Serial- Part 35

            “I was beginning to think I would never get to reunite you with your dear friend; you just kept chatting away,” he quipped while lugging her down into the basement.

Marie was still unconscious but he planned to give her a wake-up call once Jill was secured.  Within a few minutes, he had wheeled an old camping cot into the room with Marie to join the long lost friends. The cot was bolted into permanent braces in the floor and Jill was shackled to the crossbars of the cot. Next, he wove chains through the legs of Marie’s table and Jill’s cot and secured them with padlocks.

            “Can’t let my pets off the leash, can I?”

Marie’s eye fluttered open at the sound of his voice. The pit of her stomach clenched into a knot when the first word was uttered. Her skin burned in phantom flames but, on the outside, she kept her composure. Marie turned her head and tried to squint through her good eye. That’s when she realized they had company. Muffled protests attempted to escape through the gag. Wanting to savor Marie’s anguish, he freed her mouth from its restraints.

            “Jilly?” She croaked. “No, please, let her go!”

            “I’m afraid I can’t do that. She’s seen me.”

            “You’re a monster!” Marie shrieked.

            “Now, pet, that’s not very nice. Besides, it’s your fault she’s here, not mine.”

            “Really? Please, enlighten me…how is it my fault?”

            “Since you asked so nicely, I will. She tracked you from your phone since you two are practically cyber-stalking each other. I found her peering in the window next door so it was only a matter of time before she started nosing around here. Now, you two can spend your last days together. In fact, I think it’s time to wake her up, don’t you?”

Marie’s pleas on Jill’s behalf were ignored. If anything, it fueled his desire to begin work on her as soon as possible but there was something he needed to handle first. His rational side insisted that tracks needed to be covered before playtime could resume. He scooped up Jill’s purse and rifled through the bag. Her wallet revealed a small collection of credit cards and a couple of twenties; however, it wasn’t the cash he was after. Her driver’s license and cell phone was what he’d been seeking.

            “Okay, here we go…Let’s just get a jump on any future busybodies. Don’t worry ladies, I’ll be back soon so we can have some fun.”

One last time, he checked their restraints before dashing off to handle the loose ends. He hopped in the car and drove straight to Jill’s home. Once he was on her block, he replied to the text message she’d received asking her if she still needed a ride.

Sorry! My battery died. I got a ride home already. Headed to bed with a killer headache.

Jill’s friend replied back saying she hoped the headache would pass soon and to get some rest. He looked at the reply and laughed. She’ll get plenty of rest, he thought, rest in peace. After thoroughly wiping off any fingerprints, he removed the battery from her cell phone, smashed it to bits then threw pieces from the window all around her block. Now, to get home and have some fun…