Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“Were we on target with the direction we were headed?” Ryder asked, referring to the group of high school friends that had once been Joshua’s clique.
“Dead on,” Jeremy answered. “He had Veronica as the first victim.” His eyes locked with Remi. “He abducted her, took a knife and cut slices into her skin, dumped her into a pit, and then emptied a barrel of rats on top of her. Apparently, she’d made it known she was terrified of rats. Once he’d put the rats in, he’d covered the pit with a metal plate and left her there…to be eaten alive.”
“Goddamn motherfucker!” Ryder growled. The realization of the horror of what Veronica endured was evident on his face.
Remi didn’t understand; Veronica carried a pet rat with her all the time? Oh, fuck. Was it one of the rats that Eric had thrown into the pit with her? “Every…every time I’ve seen Veronica, she has this rat with her. It’s black and white with a pink nose and pink eyes. She strokes it like a pet. It’s…it’s huge for a rodent, but I swear to God, she loves the thing,” Remi muttered.
“We don’t always understand the afterlife, Remi. If Veronica looks happy and content, then she is. Don’t let the things I’m telling you mess with your head. If this Perry guy reaches out to you, you need to be on your top game, okay? Keep your head focused.”
“I told you he wasn’t doing this shit anymore!” Ryder roared.
Remi and Jeremy both looked at him as if he was insane, but neither argued with him. There was no point; he had his opinion and they had theirs.
“Second victim, Gary Landon Lacasse,” Jeremy continued. “He was to be crushed to death because he’d crushed Joshua’s heart. The board said that he planned to try and keep Gary alive for a least three days, maybe more.” He looked toward Remi. “Did you know this?”
“Yeah, Gary told me the first night. After that, he hasn’t been able to communicate with me. He was out there for three fucking days before Eric finally crushed his skull. Buzzards flew over him every damn day and night…just waiting for a meal.” Remi looked at Ryder. “Veronica and her rat were there, too, but Gary didn’t know it; at least, not until he passed.”
“The third intended victim was Jason Waylon…set to buried alive beneath his family’s new mansion. From what they said, it seemed like Eric was angriest with Jason’s father, not Jason. At least, that’s where he felt like the biggest betrayal came from. Apparently, the father and he were friends, and he thought Waylon ought to be able to get his kid in line by making him lie about what happened that night at Joshua’s party. When Waylon wouldn’t, Jason had to die. Burying him alive on the family property was Eric’s way of getting back at Daddy Waylon. I guess he planned on getting a message to him some time soon, but after nothing could be done to save Jason.” Jeremy, still looking queasy, winked at Remi and said, “You kicked his ass on that one, Boy Wonder. Kicked his motherfucking ass.”
“Fourth intended victim was Kris Tatum. She was going to be hit by a train on a track without the warning signals…because she ignored his warnings about turning against Joshua. Fifth intended victim is Ronald Perry, the young man already missing. He mode of death is to be drowning. Joshua was forced to drown in all their lies, so Perry could feel the same terror. Fifth intended victim is Melissa Sanders Brus. He planned to freeze her death because he claimed she had the coldest heart of them all. On a bright note, Melissa has been taken into protective custody, so he won’t be able to get his hands on her.”
“But he already has Ron Perry, our drowning victim,” Remi muttered. “Why won’t he reach out to me?”
Ryder stared at Remi for a few seconds, hating what he was about to say. He wanted Remi completely removed from all this motherfucker’s bullshit. He didn’t want the man he loved to hear the brutally disgusting facts. If he had the power, he would remove all the ugliness from Remi’s life and never let it touch him again.
He knew, though, that he didn’t have that power. All he was going to be able to do was try and protect Remi, to be there for him, hold his hand, and talk him back home, when the time came. “I think he hasn’t called out to you because he isn’t afraid yet. Isn’t that when the others reached out to you? When they were in their terrified, panic mode? When death was about to take them?”
“Hey…you’re right,” Remi murmured. “I bet that’s it. Maybe he hasn’t had a chance to get the Perry guy into the trap he created for him.”