INNOCENCE TAKEN
CHAPTER ONE
He straddled her chest—for leverage. His hands tingled as his fingers curled tight. He had to apply just the right amount of pressure. Her jerky movements increased as he squeezed her neck. The girl’s chest hardened under his weight, holding on to the last bit of air in her lungs. The beautiful smoky brown color of her eyes faded, replaced with a dull gray cloud that crept from one side to the other. A gleeful smile tugged at his mouth when red dots popped on the sclera. Her bladder released, announcing the end. His fingers uncurled from her neck, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. He stared down at her as the stillness and quiet of the room engulfed him.
The corners of his mouth twitched as his trip down memory lane was interrupted. He heard the begging from the far side of the room. He stared at the girl he held captive. He’d chosen this one because she resembled HER, but she didn’t live up to his expectations. None did anymore. He wondered if he would ever find another like HER. The one thing all these girls had in common, they all begged—eventually. He turned away and finished the preparations.
***
The thin mattress offered Becca little comfort. Leather straps bound her ankles and wrists to the bed. The slow melodic tune he whistled bounced off the cold concrete walls and pierced her eardrums like a hundred tiny pinpricks. Becca flinched at the sound of the chain hitting the floor as he hooked it to a ring in the ceiling. She closed her eyes. The man didn’t care about her pleas. He had no plans to let her go.
She thought about how she got here. Becca’s parents had given her a reprieve from her month-long grounding and allowed her to go to the mall with her two best friends. They chortled and bounced from store to store as they flirted with all the cute boys. The smell of freshly baked cookies and pretzels wafted through the air. Becca and her friends stopped for a snack and to chat with the boy behind the counter. That’s where she met him, outside Cookie Crumbs. She bumped into him and then spent a few hours walking around the mall with him. Her stomach fluttered when he asked her to leave with him. What seemed like the best way to spend the remainder of her one day of freedom turned into the start of her worst nightmare.
Becca rocked back and forth muttering to herself. She watched him and prayed that he planned a quick death for her. As if he knew she stared at him, he glanced over his shoulder and winked at her. Becca shook uncontrollably, gasping for air as she clawed at the straps around her wrists.
Her eagerness to push her parents and their rules aside landed her here, in a cold, damp basement. Becca spent the last few months pushing as hard as she could to get away from her life. A life that seemed filled with endless chores and babysitting her little brother. As bad as she thought her life had been, these last few days were nothing short of Hell. She wanted that life back.
She cried out. “Oh God, please help me—please help me. Please, please help me.” The sobs that choked her now burst out as her begging erupted into broken wails. The man turned and glowered at her, but she no longer cared. He planned to kill her. What did she care if he beat her before he did it? Becca leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her thighs. “I’m so sorry Mom, I’m so sorry.” She hiccupped between the sobs. “I love you, Mom—Dad, I love you…” She repeated the mantra until her throat ached.
Becca saw the man turn and walk across the basement towards her. Her eyes widened; her prayers and pleas stopped. The man leered at her. She noticed the light as it bounced off the blade. Becca screamed.
CONFESSION OF SIN
CHAPTER ONE
Mackenzie’s hands shook as she gripped the tattered piece of paper. Her mother’s handwriting was smudged from her tears. Her lungs constricted, and the painful tightness in her throat made it hard to breathe.
My dearest daughter;
My body aches, and I have found no relief. My sorrow strangles me. Please don’t blame yourself. Your love and devotion after your father’s death kept me going. Without you, I would not have made it as long as I did. I watched you grow from a child into a beautiful woman. Now you must live your life for you and your purpose. Not care for a withering old lady.
My heart pounds against my chest, and I am breathless as I wait to see Him and stand in the presence of Christ. Please understand much thought and prayer has gone into this decision. I know my death will wound you. Your strength with the wisdom and guidance of the Lord will help you get through this. Trust in His written Word and listen to Him. He will guide you and show you what you need to do.
I love you, my sweet child.
Mother
Mack wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Mother, oh Mother, why didn’t you say anything? Why? You let me believe you were fine. You lied!” The note fluttered to the floor as Mackenzie paced the length of her living room, clenched fists banging against her thighs with each step.
Her nostrils flared as her lips pulled back, baring her teeth. She picked up a heavy paperweight and threw it across the room. The glass shattered on impact like a car bomb exploding, sending glass shards everywhere.
A guttural roar bellowed out of her. “You had no right! You were selfish. You cared about yourself with no regard for me. You’ve left me behind with no one!” She yanked on her hair, pulling long strands from her head. Mackenzie fell to her knees and wept.
Her hand brushed against the note. She pressed it against her leg and smoothed the edges down. She clutched the paper against her chest. Mack stood and gazed at her mother’s picture. She always loved Mother’s long hair and the way it cascaded down her back. Mack laid the note next to the frame.
Moving back from the mantel, her gaze became unfocused. Her eyebrows squished together as she rubbed her forehead. “I miss you, Mother.” Mackenzie clenched her teeth together. “The priest was mad at me, Mother. I forgot to tell you. After your service, he voiced his disappointment that I chose not to bury you in the cemetery. I explained it was my decision—my decision! Not his!”
She paced and fisted the air. She screamed, “What about their decisions? What about that? They didn’t care for you. They turned their backs on you when you needed them the most. Why would I leave you in the cold dark earth? You need to be here with me.” Mack’s long skinny fingers reached out and touched the urn. “I don’t blame you, Mother. None of this is your fault.”
She turned, and her eye caught a crucifix hanging on the wall. Mack’s breathing labored. She cocked her head to the side. “I blame You. You have let this happen.” She stepped closer to the crucifix. “You have left men in charge that no longer do Your will. They don’t care about Your flock. The priests care more about the gratification of their flesh than anything else. I’ve seen the reports. I’ve seen what they’ve done.”
Mack crumpled to the floor. “Forgive me, Father. The blame lies not at Your feet. You gave these men charge to do Your will. The priests chose not to follow Your commandments. They put other gods before You. They gave in to their desires. Desires of the flesh and mind. The priests no longer keep themselves pure to carry out Your teachings. They can’t lead Your flock if they serve more than one god.
“I will make them pay. I will hold each of them accountable for their lack of judgment.” Mack laughed. “I didn’t understand at first; now I do. You have used the last few months to bring clarity to the task at hand. Now I understand they must answer for their sins. Their deaths will bear witness.”
Mack grabbed the rosary beads dangling from the crucifix. Her fingers tightened around them. “Their sins led them to choose their will over Yours. They need to be struck down. They need to beg at the gates of Heaven for entrance into Your Kingdom. Your grace no longer covers them. Your house must be cleansed.”
FATAL DOMINION
CHAPTER ONE
Tuesday
3:30 a.m.
Lieutenant Damien Kaine maneuvered through the swamp-like parking area and pulled up next to the Crime Scene Tech van. He could just make out the giant monstrosity of a tarp through the sheets of pelting rain. Neither he nor his partner Detective Joe Hagan said a word as the roof of the SUV was battered by the angry storm. A warning of sorts, of the scene that lay under the tarp before them.
Almost simultaneously they exited the vehicle running to the protection of the covering. “Holy shit!” Damien said shaking the rain from his hair and clothing being careful not to contaminate the dead man before him.
“Damn, even mother nature says it’s too early for this shit. You’d think the criminals could be a little more thoughtful and commit these murders at a decent fucking hour,” Damien said shivering slightly, as he brushed the last of the moisture from his jacket. Januaries were bad enough in Chicago without a bone-chilling rain.
Dr. Bernard Forsythe smiled at his favorite lieutenant. “I’ll be sure to post your request on the city’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.”
Joe let the last few raindrops fall from his chin. “What the hell do you think the killer used on him? There isn’t much of his head left.” Joe squatted pointing to the man’s body. “Looks like the killer bashed in half his head and used a giant cheese grater on the other half.” Joe stood stretching his back. He dragged his hand down his face. “Fuck, you think he was alive when all this happened to him?”
The man’s semi-nude body showed signs of prolonged torture. Dr. Forsythe shook his head. “I’m not even going to hazard a guess until we get him back to the morgue. By the looks of the blood-soaked underwear, I have a feeling there is a surprise waiting for us when we get him undressed. We can’t even ID him onsite.” The doctor held up one of the hands with missing fingertips. “Our killer took a few souvenirs. It’ll take us some time to figure out who our guy is.” Dr. Forsythe glanced around. “With this rain coming down I want to bag him up as quickly as possible. The CSTs are gathering everything in the general vicinity and will sort through it at the crime lab.”
Damien ran his hand through his hair. He stared unfazed at the dead man. “Damn, I could’ve stayed in bed.” He smiled at the raised eyebrow Dr. Forsythe shot his way. Over the years the Medical Examiner had become more than a colleague. “What? There’s nothing for us here until you can give us a name.” Damien looked around at the empty field.
“Oh, come on, Damien,” head CST Roger Newberry said, “you wouldn’t want to miss out on this case. Who knows who we have here, it could be Jimmy Hoffa.”
“Yeah, that would be the find of the century,” Joe said.
“Joe, how're things with Taylor? You know she is the bomb over at the crime lab. She has implemented some pretty impressive software to streamline the lab’s efficiency, making our lives a lot easier,” he grinned at the big Irish cop. “You know she has several admirers. I’d be careful if I were you. You piss her off, and she will have another man waiting to take your place.”
Joe shot Roger a sideways glance. “Fuck you, Newberry.”
Roger roared back in laughter. “You’re so cranky.”
“Joe, you ever come out here in high school?” Damien asked. The body had been dumped on a road located outside the city. The property jutted up against Lake Michigan. An area had eroded away, and crystal-clear water from the lake filled a large basin allowing swimming in the summertime. This area was notorious for high school students to hang out and party. “I remember a few late-night excursions back in the day, myself.” Damien smiled at the men.
“I may have come out here once or twice.” Joe snickered at the men around him. “Of course, nothing this exciting ever happened to me.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Our lovebirds over there had one hell of a damper put on their night.” He nodded towards the young couple who sat in the back of a patrol car.
“Hmm, I bet. Let’s go interview our happy couple. I seriously doubt they can tell us anything. It looks like our guy has been here a while.” Damien turned towards the car. “Doc, as soon as you know the identity, will you call me?”
Dr. Forsythe looked up from bagging the body. “Yes, Lieutenant, I will. I plan on working on this right when we get back to the morgue. Give me a few hours. Hopefully, I will have something for you.”
Damien nodded to Joe, “You ready?”
Joe sighed. “Yeah, let’s get this done and then get something to eat before we head into Division Central. No way I’m facing the day this early on an empty stomach.”
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