Page 1 of What's Left of Me

PROLOGUE

BNN News Outlet:“The body of a woman appearing to be in her early twenties was found today in Reisling Field at around seven this morning. Sources are saying she was dressed as what they can only assume was a doll. Dead flowers surrounded her body, and moving her has been difficult. More information on this story as it comes to light.”

One month later

BNN News Outlet:“A startling discovery came this morning when the body of a young man was found beside Franklin Fountain. Much like Kimberly Henning, who was found last month in Reisling Field, he was dressed to look like a doll—or puppet. Dead flowers surrounded his body. As we found out after Kimberly’s autopsy a few weeks ago, the bones in her body were broken and it’s assumed the same here and that whoever killed her is likely behind this death as well. More to come.”

One month later

BNN News Outlet:“It was a frightening morning as yet another body was found, killed the same way as Kimberly Henning and Richard Bells: dressed as a doll or puppet, posed on the ground, with dead flowers surrounding his body. A woman jogging in Billings Park came upon the man a little after six a.m. The mayor and police commissioner are holding a press conference this afternoon at Town Hall. This is the third victim of what the media is referring to as The Broken-Doll Killer, while others are calling them the Marionette Maker. What we’ve uncovered is that before their discoveries, Kimberly Henning and Richard Bells had been missing for six months to the day, and every bone in their bodies had been broken postmortem. What did these victims suffer through in their months of captivity? And will the authorities catch this serial killer before they strike again?”

Two Months Later

BNN News Outlet:“This morning, at about seven thirty, the body of Rochelle Hammer was detected, displayed just as Kimberly Henning, Richard Bells, and Henry Miller were. After no bodies were uncovered last month, we all held on to hope that the brutal murders had ended. Sadly, that’s not the case. Rochelle Hammer’s body was found by a staff member outside the main entrance of Mayfield Children’s Museum. She was dressed as a puppet and was surrounded by dead flowers. What we know so far about The Broken-Doll Killer is that they take their victims, hold them for six months to the day, and then display them publicly in a haunting manner, bones broken, yet made to look perfect. Authorities have no leads, and theonly connection anyone seems to have found regarding these victims is that they were all in their early twenties, in very good shape, and they were what many are referring to as beautiful people. Who is killing these young, beautiful, vibrant people? The mayor will speak tonight at Town Hall at six p.m.”

Three weeks Later

BNN News Outlet:“A remarkable rescue happened this afternoon. Two hikers came across a shack in the mountains, where they’d hurried in to escape a sudden rainstorm. Inside, they stumbled upon a man who’d been reported missing a little over three months ago. That is all the information being released at this time; for his safety, the man’s name won’t be announced. And what are they protecting him from? Sources say this young man was kidnapped by The Broken-Doll Killer. This is the biggest break in the case, and authorities hope this young man can help them finally put an end to these heinous murders.”

CHAPTER ONE

Noel

“You’re going into the shop?”

I grabbed my bag, hauled it onto my shoulder, and faced my twin brother, Nick. “I am. The security cameras are outdated, and there are blind spots in the alley behind the store.”

He nodded. “Okay, well, Four asked me to drop him off there, but since you’re going, can you do it?”

We’d rescued Four two years ago. He’d been born into this world to be molded into an assassin, and he’d pretty much been in the thick of that until JJ, Shep’s partner, had found him dirty and covered in blood. We’d helped him, fought back—which had almost killed JJ—and now he was family…and not-so-secretly dating Lizzy, who worked at our shop, Saintly Sweets.

“Sure.”

“Great. I’m going to be out for the day. Matt is taking me on an all-day date.” My brother’s face broke into a grin. He and Matt had been together for over a year and were stupidly in love. We’d helped Matt with a stalker, who’d turned out to be hislandlord, and he’d been living in our big-ass house for the same amount of time.

“Have fun.”

I followed him out; he went through the front door and I went toward the kitchen, where Four was sitting with Mason and JJ, finishing his breakfast.

“Morning.” I placed my bag on the counter and poured myself some coffee. “Four, I’m headed to the shop, and I told Nick I’d take you.”

“Okay.” Four wasn’t much of a talker, and it was rare that he showed much emotion unless he was talking to Lizzy. Then, it was as if he were a totally different person.

“Shep is there; he had to drop some things off, and he’s baking. I’ll be there later, so if you’re still hooking up your cameras or whatever and Four wants to leave, I can bring him back,” JJ offered.

Another thing—Four didn’t drive. Not for any reason other than he didn’t want to. Which, for the most part, none of us minded but we all hoped that one day he’d latch on to it and decide to learn.

“Sounds good.” I drained my coffee, rinsed my mug, and put it in the dishwasher. “Ready, Four?” I grabbed my bag, and he followed me out to my car.

Saintly Sweets was the family bakery. It was a guise for our not-so-legal business. We helped people when everything else they’d tried had failed. Minus Four and Matt, who we’d taken no payment for, we did pretty well. We didn’t take out ads so if a client came to us, they’d come because someone we trusted had given them our info.

While it masked our other work, it really was one of the best bakeries ever and that had to do with that Viking of a man, Shepard Saint. If you looked at him, you wouldn’t think he loved making cupcakes and brownies, but he did.

The main area of the store was managed by Lizzy. She’d begun here while she was in high school. Now she was in college but worked after classes and anytime we needed her. We weren’t sure if she knew what me and my brothers did on the side, but she wasn’t dumb and I would bet Four had told her at some point.

Darby worked with her. She was a spunky, colorful woman with a smile for anyone. We had a few high school kids that filled in now, and it was going pretty smoothly for us.

I entered the bakery through the back, and Four didn’t waste a minute; he went through the door that led to the front of the store to see Lizzy.

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