Darkness Follows (19 page)

Jones
looked ahead, and saw Daniels a few cars in front of him. It had taken almost
an hour to get out of Toronto, and as he headed north, the sun was beginning to
set.

Each
phone call from Dersten had brought more questions, but it was the last call he
received that made up his mind to make the trip in person.

Jones
picked up his radio. “Can you see me?”

Static
came along with the deep voice responding. “I got eyes on you Jones.”

“Copy
that.” Jones set his radio down, and sat back in his seat.

The
sky was turning from orange to deep purple, and Jones took off his sunglasses,
returning them to their place in his visor. As he flipped it back up, something
caught his eye…a black Suburban was riding behind Daniels. It was a few
cars back, but it had just changed lanes for no apparent reason other than to
stay with the Crown Vic.

He
turned his sound system from radio to CD and skipped ahead to track four. Jones
smiled as the heavy rock kicked in, and flicked the volume dial, bringing the
speakers to life. He strummed his fingers on the wheel and drove on for another
few minutes constantly checking on the Suburban.

“Do
you see this black Burban behind me?” Daniels grumbled over the radio.

“Copy
that.” Jones smiled grimly. “It’s time to do this. Take the next
exit, copy?”

“Copy.”
the signal crackled and Jones tossed the hand held onto the seat beside him.

Daniels
made his way into the right lane, and got off at the next exit, taking it nice
and slow off the ramp. Jones followed behind the suburban.  

Daniels
turned into the gas station on his right. The Suburban slowed slightly but
continued on. Jones followed it. Daniels exited the gas station as quickly as
he had entered, and drove up beside Jones’ green Charger. They nodded at
each other, and then Jones pulled ahead of Daniels, riding alongside the black
suburban.   

When
Jones caught his eye, the driver did a double take, swerving a little. Jones
grinned tenaciously into Jeremy Evan’s shocked face.

Jeremy’s
eyes widened and flashed back to the road ahead as he sped up before becoming
trapped behind a car at a stop light. He pulled his car over the median and ran
the red as an oncoming car screeched to a halt just missing him. Jones pulled
over the median, and cleared the intersection following along right behind him.

The
music still blared, and Jones sat forward in his seat, eyes fixed on Jeremy’s
car zigzagging around traffic. Jeremy was easily doubling the speed limit and
still accelerating.

Suddenly,
an oblivious civilian pulled out in front of Jones and they collided
hard. Both cars slid to a sideways stop on the shoulder.

Up
ahead, Jeremy was stopped behind a full field of cars at a red light, this time
with nowhere to go. He jumped out and bolted.

Jones
grabbed his hand-held before jumping out of his own car, and slammed the hood
of an oncoming SUV with his fist as it squealed to a stop right in front of
him.

Across
the road, Jeremy was running into a park, and Jones was only a few strides
behind him, catching up quickly.

"He's
in the park on the west side.
Heading for the trees."
Jones huffed into the radio as he ran.

Jones
was closing the distance when Jeremy was almost to the other side. Jones
reached out to grab him, but his shirt slipped through his fingers.  Jones
tripped, but he caught his balance and let out a primal growl as he pushed
himself to catch up.

Jeremy
was headed toward the trees on the other side of the park when Daniels’ Crown Vic
peeled in front of him, cuttinging him off. Jeremy turned and ran in the
other direction away from the forest.

Jones
cut the angle and reached out for Jeremy once more. Both his feet left the
ground as he launched at him, taking him down with hands on his shoulders and a
knee in his back. Jeremy landed hard on his face with Jone’s full weight
on the knee in his back. They plowed up grass as they slid.

“You
like the feeling of another man on top of you?” Jones spat, “
Cause
you better get used to it.”

Jeremy
wriggled beneath him, but Jones had
him
cuffed even
before Daniels reached them.

“Jeremy
Evans, you are under arrest for murder in the first degree.” Panting,
Jones read him his rights and Daniels helped him pull Jeremy to his feet.

“You
got this?" Daniels asked as they led Jeremy to the car.

Jones
nodded, and Daniels opened the back door before getting into the drivers seat.

“Don’t
you want to know why?” Jeremy asked before Jones could stuff him into the back
seat.

“I
know why.” Jones looked from Jeremy to the back seat.

“Oh yeah?”
Jeremy got into
the car slowly, and when both feet were in, he looked up at Jones. “What’s your
theory?”

Jones
slammed the car door in Jeremy’s face.

“Cause
you’re a sick bastard.” Jones said to himself as he rounded the car to the
other side.

Two
other police cars pulled up onto the grass, and two officers approached Jones,
who nodded at the back of the car.

As
the officers transferred Jeremy from Daniels car to the police cruiser, Jeremy
looked back at Jones.

"Don't
you want to know how I knew you'd follow me?" Jones called, and the
officers stopped, turning Jeremy to face him. "You gave yourself away when
you called me."

Jeremy
tried to take a step forward but the officers held him back, as Jones walked
toward him.

"It
was easy to assume you weren't in Dersten because you didn't make a move on
Ryanne. You love her. You wanted her. You waited for me to lead you to her.

"Good
luck finding the others." Jeremy spat at Jones' feet.

"There
are no others Jeremy. That's how you gave yourself away. When you implied there
were, but you only spoke about the three you committed with David. You would
have bragged about the other girls you'd killed, like you bragged about Maggie,
Ellie and Julie."

Jeremy
struggled but the officers held him tightly.

"I'm
glad you remember their names Jeremy. I hope you remember them every day for
the rest of your life." Jones waved him away, and the officers put him
into the cruiser.

Jones
watched him in the back as the car pulled away. Jeremy's empty stare remained
on Jones, but Jones continued to stare until Jeremy broke eye contact, and the
cruiser drove out of sight.

“Want
to ride back with me?” Daniels said, and patted Jones on the back.

“Just back to my car.”

Daniels
nodded and got back into his car.

Jones
took a deep breath and brushed off his suit. Before he got into the car, he
took out his personal cell phone from his pocket, and dialed the number at the
top of his contact list, before slipping into his seat.

Burrows’
cell phone rang loudly in her pocket, and she held a finger up before she
answered.

“Burrows.
Yes." She
went quiet, but then she full out laughed. "No problem." She hung up
quickly and looked at Ryanne. Her mouth opened and closed before turning into a
grin. “They caught Jeremy.”

“What?”
Ryanne whispered. She looked at Burrows, searching her face, as she jumped to
her feet, and Max followed.

“They
have Jeremy?
How?”
Ryanne still couldn’t believe it.

“Jones
and Daniels caught him following them on their way here. They hadn’t been
driving more than an hour before they noticed a car driving behind them.
Apparently it was Jones’ plan all along—to draw Jeremy out.” Burrows smiled.
"He only told me what he was doing today, and I would have told you guys,
but we had to be sure. I kind of gave him the idea a while ago," she
blushed, "without really realizing I guess."

Jeremy
had never been in Dersten, had never known where they were. It was clear to
Ryanne that the danger in Dersten, the crimes and killing, had not been
directed toward them.

“Holy
shit,” Burrows hollered into the night, “Jones caught Jeremy!”

Her
cell phone rang, and she hurried off the porch and toward the road to answer
it. Burrows’ voice trailed off as she headed down the driveway, presumably speaking
to Jones.

“They
got him,” Max smiled and shook Ryanne by the shoulders, “Can you believe it?”

Ryanne
saw Max’s face light up, and his smile was contagious. She jumped into his
arms, and hugged him tightly.

“We
have to tell Rina!” She squeeled, laughing, and they both ran inside.

*****

“What’s
going on guys?” Blake asked as he and Aurina emerged from her bedroom.

Ryanne
ran to her sister and threw her arms around her. Aurina was caught off guard,
but hugged Ryanne back.

“They
caught Jeremy!” Ryanne cried, and immediately pulled out of the hug to see
Aurina’s reaction. Aurina looked between Ryanne and Max, and when the fact
finally sunk in, she teared up. Blake added himself to the sisters’ hug.

Max
slid his cell phone back in his pocket. “Jones just got him back to the
station. Crawley told me to wait for Jones to call for further instruction, and
Burrows is speaking to him now.”

Aurina
and Blake held their embrace for so long, Max didn’t feel comfortable watching
them anymore, and Ryanne slipped out of it to join him in the living room. He
saw Burrows walking back up the driveway, and Ryanne took a seat beside him.

“Max,
if Jeremy was caught near Toronto, that means he definitely wasn’t here.”

“I
know.” Max had been thinking this the second he got off the phone with the
Chief, who told him he wouldn’t be able to come over as they were still
questioning Jake for the second time.

He
didn’t want to spoil their celebration by pointing out the obvious, but now that
Ryanne had come to terms with the facts, he wondered what she made of their
situation, and if she cared for any other reason than to try to exonerate Jake.

Burrows
came into the house, and locked the door behind her.

“He
caught the bastard.” Burrows smiled and stood in the living room facing
everyone. “I just spoke to Jones, and they are waiting on Jeremy's lawyer now.”
Burrows put her hands on her hips, and surveyed the room.

“What
happens to him now?” Aurina asked, with Blake's arm still around her.

“He’ll
go to court, they’ll find him guilty, he’ll get consecutive life sentences and
his ass will rot in jail for what he’s done.” Burrows walked over to the
kitchen, and put her cell phone on the counter in the same spot she placed it
previously, and turned to them all again. “Jones says he’d like me to bring you
girls back home now. Jeremy is no longer a threat to you, and this town is not
safe.”

Burrows
walked over to Max with her hand out, and when Max realized she wanted to shake
his hand, he got up quickly. “Thank you for the great work you’ve done here. We
truly appreciate it. Will we be seeing Chief Crawley any time soon?” Max had
never been thanked for his service before and realized he was blushing.

“I
don’t think so,” He told her, “He’s questioning Jake again about the local
murders.”

“Of
course, we won’t stay much longer then; we’ll get these girls home and be out
of your hair so you can concentrate on the matters at hand.” Burrows looked at
Ryanne and Aurina. “You ladies will want to get packing.”

“So
we leave now?
Right now?”
Aurina asked.

“Well,
Jones has asked me to bring you home. I know we will need your testimony,”
Burrows told her. “And really, with another murderer in town, do you really
want to stick around here ladies?”

“But...can
we stay if we want to?” Aurina asked, and Blake looked down at her quickly,
eyebrows
raised
.

“I...I’ll
have to speak with Jones. “ Burrows told her, and went into the living room to
sit on the couch. Blake and Aurina slowly joined her. Ryanne got up to go to
the washroom, and once the bathroom door closed, Blake got everyone’s
attention.

“I
think we should take Ryanne out for her Birthday. She turns twenty three
tomorrow right?” Blake looked to Aurina, who smiled at him, nodding, and then
to Burrows.

“I
don’t know.” Burrows told them hesitantly.
“Maybe not such a
good idea right now.”

“Aw,
come on Burrows, I think we should celebrate. I thought we could go for dinner
and drinks.” Max stared at him for a moment, and realized he was serious.

“Sorry,
I can't allow that.” Burrows told them. “I’m not trying to put a damper on
this, but I’m still responsible for your safety.”

“Burrows,
it’s over. Jeremy has been caught, and no one is coming after the girls
anymore. Out in public, and with us, they'll be safe.” Blake put his arm around
Aurina, and they heard the bathroom toilet flush.

“I
think it’s a nice thought.” Aurina agreed. “But I have to agree with Burrows,
it’s not safe.” Burrows nodded.

“Maybe
we could get take out?” Max said. He was thinking about going back to the
station, and getting updated on the situation with Jake. At the same time, he
didn’t want to leave without wishing Ryanne a happy birthday, and saying proper
goodbyes before they left. “We gotta do something, it’s her Birthday.”

Ryanne
seemed to blush as she came from the hallway into the living room. She looked
to Aurina and Blake who were smiling, and then to Max.

“What
about my Birthday?”

Burrows
smiled, “Would you like to get some take out to celebrate?”

“Yeah,
that would be nice.” Ryanne’s smile was enough to make up Max’s mind.

“I’ll
go pick it up. What do you like?
Pizza?
Chinese?” Max
got up from his seat and started for the door.

“But
we leave tomorrow morning, alright?” Burrows added.

“Yeah,
okay.” Aurina agreed.

“Can
I come with you to check out the options?” Ryanne asked.

“Yeah,
sure,” said Max. “Be back soon, alright guys?”

Burrows
nodded, and Blake and Aurina seemed to be in their own world. Max knew Blake
was disappointed Aurina wouldn’t be staying, but he was ready to make the best
of the time left, and he hoped Blake would too.

*****

“I
should have trusted my gut in the first place.” Ryanne said as Max closed the
front door behind him.

“You
knew Jeremy wasn’t in Dersten.” Max took the keys from his pocket as they
headed down the porch steps.

“I
never really thought he was here, but I bought into the hype.”

“Hey,
it was better safe than sorry right? I mean, I think all the precautions taken
were necessary.”

“I
guess. I got paranoid. Especially after I found out he was after me, and those
notes. ‘You give me no choice.’ I mean, who else could that have been meant
for? I didn’t tell anyone this, but when Jake and I were out at the lake, I
thought I saw something in the bushes.” Ryanne laughed, as Max opened the car
door for her.

“Like
what?”

“Oh,
it was nothing. I think it was just you guys. I saw a light, like a huge
flashlight, or a...a headlight of a car,” Ryanne got inside and looked up at
Max as he stood resting his hand on the window. “I’m embarrassed to even tell
you. Now you’re gunna make fun of me, aren’t you?”

Max
thought back to that night at the lake, remembering driving up to where they
had parked in the Chief’s truck.

“You
just saw one light?”

“Yeah,
like a headlight.”

Max
knew the Chief's truck had all lights in working condition, and knew it had to
be someone else at the lake. He thought about the car that passed him as he was
on his way to Maple Lane when he caught Jake at the house.

Jake.

“I’ve
gotta go.” Max told Ryanne, and when she didn’t move, he rushed to the driver’s
side of his car and opened the door. “Ryanne, I’ve gotta go see the Chief.”

Ryanne
looked at Max for a moment, and then scrambled her way out of the car.

“Are
you okay?” Ryanne asked as she shut the door behind her and Max started the
car.

“I’m
fine.” Max threw the car in reverse.

“Will
you be back?” Ryanne called after him as he backed down the driveway.

It
was coming together now, the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Max
put the car in drive, and sped down Maple Lane leaving Ryanne in the dust. He
couldn’t explain anything to her because he was trying to focus on his
epiphany.

Jake
was the strongest connection they had made between the victims in
Dersten,
and Max needed to fill the Chief in on why before
anyone else got hurt.