It was after midnight when Cody pulled up in front of the cabin. While discussing the case with Jilly, he’d learned all the victims had been alive when tossed in the water. What a horrible way to die.
Not that having every bone in your body smashed with a hammer or having your nails ripped out was a picnic. Of all the cases he’d worked to date, this one was definitely up there as far as abominating details.
This UNSUB truly enjoyed inflicting pain.
Cody had just reached the front door when he got that prickly feeling again. He turned around and surveyed the yard. The porch light’s beam reached just past the driveway. The trees surrounding the property left many shadows.
Behind the cabin and across the street was the national forest. He walked down the steps slowly, scanning in all directions. His hand gripped the butt of his gun.
He never liked the feeling of being out of control and that’s what was going on here. Someone was following him and he was going to find out who. He walked further out into the yard, yet there was no sound.
No leaves crackling. No twigs snapping. Whoever it was, they were patient. Cody backed toward the house and up the stairs. Without turning completely he unlocked the door and slipped into the cabin.
He left the porch light on, but shut off the inside lights, then snuck up to the window and peered out the side of the curtain. He watched the yard and waited. He could stay there all night if he had to. Suddenly he sensed someone behind him. In one swift move, he drew his gun and spun around.
Jilly let herself in the house and went through her normal routine. She opened the coat closet and something flew at her. The impact shoved her backward and she screamed. She landed face-up on the hardwood floor and her body slid a couple of feet.
The cat yowled, used her breasts as a springboard and scurried away.
“What the hell, Cleo, you scared the bejesus out of me. It’s not my fault you got locked in the closet you stupid cat.”
Jilly’s chest burned with pain. She lifted her shirt and surveyed the damage. She’d been clawed pretty good. Little droplets of blood rose on her skin.
“Thanks a lot,” she mumbled.
She picked herself up and unbuttoned her blouse right away. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was scrub out bloodstains. Her heart drummed double time. Her hand shook as she removed her gun.
It was so bad that it took her two tries to type her code into the safe. After she hung up her jacket, she retired to her room. She shrugged out of her blouse and inspected it. A couple of red drops dotted the material.
She sat down on the chair by the door and removed her boots. She stood and slipped out of her pants. In stocking feet, she padded down the hall to the laundry room. Selecting cold water, she began to fill the washer and added liquid detergent.
After spraying the stains with spot remover and working it in, the shirt followed. She was about to drop in her pants when the heft alerted her she hadn’t removed her cell phone from the pocket.
“Now that would have been just great.”
She took the phone out and set it on the dryer before she tossed the pants on top of her blouse. Jilly waited until the washer undulated a couple of times before she stopped the machine to let her clothes soak.
“She was too exhausted for a bath tonight, so she opted for a shower. She shut herself inside the bathroom and turned on the wall heater, then the shower itself to warm up.
After stepping under the hot spray, she sighed. She tilted her head toward the nozzle, closed her eyes and let the water cascade over her face, hair and body. Her life had been stressful from the moment Cody arrived.
She didn’t want to be attracted to him and fought it tooth and nail, but it was what it was. Obviously, she wasn’t the only one. The guy charmed the pants off every female within a hundred yard radius, she just had to make sure she kept a tight grip on her own.
His apology tonight had caught her off guard. He made it harder and harder to dislike him. He truly was a dick in high school. She just assumed it was his giant ego.
Women practically dropped at his feet. Then again, he had become the captain of the football team shortly after joining. So men obviously held him in high regard as well. It was damned annoying how he excelled at everything.
At least that’s what she’d thought at the time. Yet the story he’d told tonight came as a big surprise and not just because of the hardships he’d endured. It was more the fact that he was sharing such a deeply personal tale with her.
When he’d mentioned the hurt he’d experienced in regards to his parents kicking him out, the look in his eyes was haunting. She could only imagine how that felt.
Her own upbringing was the complete opposite. She always knew she had her parents love and support. Then again, Jilly had been an overachiever. She got straight A’s, never partied and didn’t date until her senior year.
She remembered the way Marge carried on around Cody. Jilly had never seen the woman blush, or heard her giggle; she didn’t know she had it in her. Marge was a serious, take-charge kind of woman. She ran that station like a drill sergeant. Even Bud had to admit she scared him.
Jilly knew deep down she was out of her depth with this investigation. She didn’t have a clue how to track a serial killer. Her cases had been easy in comparison. The killer was usually someone the victim knew.
The motives were simple; love, or money. But serial killers had no ties to their victims, for the most part they were complete strangers. The reason they killed was for some whacked out notion in their heads.
You can’t make sense out of crazy. And why would anyone want to make a career out of trying? The type of person who chose such a career had to be strong. Cody was a complex man. He was like a turtle, hard exterior with a soft interior hidden deep.
The combination intrigued Jilly.
He probably had a history of breaking up with women before they had a chance to leave him. He hid inside that hard shell to keep from being hurt the way he was when his parents had abandoned him.
Why else would he still be single?
The guy had it all: looks, brains, humor, and a good career. The thought was heartbreaking. But not to the degree she’d risk her own heart. She couldn’t go through that pain again.
She’d just have to continually remind herself of that fact whenever Cody Thomas was in the vicinity. Jilly shut off the shower and grabbed the towel hanging over the stall. As she dried her body, the image of Cody taking his clothes off at the lake flashed through her mind.
She’d never seen a finer male specimen. He’d always been athletic. She wondered what he did now to keep up his physique? Then she remembered the twinkle in his eye when he told her she’d have to take him to dinner before he’d drop his shorts. The thought made her gulp.
Yup, the guy was definitely dangerous.
Jilly put on her thick robe and opened the bathroom door to let out the steam. She towel dried her hair before she used the towel to wipe the condensation from the mirror so she could see while she removed the tangles.
After she blow-dried her hair and brushed her teeth, she was ready for bed. She made her way to the bedroom. The night was chilly, so she opened a drawer in her dresser and pulled out her long johns, the ones with the feet and back flap.
They were forest green with little brown bears and deer all over them, a Christmas present from her parents last year.
She tossed the robe on the bed and plopped down next it.
She gathered one leg in her hands and slipped in her foot, then did the same with her other foot before she stood and pulled her jammies up. She was just buttoning the front when she heard a noise.
Jilly turned and faced the bed. Her eyes scanned the room, nothing was amiss. Then something moved on the bed. It was her robe.
“What the hell?” She lifted the robe carefully, but there was nothing there. Then she realized there was a bump under the covers that still moved. She backed up a step. What should she do?
She couldn’t call the police, she was the police. She’d be a laughing stock if she called for back-up because a wild animal had gotten into her cabin. It was probably just a baby raccoon or a squirrel trying to keep warm.
Maybe it was a cat?
Cleo had been locked in the closet, she wouldn’t have been able to chase the animal away. Maybe she should call animal control, the thing could have rabies. All the hemming and hawing made her anxious.
So she decided to just rip off the covers like a band-aid. She moved to the head of the bed, gripped the bedspread with her right hand and yanked it back fast.
“Shit!”
Right there on her warm flannel sheets a giant rattlesnake rounded. Its tail shivered back and forth. The muscles in its body tensed as it curled tighter and tighter into a ball. Its eyes trained on her. Jilly stood frozen in place, within striking distance.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Her breathing came in shallow pants. Her gun was not an option, she’d have to pass the deadly viper in order to get it. Slowly she inched her way backward, greatly appreciating the slippery surface of the floor.
Every since she’d moved in six months ago, she’d cursed the cold wood floors on her nightly visits to the bathroom. She’d finally bought a pair of slippers she could easily slip into when half asleep.
She’d vowed that one of these day’s she’d cover the room with a nice warm carpet. But at that very moment, she thanked God she hadn’t been able to afford it. In fact, God, while we’re talking, I promise not to cover this beautiful floor if you just get me out of this alive.
Jilly took another step toward the door. The snake watched her every move with rapt attention. Sweat trickled down her forehead and into her eyes, but she didn’t dare lift her hand to wipe it away.
Instead, she blinked away the sting without breaking eye contact with the venomous serpent. Each second felt like hours as her feet skated toward the exit behind her. At last, she could see the doorknob in her peripheral vision. This last part would be tricky.
She estimated the snake was around four feet in length. She couldn’t tell because the damn thing was coiled. She knew nothing about snakes, rattlers in particular. She had no way to know how far they could jump, but she figured it could reach at least a couple of feet.
Common sense told her that if she got to the hospital immediately, she’d probably live. But what if it bit her in the jugular? Whatever she did, it would have to be quick. She reached her hand out slowly toward the knob and watched as the head of the snake followed the movement.
It was all or nothing time.
Jilly grabbed the handle and the snake lunged. It was as if everything were happening in slow motion. The jaws of the beast opened and dripping fangs flew through the air right toward her face.
She screamed and yanked the door as hard as she could. Her feet slipped out from under her and she fell, then rolled across the hall until the wall stopped her progress. She glanced back in time to see the door click shut.
A loud thump resonated against the wood and it shook once.
She lay on the floor, eyes glued to the door as if the snake could magically escape. The heavy staccato of her heartbeat echoing in her ears was deafening. Her breath came and went in labored pants. She stayed there trembling for what seemed like an eternity.