headed to the interstate. Matt called his brother as he drove.

  Matt filled Derek in on what he had learned from the local police and then explained what he had just found. He told Derek he was driving back to Atlanta and his first stop would be the hospital. Derek assured him Amber was on duty and would be glad to help him.

  ♥ Chapter 5 ♥

  Matt came to a screeching halt in front of the emergency room doors. He walked around the car and opened the door for his passenger. She had not stirred since he deposited her in his car. He reached in, lifted her into his arms, and walked into the hospital.

  Once inside, Amber met Matt and immediately took him and the woman to a room. She began to clean her wounds and wipe the blood off her face as Matt watched. Stopping suddenly, Amber's face turned white and her hands started to shake.

  "What's wrong, Amber," Matt asked as Amber began backing away from the patient.

  "I know this woman."

  "How? Who is she?"

  "This is Doctor Kristin Young. She's the baby's pediatrician," Amber whispered as she turned to Matt with anguished eyes.

  "She lives here in Atlanta?"

  "Yes. Her office is not far from here." Amber continued to look at the woman in the bed whom she had spoken to about her baby just a few weeks earlier.

>   "That means our killer has hit this county now," Matt replied.

  He walked over to Amber and patted her arm. He knew how upsetting this must be for her. Amber smiled at Matt then finished cleaning as much of the blood as she could from the young doctor's face. Amber then cleaned her feet and showed Matt the proof that Kristin was TGT's latest victim. The heart carved into her ankle was all they needed to link a new victim.

  Matt left the room to call his office. He needed officers to comb the area around where he found the girl and see if they could find the maniac's lair. He hoped to catch this guy before he could murder any more young girls.

  Amber stayed in the room while the doctor looked over Kristin's injuries. She had a concussion from the blow to her head and severely deep cuts in her feet and legs. The wound where the maniac had hit her with the flat of the knife required three stitches and Kristin would have a black eye for a few days.

  Amber hated to see the young doctor in this position. She must have put up a good fight to have survived what she had been through so far. But Amber knew from experience, it wasn't over yet. She planned to give Kristin the name of a good counselor when she woke.

  Even though Amber's shift had ended, she chose to sit in Kristin's room until she woke up. Not knowing if the woman had any family close by or friends she could call, Amber thought at least one friendly face would be welcome. She was still sitting in her chair two hours later when Kristin began to stir.

  Looking around the room, Kristin moaned slightly at the pounding in her head. Amber immediately jumped to her feet and stood by Kristin's bed side.

  "Is there anything I can get you, Kristin," Amber asked.

  Kristin looked at the pretty, young nurse in front of her. She noticed she would be delivering in about two months but how she knew that she was not sure.

  "Did you call me Kristin," she asked.