Sam thought twice about leaving Molly’s car at the trailhead parking lot, but he didn’t know which car was actually hers. He had taken the keys out of her pocket before rolling her in through the van’s side door. Several miles from the trail, as he zigzagged through random neighborhoods, he pulled over and deposited the keys into a curbside garbage can. Then he continued toward home.
With a short grunt, he snugged the last strap over her body. “There, that should do it for now. I’ll get back to you later.” Sam turned off the light, crossed the garage, and went back into the house. The GHB would wear off in a few hours, but he wouldn’t begin the blood draw until later that night. He wanted all of the drug out of Molly’s system before he transfused her blood into his mother. He rapped on Adeline’s bedroom door with his fist.
“Come in, honey.”
The door creaked open, and he poked his head through. “How are you doing, Mom?”
“Good enough. The transfer is complete. Come on in and sit with me for a while.”
He opened the door fully and walked through. “I’ll get that IV bag disconnected. Did you watch your soaps?”
“Sure did, then I watched a crime show. I’m starting to get hungry, though. What time is it?”
“It’s after four o’clock. I’m going to start dinner soon. How about hot dogs and macaroni and cheese?”
“We’re running out of money, aren’t we? I’m sorry I’m too weak to work.”
Sam swatted the air as if to dismiss her comment. “Don’t worry about it, Mom. I have other ideas of how to support us. It’ll be fine.” He turned toward the door. “I’m going to start dinner, but do you need help getting to the bathroom first?”
“Please, if you don’t mind.”
Five minutes later, and after Sam helped her out of the bathroom, Adeline sat at the kitchen table in her wheelchair. Sam made a cup of tea and placed it in front of her. He began making dinner.
“So what did you do this afternoon?” she asked.
“I needed to find a new person to bring home. She’s sleeping it off in the workroom.”
“Sam, you’re going to get caught, and it just isn’t right.”
“As soon as the state health insurance accepts you, I’ll stop. The killing will end, and nobody will be the wiser. We’ll get back on our feet, I promise, even if it’s in an apartment.”
“What’s your plan?”
Sam stood at the stove and stirred the milk into the drained noodles. With the cheese powder package open, he sprinkled it over the saucepan and began stirring. The water rolled to a boil in the pan to his right, and he dropped four hot dogs into it.
“Sam, I asked you a question.”
“I’m still researching it but—”
“But what?”
“But there’s no reason to let the women die. I’ll keep them alive and sell their blood.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No, Mom, I’m not.” He tapped the spoon against the pan, turned the burner to low, and set the spoon on the counter. “I’ve researched this. There’s actually an enormous market for blood, especially Type O Positive, which is a universal donor.”
Adeline sipped her tea. “I imagine there is, but are you going to ask what blood type a person has before you snatch them? Plus, that’s a black market enterprise. How would you get involved in that to begin with? And how do you know it wouldn’t be a trap?”
“Like I said, I’m figuring it out, but I know one thing for sure. If there isn’t a body for the cops to find, I’m less likely to get caught.”
“So what are you saying? You’ll keep live women here in the house and harvest their blood?”
He pulled two plates from the cupboard, scooped up a heaping spoonful of macaroni and cheese, and placed it on the first plate with two hot dogs. He carried the plate to the table and set it in front of his mom. “We’ll see. I haven’t made a firm decision yet. Do you want me to cut the hot dogs for you?”
“I’ll cut them myself. I can still manage that.”
After dinner, Sam stacked the dishwasher and wiped the table. He checked the time on the microwave as he passed by. Adeline sat comfortably on the couch, watching TV, so she was set for a while. Sam had been home for several hours. From his calculations of how much GHB Molly had ingested, she should be waking up by now. He was sure he’d hear her screams soon enough.
“I’m going to check on our guest, Mom. I’ll be right back.”
Sam exited the kitchen through the laundry room and took the cement steps into the garage. He hit the light switch and crossed the garage to the workroom. With the junk gone and the walls well insulated, that room was used almost entirely for draining his victims’ blood, which would then be given to his mom.
The rusty hinges creaked as he opened the door and turned on the light. He stared at the table, where straps dangled near the floor on either side. It took a minute for Sam to compute what he was seeing. Had he really snatched a girl on the trails that day, or was he confused? What day of the week was it? There was no way in hell she could have escaped, yet she had. Molly was her name. He remembered that clearly now as he noticed two empty water bottles on the floor. Sam spun and looked at the chair in the corner. Her clothes and lime-green running shoes had been stacked there. Now they were gone. Only her underwear remained.
She had been there—he wasn’t imagining it—but somehow she’d gotten away.