Page 1 of Johnathan

One

Six months earlier…

Well, shit.

John really thought he was getting the hang of having a daughter in preschool, juggling all the permission slips and supply lists. He’d even remembered to pack her only pink and purple containers for her snacks that week because she was going through another princess phase.

He never fucking knew it before, but he was now well versed in what colors were, and more importantly which colorswere not, princess colors according to his very opinionated daughter.

Where the hell was he supposed to get Katy a costume that would fit with her favorite book by the morning? She was so excited to dress like the little ballerina in the story she loved to read before bed, and he’d completely forgotten about the book week celebration at her school. He should have started those dance classes she’d been asking him for. Then he’d at least have a costume from class or a recital to put her in.

Dad fail.

He should be used to it, but knowing he was doing his best with his daughter as a single dad and still dropping the ball gave him heartburn. He wanted her to have the world. It’s why he’d moved back home to Bell Ridge after she was born. No more wild and crazy nights for him. He wanted stability and love and family surrounding her. That was all that mattered after her mother left.

It was easy, in the beginning, to think that he had everything handled. Katy’s mom leaving when she was only three months old had been a gift. It saved his little girl from so much heartache, but as each day went on, John couldn’t help but feel like he was failing his daughter more and more by not having that motherly presence in her life. She was four, and that meant she’d been asking more and more about their family and why she only had a dad.

There was, of course, his own mother, who was the most amazing grandmother to Katy. And his now sister-in-law, Grace, had come barreling back into the family. She’d jumped right to loving Katy. But the day to day things were slipping through John’s very stressed hands, and Katy was the one suffering.

Maybe he could call his mom, or Grace, and see if they could pull something together for him in time. It wouldn’t be so tough if he could stop putting in so much overtime, but with a serial killer on the loose in Clarence County, he knew Hank Porter, the sheriff and his boss, was counting on everyone to step up.

Parking his SUV at the end of Main Street in Bell Ridge, John grabbed his cell phone and set out to problem solve. He’d message his mom and see if she had time to help with Katy’s costume, especially seeing as how Katy would be there until right before it was time to drop her off at school after his shift ended.

John had always loved working nights. While it was still early in his shift, there was something peaceful about those middle of the night hours and the way the world just kept on turning whilemost people slept. The street was quiet, a few people walking about after their late night dinners. Bell Ridge was a quiet town, and it looked like that night would be no different.

He let his back lean against the brick facade of Sal’s Grill as he sent his mom a last-minute plea to help with Katy’s outfit for the next day.

He decided to leave his patrol car and walk while he waited on a response from his mom. It was a nice night. Calm and quiet. Just the way he liked it.

Every deputy had been briefed and kept up to date on the crimes that had been recently happening in Clarence County. Several women had been reported missing, only to be found later, deceased. His friend, Emma, who owned the bakery in Bell Ridge, had finally helped with a lead in the case. They had a name, but so far, the guy was a ghost.

John’s phone buzzed and he looked down to see a message come in from his mom. He clicked through the message and sighed with relief, his mom?—

A scream pierced the air and John took off running. He finished calling for backup as he rounded the corner and froze.

Holy fuck.

“Stop! Drop the weapon!” John yelled. He’d heard the scream not even thirty seconds before, and now there he was with his weapon drawn, staring at a woman with piercing blue eyes while a masked man was trying to drag her away.

John kept his gun trained on the suspect as he watched in horror as the man placed the knife he was holding at the woman’s throat.

There was something so familiar about her, but all he could focus on was the sheer panic in her eyes. The flash of light bouncing off of metal against her skin made his heart jump in his chest.

“Lower your weapon. Now!”

Every fiber of his being was screaming at him that the man in the alley was Marco Santoro. The same man who was after Emma. The woman standing before him certainly fit the same description as all the other women who’d been taken and killed.

If his gut was right, he needed to be extremely careful. He’d have only one chance to help this woman and capture the suspect. John watched as the man lowered his head, his lips pressing to the side of the woman’s head.

He moved his head back, still too close to the victim for John to safely take a shot, and he laughed.

John’s blood ran cold as he watched the blade glide across the woman’s throat, crimson red spilling from her cream-colored flesh.

“NO!”

Her hand went to her throat as John ran towards her.

“H-Help…” she whispered, fingers clutched to her neck.

---