“It was that man from the paper—I’m sure of it. They were so violent! Slamming her head like that, I thought they’d killed her. But they didn’t; she was still struggling when they dragged her off.”
“You weren’t so sure it was the man from the paper before.”
“But I’m sure now. I was just confused, you know? He was just a bit thinner and paler. But he had the same eyes. Cold and angry, like a killer’s.”
O’Donnell had to agree with Martinez. It didn’t sound promising. “Did you get a glimpse of the vehicle? A license plate?”
“They took her to a black van. I ran for my phone to take a picture. I wish I would have thought of it faster. They took off by the time I got back.”
“What about the other man? Did you see him?”
“He had his back to me, and he wore a hoodie, so I couldn’t really see his face. But at one point, he . . . he forced himself on the poor woman, and I could see his cheek and his ear.”
“What do you mean, he forced himself?”
Mrs. Weaver shifted uncomfortably, and her cat’s eyes got even angrier. “He . . . I think he kissed her. It was so violent . . . it didn’t even look like kissing. But I was confused, and it was so fast and violent; he was probably just kissing her.”
There was something there. “What do you mean, it didn’t look like kissing?”
“He forced himself on her. She was struggling.”
“But you said it didn’t look like kissing. What did it look like?”
The woman hesitated. “It looked like he was licking her.”
O’Donnell leaned forward. “Was she bleeding when he licked her?”
A small pause. “Yes. She was. Blood ran down her face.”
“Do you think he may have been licking her blood?”
Mrs. Weaver’s eyes widened. “Yes,” she whispered. “That’s what I thought at first. But that can’t be right. Why would he do that?”
O’Donnell didn’t answer, feeling sick. If Glover and his partner really abducted Rhea Deleon, the chances that she was still alive were very slim.
CHAPTER 46
Everything hurt. Her ribs and legs were bruised after one of the men had kicked and punched her several times. Her throat was raw from screaming into the rag they’d crammed in her mouth. Plastic zip ties bit into her skin, scraping her wrists raw. Worst was her head, which felt as if someone were tightening it in a vise.
Sounds were warbled, accompanied by constant ringing, and spots danced in front of her eyes. A concussion, no doubt about it.
Breathing was a problem too. She couldn’t use her mouth, and her right nostril was caked with blood. She breathed through the left nostril, inhaling softly. When she panicked and drew the air in fast, it sent a sharp stab of agony through her skull.
Everything was hazy; she had trouble recalling what had happened. They’d driven for a while, one of them shouting at the other, a barrage of ignored instructions. At one point, the man had grabbed her around the throat and started squeezing, and after a few seconds of pure terror, she’d drifted away. She could vaguely hear both men arguing through the haze.
She’d woken up as they’d dragged her out of the back into a dark garage. She’d tried to struggle, and that was when one of them had kicked her several times until she’d curled in a fetal position on the floor. Then they’d lifted her again. Took her here. Tied her to the sink’s drainage pipe.
She was in a bathroom that smelled vaguely of piss. The floor was spotted by droplets, several of which had soaked into her pants.
They were still arguing outside.
“That bitch will end up getting us arrested, you idiot! We need to get rid of her. It’s not too late.”
“No. She’s the real thing, Daniel. She is! She’ll make everything better. Didn’t you say it yourself? We needed someone pure. She’s pure.”
“Then we’ll empty her into a damn bucket, and you can have a taste whenever you like.”
“It doesn’t work when it’s not fresh. You said it yourself.”
“Don’t tell me what . . . I know what I fucking said, it’s not . . .” The voice rose, the man losing his cool. “We’ll find another one, okay? But we gotta get rid of this one.”
Rhea didn’t doubt what getting rid of meant. She struggled against the pipe. Maybe she could break it apart. Grab part of it. Hit them when they came