If It Walks Like A Killer (The Carolina Killer Files #1) Read online

  If It Walks Like A Killer

  By: Kiersten Modglin

  If It Walks Like A Killer

  Copyright © 2016 by Kiersten Modglin.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: August 2016

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-752-4

  ISBN-10: 1-68058-752-8

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To anyone who’s ever been told they can’t or they won’t; and to everyone who told me I could and I would.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

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  Chapter One

  Caide

  April 19, 1994

  Caide Abbott walked into Carlton’s Bar for one reason and one reason only: it was a mere block from his dorm which meant he could get pass-out drunk and still find his way home. He sat at his usual spot near the end of the bar and without even having to ask Rupert slid him an ice-cold beer.

  “Thanks,” he mumbled, tipping his beer toward the bartender before taking a sip. Carlton’s was a dive bar that most hadn’t heard of, and those who had claimed it looked too shady to enter. It was a gathering ground for biker crowds, middle-aged men who lied to their wives about working late, and teenagers who proudly sported their fake ID’s. Caide had stumbled upon the bar one night and graciously slipped into the mellow atmosphere that he’d never experienced before. This was his crowd. They knew him here. They liked him here. Caide never had to worry about how he looked, or what he said here. The crowd at Carlton’s let Caide fade into the background, taking much needed breathers from his tedious college schedule.

  He was on his fifth beer when he hazily laid eyes on her. She was sipping a cosmopolitan at the opposite end of the bar, laughing with a gaggle of girlfriends. Caide took another gulp of beer, taking her in. Her coal black hair hung loosely down her back and she kept tossing it back and forth as she talked. In all his years coming to Carlton’s he’d never seen anyone like her there. Actually, he couldn’t remember seeing many girls there. Ever.

  She took another sip of her drink when she noticed him staring. A bit of red liquid splashed onto her lip and she licked it off. She smiled flirtatiously at him. There was something familiar about her, something welcoming.

  “Hi,” he silently mouthed across the noisy bar.

  “Hi,” she mouthed back, turning to laugh with her friends.

  Caide had finished his beer and was working on the next when she finally approached him.

  “So are you going to come introduce yourself or were you just going to keep staring from across the bar?”

  “Well, I guess we’ll never know, now will we?” he teased, touching her hair. “Can I buy you another drink?”

  “You’d better before this one wears off.” She smiled. He liked her smile.

  “I’m Caide.”

  “Nice to meet you, Caide.”

  “Do you have a name?”

  “Elise. I’m Elise.”

  “Okay, Elise.” He laughed as the bartender sat another cosmopolitan down for her.

  “Wow. You’re good. I don’t think you even ordered that.” She took the last sip of her drink and traded it in.

  “They don’t let my drinks get empty here. You’re with me now, so I guess yours won’t either.”

  She tipped her head down, staring up at him from behind long eyelashes. “Do you want to move this somewhere a little less noisy?”

  Like my bed? “Sure. Follow me.” He led the way to a booth in the back. She surprised him by sliding in on the side he sat down on. She was really close to him now; he could smell the perfume on her neck and the alcohol on her breath. “So what brings you here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.”

  “My friend Stacia got dumped this week. We’re here being anti-guy.”

  He snorted. “I think you’re sort of messing that plan up.”

  “Probably. Are you worth it?”

  “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

  The cheesy flirting filtered by the alcohol induced haze had Caide leaning into her. God, she smells so good. I’ll bet she tastes good. His lips grazed hers. His palm found her thigh, running his fingers along the hem of her red dress.

  “So do you go to school here?” she asked, inches from his face.

  “Yeah, I’m a business major. You?”

  “Of course you are. I go school in Raleigh. We just wanted to get out of town for the night.”

  Caide nodded. “Well, I for one, am glad you did.”

  She ran her hand up his leg, his pants growing tighter by the minute.

>   “Girl, are you coming or what?” An irritated voice rang out from behind her. Caide peered around her head to see the group of girls that had surrounded her by the bar now staring at them with increased exasperation.

  “Yeah, this place is boring. I want to dance,” squealed the short blonde who was swaying in her spot.

  “Girls, I’m sorry.” She looked back and forth from Caide to the group before smiling apologetically. “Can I just catch up with you all later? I kind of want to hang out here for a while.”

  “Are you sure?” A quiet one in the back spoke up, looking genuinely concerned for her friend. Her gaze caught Caide’s hand rubbing the hem of the girl’s dress and Caide bashfully pulled it away.

  “I’m sure. I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll call you guys if I need anything.”

  The group sighed, making their way out of the bar without trying to hide their frustration.

  “Be safe,” she yelled after them, turning back to Caide with an embarrassed look on her face. “I’m sorry about them.”

  “No need to be sorry. I’m sorry they couldn’t see how awesome this place is,” Caide teased.

  She looked around the bar doubtfully. “Right.” She took the last sip of her drink and stood up drunkenly. “I’m going to get another. Do you want one?”

  He still had half of his beer left and the room was spinning, but he smirked at her. “Sure.” He watched her stumble up to the bar and order their drinks.

  As she made her way back to the table she sat the drinks down and fell into the booth, knocking the table and splashing half of her drink onto her dress.

  “Shit,” she said, rubbing her hand over the spill.

  He grabbed a napkin, innocently sticking his hand up her dress, underneath the spill and attempting to soak it up. When he realized where his hand was, his face turned red. He looked up at her coyly, waiting to see her response. She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. She tasted of cigarette smoke and alcohol but it had never been more enticing. He ran his hands over the curves underneath her dress, his heart pounding in his chest.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” she asked, perched on his lap, her lips grazing his ear.

  He stood her up, grabbing her hand, and slapping two hundred dollars on the bar as they ran out the door.

  God, I love this bar.

  ***

  There was a phone ringing somewhere in the distance.

  Oh, for the love of God, make it stop. Caide rolled over, placing a pillow over his head. He was drifting off to sleep when it came again. He rolled over, cursing under his breath and looked at the clock on the night stand. 4:15 a.m. With sleep still fogging his brain he looked around the room.

  Where am I? It was then that he noticed the beauty lying next to him, her dark hair hanging over her face. The events of the past night came back to him in a blur. He looked around the hotel room, not even able to recall checking in. He ran his finger across the soft skin on her back. She stirred slightly, not waking. Then came the phone ringing again.

  He rolled out of bed, grabbing his boxers off the lamp beside the TV. He tiptoed to the opposite side of the room where his pants lay, and pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. Why in the world had his parents insisted that he carry this thing with him? What could people possibly need a phone with them all the time for? He flipped open the bottom and put the phone to his ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Caide?” Her voice hit him like a ton of bricks. Rachael. Why hadn’t Rachael crossed his mind even once that night? I mean, sure he had planned to break up with her months ago, but after her dad passed away, Caide just couldn’t find it in his heart to hurt her again. He looked to the bed, guilt filling his heart. He’d break up with her today. He owed her the truth. She deserved better than this, and he couldn’t keep this up any longer.

  “Hello? Caide?” Her voice rang through the line again.

  “Rachael?” He walked to the bathroom, switching on the vent, praying not to wake his partner up.

  “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes, I can hear you. I’m sorry, Rach. I’m still half asleep. Is everything okay?”

  She was silent on the other line, but he could hear sharp breaths. She’s crying. “Rachael? What’s the matter?” She’d had a rough few months, since her father’s death, but Rachael wasn’t dramatic, if she was calling him in the middle of the night he knew it couldn’t be good. “Rachael? Please talk to me. Did something happen?”

  More sobs. “Caide, I’m—I’m so sorry. I’m pregnant.”

  He heard the words, but he didn’t comprehend them. He sank to the floor, his back pressing against the door. He was silent, running it through his head.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “Yes. I heard you. How could this have happened? Are you sure?”

  “I’m late. I’m really late.”

  “That doesn’t always mean anything, right?”

  “I took a test too, this morning. It was positive.”

  “Okay. Okay, so you’re sure then, I guess.”

  She began crying again. “Caide, what did we do? Oh God. How can this be possible? We were so careful.” Her cries turned into loud, obnoxious sobs. “This can’t be happening.”

  He sat there, his head resting against the door, thoughts racing, stomach churning. He knew what had to be done, and he hated himself for it.

  “Marry me,” he said finally. It wasn’t a question, merely a statement. It was what would be done.

  She sniffed a few times on the other line before her response was heard, a quiet, “Okay.”

  “Okay. Meet me for breakfast at eight thirty at Renaldo’s. We’ll figure it all out.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  “Caide?” she asked, so quietly he wasn’t sure he’d heard it at first.

  “Yeah?”

  “Um, thanks,” she said.

  It was an awkward end to a terrible conversation, but he couldn’t help but smile. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you.” He hung up the phone, it’s battery already starting to die. He lay down on the bathroom floor, pressing his cheek onto the cool tile. He stayed there for what could have been minutes but seemed like hours, trying to make sense of the world he’d once known. No tears came, just a lump in his throat the size of Alaska. Finally, he sat up. His mind was made up. He turned off the vent, crawling out of the bathroom and collecting his clothes quietly.

  Throwing his shirt over his head he made his way toward the door. Before opening it, he cast one last look at the woman lying on the bed. She slept peacefully, unaware of the tragedies going on in the world around her. There was something captivating about this stranger, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  An idea struck him, he walked back over to the bed, standing over her. He touched a strand of her hair lightly, moving it out of her eyes and sighed. “I love you,” he whispered over her, then turned and walked back to the door. It was funny, in a way—he could say those three words to a complete stranger and it meant the exact same to him as it would saying it to the woman he’d just promised to say it to forever.

  Chapter Two

  Rachael

  October 22, 2003

  Rachael was awoken by the sound of laughter just beyond her bedroom door. She yawned, stretching out on her bed, and rubbing her eyes sleepily.

  “One, two,” she heard.

  She shut her eyes just in time for the door to spring open.

  “Three.”

  She opened her eyes from a fake sleep to see her children grinning at her with their toothy grins. Brinley’s blonde curls bounced playfully as she hopped up onto the bed. Rachael reached across, pulling Davis up.

  “Good morning, you two.”

  “Happy Aminaversary!” Davis shouted. She couldn’t help but smile at how well his speech was developing. Before she could respond, she smelled breakfast headed her way.

  “What do I smell?
” she asked, teasing her children.

  “We cooked you breakfast, Mommy.” Brinley smiled, turning to face the door. It creaked open slightly, allowing room for Caide to squeeze in.

  “Good morning, sweetheart. Happy Anniversary.” He set the tray down on her lap and kissed her forehead.

  “Happy Anniversary to you too.” She smiled up at him, kissing him firmly on the lips.

  She took a sip of her orange juice and a bite of a biscuit before frowning at her children. “Well, you don’t expect me to eat all of this, do you? Dig in.”

  Davis clapped his hands happily as both children hungrily devoured the remainder of what was on the tray. Caide sat down on his side of the bed, wrapping his arm around her.

  “There’s plenty more in the kitchen,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Thank you, you didn’t have to.” She snuggled her head onto her husband’s chest.

  “So what are we going to do today?” Brinley asked, a smear of purple jam on her cheek.

  “Well, for starters, you are going to take a bath.” Rachael rubbed the jam off of her daughter’s face and licked her finger. “Before we have to eat you for breakfast, and then I was thinking we could go to the park.”

  “Yeah!” Her children agreed happily.

  “Go get ready for your baths then.” She patted their bottoms lovingly and they hopped off the bed, racing toward the door.

  She laughed watching them, before turning toward Caide and kissing him playfully. “And as for you, I figure we’ll wear them out with the park and then when they have nap time, we can play.”

  He kissed her softly. “Actually it may have to wait until tonight.”

  “What? It’s Saturday.”

  “Rach, you know we’ve all been having to work more than usual. We’ve been swamped lately.”

  “You mean, you didn’t already tell them you wouldn’t be in today? Caide, it’s our anniversary. I already got one of the girls to cover my class today, and told Corie we don’t need her to watch Davis.”