“Never mind. I’m not coming home just yet,” I said and hung up. I put the phone away, then grabbed my gun and pulled it out. I walked closer to a window, then hid next to it before peeking inside.
And right there, in the middle of the floor, I spotted Sarah Abbey. Her arms and legs were tied up, and Lynn Parks was hovering above her, slapping her face. The floor was covered in broken ceramic pieces, and flowers were spread onto the tiles. Lynn soon stopped, then pulled away. She disappeared, and a second later, she came back with a big sledgehammer between her hands.
I stared at her carrying that thing toward Sarah, and my heart completely stopped.
Then, I acted fast. I grabbed a garden gnome standing beneath the window, then threw it through the window, shattering it. The noise made Lynn turn her head and look toward me. I pointed my gun at her.
“Stop right there, Lynn!”
I used the gun to remove pieces of glass, so I could crawl through the window without cutting myself.
“Drop your weapon,” I yelled at Lynn. “Drop the hammer, now!”
Lynn stared at me, hammer still held up in the air, then looked down at Sarah on the floor in visible distress, fear painted on her face.
“I’m serious, Lynn. I will shoot you if you don’t drop the hammer now.”
Lynn didn’t even look at me. She just stood there like she was contemplating what would be worse—being shot or missing the opportunity to kill Sarah.
Finally, she decided to do as I said. She put it down on the floor, then looked at me, panting agitatedly. I approached her, my heart throbbing in my chest, gun pointed at her.
“Step away from the hammer,” I said. “And from Sarah.”
Lynn did as I told her and took one step back, then two. I knelt next to Sarah, still keeping my eyes fixated on Lynn, then removed the duct tape from her hands, legs, and mouth. Sarah cried and sat up, then hugged me, sobbing uncontrollably.
“She…she tried to kill me…she kept me in that basement…down there…”
Sarah pointed toward the stairs, and I nodded, then caressed her hair with the hand not holding the gun.
“I know. I know everything. The only thing I’m not quite sure of yet is how you two know one another and why she wanted to kill you.”
Chapter 71
THEN:
Lynn was whistling while doodling on her notepad. She looked at her drawing—a house on fire, a man inside, lying in his bed, slowly perishing while flames were licking his body. What the beholder of the drawing couldn’t possibly know—only Lynn did—was that the man was passed out. A sedative was slipped into his drink earlier that night, and then he was placed in bed with a lit cigarette between his fingers. Later, the forensics report would state that the fire originated in the bedroom from the cigarette that probably caught the pillow on fire while the man was asleep. The toxicology report would later show he had taken sleeping pills. Suicide, some might conclude, but they’d never know for sure. But it made sense. He was, after all, suspected of having murdered his girlfriend. The police were onto him, and it all became too much for him. And his car? Lynn put it in her own garage before starting the fire. She needed it for later use. A vehicle that was believed ravaged in a fire could have all kinds of uses.
“Your ten o’clock is here,” her secretary said.
Lynn tilted her head and studied her drawing to make sure she had gotten all the details in. Then she smiled and looked up at her secretary.
“I’m ready.”
The secretary disappeared, and Lynn stared at her drawing, then ripped the page off and curled the paper up between her hands. She threw the ball of paper through the room, aiming for the trash bin in the corner. She hit it on her first shot just as her next patient came inside.
Lynn lifted her gaze and met that of the woman standing in the doorway. She was absolutely stunning, Lynn thought right away. Breathtaking.
“Hi,” the woman said nervously. There was always something so sweet about new patients. They were so innocent, so vulnerable right when they came to her the first time. Lynn felt a tickle of excitement in her stomach.
“I’m Sarah Abbey,” she continued.
Lynn rose to her feet, then reached out her hand. “Hi, Sarah. Welcome. Please, do sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”
Sarah found the couch, then sat down on the edge of it. Most patients sat on the edge the first time.
“Okay, Sarah, what brings you here today?”
Her eyes met Lynn’s, and she was obviously struggling.
“It’s okay,” Lynn said. “We’re in no rush. Do take your time. You’re very pretty, do you know that?”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. You’re to die for.”
Lynn sent her a most reassuring and slightly flirtatious smile. Just enough to make her feel that she liked her, but not so much that she knew for sure. Just enough to make her wonder and then tell herself she was a fool for thinking it. The attraction was thick between them already, and it amused Lynn. She was going to have a lot of fun with this woman; she could already feel it. At first, she’d flirt with her, but not too obviously, just enough to make her feel special, and she’d do her extra favors like let her go over time, take her in when she had a cancellation, call her if she was feeling down, send her emails to cheer her up. Stuff like that would make her depend on her. And then she’d pull it back for a little while—act distant. Make her miss it, make her desperate to get that special attention back. And that’s when she’d introduce touching—a lingering hand on her arm or shoulder, a hug at the beginning of the session. Then the hug would be longer, and she’d kiss her neck and later on the lips. And Sarah wouldn’t even notice how she slowly escalated things, how she manipulated her to want what she wanted. In the end, she’d beg for her to sleep with her and blame herself when it did happen. And she’d never tell anyone because she would believe it was her own fault. She did this; she wanted it.
It was a dance, and Lynn was a pro at it.
She won’t know what hit her.
“It’s my boyfriend,” Sarah said.
Lynn nodded, then wrote on her notepad. She wasn’t exactly writing what Sarah was saying, but Sarah didn’t know that. She didn’t know Lynn was already picturing her naked and drawing them together on the couch.
“What about him?”
“We’re having some trouble.”
“Oh, really? In what way?”
“He flirts with other women, and I fear he might cheat on me. I know it’s probably just me in my mind, but…”
Lynn shook her head. “In here. In this space, all your feelings are valid, Sarah.”
That made Sarah smile. She had a gorgeous smile, and her rosy lips were screaming to be kissed.
“Oh. Really?” Sarah asked. “Okay, then…well, so you say I am entitled to feel the way I do?”
“Absolutely. Now, tell me, what’s your boyfriend’s name?”
“Tommy. Tommy Waltman.”
Lynn wrote the name down, this time actually writing what Lynn said because she needed the name—for later. The boyfriend was in the way. He needed to go. Plus, he was obviously hurting Sarah. Lynn would do it for her because she loved her so.