A Kettle of Hawks (The Birdwatcher Series Book 3) Read online

  Ellie turned around, startled as the door opened and Megan rushed to her and hugged her.

  “Come in the two of you,” Melissa said, tugging at them and looking out into the street for signs of danger. The two girls stayed in the embrace and shuffled inside as the door was shut behind them

  “It’s so good to see you,” Megan said, taking Ellie by the biceps and pushing her back a little so they could see one another.

  “You too,” Ellie replied with a thin smile. Megan was surprised at how skeletal Ellie’s face had become. She looked like she hadn't slept in a year. She hadn’t looked this bad after being held captive for a year!

  “Come on, let me show you to your room.”

  It was a quick way to get them away from Megan’s mother and as they went Megan noticed Ellie glancing nervously out every window and into every reflective surface along the way. She was very clearly terrified. Megan took her into her own room and closed and locked the door.

  “My mom helped me move that other bed in here so we can sleep in the same room,” Megan said

  “Thanks,” Ellie replied, “Do you feel safe here?” Megan hadn’t expected the question and she answered automatically.

  “Yes, this a quiet street with nosey neighbours and a police presence all the time,” she said. This was true but it was funny how she’d never truly felt safe since coming here all the same. She couldn't say that to Ellie though, that would be enough to tip her over the edge.

  You’re sure none of your stuff has been moved around, or left in places that seemed odd?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “And you haven’t felt like you’re being followed?” Ellie looked out the window again when she said this. Megan went to her and put an arm around her friend's shoulder.

  “I’m sure,” she said Megan didn’t like lying, not one bit. She couldn’t help but wonder if Ellie was holding something back too. Had Spalding managed to get her phone number and call or message her too? It seems like Ellie was in such a state that she wouldn't keep such a thing a secret, but who knew. Megan hadn’t told Ellie what she’d been through and she wasn’t even sure why she was keeping it to herself. “You’re going to be fine here,” Megan said, leading Ellie away from the window. “We don’t even have to leave the house the whole time you're here if you don’t want to. My mom can get us anything we need.”

  Ellie sat down on the bed and then flopped onto her back with her arms out wide.

  “I’m sorry Megan,” she said, “I’ve just been so tired worrying all the time. I really felt him.” Megan took her hand and stroked it as she sat down on the bed with her. What Ellie was saying scared Megan. She could recall ‘feeling’ when Spalding was around. It was like an electrical charge in the air. She was happy to say she hadn’t felt it since escaping that house but if Ellie was feeling it again that was something to be worried about.

  “Well, you won’t feel that here,” Megan assured her, this time casting her own glance to the world outside the window. He had her number, did he have her address as well? Had he been looking at this house from a dark part of a neighbor's yard before? How would she ever know? “Why don’t you get into bed for a while and sleep, you look tired and it must have been a long journey,” Megan said. Ellie propped herself up on one elbow and yawned. She looked like she could fall asleep even in that uncomfortable position.

  “Maybe that would be best,” she agreed weakly. Megan felt Ellie’s grasp on her hand tighten some and Ellie said, "Will you stay with me while I sleep?”

  “Of course I will,” Megan replied.

  Five minutes later, Ellie’s breathing changed and Megan knew she was in a full deep sleep. She looked peaceful and untroubled by nightmares for now. Perhaps they were saved for when she was awake. Megan felt sorry for her but she didn’t like the idea of no one knowing Spalding might be after her. She lifted her phone with her free arm and scrolled through until she found Sarah Brightwater’s number. Megan looked at it for a few moments, then she scrolled again to Tyler Ford’s number and looked at that for a bit. Either one could probably help in some way but Megan decided Sarah was the better choice. Ellie would not be happy when she found out but it was for her own good. Taking one more look at the soundly sleeping Ellie, Megan wrote a message to Sarah.

  ‘Ellie is staying at my house for a while. She thinks Spalding has been following her. Can you come see her? She won’t know you are coming, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but I think you need to know.’

  Her thumb hovered over the send button. If she did it there was no going back. Once more Megan looked at Ellie and that was the decider. If there was any chance Ellie was right Megan had to get all the help she could. Sarah was the woman who most wanted Spalding behind bars and so it was she who should come and see Ellie. She pressed send and then sighed a gust of relief and lay back. Now she would have to wait until Sarah came back to her. She didn’t think it was going to be much of a wait.

  Chapter 24

  Tyler came back into his house after a run in the forest. It was still raining but it was lighter today, more a fine mist but still it managed to soak him in the time he was out exercising. He looked around the house as he drank some water. He was going to start his bi-monthly cleaning of the house today. It was something he’d been doing for years. A deep clean of the house including all plates, cups, cutlery, anything, just to be sure there was no trace evidence anywhere that could link him to anything. He used to do this rarely, but since getting involved with Spalding and knowing that man had been in his house, Tyler had upped the frequency just to be sure. He was thinking of upping it again to once a week. There was no telling what DNA Spalding could plant in here and then land Tyler in a serious jam if he wanted to.

  The landline phone shilled and Tyler checked his watch. It was still only eight o’clock, he wouldn't expect anyone to call this early.

  “Hello?”

  “Time’s a tickin’ Tyler,” the real voice of Dwight Spalding came at him.

  “For what?” Tyler didn’t know what he was talking about.

  “For you to be yourself again,” Spalding crooned happily. Tyler knew what he was talking about now, had in fact already started to feel the urges start to simmer recently.

  “Been and gone,” Tyler said defiantly and at that moment he wished that were true. There was silence on the line a moment and then Spalding started laughing.

  “You almost had me there, Tyler,” he admitted, “But we both know you’re trying to hold off until you go to see Spekler, so you can be out of state again to do it.”

  “I’ve been out of state already this week,” Tyler went on with his lie. “Have some hot leads on a story too, might even have some connection to what you’re doing in Baltimore at the moment.” This was all bullshit but he did his best to sound like he was telling the truth.

  “I’m glad you brought that up, Tyler, it looks like Agent Brightwater and that new partner of hers are having some trouble with the case. Don’t you think you should help them if you have new information?”

  “I have been helping.”

  “I also couldn’t help but notice you don’t have a catchy, zippy name for this new Baltimore killer yet. Creative juices stunted by your growing needs?”

  “This one doesn’t lend itself too easily to a moniker,” Tyler said, he was getting annoyed now because Spalding was right. His senses had been dulled this week, his stories flat and uninspired. He’d put it down to his issues with Briggs but that wasn’t it, he needed to kill again and until he did he wasn’t going to be himself. Spalding knew this and that made this time before a kill especially dangerous for Tyler. He was open and vulnerable to attack right now. His head foggy and his body tired a lot of the time.

  “I see one of your rivals has dubbed him ‘The Bathtub Killer of Baltimore,” Spalding chuckled. “Even in your dulled state I know you could do better than that.”

  “The story hasn’t captured my attention enough yet,” Tyler said.

  “N
o? Five murders-all the same, five suspects each of whom could have only carried out one murder and none of them known to the others? That sounds like a weekend supplement to me!”

  “It sounds mundane after what’s come before,” Tyler said. He was trying to rile Spalding but right now he didn’t really know why. This wasn’t the right time and it could cost him dearly. He was going to have to kill soon, then Spalding could take up all his attention.

  “Well then, luckily for you it gets a little more complicated very soon,” Spalding replied. He didn’t sound pissed off exactly, but there was none of his usual exuberance as he spoke.

  “I’ll be sure to stay tuned,” Tyler replied dryly. The line was quiet a moment.

  “I see you are not in the right frame of mind for a proper conversation, Tyler,” Spalding said. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you, don’t wait until you get to California to do it. It will eat you up inside and make you useless to both Sarah and me!” He hung up before Tyler could say anything else.

  Tyler let the receiver fall down on the chair beside him and he pressed back and closed his eyes. It was a horrible feeling to have Spalding holding this thing over him, not being in control of his own destiny. At any second the FBI could come knocking on his door.

  “Snap out of it,” he said out loud. “There is no DNA evidence and only wild stories to link you to any of those murders!” This was true, he had been very careful and there was no way on earth anyone could link him to any of the victims. It would be his word against the word of a known serial killer. But Spalding must have something else to tie him down, but what? What could it possibly be? Tyler was going to have to press Sarah more about ‘The Birdwatcher Case.’ The name itself was annoying.

  He listened to some music, trying to take his mind off things but all the time, as though in rhythm to the music, no matter what song came on, Tyler could feel the pulsating of his bloodlust growing. It was as though Spalding had flicked a switch inside of him and now it was painful not to do what he needed to do.

  Briggs kept coming to mind, but that was just unfortunate timing for his editor. Tyler knew he couldn’t kill him, Briggs was way too close to him and was a ridiculous choice. Spalding had been right. Tyler intended to kill when he was out in California for Stewart Spekler’s date with the Lethal Injection. He was going to get a motor bike and travel to Nevada or New Mexico and carry out his murder before flying home from California that next day. As ever it would look like he’d been nowhere near what he’d done.

  That first time in the hills came to mind again and Tyler grinned devilishly at the thought not even Spalding would ever know about that one. This knowledge was even more satisfying than the actual carrying out of the deed had been, and that was saying something. That day was the day Tyler Ford first truly knew what it was like to be himself, to feel like he belonged within the skin that housed him. It had been a pivotal moment in his life and his development and it meant the world to him even now all these years later. Perhaps one day the body would be found and it would be linked to ‘The Birdwatcher,’ but for now, no one knew what had become of Terrence.

  Chapter 25

  Sarah texted Megan from her car before going up to knock on the door. She didn’t want another run in with Melissa Stanver. Even though Megan had invited her, Sarah was sure that was what would happen if she knocked on the door without announcing herself first. Her phone buzzed in her hand only seconds after the message was sent.

  “Megan?” she answered.

  “Don’t ring the doorbell, I’ll come down for you.” There was a sound of a door closing and then Megan went on, “Ellie doesn’t know you’re coming, and I didn’t tell my mother either in case she let it slip.” Oh great, Sarah thought. This was going to be high drama before she got anywhere.

  “I’ll meet you at the front door, I’m alone,” Sarah said and then hung up. She’d been waiting for a long time to talk to Ellie and this was going to be her first chance. It frustrated her that there was all this cloak and dagger bullshit to go through.

  “She’s very fragile,” Megan whispered as she ushered Sarah into the house.

  “I’ll go easy on her,” Sarah said.

  “She’s completely paranoid and she’s not going to be happy to see you,” Megan warned.

  “I can’t remember the last time someone was happy to see me,” Sarah quipped, but her smile faded as an image of Marcus flashed in her mind. He was sitting on the sofa in the apartment they once shared and smiling as she came in the door from a long day.

  Megan and she were ascending the stairs when movement up above caught Sarah’s eye. She looked up quickly, her hand going to her gun instinctively and saw the frail shape of Ellie standing there. Sarah was shocked, this girl looked worse than when she’d escaped.

  “Ellie,” Sarah said putting her hands out to show there was nothing in them, “I’m Agent Brightwater from the FBI...;”

  “What is she doing here?” Ellie shot the question forcefully at Megan.

  “She can help, Ellie, you have to trust me.”

  “How can I trust you when you go behind my back and call her?” Megan was about to answer but Sarah stepped in,

  “Megan didn’t tell me you were here,” she said, “I was coming to check on her and the officer outside told me there was a guest and I knew it was you straight away. Who else would Megan have over?” Ellie’s eyes moved from Sarah’s to Megan and then thankfully her eyes softened and tears began to well up in them. Megan rushed to her and they embraced at the top of the stairs and with that Ellie really did start to cry. Sarah gave them a moment and then slowly made her way up the stairs towards them.

  “If you don’t want to talk to me, Ellie, I can go? There’s no problem.” Sarah said. Megan looked at her friend encouragingly and after a pause for thought, Ellie nodded slowly.

  “No, it’s okay, we can talk a little,” she said.

  A few minutes later they were all sitting in the same back room overlooking the garden Sarah had been in before. Sarah wondered what to ask Ellie first. She had to keep up the premise that she didn’t know anything about Ellie’s current situation and hoped either Ellie or Megan would bring it up in the course of the conversation.

  “How have you been Ellie?” she asked, nice and general, a question that could open a million doors. Ellie glimpsed at Megan but Sarah saw it and felt this was a good sign.

  “I think Spalding has been following me again,” Ellie said, struggling not to cry again.

  “What makes you think that?” Sarah asked. Ellie ran through what she’d already told Megan and Sarah listened without interjecting until Ellie stopped talking.

  “What you are describing is very common in victims of kidnapping cases,” Sarah said. “I will check in with the police near your home and have the local FBI office look into what you say. If there is any trace of him having access to your house or someplace nearby they will find it.” Sarah wasn’t so sure she believed this in the case of Spalding but generally it was the truth.

  “You’re safe here,” Megan assured her with a quick comforting squeeze on the thigh. Ellie was shaking and even her hair looked thinner. Sarah looked through the window and thought for a moment. Though she couldn't completely discount what Ellie was scared of, Sarah didn’t think it was a possibility. Spalding would be much too busy with all the other things he had going on to haunt her in this way. If he wanted her back he would just try to take her. Or kill her.

  Sadly, what was most likely was that Ellie was another victim who came out of a horrific ordeal seeming in good shape, but whose mental demons had eaten away at her over time. So many times victims would slide towards mental health issues long after the trauma they'd suffered was over. It was horrible to see, and one of the reasons Sarah always hated how things were depicted in movies; people going through life changing horrors and coming out of it hugging and they think that's the end of it? She realised her mind had wandered off track and then looked back to the two girls.

  “
We are working full time on bringing Spalding in,” Sarah said, “And I personally won't rest until that happens. In the meantime, I’ll see that the police here and the guards outside are alerted to your concerns Ellie.”

  “I’d prefer he died to going to jail,” Ellie said. “For as long as he was alive in jail I'd be scared he was going to break out, and I think he could.” Sarah could understand that sentiment and she didn’t disagree with the fact Spalding was the kind who might manage to break free from jail, but she didn’t think so. He was going to be sent to a supermax facility while he waited his execution once he was tried in the right state for his crimes.

  “Well, maybe him dying is the way it will all end up,” Sarah said, not really sure what she meant by it herself. It seemed to placate Ellie though.

  Megan walked Sarah out and thanked her for coming.

  “I’ll send you on some psychological support services Ellie can access. If you could work on her to talk to one of those people I think it would be very good for her,” Sarah said.

  “I will,” Megan said.

  Back in her car outside, Sarah played the meeting out in her head again. There had been a growing sense of something throughout, but while she was in the house she couldn't put her finger on it. Now, with words coming back and flashes of Ellie’s face from time to time- once in particular as it was reflected in the glass back door- Sarah knew what it was. There was a deep seated level of distrust in Sarah from Ellie. And this was deeper than just for the FBI or the police, it was for Sarah personally. It was so clear now that she was outside the confines of the house and she was surprised she didn’t pick up on it properly in there. Why would Ellie have any reason not to trust her?

  Chapter 26

  Delgado didn’t like being stumped so early into a case. Only Eddy Hobbs had a missing family member and that was from long before this case came up. It looked like Sarah’s theory on that one was up in smoke. Still, it was worth a shot. He’d been working night and day on the murders and nothing else had come up. There was still no sign of the mysterious immigrant for whom Tusk didn’t even have a name, and none of the suspects had come forth with any new information.