CHAPTER 66 - Molly

CHAPTER 66Molly“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?” I ASK IN A STRANGLED WHISPER. “Why, Cal?”He shakes his head. “You’ll understand, Melinda, eventually.”I clear my throat, gather my wits. “Where’s Sadie?”“Who?”“My dog.” My stomach is in knots. How can this be real? How can my captor be our friend? None of this makes sense.“I have no idea.”“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you,” I cry.He brushes my hair away from my face, and his fingers lightly linger on my cheek. “I didn’t touch her, Melinda. I wouldn’t hurt an animal.”I shudder and take a deep breath, trying to pull it deep into my chest, trying to clear my head of this craziness. “Did you kill Jay?” It comes out in a hoarse whisper.Cal straightens up, lets go a deep sigh. “He gave me no choice. He found the necklace. He was going to go to the police.”Why, Jay, didn’t you go straight there?I ask myself. As if Cal could read my thoughts he continues.“He wasn’t sure, of course. He found the necklace on the basement floor when he went up to fix the window. It was dark when I cleaned up in July, and I missed it. Jay told me he’d found it when he came back from Mountclair. He said he wanted to talk to me, so I knew. I told him I’d meet him in his office, later, after the party.”I clench my cold fingers into fists. “Why would you kill him, Cal?” I’m sobbing. “He was your friend. And what did that woman ever do to you?”“It all runs much deeper than that. Everything goes way back, Melinda.”“Stop calling me that!” My voice comes out high and childlike.He chuckles.I clear my throat, brush away tears with cold, rigid fingers. “Tell me then.” Anything to keep him talking. Give myself time to figure this out. And hopefully, the police are looking for me by now. I need to give them time to find me.“All right. Might as well since it’s run its course. It’s all at an end now.” He settles back, runs his fingers under his glasses. “When I was thirteen, living in Hartford with my mother and father, I started getting interested in true crime. My mother, a vicious bitch, took out all her frustrations on me. My brother had been her target, but then he left, and she turned on me. She liked to humiliate me, make me feel small, like a nothing, like dog shit on the bottom of her shoe. She told me I was a nobody. Would always be a nobody. Anyway, I used to hide in our basement, which my dad had finished with thin carpet and paneled walls, a TV. I started watching true crime stories, and I found my way. I found something that spoke to me. Women bound and dominated. Then killed. It was . . . satisfying. Anyway, I followed your story, and I was enthralled. I researched you, cut out every article, and found out you’d moved to Boston. When the time came for me to go to college, I followed you here.”“This was about me?” I shudder. My mouth falls open.“Oh, yes.” His voice shakes. “All for you, Melinda. I tried to forget you. I met Laken in college, and we hit it off. She was the only woman who could beat me at tennis.” He smiles. “I decided that I needed to let you go. End my obsession. It wasn’t healthy. Lake and I graduated, got married. Her family’s pretty wealthy, as you know. It was a different life. A good life, far from my dark basement in Hartford. Laken and I spent time skating, skiing, sailing. We were always active, busy, and I was happy enough. Then the boys came along, and I thought, I can do this. I can leave my depraved thoughts and fantasies in the past. But,” he sighs, “the shine kind of wore off. Work got busy and full of stress. I looked you up one day.” He grins at me. “Wasn’t easy since you have no social media. Smart, Melinda, but people don’t realize that they still have an internet presence. Anyway, I discovered you were living in Graybridge, just a few miles from where Laken and I were living. What luck, huh?“Well, it got even better. I began stopping off at different local bars after work, and eventually, I saw you, having a drink with a man, who I recognized. Jay and I were in the same hockey league. Different teams, but I definitely had met him a time or two. Well, it was all easy after that. I made a point of getting to know him. After games, guys often went out for drinks. Jay and I got to be friends. I hesitated when I found out that he was a psychologist. Didn’t want him looking into my psyche, but it was a challenge too. Made things a little more interesting actually. One night, he let slip that his grandfather had been a detective on the Boston Strangler case. I was fascinated. He didn’t like to talk about it too much, but after a few drinks, and some coaxing, he’d tell us stuff. He insisted he only described what had been released to the public. Jay was such a boy scout. Anyway, in no time, Jay and I were buds. You weren’t married yet, but I remember the first time I met you, I was blown away. This is Melinda Wright, I kept thinking. Wow. Anyway, you hit it off with Laken, and the rest is history.”“Why did you kill that woman?”He rubs his temples. “I don’t feel like talking about that right now.”“How did Jay know it was you?”“Later, maybe.”“Were you calling me?”“That was me.”“Why did you bring me here?”“Enough for now.” He stands and reaches inside a bag. “Drink before you dehydrate.” He twists the cap on a water bottle. “Oh, I’ve got cookies too. Oreos. Your favorite.”He sets the bottle on the floor. Suddenly, I’m filled with rage and hit him as hard as I can with my left fist, but I only clip the side of his leg. He grabs me by the shoulders and knocks my head against the wall and bursts of light float before my eyes.“Don’t do that again, Melinda.” He kicks the water over, and I grab for it before it all spills out. “I’ll be back later.”