The Blackest Crimson. Debra Webb

be difficult. No wonder he hadn’t been caught.

      The Storyteller was an unknown subject, or unsub—at least that was what the FBI called him. They had no name or physical description. The profile they had built based on his victimology suggested he was mid to late thirties, white, ritualistic and a true psychopath. He’d likely been abused by a family member as a child. He was methodical and meticulous in his work. The profile concluded that he held a quiet, unassuming job that drew little or no attention to him. He had friends, but kept his social life low-key. One theory was that he stalked his victims via the internet or other media. All his victims had public Facebook pages except her. Wait, there was the department’s page. She and her partner had been spotlighted on the Montgomery PD page a few times.

      Newt would be looking for her. Her heart swelled into her throat. Howard Newton had been her partner since she made detective. He and her uncle Teddy, the chief of police, would be doing everything possible to find her.

      “You gotta help them out, Bobbie.” She jerked at the ropes restraining her hands. Her right abruptly pulled free. Her heart thundered into a faster rhythm. She reached across her torso and worked on the left. Her fingers fumbled. They were stiff and numb from the cold. She gritted her teeth and forced her fingers to cooperate.

      At last her left hand slid free. Bobbie sat up. The room spun. “Shit.” She closed her eyes until the spinning stopped.

      When she’d regained her equilibrium, she slowly bent forward and worked to free her ankles. There was a chair and a table in the center of the room, along with what looked like a kerosene lamp. She spotted a kerosene heater as well. So that was how he kept himself warm when he was here. Kerosene heaters didn’t smoke so there were no worries about drawing attention. Kerosene could be bought at most gas stations, allowing for untraceable purchases.

      The ropes fell away from her ankles. Her hands and feet were a little swollen. Didn’t matter. She had to get out of here. She swung her bare feet onto the cold wood floor. There were cracks between the floorboards. Icy air floated up around her legs. Had she been wearing shoes? No. She hadn’t. Damn it.

      Taking it slow, she stood. A little spinning accompanied the move, but she rode it out. It wasn’t until she got up that she realized her lounge pants were damp where she had relieved herself. The cold, wet fabric made her shiver. When she could move without falling, she staggered to the window. Beyond the dirty panes of glass a blanket of white covered the earth. Bare trees sprouted up from that vast winter wonderland, making it impossible to see anything beyond the small clearing around the cabin. Definitely deep in the woods. No sign of tracks or a vehicle.

      Okay. She needed a coat and shoes...and a weapon.

      She surveyed the one-room cabin again. Where she stood was the cot and its bare rusty springs. Next to the rustic table and chair in the middle of the room was the portable kerosene heater. To her left and in the far corner was the only door. The single window was straight across the small space on the opposite wall. Against the rear wall of the cabin, opposite the door, stood a primitive cabinet. The cabinet looked really old, like something found in an antiques shop except it was covered with dust and cobwebs.

      She padded over to the cabinet and reached for a wooden knob. The purr of an engine hauled her attention to the window. She rushed across the room, stumbling in her haste. Peering through the soiled glass, she watched an old, black SUV roll into the clearing. All she could see was one side of the front end with its dented fender and the driver’s door. She stood to the side of the window so whoever was behind the wheel wouldn’t see her.

      The driver’s door opened and a black boot planted in the snow. A man wearing a dark coat and skullcap emerged. He turned his face toward the cabin.

      Bobbie drew back.

      It was him.

       Chapter Three

      Bobbie turned all the way around, frantically scanning the room. She needed a weapon. Anything. She grabbed the kerosene lantern and moved to the door. The lantern wasn’t much of a weapon, but she had the element of surprise on her side. He expected her to be tied to the bed. She had a shot here. Disorient him and get out the door. Run like hell.

      She tried to slow her heart, tried to quiet the blood roaring through her veins. Stay steady. Be strong. This might be her only chance to make a run for it.

      He will kill me and I cannot die. Jamie needs me!

      She tightened her grip on the lantern’s handle and prepared to swing it. Come on, you bastard!

      Chains rattled. The door opened with a slow groan, creating a barrier between them.

      Wait...wait...wait. Let him get all the way inside. Then strike!

      Without moving past the open door he stamped his boots on the floor, and then he scrubbed them back and forth to clear away the packed snow.

      The door blocking his view of her and the empty cot, she braced to swing.