Page 82 of Can You Take It?

“Just because a few people screwed you over doesn't mean everyone will,” she insists.

Now I understand why Martin felt the need to keep her quiet. He probably found her incessant talking as annoying as I do. It’s almost amusing. I smirk at the thought, shaking my head.

I walk over to her. Luna eyes me warily as I approach. I gently press the tape over her mouth, silencing her protests and wisdom.

“A few people is all I ever had,” I say quietly, more to myself than to her.

Chapter 23

RICHARD

Frustration courses through me like a live wire as I navigate the darkened streets leading to Hollowbrook. The call with Luna has left me on edge, and in retaliation I grip the steering wheel tightly, feeling the strain in my hands.

I dial Emily. When she finally picks up, I cut straight to the chase. “Emily, did you trace the location of Luna’s call?”

There’s a moment of hesitation before she responds. “Yeah, it traces back to her hometown in Hollowbrook.”

I slam my palm against the steering wheel. “Fuck!” The expletive escapes my lips, a raw manifestation of my mounting irritation. Colton, sitting beside me, shoots me a concerned glance, but I’m too absorbed in my own turmoil to notice.

“Rick, maybe you’re overthinking this,” Colton suggests. “Maybe Luna really is back home.”

I shake my head vehemently. “No, Colton, she’s not. She’s being held against her will. This is a distraction, a ploy to draw our attention away from her real situation.”

Colton frowns, clearly not convinced. “It could just be a coincidence, Rick. People go home all the time, and weird stuff happens.”

“It’s not just a coincidence. Luna doesn’t just vanish for hours and then conveniently call from her hometown. Not when she’s been acting strange, and definitely not with a dead body involved. It’s a setup. Someone’s orchestrating this, making it look like she’s safe and sound, so we stop looking.”

Noah, chiming in from the backseat, interjects, “That makes no sense. Why kidnap her if not to hurt her?”

“I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure – whoever has her isn’t doing it to inflict harm. There’s another motive at play here.”

“So, you’re saying this kidnapper is some kind of moral person? Kidnapping for a cause?”

I keep driving, but my mind starts to wander. The conversation with Izel keeps replaying in my head, every word, every expression etched into my memory. I try to shake it off, focusing on the road ahead.

“Noah, when did the killings in Hollowbrook stop?” I ask, piecing together the fragmented clues in my mind.

Noah frowns, thinking back. “About six years ago. That’s when the Hollowbrook Butcherer stopped. Around the same time, Billy Brooke started his spree in the next town over. And then there was Slasher, who appeared about two years ago, right when Brooke stopped. Ghostface Striker showed up as soon as Slasher stopped.”

“You think it’s possible that all these murderers are the same person? I mean, the timing is too perfect. One stops, and another starts almost immediately.”

Colton, leaning back in his seat, shakes his head. “That’s a long shot. Serial killers have distinct patterns, MOs. It’s rare for them to switch up their methods so drastically.”

Noah interjects, “Wait, wait, wait. First, your speculation was that they were connected. Now you’re suggesting it’s the same person?”

“Think about it,” I say, the pieces starting to fall into place. “Izel was in Hollowbrook when the killings started. She was in Boston when Billy Brooke went on his rampage. She was in Seattle during Slasher’s reign. And now she’s in Virginia, right when Ghostface Striker broke free. And it’s mighty convenient how the killings stopped when she was brought under witness protection.”

“So if we go by your theory, the killer is someone who’s been close to Izel this whole time?”

I nod slowly, feeling a pang of regret for speaking my thoughts out loud. “Exactly. And I might have an idea who it is.”

I pull out my phone and dial Emily. She picks up on the second ring. “Emily, I need you to find any information you can about a guy named Will.”

“Will who?” Emily asks, clearly confused.

I realize with a jolt that I didn’t get enough information from Izel. “Just look for all the Wills in Hollowbrook. It’s a start.”

Noah, looking bewildered, asks, “Who is Will?”

---