Don't Look Back: A Psychological Thriller, page 8
“Yes, I agree.” Matt was still sleeping because he slept like the dead. He learned to do that from working at the hospital at weird hours. “I am not going back to bed until I check her out. She might have injuries from the fighting. I can also give her something to help her sleep. We don’t need her to put herself in more danger by not taking care of herself. I know she isn’t thinking clearly. Who would be?” Aaron questioned.
“Agreed. How do we handle this thing with Ethan? He will be here tomorrow or the next day. Should we call Charlie and get his input? This is a huge revelation, and we could use more backup,” Will thought.
“I will call Charlie tomorrow morning after we see how the rest of the night goes. We need a plan first. I can’t say that I like how Kristen is already shutting us out and acting like she’s fine. This is serious, and I think our two doctors, now her doctors, would agree,” Elijah said worriedly.
“We must stay on top of this, that’s for sure. Her body will only take so much and bring on medical issues. I hope she will trust us. Guys aren’t exactly high on her list of people to trust now,” Aaron said.
“True, but no matter how bad things have gotten, she has always trusted us. We have to go with that for now. I almost feel bad for Ethan when she does get a hold of him. Almost. Her right hook is vicious. She can take care of herself, but we shouldn’t let her be alone with him any more than we can help it- at least not until we figure out his plan,” Shawn agreed.
A few minutes later, I was out of the shower in fresh pajamas, but not ready to talk. We were all in the living room on the couches, and everyone was looking at me.
“Can you tell us what was happening in your night terror? We know it had something to do with Ethan. What was he doing? Was he hurting you?” Shawn started the questions.
I sat there in numb silence, trembling but out of tears. “Can I hold you?” Shawn asked, offering me a warm blanket from the dryer. “We want you to know that you are safe.” I nodded “Yes,” but still shuddered a bit when he picked me up. Now I was in his arms, wrapped in a blanket, still shaking.
Aaron looked at me. “Matt and I will continue to be your doctors and love you as our sister. We will protect you with our lives. I will speak as your doctor and brother for a minute: I love you and feel scared right now. Please tell us what happened in that nightmare. I can guess, but it is affecting you more than you know. Shawn is someone you love and feel safe with, but you are shaking like a leaf. If we fight Ethan, we must share the information, even if it is hard or embarrassing. I want you to let me check you, take your vitals, and treat you. I can help you. You need sleep to keep your wits about you. Will you let me check you over?”
“Aaron, I love and trust you, but I am okay, really. I don’t need someone to check me out. This has been a lot to handle, but I will handle it. I always do. My body is stronger than you think. Thank you, though,” I said as Aaron shook his head like he was disappointed in me.
“As for the night terror, it was about…what was in his journals that Shawn and I found at his apartment. It had all his …fantasies about raping and murdering me there. That’s what I couldn’t wake up from. He had me pinned down. We were in what looked like a hospital. He was on top of me, and I was trying to fight back and was doing well at first, but then he gave me these drugs and forced me to breathe in something from a mask. Then I couldn’t fight him anymore, and he took my body. As a final insult, as I was lying on a table, he proudly held up the pictures, started ripping them up, and placing them on my body in a heart. Then he began taking pictures and putting them in the killer’s scrapbook while I watched; that was when I punched Shawn and finally woke up. The entire time he was talking to his partner, but I never got to see or hear the partner. He took so much pleasure in every ounce of pain he caused me. So, this confirms it; I am engaged to a serial killer and have put all of you in grave danger,” I said, getting out of Shawn’s arms, still shaking as I stood unsteadily on my feet.
“I think you should sit down and let me look at you. Then we can come up with a plan. You are strong, and I know you don’t like to ask for help. Your body will only take so much, and then you will pass out, force us to hold you down and sedate you; or worse, you will be in his clutches, unable to fight back. Take control and make your choice. We are all here to help, support, and encourage you,” Aaron said, his concern growing.
I thought for a minute and then answered him. Tears started falling uncontrollably once again. “Aaron makes an excellent point. I do have choices; we have options. We need to use them to our advantage. We can use the fact that we are onto him, but he doesn’t know it to lure him and his partner out - to find who the partner is. Listen, this next part is gross, but I think it could work with your help.
“Great because the first part of this was so gross. Listening to how he is already torturing you, taking your sleep away, then raping and murdering you, I will have a hard time not killing him on sight,” Elijah said his anger growing.
“I agree. I am very ready to end him,” Will agreed.
“Okay, yes, we all want to end him. Not just him. We need them both, and this could be how we catch them. First, we have to do the best acting we have ever done in our lives and not let him know that we are on to him. We have to pretend he is still one of the team and my...fiancé. Ethan has to wholeheartedly believe that he is not suspect. Here’s the gross part. Here me out before you all freak. He was planning this exceptional date three days from now. We were supposed to meet in secret at an old, abandoned hospital to…play doctor.”
Looks of disgust and surprise shot through the room. All but Shawn. His face was compassionate. I paused, letting everyone have their moment of disgust, and then went on, “What if I keep the date, try to get him to confess or reveal his partner? This could be our chance. I know it’s gross, and you all have objections, but you must admit if he were planning something it would be a plan, right?”
They all nodded, not wanting to agree but knowing I had a point.
“So, until then, we have to do something that reassures him, something that will let him know I am on his side no matter what. What should we do? What would make him mad?
“If he thought we weren’t taking care of you in the right way that would do it,” Shawn suggested.
“Exactly, so let’s keep going with the lack of sleep and not eating or drinking anything. We can say that I am so upset by everything I have learned in the last few days. That’s not a lie, and there wouldn’t be much acting required. He’s coming by later today after his shift. We could test out the theory. The crucial thing is that he doesn’t know we are onto him.
“That sounds like a great plan. I am happy to send you all the backup I can. I want to do anything to catch these guys and make you safe. This is a lot to handle. I want to help in any way I can. I will add wiretaps and surveillance to figure out what they are up to. I like the idea of your plan, but only if you allow Aaron and Matt, or one of my doctors, to monitor you. This is still dangerous, but I agree it is our best chance of getting them,” Charlie suggested. He had joined us an hour earlier after Will had called him.
“You drive a hard bargain, Charlie, but we need to work together to get them. I am willing to agree to those terms. Aaron, I am sorry I was being so stubborn earlier. I was feeling weak, scared, and taken advantage of. I was acting out instead of admitting that I needed help. Please help me get him, whatever it takes. Always,” I said, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Always,” was the affirmation from the living room. Charlie left to get the surveillance started. I talked about what I was feeling, including my fears, and then spent the rest of the night held by Shawn. Even though my love life was in the toilet, I was still lucky. I had all of them to back me up and help me catch the bad guys.
Now that we had a plan, I couldn’t help but wonder if we would be able to pull it off.
THIRTEEN
We didn’t have to wait long to begin to test our plan. The next morning, Shawn carried me to my room, and Aaron and Matt checked me out. I didn’t want them to fuss or see me like that, but that was the deal I had made with Charlie. If I wanted to stay on the case and try and get these guys, that was the deal.
“Do I need two doctors?” I asked, a few tears escaping my eyes. I couldn’t stop, but at least it was going to help our case. Matt and Aaron were both worried.
“You are pale, are shaking, and now are exhibiting trouble finishing your thoughts cohesively. It is just going to get worse. Why don’t you let us give you something with electrolytes and some toast, so you have something in your system?” Aaron asked.
“Thank you, but am I in danger?” I asked honestly.
“No, but this is taking a toll on your body. If we weren’t trying to carry out this crazy plan, I would never let you do this. I want you to know that it may come to the point where we don’t have a choice and we will have to intervene, but we are not there yet,” Matt said, letting his opinion be known. “Next time, you all should wake me up.”
“No, Aaron had it handled, and we knew we would need someone who had slept and was thinking more clearly. You are doing well this morning.” Elijah said. “Okay, Charlie just told me that Ethan is on his way. Everyone knows what to do. Kristen, why don’t you get to your room and into your place? I will get some strong coffee going. It will help after being up all night, and I think we all desperately need it,” Elijah continued.
“Great. One crying heaping mess of a fiancée coming right up. Just try not to let him take me anywhere,” I said, starting slowly up the stairs, stumbling a bit as I climbed.
A few minutes later, I was seated in the corner of my room, huddled in blankets, still crying, shaking, and pale. The sad part was that I was not acting. I was already shuddering at the thought of that maniac touching me. I knew that I just had to play along. It was just like going undercover. I could do this. My anxiety grew as I could hear the yelling downstairs. Charlie had gifted us with some hidden microphones. I had one in my room, and there was one in the living room so we could listen to what was going on in either place. Ethan was leading the discussion.
“What do you mean she’s been up there crying all night, having nightmares about her mother being raped, and murdered, and you brilliant people haven’t sedated her yet? You have two doctors here, and the rest of you have certainly seen the path she is headed down. This is a lot for you, I know. But she walked through what her mother had suffered, found out the same team had murdered her father, and that her parents had lied her entire life. I know all of you are shocked, but things take a while to sink in with her. You all know that, or you should, at least. You claim to know her so well. I am very worried about her, and I think you all should be more worried too.
“I am going up there to convince her that she needs help. She is going to be my wife. I am going to go up there and speak with her. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get her the treatment that she is too stubborn to admit that she needs. I will carry her down here kicking and screaming for treatment if I have to. I won’t let her hurt herself,” Ethan said, storming off.
He was not letting this inconvenient display of emotion ruin his plans for me in the next few days. He wanted to take and cause me pain in every way I feared most, then use me to draw out the rest of them, letting me watch as they murdered them one by one.
Then they would flee to another part of the world and restart their business. No one would stop them- certainly neither of these two families. And, indeed, not some stupid woman.
He stopped outside my door and listened for a minute. He could hear the crying. Ethan took a deep breath and knew he had to put on an act. Pretending to love me and care about all my problems was likely exhausting. That look on my face when I had figured out he had been playing me all along would so be worth it for him. That happy thought would allow him to get through his part. It was about getting my trust long enough to get me on his table.
“Krissy, it’s Ethan. Can I come in? They told me you wouldn’t let anyone in to check on you. Please, we are all very worried about you.”
“Yes, you come in, but no one else,” I answered, weakly.
That’s a good sign. I still have her trust, Ethan thought to himself. He admitted that he was shocked at the sight of me, huddled in blankets in the corner, with tears flowing freely, shaking, and pale.
“Can I hold you?” he asked softly, almost sweetly.
Every part of me wanted to scream, NO!, stab him, and run, but I knew we needed this, so I nodded numbly. Ethan’s touch in picking me up sent chills down my spine. I told him it was because of everything that had happened. In truth, I was trying not to vomit.
“I know you have been through a lot of scary stuff recently. You are a strong woman and don’t want to ask for help, but you are in trouble here. I agree with Aaron and Matt. Your body will only take so much, and then it will collapse. Please don’t force us to do this. We are here for you and can help you, but you need to take the first step. Will you let me treat you? We need to start with a sedative to get some sleep and hopefully stop the crying. I can do it fast and sexy like we are on our special date. Just let me take care of you,” he said, taking the sedative from his pocket.
“No, I think I will be fine. I need to be alone for a while to cry it out. I am sure it will stop soon. If it doesn’t stop by tonight, I will let you knock me out; how about that?”
“I don’t want to wait that long. Please, just let me do it now. You can sleep and feel refreshed for tomorrow. Then you’ll have a day to rest before our date.” Ethan held up the syringe and tried to force me down so he could jab it in.
I wrestled out of his grasp and decided I needed another tactic. The plan worked, but I needed something else to cement the deal. I decided to go with baring my soul and explaining my feelings about my parents to this psycho killer. The guys had asked me earlier if I wanted to talk, to which I had declined. Opening up to Ethan would be challenging, but it would show trust.
I tried at first, and when I looked at him, I wanted to run. I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and pretended I was talking to someone trustworthy. When thinking about the people I trust, Shawn was the first who came to mind, so I pictured him and began talking about my feelings for my parents. It was heartbreaking for everyone down below to listen, but they quickly caught on to what I was up to. This worked well for a few minutes, and Ethan tried to sneak the sedative out again, saying I needed him to help take care of me.
The guys heard what was happening and faked an urgent call from the hospital for Ethan. He put the sedative back in his pocket and sighed disappointedly, “Okay, I will let it wait for now, but if it gets more serious, I won’t have a choice. As your fiancé and doctor, I can’t let you hurt yourself.” He hugged me and then went downstairs, saying he would be back to check on me later. As soon as he cleared the door, I ran for the bathroom and vomited everything I had eaten, including the electrolyte drinks and the toast.
I could hear his anger as he yelled, “If she gets worse, be real men and take care of her. Hogtie her down if you have to. Stop worrying about her feelings and take charge. I will be back to check on her later tonight and will bring supplies,” Ethan said. Soon he was peeling out of the driveway.
After brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth, I went downstairs, lay on the couch, and tried to get some sleep. That was futile. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ethan raping and torturing me. I could hear my screams. I would sit up, and one of the boys would hold me, trying to make me feel safe.
Aaron and Matt offered more serious things now: sedatives, oxygen, and IV fluids. I turned it all down. They were checking my vitals when we got an unexpected call from Charlie saying he had something we needed to hear, and he was on his way over. It had been hours since Ethan had left, so we guessed it had something to do with him. We were right about that but had no idea how bad it was.
It was late in the day, and I was trying to stop the few tears that were still escaping my eyes. We had made our point: the plan had worked. Now it was getting more dangerous. I had never experienced anything like this. I knew that if I couldn’t stop crying sooner or later, Matt and Aaron would react. I was scared, still feeling very weak and out of control - feelings I hated passionately.
Charlie walked in with a severe look on his face. He looked at me and his gaze turned even more severe. He spoke with Matt and Aaron privately for a minute and then returned to the group.
“I have spoken with Aaron and Matt, and we have come to a recommendation about you,” he said, shaking his head and staring at me. He continued, “But first, everyone needs to hear this. It is a phone call between Ethan and his partner, but we still can’t ID him. The call is shocking and crude.
The first part is cut off, so we didn’t get his name, but the surveillance is paying off. There is a lot of other valuable information too. Congratulations, you all played your parts to perfection this morning. He fell for your act completely.” He then proceeded to play a recording of the phone call.
“Everything is finally a go. I am finally going to take her in every way. Kristen has no idea what is coming. The proposal I made sealed the deal. She is so stupid and still thinks I am in love with her. Of course, I don’t love her, but I have waited a long time and had to lie to get her to trust me so I can bed her.”
A fresh crop of tears began falling, and everyone was horrified. They felt terrible for me and wanted to kill him even more now. Elijah and Will came over and encircled me. “Thank you,” I said to them.
“Always,” they replied.
“Always,” I replied. To Charlie, I said, “Please keep going. I know it is terrible, but we need this information.”
As we listened to the rest of the call, what would we hear and what new horrors would we learn?
