Blood Red Sundown: Evil Begins (29 page)

LON WAS HAPPY
to be
away from the office and the stress of the case. When he arrived home he found his
wife and son eager for his company. They sat around after dinner and discussed preparation
for an upcoming vacation and together the three suggested places they all would
enjoy. Lon looked admiringly at his family and listened as Tad told of his sport
and school events. He looked at both of them and said, “It is so good to be home
with you two.”

Ally, after saying goodnight to Tad, removed her clothes
and donned a thin night gown. She had a strong desire for her husband and the thought
of her intentions had her tingling as she went down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Opening a bottle of wine and placing it on a tray along with two glasses she headed
for the den. The hallway light behind her displayed more of her body than she realized
and as Lon looked at her he knew. He decided it was time to reopen the game she
had started between them not long ago.

“Wow, you really look beautiful. Wait a minute I remember
you. You are the babe who babysat me that time my wife was out of town. You lured
me with your very sexy body into the upstairs bedroom.”

“Yes, and as I recall you were a very willing participant.
I do not recall your wife’s name mentioned at any time that night.”

Wine was poured, glasses clinked, as she sat on the couch
next to him. Her robe parted showing a large portion of her thighs. He let his hand
touch just above her knee and moved up slowly. When he looked up he saw the love
in her eyes and quoted Shakespeare’s famous words, “a glass of wine and thee, my
lady” is all this humble policeman will need.

Setting his glass down, he stood and walked to the wall
and turned the dial dimming the room slightly. He removed his shirt slowly dropping
it to the floor and then undoing his belt. Slowly lowering the zipper he let his
slacks slide and stepped out of them.

“No more games, I want my wife.”

He walked to her and took her glass of wine and sat it
on the table beside his. Taking her hands in his he pulled her to her feet and kissed
her tenderly and then urgently. She molded herself to his body and said his name.
He released her and slid the robe off her shoulders and took a step back to view
her as she stood proudly before him.

“Ally you are still so beautiful to me.”

“He brought her back into his embrace and kissed her
face, her hair and her shoulder. Then looking into her eyes said, “I’m so thankful
you’re my wife and I want more than anything to make love to you now.”

HE QUICKLY STEPPED
out
of the car and walked to the rear and opened the trunk. He had sensed her fear,
but also sensed her awareness and knew she was trying to anticipate his next move.
The night air and the temporary separation from her helped him get his evil side
under control before reaching in and pulling out a neatly folded blanket.

Smiling and trying to avoid anything that might frighten
her further he walked toward the woman and slipped his arm around her waist hoping
to calm her increasing uneasiness at being there.

Take it slow with her and you’ll be fine,
he heard
his inner self say. She is starting to be suspicious of our location.

“I thought we could sit on the blanket and enjoy the
stars and the sound of the ocean while we get to know each other. It’s a perfect
night and I want to hear all about your life.”

His meaningful words seemed to have a calming effect
and eased her uncertainty as they walked down the incline to the shoreline. It was
not steep, but she felt uneasy and stopped and told him she preferred not trying
it because of the darkness.

“Why don’t we just sit up on top and enjoy the view of
the sky and listen to the sound of the ocean from there, she suggested?”

“That’s fine, Sherry.”

They walked back up to the crest and he began spreading
the blanket. Kneeling down he reached for her hand and gently helped her to sit
next to him. Her skirt slid up to her thigh. He looked away immediately to prevent
an unwanted reaction to the exposed part of her.

Will this be different,
he asked himself.
Can
I control it to allow time for talk and most important plan for future times
together?

He put his arm around her shoulder and they sat that
way talking and laughing. The time spent programming his mind for control over the
evil one when he touched forbidden skin he felt confident was working.

He was feeling anxious, but felt he had the ability to
maintain control and curtail his actions as long as the strong urge was not smothering
him.

“Rob, I hope we can use this night as a stepping stone
for the start of something more between us.”

He looked in her eyes and leaned over to kiss her. Her
arms went around him willingly and he gently lay back on the blanket keeping contact
with her as she followed his lead. He could feel the dreaded stirrings beginning
to flare up inside.

He wanted to continue in this perfect moment wanting
to finally fulfill his long time repressed desires, but could he continue to repress
the evil inside him? Immediately he knew the demon was becoming stronger and overcoming
his will to save her.

Her kiss was passionate and responsive and he wanted
to believe he could maintain control this time, but the urge emanated itself and
he knew he was unable to suppress the rising evil inside him.

He felt her desire for him and she was accepting his
hands willingly, but as he unbuttoned her blouse his rage became stronger than ever
before and he knew he was no longer in control. His hands were no longer his but
were following the commands of the evil one inside him.

Her willing acceptance of him caused him to become weak
and filled with a feeling of love for her. He did not want what he knew was going
to happen, so he tenderly turned her on her side facing away from him to avoid her
eyes. Her head was lying in the crook of his arm as he rolled against her and placed
his hand on her exposed breast. He sighed loudly at the sensation that rocked his
body as he touched her soft, warm breast. He heard the voice in his head say, “it’s
time,” and he responded leaving his one hand on her breast and placed the other
over her mouth and nose tightly.

She struggled against his hold for a breath of air which
caused him to become more determined and caused the inflamed desire inside him to
rise to a point that made him scream her name out loudly. He rolled over her lower
body to suppress her thrashing legs. She reached behind her wildly trying to hit
his face, while the other hand removed the pepper spray from her pocket and she
began spraying wildly. She was not accurate with the first blast and only partially
blinded one of his eyes and the vapor worked itself into her own face. Her eyes
were on fire and then with a final twist of her head to grasp for air, she slumped
into his arms beneath him.

He sat her up between his legs and pulled her tightly
against him and held her breasts and cried. It was moments before he opened his
eyes and looked at her.

“Thank you, Sherry,” he said as he held her and rocked.
After a few moments he placed her on her back and removed her clothes then lay down
beside her.

“DR. WEARING THERE
is
a phone call for you on line one.”

“Thanks, male or female?”

“Male.”

Her heart raced as she paused before speaking fearing
it might be her ex-husband.

“Hello, Dr. Wearing here.”

“Dr. Wearing this is Leo Trent. I have some good news
for you. We picked up your ex-husband sitting in the drive of your new home. We
brought him in and offered him two choices. He could pack up and leave the state
and we would not report him for breaking the out-of-state court order, or he could
stay and we could hold him until the court sends officers to take him back for trial.
He chose the first option and has left California. You shouldn’t be bothered by
him again.”

“That is the best news I could have hoped for. I have
been so nervous since you warned me he was here in Santa Barbara. Thank you for
everything Officer Trent.”

“Listen, this may be a bit presumptuous, but, would you
consider having a drink with me after we both get off work? I’m on day duty and
I would enjoy getting to know you. If the answer is yes, I would only have one request
that you drop the officer Trent stuff?”

“Well, I guess that would be okay. Where should I meet
you?”

“Why, don’t I pick you up at your place, around five
thirty?”

“That sounds fine.”

“It’s a date then. See you at five thirty.”

The phone went dead. She thought, “Hmmm, Leo Trent; that’s
interesting.”

LON AND ANNE
arrived
at the station at the same time and walked in the office together.  They were immediately
confronted by the chief frantically waving his arms at them from his office window.
Lon made a wisecrack about his clown act and looking stupid which Anne pretended
not to hear and preferred to leave it at that.

“Listen guys, a couple of coin hunters have found another
female body out on the coast pretty much the same location as the last girl. The
call just came in from the officer already on the scene and he is doing his best
to keep the scene secure. I want you two high tailing it out there.”

Anne looked at Lon and sensed his anger at the news of
another victim and though it was quiet she heard him cursing the man responsible
as he stomped out of the office. She looked at the chief perplexed that Lon had
left while the chief was still talking and the chief just shrugged his shoulders
and continued his directives to her.

“Something is wrong with this picture, Chief.”

“Don’t worry about it detective, I understand him. In
the meantime console him and the two of you get to work while I do my best to keep
the press away from you for an hour or so. This is not going to sit well with the
biggies uptown Anne and let’s not forget the general public’s cries for closure
in this case.

“Both want an end to this mess and they want this guy
stopped. So, we had better come up with something; and I mean now. He paused and
looked at Lon who came back into the office then at Anne who seemed to be listening,
but he wasn’t sure she wasn’t more concerned about her partner.

“You two see what you can find out and pray this maniac
has finally made a mistake to help us catch him. Oh, yeah, the medical examiner’s
office has been notified and is on the way to meet you as we speak.”

“We’re on it chief,” Anne said trying to hide the emotional
reaction to Lon’s behavior still lingering in her mind.

“I don’t need to tell you guys to go over this one carefully,
he’s getting braver and we need a catch. Head north out of town and then swing over
to the coast on either of the main roads. You’ll be just short of the scene and
remember, be thorough.”

Lon took the “be thorough” remark by the chief as a personal
chastisement and remained pensive as they drove to the coast. Anne periodically
looked over at him waiting for his usual jovial side to emerge. But she knew he
was deeply concerned at their failure and the chief’s remark had hit home with him
personally. And now they were on the way to view the body of another innocent woman.

HE LOOKED AT
the clothes
lying on his bed. They brought back the images of his struggle with and his failure
to control the urge that had taken over his mind and body. Holding Sherry, the rage
was stronger than all the other times put together. He despised himself for what
he had done. But the gratification he had experienced would override his hatred
of any future evil acts. He accepted the realization that his needs were growing
stronger and fulfillment was swift and more satisfying with each encounter.

The hunger was satiated for now, but the longing for
the one he has watched, the one he has chosen to love, would soon be raging and
would need to be fulfilled. He wanted more than anything for some act of fate to
prevent him from making it happen, but the other side of him needed this final fulfillment
and would override the regret he might experience after the act took place.

“It will happen, I cannot prevent it,” he said to himself
in the mirror.

THE DETECTIVES RECOGNIZED
Leo standing guard alongside the road as they approached the location of the new
victim. He greeted them first with a wave as they parked.

“Leo, this is getting to be a habit meeting you at roadside
murder scenes.”

“They put me on day patrol this week and this has been
my regular beat for some time. I’m not sure why this guy decided to use this section
of the coast as his dumping ground. Follow me; I’ll show you the body.”

“I taped off the area as best I could to create a safe
barrier. The two guy’s that found her are down along the shore continuing their
hunt for treasure. I told them not to leave until they talked to you guys.”

“Good work. Listen Leo, I need you to go back up to the
road after we finish talking and keep everyone away but the ME while we examine
the scene. That means the press.”

They were not prepared for what they found. The young
woman’s body had been left lying on her back and totally void of clothing. While
Lon knelt down to examine the body, Anne checked around the general area looking
for anything that might be a clue left by the killer.

Anne crouched down next to Lon. The hands had been placed
one on top of the other on her abdomen. Her eyes were closed and there were dried
tears mixed with mascara streaked down the sides of her face. There was bruising
around the neck and one shoulder.

“I figure she was killed sometime before midnight. I
have a feeling, partner, and you know my gut feelings are usually right. And they
are telling me there is something here to finally put this guy away.”

Anne confirmed his observation and suggested they have
Leo call for help surveying the area around the crime scene. She remained at the
scene when Lon made his way down the bank to find the two men on the beach. As he
approached them he saw one of them kneeling and digging for something in the sand.
The other saw him coming and removed his ear phones and yelled for the other to
come over.

“Finding anything?

“Yea, a dead body,” the one said.

It turned out there really wasn’t much for the men to
tell him, so he took their names and numbers and headed back up the slope.

“What do you think happened, Anne?”

“I noticed the grass is matted down around where she
is laying. It would suggest a blanket had been spread on the ground. I think she
knew him and they were here romantically. There was a struggle of some sorts based
on the markings on her neck and shoulder and the sign of bruising or trauma on her
left breast. He apparently squeezed very hard as he was suffocating her or he held
her very tightly immediately after she stopped breathing.”

Before Lon could agree or add to her theory they were
interrupted by a female voice identifying herself as the asst. medical examiner.
She walked passed them to the body, slipped on a pair of latex gloves, and knelt
down to begin her examination. She lifted one arm, felt the fingers and estimated
the death to have been twelve to fourteen hours ago. Rolling her over, she examined
the back and buttocks area. There was a scratch on the small of her back just above
the buttocks.

“Looks like a buckle may have caused that mark. Based
on the solid red prints on the left breast I believe this animal was highly charged
as he fondled her breast.”

“What is your best guess on how he did it, Lon asked?”

“Here, let me demonstrate. Turn around and bend your
knees to represent her height.” She placed her left hand under his left arm and
grabbed his left breast and reached over his right shoulder and placed her hand
over his mouth and nose pulling him back against her securely.

“Now picturing a startled and frightened woman, how would
you fight me?”

He struggled to free her right hand from his face and
then attempted to reach her hair all of which she was able to avoid while continuing
to curtail his breathing.

Letting him go, she said, “That is my theory and an average
built individual would have no trouble controlling a female victim in this grasp.
Keep in mind that this is just my take on it.”

“It’s a pretty sound theory, and with her reaching for
his face we may get lucky.” “If she was able to scratch him his DNA may show up
on her hands and under her nails. A big buckle like yours would make a scratch like
that detective. And finally to further demonize the beast that did this, the bruising
on her one breast appears to be post traumatic. He fondled her for a long time after
she had expired.”

There was a pause as Lon and Anne stared at the body
taking in everything she had just revealed.

“I know your department is busy Doc, but can you do a
rush job on this autopsy? We need to stop this guy and if there is some DNA under
her nails or on her body it may finally ID him and allow us the ammunition to nail
him. Something tells me he may have gone too far on this one. Hopefully, you will
find something for us.”

“I understand and yes, I’ll give it priority attention
when I get back to the lab. We need to put an end to this animal.”

“Okay’ then, we’re, going to head to the office and get
to work on our end.”

Leo was standing with two uniform policemen by the highway
and the medical van was driving in as they walked up to them.

“We need you to give us a call later Leo, so we can get
your take on this mess.”

They both spoke openly about their fears for possible
additional victims and how they were unable to protect them with a lack of clues
to go on. As they drove a lapse of silence grew between them until Lon looked over
at Anne and asked, “Where does he find a girl like this that agrees to go with him
to a secluded area like that in the dangerous times we are living here in this city?”

Anne did not have a good answer for his question, but
added, “Someone must realize by now she did not come home last night, or she didn’t
show up for work today. With that realization, I would think we should have a missing
person’s report waiting for us at the station.”

Anne listened for his response. Receiving none, she asked
the question that had been on her mind since viewing the body. “Do you think he
raped her?”

“We should know the answer to that later today. I’m telling
you, partner he goofed this time. I feel it way down in my gut.”

There were several messages for them when they got to
their desks all unrelated to the murder except a message for Anne from a man reporting
a car parked behind the Roadside Bar that had been there all night. He was concerned
for the driver who was a regular.

Lon predicted that it probably belonged to someone who
drank too much and took a ride home. Anne listened and acknowledged that he might
be right, but was not taking the chance on the possibility of it being significant
and punched in the numbers.

“Roadside bar, speak now.”

“Hello, this is detective Anne Cummings. Someone named
Marty called about a car parked in the lot overnight.”

“That would be me that called detective. I was concerned
when I opened this morning and noticed Sherry’s car was still in the parking lot.
She left by herself last night and as I recall it was fairly early.”

“Do you recall her condition? Could she have had too
much to drink and realized she was in no condition to drive?”

“Sherry never over does it detective, and when she walked
out last night, she was in perfect control.”

Anne asked the type of car and directions to the bar.
She went into the office to notify Lon and explained to him and the chief what she
had just been told. After a few directives from him, they headed out.

When they arrived at the Roadside Bar they pulled around
to the back parking area of the bar and parked behind the car matching the description
received over the phone. Anne put on gloves before trying the doors and found them
locked. She couldn’t see anything strange in the front or back seats.

“Lon, somebody was either with her in the bar or was
waiting for her to leave the bar. We have to assume that she knew whoever it was
and she willingly left with that person.”

“I think you’re dead on, Anne. If this Sherry who owns
this car turns out to be the dead girl, I think my hunch that he screwed up this
time is going to prove correct. I tell you partner, we’re getting close to this
guy. I’m ready to bet my pension on it.”