Fifth Regret (Heaven Sent Book 5) Read online

  “You went to high school with Deon?”

  “Yes, sir. He was bad back then too. Liked to chase women and get rough with them. I stayed away, but a friend of mine told me he’d tried to force himself on her. She avoided him after that.”

  While Andrew found Deon’s youthful behavior somewhat interesting, it wasn’t relevant. “When did he move to Baton Rouge?”

  “I think it was either his junior or senior year. I can’t remember for sure.”

  “Tell me what happened when he pulled you over several years ago.”

  “He told me I was speeding. I remember looking at my dial before he turned his lights on and I was two miles over the limit. He said I was ten miles over.” She shook her head.

  “Was he following you before he turned on his lights?”

  “He sure was. Down two streets. Maybe a mile.”

  “What happened after he stopped you?”

  “I argued with him. We were standing outside of my car and he said I was harassing him and he could throw me in jail. He said he had it all on his police video and no one would believe me over him since he was a cop. He even brought up I had four speeding tickets in the last two years. I paid them all, but he said the judge would hold my previous citations against me.”

  Andrew scrubbed his hand behind his neck. The heat was starting to cause him to perspire. “So what happened?”

  “I didn’t want to go to jail. I had two kids waiting for me at home. He said if I had sex with him, he wouldn’t give me a ticket or arrest me for harassment. I got in his car and he took me to this place in the woods. I got real nervous and thought he might try to kill me or something, so I let him fuck me. Then the bastard left me there. I had to walk several miles before someone gave me a ride.”

  “So he pulled you over, threatened to arrest you even though you did nothing wrong, and then he offered you a deal to get out of going to jail?”

  “That’s what happened. I was so pissed off I called a friend of mine who’s a lawyer. We took him to court. And you know what happened? The judge gave him one day off without pay. The system’s a big fucking joke.” She shook her head. “What makes me even madder is that he keeps getting away with it.”

  “How do you know?”

  “A friend of one of my cousins got pulled over by him about a year after he stopped me. He made her have sex with him too. She had a baby girl and had recently found out she was pregnant. She couldn’t risk going to jail and having her kid taken away. She filed a complaint days later. About three weeks later my cousin told me she’d gone missing. Her case got dismissed since she failed to appear in court. Two months went by before her body had been found in a swamp outside Lake Charles.”

  “Do you think he killed her?”

  “I sure as hell do. Of course the police couldn’t find any evidence because alligators had chewed on her body too much. They put her cause of death as drowning because they found fluid in her lungs.”

  Deon reminded Andrew of the first demon he’d destroyed. The man had abused, raped, and murdered a few women. Deon was far worse. Since he wore a badge, he used his law enforcement power to influence young women and he knew how to hide his crimes.

  “Do you know her name?” Andrew asked.

  Shantel stared past him. “Brandy… Brandy Fontenoux. I think I got her last name right.”

  Andrew recognized the name from the list of cases he’d reviewed the night before. He hadn’t checked all the names to see if they’d died after they’d filed complaints. He considered going back online to review them.

  “Are there any other women that you know of that have been abused or raped by Deon?” Andrew asked.

  She shrugged. “A friend of mine works with a lady in a store who said he stopped her and wanted a blowjob.”

  “Anyone else?”

  “No, but I’ve heard other friends mention the cops make shit up about them so they have to pay higher fines.”

  Andrew started to sweat more. He’d heard all he needed and was ready for a cooler climate. “I appreciate the information.”

  “Don’t use my name. I’ve got three kids now and I don’t need any trouble from the law.”

  “I understand. We never met.”

  She rose and gave him a smile. “Good luck with your article.”

  “Thank you for your time.”

  Andrew headed for his car.

  Another victim. Police probably didn’t put Brandy on the list of those murdered by the serial killer since alligators had chewed on her body and cause of death had been ruled as drowning, imaginary Emily said.

  “Seems very probable.”

  He cranked up the air in the sedan. As he drove away from the house, he had an ill feeling in his stomach and he doubted it stemmed from the heat. He suspected Deon had been using women and killing them for a long time. He also believed many of the victims didn’t want to speak about it. He wondered how many others hadn’t filed a complaint and ended up dead. The man was pure evil. Andrew needed to find a way to kill Deon sooner rather than later.

  Chapter Ten

  Overloaded with anxiety, Emily chewed hard and fast on the gum in her mouth. She’d reached the one and only Lafayette exit later than she’d hoped. The sun had already set. Driving in unknown areas at night always made her nervous since she couldn’t see as well. Regardless, she’d arrived and now she could search for Andrew.

  From the interstate, she followed the directions on her phone and headed for the demon’s house. It was the first place she knew to look. While she’d stayed six hours at a hotel the night before, she’d used a little time to research Deon Franklin on her laptop. She’d found his address, learned he was married with three kids, and was a local police officer. The last two details she’d obtained from his Facebook page. The first had been easy to locate once she’d entered the wife’s name in the local directory. Emily hadn’t dug much deeper into Deon since her first priority involved finding Andrew. As part of her search, she’d collected information about hotels in the area. But first, she wanted to stop at the demon’s home in case Andrew was watching the demon.

  Her phone directed her through town to a more suburban area. Traffic seemed light for almost eleven at night. Following the instructions from her cell, Emily steered onto the road leading to the demon’s property.

  The Jeep’s head beams captured a cat crossing in her path. Slowing the vehicle’s speed, she approached the multileveled home belonging to the demon. Bright lights outside near the garage and front door illuminated the area. Several lights in the home shone through the drapes. A minivan and a beat-up sedan sat idle in the driveway. Another black vehicle had been parked on the side of the road and near the house. Emily passed it and continued toward the end of the street, looking for a maroon sedan. When she saw none, she sighed heavily.

  “Where would you be?” she asked herself before she made a U-turn.

  I need to follow him and find a place to kill him, Andrew’s imaginary voice said.

  “You need my help. He’s a cop and a family man. You can’t kill him at home or at his job. You know how difficult public figures are to get to.”

  A secluded place is necessary.

  “So you’re probably following him or looking for such a place. Or you could be at a hotel for the night if Deon is home with his family. If you are checked in, I’d bet you’re at one that is nearby.”

  Of course. Under Spencer.

  Emily stopped at the end of the street and withdrew the piece of paper with the list of hotels he might be staying at. According to the research she’d done the night before, Lafayette had over fifty hotels. She’d narrowed her search around the demon’s address and had found twenty-two within a twenty-mile radius. Knowing Andrew’s conservative nature, she doubted he’d stay at a higher end place, so she’d weeded them out and had fifteen left. She’d called six and had lowered the list of possibilities to nine. She’d decided to start with the ones closest to the demon’s house. The first one she’d driven b
y minutes ago on her way to the demon’s home. Turning her wheel, she headed back the direction she’d come.

  You shouldn’t have tracked me down.

  “You need help. This demon is a police officer. He won’t be easy to reach.”

  That’s exactly why you shouldn’t have come. I don’t want you doing something to endanger your life.

  “But you need me to help you get to him. You can’t do this on your own. If you get caught killing a cop, you could spend the rest of your life in a Louisiana prison. I imagine that would be worse than hell.”

  I’ll find a way to kill him. It may take a while, but I can do it.

  “We work better as a team. Remember?”

  If you get hurt…

  “Stop. I’m not going to.” Imaginary Andrew frustrated her and she gripped her wheel firmer.

  Wouldn’t you rather spend a peaceful life somewhere away from all this?

  “If I could spend it with you, yes.”

  I want you to be happy, Em.

  “I was happy with you. Why couldn’t you see that?”

  I hate to think you could get hurt. You shouldn’t take risks because of me.

  “I believed what I was doing was good and helped save lives. The risks were worth everything. You said it before, maybe we were meant to meet and work together. I think you were right about that.”

  The risks are not worth your life.

  “I told you I’m not going to work alone anymore. How many times do I need to say it? If you’d give me a chance, I can prove I’m not going to go off on my own anymore.”

  You’re stubborn.

  “And so are you. I’m staying and I’m helping. Now stop squabbling with me and let’s get to work.”

  She sped into the parking lot of a nearby hotel, ire flowing through her veins. The voice in her head pretending to be Andrew helped prepare her for what she had to face. Without a doubt, he’d quarrel with her. But she was ready to fight back. She was sick of feeling sad and angry. She was tired of men trying to make decisions for her. And it irritated her he’d lost his faith in her. Pulse on the rise, she couldn’t wait to see him and have a long conversation about their future.

  Chapter Eleven

  Andrew brushed Emily’s brown hair away from her beautiful blue eyes. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

  Although the curtains had been shut, the afternoon sun managed to sneak into the hotel room. Facing each other, they lay naked on a soft king-size bed, having sated their desires. Temporarily.

  Her lips stretched into a smile. “Tell me again.”

  She gave him a kiss and slipped her tongue into his mouth. He loved how playful she was, flicking, teasing, and then sucking. She made his heart beat faster and his blood rush to his groin. He burned with need, with love and passion. He had to have her.

  “I love you,” he said while she raked her nails along the back of his scalp. Her touch increased his longing for her. He pressed his lips to hers. “I love you so much. I’ll never let you go.”

  “Promise me.” She kissed him back.

  “I promise with my heart and soul.”

  She rolled him over and climbed on top of him. He marveled at her beauty, her spunk, her strong appetite to take all the love he wanted to give her. Her other moist lips rubbed over his erection, strengthening his ache for her. She was perfect for him in every way. And she was his. He would be a fool to let her go.

  A large thud snapped Andrew from his dream. He opened his eyes to find the room dark and shades drawn together. Voices outside sounded close, near his window. Hearing another thump, he decided to wake up.

  He sat upright and looked at the empty bed. His heart sank back into a dark well. He’d been reminiscing a time he’d shared with Emily in California. Although it had been a happy moment, it saddened him. He’d vowed he wouldn’t let go of her and yet he had. He was worse than a fool. He was a coward. Because of his fear of losing her on Earth, he’d walked away. He believed she couldn’t change, but he didn’t give her another chance. How stupid could he have been to give up on her? Beyond ignorant. How could he expect her to forgive him? How could he believe she’d want to be with him in heaven? He couldn’t. He’d destroyed everything. He was such a thoughtless asshole. She had every right to be angry with him.

  Flashes of light from the television captured his attention. A local news reporter appeared on the screen. The headline at the bottom read thirteenth victim discovered. Andrew hurried to reach for the remote on the nightstand. He grabbed it and knocked the wedding band onto the floor. It hit with a soft tap. He’d look for it later. Pointing the remote at the TV, he pushed the button to increase the volume.

  “Less than twelve hours ago, a naked female body washed up in Lake Charles. Police have yet to determine the identity due to the stage of composition and other factors. Investigators informed me the victim is a Caucasian with brown hair, and they believe she was in her early to mid-twenties. The arms were zip-tied behind her, and she had multiple stab wounds to her chest. The body had been in river at least six months, so they will not be able to determine when she died exactly. They hope to ID her from her dental records since alligators have eaten her hands, feet, and most of her head,” the reporter said.

  “This is horrific,” the newswoman in the studio said, and Andrew nodded in agreement.

  “Investigators aren’t sure why the body showed up now. They can only speculate alligators had pushed the body to land. A man who visits the area frequently for fishing saw the body and contacted police immediately,” the reporter said.

  “And the investigators are certain this young woman was killed by the same person as the others?”

  The reporter nodded. “Right now, there are enough signs that lead to believe it is the same killer.”

  Andrew lowered the volume before he set the remote on the nightstand. How many more women would show up dead? How long had Deon been killing, assuming he was the killer?

  Andrew left the bed and headed to the table. Since he’d returned early in the afternoon, he’d lounged in bed and slept. He had little energy to do anything except reminisce old times with Emily. With the news of another victim, it reminded him he needed to find a way to kill Deon. First, his curiosity encouraged him to do some more research. He switched on the lamp near the table and then took a seat.

  The thud next door and laughter outside stole his attention. People were so rude to make so much noise in the middle of the night. He fought the temptation to storm out and tell them to shut up.

  Andrew flipped his laptop open and powered it on. While the screen changed, he glimpsed at the time. The hour showed close to one. The idiots outside continued talking and laughing. Technically, they were disturbing the peace.

  “I should call the police and see if Deon shows up,” he mumbled to himself.

  You can’t kill the demon in this room. It’s checked out to you. And for another matter, the line will be recorded when you call the cops, imaginary Emily said.

  As usual, she was right even though the thought was his own.

  On the main search page, he entered the words missing women in Louisiana. The screen loaded with various links. He scanned through them. One headline caught his eye and he clicked on it. The report had been published a year ago in New Orleans. It indicated the state had been listed in the top five for missing women, beating out states with big cities such as New York, Chicago, and even Vegas. The article indicated Louisiana had ranked high for the last decade, but local officials seem little concerned to take steps to help protect women. The top reasons for women disappearing included boyfriend/spouse-related issues, prostitution, and the unknown. In the latter category, the person who wrote the report stated the majority of women lived in poverty.

  So investigators don’t know why women go missing, but they know the gals are from poor homes.

  “According to this report. From the little I’ve seen, I would agree with them.”

  He returned to the main search scree
n and entered a new criteria. The results stunned him again. Scanning an article, he learned Louisiana had a high murder rate among women compared to other states over the last ten years. Again, Louisiana ranked in the top five. Causes of death included stabbing, drowning, and strangulation. Firearms had been listed as the least form of death.

  The person killing is violent. The person wants the woman to suffer.

  “One person may not be responsible for all the deaths supporting this article.”

  Maybe not, but there’s a history of violence and men are breeding it. The hatred toward women continues.

  “I don’t understand how a man could treat a woman so cruelly. It makes me sick.”

  A lot of men seek power and wealth. Men like to be in control of everything. Women today want to take charge. It can intimidate a lot of men, especially old-school ones.

  “It makes sense. Women are more assertive today, but to harm another person to gain control just boggles my mind.”

  His thoughts returned to Emily. He couldn’t fathom hurting her. All he wanted to do was love her. Anger flourished within him as he recalled seeing the slashes all over her back. Don had whipped her, tortured her. If Andrew ever got the chance to kill Don, he might cash in on the opportunity. He’d certainly inflict more pain to Don than the bastard had delivered to Emily.

  Andrew entered different words in the Google search box. Another list of links appeared. He took time checking each one. Within Louisiana, he discovered thirteen parishes that had the highest murder rate for women, and eight were in the southwest. The statistic covered the last decade.

  It’s difficult to say if Deon is the reason for the high figure in the eight parishes. Only thirteen victims have been linked within the last few years.

  Andrew leaned back in his chair. “Maybe he’s getting bold. He wants to show the world how easy it is. He wants the attention.”

  He’s an evil sick fuck if that’s the case. You need to kill him soon.

  “I know. I need to stalk him more. If he’s taking women to private spots, maybe I can follow too. I could stop him from hurting another woman.”