chapter 9
Chapter 9: Who Is She
Kat woke up tired, looking at the clock she noticed she barely got any sleep. This past week she barely slept because of stress or fear. Her head was aching with pain, everyday getting worse from the lack of sleep. She heard the whole team in her living room, waiting for her to come down, whispering something that she didn't quite catch.
She got up and walked downstairs. When she did, it turned silent. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and turned to watch her walk down. She knew something had happened. She felt it in her gut, something was wrong.
“Kat, please, come sit down.” Anthony asked as he walked over to her and guided them over to the couch. Anthony sat but she didn’t.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice thick with fear. She prayed it wasn’t Hiedi.
“A girl was found dead this morning at the pond where the caller said the bodies were. They searched the area more and found three more bodies...well what was left.”
She backed away slowly, bumping into someone, automatically knowing it was James as he wrapped his arms around her and held her.
“Who is the girl?” She was torn between wanting to know and not wanting to. If it was the answer she was expecting she didn’t know what she would do.
“We, well we don’t know. The body was beaten so badly, it...it's hard to identify it right away. It’s being looked at. We should know in a few hours.” Anthony replied softly, never looking at her when he spoke. He stood up. “I am gonna go to see if I can make the process go any faster. I’ll call you as soon as they identify her.” He dropped his head and walked out.
The room was filled with tension. Felicity left the room.
She turned to James, now seeing that his eyes were filled with tears just waiting to be released. She could tell he thinks it’s her body just as much as she does.
“It’s Hiedi, isn’t it? It’s her.” She whispered, tugging on his shirt, causing him to wrap his arms around her tighter, exactly what she wanted him to do. She needed some type of security. Some form of safety. The simplest gestures can be the most profound. Just a touch from him had her nerves relax, but not much.
“We don’t know that. I...They are looking into it. Hiedi is fine. Alright?” He kissed her forehead, blinking rapidly as he tried to force his own tears away.
It was a rhetorical question. She knew that he didn’t expect an answer.
The cell phone rang.
He ripped away from Kat and headed straight for the phone.
“James, no!” She yelled, running after him and grabbing the phone from his hands. “You can’t answer it. You’re too mad.”
“Damn right I am! I want to know what that bastard knows!”
“Then let me ask him.” She said calmly as she answered to call.
“Did you hear?” The voice asked her.
“Who is it? Who’s the girl?” She said it too panicky and regretted having it come out they way it did.
“You did a good job on finding the girls. Of coarse, I did help a little. What can I say...I hate waiting.” A chuckle sounded through the phone.
“Who is she?” She asked again, more demanding.
“It isn’t Hiedi if that’s what you are thinking, and I’m suspecting you are. It was good for you to think that, shows how much love you have for her.”
Relieve poured throughout her body at the news. She took James hand, who was standing right next to her, and squeezed it hard. She looked at him and gave him a slight smile, telling him it wasn’t Hiedi.
The voice spoke again. “I think you will be surprised on who it is. Think hard Miss Walker. Who contributed to the hurt in your life? Who had taken something that was yours away from you?”
Her mind was racing, trying to think of all the possible people that matched the clues he gave her. The only person she could remotely think about was Amy and how she had taken James away from her. But she had him back, why would they even bother with her now. Besides, she was in Florida. But she didn’t quite rule her out just yet.
“Well, Miss Walker? Do you think you know?”
She didn’t answer, instead she sighed heavily as she said calmly and evenly “I’m hanging up now.”
“Fine. I’ll accept that. You have a hard time talking now. Shock will do that to a person. Talk to you soon.”
She lowered the phone from her ear, seeing everyone watching intensely for her to give the heads up on what was said. She looked around and saw someone was missing.
James took the phone from her hands and hung up as he placed it on the counter. Felicity appeared from the kitchen with red eyes. “Did he tell you, who it was? Who the girl was?” she sniffled.
“It isn’t Hiedi but other than that, they didn’t say.”
Felicity pattedKat on the back. The two of them connected in a way no one can explain. Kat vaguely remembers her saying both her parents died in a car crash but never asked the full details. She could relate to her. Losing a family member is like losing apart of you. In a way, she was Kat’s hero. Felicity was still so strong after everything she had been through.
She watched as she walked over to where she sat next to Henry before continuing. “In the meantime, we can trace the number. We have it narrowed to about half a million now.” Felicity joked.
Both James and Kat sat down, offering help to Henry, and Felicity. She noticed how they spoke to each other. There was something there. Something between them. Henry kept making stupid jokes that she could tell was mostly meant for Felicity, smiling when she laughed. She smiled at the thought of someone getting something good out of this. They would be good together, she seeing that they noticed that as well.
* * * * *
It was late in the night when her cell phone rang again. Felicity had fallen asleep on the couch, leaning on Henry as he took his time packing up his belongings and Duff stood outside, scanning the area. She wasn’t expecting a call from the kidnapper this early. He said soon but didn’t think it would be this soon.
“Hello?”
“Buffy, it’s Anthony.”
She was relieved to hear a different voice on the other end then the same one she heard for the past week.
“Who is it?” Henry asked her quietly, making sure not to make a lot of noise and wake Felicity.
“Anthony.” She whispered back then directed her attention back to the phone.
“We found out who the girl was that we found at the pond.”
Her mind automatically went back to Amy. How would she tell James? She didn’t really know how he would take it, he was with her for a long while before they spilt. She knew he still cared for her.
“Who is she?”
“Do you know a girl named Faith?”
Everything came together for Kat.
”Who contributed to the hurt in you’re life. Who had taken something that was yours away from you.”
"...So how are you and Riley, You two still together?”
“Riley also found someone else.”
“Hmm, well maybe ours ran off together.”
“No. I knew the girl. You knew her too, Faith..."
The conversations and memories flashed through her head. This person is serious as hell, reality hitting her like a ton of bricks. They don’t care who they kill or hurt, as long as the game is played.
And she was definitely going to play. The more he tried to hurt her, the more determined she got. They weren’t going to hurt Hiedi now. It was too far in the game for that but not quite the end either. She was smack dab in the middle. She knew, more was definitely about to come...
Kat woke up tired, looking at the clock she noticed she barely got any sleep. This past week she barely slept because of stress or fear. Her head was aching with pain, everyday getting worse from the lack of sleep. She heard the whole team in her living room, waiting for her to come down, whispering something that she didn't quite catch.
She got up and walked downstairs. When she did, it turned silent. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and turned to watch her walk down. She knew something had happened. She felt it in her gut, something was wrong.
“Kat, please, come sit down.” Anthony asked as he walked over to her and guided them over to the couch. Anthony sat but she didn’t.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice thick with fear. She prayed it wasn’t Hiedi.
“A girl was found dead this morning at the pond where the caller said the bodies were. They searched the area more and found three more bodies...well what was left.”
She backed away slowly, bumping into someone, automatically knowing it was James as he wrapped his arms around her and held her.
“Who is the girl?” She was torn between wanting to know and not wanting to. If it was the answer she was expecting she didn’t know what she would do.
“We, well we don’t know. The body was beaten so badly, it...it's hard to identify it right away. It’s being looked at. We should know in a few hours.” Anthony replied softly, never looking at her when he spoke. He stood up. “I am gonna go to see if I can make the process go any faster. I’ll call you as soon as they identify her.” He dropped his head and walked out.
The room was filled with tension. Felicity left the room.
She turned to James, now seeing that his eyes were filled with tears just waiting to be released. She could tell he thinks it’s her body just as much as she does.
“It’s Hiedi, isn’t it? It’s her.” She whispered, tugging on his shirt, causing him to wrap his arms around her tighter, exactly what she wanted him to do. She needed some type of security. Some form of safety. The simplest gestures can be the most profound. Just a touch from him had her nerves relax, but not much.
“We don’t know that. I...They are looking into it. Hiedi is fine. Alright?” He kissed her forehead, blinking rapidly as he tried to force his own tears away.
It was a rhetorical question. She knew that he didn’t expect an answer.
The cell phone rang.
He ripped away from Kat and headed straight for the phone.
“James, no!” She yelled, running after him and grabbing the phone from his hands. “You can’t answer it. You’re too mad.”
“Damn right I am! I want to know what that bastard knows!”
“Then let me ask him.” She said calmly as she answered to call.
“Did you hear?” The voice asked her.
“Who is it? Who’s the girl?” She said it too panicky and regretted having it come out they way it did.
“You did a good job on finding the girls. Of coarse, I did help a little. What can I say...I hate waiting.” A chuckle sounded through the phone.
“Who is she?” She asked again, more demanding.
“It isn’t Hiedi if that’s what you are thinking, and I’m suspecting you are. It was good for you to think that, shows how much love you have for her.”
Relieve poured throughout her body at the news. She took James hand, who was standing right next to her, and squeezed it hard. She looked at him and gave him a slight smile, telling him it wasn’t Hiedi.
The voice spoke again. “I think you will be surprised on who it is. Think hard Miss Walker. Who contributed to the hurt in your life? Who had taken something that was yours away from you?”
Her mind was racing, trying to think of all the possible people that matched the clues he gave her. The only person she could remotely think about was Amy and how she had taken James away from her. But she had him back, why would they even bother with her now. Besides, she was in Florida. But she didn’t quite rule her out just yet.
“Well, Miss Walker? Do you think you know?”
She didn’t answer, instead she sighed heavily as she said calmly and evenly “I’m hanging up now.”
“Fine. I’ll accept that. You have a hard time talking now. Shock will do that to a person. Talk to you soon.”
She lowered the phone from her ear, seeing everyone watching intensely for her to give the heads up on what was said. She looked around and saw someone was missing.
James took the phone from her hands and hung up as he placed it on the counter. Felicity appeared from the kitchen with red eyes. “Did he tell you, who it was? Who the girl was?” she sniffled.
“It isn’t Hiedi but other than that, they didn’t say.”
Felicity pattedKat on the back. The two of them connected in a way no one can explain. Kat vaguely remembers her saying both her parents died in a car crash but never asked the full details. She could relate to her. Losing a family member is like losing apart of you. In a way, she was Kat’s hero. Felicity was still so strong after everything she had been through.
She watched as she walked over to where she sat next to Henry before continuing. “In the meantime, we can trace the number. We have it narrowed to about half a million now.” Felicity joked.
Both James and Kat sat down, offering help to Henry, and Felicity. She noticed how they spoke to each other. There was something there. Something between them. Henry kept making stupid jokes that she could tell was mostly meant for Felicity, smiling when she laughed. She smiled at the thought of someone getting something good out of this. They would be good together, she seeing that they noticed that as well.
* * * * *
It was late in the night when her cell phone rang again. Felicity had fallen asleep on the couch, leaning on Henry as he took his time packing up his belongings and Duff stood outside, scanning the area. She wasn’t expecting a call from the kidnapper this early. He said soon but didn’t think it would be this soon.
“Hello?”
“Buffy, it’s Anthony.”
She was relieved to hear a different voice on the other end then the same one she heard for the past week.
“Who is it?” Henry asked her quietly, making sure not to make a lot of noise and wake Felicity.
“Anthony.” She whispered back then directed her attention back to the phone.
“We found out who the girl was that we found at the pond.”
Her mind automatically went back to Amy. How would she tell James? She didn’t really know how he would take it, he was with her for a long while before they spilt. She knew he still cared for her.
“Who is she?”
“Do you know a girl named Faith?”
Everything came together for Kat.
”Who contributed to the hurt in you’re life. Who had taken something that was yours away from you.”
"...So how are you and Riley, You two still together?”
“Riley also found someone else.”
“Hmm, well maybe ours ran off together.”
“No. I knew the girl. You knew her too, Faith..."
The conversations and memories flashed through her head. This person is serious as hell, reality hitting her like a ton of bricks. They don’t care who they kill or hurt, as long as the game is played.
And she was definitely going to play. The more he tried to hurt her, the more determined she got. They weren’t going to hurt Hiedi now. It was too far in the game for that but not quite the end either. She was smack dab in the middle. She knew, more was definitely about to come...