Page 121 of Pitch Dark

“If he was waiting for a specific age to take the sister, he would wait to take Aislin as well. Why grab her early?”

“This is from his interview that you didn’t see, but it’s as simple as him coming upon her alone. His… sick needs got the better of him, and he acted. He did have an appointment that day that he made it to. He was on his way when he saw her walking to school. He knocked her out, put her in his trunk, and made it to his appointment in time.”

I clench my teeth. “He took a big chance of her not waking up and alerting people.”

“I agree, but I think in his fucked-up mind, he was willing to take that chance or didn’t even think about that possibility. He had her in his sights for years and knew the day was approaching, so I think he just sort of snapped.”

“What’s the sister’s name?”

“Aaliyah.”

“So Aislin was sold and had a twin,” I state.

“Yes. Aislin was sold two days after she was born. Natalie stole Aaliyah two weeks after she came home from the hospital with the mother. She had a birthmark just like Aislin. That’s why we all thought the body from the woods, coupled with the matching DNA from being twins, was Aislin. In the journal, Mr. Stewart talks of him having the same birthmark on his shoulder blade. That’s how he confirmed Aaliyah was his, and once he saw Aislin, he knew she was the twin because they were identical. We’re running a DNA analysis to confirm.”

He pauses for a moment then lowers his voice. “There’s more.”

“What?” I bark.

“Two bodies were found buried behind his house. They’ve been there years, but we’re guessing they are the sister and mother. Once he took both girls, he never mentions them again.”

I take a moment and pull in a deep breath. Barely contained rage runs through my system, and it takes everything in me not to find the twisted fucker and mutilate him. Once I’m reasonably in control, I look back at Tavers.

“How in the fuck is all this possible? How in the hell did we miss so much when he was right under our noses all these years?” I ask heatedly.

“You know the authorities never thought she was kidnapped, Niko. To them, there was no reason to search for her. Aaliyah was never reported missing. The rooms they were kept in weren’t on any blueprints. It took him years to modify the basement and build the rooms they were kept in; my guess is so people wouldn’t become suspicious if he was ever questioned or suspected. He was careful and had spent years planning. Don’t blame yourself for this. There’s no way you could have known. You were a kid when she was taken, and by the time you were able to look for clues yourself, too much time had passed.”

I take in his words, but I don’t believe them. Not when the answers were right in front of our faces. I’ll always blame myself for not finding her. As a kid, there wasn’t much I could do, but once I became an adult and started working for the force, I was trained for cases such as these. It wasn’t enough, I wasn’t enough, and that will stay with me forever.

I turn my back to him and face the doorway. Through the dark room, I see Aislin lying on her side facing me. So much pain, so much lost time and heartache, all from a man with a sick sense of ownership and depraved thoughts of love.

“One of the later journals states he knew who you were the whole time. When we took the case of his missing niece, he knew you were her childhood best friend and found it humorous that you were going to be the one who brought her back to him. He was also the one who shot up your yard that night. He knew Aislin was breaking in next door and went to grab her. She ran, and that’s when he took a shot.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I snarl, my hand itching to hit something solid. “He was fucking playing us the whole damn time.”

Tavers’ jaw clenches as he nods. “We also found a dog kennel in his garage and duct tape and rope in the trunk of his car.”

“Fuck me. He was getting ready to move her.” The color drains from my face, knowing I was so close to losing her forever. Had he moved her, the chances of me finding her again, or finding her alive, were damn near nonexistent.

“That’s what it looks like.” He steps beside me and peers into the room. “There’s something else you should know,” he says quietly. I don’t look at him, but instead keep my eyes on Aislin. How much worse can it get? I tip my head up for him to continue. “He talks about her being pregnant. He only mentions it once, then nothing more, but he mentions being excited about her having his baby.”

My fucking knees become weak, and I grab the doorframe to keep myself from falling. The groan that leaves my lips sounds like a wounded animal. I try so damn hard to pull in a breath, but it hurts too much.

He puts a hand on my shoulder. “Take her home, Niko. There’s nothing more we can do tonight. I’ll let Capt know you’ll be back tomorrow. We’ll work at finding answers then.”

My heart feels heavy, and my stomach is in knots as I walk into the room. I stand over Aislin for several moments, just looking at her, still having a hard time believing she’s lying here before me.

Several minutes pass and she starts whimpering in her sleep. I drop to my knees at the side of the bed and lay my palm on her cheek. Her first reaction is a jerk, and her eyes snap open. Alarm blazes in her eyes before she realizes it’s me, and then they soften. It pleases me so fucking much that I give her comfort. Most women who’ve been through what she has would still be scared shitless of any man even if she had known him since her childhood. But I believe, since that first day in the hospital, she knew deep down she could trust me. That’s why she eventually let me in. That’s also why I’ve felt a connection to her. I know that now.

“Hey,” she says sleepily.

“Do you want to go home?” I ask, stroking my thumb along her cheek.

She yawns, and it’s so damn cute it makes my chest hurt. “Yes.”

I stand and hold out my hand. She grabs it and together, hand in hand, we leave the room. I give a chin lift to Captain and Tavers across the room as we walk toward the exit. We’re just passing through the half door that separates the lobby from behind the counter when there’s a commotion across the room.

“Lelu!”

Aislin stiffens beside me, and I pull her closer to my side. I turn to face the handcuffed man who’s struggling between two officers. My eyes narrow. The fucking bastard has Aislin’s eyes although they look crazed right now. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.

It takes every ounce of strength in my body to keep from going after him. The look in his eyes as he gazes at Aislin almost has me retching.

“Lelu! Tell them you’re mine! Tell them, Lelu!” he shouts.

My eyes move to Tavers, and he gives a short nod before stalking off across the room. He stands in front of Mr. Stewart, blocking his view of Aislin and me.

With my arm around her shoulders, I turn us around. “Let’s go,” I say, unable to keep the anger out of my voice.

“Lelu,” he screams as I lead her out the door into the darkness of the night.

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