| |
Mia had a difficult time getting things to come into focus. She was still nauseous from whatever he used to knock her out with. She tried to recall the last thing she could remember.
She had been surprised to find him standing there when she answered the door. She couldn’t remember the last time she had talked to him. It was probably before she graduated high school. She remembered the rag he put over her mouth and the sweet smell. She tried not to breathe it in, but he held her with such force she didn’t have a choice. She blacked out almost immediately.
She couldn’t believe he may be the one responsible for murdering these people. She had a hard time understanding why.
She heard him enter the room, “Good, you’re awake. I’m sorry I had to drug you. I didn’t want to but I couldn’t take the chance that you wouldn’t hear me out.”
“Why? Why are you doing this? Why did you kill all those innocent people?”
He looked at her as if she should already know the answer to that question, “The world around you was impure. I needed to cleanse the sinners’ souls.”
“Those people didn’t know me. How did killing them help my world?”
He glared at her with an intensity that chilled her to her core. “Those people needed to be set free from everlasting damnation. They were sinners! They needed to be cleansed so they could be saved. I did this for you. I didn’t want your world tainted with their evil ways. God personally selected me to do this mission. My plan was to surprise you when you were living in New Orleans, but when you saw me, you screamed and your neighbor called the police. I knew they wouldn’t understand why I was there, and then God told me it was for the best, that my work was not done yet.”
She stared at him in disbelief, “That was you in my apartment?”
“Yes. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I was ready to be a part of your life. I never thought you would move back home, and I was surprised when you did. But God told me I had to finish ridding the world of sinners before I could make you mine. I couldn’t wait to finish eradicating the world of sinners though, there are just too many. I need to have you; I can’t wait any longer.”
She couldn’t believe what he was telling her, “Are you truly so demented that you think I am glad you are killing people?”
He yelled at her, spittle flying from his mouth. “I did this for you - so we could be together!”
She exclaimed, “You murdered innocent people!”
“Death was the only way to set their souls free.”
Mia could see the anger flaring in his eyes, and she regretted upsetting him. His face contorted, becoming almost monster like. Maybe she should have coddled him. She just couldn’t accept that he killed people for her. It was terrifying to watch him switch moods so quickly. One minute he was calm and the next he had the look of the devil about him.
“You need to let me go. People will wonder where I am.”
A demonic laugh erupted from his chest. “They won’t find you. Your boyfriend can’t even figure out that I am the one responsible for setting these sinners free.”
“Don’t underestimate him. He’ll find out who you are and come rescue me. He’s smarter than you are. You are just a psycho with a few too many screws loose.”
She realized that she had gone too far. He was furious with her. Moving quickly, he lifted her into the air as his hand closed around her throat. With her hands restrained behind her, she couldn’t fight him. She gasped for air as his hand gripped her throat even tighter.
He let her go, dropping her to the floor unmercifully. No sooner than she hit the ground, his shoe connected with her stomach, sending an intense sharp pain throughout her body. As he stomped on her right leg, she heard the sound of bone breaking and the agonizing pain became unbearable. This man in front of her was stark raving mad. Slipping into unconsciousness, she heard him saying, “You are mine now. You belong to me. I can’t allow you to leave me, ever!”
***
CHAD HEARD HIS PHONE ringing and noticed the bakery’s phone number on the caller id, “Miss me already.”
“Chad, it's Shelly. I take it that Mia isn’t with you then.”
Apprehension built in his gut, “No, she was getting ready to head to the bakery when I left this morning. She mentioned needing to pay some bills before heading out. She’s not there?”
“No, she usually opens up for me, but she hasn’t shown up yet. I don’t mind handling the shop, but it is really busy this morning. Plus, I’m getting worried about her. It’s not like Mia not to call if she plans on being late. I tried her cell phone, but it went to voice mail.”
Chad didn’t like the sound of this. “I’m going to her house right now. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
When Chad arrived at Mia’s house, he noticed her car was still in the driveway. He was terrified of what he may find in her house. He could not dismiss the possibility that Mia may be injured or even worse.
He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Trying the handle, it was still locked from when he left this morning. He tried her cell phone one more time, but there was no answer. He was getting worried. He walked to the backyard, and the back door was also locked. Worried that something had happened to Mia, he broke the window in the back door and let himself in. He called out, “Mia, I’m sorry about the window. I’ll have it fixed.”
The house remained eerily silent. Cupping both hands around his mouth, he yelled, “Mia? Mia, come on, this isn’t funny.” He clung to hope that he would find her in the bathroom getting ready for work. The further he looked around, hope quickly vanished that Mia was somewhere inside safe and sound. His eyes were misty and throat tight as he thought about the possibility that Mia had been abducted. Where could she be?
As he continued to search the house; there was no sign of her or a struggle. He proceeded carefully though, not wanting to contaminate the scene. He would have forensics comb the house in case there were fingerprints they could lift. He felt like an intruder. It didn’t matter that he had been in her house numerous times, right now he felt as if he was an uninvited guest peeking in on Mia. It was almost as if he was desecrating her private domain. For several minutes, he just stared out the kitchen window. He didn’t even notice the activity on the bayou. Then it dawned on him, what if the intruder came in from the bayou and left the same way. He rushed down to the marsh to see if he noticed anything unusual. He saw that the reeds were crushed at the bank of the bayou, almost as if a small boat had been pushed ashore. He had to get forensics out here.
Panic set in. He didn’t know what he would do without Mia. He loved being around her, the smell of her hair, the feel of her body pressed against his.
As the realization that the serial killer may have abducted Mia set in, he became paralyzed with fear. His phone ringing snapped him out of it. It was Sheriff Riley, “I take it she isn’t at home.”
Letting out an exasperated sigh, “No, sir. We need to get forensics here ASAP. I want the entire house dusted for prints. Also, it looks as if the abductor may have come in through the bayou. I want this checked out too.”
“Don’t worry son, we will find her. We have every officer and detective working on this case. I will have forensics out there pronto and we’ll put a rush on any evidence we find. Do you have any leads?”
“Nothing definite yet. Jo and I were following up on some information we got from Caroline Guilliot’s friends in New Orleans. Turns out you were right. Several women have turned up missing. They said that it could be weeks at a time before another one disappeared, sometimes almost a month. Jo and I believe we are looking at an oil rig worker. That would fit the timeline. One girl saw a man standing in the shadows, not approaching anyone but just staring. She also mentioned that he drove an older Dodge truck and when she walked by him he smelled. I asked her to meet with a sketch artist and one went up today to talk with her. Hopefully he will be back soon.”
Sheriff Riley asked, “So you think Mia’s disappearance has something to do with the killer?”
Picou was considering this possibility ever since Shelly called him. What was the chance that another person abducted Mia? “It is a bizarre coincidence, but Mia doesn’t fit the killer’s profile. I hope he isn't evolving.”
Sheriff Riley gave further instructions to Picou, “I want you and Melancon to keep me informed every hour on the hour. I don’t care if it is just to say no leads. I want to make sure y’all are okay.”
Picou stated, “Yes, sir, understood. Please let me know as soon as the sketch artist arrives.”
“I will call you immediately. Now if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Let’s catch this bastard.”
Picou hoped that the sketch artist hurried back. He wanted to waste as little precious time as possible. Each second was crucial if they were going to find Mia alive. He was terrified of what may happen to her if they didn’t find out who this maniac was.
Picou didn’t want to think about what Mia may be going through at this minute. He had to think like a cop and not a lover. Usually abductors started out by antagonizing their victims first. Crazed killers loved to taunt and tease like a cat with a mouse before moving in for the kill. They derived just as much pleasure from psychological torture as they did physical.
If Mia had any hopes of survival, she needed to keep her feelings under tight control and not let fear take over.
Picou was at the police station when the sketch artist arrived at the precinct. Forensics had already finished at Mia’s house, finding nothing that would help them locate her.
Sheriff Riley and Detectives Melancon and Picou studied the picture. Sheriff Riley informed them, “I’ll be damned, it’s Carl Ledet. There is no doubt about it either. He fits your profile too. He runs his shrimp boat whenever he isn’t working offshore. If he’s not shrimping, then he’s crabbing or fishing. He lives alone in his mom’s parents’ old house. They died several years back and left it to him. Carl is a loner, keeps to himself. Your informant is right - he’s a big, burly man.”
Picou was anxious to get out the door and rescue Mia, “What’s his address.”
“1526 Bayou Road.” Putting his hand on Picou’s shoulder, he informed him, “Let’s do this right son. We don’t want to go over there half cocked.”
“Sheriff, if he has her, we don’t know how long before he plans on killing her. He may already have. I’ve got to get over there.”
Sheriff Riley instructed him, “Son, it won’t take us anytime to get you back up over there. You and Jo head out, backup and ambulances will be right behind you. I will contact the Coast Guard just in case his shrimp boat is already on the water.”
Picou felt the dread building in his gut. He hoped the boat was still at the dock. If he was out on the water, then Mia’s chance of survival was grim.
It took less than fifteen minutes to make it to Carl Ledet’s house. It looked like the other century old houses in the area, most of which hadn’t seen fresh paint or repairs in a decade. The original asbestos shingles still hung on the sides of the house, severely weathered and peeling paint lined the outside of the house. Several shingles were missing, showing the black tar paper underneath. There were mature oak trees outlining the property with cedar and cypress trees lining the back.
Carl didn’t care for lawn maintenance, and it looked like his neighbors shared the same sentiment. The lawns were overrun with weeds and dandelions. There were thistle bushes almost four feet tall in some areas. In the back of the house at the old dock sat the shrimp boat. He said a quick novena that Mia was okay. They had to split up, not knowing if Carl was on the boat or in the house. Melancon and her team would take the house and Picou would take the boat.
With warrant in hand, Melancon and Picou checked their weapons one more time before forcing their way in. They didn’t want to give Chad the chance to run. The element of surprise was always a great advantage in this type of situation. They did not want to give him the chance to kill Mia, if she was still alive, before she could be rescued.
His gut clenched as the intense Louisiana sun beat down on his neck. A fine mist rose from the water as they made their way to the boat. The dank smell of the bayou permeated his senses. Apprehension grew deep inside him the closer he got to the boat, unsure of what he would find.