Spider Jack (Guess The Killer Book 2) Read online

  He was too far away. Too far away that she could shoot him from this distance.

  Taylor took a swig of vodka from her bottle and ran out into the field chasing after him, the moonlight on their backs. Adrenalin pumped through her veins. Her eyes filled with glass. She was dirty, filthy, disgustingly drunk and on the brink.

  The brink of sanity.

  The brink of oblivion.

  She steadied her gun halfway across the field and fired off a round, somewhere in his direction, but not precisely at him. He kept on walking, unfazed.

  “YOU BASTARD!” Taylor screamed. “COME HERE AND FACE ME!”

  Jack ignored her.

  Taylor forged on, sidestepping her way through the thorns and brambles. One caught in her ankle, but it didn’t cause her to yelp or cry. She ripped it from the dirt without lifting a finger and continued onward towards the field’s end.

  He was already way ahead of her.

  Past the river.

  Entering the forest.

  Taylor approached the riverbed and glanced back, half expecting to see her friends.

  Marcus. Lester.

  Megan.

  Even in the treehouse, she could see Charlotte was missing.

  She was all alone.

  Except for him.

  “RRARAAARRGH!!!”

  Taylor did an enormous run up and sprang over the river’s edge to land across safely at the other side. She charged up the sandy dunes, the moonlight snuffing out as she drew closer towards the trees.

  The forest.

  Dark and unfamiliar.

  Half wincing, half grinning, Taylor took another drink and saw the Spider’s figure moving in the distance. She kept her feet on the path in front of her, careful and quick with each step until her eyes adjusted. Until she could see things properly.

  “I’m coming!” she roared. “I’m coming for YOU, Jack!”

  It was insane.

  Insane that she was here.

  Insane that she was following him.

  For a brief moment disorientation set in, his shadow too far away, hopelessness on the horizon. Taylor realized she was going mad. He’d driven her this way. The repetition. The link to her history. That she could fill her head with memories and think about nothing but him.

  It was his doing.

  His way.

  His transformation in her.

  Taylor stumbled and staggered and ran – doing her best to block the negative thoughts away. On another night, she may have tripped. Her head crashing into the trunk of a tree. Her body submerged in the soil. And how long until they found her? How many days and how much blood –

  Light.

  Suddenly it was all over her.

  She’d made her way out of the nest of trees and was standing in a pale green light. The courtyard before her, full of stone gargoyles and mythical statues.

  Jack was at the other end and Taylor could see he had stopped.

  He was finally looking back at her.

  CHAPTER 59

  “STOP!” Taylor shouted. “STAY WHERE YOU ARE!”

  She raced forward down the line of the courtyard, the gun in one hand, the bottle in the other.

  Jack turned away from her again and unlocked a gate in front of him. He pulled it back and then stepped in between a pair of hedges disappearing around the corner.

  “JACK!” Taylor screamed. “GET BACK HERE!”

  She was almost at the gate.

  Before she reached it, however she heard the rustling of leaves and twigs breaking behind her.

  Taylor whirled around. “Who’s there?” She waved the gun about and fired a shot off. “I’m not joking, show yourself!”

  She waited.

  But there was silence.

  “If that’s you Charlotte, I suggest you stay back! I’m pretty dangerous right now…”

  “Taylor? Is that you, Taylor?”

  A voice.

  A voice from the maze.

  “MEGAN???” Taylor called out.

  “Help, Taylor! I can’t move this thing…”

  “I’m coming Megan!”

  Taylor pulled the gate back and ran to the right as Jack had. She followed the pathway along before it forked left and then she was forced with going left again or continuing straight ahead and then turning right.

  Taylor didn’t know the way.

  “MEGAN?” she cried out.

  “Over here!”

  Taylor made a sharp left, her footsteps smashing across the dirt pathway. She ran through a zig zag, then followed a bend with Megan continuing to call to her. Eventually she came to another gate which led out to a clearing in the middle of the maze.

  “TAYLOR!”

  Megan was on the other side of the gate.

  “Can’t you open it?” Taylor said, rushing over.

  “It’s locked,” Megan wailed. “It won’t budge.”

  “What’s on the other side?”

  “Another gate. It’s locked too.”

  “Okay. Just. I’ll try shooting it. Stand back.”

  Megan backed away from the gate as Taylor put her gun to it. She pulled the trigger and the whole gate shook violently. Taylor pushed it open and then ran into the clearing, putting her arms around her old friend.

  “Thank you so much!” Megan gushed. “I didn’t know if you were coming!”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “Since this morning. He broke into my house and abducted me.”

  “Did you see his face?”

  “No. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. It’s … everything’s going to be fine…”

  “Well, then let’s go.”

  “Wait a minute.” Taylor took a drink. “We still have to find him.”

  “No, Taylor, you don’t have to. Just let it go. Let’s get out of here.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Taylor!”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t –”

  Megan knocked the bottle out of Taylor’s hands and it shattered on the pavement.

  Taylor raised her gun and shot Megan through the head.

  CHAPTER 60

  Jack was on the ground, barely metres away from Taylor when the gun went off, creeping on all fours in the darkness. He watched in shock as Taylor’s friend collapsed, the gun slipping from Taylor’s fingers, bending her knees to catch her.

  “Megan?” Taylor cried. “Megan, no! Oh no! Ohh FUCK!”

  Sobbing she held onto the corpse as Jack crawled closer to them. He moved around the side towards the gate Taylor had entered the clearing by and began creeping up to her from behind.

  Until within striking distance.

  “I’m sorry, Megan, my dear friend, ooh, I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”

  She sobbed a few moments more as Jack eyed her.

  His tongue licking the front of his teeth.

  Then she froze.

  As if by instinct.

  Megan’s body fell away from her, collapsing to the ground.

  Taylor whirled round to face him.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “NOOO!” Taylor squealed. “Not you! Fucking hell! You son of a bitch…”

  “Well, don’t look that surprised,” Sal said getting to his feet. “You never liked me much, as I remember.”

  Taylor forced herself up to stand opposite him. “You’re supposed to be dead. You died in my fucking arms, Christ. I was at your grave… I watched them bury you!”

  “Hate to break it to you, but that was an empty coffin. Wasn’t exactly a big turnout either, was it? Rose wanted to tell you I’d made it through that night, but I convinced her that you couldn’t be trusted. Being Nadine’s partner and all.”

  “Rose – ROSE knew about this?”

  “It was her idea,” Sal laughed. “Make out that the department didn’t believe the story about Special Agent Ardent. Get his co-conspirators feeling safe again. Meanwhile I’d be working the case from the outside, where they couldn’t get to me. But … after a while
… once I was sure that my daughter Daphne was dead … I just didn’t care that much anymore… And I missed our moments together…”

  “This isn’t real,” Taylor shook her head. “You can’t be him. You can’t be Jack. You can’t be!”

  “I know, it’s nuts,” Sal said. “It would take hours for me to fill you in on the whole story. How I got started and everything. It was really gradual to be honest. I had my job as a detective. And then I was executing murder suspects out with Special Agent Ross. Somewhere along the line I started taking on contracts. I had rules about who I’d kill. Or at least, I used to.”

  Taylor suddenly vomited on the grass beside them, chucking up tonight’s fast food, along with vodka. And one dead spider.

  Sal bent down to the spider. “Hey there, little fella.”

  He picked it up, cradling it in his hands.

  Taylor looked up at him, horrified. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Hmm. I guess no one really understood my affection for spiders. Apart from Charlotte. When she was little. I thought maybe I’d be able to teach you about them as well. But you were too weak when it came to finding me…”

  The gate behind Sal creaked open.

  He dropped the spider and began to stand. “That sounds like Charlotte now.”

  As Sal turned around Taylor saw past him to see that it wasn’t Charlotte as Sal had predicted.

  It was Nadine.

  Holding a shotgun.

  EPILOGUE

  Sal barely got a word of protest out before Nadine unloaded a barrel into his chest, sending him flying backwards. Her eyes locked on him as he started to get up, an arm outstretched, Nadine put her foot on his chest and stuck the gun in his mouth. She glanced back at Taylor. “Not going to try and stop me?”

  Sal’s pathetic, pleading eyes, looked up to her for mercy.

  Taylor crossed her arms.

  Nadine fired again, this one blowing Sal’s skull in half. She then moved the gun away from him and pointed it at Taylor, the barrel still dripping with his blood.

  Taylor nervously raised her hands.

  “Bang! Bang!” Nadine cried, laughing. “Nah, just kidding.”

  She tossed the gun aside.

  Taylor’s arms came back down.

  “You alright?” Nadine asked. “He didn’t hurt you?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Taylor said. “Why – How –”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll always have your back. Partner.”

  Taylor turned away from her and walked away. She passed through the open gate and started making her way back through the maze.

  “Hey!” Nadine yelled running up after her. “Not even a thank you?”

  “Thank you,” Taylor muttered.

  “What’s that?”

  Taylor exhaled. “Go fuck yourself.”

  She tried to walk away faster, but Nadine wasn’t letting her go anywhere.

  “I just saved your life, and you’re still angry with me. What gives?”

  “You don’t honestly expect I’m going to start acting civilly towards you.”

  “One of these days,” Nadine said. “I’m gonna give you the whole world. You will be kissing my ass when I’m done making you happy.”

  Taylor grabbed Nadine by the arms and shoved her against one of the hedges. “We’re not friends. Okay? Not anymore. Can’t you get that through your stupid head? I don’t like you.”

  “Gees, that’s really mean, Taylor,” Nadine scoffed. “I know you don’t mean that. Not with all the info I have for you.”

  “I don’t want it,” Taylor said letting go of Nadine. “I’m done being a cop. I’m … I’m going … I’m going to prison now…”

  She staggered away from the wall.

  Nadine skipped along after her. “Prison? How come?”

  “I just killed my best friend.”

  “I thought I was your best friend.”

  “Do you want me to shoot you too?”

  “With what, your gun’s back there.”

  “I have a second gun, dummy.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  “You would have pulled it out by now, I think.”

  They reached the gate leading back to the courtyard. Taylor pushed it open and stepped through.

  The moonlight hit their faces.

  “I’ll be serious, if you want,” Nadine said. “Okay? This is my serious face.”

  Taylor glanced back at Nadine.

  Her expression had goofily altered in all directions.

  A giggle escaped Taylor’s throat.

  Seizing the moment Nadine put her arms around Taylor’s neck and kissed her lips.

  Stunned, Taylor remained where she was.

  Nadine went to move in again but Taylor put her hands to her throat.

  “Don’t push it,” Taylor said.

  “I know it’s not a joke,” Nadine said. “I know we’re enemies.”

  “Good,” Taylor said.

  “But I think I’m in love with you.”

  Taylor groaned.

  Nadine stepped away from her grinning, ear to ear. “Just kidding, Princess. Just kidding.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  They walked the rest of the way back in silence. Nadine a little in front of Taylor. So Taylor could see where she was. And of course Taylor hated Nadine. She hated her with burning passion. She knew Nadine was as worse as they came. Worse than Sal. Worse than she was.

  But trying to fight Nadine now, after all she’d just been through – Taylor knew it wasn’t right.

  Perhaps the fight would happen some other night. Some other time. When things weren’t so grey. When black was black. And white was white.

  Fifteen minutes or so went by and they were both standing at the edge of the reserve again, opposite the tennis club car park. No sign of Vera. No sign of anyone.

  Nadine turned around to face her. “I think we leave it here then.”

  “You off somewhere?” Taylor asked.

  Nadine nodded. “I’m a busy girl.”

  Taylor shook her head.

  “Who would have thought, eh? Bloody Sal Leoncelli was Spider Jack. Even I didn’t see that coming.”

  “I’ll never drink again,” Taylor said.

  Nadine flinched. “Ooh my. Are you sure?”

  The sound of tires on the road.

  Sweeping metal and glass.

  They both looked up to see a long, dark blue limousine making its way up to the road towards them.

  “Hold that thought,” Nadine said.

  She went to the back door as it approached, and opened it, talking to someone.

  Her head came back out as Taylor went to peer round.

  She had something in her hand.

  “Here,” Nadine said throwing her the object. “Catch.”

  Taylor caught it.

  She looked down and saw that she was holding a phone.

  It started to ring.

  “The adventure continues!” Nadine declared.

  She got into the back of the car and it took off quickly, leaving Taylor all alone at the side of the road.

  She raised the phone up to her ear and answered the call.

  “Hello…?”

  ONE LAST CALL

  “Hello Taylor,” I said attaching my handsfree device. “Thanks for taking my call.”

  Silence.

  “Who is this?” she blurted out.

  “Come now, it hasn’t been that long since we last spoke,” I mused. “My employer wishes to thank you for parting ways with Ms. Shields earlier. A payment has been place into your personal account.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I got up. Went to the window.

  Parted the curtains.

  “Your business with Ms. Shields has now concluded. I understand she has a provocative nature, but I want to assure you her earlier discretions will be dealt with. Her behavior and the manner in which she gave herself up was completely unacceptable. This will no
t be repeated. You will no longer be aware of Ms. Shield’s activities or have any contact with her again.”

  “Who am I speaking to?” Taylor demanded.

  “You can think of me as an Angel.” I gave the curtains a flick and turned away from them. “A Guardian Angel, if you like.”

  “Do you know what happened to Sal?”

  My other phone vibrated.

  I looked down to see a photo of Sal’s remains in the maze garden.

  “That couldn’t be avoided unfortunately. He was out of control.”

  “Out of – out of control –”

  “The Keepers of this Kingdom have very little patience with those taking the law into their own hands.”

  “Oh, but Nadine – she gets a free pass –”

  “Nadine is a foot soldier, nothing more. And Sal was out on his own. As are you. I wanted to remind you that your story with us ends here. You still have friends and family out there in the world. We will find them should you press this matter. Also, we have you shooting Megan in the head in HD video, courtesy of Nadine.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m done with this job.”

  “On the contrary, you are still useful to us as Detective Shandling. You will be reinstated at the precinct. With Nadine and Justin gone, you will have a rather large hole to fill.”

  “Are you threatening me? Because if you are –”

  “Just think it over. That’s all we’re asking.”

  I looked down at my other phone again.

  There was a photo of Special Agent Dwayne Ross’s body on display. Shot through the head.

  “You’re not going to get away with this. You sick fucking –”

  “Careful now,” I said sternly. “You don’t want to say anything you’ll later regret.”

  “I’ll never help you.”

  “Well. We shall see. Might I make a suggestion?”

  “Oh, I’m all ears.”

  “Yes. Well, why don’t you go treat yourself to another couple of bottles on us? Hell, I’ll see to it a few extra hundred is added to your account –”

  “Fuck you!”

  Click.

  She’d hung up.

  I shook my head. “You try to give someone a helping hand and –”

  Knock, knock.