No One to Hear You Scream Read online

  NO ONE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM

  NO ONE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM

  K. J. Dahlen

  (THOMAS & MERCER

  Text copyright © 2010 by K.J. Dahlen All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Thomas & Mercer P.O. Box 400818

  Las Vegas, NV 89140

  ISBN-13: 9781477812259 ISBN-10: 1477812253

  The characters and events portrayed in this book arc fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  This title was previously published by Avalon Books; this version has been reproduced from the Avalon book archive files.

  ~o~

  In loving memory of Nick and Janet Armoto and Betsy and Raymond Dahl

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my loving husband Dave, who encouraged me to write, and my best friends Carol and Tessi, who correct my mistakes and are always there for me when I need them.

  Tcatch a killer you have to think like a killer, Sam thought as he stared at the trees surrounding the cemetery. It was quiet here, almost peaceful, and Sam knew that Chloe would have liked it if she could have seen it.

  They were standing around the grave belonging to his wife, Chloe. His mother-in-law, Tessa, touched his arm. The small service they'd had for Chloe was over, and it was time to go home.

  Sam didn't know if he could go back to the home he'd shared with Chloe and Wyatt. Chloe had turned the house into a home, and that home into a safe haven. Now that safe haven was gone. It wouldn't be the same without her, and she would never be there again.

  Without looking at Tessa, Sam told her, "I want you to keep Wyatt for a while."

  Tessa was taken aback. "What on earth for?"

  Sam looked out over the graveyard. It was the time of year when all the lush greens they were so used to were being seared by the sun and turning brown. All the brilliant colors were fading just a bit, sort of like the way he felt right now. His heart felt shriveled up and burnt, and all the color of his world was fading fast. He knew that his six-year-old son needed him, but Sam felt compelled to get the man who had killed Chloe. He turned to Tessa. "I want my son to be loved. He just lost his mom. I love him, but right now I have some things to do, and they may take a while. I want to know that Wyatt is taken care of. You can give him what he needs better than I can right now."

  Tessa looked worried. "What are you going to do?"

  Sam's face hardened and he growled, "I'm going after the monster who killed Chloe"

  Alec Hunter, Sam's partner, joined them. "How are you going to do that? One minute he's here, and the next he's gone. We don't know where he is until his next kill. Besides, it's against the rules and you know it."

  "I'll find him," Sam vowed. The rage he felt inside burned his soul. He turned to his partner. "Don't try and stop me. I have to do this, rules be damned"

  Alec shook his head. "You are a law enforcement officer in New Orleans. For all we know, he could be in Mississippi or Texas by now. How are you going to track him?"

  "I'll find him," Sam told them. "I'll track him down to hell if I have to"

  "Daddy," Wyatt touched his arm. "I don't want you to go"

  Sam looked down at his son. Wyatt's eyes, full of un shed tears, were so like his mother's that it almost broke Sam's heart.

  He squatted to Wyatt's level, searching for the right words. He didn't know if Wyatt would understand, but he had to try. "Hey buddy, I know how you feel. I know this will be hard for you to understand. I hate that I have to leave you right now, but if I don't, the man who took your mom away from us is going to hurt someone else. I have to try to stop him." Sam paused to see if Wyatt understood. Tears rolled down his face. His son was hurting, and Sam was torn. He desperately wanted to stay, but he knew that if he did, the monster who had taken Chloe's life would disappear.

  Sam pulled Wyatt into his arms and hugged him. "You know, don't you, that you and your mom mean the world to me?" Sam asked his young son.

  When Wyatt nodded, Sam told him, "And you know that I'm a cop and that I make sure everybody obeys the law, don't you?"

  When Wyatt nodded again, Sam leaned back and raised Wyatt's chin to look into his face. "When that man took your mom away from us, he broke the law. If I don't try to catch him, he's going to hurt other people, and he won't stop until somebody like me makes him. Do you understand?"

  Wyatt thought for a moment, and then nodded.

  Sam breathed a sigh of relief. What he was facing was going to be tough enough, with or without his son's cooperation. "Then you understand why I have to go?"

  Wyatt looked down at Sam's chest for a moment, then looked up. "But what if this bad man hurts you the way he hurt Mom?"

  Sam's arms tightened around his son. "He won't have the chance to hurt me. I'll be very careful, and I'll even make you a promise. I promise that when the bad guy is in jail, I'll come back to you"

  Wyatt looked at him. He knew his dad never promised anything he couldn't deliver. "Ok, I'll stay with Grandma, but please hurry and come home again."

  Sam smiled. "I'll be back as soon as I can"

  Shortly after that, Sam went home to pack for his trip. He didn't give himself time to think about what he was doing, because if he did he never would have been able to go. He knew Wyatt needed him, but Sam needed to find Chloe's murderer. That was the only thing he could think about right now.

  A few hours later, a jarring motion brought Sam out of a daze as his car hit the edge of the highway. He corrected his driving and pulled off the road. The near accident brought him back to his senses. His late start and the energy-draining last few days had left him too tired to get very far. He needed to get a room and some sleep. And he needed to check his e-mail anyway. He had found the killer's trail from the national police network and was on his way north to Baton Rouge to try and pick it up.

  He got back on the road and found a motel in the first town he came to. Once in his room, he checked his e-mail. He had three messages.

  One was from FBI agent Cole Davidson. Sam opened the message and scanned its contents. The FBI was after Chloe's killer as well. Several killings in and around Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas had been linked to him, and Cole wanted to meet and compare notes.

  Sam snorted. The FBI wasn't known to share anything, let alone information on a multistate killer. More than likely, Cole wanted to know what he knew, and when Sam told him, Cole would tell Sam to back off his investigation. Sam had already been through that with another case, and when he'd backed off, the suspect had gotten away and murdered two more women before he was caught. He'd been caught by good oldfashioned police work, not by the FBI. Sam wasn't going to let that happen again, not with this case. The FBI just didn't want him to get to the killer first.

  The next message was from Alec. Sam frowned as he read the e-mail from his partner. Alec reported that just after Sam left, an FBI agent named Cole Davidson had paid him a visit. According to Alec, Cole wasn't happy about Sam looking for his killer. Alec warned him to watch his back; there was something about Cole that he didn't trust. Alec was a good judge of character, and if he had concerns, maybe Sam should check it out.

  His third message was from Wyatt. Sam felt a moment of regret when he thought about his son. He'd hated leaving Wyatt, but he couldn't do what he had to and stay with the boy. He smiled at the message his son had written. He quickly wrote back and signed off. After turning out the light, Sam lay do
wn and let his mind clear.

  At that precise moment, about twenty miles down the road, a shadowy figure moved from the edge of the Mississippi River, watching the shimmering lights of Baton Rouge. He was hungry tonight and in the mood for blood. His hand rested on the knife at his hip. The ivory handle felt smooth against his hand and as he lifted the knife out of its sheath, the blade of the double-edged dagger gleamed in the moonlight. He looked back at his home away from home. The sleek houseboat had everything a man could want. The improvements he'd made had been necessary and well worth the trouble.

  He turned his dark eyes on the lights of the city again and stepped into the shadows as he made his way toward it. He was hunting for just the right woman, and he knew he would have to get her back to the houseboat before the sun came up in a few hours. Once on the boat, he'd have all the time he needed to do what he wanted. That was the fun part. What he was doing now was the necessary part.

  He blended in with the city's night population, and as he made his way around the streets he searched for his prey. Suddenly he stopped and sniffed the air. A scent caught his attention. Looking around, he zeroed in on her.

  She was slender, with flowing hair that reached her waist. Her beautiful skin glowed as she danced in the street. He was drawn to her infectious smile and laughter. As she swirled to the beat of the music, her dress flared and he could see the tops of her thighs. His blood raced as he stepped up to her.

  Her eyes widened when he stepped close, but the music had gotten under her skin, and she smiled at him as they moved to the rhythm of the sounds that surrounded them. He was lost in the movement of their bodies and didn't realize at first that the music had stopped. When he did, he felt the world crashing down. She just smiled and swirled away from him, rejoining her own friends.

  He moved off the dance area but stayed close to her, keeping her in sight until she showed signs of wrapping up the festivities. Her friends waved a weary good night, and she was left alone to walk home.

  He followed from a safe distance until they were alone on the street. He swept down on her, and before she could scream his hands were around her throat. He put just enough pressure on her windpipe to close it off, but not enough to bruise the tender skin.

  He let up when he felt her slump against him, and sticking to the shadows, he carried her limp form back to his boat. Once aboard, he laid her on the sofa and maneuvered the boat out of the main channel and into a backwater area.

  He picked her up again and carried her to his special room. It was soundproof, and he had specially fitted it with his own toys.

  A few hours later, the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. Sam came awake with a jerk. At first he couldn't remember where he was, and when he did he glanced at his watch and got out of bed. He checked his e-mail for additional messages while he got dressed. The only message was from Cole Davidson. The FBI agent insisted that Sam contact him as soon as possible. Sam was getting more than a little irritated by the agent's demands. He closed his laptop and turned on the television. The local news was just announcing the disappearance of a young woman, seen the night before dancing in the street with her friends.

  Sam was transfixed by the sight of the young woman dancing and swaying to the music. She was the same height and build of his Chloe. Chloe had the same long, dark hair when she was alive. It had been hacked off by the killer, and it wasn't found with her mutilated body.

  The woman was just the killer's type, and Sam knew in his gut that he'd struck again. Sam was only a few miles from Baton Rouge. He quickly gathered his things. If he had any hope of finding this woman, he needed to get started before the killer finished the job. He had just closed the door and was walking away when the phone rang.

  Alec held the phone receiver tightly, counting the rings on the other end. Cole Davidson stood right behind him, along with Alec's police captain, John Todd. After several more rings Alec hung up. "I don't think he's there anymore" He ignored Cole and looked at his captain for instruction.

  John looked irritated. "Then you find him. Find him and get his sorry butt back here. He knows better than this. I won't have a cop running around out there looking for vigilante justice."

  Alec looked over at Cole and then back at his captain. "Sam isn't a vigilante, and he isn't out there looking for revenge. He's out there looking for the man who murdered his wife."

  "So are we," Cole said quietly. "This situation is much bigger than just one woman. Sam's wife is only one of a number of women this monster has killed. We want to stop him without having to worry about a loose cannon out there."

  Alec frowned. "Sam isn't a loose cannon. He's the best officer I know."

  "Then why isn't he answering your phone calls or e-mails?" Cole asked. "This is the FBI's case, and we won't share it with a police officer with a wish to ruin four years' worth of work. I don't care who that officer is."

  Alec didn't answer. He had known yesterday that Sam was embarking on a mission he shouldn't be. There was a good reason why doctors didn't operate on their relatives and why cops weren't allowed to assist on cases too close to their families. Alec had a feeling that Sam's anger might prevent him from acting according to the laws of the land.

  Sam pushed open the door to the police station in Baton Rouge and walked into the lobby. As he made his way to the front desk, he could see several officers busy working.

  The burly cop behind the desk paused to look up at him. "Can I help you?"

  "I'm looking for information on the missing woman," Sam told him.

  The man behind the desk looked at Sam for a moment and then called to another officer. As the other officer came to the counter, he too asked, "Can I help you?"

  Sam pulled out his badge. "My name is Sam Sebastian, and I'm from New Orleans looking into a murder case that may be connected to your missing person report from last night."

  The second officer held out his hand. "My name is Rob Gillette. What makes you think the cases are related?"

  Sam shifted his weight. "Both women have the same build and coloring. Both seemed to enjoy life, and both disappeared in the same manner. The only difference is that mine ended up dead. I figure you have about thirtysix hours before you find what's left of this woman's body. You'll find that she bled to death from an elaborate design carved on her back. What you won't find is the original crime scene or the killer."

  Rob's eyebrows rose, causing his forehead to wrinkle. "I think you'd better talk to my captain." He motioned for Sam to follow him to the back of the office, where he saw several officers gathered around a board. Sam stepped forward and read the information they had written on it. He picked up a marker and began changing the facts.

  "Just what do you think you're doing and who are you?" someone bellowed. Sam turned to see Rob talking to the man who had bellowed. They stepped up and Rob made the introductions.

  "Boss, this is Sam Sebastian, from New Orleans. He told me he has information on our latest missing person case"

  Rob's boss, Captain Ian Nevell, just stared at Sam. He turned his eyes to the changes Sam had made on their board. "How do you know all this?"

  "I've been doing my homework. This is his fourth kidnapping since Easter. In about thirty-six hours you'll find her body. Her long hair will be cut off and her body will be mutilated by an elaborate design carved in her back. Your coroner will find that she's been tortured and that the carving on her back was made while she was alive."

  Ian and Rob looked at each other. "This is our second kidnapping. We had one several months ago that we haven't solved. We haven't found her body yet, but there was enough evidence to suggest that she was taken against her will and no one has heard from her since. Her case fits this killer's MO. This latest case is pretty much the same as the earlier one"

  "I'm surprised that the FBI isn't in on this yet," Rob commented.

  "Yeah, well, an agent named Cole Davidson has been trying to get in touch with me, but I haven't had a chance to call him yet," Sam admitted.


  Ian folded his arms across his chest. "Why not?"

  "Maybe I just don't like Big Brother butting into my business. I have my own way of doing things." Sam shrugged.

  "Well, we do things differently up here. If Big Brother wants to talk, we listen." Ian told him. "You need to find out what he wants."

  "He doesn't have to. Big Brother is already here," came a voice from behind Sam.

  Sam turned and came face to face with who he guessed was FBI agent Cole Davidson. Behind him stood Sam's partner, Alec Hunter. Alec gave him a short nod, and all attention turned to Cole.

  "You're a hard man to get ahold of, Mr. Sebastian," Cole noted after introductions were made. He walked over to the board and spent a few minutes looking over the information. Picking up the pen, Cole began to write.

  Alec took a moment to talk to his partner. "Sam, we tried to call your motel room this morning, but you didn't answer the phone"

  "I left my room when I saw the news report. How did you know where I was staying?" Sam asked.

  Alec grinned slightly. "Wyatt passed on the message you sent him last night."

  Sam shook his head. "I know I should be home with him, but I can't just sit on my hands and do nothing." Sam turned away from his partner and began to read what Cole was writing on the board. "I couldn't let this case turn into another Sara Morgan screwup"

  Alec nodded. He remembered the Sara Morgan case all too well. They were hours away from getting her killer off the streets when the FBI showed up and took over. They not only let the killer escape, but gave him enough time to strike again and again. It was Sam and another cop who finally busted the killer, but instead of thanking them, the FBI took credit for the collar. Now the FBI was horning in again, and this time Alec knew Sam wouldn't back off. Alec didn't blame him; catching this killer was too important. But Alec also knew that Sam had no real business investigating this case. It was too personal.

  "What makes you think he uses the river as a means of transportation?" Sam asked Cole after a moment.