Page 129 of Done Waiting

“F-Fine,” she choked, her voice shaking and gruff from his hand around her neck. Ben releases her, drawing himself up to his full height, a pleased expression on his face as his eyes dart to me.

“I dated Lawrence in college. I no longer wanted to work with children and youth. I was being questioned for some of the things I’d done.”

“Like Jagger?” I snap my mouth closed as soon as I say it, my eyes darting to Ben. He glowers at me but doesn’t say anything.

“Yes. And a few others. But Ben… sticking him in that home raised a lot of questions from my boss. I wanted to be a social worker for the Falls Creek Police Department. They had an opening.”

Ben throws his head back and laughs. “Let me tell you what she’s not, Maddie. Your mom had her sights set on your dad, a police officer who was making a name for himself. Sure, she didn’t want to get in trouble for her callous disregard for the children who were on her caseload, but as always, Maura only cared about herself. She helped Lawrence catch my father by giving him the idea to go undercover and pretend to be a serial killer. Which Lawrence is a piece of shit, just like your mom, so he was very believable. After he turned his back on my father, framing and arresting him for a murder he didn’t commit, he received a promotion. And has been supplying your mother with drugs from Florida.”

A gasp escapes me. “I-Is t-that t-t-true?” My mouth and throat are so dry I can hardly swallow.

My mom grits her teeth, her bound hands balling into fists. Ben moves closer, kicking the bottom of her shoe, and she answers. “Yes.”

Ben turns his head, his smile gleeful. “So you see, Maddie, she got a promotion. She also fucked Lawrence’s uncle for a while so he would get involved in her drug scheme. She’d been working with Lawrence to smuggle drugs into Falls Creek for years, and once Jagger’s dad became hooked, she used him to help further her plans. I’m sure Jagger isn’t aware of the sick shit she did.”

“How do you know all this?” I stare at him, trying to read his face to ensure he’s telling the truth.

“Research, Maddie. I can be pretty persuasive when I need to be.” He flashes me a fake, charming smile. My stomach roils, thinking of the times he’s given it to me. And I fell for it. I forget about my churning stomach when he says, “So Maura has been causing issues for years. Even your beloved Jagger, whom she was fearful would figure out exactly what was going on since he had a knack for being stealthy and overhearing things. Plus, he was smart and pieced things together quickly.”

He turned to my mom, bending over her. “And that’s why you wanted me out of the picture, isn’t it? You knew I’d keep digging because I’d started when my dad was arrested. You knew I’d be sent to live with my grandparents and then used a connection when they died so you could place me in that wretched foster home, so none of your secrets would be revealed.Isn’t that right?”

His booming voice echoes off the walls of the small cabin, hurting my ears. But it’s the expression on Ben’s face that terrifies me. He looks like he’s ready to fucking snap.

And that would be bad for both of us.

Trying to diffuse the situation, I ask the first question that comes to mind. “What is your father’s name, Ben? You never told me anything about him.”

His blue eyes pin me in place as I cower against the wall, doubting my sanity for opening my mouth. As angry as I was at my mom, I couldn’t watch him kill her beside me, and he looked to be seconds from completely snapping.

After a few beats, his face softens. “My dad’s name is James Adler is his name. He’s currently in prison in Florida, serving a life sentence.” His face darkens, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “They call him a serial killer.” He shakes his head. “I hate such labels. My dad and I are just…different than the rest of society.” He shrugs, moving in front of me. Squatting down, he leers at me. “The only difference is, I preferblondesinstead of brunettes.” His maniacal laughter fills me with terror, my heartbeat thrashing inside my ears.

I cringe, my aching back pressed tightly against the wall, my knees drawn up to my chest.

Ben continues. “Unlike me, he got caught. I don’t intend to make the same mistake he did.” Piercing eyes cut through me, slicing into my skin as though he’s trying to read my thoughts. “Once I’ve finished with the two of you, I’m out of here.”

50

THE STALKER

As I climb into the driver’s seat of my truck, Jason’s cell phone rings. He pulls it from his pocket as I shut the door, then turn my head to his.

“It’s Bryce.” He answers it while I sit there, waiting to hear how Abby is.

We spent hours combing through the Ice Queen’s office, then her bedroom. I found a ton of shit implicating her in the illegal, corrupt bullshit that’s been going on in this town for years.

But more disturbing is what is inside the two folders I hold in my hands.

Looking down at them, my hands tremble as I see my former name, Jagger Williams, on one. Inside was all the evidence she collected against me, twisting everything I ever told her, along with the words of others. The reports that she meticulously typed up contained detailed statements from my dad, who lied his ass off about everything, painting me as a crazy, lying psychopath.

She also twisted all the statements from my adopted parents. I know what they told her. I spent enough time at the Brandt’s house whenever I could, and sometimes I’d inadvertently hearprivate conversations between John and Alicia when I was heading to the kitchen to get a drink or returning to the basement after using the restroom. I’d pause, my ears prickling as soon as I heard my name, then cautiously creep forward so I could hear what they were saying. They had more love and compassion for me, and knew me far better than my dad ever did.

The other folder was on Benjamin Adler, a thick case file from Florida. He was the eleven-year-old son of James Adler, a convicted serial killer in Florida. A nagging sensation washed over me the second I laid eyes on that file. I found a couple of pictures of him and his mother inside, including an article cut from a local newspaper that his mother swallowed a bottle of pills which ended her life after her husband was sentenced to serve a life in prison without parole. Benjamin Adler was sent to Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, to live with his grandparents. Unfortunately for young Ben, his grandparents were in a fatal accident one day while he was in school. With no other relatives, Maura Hendricks was the social worker assigned to his case.

Just three years after she tried to fuck me over.

Jason and I suspect Benjamin Adler became Benjamin Cromwell, as Cromwell was the last name of his deceased grandparents. We headed back to my truck to do some research on the laptop when Bryce called.

I tune into the conversation when Jason puts Bryce on speakerphone. “Abby wasn’t in labor. She experienced Braxton Hick contractions from dehydration and stress. They will be discharging her soon. Right now she’s drinking water, then they’ll be checking her vitals and urine levels again. Once she’s hydrated, we’ll be out of here.”

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