Page 9 of Haunted

Huntington, West Virginia wasn’t normally a raging hub for nefarious activity, but considering the looks Duncan and Waverly were shooting back and forth to each other, I’d say all that was about to change.

“Over the past two months, three young women have disappeared on Interstate 77 between West Virginia and Ohio,” Duncan started. “All were traveling alone, their cars found abandoned at various truck stops when they didn’t show up at their destinations.”

“A lot of people go missing every day,” Noahinterjected. “Why bring in the feds? Is there even a connection between the three girls?”

“He’s got a point, Duncan. What are we missing here?” Lanie asked.

A burning sensation started in my gut at the mention of where the vehicles had been discovered. It worsened the more he spoke.

“The body of Ashley Greer, victim number one, was found last night by a highway patrol officer. She was naked with obvious signs of torture.”

“Our perp left us a message of sorts,” Waverly spoke up, her eyes softening as they shifted to me. “Her left ring finger was cut off post-mortem…”

No. No. No!

“…and there was a note.”

“What did it say?”

“‘I know who you are, Special Agent Clarke. Catch me if you can.’”

A whoosh of air left my lungs like I’d been sucker punched in the solar plexus. Unable to contain the energy coursing through my body, I stood abruptly; the chair beneath me making a grating sound as it scraped across the floor. Raking my fingers through my hair, memories of the trial filtered through my mind. The truck stops. The same mutilated finger. All details ofhiscase which had never been disclosed to the public.

Turning to the two people in the room, besides myself, who had the knowledge, I posed, “Copycat?”

“That’s my theory,” Duncan offered.

“Whoa. Someone want to fill in the rest of the peanut gallery here?” Koen circled a finger in the air, indicating my team. Nelson had even stopped typing to stare at my outburst.

Waverly started to open her mouth, but this wasn’t her story to tell. They knew the basics, but I’d never shared the whole truth. Leaning my back against the wall, I looked down at my feet, unable to meet the eyes of my teammates…my friends, while I unburdened my soul.

“Ring fingers were my father’s trophy. They found them all hidden inside a freezer in the garage when they executed the search warrant. During his psych evaluation, he told the shrink my mom was having an affair. He followed her one night to a truck stop a few miles from our house where she met with a man. On her way home an hour later, she stopped at a convenience store, which was where he confronted her.”

“Jesus fuck,” Noah spat.

“From his account,” I continued, “she vehemently denied his accusations, but his fucked-up brain snapped anyway. He strangled her right there in the parking lot next to her car. No cameras. No witnesses.”

“You don’t have to continue, Keaton,” Lanie spoke softly. “We can fill in the blanks.”

“I’m all right?—”

“You’re not.” Noah slammed his fists onto the table.

My gaze flew to his and held. We’d been partners for six years; seen things which would have even the most faithful questioning their belief in God. Yet, watching him cross the room to stand toe to toe in front of me, I saw a fierceness in his blue eyes I’d never witnessed before.

“I can only imagine what it’s been like for you these past eleven years. Holding all of this inside doesn’t do anyone, especially you, any good. Let it out, man.”

“Yeah,” Koen agreed, having joined us at some point. “Unleash the Kraken.”

“Christ, you’re an idiot.” Lanie shoved him out of the way.

“We’ve got your back, Keaton,” Nelson added.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I told them how my father began kidnapping women who reminded him of my mother from truck stops every three months. He held them in an old hunting cabin he owned deep in the woods. For days, he abused them in the most heinous ways, taking pictures and video for his future enjoyment before finally ending their lives in the same manner he did my mother.

“He took their left ring finger because according to him, ‘women are lying whores who don’t deserve to keep the finger associated with marriage.’”

“Now it appears we have a fan of Simon Renshaw,” Duncan stated.

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