Rescuing Ryder (Serenity Securities, Team Hawk #1)

Chapter 46

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Dr. Klein pulled the needle from her arm and whatever he injected flowed through her body. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Claire’s eyes moved about the room, recognizing it as her old bedroom from the apartment she rented when her mom turned ill.

He brushed back her hair and smiled down at her. “Don’t cry, Claire. It’s my fault. You moved my timeline up. I wanted to see if you might confide in me as you used to. When you weren’t forthcoming with the file and the jealous man showed up at your doorstep, I knew you discovered my secret,” he droned.

Dr. Klein picked her up and walked across the hallway to the study. Laying her on a leather sofa, he returned to change the bedding. Claire lost control of her body and knew she peed the bed. Her clothes stuck to her skin, and she wondered if they’d find her with rotted flesh or a missing head like Kilner’s wife. Claire’s imagination grew worse as she pieced together the connection between Kilner and Dr. Klein.

Dr. Klein returned. He towered over her with a knife and she tried to whimper, but it stayed shut up inside the shell of herself. He knelt, cutting away her pants and underthings. Propping Claire up against the pillows, he unbuttoned her top, removing it and the bra before throwing an overly large, stale smelling dress over her head.

“My mother’s clothes will have to do.” Dr. Klein put her soiled ones in a plastic bag and left the room. Sitting in this position, her eyes scanned her old office. Jars of what appeared to contain body parts sat on a shelf across the room. Slobber dripped from her mouth as she desperately searched the area before he returned. Claire’s gaze floated down to the table beside the sofa. A tin stationary box sat on top decorated like the envelope she opened. The card warned her she needed to sleep forever. Pictures hung beside her, and images of men in hunting clothes and guns decorated the wall. She scanned the photographs, recognizing David Kilner and Dr. Klein standing beside each other with guns.

Her mind cried out as she envisioned Ryder. Missing the safety of his arms around her, she regretted not telling him how she felt. Now, he’d never know what happened to her. Nobody knew she went missing. It’d be too late by the time they finally put the facts together. Wait. Matthew planned to meet the electrician while she went to the hospital with Dr. Klein. Hope flared, then dimmed when she realized she never mentioned touring with anyone. Matthew would think she spent more time with the patients when she didn’t return. Claire prayed the team didn’t take her death as their fault. She felt grateful over the last couple of months; they included her in their big family of friends.

Dr. Klein picked her up like a rag doll and moved her back to the bed. He covered the wet area with old towels and gently fluffed the pillows around her head. “It won’t be much longer, Claire,” he soothed.

Dr. Klein sat beside her on the bed. “I know you’re frightened. I didn’t want you to suffer or spend your last moments screaming. You personified the perfect intern. If you agreed to stay at the practice, I hoped to turn you into my little protégé. You’re brilliant. I noticed your promise early on. I hope it brings you comfort in knowing I thought you were one of the best. Then you decided to leave. I wish I didn’t have to paralyze you, but I can’t take the chance of you escaping. I know even now you’re putting two and two together. You deserve better. I’m sure you have questions.”

He brought out a brush from the bedside table and brushed her hair as he spoke, as if they spent the evening chatting over a cup of tea. The tea. He drugged her tea.

“Ahhh, yes. I see your mind still works behind those blank eyes. You deserve to know why you must die.”

A tear ran down the side of her face.

“Shhh. Don’t worry. I won’t make you suffer. I’ll give you a sedative to help you sleep and then I’ll euthanize you gently. You’ll represent my greatest contribution to science. I’ll study your brain and discover what makes you different from all those stupid office interns.”

Silent screams filled her head as she yelled she didn’t want to die. Claire thought of her friends and how much she loved them. The kids and veterans on the mountain were her biggest joy and she wanted to watch them heal and carry on with healthy lives. Ryder. How she desperately wished to return to the night she screamed at him, wanting to erase all the harsh words spoken between them.

“Claire, did you even hear me?” He slapped her, enraged she didn’t focus on him. She didn’t want her last memories to consist of him. She wanted to relive every moment with Ryder.

“Kilner escaped months ago. Mayor Thorton didn’t want word to leak about his escape. He founded the mental care facility for his platform. Mental health and guns caused his son’s death.” He chuckled. “Both of us know how his son acted like him, evil from the start. The mayor paid everyone to keep it quiet. With elections looming, you can’t have a crazed killer on the loose.” Dr. Klein shook his head. “The captain contacted me, to warn me of Kilner’s escape. He didn’t know I already knew. When you subletted your apartment, I found it amusing to keep Kilner here. After all, you helped keep him locked away. Kilner’s mind needed very little suggestion to turn his rage on you. I ordered him to make your death swift, but he wanted to make you suffer like he did while he waited for the parole board decision.”

Dr. Klein pulled out a photo of him and a woman smiling. Something appeared familiar about her, but Claire struggled to connect the dots.

“Linda came in for therapy after David Kilner beat her. We met secretly for months. I tried to convince her to leave him. The stupid woman, she refused. One day, Linda burst into my office, threatening to report me to the board for gross misconduct.” His face screwed up tightly and he hit Claire’s legs with the wooden brush. “Pay attention to me, Claire. I want you to know why I’m forced to kill you. It’s important for you to know it’s not my fault.”

Thankfully, Claire didn’t feel his frenzied hits. Her mind wanted to drift away and think only of Ryder. Claire wondered if he felt this helpless when he watched his friends die. She sobbed inside her head for how scared and isolated he must’ve felt.

Dr. Klein continued, “She wanted money. I paid her, hoping Linda might come to her senses. When I accepted she didn’t want me, I knew I couldn’t risk her reporting me. David Kilner loved to hunt. I joined his club and befriended him. His mind appeared weak, and I easily manipulated him into realizing his wife cheated.” Dr. Klein brushed her hair harder, pulling it along with her head as if he still felt the irritation of Linda’s betrayal. “Unfortunately, he practiced on the dog first and the nosy mother witnessed it. She screamed the loudest. For an older woman, she fought him tooth and nail. I watched as he tied her up and sliced her neck. Linda returned home and as much as I hated to lose her, she deserved to die. I loved her.”

Claire screamed and raged at her body, willing for something to move. It proved fruitless as she lay there unable to fight for her life, one she desperately wanted. She wished to cover her ears and not listen to him discuss the two women without any remorse.

“In the end, David chickened out, forcing me to step in and finish her. I didn’t want Linda to suffer.” Dr. Klein appeared sad as he rambled on. Claire knew he didn’t feel remorse, he only regretted his loss. “Kilner became a liability. I cut the bodies up, coached him on what to say and convinced him to request a temporary insanity plea. Then, I’d treat him with no one the wiser. When he arrived at my house after his escape, my mother overheard him and threatened to go to the police.”

Dr. Klein rose and walked across the room. “My mother now lives as you currently do. I only meant it as a temporary solution. I must’ve miscalculated her dosage. It doesn’t matter. She suffers from dementia and no one listens to her. She’ll live out her years safely ensconced in a facility.”

Claire cried. How long did he hold her hostage? It felt like weeks. Dr. Klein leaned over her. He felt her racing pulse.

“You’re far too young to suffer like my mother. I know you, Claire. You’d want to die swiftly and with little fuss.” He inserted an IV into her arm and stuck a syringe into the bag.

She refused to watch her death. Her mind retreated. She dreamed of Serenity Mountain. The perfect day of the festival, the laughter of the kids. Kassie holding Tori, proof of dreams coming true. An image of Ryder asking her about her lingerie as he whispered in her ear, causing her body to tremble from his breath alone.

I love you, Ryder. Live a life worthy of you.

Claire waited for death to come.