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Starting the following day, Dan sent Benji on an errand that would take at least an hour or two, then notified Annika that she had some time to get started teaching him how to walk again. They quickly learned, by trial and error, how the process should go.

  Dan wheeled his chair to one end of the parallel bars, after Annika adjusted them to the correct height. He then used his substantial upper body strength to pull himself up, while Annika pulled his chair out of the way. She then got in front of him ready to support him if he fell.

  At first, he was barely able to slide one foot a few inches in front of the other, then support his weight on his arms while he slid the other foot forward to meet the first. Using this method, he was able to get to the opposite end by supporting his weight with his arms only.

  Annika then helped him reverse direction and had him do it again.

  “This time you need to try putting your weight on your front foot as you slide the back foot forward. If you are only able to do that one time, it will be good enough. If you can’t do it at all this time, we can keep trying until your arms refuse to hold you up any longer, then repeat the process tomorrow.”

  Thanks to the excellent physical therapy sessions that Eddy and Annika had provided, the muscles in both his arms and legs had been more than adequately maintained. As soon as he got used to the mechanics of walking again, he was ready to support his weight on his legs. By the fourth trip through the parallel bars, he was only using his arms for balance. When he walked, the front of his foot hit the ground before his heel with each step. The result was a clop, clop sounding walk.

  After forty-five minutes, Dan told Annika it was time to stop for the day.

  He said, “I have enough strength to continue, but I don’t want to have Benji come back early and catch us doing this. I’ll have to find something for him to do every day.”

  “Benji likes to cook, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, he cooks all my meals. He is a such a good cook, it has been a struggle to keep my weight from getting out of control.”

  “That’s perfect! There is a school in North County that specializes in teaching healthy culinary classes. If you can get him to sign up for that, we would have not only the two-hour class length but the one hour round trip travel time too.”

  “Great, I’ll see if I can get him to enroll as soon as possible.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem, a new class starts every week.”

  “Annika, I certainly appreciate your helping me with this.”

  “Don’t worry about it. This is all part of a physical therapist’s job. In any case, I never mind helping people I care about.”

  Dan’s blush was barely perceptible… but it was there.

  As usual, when she saw the darker shade of pink in his cheeks appear, Annika said,

  “See you tomorrow, Dan, and left.

  Chapter 37

  Charlie Addington had skipped out of a huge gambling debt and moved to San Diego. He changed his name to Edward Swanson and got a job washing dishes at a restaurant near Montgomery Field. It was the first time in months that he was able to breathe easily. If those hoods back in Chicago had ever caught up with him, he would’ve been dead meat.

  Instead, he had a small apartment in the most beautiful city in the U.S., a steady job, and he had his eye on that cute waitress from where he worked. Life was definitely looking up.

  He was on his way to work. He really enjoyed the ten block walk on days like this. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the temperature was in the mid seventies and he was gonna’ ask that pretty little thing for a date as soon as he got to work. Just thinking about it made him smile.

  He never heard the shot that removed the smile from the rest of his face.

  Chapter 38

  There was an air of anticipation in the briefing room when Dan and Benji entered. Everyone was there, and they were all eyeing each other trying to see if anyone had made any headway on the Atlas Killer investigation. When the Chief called for progress reports, all were negative except Jerry. He reported that he now had 5 possible suspects based on search parameters. He had seven “hits” but had ruled two out. One was dead, and the other had moved out of state two months ago. He was doing background checks on the 5 potentials today.

  Chief Gates said only four words in response to the lack of more significant results from the team.

  “Not much time left!”

  As the team departed the room, Chief Gates called Dan to join him in his office.

  “Yes Chief,” said Dan.

  “I’m afraid I have some bad news. ‘The Assassin’ is reported to be back in San Diego. There was another murder yesterday with the same M.O. The victim was shot in the head at long range, and the shell retrieved from the scene matches the one that he shot you with. I’m taking you off this case, and I want you to lay low until Eastern Division can nail this guy.”

  “No way! This is personal. I need to be the one that ends this son of a bitch. I need that satisfaction to help me finally feel whole again. I can consult with the team if needed for their current case, but I want to coordinate with Eastern and assist them in any way I can. You have to let me do this, Chief.”

  “Alright, but I want you off the street as much as possible. You can attend the morning briefings via video conferencing, but you stay in your house as much as possible while working ‘The Assassin’ case. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sir… Let’s go hide in our cave Benji.”

  ***

  Back at his house, Annika was patiently waiting for them again. “How was your morning guys?”

  “I will tell you all about it during our session. Benji, will you help me get ready while Annika waits in the anteroom?”

  “Of course, Boss, don’t I always?”

  When they were in the exercise room, Dan said, “Sorry about that Benji, I still get a little nervous around her, and I may ask you to do something that I know you are already going to do.”

  “That’s okay, I love seeing you get flustered when you are around the fairer sex.”

  “Not to change the subject, Benji, but Annika told me that there is a culinary school in North County that teaches healthy cooking. Do you think you might want to check into that? Your cooking is delicious, but I’d like to do everything I can to keep the weight off now that I am confined to this damn chair.”

  “Yeah, I’m always looking for new kitchen techniques and recipes to add to my repertoire. That sounds like fun. I’ll get the info from Annika, right?”

  “Yes thanks, friend, now will you have her come in?”

  “Sure thing, Boss! Oh, and by the way, I have met someone that I might like to bring home with me sometimes. Will that be cool with you?”

  “Sure, just make sure the moaning and groaning don’t get too loud. Now go ahead and let her in.”

  ***

  After Annika completed her massage and passive exercise routine, she helped Dan get back up on the parallel bars to continue learning to walk. After four round trips, she told him to stop and rest for a moment back in his chair. When she thought he had rested enough, she asked him, “Are you ready?”

  “Not if you expect me to start running as my next exercise.”

  “Nope, now we have to work on your balance. Use this walker and see if you can stand. His legs were strong enough to hold his weight, so he was able to stand by himself.

  “Okay, good job! Now I want you to try walking by just using the walker to steady yourself. Start out like you did with the bars. At first, just slide one foot in front of the other until you are confident enough to take a step.”

  After a half hour, Dan was actually walking with just a cane.

  “Do you think I am ready to start dancing?”

  He began bending his knees and wiggling his hips and immediately fell forward into Annika taking them both to the floor. Annika was on her
back and Dan was lying on top of her looking directly into her eyes.

  He quickly rolled off her and said, “Oh my God Annika, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  This time, they were both blushing.

  “That’s probably enough for today.”

  “I agree.”

  To avoid further embarrassment, Annika decided to change the subject.

  She said, “When you told me last time how you got shot, I never asked you, did you ever catch The Assassin?

  “No. As a matter of fact, I just found out this morning that he is back in San Diego.”

  “Oh, Dan! You are not going to be looking for him yourself, are you?”

  “No, Chief Gates has grounded me until they catch him.” He did not want to upset her by telling her the truth.

  “Thank goodness! I couldn’t stand to see you get shot again.”

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t much care for it either.”

  He was touched by her concern for him.

  “What will you be doing if you can’t work on the Atlas case?”

  “I will consult with the team individually by phone and can attend the morning briefings using a remote audio/video hook up.”

  “Are you sure staying home is safe? It seems like it would be easier for him to find you here.”

  “I’ve never taken you on a tour, have I? This place is a fortress. My den is essentially a panic room, equipped with steel walls and door. I have a satellite phone in there to ensure that I can maintain communication if my phone lines get cut and enough weapons for Benji and me to defend ourselves if invaders were able to breach the door. The perimeter has enough security cameras to cover every square inch of open space from the house to a twelve-foot wall. We will be safer here than at the police station should the Assassin try to finish what he started.”

  Annika seemed satisfied with his explanation. “And if something should happen while I am here would you let me join you in the panic room?”

  “Sure, there’s enough space for the three of us without being crowded together.”

  “Well, that’s a shame. I have never minded a little crowding.”

  Dan could feel the heat of the blood rushing to his face once again. Before he could change the subject, he was saved by the ringing of his cell phone. Annika handed it to him from the desk.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey Dan, this is Frank. I checked with Cyndi’s boss at the library and the best he can give me is that she closed up at 10:00 P.M. and that it usually took about an hour to finish re-stacking books before she left at 11:00. He also said she always walked straight home.”

  “What you might do Frank, is walk the five blocks to her house at the same time tonight looking for potential witnesses or abduction sites.”

  “Thanks, Dan, that doesn’t sound very promising, but it’s more than we have so far, so it’s worth a shot.”

  “Great. Give me a call after you get home and let me know if you find anything useful.”

  “You bet. Bye.”

  Dan handed the phone back to Annika.

  “Well, it sounds like you are going to obey the Chief’s orders and stay at home tonight.”

  “Certainly. I have no desire to give that sick bastard a second chance.”

  “That’s good. I will see you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.”

  “My, my Dan. I believe that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me.”

  Seeing that she had made him blush again, Annika left.

  As soon as he heard the front door close, Dan grabbed his phone and dialed Frank’s number.

  When he answered, Dan said, “I’ll meet you at the library at 10:45.”

  “I knew you were BS’ing me. See you then.”

  Chapter 39

  The closer to 8:00 o’clock it got, the more Cyndi’s anxiety increased. He entered the warehouse at the same time on the previous three evenings, and she knew he was very meticulous about everything he did. He was precise about how far off the floor he raised her, the force with which he administered each swing of the strap, and how he counted each blow. Tonight, there would be thirty. She didn’t know if she could stand that many without passing out. On the other hand, if she were unconscious, there wouldn’t be any pain with the sex afterward.

  Although fear had dominated her emotions since being abducted, she spent a good deal of time today trying to think of a way to keep him from killing her. She had read about the other girls and knew that hers was going to be the next body that would be found in a public place. She had to find a way to make him want to keep her alive.

  According to TV shows about serial killers, you were supposed to make them see you as a person instead of an object. She was sure he already saw her as a person since he had been screwing her every night after her beating, and he treated her with some degree of tenderness when he finished his daily ritual of whipping her and sex. He always put a blanket over her and kissed her forehead.

  She thought he heard voices. He often talked to an “Aunt Jane” while he was beating her. He would sometimes stop for a moment as if he was listening and then talk to his aunt again as he resumed. He had told her that the pain would make her stronger and that he beat her because he loved her. She might be able to use his crazy thinking to further her goal.

  As she had predicted, the door opened right at 8:00. Tonight, instead of screaming and begging him not to hurt her, she just calmly looked at him and said, “You know you never told me your name. I am beginning to feel very close to you. My name is Cyndi, but I don’t know what to call you.”

  At first, he just stared at her with a questioning look. After thinking for a minute, he said, “you can call me Ben.”

  “That’s a nice strong sounding name, Ben. Were you named after your father?”

  “No, it was for my grandfather. Why are you asking these questions? Are you just stalling and hoping I won’t beat you tonight?”

  “No, no. In fact, I have started to enjoy the beatings. I can tell that the pain is making me stronger, and like I said, I am starting to have feelings for you. I just thought we might talk for a while first, so I could get to know you.”

  “That’s enough talking for tonight. Let’s get on with it.”

  He pulled her up off of the mattress with the chain, while watching her to see if she showed any discomfort. If she was telling the truth, she should be looking forward to tonight’s whipping.

  When he locked the chain in place, he could, indeed, see her smile. “Don’t forget Ben, you promised me thirty strokes tonight.”

  On his way home, he could barely contain his excitement. At last! He had finally found one that fulfilled his aunt’s prophecy. She was definitely becoming stronger! She had begged him to give her just five more lashes when she already had her thirty. Also, he was sure that her moaning during sex was from pleasure. He couldn’t believe how much more he enjoyed that than the screaming he had relished previously. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t have to kill this one!

  At least not yet!

  Chapter 40

  Frank was waiting when Benji pulled up in the van. He got in the back seat behind Dan and pointed to the street that Cyndi always took to get home.

  They drove slowly down the dark street looking at every building along the way. As they approached the alley to the warehouse, Dan said, “Wait! Stop here! Benji, turn down that driveway.”

  Benji made the turn, then drove a few yards until the headlights pierced the darkened alley enough to see the door at the end. When he turned his lights off, they could see no light coming from around the door. Benji got out and tried the knob. It was locked.

  Dan said, “You can come back tomorrow and see if anyone is here.”

  As Benji backed the van out of the alley and swung it around, the headlight
s revealed a body in a doorway across the street. They pulled up to the curb, and Frank got out to investigate the huddled shadow.

  “Hey man, get that light out of my eyes!”

  “What are you doing here this time of night?”

  “What the hell does it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to get my beauty rest, you dumb shit!”

  At this point, Frank flashed his badge. “You better show some respect buddy. I just need to ask you some questions.”

  “I’d rather have you throw me in the tank. That way I can get three squares and a cot.”

  “Well, that’s not gonna happen, but I’ll give you twenty bucks to answer my questions.”

  “You got a deal mister. What do ya wanna know?

  “You sleep here every night?”

  “Yeah, it’s usually quiet. Not much traffic. Hardly anyone walks down here at night.”

  “Have you ever noticed a young, pretty lady walking here on a regular basis?

  “Yeah. I usually stay awake long enough to watch her go by across the street. She’s got some good lookin’ sticks too.”

  “What time does she walk by?”

  “Just about now, except for the past week. It was one day last week when she just kinda disappeared as she walked past that alley over there.”

  Excitement began to bubble up in Frank’s chest. “Have you noticed anything else about that alley?”

  “Yep! Most nights, some guy backs his car down there and comes out again with his lights off, about an hour or so later. He doesn’t turn his lights back on ‘til he gets to the end of the street. He’s the only one goes down there.

  Frank handed the bum a twenty-dollar bill. “Thanks, old timer. You’ve been a great help.”

  “Sure. Come back anytime and we can play twenty-dollar questions again friend.”

  Frank ran back to the van and excitedly said to Benji and Dan, “We’ve got the son of a bitch. We’ve got him!”

  “What are you talking about? said Dan.”

  “That vagrant sleeps in that doorway every night. He has not only seen our missing girl, but he has also seen someone drive down that alley and return after a while and drive off again. It’s him I know it is. I think we have enough to come back with a warrant to search the place tomorrow.”