Page 75 of The Hanging Dolls
“And this isn’t the only post he made.”
John Doe had posted on several groups all over social media offering to sell people “exclusive” pictures of the three girls. Two weeks ago, it was only of Lily but after Tara was found dead his list had grown. And now it included Lucy.
Zoe looked like she’d seen a ghost. “What does he mean by unseen and exclusive pictures?”
Her stomach roiled but she fought the urge to do more than just retch. “What does this mean, Aiden?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking hard. “Voyeurism, desensitization to violence, objectification of victims…” He placed his hands on the table, leaning forward. “The profile diverges from what we are looking at—someone who has a childhood regression and is recreating something.”
Her eyes widened. “But there’s a possibility of two killers. So this might be one of them. I’ll get the FBI to track down the IP address.”
“Think they’ll move fast?”
“Simon better.” She grabbed her keys, ignoring Aiden’s lingering gaze.
FORTY-TWO
Silhouettes of birds tapered across the sky. The blue color was melting into a dark gray. Zoe listened to music to drown out the perpetual hum of the city. She swung the grocery bag back and forth, walking past identical-looking blocks of concrete with peeling posters and amateur graffiti. It was a sketchy patch outside downtown. But it was Chicago—she knew this city.
Plus it wasn’t like Zoe hadn’t taken this path before.
Singing along, her steps matched the beat of the music. She was too preoccupied to notice a figure emerge from the shadows. She almost jumped back.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a coat on a hot summer day. His skin was blotchy, his eyes weary. He extended his hand. “You got change?”
She removed her earphones and looked around. No sign of anyone. She hesitated but figured it was better to help him. “Yeah, sure.”
Zoe took out her wallet from her pocket and discreetly opened it, away from his prying eyes. Her hands trembled. She had a lot of cash, expecting to buy more groceries, but the shop was out of stock in a lot of things.
The man’s eyes flashed. He gripped her hand and pulled her closer.
An involuntary scream escaping Zoe’s throat was abruptly cut off. Her heart pounded hard. The bag slipped from her hands and all the groceries rolled out.
She tried wrestling her way out of his unyielding hold. But one arm was around her waist almost crushing her ribs. His other hand was on her mouth. It was difficult to breathe. The scent of something metallic and rotten assaulted her nose.
He was pulling her into the alley with him. Away from the street. Further into darkness and isolation.
I’m going to die. He’s going to touch me and then kill me.
Because the fear of just losing her life wasn’t cruel enough.
We have to tell our daughters to be careful, because no one tells their sons to behave. Be careful, Zoe. Her mother had given her strict instructions when she had moved to the city. Zoe cried and grappled; a sense of doom overcoming her. Suddenly, she froze. She realized why the man was wearing a coat. His shirt was covered in blood.
She bit into his hand and as he released his grip in pain, she shouted, “Help!”
“Bitch!” He smacked her in the jaw and threw her to the ground. Climbing on top of her, he immobilized her legs. He was so heavy. Tears fell down her face. He grabbed her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head.
No. No. Please. No.
“Get off her!” she heard someone growl. Before Zoe could register anything, someone flew at them, slamming into the man and rolled away with him.
Finally she could breathe. Everything happened so quickly. She heard a siren. A cop car had pulled up. An officer was rushing toward her and calling for help. The fading adrenaline left her with shivers. She could heargrunting and crunches. She looked over her shoulder and saw a woman raining punches on the man.
After a few minutes, she stopped and stood up, panting. “Cuff this asshole! Now!”
The officer obeyed. The woman wasn’t in uniform. She was wearing an impressive pantsuit. Her dark face contorted in fury. Her long and straight hair was pulled in a high ponytail. She was tall and imposing and downright terrifying.
Zoe almost recoiled when the woman laid eyes on her.
