Confession (33 page)

Clapping was heard from inside the school auditorium where the play just started.

She opened up her cell phone and punched in Sam’s number.  A “Caller Unavailable” message appeared in her viewfinder.  She punched in Sam’s home phone number. 

“Sam how could you?  You promised to attend Kristen’s play and never showed up!  She was hurt!  It's either me or that stupid case, of which you'll never solve!” she yelled into her cell phone.

She snapped her cell phone shut.

She was furious while she stormed off and went inside the school.

Traffic on I-4 just started to inch forward after all the injured parties were well on their way to various hospitals.

Outside Kristen’s elementary school, the play was over.  The parents were walking to their cars with their kids.

Outside the auditorium, Cindy gave Kristen a hug while her parents watched. 

“I wanted Mister
Woods
to watch my play,” Kristen said and looked hurt.

“I know honey.  He had to fly out to Los Angeles for some business and got delayed,” Cindy said but inside she was furious with Sam.

“That’s too bad,” Kevin said and Kathy nodded in agreement.

“Let’s get you home, honey,” Kathy said to Kristen then held her hand.

“Good night mom,” Kathy said and kissed Cindy’s cheek.

Kevin kissed Cindy on her cheek.

Kathy kissed Cindy on her cheek.

Cindy watched while Kathy, Kevin and Kristen walked away toward their car.

Cindy went in another direction and cursed Sam under her breath.

Off at another end of the parking lot, Billy sat in his Malibu and watched Cindy while she walked to her car.

He started up his car and waited for her to leave.

He followed her out of the parking lot and tailed her down the street.

Eighteen minutes later, Cindy pulled into her driveway and stopped while her garage door opened.  She pulled her car into her garage.  She did not notice the shadowy figure that wore a black ski mask and gloves that snuck in her garage.  It was Billy.

Cindy turned off her car and closed her garage door.

She got out of her car and walked to the door that led inside her house.  She didn’t notice Billy who crept up behind her with a piece of Duct tape in his hand.  He quickly covered her mouth with tape.

“Get the fuck inside before I kill you here in the garage,” Billy whispered in her ear with a threatening tone.

Cindy’s eyes widened with fear and unlocked her door.

“Turn that fucking alarm off,” Billy whispered in her ear after then went inside the utility room.

She immediately turned off the alarm.

“If you signal for the police to come, I’ll slit your old throat,” he whispered in her ear then nibbled on her lobe.

Cindy was scared to death while she turned off her alarm.

He forced her through the utility room and exited into the hallway.

Billy then walked her to the dining room.  He threw her onto the floor.

Cindy slammed hard on the floor then looked up at her attacker
.
  She saw a man that wore a black ski mask and gloves.  She peed on the floor with fright.

Billy chuckled when he saw the puddle between her legs.  He was proud of himself.

S
am raced his car down the street and headed to the elementary school.   He whipped his car into the parking lo.  He stopped and noticed it was deserted.  “Shit!” he said when he realized he completely missed Kristen’s play.

He drove out of the parking lot and headed back down the street.

Later that night, Sam went inside his house and immediately went into his kitchen.  He walked over to his phone and saw his message light blinked.

“
Sam how could you?  You promised to attend Kristen’s play and never showed up!  She was hurt!  It's either me or that stupid case, of which you'll never solve!
” she yelled from her recorded message.

Sam quickly punched in Cindy’s phone number from his kitchen phone.  

Inside Cindy’s kitchen, Billy wore his black ski mask and gloves.  He opened up her refrigerator and looked for something to drink.

Her kitchen phone rang.   Billy looked at the phone on the counter.  Her phone rang a few more times.  The answering machine beeped after Cindy’s message. 

“Cindy, I’m so
,
so sorry.  I was on track to make it to Kristen’s school but an accident on I-four stopped traffic.  Then my cell phone battery went dead.  Please don’t hate me,” Sam’s message said.

“Cindy, I’m so
,
so sorry,” Billy mimicked Sam’s voice in a teasing tone while he grabbed a Coke out of her refrigerator.

He walked over to the answering machine and deleted Sam’s message.

He walked into the dining room. 

Cindy sat naked and scared to death on a dining room chair with Duct tape over her mouth.   Her hands were bounded with Duct tape behind her back.  Her ankles were also bounded with Duct tape.  Rope tied her torso to the chair.  Billy also smeared the number six to her wrinkled stomach.

On the floor next to the dining room table was Cindy’s torn clothes.  Billy enjoyed them ripping off her body.

He walked up to Cindy and slapped her across her face a couple of times.

Billy chuckled then walked out of the dining room while he sipped on the Coke.

Her front door opened and closed when he left her house. 

She looked relieved he was gone then her eyes welled up.

Cindy sat on her chair for an hour.  She was scared to make any movement afraid her prowler would return. 

Twenty minutes passed.  She now felt it was safe so she rocked her chair numerous times and was able to get on her feet.

She hobbled the dining room and into the hallway.

She hobbled down the hallway.

She hobbled through the utility room to her alarm pad
that
was on the wall.  She
was able to press
her nose into the “P” button.

She hobbled out of the room.

She hobbled down the hallway.

She lost her footing and slammed on the floor. 

She lay on the floor near the front door and cried.

Thirty minutes later, someone pounded on the floor.  Cindy strained to get up.

“Help!” she cried out from behind her Duct tape and it was a low muffled sound.

More knocking was heard on her door.

“Help!” she cried out again from behind her Duct tape.  But it was a low muffled sound.  Then she scooted across the floor and headed to the front door. 

She positioned herself and pounded on the door with her feet. 

Then the doorknob turned and the door cracked opened.  Cindy’s chair stopped it.

“Daytona Beach police.  We got a call from your alarm company that your alarm sent an indication you needed help,” the officer called out through the crack in the door.

“Help!” she cried out again from behind her Duct tape.  It was a low muffled sound.

The officer pushed hard on the door. It slid Cindy in her chair down the hall.

The officer Sean Phillips stepped inside.  His eyes widened when he saw Cindy tied naked to the chair.

“Get a blanket,” Sean said while he turned around and called outside to his female partner Dayna Kelley.  He kept his eyes off Cindy.

A few seconds later, Dayna entered and threw a blanket on Cindy to preserve her dignity.

Sean stepped inside and they assisted Cindy upright. 

Sean removed a knife and carefully cut away all the Duct tape.  Then he carefully pulled the tape off her mouth.

Cindy’s eyes welled relieved help arrived.  “Someone entered my garage when I drove home.  He threatened to kill me if I screamed.  Then he forced me into my house.  He ripped off my clothes and tied me to a chair,” Cindy told them with a shaky voice.

“Do you get a good glimpse of the man’s face?” Dayna asked.

“No.  He wore a black ski mask and gloves.”

“Did he steal anything?” Sean asked.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Cindy replied.

“Did he touch you inappropriately?” Dayna asked.

“No,” Cindy replied.  “He marked my stomach with something,” Cindy added then opened up the blanket for the officers.

They saw the number six marking on her stomach.  “That’s strange,” Sean said. 

“I better get her dressed,” Dayna said then walked Cindy down the hallway.

“Please call my boyfriend, Sam Woods.  He’s a retired FBI agent and working on his own little investigation.  This might be related to that.  His home phone number is five
,
five
,
five
,
eight
,
seven
,
two
,
nine,” Cindy said while the female officer walked her down the hallway.

Sean opened up his cell phone and called Sam.

In Sam’s house, he was sound asleep when his kitchen phone rang.  He shot up out of bed.

He ran out of his bedroom.

He ran down his hallway and into his kitchen.

He ran over to his phone and picked it up.  “Cindy.  I’m so sorry,” he quickly answered.

“Is this Mister Woods?” Sean asked from Sam’s phone.

Sam thought it was that same caller he had a while back.  “Listen asshole, leave me the fuck alone!” Sam yelled into his phone.

“Sir, this is officer Sean Phillips from the Daytona Beach police department.  Someone broke into Cindy Leinbach’s house,” he said from the phone.

“I’m on my way!” Sam said then quickly hung up his phone. 

He ran out of his kitchen.

Sam ran out of his house and rushed into his car.

He started it up and immediately screeched down this driveway.

His car screeched off and raced down the street.

Sam raced his cars through the Daytona Beach streets.

He ran a red light where two cars screeched to a stop and blew their horns. 

Sam’s car raced down Cindy’s street.

He screeched to a stop along the curb by her house.

He rushed out of his car and eyed the police car in her driveway while he ran to her front door.

He knocked on her door.

Officer Phillips opened up the door.

“Are you Sam Woods?” Sean asked.

“Yes sir,” Sam replied.

Sean let Sam inside.

They walked into the living room where Sam looked around and saw Cindy with Dayna on the couch.  Dayna had a small note pad out.  She jotted down what happened for her report.

“Cindy!” Sam cried out and ran up to her.

Cindy got up from the couch and they hugged.

“What happened?” Sam asked while he sat Cindy back down on the couch.

“When I parked my car in the garage from coming home from the play, some man snuck inside.  He then forced me in the house.  He ripped off my clothes and tied me to one of my dining room chairs,” she said while her hands trembled. 

Sam sat down and put an arm around her for comfort.

“He then used some grease and smeared the number six on my stomach,” Cindy added.

“We can’t figure that one out,” Dayna said.

“Shit!” Sam cried out then stood up.

“What’s wrong?” Sean asked while he watched Sam get off the couch and paced a little.

Sam looked furious.  “I believe the man who did this is named Billy Stein from Curtis, Mississippi.  He owns a dealership called Stein Chevrolet.  His brother wrote the book called A Killer’s Tale,” Sam told Dayna and Sean while he paced. 

“Why would he drive all the way down from Mississippi to break into her house?  Tie her up naked.  Then smear grease on her stomach,” Sean asked.

“His brother’s A Killer’s Tale book is based on an old case from nineteen sixties called the October Slayer,” Sam told them.

“I read that book,” Dayna said then she started to jot down that information on her pad.

“I believe the book had evidence that will identify the October Slayer,” Sam said while he stopped pacing.  He walked over and sat down next to Cindy.  He held her hand.

“I also read that book,” Sean said then something about this seemed familiar.  “Wait, are you that FBI agent that was investigating that October Slayer case?”

“I am,” Sam replied.  “I think Billy Stein could be the October Slayer and he desperately wants to stop me from finding evidence that could put him away.”

“What about his brother who wrote the book?  Did you talk to him?” Dayna asked.

“He died of cancer before the book came out,” Sam replied.

“This is one of the most bizarre break-in calls I’ve ever been on,” Sean said.

Dayna nodded in agreement with her partner.

“Well, call me if you have anymore problems with this Billy Stein.  I’ll get the word out to dispatch to look out for a car with Mississippi tags in the area,” Sean told Sam.

“He’s probably in a Chevy,” Sam added.

“Right, a Chevy,” Sean replied.

Dayna jotted down that information.

Sean handed Sam his card.  “Here’s my number.”

“Do you have a place to stay?” Dayna asked Cindy.

“She can stay at my house,” Sam replied.

Sean thought about Sam’s offer.  “You know something, we better drive over to your house and make sure this Billy Stein’s not hiding inside,” he said.

“That sounds good,” Sam said.

Dayna, Sam and Cindy got of the couch and headed to the front door.

Sam and Cindy got in his car while Sean and Dayna got in their cruiser. 

They didn’t see Billy’s Malibu parked down the street while they all drove away.   He was smart to figure the police would show up so he stole some Florida tags off another Malibu and placed them on his car.

He drove away and slowly followed everybody.

When they arrived at Sam’s house.  Sam parked along the street while Sean parked in Sam’s driveway.

Sam got out and followed Sean and Dayna to his front door.  He unlocked it and rushed back to his car.

Dayna and Sean cautiously went inside Sam’s house with their revolvers drawn. 

Sam and Cindy waited by his car.

They didn’t see Billy in his Malibu parked way down the street watching them.

Twenty minutes later, Dayna and Sean walked out of Sam’s house with their revolvers back in their holsters. 

They walked over to Sam and Cindy.

“You’re house is clear,” Sean said.

“I highly recommend you get an alarm system,” Dayna added.

Cindy looked at Sam.  “I’ve been telling him to get one for a while.”

“I’ll get that in work tomorrow,” Sam replied.

“Okay.  Call us if you have any more encounters with his guy,” Sean said.

“We will, but I’m thinking he might not come around here tonight since he knows the police was probably called,” Sam said.

“Let’s hope not,” Dayna replied.

Sean and Dayna walked to their cruiser.

Sam and Cindy walked to his front door.

Sean drove his police car away while Sam and Cindy went inside his house.

Billy drove his Malibu down the street and eyed Sam’s house.

Sam went into his bedroom closet and reached up on the top shelf.  He removed a box and opened it.  He removed a 38 Special revolver then loaded it with bullets.  He shoved the loaded revolver into his pants pocket.

Cindy crawled under the covers in Sam’s bed.

He went into his living room and stood guard while he watched TV.  He looked at his watch.  “Too late to call Becky.  I’ll call her in the morning,” he said quietly to himself.