Chapter 34


    Riley


    Jack was admitted to the hospital. We didn’t want to risk putting him in WoodVille’s in case the killer


    was someone from the staff and waiting to kill Jack so we’d taken him to another one rmended by


    Ezra. I was seated beside Jack. His eyes were closed, his body propped against a hospital bed


    connected to an IV. His chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. It was the most peaceful expression


    I’d seen on his face, other times that I’d been with him; I’d watched him wake up at odd times, reach for


    the gun and aim it at nobody. He didn’t even sleep a wink.


    I pushed his hair back away from his face which is when I heard the sound of boots approaching and a


    presence in the room.


    I turned around to see Ezra standing behind me. He passed me a worried look. “What did the doctor


    say?” I asked.


    “There’s nothing to worry about. Jack’s out of danger.” He said.


    I didn’t trust Ezra to tell me the truth. He could be lying to make me feel less worried about Jack. “I’ll sit


    here beside him until he wakes up.” I said. “Can you get me some coffee?”


    He eyed the empty cup on the table. “Coffee is thest thing you need. Get some rest. You’ve been


    awake all night. I’ll sit here.”


    “What time is it?”


    Ezra checked his watch. “It’s three p.m.” He put his hand on mine. “You can trust me. He’s my brother.”


    I had lost my will to argue and wanted to stop thinking for a moment and actually get some sleep. I


    decided to stop being stubborn and head home. “Call me as soon as he wakes up.”


    Ezra nodded. “I will.”


    That day I spent most of the evening sleeping. When I woke up, it was already past eight p.m. A feeling


    of dread washed over me when I remembered the events of the day. I was exhausted beyond a limit


    and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep and forget about everything.


    I called Ezra to ask him how Jack was doing and he gave me a thorough report about his health. The


    doctor said Jack was still under anesthesia and would wake up in an hour or so.


    The entire unit of the police force and the team of FBI agents were waiting for Jack to wake up.


    He had a name.


    As time passed, the killer got more time to cover his tracks.


    How were they going to find out the killer?


    My stomach growled, I decided to make myself a sandwich and walked into the adjacent kitchen area. I


    pulled out veggies and a jar of mayo from the refrigerator. I’d taken two bites of the sandwich when my


    phone started buzzing on the coffee table.


    I dropped the half-eaten sandwich back on the te and ran to the coffee table to answer my phone,


    thinking it was Ezra calling to tell me Jack was finally awake.


    Disappointment washed over me as I realized it wasn’t Ezra calling.


    It was Maddy.


    “Hey Maddy.” I said on the phone. “What’s up?”


    After the attack in the hospital, Maddy hadn’t been herself. She’d avoided talking to me, and appeared


    more stressed than usual. I’d chalked her behavior up as just another phase for someone who’d gone


    through a difficult time. I’d asked her time and time again to tell me what had happened the night she


    was attacked but she said she couldn’t remember.


    Couldn’t remember or didn’t want to remember?


    It was a little weird how evasive she was being, considering how bad the situation already was.


    “Riley, are you there?!” I heard Maddy’s voice on the other end. She sounded distressed.


    “Is everything alright, Maddy?”


    “Can youe to my house, Riley?” She asked.


    “Right now?” I asked. “Um, okay, but what’s wrong?”


    “I have something to tell you.” She said and a pauseter she continued, “It’s about the killer, and it’s


    urgent. I need to get this off my chest.”


    I didn’t need to hear more. I was already half way out of the kitchen. I reached for my jacket and the car


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    keys hanging against the hook. “I’m on my way.”


    “I’ll be waiting. I’m so scared, Riles.”


    “Don’t worry. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” I assured her.


    I was d Maddy was finally opening up and wanted to talk about that night. I could use some


    information that would lead Ezra one step closer to knowing who the killer was.


    “Where are you going?” I had almost forgotten that my brother was back after doing a twenty-four shift


    at the hospital.


    “I’m going to Madeline’s house.” I exined. “She sounded really frightened.”


    Ken nodded. “Alright, bute home soon. It’s not safe anymore.”


    Instead of arguing, I just nodded. “I’ll be back before you know it.”


    The rain started pouring down in full swing. I couldn’t even see the road clearly through the windshield,


    and it didn’t help the fact that there was a rainstorming up soon.


    I had to navigate my way through the traffic. I turned up the heater but that didn’t help either. The rain


    wasing down hard and I noticed an ambnce at the side of the road with a car that was


    A shiver ran down my body. I looked away, feeling little mncholic even though I didn’t know the


    person who’d just died in that ident.


    The radio cackled and went static so I switched it off.


    A few minutester, I was pulling up in my friend’s driveway. The street was eerily silent. I peeked at


    the mirror and noticed how messy my hair had be. I climbed out of the car and practically made a


    run towards the porch. By the time I made it to the dimly lit porch, drops of rain soaked into my jacket.


    I rang the doorbell and waited. A few secondster I rang the doorbell again. Then I knocked the door a


    few times.


    Was it possible Maddy was so scared that she didn’t want to open the door?


    “Maddy, it’s me, Riley.” I called out. “Open the door.”


    No answer.


    I pressed my ear to the door. There was no sound in the room.


    “Madeline! I’m outside.” I knocked again, harsh raps this time. “Let me in.”


    Finally, I reached for my phone and dialed her number. She wasn’t answering.


    What was her deal?!


    It was probably intuition. I reached for the door-knob and turned it. The door gave away easily.


    I walked in through the foyer and stood below the darkened staircase. There was soft music drifting


    from the radio in the kitchen. Both her parents were out of town to attend a distant rtives wedding so


    she was living alone until the next week. The kitchen counter was covered with an opened packet of


    chips and sliced pieces of meat. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d invited somepany and when she’d


    been stood up, she decided to call me.


    That would be typical Madeline.


    “Maddy, are you upstairs?” I called out.


    I checked the living area, but all I found there was a messed up nket, an almost empty ss of what


    appeared to be wine and a dog-eared book, the one that she’d borrowed from me a few weeks back.


    Looked like she was having a great night so far, so what had caused her to call me up so suddenly?


    Could it possibly be a trap?


    Do not trust anyone, Riley.


    Jack’s warning repeated in my mind.


    I hadn’t even carried the gun that Jack had given me. I needed to be cautious. I walked up the stairs


    and reached the first floor. I headed straight for her bedroom at the end of the hallway.


    The lights flickered. I continued to walk forward and knocked on the door first. When she didn’t answer,


    I opened the door and walked inside the bedroom. The bed appeared to be slept in. A bathrobe was


    lying on the carpeted floor. Makeup scattered on the dressing table.


    I heard the sound of an obnoxiously loud rock music tracking from the bathroom.


    Again, Typical Maddy.


    When I opened the bathroom door, I found her in the bathtub.


    Face down. The tub was filled with blood. Her arms were on either side of the tub. The tiles were


    stained bright scarlet, stters painted on the walls.


    For a minute I thought I was hallucinating until I realized I was screaming.


    Ezra had caught my hand in his the whole time that I recited what had happened when I’d found her


    dead body. When I panicked and ran out of the house, I saw wet shoe prints in the mud. Huge prints.


    Men’s shoes.


    I was so disturbed; I couldn’t wipe that image of her in the tub out of my mind. Ken had his arm around


    me. I cried on his shoulder. “She was going to tell me something about the killer. How did he reach her


    before me?”


    “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Ezra said.


    “What is?” I asked.


    “She let the killer into the house because it was someone she knew and trusted. Either that or the killer


    somehow broke into the house while she was in the bathroom.” Ezra said.


    “There was no break-in.” I confirmed, wiping my tears. “The killer must havee in through the


    window or—”


    “Picked a lock like a burr.” Kenpleted.


    Ezra nodded. “That could be the case. He’s good at not leaving any traces behind. He knows how to


    clean up his mess.”


    Ezra turned his gaze towards me. “Did Madeline tell you something about the killer? Anything that she


    may have mentioned and it slipped your mind.”


    “No. She was going to talk to me about it personally.” I said.


    “Even the smallest of detail helps, Riley. Think hard.”


    “She didn’t say anything to me before she died.”


    “He’s mocking us. The way that he left her body there in the bathtub, he’s making fun of thew


    enforcement.” Just then Ezra’s phone began buzzing. He let go off my hand. “I have to take this.”


    I gave him a nod. He walked a little farther so he had the privacy of the call but it was clear from his


    expressions that he didn’t like what he was hearing. After he hung up the phone, he walked over to me


    and gave me a weak smile.


    “Duty calls. Uh…I have to leave.” He said. Something was not right. “I’ll be gone for a while. Do you


    think you can handle the interrogation by yourself?”


    I searched his eyes. “What’s going on, Ezra?”


    He looked away. “It’s nothing. There’s something importante up.”


    Ezra turned to leave when I caught the end of his shirt and stopped him. “That was from the hospital,


    wasn’t it? What’s going on? What are you hiding?”


    I was having a hard time breathing as I thought of the endless possibilities of what might have gone


    wrong. Apart from Maddy, there was only one other person who knew about the killer. Was it possible


    that the killer had murdered Maddy just to distract the police from his actual motive?


    His actual motive being to kill Jackson.


    I caught Ezra’s both hands in mine. “Please tell me what’s going on. I deserve to know. Did something


    happen to Jack?”


    “The doctors said that the trauma of the injury was so severe that Jack…” He was avoiding eye-


    contact.


    “It’s so severe that Jack slipped into aa.”