Except for one thing: Both women were supposedly away with the same man.
She circled the house, trying to peer into the windows, but the shades were drawn. She found the old man in the backyard on a chaise lounge. He was reading a paperback by Parnell Hall, gripping the book as though it were trying to run away.
Kat said, “Hello?”
The old man sat up, startled. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I knocked on the door.”
“What do you want?”
“Where is Jeff?”
He sat up. “I don’t know anybody by that name.”
She didn’t believe him. “Where is Ron Kochman?”
“I told you. He’s not here.”
Kat moved to the chaise, looming above him. “Two women are missing.”
“What?”
“Two women met him online. Both of them are now missing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me where he is.”
He said nothing.
“I will call the cops. I will call the FBI. I will call the media.”
The old man’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”
Kat bent so that her face was inches from his. “Try me. I will tell everyone I know that Ron Kochman used to be a guy named Jeff Raynes.”
The old man just sat there.
“Where is he?”
The old man said nothing.
She almost reached for her gun but stopped herself. This time she shouted, “Where is he?”
“Leave him alone.”
Kat gasped at the sound of the voice. Her head turned toward the house. The screen door opened. Kat felt her knees buckle. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Jeff stepped out of the house and spread his arms. “I’m right here, Kat.”
Chapter 35
When Reynaldo and Dana arrived at the barn, Bo was by the door, tail wagging. He leapt toward his master, who got down on one knee and scratched behind the ears.
“Good boy.”
Bo barked his approval.
Behind him, Reynaldo heard the farmhouse’s screen door slam. Titus jumped the porch steps and hurried toward the black SUV. Clem Sison, who worked as the driver now that Claude was gone, got behind the wheel. Titus jumped in on the passenger side.
The SUV sped off, kicking up dirt in its wake.
Reynaldo wondered what had happened. Bo barked and Reynaldo realized that in his distraction, he had stopped scratching. He smiled and got back to it. Bo made his happy face. It was a wonderful thing about dogs. You always knew exactly what they were feeling.
Dana stood perfectly still. There was a small smile on her lips as she watched him with Bo. Reynaldo didn’t like that. He stood and ordered Bo to go back toward the underground boxes. The dog whined in protest.
“Go,” Reynaldo said again.
Reluctantly, the dog left the barn and started toward the path.
Dana watched the old dog go, her smile fading away to nothing. “I have a Lab too,” she said. “Her name is Chloe. She’s black, though, not chocolate. How old is your dog?”
Reynaldo didn’t reply. From where he now stood at the barn entrance, Reynaldo could see the old Amish pruning saw on the wall. Reynaldo had once wondered whether the blade could cut through finger bones. It had taken a while. It had been messy, more of a ripping and tearing of bone than anything resembling a clean cut, but Reynaldo had made it all the way through one finger at a time. That man—he had been in Box Three—had screamed. The noise bothered Titus, so Reynaldo jammed a cloth in Number Three’s mouth and then sealed it with duct tape. That muffled the shrieks of agony. Number Three started passing out when the blade got caught up in the cartilage. The first two times, Reynaldo had stopped what he was doing, gotten a pail of water, and threw it on the man. That woke him back up. After he passed out for the third time, Reynaldo had kept pails of water by his side.
“Would you like some water?” he asked Dana now.
“Yes, please.”
He filled two buckets with water and placed them at the ready on the tool table. Dana lifted one to her lips and drank straight from it. Reynaldo found a hand towel that would make a good gag, but he couldn’t find duct tape. He could threaten her, of course, tell her that if the towel came out of her mouth, he would make it much worse, but on the other hand, Titus had just driven off, so he wouldn’t be bothered by the noise.
Maybe Reynaldo would just let her scream.
“Where’s the bed?” Dana asked. “And the shower?”
“Sit,” he said, pointing to the chair.
He had tied Number Three down with rope and trapped whatever hand he was cutting in the large vise on the tool table. Number Three had started to resist when he first saw the ropes, but Reynaldo had silenced him with the gun. He could do that again here, he supposed, but Dana seemed more pliant. Still, once the cutting began, he would need restraints.
“Sit,” he said again.
Dana immediately sat in the chair.
Reynaldo opened the bottom tool drawer and pulled out the tying rope. He wasn’t good at knots, but if you stayed near your victim and if you wrapped it enough times around, you didn’t have to be.
“What’s that for?” Dana asked.
“I need to make up your bed. I can’t risk you running off while I do that.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Sit still.”
When he wrapped the rope around her chest, Dana started to cry. But she didn’t resist. He wasn’t sure if that pleased or disappointed him. Reynaldo was about to do a second go around, when he heard the familiar whimper.
Bo.
Reynaldo looked up. Bo was standing right outside the barn door, looking at his master with sad eyes.
“Go,” Reynaldo said.
Bo didn’t move. He whimpered some more.
“Go. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
The dog started pawing the ground and looked toward his bed. Reynaldo should have anticipated this. Bo liked his bed. He liked the barn, especially when Reynaldo was here. The only time Reynaldo had locked Bo out was when he was working on Number Three. Bo hadn’t liked that—not the part about sawing the man’s fingers off; Bo cared only about Reynaldo—but he was upset at being locked away from both his bed and his master.
For days afterward, Bo would sniff where the blood had spilled.
Reynaldo rose and moved toward the barn door. He gave the dog a quick scratch behind the ears and said, “Sorry, boy. I need you to stay outside.” He backed the dog away from the doorway and got ready to close it. Bo started toward him.
She circled the house, trying to peer into the windows, but the shades were drawn. She found the old man in the backyard on a chaise lounge. He was reading a paperback by Parnell Hall, gripping the book as though it were trying to run away.
Kat said, “Hello?”
The old man sat up, startled. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I knocked on the door.”
“What do you want?”
“Where is Jeff?”
He sat up. “I don’t know anybody by that name.”
She didn’t believe him. “Where is Ron Kochman?”
“I told you. He’s not here.”
Kat moved to the chaise, looming above him. “Two women are missing.”
“What?”
“Two women met him online. Both of them are now missing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me where he is.”
He said nothing.
“I will call the cops. I will call the FBI. I will call the media.”
The old man’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”
Kat bent so that her face was inches from his. “Try me. I will tell everyone I know that Ron Kochman used to be a guy named Jeff Raynes.”
The old man just sat there.
“Where is he?”
The old man said nothing.
She almost reached for her gun but stopped herself. This time she shouted, “Where is he?”
“Leave him alone.”
Kat gasped at the sound of the voice. Her head turned toward the house. The screen door opened. Kat felt her knees buckle. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Jeff stepped out of the house and spread his arms. “I’m right here, Kat.”
Chapter 35
When Reynaldo and Dana arrived at the barn, Bo was by the door, tail wagging. He leapt toward his master, who got down on one knee and scratched behind the ears.
“Good boy.”
Bo barked his approval.
Behind him, Reynaldo heard the farmhouse’s screen door slam. Titus jumped the porch steps and hurried toward the black SUV. Clem Sison, who worked as the driver now that Claude was gone, got behind the wheel. Titus jumped in on the passenger side.
The SUV sped off, kicking up dirt in its wake.
Reynaldo wondered what had happened. Bo barked and Reynaldo realized that in his distraction, he had stopped scratching. He smiled and got back to it. Bo made his happy face. It was a wonderful thing about dogs. You always knew exactly what they were feeling.
Dana stood perfectly still. There was a small smile on her lips as she watched him with Bo. Reynaldo didn’t like that. He stood and ordered Bo to go back toward the underground boxes. The dog whined in protest.
“Go,” Reynaldo said again.
Reluctantly, the dog left the barn and started toward the path.
Dana watched the old dog go, her smile fading away to nothing. “I have a Lab too,” she said. “Her name is Chloe. She’s black, though, not chocolate. How old is your dog?”
Reynaldo didn’t reply. From where he now stood at the barn entrance, Reynaldo could see the old Amish pruning saw on the wall. Reynaldo had once wondered whether the blade could cut through finger bones. It had taken a while. It had been messy, more of a ripping and tearing of bone than anything resembling a clean cut, but Reynaldo had made it all the way through one finger at a time. That man—he had been in Box Three—had screamed. The noise bothered Titus, so Reynaldo jammed a cloth in Number Three’s mouth and then sealed it with duct tape. That muffled the shrieks of agony. Number Three started passing out when the blade got caught up in the cartilage. The first two times, Reynaldo had stopped what he was doing, gotten a pail of water, and threw it on the man. That woke him back up. After he passed out for the third time, Reynaldo had kept pails of water by his side.
“Would you like some water?” he asked Dana now.
“Yes, please.”
He filled two buckets with water and placed them at the ready on the tool table. Dana lifted one to her lips and drank straight from it. Reynaldo found a hand towel that would make a good gag, but he couldn’t find duct tape. He could threaten her, of course, tell her that if the towel came out of her mouth, he would make it much worse, but on the other hand, Titus had just driven off, so he wouldn’t be bothered by the noise.
Maybe Reynaldo would just let her scream.
“Where’s the bed?” Dana asked. “And the shower?”
“Sit,” he said, pointing to the chair.
He had tied Number Three down with rope and trapped whatever hand he was cutting in the large vise on the tool table. Number Three had started to resist when he first saw the ropes, but Reynaldo had silenced him with the gun. He could do that again here, he supposed, but Dana seemed more pliant. Still, once the cutting began, he would need restraints.
“Sit,” he said again.
Dana immediately sat in the chair.
Reynaldo opened the bottom tool drawer and pulled out the tying rope. He wasn’t good at knots, but if you stayed near your victim and if you wrapped it enough times around, you didn’t have to be.
“What’s that for?” Dana asked.
“I need to make up your bed. I can’t risk you running off while I do that.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Sit still.”
When he wrapped the rope around her chest, Dana started to cry. But she didn’t resist. He wasn’t sure if that pleased or disappointed him. Reynaldo was about to do a second go around, when he heard the familiar whimper.
Bo.
Reynaldo looked up. Bo was standing right outside the barn door, looking at his master with sad eyes.
“Go,” Reynaldo said.
Bo didn’t move. He whimpered some more.
“Go. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
The dog started pawing the ground and looked toward his bed. Reynaldo should have anticipated this. Bo liked his bed. He liked the barn, especially when Reynaldo was here. The only time Reynaldo had locked Bo out was when he was working on Number Three. Bo hadn’t liked that—not the part about sawing the man’s fingers off; Bo cared only about Reynaldo—but he was upset at being locked away from both his bed and his master.
For days afterward, Bo would sniff where the blood had spilled.
Reynaldo rose and moved toward the barn door. He gave the dog a quick scratch behind the ears and said, “Sorry, boy. I need you to stay outside.” He backed the dog away from the doorway and got ready to close it. Bo started toward him.
