Page 42 of Dark Visions

Kane watched his friend smile at Aislinn, and a stab of jealousy filled his chest. He had no right, he hadn’t put a ring on Aislinn’s finger, but he would remedy that situation soon.

“So, you guys needed my help? What can I do for you?”

Kane detailed the situation as best he could without giving away Aislinn’s, or any of the team’s, secrets. He knew that Spook could be trusted, but he didn’t want to take any chances this early on. He gave every detail of the murders and where they believed they occurred, as well as the young woman and Dr. Krauss being involved.

Spook tapped away on his keyboard, taking notes of everything Kane told him. No detail was unimportant.

“What’s the girl’s full name?” he asked. Kane pulled the sheet of paper from his pocket, handing it to Spook.

“Deborah Cook. She’s in the master’s program for psychology at the university.” Spook nodded and tapped away on his computer.

The waitress came over to the table and asked for their orders, giving a list of specials that made Aislinn’s mouth water.

“I’ll have the grilled Caesar salad and a root beer,” said Aislinn.

“Lasagna for me, and I’ll have a light beer,” said Adam.

“Spaghetti Bolognese and a beer,” said Kane.

“Same for me,” said Spook.

“And you, handsome?” asked the waitress, staring down at Flip. He grinned up at her and winked.

“Are you ready? I’ll have the lasagna with a side of meatballs, but I’ll start with a bowl of minestrone and some cheese bread, and then I’ll top it off with tiramisu.”

“Okay then,” she said, smiling. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

“Dude, you seriously are going to have heartburn for days,” said Adam.

“Nah, I’ll be hungry again by the time I get home.”

“I found her,” said Spook. “Deborah Ann Cook. Twenty-five years old, a native of Chicago but moved out here about three years ago after the deaths of her parents and sister.”

“I do not have a good feeling about this,” said Aislinn quietly.

“Trust your instincts,” said Spook in a low voice. “The family was found murdered, mutilated with a butcher knife that was left at the scene. Deborah was the only survivor, claiming she was out all night with friends. Conveniently, none of the friends could say for certain she was with them at the time of the deaths, but video surveillance cameras had her going into a club and not coming out until two a.m.”

“A real peach, that one,” said Adam sarcastically.

“The parents didn’t have a lot of money, a modest life insurance policy, but they owned a large home in a prime real estate market. She immediately sold the home and moved. She had three roommates her first year of college. All requested another room due to her excessive partying and ‘strange behavior,’ although it doesn’t say what that means.”

“Go on,” said Kane.

“She was arrested for public intoxication her senior year. Nothing strange about that, except it was outside a private club,The Switch.”

“Let me guess, wife swapping?” said Kane.

“That and more.The Switchis known for their underground world of S&M. This isn’t the shit you see in the romantic movies and books of wrist tying and spanking. This is hardcore.”

“What do you mean?” asked Aislinn softly. All eyes turned to her as if they forgot she was even there. Adam blushed, and Flip looked away for a moment. “I’m not a child. What does that mean?”

“Well, they… it’s pretty sick, Aislinn. It’s not just spankings but beatings, intentionally. They use things to make the experience painful.”

“I see,” she said, blushing and swallowing. “And this woman, Deborah, she likes this type of place?”

“It appears so,” said Spook. “She was arrested outside the club, and the police found bruises, redness, and lacerations all over her body. They think she might have been drinking to numb the pain.”

“So, she likes pain but does she like giving pain?” she asked.

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