Rick Mofina - Into the Dark

Soft cursing rippled around the table as the meeting ended.

Tanner returned to his desk with images burning in his mind: Leeza Meadows, aged twenty-one, her body found by a birdwatcher at the edge of Santa Clarita. Tanner suddenly thought of Samantha and how he would feel if it were his daughter they’d found sexually assaulted, her naked body dumped. He knew the pain of losing his wife, but to lose your daughter-to evil, to darkness.

And this creep is still out there.

Time was slipping by them.

Why these five? Why did he select them?

Tanner echoed the question the reporter Mark Harding had asked: “What did a waitress, a hooker, an accountant, an actress and a writer, all have in common with their killer?”

Again, Tanner went back to the six-month rule. What had each woman done in the last six months of her life? Where had she gone? Who had she seen? What did she do? Was it something common in all five cases? He’d flipped through pages and pages of notes detectives had made in working with the family members and loved ones. Notes, journals and logs on routines, appointments and activities.

Then he cross-checked them through the database, searching for a common thread, almost willing one to appear.

Again, he found nothing.

All of the women had jobs, all had routines, friends, social circles that had been investigated extensively.

All had traveled in the last six months of their lives.

Traveled?

Tanner paused. Thinking.

Now that was an angle he hadn’t pursued deeply.

Where did they travel? He reached for the files. A charter group? That would be a common factor. Flipping through the files, he saw that Bonnie Bradford had made a few trips to New York to talk to a literary agent. Monique Wilson had visited Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia so many times for her accounting firm, she got to know some of the airline crew, her sister had noted. Then there was Fay Lynne Millwood; she’d gone to Denver for a conference. Esther Fatima Lopez had gone to Las Vegas and Atlantic City to work. Leeza Meadows had flown to Boston to visit a friend in college.

All had flown but not with a charter group. The common link couldn’t be travel, Tanner thought as his phone rang. The distraction caused him to pass over the name of the airline listed in each file and the fact that at one time or another, each of the women had flown with the same airline.

San Marino, California

Claire, I’m sorry for what happened last night. I felt horrible. I came to realize that you’re right, I’ve been ignoring you. Guess I’m still dealing with a little post-traumatic stress myself. The truth: it was Ruben’s retelling of the event that made me lose track and pause. Suddenly, all I saw was an inferno. I was trapped in it and it terrified me. Do not doubt for one second that I want to start a family with you. You’re my world, my life.

I need you more than you’ll ever know.

Claire stopped reading the note Robert had left on the kitchen table to brush away a tear before finishing.

I couldn’t sleep, so I worked a little on your planter boxes. The company texted me last night. One of our guys got sick so I had to go in early this morning to take his trip and then add it to mine. I tried not to wake you. I’ll call you. I hate leaving like this.

Forgive me.

Love,

Robert

Claire sat down as if winded and cupped her face in her hands.

At this moment she loved him.

At this moment she hated him.

What’s happening to us?

Claire looked through the glass of the patio doors to their backyard, her flower beds and the planter boxes. He’d moved them again. She half smiled at how he was so concerned about getting them just right for her. She loved them and he’d built more. They were beautiful.

We’ve both been through a lot lately. That’s what’s happened to us.

It was true, she admitted as she prepared a piece of whole-wheat toast with a peach for breakfast. But she had patients who needed her. She glanced at the time on the microwave. And she was running late.

In the shower, the hot water sharpened her concentration and she fell into the same old debate with herself over Robert that continued as she put on her makeup.

Why am I rationalizing every negative to convince myself that this is just a “rough patch” and everything’s going to be fine? I’m such a stupid, stupid woman. Every one of my instincts is telling me, screaming at me, that something’s terribly wrong between Robert and me.

Being honest about the problem was a start, she thought as she dressed, but she couldn’t deal with it any further at the moment. She was late and had a ton of work waiting for her at the office. Amber was her first patient this morning and Claire was hopeful that she was building on her progress and decision not to return to Eric.

Adjusting her necklace, Claire entered her home office to collect her USB flash drive. Then she disconnected her phone from the charger and, as if on cue, it rang.

“Hey, Claire, it’s me,” Julie said.

“Hi.”

“Did I get you at a bad time? Can you talk right now?”

“Sure, but I’m late and on my way out the door.”

“So how’d it go last night?”

“Overall, it went really well, very emotional and touching, I was proud of him but there were some strange moments.”

“Strange, how?”

“I don’t know, he seemed kind of touchy-feely with a couple of young women who had their picture taken with him.”

“What do you mean?” Julie asked.

“When he put his arms around them to pose, his hands just seemed to wander in a way that made me uneasy.”

“What about the women? Did they mind?”

“They didn’t care. If they did, they didn’t show it.”

“And he knew you were watching?”

“Yes.”

“That is strange. Where was it again?”

“Maywood.” Claire got into her car.

“Did you find out any more information for me?”

“I did, and that was one of the odd things. I didn’t need to ask-it came up randomly in conversation. Robert said that he and Cynthia had lived in Canada when they were married.”

“Canada? That explains why I couldn’t find anything. You know where in Canada?”

“No, it was a surprise to me and it made me angry and we got into it on the way home. He said he’d told me when we first met, but I swear he didn’t.” Claire pushed the button on her remote garage door opener. The door rose with a groan, light flooded the garage and she started her car.

“Okay, Canada,” Julie said. “That’s helpful. Our agency has subs there.”

“Subs?”

“Subcontractors. We have contacts to help us. I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Thanks, gotta go.”

During her drive to work Claire tried to focus on her practice, but it was futile. She was anxious. When she stopped at a long red light her mind swirled with images that pulled her back to her childhood home and…

…Her mother’s fingers desperately clawing at her father’s hand that gripped the gun… Suddenly Claire is a woman slammed with fury against a column in the airport and Cliff is crushing his forearm against her throat… Cliff raises his fist to smash her face when Robert seizes it, saving her… Robert last night…“I’ve always been there for you…you don’t know how lucky you are.”

The light changed and Claire resumed driving to her office.

She was not too late when she arrived. Alice was on the phone, her face creased with concern. Without disturbing her, Claire got a coffee and left reception but her attention lingered on Alice, curious about her demeanor and why no one was seated in the lobby.