All the Shiny Things: A Kate Reid Novel (Kate Reid Series Book 1) (39 page)

For a moment, she felt sorry for Robert Wilson. He had a mother who had committed suicide and a brother who had “accidently” killed his baby sister. She wondered how he had managed to lead a normal life after realizing his brother had become a killer. But who knew the nightmares he faced every night when he slept? They must have been far worse than her own.

None of that mattered now. The killer was near and he would find out about his brother soon enough. He wouldn’t stay at the cabin; he was too smart for that. He’d eluded capture with the aid of his brother up until now. She was convinced he’d find a way out of town. Or, he would resign to the fact that he wasn’t going to make it out of town alive and do whatever it took to get to her.

Rio Dell didn’t have a hospital—only local practices—and so they had taken her to Arcata, to the same hospital where Sam’s body had been taken.

They wheeled her inside. She could probably stand on her own without any dizziness now that the ringing was subsiding. But when she attempted to rise, the paramedics insisted that she lie down while they talked to the Attending.

The doctor approached her and took her wrist to check her pulse. “How are you feeling, Katie? Any dizziness, nausea?”

“No, I’m feeling much better now. My ears are still ringing a little, but no more nausea.”

“Good. I think I’d like to just get you checked out and then you’ll be free to go home.”

“Uh, doctor?” One of the EMTs approached. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

The two moved several feet away and Katie couldn’t hear what he was saying. Although, based on the look on the doctor’s face, she figured the EMT filled him in on the situation.

The doctor approached her again. His face was changed and a look of pity replaced what had previously been just medical concern. “Okay, well, I think the best thing is to keep you overnight for observation.”

She suspected this was Marshall’s doing. “Can I have my cell phone?” Katie asked.

“I’ll have your things brought to your room once we get you admitted.” The doctor led the EMTs away.

Katie watched as they continued their conversation. She was going to be there for the night, by all accounts. It was probably the best place for her. But she was desperate to know what was happening with Marshall and if they’d found the cabin.

Soon after getting her into a room, a nurse brought her things to her. “Thank you.” Katie rummaged through the bag in search of her cell phone. Her mind replayed the scene over and over. Wilson’s head on the table and his wife’s screams. The sounds pierced her ears like an ice pick.

Her phone revealed no messages. Why hadn’t Marshall called to check on her? She had to know what was happening. She’d expected him to be at the hospital by now.

His phone rang, once, twice, then to voicemail. She disconnected the call when the nurse leaned into the doorway.

“You have some visitors,” she said, leading Katie’s parents into the room.

“Oh, thank God you’re okay!” her mother said, rushing to Katie’s bedside.

“I’m fine, Mom, really. They’re just keeping me here for observation.”

“We heard what happened at Chief Wilson’s house,” her father said. “They’ve blocked off all the roads out of town and patrolmen are everywhere. Is he in Rio Dell, Katie?”

“They think so, Dad. I’m pretty sure that’s why they’re keeping me here tonight.”

“Well, why the hell aren’t there any officers posted out front here?”

“I’m sure they’re on their way, Dad. I’ll be safe here. They’ll find him. I’m sure of it and this nightmare will finally be over.”

Deborah reached around her daughter to embrace her as best she could. “It’ll finally be over for all of us, sweetheart.”

Katie had almost forgotten the toll this must have taken on her parents. They’d been living with this for so long. To have it finally nearing its end must be indescribable. Then, there were the families of the other victims. She could only hope that when they did catch Hendrickson, he’d tell the cops what he did with the others and let the parents finally bury their children.

“Thank you for coming to see me, but I think it’s best if you go back home. They’ve still got someone there at the house?”

John nodded. “One of them brought us down here.”

“Good. I’ll be fine. Marshall will be here soon. We just need to let the FBI do what they need to do.” Only now, during this hellish nightmare had she finally wanted to relinquish control of the situation. She realized there was nothing more for her to do. She did what needed to be done to get this far. It was time to let go.

“Will they send you away tomorrow?” John asked.

“Hard to say, Dad. Hopefully, this will all be over after today. They know who he is.”

“They know who took you? Who killed those other children?

“Yes.”

He choked back his tears, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Deborah handed him a tissue from her purse. These were not tears of relief, but tears of anger. “Someone from town?”

“No. It’s a long story, but the chief had a brother. They know it’s him.”

“For Christ’s sake. They’d better find that son of a bitch before I do, then.” John turned away to shield them from the growing rage.

“I’m glad you’re all right, honey, and that you’re back home. Marshall seemed very worried when you left on your own yesterday,” Deborah said.

“You know about that?”

“He asked us if we knew where you were. It just about sent your dad off the rails when he found out. You scared us all, Katie.”

“I’m so sorry. It’s just that—I needed to do something, something important and I know in my heart that I did the right thing.”

“We could have prevented all of this,” Deborah began. “And it’s something we’ll have to live with for the rest of our lives.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Reid?” Officer Miller appeared at the doorway. “I think we’d better get you two back home now. Katie will be safe here tonight. They’re sending an agent over now to stand watch.”

“Contact us as soon as you’re able, okay? I know you’ll be safe and it won’t be long before we can put this behind us.” Deborah took John’s hand and followed Miller out.

The room was quiet after her parents left; in fact, the entire hospital seemed quiet. Arcata wasn’t much bigger than Rio Dell and this seemed to be the norm. Still, the silence made her feel uneasy. Nothing from Marshall and it was starting to get late. Office Miller did say an agent was on his way, but it didn’t stop her worrying.

A nurse pushing a patient in a wheelchair along the corridor appeared out of the corner of her eye, distracting her from her own thoughts. She looked at the man, wincing at his appearance. His face seemed to be badly burned, although she couldn’t see much through his bandages. Katie quickly turned away when the nurse caught sight of her, embarrassed by her lingering stare at the suffering man.

The buzz of her cell phone offered a welcomed diversion. She swiped it off the tray table after seeing that it was Marshall on the caller ID. “There you are. It’s been hours. I was getting worried. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, how are you doing?”

“I feel okay. My parents came to see me. You must’ve told them I was here?”

“I called the officer standing watch at their house and had him bring them over. I didn’t want you to be alone.”

“Thank you. But when are you going to be here? What’s been happening? Have they found him?”

“One thing at a time, Kate. I’ll be down to check on you soon. Scarborough and his men are tracking down the location of the Hendrickson’s cabin. They’ve got barricades set up at the highway onramps and Route 53, leading out of town. We’ve been able to keep wraps on the local media, since it’s only a couple of guys at the paper, but I don’t know how long we’ll be able to hold off Aguilar. He’s anxious to break the story. Fortunately, Scarborough’s boss is here now and he’s put the fear of God into him if he leaks it. They don’t want anyone scaring off the killer or getting more press coming in and causing trouble for us.”

“So, you think he’s still there?” Katie asked, already knowing the answer.

“I think you need to rest for now. Scarborough is sending an agent down there soon to keep watch. I’ll come see you as soon as I can, I promise.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too, Kate.”

The call ended and she held the phone close to her chest, as if she were holding a part of him. Her exhaustion caught up to her and she soon drifted off to sleep.

» » »

The puncture that stung her arm ripped Katie from her rest. She saw a needle being pushed in. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as fast as a scorpion’s venom, attempting to counteract whatever had just been injected into her. She reared her head up to see who was responsible for this pain. It was the man whose face had been burned and bandaged. Her heart was beginning to slow and her mind was growing hazy as it dawned on her what was happening.

Moments later, her body became limp and he tossed her over his shoulder. She was losing consciousness and fast. The scream that was building inside her escaped as barely a whimper. It wouldn’t be long before she was out cold.

The hospital still had functioning windows in the rooms. He only had to open one and climb out onto the fire escape. He was a big man. Her vision was blurred, but she could see his girth.

They descended the two flights of staircase and by the time they reached the bottom, a single thought soared in her fading mind: It was him and he was going to kill her.

LITTLE KATIE

25

T
he fog was
beginning to lift as Katie’s eyes fluttered. Her vision was still clouded, but she could start to make out her surroundings. She tried to brush the hair from her face, but soon felt the restraints that shackled her arms behind her back. An aching head and empty stomach lent themselves to the waves of nausea that whirled through her.

Her clarity soon improved at the realization she wasn’t alone, when the large figure perched on a stool opposite her began to shift. The true horror of this disturbing image began to sink in when she noticed the bandages hadn’t concealed all of the raw, burned flesh. Exposed too, was part of his charred scalp, which was bright red and blistered. From her vantage point, the man was not burned any other place on his body. But no matter how grotesque, there was no doubt in her mind who this was. And when he spoke, the familiar voice infiltrated her entire body. It had been twenty-three years, but there was no doubt that this monster was Joseph Hendrickson. A ferocious impulse to scream arose from deep within her.

And, as if he could read her mind, he began shaking his head, placing his index finger over his swollen lips. “Don’t scream, little Katie. No one will hear you; certainly not your precious Detective Avery.”

This was not the cabin, nonetheless the place was familiar. She was sitting on a metal chair with a padded seat and backrest. The floor was concrete and a single light hung from the high ceiling, its light casting a circle onto the floor in front of her. Two windows were boarded up and one smaller window remained uncovered, revealing the darkness outside. How long had she been out? They must have known she was gone by now.

“Where am I?” A groggy, muttering voice sounded; a result from whatever drug he shoved into her arm.

“You don’t recognize this place? I’m surprised. I thought you were here helping the FBI and Detective Avery with the evidence I so kindly left for you all.”

It registered with her now, only it didn’t look like the same place. “The warehouse?”

“Where else would we be? Certainly not the cabin. I had to torch the place, thanks to my brother. And I so loved it there. All the fond memories of the times we had together and not just you; the other children too.”

“Is that how you burned your face?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, but I admit it was somewhat intentional. I had to figure out a way to disguise my appearance since you revealed my face to the world. Thanks for that, by the way. Painful as it is, it was worth it. I got what I came for. My brother didn’t even recognize me when I showed up at his house today. He wasn’t going to give you up and I knew he was thinking of talking to the FBI, so I had to convince him that he had no choice. How easy it would have been for me to find his daughter after I murdered his wife.”

Tears began rolling down Katie’s face as she listened to the sickening words coming from his mouth.

“I knew he couldn’t handle it any more—the guilt. Seems as though you pushed him over the edge, little Katie. But, I had to work fast because we both knew what was happening. He found out about you and the reporter poking around Sacramento PD. Robert called and told me it was only a matter of time and that the FBI would be on their way soon. That’s when I knew the cabin was going to have to go and I had to find a disguise. You know, I could hear you upstairs. I was hiding in the basement, listening to every word; even the gunshot that finally put my brother out of his misery.”

Hendrickson lifted his weight from the stool and slid to within inches of Katie, leaning into her ear. “How does it feel, knowing that everyone around you had to suffer because you just couldn’t let it go?” he whispered. “How are you going to live with yourself?” He sat back and folded his arms across his wide stomach. “I guess you won’t have to worry about that for much longer.

“You should be very proud of your handiwork. Without you, I would’ve continued to live a life of solitude and boredom in Oregon City. Everyone was so friendly there. The mothers, walking their children to school. Oh, it was tempting, but I didn’t have the same fire in my gut that I have now. No, once you came forward, everything changed. And I’m so much happier now. Of course, I thought you’d stop looking once I took Samantha away from you. But not even losing your best friend was going to make you stop, was it?”

The harsh reality of his words breached her soul. She wanted nothing more right now than for him to stop, but this was what he wanted, wasn’t it? Demoralize her to the point of giving up? “They will find me here. You have to know that.”

His open palm came at her and landed with a stinging slap, knocking her head hard enough to tweak her neck. She reeled with dizziness for a moment until finally regaining her senses. Her cheek was hot and throbbed in pain.

“Of course they will, once they realize the cabin is gone. That’s the whole point of this. Oh, to see your Detective Avery’s face as he watches you die; what a moment that will be. I imagine it’ll be the last thing I see, but it will all be worth it. I’ll finally have the one thing you took from me, little Katie; the absolute joy of stripping away your shiny veneer; revealing the dirty little cunt you really are.”

She studied the room in search of an opportunity to escape. They weren’t in the main warehouse, but a smaller office somewhere at the back of the building, near the loading bays. The big corrugated metal doors that opened for the semi-trucks were just visible. She would have to overtake him in order to even hope to escape. Right now, that didn’t seem a likely scenario. She’d fended him off once before, but she doubted he would take any chances this time.

“What did you do with the other children? How many did you kill besides your sister?” She wanted him to get angry; give him cause to attack again. It was the only way she could attempt to strike him. From the look on his face, she saw that she had succeeded.

“My little sister? I see my brother didn’t fill you in on all the sordid details. She was the reason my father left and my mother killed herself. There was barely enough to go around with just the four of us, but Robbie didn’t remember that. Then she came along and we had nothing left. That little unexpected ‘gift from God’ tore my family apart.”

“So you drowned her in a tub?” She continued to provoke him further.
Come on, hit me again.

He took to his feet and moved toward her, but then just smiled and left the room. She struggled to free her arms, which were bound at the back of the chair, but he’d zip tied them together. She tried to wriggle her wrists and tore her skin against the hard plastic teeth of the ties. Blood ran down her hands, dripping onto the cold concrete floor. She tried to stand, but his footfalls sounded and were drawing nearer.

Once inside again, Hendrickson set a box down on his stool, marched over to Katie, and shoved her to the ground. “I knew you’d try to leave. I made it easy enough for you. But you didn’t think I’d be gone for long, did you? No, I just wanted you to think you had a chance at escaping, but not this time, little Katie. He kicked her in the gut as she lay on the ground. Her knees pulled up, trying to shield herself from another blow, but he aimed for her head this time. The last thing Katie saw was a large black boot rising above her face.

» » »

She had no idea how much time had passed, but her brain was pounding against her skull and the dried blood on her face cracked with each grimace. She was back up on the chair, feet and hands bound.

When the room came into focus, she raised her head and saw him sitting on the stool across the room once again. He was holding a small wooden box, maybe a cigar box, she thought. The first thing that came to her mind was that Marshall hadn’t found her yet. What was happening? Wouldn’t they think to come back to the warehouse? It was pitch black outside now; it must be the middle of the night.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up. I’ve been sitting here for almost an hour. I’m sure you won’t try that again, will you?”

She only looked at the box in his hands.

He lurched forward and screamed. “Will you?”

“No.”

“Wondering what’s in this box?” His cool voice and calm temper reappeared; a terrifying transformation from only a moment ago.

He opened up the box. “I guess you could call me a collector, of sorts. I like to keep little mementos from my past.” He put his hand in the box, swished its contents around, the sound of clinking metal rising from it. “You might remember this. I gather that’s what has forced our paths to cross once again.” He pulled out the heart-shaped pendant necklace from the missing Arcata girl, Ashley Davies.

Katie’s eyes welled up and spilled onto her face, the salty tears stinging as they fell into the wide gashes on her cheeks. She had no idea how much injury she had sustained, but the vision in her left eye was diminished. The lid had swollen to the point that only a small slit remained open. But she recognized the necklace instantly.

“I have such beautiful little trinkets, except one from you.” He eyed her entire body. “I don’t see that you have anything for me to keep. Samantha had that interesting ring. I wanted to keep it, but I thought you might make better use of it. I did expect you to be wearing it now.”

“They gave it back to her husband.” The excruciating pain with each spoken word brought more dizzy spells, nonetheless, she would not reveal her agony to him.

“That’s a shame. I was hoping to get it back. I don’t know what it is that I’ll get to keep from you today, but I’m sure I’ll find something. Oh, and one more thing.”

The hospital bag that contained her belongings lay a few feet away. He walked toward it and opened it up, retrieving her cell phone. “I thought you might like to listen to your beloved detective’s voice. He seems very worried about you. You know, you might want to consider adding a passcode to your phone.” He held up the phone and played the voicemail.

“
I know you have her, you son of a bitch. I swear to God, if you hurt her, I’ll fucking kill you! There’s no place for you to hide now, Joseph. The roads are blocked and we all know what you did to your face. It’s only a matter of time. You should give up while you have the chance because when I find you, I won’t take you into custody. You’ll be dead.”

“It sounds like he loves you very much. Is he the reason you broke off your engagement? I was sad to hear Spencer was gone. He seemed like a good man. I think you may have traded down.” He continued looming over her. “Well, I think I’ve had enough fun for one night. It’s clear they aren’t coming to save you tonight. I think you ought to try to get some sleep.”

Once again, his hand connected hard with her face. This time, it was a solid fist that knocked her out cold.

» » »

Subtle morning light
shone through the narrow, dirty window in the room where Katie remained alone. How long had she been out this time? Two, maybe three hours? It couldn’t be but about seven o’clock in the morning and she was cold. The warehouse was only a shell since the fire and held absolutely no heat.

Her arms were numb from the forced position in which they had remained for too long. But it was her head that had succumbed to the brunt of the pain. The swelling of her left eye had reduced enough that she could freely look left and right, but with each movement, her brain ached. Hunger and thirst were beginning to take control of her. Where was Hendrickson? She’d expected him to be waiting; his burned face and purple lips curled up, smiling at her. He was not there and only the small wooden box remained where he had sat only a few hours ago.

Katie skimmed the room in search of the bag with her cell phone in it. Of course, he was smart enough not to leave that lying around for her to make a quick call to Marshall.

The door swung open with wild purpose and the monster was once again in her presence. “How did you sleep? Well, I hope. It seemed so when I came in to check on you earlier. You really can’t take a punch. I should be more careful; I don’t want you dying on me before its time. Get up now.” He walked over to her and grabbed her elbow.

The needling pain of her sleeping arm shot through her as he raised her up off the chair. Her legs were weak, swollen from having remained in a seated position. They trembled under her weight. “Where are you taking me?”

“I thought we might go for a little ride today.”

This was it. He was going to take her somewhere and kill her, just like he did with Sam.

“I’ve had a change of heart. I don’t want to make it too easy for your boyfriend to gallantly come to your rescue, well—your demise. So, I think we’ll spend some quality time together on a little road trip. Thought maybe we’d go up north.”

“The roads are closed and everyone knows who you are. You can’t really believe you’ll get out of here alive.”

“Oh, we won’t be going far and not really out of town. I’ve been monitoring the police scanners, so I know where the roadblocks are. And besides, with the media helicopters hovering everywhere, broadcasting the FBI’s every move, I think we’ve got the advantage here. There’s one more place I’m pretty sure the FBI doesn’t know about, not yet anyway. I think we’ll be able to spend some time there for a while.” He placed his hand on her head, his touch causing even greater pain to her already throbbing skull. His hand slid down her long dark hair, eventually caressing her back. “I miss being with you, little Katie. And I’m very curious to see how much you’ve learned over the years.”