Their relationship was new, but the love she felt for them both was already too strong and too powerful to give up, even though she was thinking that giving them up could save their lives.
* * * *
The week had passed and more information was coming in from an area outside of Delite called Cellar County. There had been a series of arsons there a year or two ago, and in almost all the fires there were remains of bodies left behind and all female. As Detective Louis spoke with a detective from the department, they started to think that their killer and arsonist was the same as the one in Delite.
Detective Louis was waiting for the files to come through as he sat in the office, updating Tyler and the sheriff.
“So you think this is the same guy?” the sheriff asked Detective Louis as Tyler looked over the fire inspector’s reports.
“It’s the same MO and same concrete connections. The only difference is the lapse in time between the last fire in Cellar County and the first one here in Delite,” Detective Louis stated.
“Fuck. I can’t believe that no one picked up on this. It’s like the guy disappeared,” the sheriff stated.
“Maybe the arsonist thought the detectives were getting closer to figuring out who he was? It states here that the accelerant was turpentine, just like our arson cases,” Tyler said.
“The detective I spoke to had a feeling that the suspect didn’t live in the community but liked it there. He also felt that he or she was involved in a profession where they used turpentine on a regular basis so it was accessible and they might be involved with fire regularly. They had knowledge of the results they would get in setting the fires a certain way and in specific locations.”
“Shit, that leaves everyone from painters, builders, and carpenters to officers and firefighters,” Tyler stated.
“That’s it! That’s it right there. A firefighter. That could very well be a route we should investigate or even someone waiting on a list to get onto the fire department. A firefighter has special training and knows how to set blazes and what an arson investigator looks for. He never messed with any wiring or electrical units to make it seem like the fires were accidental. He set them using the accelerants which ignite quickly, spread rapidly and cause the most damage,” Detective Louis stated then rose from his chair.
“What about some of these guys who are waiting to get hired who take on odd jobs like painting or construction?” the sheriff added.
“I can check with Matt to see if he’s heard anything in that department.”
“I can check our list of potential persons of interest that I came up with after questioning Paula, the women at Dixie Chix, and Carole and Marla. There were also some fairly general descriptions from eyewitnesses who saw a man leaving the trailer park in a hurry, but they couldn’t identify him,” Louis stated.
Just then the sheriff’s cell phone rang.
“What’s that? I’m putting you on speaker, Monte.” The sheriff pressed the button on his cell phone.
“Yeah, I was working on figuring out the surveillance video that the stalker set up in Paula’s apartment. As I was rewiring the new security system, I came across a hidden wire that leads up to the rooftop. Anyway, there’s a direct signal. It’s still active.”
“What the fuck does that mean, Monte? We’re not familiar with that technical talk,” Detective Louis stated, and Tyler was thinking the same thing.
“It means that I can get a direct hit and pinpoint an exact location where this signal is coming from.”
“Holy shit. Get on it and let us know.” The sheriff pulled the phone off speaker as Monte filled him in on the details.
“Let’s go over this list and see what we’ve got. His brother may just give us an exact location and name of our suspect,” Detective Louis stated.
Tyler felt his stomach ache and his worry for Paula increase. She was at the club, helping to do inventory with Alexa, and assured him and Matt that she would be safe behind the locked doors in the basement.
As they went over the list, numerous names stood out to him. He knew a lot of these guys. He saw most as just fun guys who liked to have a good time who were single and looking for action. But one in particular wouldn’t leave his thoughts. He kept scanning back across the paper and thinking about what Detective Louis had said about firefighter, builder, or painter. Something was nagging his gut. He just couldn’t ease it no matter how hard he tried to focus on the other information.
A while later, the phone rang, and the precinct erupted in chaos.
* * * *
“Okay, so I’m totally jealous, Paula. Matt and Tyler are way hot, and they totally adore you. It’s awesome,” Alexa stated as she counted the bottles of tequila that lined the shelf in the basement. Paula knelt on the floor, looking into a box of newly delivered peanuts in sealed bags.
“I still can’t believe that we’re together. It’s been crazy, especially since I didn’t think they knew I existed.”
“Oh, they knew all right. They had been watching you for a while. They make you happy, huh?”
Paula smiled. “They sure do.”
“Shit. I don’t remember if Sally put the new box of vodka upstairs in the center bar or if we need to order more.”
“I’ll go check. You continue or we’ll be here all morning,” Paula stated then smiled.
“Great. I’ll start on the next box.”
Paula headed through the long basement and up toward the back staircase. Just as she made it to the first step, she felt the hand cover her mouth from behind and the sharp object against her throat.
“Make a noise and I’ll kill Alexa.”
Paula froze and wouldn’t move. She wouldn’t let Alexa get hurt. The stalker. This was the arsonist and killer.
“Move,” he whispered, and slowly she climbed the stairs. As they reached the top floor, he turned her right toward the back door. Just as they headed that way, she caught a glimpse of Susanna standing near the bar area talking with Carl. “I’ll kill them just like I killed the others.”
They exited the door and she began to struggle.
“You caused me nothing but trouble, and you’ll be making up for it, Paula, starting as soon as we get home.”
He opened his trunk, and she struggled to get free. The blade from the knife hit her arm and she felt her skin open up. He lifted her and threw her inside as she tried to fight and get out. He punched her in the mouth and she fell backward, but not before she saw her attacker’s face.
Jimmy?
* * * *
“What the hell is going on?” the sheriff asked as the door to the office swung open. Deputy Tommy Ollsen was there.
“Sheriff, Paula’s been taken from Dixie Chix. We just got a call from Susanna.”
“What?” Tyler yelled as he hurried out the door, and everyone followed.
It was a race to get there and question Alexa and Susanna. The men hadn’t a clue and after about twenty minutes or so they realized that they had no choice but to start going over their list of suspects and go knocking on their doors.
“These four men live within five blocks of one another. I say we start in that cluster. We can split up if need be, but this is our best method,” Detective Louis stated.
Just then, Matt entered the club. “What the fuck happened?”
Tyler explained.
“Let’s move,” the sheriff commanded, and both Matt and Tyler headed out with him.
“So you really think these guys might be the one? Fuck, man, I was so worried about leaving her that I left a job to get here to see her and make sure that she was okay.”
“I know, man. This is insane. We should have stuck to our guns and made her stay with us,” Tyler added.
They got to the first house and Tyler and Matt had to wait while the sheriff, Detective Louis, and their deputies followed procedure. It was torture, waiting to see if they had the right guy. As a man and a woman, half dressed, came toward the front door with the sheriff, they knew that he wasn’t their guy.
“One down,” the sheriff stated.
* * * *
Her jaw hurt and her arm wouldn’t stop bleeding, no matter how hard she tried to apply pressure. She was shaking in fear, and her heart pounded inside of her chest. Jimmy was her stalker. He was the arsonist and killer. It made sense now because he knew so much about fire. He was a firefighter in Cellar County. She remembered him mentioning that when she was looking at the vase in town and he offered to pay for it.
My God, how could I not see this coming?
He was obsessed with her and even tried to apologize and blame his actions on alcohol. She thought back to how many times he’d asked her out or come over to her to flirt or touch her. She thought about the last time and how he and his friends started touching her and how Tyler and Matt broke it up. Oh God! Tyler and Matt. Would they be looking for her by now? At least Alexa and Susanna were safe, but how was she going to get away from Jimmy?
She felt the tears sting her eyes. She was a weak person. Men like this always controlled and dominated her by using her fear against her. Why was this happening to her? Why now when she had finally met two men she loved. Tyler and Matt were everything she could have ever hoped for in boyfriends. Even though their sexual needs initially scared the crap out of her and were difficult at times to provide for, they made her see the care and love in their actions and ultimately her pleasure and sexual satisfaction. She now craved their dominance and control. She wanted their arms around her, protecting her, and now this asshole was ruining it for her.
He’d killed so many women. He’d burned those buildings, the hotel, and the trailer homes. He’d threatened Tyler and Matt, and he’d made her feel helpless.
I can’t do this. I can’t fight him off.
The car stopped abruptly and she knew she couldn’t give up. She was alone, and Tyler, Matt, and even the sheriff may not know she was gone yet. She had to take matters into her own hands despite the possibility of dying. She wouldn’t allow this guy to have her. No way.
As the trunk opened, she threw all her weight toward Jimmy, making him stumble back. But as he reached for her, her rib hit the metal bumper and she tumbled to the ground, knocking her breath from her.
As she scurried away, she felt the kick to her side, and her body flipped over like a sack of potatoes.
He kicked her again with his pointed cowboy boot. She screamed out in pain.
“Don’t fight me, Paula. I will fuck you dead or alive. I’d prefer alive so I can hear you scream, but I won’t let the decision be yours.”
He grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up. He was tall, over six feet, and thin but muscular.
He dragged her across the dirt driveway, and as she glanced around while holding his hands to try to ease his grip so her hair wasn’t ripped from the roots, she noticed the empty area and one single house done up nicely. That must be a neighbor’s home.
She screamed for help.
“Help me!”
He threw her down on the concrete steps. Her mouth hit the step, cutting her lip.
“Shut up. There’s no one around. No one is gonna find us.”
He lifted her up and carried her into the small shack. It wasn’t a house. It appeared as an extra-large shed. When he got her inside, she saw the large mattress, her pictures scattered like wallpaper along the wooden plank walls, and also ropes, knives, and other weapons.
He threw her onto the floor next to the mattress.
“Get undressed now.”
She stared at him, her arm bleeding, her lips slit and bleeding as well, and fear gripped her insides. Her teeth began to chatter, no matter how hard she tried to stop them.
“Why are you doing this, Jimmy? What do you want?”
He backhanded her across the mouth, and she nearly fell over.
“You’re mine, bitch! Do as I say or there’ll be hell to pay.”
With shaking fingers, she reached for her blouse and pretended like she was going to unbutton it. His eyes glossed over, and he cupped his crotch as he licked his lips, focusing on her fingers.
She charged him, shouldering him in the stomach, making him lose his balance. She saw the opened doorway and ran for it and pulled open the door. He gripped her shoulder, yanked her, and sent her flying backward. Her back and head hit the hard ground. She saw stars a moment but couldn’t coordinate her moves. Strong arms reached for her, and she swatted them away as she cried out for help.
She felt each punch and kick. He tore her shirt from her body and dragged her by her hair backward the entire distance she had run only a few moments ago. She screamed and cried and pleaded for him to release her as she used what little strength she had to push on her feet so the pain from his grip wouldn’t burn so badly.
“You are mine now, bitch. You are going to learn to listen and obey me. I’ve waited too long for you, and today you’re going to be completely mine.”
He grabbed her by the throat, and she stared into his evil, bloodshot eyes. She could hardly breathe and her body and face were bloody and sore.
“Lay on the mattress like a good girl, or I swear I’ll knock you out.”
She shivered from the pain and the fear combined.