Icy Stares (Guess The Killer Book 1) Read online

  ICY STARES

  Guess the Killer, Book One

  CYRUS WINTERS

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  ICY STARES

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

  CHAPTER 50

  CHAPTER 51

  CHAPTER 52

  CHAPTER 53

  CHAPTER 54

  CHAPTER 55

  CHAPTER 56

  CHAPTER 57

  CHAPTER 58

  CHAPTER 59

  CHAPTER 60

  EPILOGUE

  ONE LAST NOTE

  KEEP IN TOUCH

  PROLOGUE

  A NOTE FROM THE KILLER

  We tell ourselves stories. Stories about the things that happen to us. Stories about who we are. Sometimes the stories are true and other times not so much. There’s nothing like meeting a new person or making a new friend. Your heart skips a beat. Your tongue does a little dance. It’s that moment of anticipation. When you think about all those old stories, you’ll get to retell…

  I had one or two favorites. You see for a while I was keeping it all in. Suppressing the inner demons. I didn’t tell myself lies like I was a good person, or that I was here to have a positive impact on the world. I knew what I was even when I was very young. And then I got to hear all the stories about what happened to other people who were like me. Those who couldn’t keep the wolf at bay. To behave according to instinct, to carry out what the mind and body felt was most natural, was to put me at odds with the world. I was an aberration. An unexpected fork in the road. Most people’s thoughts went one way, whereas mine … simply went another.

  You start this life weak. The newly born are the most fragile. But as time passes one’s body takes its proper shape, and slowly you learn the strength and ability to fight back. We are in different stages of our journey. And even though I was physically strong for a while there, I didn’t quite overcome the mental barriers blocking my path to evolution until…

  Until…

  Until.

  “Hello.”

  I glanced down to my left and there she was looking up at me. Twelve years old, shoulder height dark hair. Cute little smile. Friendly eyes.

  “Hello,” I said in reply.

  We both faced forward.

  This is when it happened, you see. I wasn’t ready for it. I couldn’t even remember getting into the elevator, much less my new friend getting in. Maybe she was already here when I got on. How long had I been looking at her? Hopefully not too long. And yes, of course I’d thought about following one of these little girls home one day. There were a couple of schools within walking distance from my house. I could have done it on a Monday or a Tuesday or a Wednesday…

  What was today?

  Was it Thursday?

  “Just finished work?”

  She was talking to me. Making conversation.

  I saw her eyes were on my briefcase.

  “It’s that time of day,” I murmured.

  A pause.

  I swallowed what was in my throat. “What about you?”

  “Oh nothing,” she shrugged. “I was waiting for my Dad to finish, but he’s taking forever. I’m going to take the bus home.”

  I looked up at the floor counter.

  Oh no.

  This was about to get away from me.

  Despite my panic I managed to hold it together for the rest of the way down. I waited for her to walk out first and then I trailed on behind.

  Even though there were people moving this way and that around us, and there were lights and cameras watching every frame of the room, I couldn’t help but gift my eyes five seconds of pleasure.

  Her little ass in tight black leggings. Left to right. Left to right.

  Shit. It was time to look away again. That was dangerous enough as it was.

  Outside the building, both of us on the footpath together. Wild winds and rain ripped through the surrounding road.

  She didn’t seem all that bothered. Just pulled her hood up and kept on walking.

  I looked behind me, half expecting an arm to fall on my shoulder. Call me out for staring at her. For thinking about following her.

  But no one’s there.

  They can’t see.

  So my heart skips. And my tongue dances.

  And I wonder if today’s the day…

  I give someone a new story to tell.

  CHAPTER 1

  Tonight was a night of dreams. Of places and people long since passed. The girl was awake now and just starting to become aware of her surroundings. She was lying on a mattress in a dark room with her wrists tied to the frame. She still had her top on but her pants and underwear were removed. She was freezing. Absolutely, ferociously, ice cold. There was an open window nearby. The air was all over her body. As if this was torture enough.

  “Please,” she gasped. “I know you’re in here. Where … where are you…?”

  The wind carried on a moment. And then a grandfather clock began to chime from another room in the house. She wrestled with her restraints. Her skin was cracked. Pain against the flesh like a flame had been put to it.

  “Please.”

  That word again.

  “Please.”

  And it would mean nothing.

  A pair of eyes opened in the corner of the room.

  The girl’s franticness was immediately absorbed by the gaze.

  Now there was light.

  “What are you doing?”

  Icy.

  “No, don’t touch me. Please don’t –”

  Blue.

  “Help! Please, SOMEONE –”

  CHAPTER 2

  Nadine rolled off the couch in her living room and knocked her head against the coffee table.

  “Ow!” she spluttered, almost apologetically.

  Then reality faded back in. She rose to her knees and touched her left cheek.

  Cold tears dripped across her fingers.

  “No,” Nadine muttered. “Just – No!”

  She took an angry swipe at a stack of books on the table, followed by a second and a third, squealing behind clenched teeth. Shaken, she got to her feet and stumbled out of the room in pursuit of the bathroom sink. There she covered her face with warm water and held a towel over her eyes until the water dried. Then it fell to t
he floor.

  Nadine stared at herself in the mirror.

  The fear was pulsating. She couldn’t erase the images from her mind.

  “It’s not your fault,” she whispered. She got to her knees and found the plug for the bath. She ran the water and put her hands into the middle of it. “It’s not your Goddamn fault.”

  But that didn’t change the fact that she felt disgusting.

  Violated.

  Exposed.

  Nadine sighed. She had to be stronger than this.

  Nightmares were just a part of life now. She couldn’t let them get to her.

  Her phone was ringing in the lounge.

  She switched off the water with the tub half full, and bent down to pull out the plug. She walked across the tiles and then over the carpet, approaching the couch again. Her jacket was hanging over the side. Her phone was inside her jacket.

  Nadine pulled it out. “Hello?”

  “Good evening, darling. How are you feeling?”

  Nadine exhaled. “Justin?”

  “Of course. You didn’t think you were getting rid of me that easily, did you?”

  Nadine walked across the room. “Is this work related?” She pulled the curtain chord and peered through the blinds.

  “Hi, gorgeous. Yes, I’m here.”

  She let the blinds fall back and hung up the call.

  “Shit,” Nadine said out loud.

  CHAPTER 3

  Justin let the phone slip into his pocket, his smile widening. He took a couple of steps away from the car, his eyes on the front of Nadine’s house, where he’d just caught her peeking out at him. He could feel the vibe already. Nadine was scattered. She’d taken a few days off from work due to stress and anxiety, but as Justin had predicted, work was one of the few things holding her together. The other major one being him of course.

  When Nadine came out of the house, Justin noticed that she was dressed for the job, complete with the gun and holster. She had those glasses on too – the glasses she never took off. Large, thick, plastic and black. There was no sun out here of course. Nadine couldn’t stand to look at something else.

  “There she is,” Justin said as Nadine walked slowly towards him. “Look at you. Ready to save the world.”

  She stopped.

  Not being able to see her eyes, Justin couldn’t read her expression.

  “Come now,” Justin said making his move. “Don’t be like that. You know I’m only here for you.”

  He reached out to her. She let him touch the side of her face.

  It was cold.

  “I missed you,” Nadine confessed.

  Justin laughed. “Well, I missed you too, babe. You know. We all did.”

  Nadine nudged his hand away. “So who died?”

  “What? Oh. No one important.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means you have an empty caseload. So do I, as a matter of fact. I’m not here for work. I don’t know why you’ve made that assumption.”

  A pause. “So. What are you doing here?”

  “You know.”

  “I thought we were taking a break.”

  “Did I say that?”

  “No, I believe it was me.”

  Justin shook his head. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Break or no break. I’m not here trying to fuck you or anything.”

  “No?”

  “I thought we’d go out. Have a fancy dinner. My treat … of course…”

  He bit his lower lip.

  She was still a closed book.

  “Alright, let’s do that then.”

  “Great!” Justin beamed. “This way to the car then, madam.”

  He opened the door for her.

  She got in.

  Justin clapped his hands together and walked around the side of the car.

  Before getting in the driver’s side he pulled out his phone and shot off a quick text.

  It’s a go.

  CHAPTER 4

  It was a colorful city, especially in the twilight. The pinks, the oranges, the purples – Nadine’s eyes drifted out the side of the window to take in the faces of people walking by. People she’d never meet. People whose story she’d never know…

  “So how bad is it?” Justin was asking.

  “How bad is what?”

  “Whatever it is … you’re going through. I assume it’s still present.”

  Nadine held a growl back. “You don’t even know what it is.”

  “Woman problems?”

  “Don’t be a jerk.”

  “Sorry.” They paused at a set of lights. He looked at her. “It’s so weird for me. Seeing you like this.”

  “Like…?”

  “When you’re on, you’re on. You’re … invincible. You know what I mean.”

  “It’s fake.”

  “What is?”

  “My brave face.”

  “Did something happen?”

  Nadine shook her head.

  “I’m serious,” Justin said. Then the lights went green. Eyes on the road. “It’s like you’ve got PTSD or something.”

  “Bingo.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “So –”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  He hesitated. “Nadine. Come on.”

  “Justin. Get fucked.”

  “What do I have to do to open you up?”

  “You don’t want me open.”

  “Don’t I?”

  Nadine didn’t respond. She could sense he was on the verge of becoming uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be long before he started to view her as an alien species. Nadine Shields. Girlfriend. Detective. And total fucking whack job. She knew he thought she was a head-case. That if he figured her out he’d be able to help her.

  But no one could help Nadine.

  “Nadine,” he said.

  “Justin.”

  “Do you even like me? For real?”

  She put her hand on his. “I have feelings for you.”

  “So when do I…” he trailed off. “When are you going to stop wearing your glasses around me?”

  She squeezed his hand. “Never.”

  CHAPTER 5

  They arrived at the restaurant at a quarter to seven. Still early. Not quite dark. Soon … it would be though. Certainly by the time they left.

  Everything in here was warm and buzzing. There was so much, Nadine couldn’t focus on any one thing. She allowed Justin to put his arm around her. Lead her across the busy floor. They had a table upstairs by the window where it was quiet.

  Justin pulled the chair out for her. Nadine sat down and he made his way around the table.

  A waiter dropped by to hand them the menus. Justin ordered a bottle of champagne and let the waiter be on his way.

  He stared at her from across the table. “What are you thinking, my enchanted princess?”

  Nadine stared back at him.

  Though, he wouldn’t know it.

  “I wasn’t.”

  “What? You weren’t thinking.”

  “Nope.”

  “Nadine … I’m sure you take me for a fool. But I’m not nearly as stupid as I look. You see. I know. I know you must be thinking something…”

  Nadine leaned forward. “Alright.”

  Justin’s eyes widened. He hunched over.

  “I was thinking we should have some fun tonight.”

  “Okay. I’m down,” Justin said. “I like fun. I can get on board with that.”

  “We should do something really special.”

  “Awesome. The night is yours. Whatever you want.”

  “Maybe you should take me to a party.”

  “A party?” His expression fluctuated. “Do you have any special parties in mind?”

  “I don’t. Do you?”

  Justin licked his lips. He was about to say something, but stopped himself. He turned his gaze to the window instead. “Some view, huh?”

  Nadine allowed him to redirect her line
of sight.

  There was a river below them. The waters took on the reflection of a light show happening in the distance. Corporate advertisements were being spelled out.

  Letters and colors.

  Colors and letters.

  There was something else happening, just below the surface…

  “Not yet,” Justin said waving the waiter away. He checked his phone. Then held up his index finger.

  “Am I missing something?” Nadine asked.

  He smiled at her. “No.” A pause. “I don’t know. Maybe you are.”

  “Maybe?”

  “Maybe you already have it all figured out.”

  They locked eyes.

  Justin snapped his fingers.

  The waiter returned to the table and put a tray with two glasses, already filled with champagne, along with the open bottle. Justin picked up his and raised it.

  “Go on,” he said.

  Nadine picked up her glass. There was a ring in it.

  She lifted her eyes from the sparkling jewel, back to Justin, who was nodding.

  To the window.

  NADINE, the colorful letters read. WILL YOU MARRY ME?

  She turned back to him. His eyes were wide, beaming, hopeful.

  He could not see hers.

  “Too much?” Justin asked inquisitively.

  Nadine stood up from the table. “You must have a very different opinion about me, from who I actually am.”

  “Come on Nadine, sit down.”

  “I’m going.”

  She turned.

  “Nadine!”

  He launched out from the table grabbing her wrist.

  Nadine shifted swiftly, taking his hand into the palms of hers.

  There was a soft crunch and Justin yelped in pain. The champagne bottle and glasses spilled and shattered across the floor.

  Nadine left the scene her head held high. Her face was an expressionless chasm.

  Outside the restaurant she looked down at her phone and saw work had been trying to reach her. There was something she needed to see.

  CHAPTER 6

  Salvatore Leoncelli’s night could have gone in a number of directions. On the city’s east side, a man in a balaclava had walked into a gas station just before seven pm, and got a little trigger happy before sticking his hand in the till. A couple of witnesses got in the way soon after. One of them was a girl, barely fifteen years old. Sal had a daughter about her age. He didn’t see her anymore, but perhaps that would just add fuel to the fire. He could stop off at a liquor store, or even a bar along the way. Partner with someone who was too old or too young to give a shit. Rum, whiskey, bourbon. So many options. So many ways to variate the night.