The scene at the lake disappeared and a red-headed news reporter’s face filled the screen.
The woman whose decapitated body had been discovered three days ago floating in Lake Monona has been identified by her sister, who had reported her missing two days ago, when she came to visit her and her two sons. The young children had been home alone and the sister was nowhere to be found.
Although the murder victim’s head, hands, feet, and teeth have not yet been located, the sister was able to identify her through her clothing and a unique scar on her body.
The dead woman has been identified to be Diana Maliano, a single mother who worked at the Gloss Hair Salon. This morning, Antonio Benavente, her on-and-off boyfriend was arrested in connection with Miss Maliano’s murder.
My chest tightened, my body shaking as I stared up at the screen, watched another story replace the one that rocked me.
Diana was dead? Brutally murdered. He couldn’t have done it. Surely Jude couldn’t have robbed two small boys of their mother.
Hot tears rolling down my cheeks, I hopped off the stool and went to the door. In that moment, I heard Jude’s voice calling me from his office.
I couldn’t do it, couldn’t look into his eyes and think of what he’d done. Although Diana had been doing his dirty work, she had been a mother, a vulnerable and desperate mother. He had taken advantage of her weakness and used her. Not wanting her anymore, he had gotten rid of her. Her decapitated body. The words rang through my head and I couldn’t breathe anymore.
Clutching my throat with my hand, I raced through the house and didn’t stop until I was in the basement. Like in the living room, there were no cameras there. I needed to be alone to digest what I had just seen.
I sank onto a box and dropped my head into my hands as my world spun. After my head stopped swimming and I forced my mind to clear, I knew I had to try again. I had to try and leave him. I had to do it now. Like a zombie, I stood up and stumbled to the stairs but before I could climb the first step, I noticed something shiny on the floor. I bent down to pick it up and my chest tightened.
He had done it. He had killed Diana. The silver necklace in the palm of my hand, of a half moon, had once belonged to Diana. She’d worn it the last time I saw her. God only knew what else he was hiding around the house. Her body parts, maybe?
Forcing myself to breathe, I rushed up the stairs and hurried to the front door. It was locked and there was no key in the lock as usual. I wouldn’t let it stop me. I had to find another way to get out while he was distracted. Even if his guards attacked me, I’d die trying to escape.
Stifling my screams, I yanked at the door again in frustration. To my surprise it opened and I fell backwards on my butt. It was a heavy door and I probably hadn’t pulled hard enough the first time. Why was it open? For one week, he hadn’t left it unlocked. And he carried the key around with him.
This time, occupied with his business partner, he must have forgotten. Or he now trusted I wouldn’t try to leave again. Fear would stop me. He was right. Fear did stop me. Until now. I didn’t want to end up decapitated and floating in a lake somewhere. Whatever happened from this moment, there would be no going back. If he found me again, he would most definitely kill me. Cut off my head and toss it to the dogs. Then he would put up photos of me on one of the walls in the shrine room that he would use to frighten his next victim with. No, I wouldn’t stay long enough for him to finish me off. Let him kill me while I was running.
My breath came in bursts and my heart pounded so hard, my chest hurt. I heard his voice again, but I slipped through the door and closed it as softly as I could behind me.
One of the guards had his back turned to me as he urinated in the bushes near the front gate. The other was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was off today. I had only one shot and I had to take it before I lost it. There was no way I could go through the gate. And the walls were too high for me to climb. Even if I managed to, the electric wires would fry me. I had to think of something else and fast.
Jude would come to the kitchen any minute to see why I wasn’t heeding his calls.
As my eyes roamed the grounds, I prayed that God would show me a way out. Then a thought dropped into my mind when I spotted the guest’s car. I saw my chance.
I ducked down so the guard wouldn’t see me when he turned back around.
Jude had a lot of cars, but the black Mercedes was not one of them. Please be open, I prayed. I reached for the handle and pulled. I heard a click. The visitor had clearly felt his car was safe on the grounds, given that there was a security guard.
Grasping my chance, I slipped into the backseat and closed the door softly. Making myself small, I wedged myself in the legroom area. Thank God he had the kind of car that provided a lot of legroom, offering me enough space to hide. I lifted my head and noticed a suit jacket hanging from behind the driver’s seat. I reached for it and covered myself with it.