Deep in the Night

This is one part of a longer crime/romance story that is connected to the other parts. To fully appreciate the story, please start at Part 1 and read through. Thanks

Part 9: The Killer Attacks Jordan

Raven listened intently to the conversation when she heard Jordan exclaim, "WHAT?" A pause ensued, then, "Well how did you find out?"

Jordan was holding her cell phone with one hand and trying to button up her blouse with the other, she had an intense, serious expression on her face. Raven noticed her trying to button the blouse and got up and walked over to her. She took over the job as best she could with her bandaged hand while Jordan finished the phone conversation.

Jordan starting to button her blouse was not a good sign; she obviously didn't intend to continue toward their making love.

Jordan finished the call and announced to Raven, "Bill Hagan found out who the killer is!"

"Who?" Raven inquired.

"Do you know Terrell Grant?"

"I know who he is, a scientist, I think? But, I don't know him."

"Well, it's him. Hagan's going to his house to arrest him now and picking me up in a few minutes."

"How did he find out?"

"Apparently, all the news about the illness got him upset and edgy. He beat the crap out of his wife who finally decided she wasn't going to take anymore. She left him and drove to her parent's house in Kansas. She called Hagan from there and asked Hagan to arrest him. She also told him that Grant has some kind of lab in their basement and she has suspected he has been playing around with weird stuff for awhile. He used to work at some kind of genetics lab on the other side of Albuquerque before he was fired nearly two years ago. Her statement will be enough to justify arresting him for suspected first degree murder of the three women in addition to spousal abuse."

Jordan's eyes were shining with excitement, but it was a different kind of excitement then what was in them a few moments before when she was in Raven's arms. Her adrenalin was flowing and her heart was pounding; this was the climax of an investigation. The thrill of the hunt and capture. Raven saw the enthusiasm glowing in her soon-to-be lover's face and eyes.

She took Jordan's face in her hands and spoke seriously, but tenderly, "You will be careful and come back to me later."

"Of course, darling. But, after we arrest him, it may be awhile. We'll have to book him and I will have to interrogate him."

"I don't care how long it takes, you just make sure you get yourself back here. And in one piece." She added.

Raven gave her a final, sensuous kiss, her lips lingering for a pleasing moment. She softly pressed her tongue to Jordan's lips, letting it sink just inside Jordan's sweet mouth.

As the kiss ended, Jordan remarked, "You're making it hard for me to leave, doll."

"It's just so you won't forget what will be waiting for you when you're finished tonight!"

"That's something I can't easily forget Raven." She touched Raven's face and without another word, quickly went out the back door.

Hurriedly pulling a large kit from the trunk of the BMW, she took it into her motel room. She pulled out her armored vest, stripped off her blouse and rapidly put it on over her bra, then her blouse again. Over her blouse she donned a black nylon double shoulder harness, which held two pistols and pouches for extra ammo. She added a duty belt with flashlight and phone.

The FBI issued a Smith & Wesson .40 mm cal compact automatic, but Jordan usually liked to keep it for back up, though. Her duty weapon of choice was a S&W .357 magnum snub nose. It was smaller than most revolvers, fit for a woman's hand better, but with its heavier grain rounds, it packed a powerful punch. She referred to it as the "man stopper."

Checking that each gun was loaded, she put on her black FBI raid jacket and cap. She had just finished when Bill Hagan pulled up to her room with wheels screeching.

He yelled to her out the car window, "You saddled up, Jordan?"

"Yeah, I'm packin', let's go!"

A trail of deputies' cars had followed and was waiting for their sheriff to take off. Jordan climbed in the front seat and hooked her seat belt.

"Kill the lights and siren." She told Hagan. "I don't want him to know we're coming."

"Right." Hagan stomped on the gas and they took off raising a cloud of dust as the powerful patrol cars roared off into the night.

Raven watched anxiously from the front office window as the patrol cars sped off. She silently hoped and prayed that the arrest went well. She couldn't wait till it was all over. It would signify the end of the investigation and she could at last have Jordan all to herself.

Bill Hagan gunned the patrol car through the dark streets of Shawnee to the address supplied by Terrell Grant's wife. Within three minutes, they reached the residence and pulled in front of a two story, white, Ranch style house with a porch in the front. The house was dark without its lights on.

"I hope he hasn't fled. It's been hours since his wife left him." Jordan stated as she exited the cruiser. They didn't see a car in the driveway, but there was a single bay garage sat to the left side of the house. Hagan directed Jimmy and another deputy to go around to the back of the house to look for a rear entrance. Jordan, Hagan, the detectives, and the other deputies quickly, but quietly stole up to the front door. Jordan drew her weapon.

Hagan made sure everyone was ready, took the bullhorn and stood away from the door, then pressed the button.

"This is the Sheriff's Office! Open the door! We Have A Warrant For Your Arrest!"

No response. They waited a moment listening for any sounds coming from inside. Hagan got on his radio and shouted into it, "Jimmy, you hear anything back there?"

The radio crackled and Jimmy's voice was heard, "Negative. Everything is quiet." Jordan knocked and tried the knob. Naturally, it was locked.

Jordan shouted, "Terrell Grant! Open the door, or we'll break it down!"

"Chuck, get the ram out of my trunk!" Hagan directed. The deputy ran down the porch steps to Hagan's car and popped the trunk to pull out a 4 foot steel battering ram. The sheriff got on the radio again, "Jimmy, we're gonna bust the door down. Get ready."

Jordan and Hagan stepped aside while two of the deputies braced themselves to pummel the door with the ram. They slammed the ram forcefully into the door and wood began to split. On the second strike, the door was ripped from its hinges and crashed inward. A dark silence greeted them while Jordan and Hagan carefully peeked into the house. Jordan reached inside and felt around on the wall for a switch. Finding one, she flipped on the lights and hurried inside, immediately followed by the others, their guns aimed and ready.

The front living room was empty and everyone began dispersing on a hunt throughout the house. Jordan had one purpose in mind, besides catching Grant; she wanted to find the lab. Cautiously entering each room on the first floor, she opened every door she came to, but only encountered closets. The kitchen was the last room she entered at the rear of the house. Someone had already been through and opened the back door for Jimmy and the other deputy. A door was located in the corner of the kitchen and Jordan tried it. It opened into a dark abyss and she couldn't find a light switch to illuminate the basement below.

Jordan pulled a small flashlight from her gun belt and directed its beam down the stairs. It did little to pierce the thick darkness below. She started slowly down the stairs; the gun in her right hand while her right arm was crossed over and resting on her left wrist; her left hand aiming the flashlight. She stopped on the third step and listened for sounds, but the only noise was footsteps of the deputies above her.

A sense of dread began to settle around Jordan. She though about asking for someone to accompany her, but she thought she was experienced enough to handle this room without backup.

Just then her sixth sense kicked in and she felt the presence of something lurking below. Something...or someone was watching and waiting for her in the darkness.

An icy fear wrapped its choking fingers around her spine and her hair stood up on the back of her neck. Whatever or whoever was in the basement had the advantage. It knew its surroundings; it was familiar with the basement layout. Jordan was entering unknown territory and her heart was pounding in her chest. Raven's face flashed through her mind and she would have given anything to be back in Raven's arms at that moment and not in her present predicament.

But, she was an FBI agent and this was a necessary part of her job. Unpleasant as it was, she did not have the option of bailing out. She dared not call the others in case whatever lurked below would hear if it wasn't already alerted to her presence.

The only direction to move was forward, or in her case, downward. She pushed her right hip against the railing to steady herself and continued carefully, her adrenalin flowing, observant for any sound or movement. The blackness enveloped her. As she progressed downward, the fear grew ever stronger until at last she reached the floor of the basement and every nerve in her body was on heightened alert.

The black air was heavy and oppressing. Quickly, she turned 360 degrees, aiming the beam of light around her to perform an initial sweep of the basement.

Surprisingly, nothing appeared threatening. The small, unfinished basement had a laundry area with washer and dryer and a hot water heater. The walls were exposed cinder block with shelving. Jordan relaxed for a second as she ascertained that there was no immediate threat. But, she knew not to let her guard down.

She gradually became aware of an unusual odor in the basement. Rather than the musky aroma of an underground room, the air seemed to smell like something cooking on a stove. She couldn't quite place the aroma, but it had a smell similar to meat. She also realized a sense of disappointment at not finding a lab. But Grant's wife told the sheriff there was a lab down there? She must have missed something at the initial sweep.

Jordan aimed the flashlight again and made a slower sweep this time. But again, there was nothing to reveal a lab or an entrance to another room. Frustrated, Jordan took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

What if Grant's wife was wrong? What if we have the wrong man? But why would she mention a lab in the basement? Surely, she had watched the news and was aware that we are looking for someone who owned or had access to a lab?

Jordan's mind was racing away. A woman abused by her husband would have one thing on her mind: escape. She doubted Grant's wife would have told the sheriff there was a lab were it not so.

It dawned on her that the basement seemed oddly small for the size of the house. Perhaps there was another room, but hidden from view. She hadn't seen any doorways. If there was a lab, there had to be a secret entrance way. So, for the third time, Jordan aimed the flashlight at her surroundings.

With cinder blocks for the walls lined with the shelves it eliminated the possibility of a doorway. Jordan carefully made her way across the basement floor to the laundry area, shining the beam of light ahead of her. There was a four-foot wide alcove near the washer where the hot water heater sat. Jordan inspected the area and was rewarded with the discovery of a space behind the heater. She found that there was room for her to squeeze past between the wall and the heater and she found herself standing in a 4x4 paneled area. And there, on her right, was a door!

There was an unlocked padlock hanging in the hasp. Either someone was real careless or someone was inside. Jordan slipped the flashlight back into her belt and waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Placing her ear to the door, she listened for sounds on the other side, but heard nothing. She took another deep breath and wiped her left hand on her pants leg. Grasping the door knob, she turned it as slowly and quietly as possible. It opened easily with a gentle click. She flung the door open and pointed the gun inside. A strong odor of the cooking meat assailed her nostrils. Feeling along the wall, she reached a switch and flicked it on.

Fluorescent lights glared brightly and Jordan found herself inside a completely stocked science lab. A counter top ran the entire perimeter of the rectangular room with cabinets above and below it. Glassware was everywhere in a multitude of sizes and shapes along with strange equipment that was alien to Jordan. There were several appliances, which included a combination refrigerator/freezer.

Most strange of all was a metal examining table in the center of the room with additional high-powered lamps with moveable arms positioned over the table. Jordan surveyed the lab; she couldn't wait to tell the docs from the Center for Disease Control. Who knows what they would find down here. Hopefully it held the clues to the strange germs that infected the victims. She stepped into the room and closer toward the table to get a better look.

Suddenly she heard movement! She started to turn then something hit her with a hard, sickening thump on the back of her neck! She collapsed to the floor unconscious.

***

Painfully, Jordan opened her eyes, but could only squint. She was lying on her back and a brilliant, intense light was directed upon her. She tried to raise her head, but dizziness overcame her and she closed her eyes and put her head back down. What happened to me? She wondered. She didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"Good Evening Agent Connor. I was awaiting your arrival." Jordan tried opening her eyes again. She could barely make out a 40 something year old man in rimless glasses with wispy reddish hair against the glare of the light. He was hovering over her and Jordan realized that she was lying on the examining table.

She felt the cold of the steel underneath her body and it gave her a chill.

Jordan tried to speak, "W...Whe...?"

"Did I neglect to introduce myself? How rude of me! I am Terrell Grant. Your arrival has been an unexpected benefit. You have saved me much time and energy that would have otherwise been spent seeking an appropriate subject."

Grant turned away and Jordan tried to lift her right hand up to her harness. Her movements were slow and clumsy as though she were drugged. Crossing her hand over her chest, she felt for the holster, but there was no holster or harness, or blouse for that matter. She was naked and strapped to the table at her chest, waist, and knees. Grant had his back to Jordan as he stood at a counter top.

But, he seemed to anticipate Jordan's move. "Don't bother attempting to procure your weapon. I have made every effort to assure you are unarmed. I also took the liberty of making you more comfortable by removing all those cumbersome garments," he said with his back still turned.

She still had her arms free and reached for the waist strap, but he turned then and forcefully strapped down one arm then the other, then put a strap around her head. She had no strength to resist him.

Jordan attempted to speak again; she couldn't muster the energy to yell for Hagan, "What are...you...doing?"

"Don't worry yourself with such questions. I didn't know you would be so attractive," Grant told her as he brushed his fingertips across her exposed breasts and down to her belly.

He suddenly grabbed her between her legs and squeezed her vagina hard, digging his fingernails deep into her female parts.

The pain was intense!

She opened her mouth to scream, but he stuffed a cloth in her open mouth before she could let it out. She screamed into the rag as tears ran down her cheeks and onto the cold steel of the table.

"Now don't move again, you will be under close supervision and discipline by yours truly. This room is secure. After I let you enter my lab, I securely bolted the door and concealed the entrance. Surely you don't think I would let your friends do something that would botch my own research?"

She struggled in her bindings, but she was too weak and sick to accomplish anything.

"Be still pretty Bitch, or I will get angry.'

He slapped her with a full arm swing across her face, hard enough to knock her head and the strap sideways into the hard table. Blood ran out of her nose and she blacked out.

She came to hearing some clinking sounds coming from Grant's direction. Perhaps metal or glassware. But her mind was fuzzy and a nasty headache was gradually creeping into the back of her skull. She could hear Grant's voice stronger now and, without opening her eyes, she realized that he was hovering over her.

"Relax now Agent Connor or should I call you Jordan, now that we are so informal with each other," he smiled as he reached to unzip his trousers. "Your cooperation will be much appreciated."

Jordan struggled with the gag, opened her mouth, "No..." But, her cry was weak and desperate.

"Be still! This won't hurt much you if you don't move." Grant growled angrily as he took his erect penis into his hand and lowered the dripping syringe towards her face with the other. She tried to scream again, but darkness crept over her.

The last thought Jordan had before she slipped into unconsciousness was Raven. With overwhelming despair, she realized that she was never going to see her girlfriend again.

(To be continued)