“Read!” he shouted.
She concentrated on the card and a few words came into focus. Shaking and sobbing she read:
“I am Eliana…” she stopped.
“Read!”
“I am Eliana
He changed cards. The urine and ammonia burned her eyes and now her skin was starting to sting. The words swam in and out of focus.
“Detective Jaxon Jennings is to locate me and attempt a rescue. If he does not…” she had to stop, she couldn’t see for the burning in her eyes.
“Read, damn you!”
“I can’t! My eyes burn and I can’t see!” She drooled as she spoke and felt bile rising in her throat. He turned the camera off and approached her with a towel. He wiped her eyes roughly and went back behind the camera. He pressed the record button again.
“Read.”
She focused on the words and tried again. “If he doesn’t find me in three days, I will be killed.” The card was swapped for another. “My father will only allow one clue and you have already seen it. You have three days.” The card dropped and she pleaded with him. “Please! Don’t do this! You’re my father! Please!”
He turned the camera off and went upstairs leaving her tied to the chair. He returned a few moments later and set something else down on the floor behind her. She braced for whatever else was coming, but instead she felt his hands as they untied her bindings and he told her to stand. He gathered the tri-pod and camera and carried them to the stairs. He turned before climbing them and said, “Clean yourself up. You stink.”
He nodded at two buckets on the floor by her and she could see one was filled with soapy water and the other fresh. He tramped up the stairs and locked the door behind him. She sat back down and sobbed for a long time.
Chapter 48
Jaxon watched the video end and the local newscaster go on to say, “The disturbing video of Eliana Worthington was delivered to the station at seven o’clock this morning. The man she speaks of is her father, Leonard Worthington, who the police are seeking in the deaths of a number of teens in the DC Metro area. Dubbed the Swimming Pool Killer, he has led the authorities on a number of wild goose chases, and is believed responsible for the death of local Fairfax County Police detective, Sally Winston, along with a number of Indiana police officers, SWAT team members, and FBI agents who were lured into his supposed residence in Hobart, Indiana last month, and then killed in the subsequent explosion. The Fairfax County Police Department has remained unusually quiet and the FBI has refused comment. What this reporter wants to know is where is the detective who was so prominently mentioned in the video? Why has Detective Jaxon Jennings, the lead investigator on the case, disappeared? An exhaustive search performed by Mel Jacobs in our investigative department indicates that he is holed up in his apartment and refuses to acknowledge anyone on the outside. We go now live to Mel at the Oaktier Apartment complex for an update.”
The picture segued into a shot of the outside of his apartment building and Jaxon groaned.
“Shut it off,” he said.
Victoria stepped to the small set and flipped the switch.
“When did this first air?” he said.
“Four hours ago.”
He rubbed his face and sat forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I’ve got to sober up. Can you make coffee while I shower?”
She smiled and said, “Of course.”
He stood slowly and went to step past her to the bathroom, but she grabbed his arm. “We only have three days.”
“He’s calling me out. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “I believe this has always been about you. He’s using the girl to get to you.”
“Yeah. Well, it’s working.”
She stared into his bloodshot eyes as if trying to find something he needed. He looked away.
“I’ve got your back,” she said.
He turned to her and pressed his forehead against hers. “I know. Thanks.”
“Now, go shower,” she said, pushing him away. “And brush your teeth. You’re killing me.”
Luke watched the news from his hospital bed, sat up immediately and began dressing. As he tied the laces on his shoes, Deana and his grandmother walked in with balloons and some comic books.
“Did they release you?” his grandmother asked.
“No.”
“Then, what are you doing?”
“I’m leaving.”
“Oh no you’re not, young man. You had quite a bump on your head. You can’t just get up and leave.”
“You can’t stop me,” Luke said. He grabbed his cell phone and headed for the door. Deana grabbed his arm.
“You can’t help her,” she said quietly. “You know that, right?”
“I can’t if you don’t let go of me.” He stared at her hand on his arm and then glared at his sister.
She let go. “What are you going to do?”
“Find her,” he said as he strode out of his room. “Then, I’ll kill that son-of-a-bitch.”
His grandmother shouted after him, “Lucas Neal Harrison, you get back here this instant!”
Her voice faded as he turned into a stairwell and descended to the ground floor. Luke’s head still ached continuously, but the dizziness seemed to be in check. It didn’t matter anyway, he’d ignore everything to get to her before it was too late.
Something had snapped inside him as he watched Ellie in front of that camera, soaked in some gross liquid he couldn’t even guess at. She looked terrified and the fear she was feeling bore right into his heart, searing a place in it that could not be cooled until he knew she was safe. He had to find her! The police were useless and Jaxon was nowhere to be found. She had no one to help her, and he knew the terror she felt at being all alone was more than she could bear.
Exiting the front door of the hospital, he pulled out his cell phone and called Jimmy. “Did you get your car yet?”
“Hey, man! Yeah. How are you? Are you home yet? Have you seen the news?”
“Just be quiet for a second,” Luke snapped. “I need you to come get me at the hospital. Now.”
“Uh-ok. What’s wrong?”
“Ellie’s what’s wrong! You saw the news right? Now hurry and come pick me up. I’ll be out front. Bring John too.”
“Alright-I’m on it! What’re you gonna do?”
“You mean what are we gonna do? We’ll talk when you get here. Hurry!” He hung up and waited. For some reason, he was not afraid.
As Jaxon and Victoria exited his apartment, they were mobbed by reporters and bystanders shouting questions and accusations at them. The throng encircled them, keeping them from getting to her car in the street and shoving microphones and camera lenses in their faces as they tried to get him to talk. The voices were like gunshots to his head and Victoria glanced at him, a little worried. He held up his hand for them to be silent and they
