September Woods

By Linda Florke

An extremely dangerous prisoner stumbles across a secret that could leave him financially set for life. He escapes from a maximum security prison and flees across state lines leaving a trail of destruction in his path. He seeks obscurity in the Northern wooded area of Wisconsin, and while shrouded in the deep forested area stumbles across 15-year-old Stella Compton, whom he abducts and holds prisoner. Stella finds herself in the midst of an incomprehensible nightmare, and one she fears there is no escape from. She vows if she survives her nightmarish ordeal and is reunited with her loved ones, she will commit her life to righting the wrongs the only way she knows how. Surprisingly, her journey leads her to the one man who restores faith in her future, and who will ultimately become the center of her world. This is a story that speaks volumes about the importance of our human relationships and the animals we bond with, and how one girl achieves triumph over tragedy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466961890

Linda Florke

Kirkus Indie: “Two distinct genres delineate this book. A robust thriller and a heartfelt romance, with a smooth transition between the two.” Clarion Foreword Review Four Stars (out of Five) Debut author Linda Florke tells a compelling and suspenseful tale, one complete with plenty of twists and turns. Florke’s writing style is uncluttered, and she has a strong talent for building suspense and narrative tension. Readers will find themselves on the edge of their seats during many of the scenes. An unexpected twist at the end of the book is dramatic and satisfying. Florke shines most brightly in the aspects of the novel that clearly set the book in the thriller category. September Woods is a worthy read, and Florke is definitely an author to watch. Jeannine Hanscom BlueInk: September Woods starts out as a thriller, but turns into a touching and satisfying coming-of-age story as the novel unwinds. Florke’s sure-handed writing and well-drawn main character make this novel appealing to fans of thrillers and character-driven stories alike.

Book preview

Prologue

S he sat up in bed like a bolt. Her breathing was ragged, and there were beads of sweat on her forehead. She looked around her and felt that familiar surge of adrenaline permeate her entire body. The memories began flashing through her mind like a camera, one by one, and they haunted her. Her mind screamed, Oh God, it wasn’t a nightmare . It happened . It really happened . She reminded herself that she was home and safe now. She fought the urge to pick up the phone and call the one person who could comfort her, but the clock read 3:07 a.m. Instead she lay back down and began to pray. This provided a little comfort at first, but a nagging feeling of dread crept back in, as if something ominous lay ahead for her. She tried to calm herself and rationalized in her mind, I’m fine. It’s over. She fought the urge to cry and hugged her pillow to her and thought, Will I ever be able to sleep through the night again?

She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to clear her mind and hoped she would be able to drift back to sleep, but it was no use—as if closing her eyes could block the horrible memories. She scanned the room that enveloped her in darkness and thought, If only I could turn back the clock when the only thing I had to worry about was whether to wear my hair up or down, or who I was going to sit with at the lunch table, or how many days it would be until I could ride Jack again. Oh God, why can’t it be like it used to be? Her eyes filled with tears, and they rolled down and out of the corners of her eyes onto her pillow.

Her thoughts drifted back to when she was a little girl. She was so sure there was a boogeyman hiding in her closet. It was almost a nightly ritual. She would pull the covers up to her chin and lie frozen in her bed, absolutely sure he would jump out of the closet any second and get her. She would wait as long as she could, and when she could stand it no longer, she would fling the covers off her and make a break straight into her parents’ bedroom where she would beg them to let her sleep between them. But her father would just smile, get out of bed, and carry her back to her room. Once inside her room, he would gently open the closet door and pull on the string that hung from the ceiling, and within seconds the light cast a glow on the only two things in her closet, her clothes and shoes. He would turn to look at her, smile, and say, See? There’s no such thing as the boogeyman. Then he would tuck her back in bed, kiss the tip of her nose, and close her bedroom door gently behind him.

But he was wrong. The boogeyman was real, and he got her!

Chapter 1

On Your Guard

R andall Daggett played his escape over and over in his mind every night while he lay in his cell at Ryder Penitentiary. Ryder was the only level five maximum security prison in the state of Minnesota and home to 440 inmates who were considered an extreme risk to the public. A majority of the prisoners had committed heinous murders and were serving life sentences.

The prison cells were seven by ten feet, and each one had a bed, table, toilet, and sink in it and a narrow rectangular window with reinforced glass and steel bars, so an escape from each cell was impossible. Daggett’s plan of escape involved killing both the guards who assisted prisoners in and out of the courtyard each day, but he knew he needed Murphy’s help with this one. Murphy was his bitch, who was serving a ten-year sentence for a bank robbery in St. Paul, where a security guard was shot and killed. Daggett kept Murphy safe from the other guys in the slammer, and he made it known that Murphy was his and his alone. He said he’d kill whoever banged his boy. In return, Murphy had to perform every sexual act Daggett wanted, when he wanted. Murphy thought it was better to have one guy rape you than ten, because it was common to be raped by ten guys all at once in this place, especially if you were new.

One day, one of the more dangerous prisoners, Jinx, a gargantuan former gang leader, cornered Murphy in the back shower stall. Jinx noticed that Murphy was alone in the end shower stall vigorously washing his face with his eyes squeezed shut in an effort to keep the soap out. Jinx approached quietly and waited.

Murphy held his head under the shower head rinsing the soap from his face, and as he wiped the excess water out of his eyes and opened them, he jumped back. There before him stood a naked Jinx grinning with a very menacing look on his face. The alarms went off in Murphy’s head, and he made a feeble attempt to dart past him, but Jinx’s massive arm caught him and flung him up against the wall. Within minutes, Jinx had Murphy pinned in the corner and bent over where he proceeded to rape him. Murphy screamed at him the entire time that Daggett would kill him, but Jinx merely laughed while he continued to inflict lewd and lascivious acts on him. Suddenly, Murphy felt Jinx dislodge and seconds later, saw Jinx’s entire body plummet to the shower floor with herculean force.

When Murphy stood upright and turned around, he saw Daggett standing over Jinx’s body, clutching a steam iron smeared with blood. Daggett leaned over the body to check if Jinx was still alive, and after discovering he was, positioned him in such a way that the shower head was aimed directly at his genitals. Then Daggett turned the handle all the way to the H and watched as scalding hot water jetted directly onto his lower torso. Daggett and Murphy walked away laughing, and they took care to step over the stream of blood that trickled from Jinx’s head toward the drain. When they reached the door, they both looked back in the direction of the shower. All that could be seen was a mass of steam billowing upward from the scalding water’s temperature.

Moments later, when Jinx finally came to, he let out a bloodcurdling scream and shuffled quickly away from the water’s spray. He moaned from the blinding pain in his head and the scarlet-colored skin from the waist down. Then, a few seconds later, he doubled over and vomited. He was found that way about ten minutes later by two guards who merely assumed he had fallen in the shower when they saw the bloody gash in his head and his burned skin. He was immediately taken to the infirmary and treated for second-degree burns and a severe concussion. Jinx never said a word to anyone about what happened, but the other prisoners all knew.

Daggett sent a message loud and clear, anybody who touched his boy Murphy would wind up like Jinx or worse. No one ever went near Murphy again.

Murphy was given the maximum sentence in prison for his involvement in the robbery, but his only real participation was driving the getaway car for his brother Quinn and Quinn’s best friend Wink. The three made their escape with the enormous amount of cash across the Minnesota state line into Wisconsin and then drove to an obscure area within the northern woods where they devised a plan to hide the money and stay out of sight until the heat was off.

Their plan was foiled four days later. After the robbery, they drove until dark until they came to a small town called Three Lakes. They knew they needed a safe refuge that would not draw suspicion, so they broke into an elderly couple’s home, tied the couple up, and held them at gunpoint. The next day, Wink and Quinn came up with a plan to bury the money at night, while leaving Murphy to keep vigil over the couple and the house. Wink and Quinn chose a spot they were sure no one would ever find, but one that they themselves could easily remember when it came time to retrieve it. After burying the money, they returned to the house where they cleaned up, ate dinner, and spent most of their time glued to the television to stay abreast of any late breaking news about the robbery. After a few days, when they were quite sure they were home free, a SWAT team and several FBI agents moved in on the house. They were startled when FBI agents yelled through a megaphone and warned them they were surrounded and were to give themselves up.

Wink and Quinn panicked. They grabbed their guns and headed for the back door where they attempted to make a run for it, but the SWAT team opened fire with multiple rounds of gunfire killing them both instantly. An extremely petrified Murphy slowly exited the house seconds later with his hands held high in the air in a display of surrender. He was immediately taken into custody, and after several days of futile interrogation, it was concluded that Murphy had no idea where Quinn and Wink had hidden the money.

Agents and police searched the area for over two years, but the $974,000 in cash was never found. When Murphy told Daggett the story, Daggett whistled and said, You ain’t no idear at all where they’s might a stashed that much cash?

Murphy looked at him and said, Nope. All I know is that it was buried somewhere near Three Lakes. I read they searched for years but never found it.

Daggett knew Murphy could be as dumb as a post and might not even realize he had the answer where it was buried, so he continued to question him. He asked, Wha’d exactly did ya tell the FBI?

Murphy said, I told ’em what Quinn and Wink told me. That it was buried under some tree on some lake. Man, they was pissed because there’s 28 lakes in that area and a million fuckin’ trees!

Daggett chuckled with Murphy, but pressed on and asked, Wunt yer brother and that Wink a toldja somethin’ more than that?

Murphy frowned and said, Nope. That was all. When they got back to the house, they just said they buried it under the first tree on the right by the lake shore, and you don’t need no goddamn boat to find it. Then they just laughed their asses off. It must’ve been some inside joke between ’em.

Daggett thought to himself, What they said’s gotta mean something. Murphy jist don’t get it that they was tellin’ him. That money is out there somewhere. I’s jist half ta figure it out.

Daggett studied the maps of the chain lakes near Three Lakes and the nearby town of Eagle River that entire week in the prison library. The guards watched as he typed, clicked, read, and researched every day. One of the guards chuckled and yelled from afar, Hey, Daggett? You workin’ on your PhD? Then the guards looked at each other and doubled over with laughter until Daggett backed his chair away from the computer table, stood up, and said, Yeah, which one you fucker’s wants ta lean over my shoulder an take a look-see? Their smiles fell instantly from their faces. They quickly turned back to their assigned posts, and left him alone.

It was five days later when Randall Daggett figured out what Murphy never could.

Daggett relayed his escape plan to Murphy, but he knew he needed Murphy’s help. He never mentioned the money again. Daggett listened as Murphy went over his nightly ritual at the end of the day when his kitchen duty was over. Together, they came up with the perfect idea that would ensure his escape. The next morning, when Murphy was finished with his kitchen duty, the guards proceeded with their usual routine. He removed his apron and hairnet, and they had him stand legs apart, arms in the air, and gave him his usual pat down. They began to escort him out of the kitchen and back to his cell, but after taking only a few steps, he stopped cold and said, Ah shit! I’m makin’ my famous cinnamon rolls for you all in the morning, and I forgot to put the frozen bread dough on the counter to unthaw overnight.

The guards exchanged a look, and then the senior guard perfunctorily nodded his head, signaling it was okay for Murphy to go back to the freezer. The guards all liked Murphy. He was a good cook and never caused any trouble. Murphy walked briskly toward the freezer, and as the heavy door shut behind him, he quickly retrieved the meat cleaver he had buried in a bucket of flour earlier and fished out some twine he had hidden under a box of frozen meat. He dropped his pants and tied the twine around the meat cleaver tightly to the inside of his thigh, then pulled up his baggy orange pants cinching the drawstring. A few minutes later, he walked out of the freezer carrying the frozen dough and several butter packages in his arms. Then he deliberately set them all on the counter near the two guards and smiled, saying, I dropped the goddamn things in there cuz they’re so fuckin’ cold! Least I remembered the dough or you guys would’na had shit to eat in the mornin’. One guard gave a hint of a smile, and the other simply moved Murphy along through the kitchen doors and back to his cell, both failing to pat him down again. On the way to his cell, Murphy passed Daggett’s cell and turned and winked. Daggett caught the signal and broke out in a grin as they walked past his cell. He thought to himself, Holy shit! It worked! He done it! He got me somethin’ to break outta here with.

A few hours later, when it was lights out and dark on the floor, Murphy untied the cleaver from the inside of his thigh and slipped it between the pages of one of his girly magazines. Then, he burrowed a hole deep into his pillow where he buried the twine. The next morning, Murphy awoke to the clanging on the bars of his cell signaling to him it was 5:00 a.m. and time to prepare the guards’ breakfast. The two guards waited for him to splash some cold water on his face and wake up. He grabbed the folded magazine, taking care to clasp it tightly with the cleaver inside, and stuck it up under his armpit. As the guard unlocked his cell door, Murphy walked through and told the guards he needed to give Daggett back his magazine or he’d get an ass kickin.

One guard glanced down to see the half-folded magazine with a nude woman on the front under his arm, smirked, and nodded for him to go ahead. Murphy walked down to Daggett’s cell and carefully slid the magazine under the door. Daggett, who would normally still be sleeping at this hour, was wide awake and heard the clanging on the bars and the verbal exchange. A huge grin spread across his face as he heard Murphy slide the magazine under his cell door. It was game time! He waited until they were out of sight and then stealthily moved to the edge of his cell to snatch the magazine. He quickly stuck it under his pillow and waited for the designated courtyard time to come.

Daggett thought back to when he tried to convince Murphy to break out with him, but Murphy refused to chance it. He was up for early parole, and he wasn’t going to screw that up for anything. He made Daggett swear that whatever he gave him to help him escape with would not be left lying around. He didn’t want anything to be traced back to him, and Daggett swore they’d never find a thing. Later that afternoon, Daggett put his plan into action.

He told one of the guards he wanted to work out in the fitness room rather than play in the pickup game on the basketball court. The guard glanced down and saw the magazine Daggett held under his arm, and as he went to reach for it, Daggett pulled it away and said, Get yer own fuckin’ read. This’n here’s fer me, and I’s plan to have me a good time with it. Then, he grinned and mimicked as if he was masturbating, and the two guards gave him a pitiful look, laughed, and let him keep his magazine.

The only possible way in and out of the courtyard was through a solid, heavy metal door which was operated by an electronic handheld device only the guards possessed. The prison compound itself was comprised of nine foot concrete walls topped with razor wire, and armed guards patrolled the tops of walls that ran along the courtyard with semi-automatic rifles as prisoners were let in and out the courtyard. The guards left Daggett alone in the locked workout room. Once inside, he carefully surveyed his surroundings and executed the plan that he had played out in his mind a hundred times over. He could be seen adjusting the weights on one of the leg machines with the magazine lying nearby on the floor. He looked over his shoulder through the glass and saw the guards’ backs to him. Then, he carefully slid the cleaver out of the magazine and stuck it under the mat beneath the exercise machine. He used a few of the machines, working up a sweat, and then knocked on the glass window. The guard who previously tried to take the magazine, had a puzzled look on his face as he turned to look at Daggett. Then, Daggett pressed the nude centerfold up against the glass. The guard couldn’t help but chuckle, and as he did, Daggett threw his head back and howled. The guard periodically peered in the window, watching as Daggett worked up a sweat on the various machines. Then, he heard another knock on the glass, and when he turned this time, Daggett motioned for him to enter the room. The guard couldn’t hear exactly, but he thought Daggett mouthed something about a broken machine.

Ryder Penitentiary’s number one rule was to always guard in pairs and never approach prisoners alone. So the first guard, Pixel, whistled to the other guard, Monroe, and motioned him over. Monroe reluctantly strode over to where Pixel stood, and after a short exchange, they yelled up to the wall guards to keep watch over the courtyard below them. Then, they buzzed the door and entered the fitness room with their rifles aimed upward. The second guard, Monroe, was irritated at being called away from fervidly watching the pick-up game outside that was getting a little heated. He glared and yelled, What the hell’s wrong, Daggett? Daggett appeared to be angry at the machine he was crouched over and vehemently said, This goddamn machine’s stuck, and I cain’t git the fucker ta work. He looked to be struggling with realigning the chain, and the guards could see his hands were covered with black grease as he worked to put the chain back in place. He was edgy with anticipation while waiting for the exact moment to pounce. The guards moved closer, and then Pixel made the fatal mistake of bending down over Daggett’s shoulder to get a better look. Within seconds, Daggett lifted up the mat and plunged the razor-sharp meat cleaver into the side of the Pixel’s head. The force made him stagger back, and his eyes bulged. He made a horrible hissing sound before he collapsed to the floor. Monroe stood frozen and watched in horror as a thick stream of blood ran down Pixel’s face and pooled around his head after he crashed to the floor. Knowing he was next, Monroe frantically raised his rifle to shoot but was too late. Daggett dove into his side and shoved his body against the wall, then turned him sideways, and delivered a deadly karate chop to his Adam’s apple, causing him to sputter and wheeze before he finally toppled to the floor.

Daggett worked frantically to remove Monroe’s uniform, and shed his own prison garb, taking care to wipe his greasy hands. He quickly donned the olive-green jacket, taking care to button all the gold buttons, and stepped into the pants. He kicked off his tennis shoes and laced up the black dress shoes, then stuffed his scraggly hair up under the guard’s cap. Lastly, he fastened the belt around his waist that had the door buzzer clipped to it and moved toward the door. He held up the buzzer and watched as the door before him opened out into the hallway. He stepped through cautiously taking care to walk with a steadfast gait down the hall until he reached a set of steel barred double doors. There was a large red button on his right just below a surveillance camera.

He pushed it and then took care to step back from the camera while keeping his head down so only the guard cap and jacket were visible. He held his breath and waited. Seconds seemed like hours as he shifted his legs to and fro, and then all at once he heard the doors unlock!

He watched as the double doors slowly receded into the walls, allowing him to move through them. He was in total disbelief but managed to remain cool, calm, and collected. He saw a bright light cascading from the ceiling ahead and knew he was headed toward the atrium where visitors waited before being led to the communications room. Murphy’s younger brother, who came to visit each month, said the atrium was just inside the doors that led out to the parking lot. Daggett walked with his head down and strolled past a large gray desk where a security guard checked visitors in and out. As Daggett glanced up out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guard sitting atop a stool talking on the phone. Daggett raised his hand in a wave and mumbled, G’night, and the guard could be heard saying night back to him. Within seconds, the double gray doors swung outward and open, allowing Randall Raymond Daggett to walk out into the unsuspecting world.

When it was well past the time for the courtyard prisoners to return to their cells, the wall guards looked around and wondered what was taking the ground guards so long inside. It was the ground guards’ responsibility to check off each prisoner’s name from the roster list until all were accounted for, and then dutifully stand-by as they walked back into the building in a single file line. During this time, the wall guards stood above with their rifles aimed and ready to fire should a scuffle break out. But today, the ground guards were nowhere to be seen.

Finally, one of the wall guards radioed command to ask where Pixel and Monroe were. He said, The last I saw of them, they were headed into the fitness room to check on something and left us to watch over the prisoners playing ball in the yard. Command radioed to Pixel and Monroe, but neither one answered, so the wall guards were put on alert, and a team was sent to the fitness room. Guards Johnson and Tuttle were chosen to go and see what the hold-up was. Johnson buzzed the door, and he and Tuttle cautiously entered the room, which appeared empty. They were surprised, but still a bit wary, and yelled out to Pixel and Monroe but heard nothing. They inched their way forward with their rifles cocked and aimed, and as they rounded the corner and approached the machines, Johnson nearly dropped to his knees. Tuttle swayed at the sight in front of him, and both guards instantly spun around, making sure there was no one behind them. Johnson yelled, Oh my god! Call command.

On the floor in front of them lay Pixel in a pool of blood with a meat cleaver lodged in his head and pink brain matter protruding out of his skull.

Monroe was down to his underwear and slumped over in a heap like a Raggedy Andy doll, and orange prisoner clothes lay scattered all around him. Johnson suspected Monroe was dead judging from the way his tongue hung out of his mouth and the grotesque lump that protruded at the base of his neck, but he checked for a pulse anyway. When he found none, he leaned forward and gently closed Monroe’s eyes.

Tuttle was shaking so hard he could barely remove the walkie-talkie from his belt. He finally managed to call command, and when they answered, he yelled, Code E! Code E!

Command replied back, Did you say code E?

Tuttle yelled, Affirmative! Some bastard’s slaughtered them.

Within seconds, an army of guards converged on the fitness room. The prison grounds were ordered secured, and the warden himself came to survey the gruesome slayings. Although sick to his stomach at the sight before him, he calmly asked for the roster sheet with the names of the prisoners who were in the courtyard that day.

All were accounted for but one, Randall Daggett. Each and every crevice within the prison walls was searched, but Daggett was nowhere to be found. For at that precise moment, he was heading east from Stillwater to the Minnesota state line and toward the state of Wisconsin.

The warden contacted the FBI and local law enforcement, and an all points bulletin was issued on Randall Raymond Daggett. His escape was broadcast on the local TV stations twice that night in an effort to alert all residents. The broadcasts ended with an emphasis that if he were spotted, the authorities were to be called immediately as Randall Daggett was considered extremely dangerous.

Chapter 2

Nice Guys Finish Last

A fter his escape, Daggett fled the prison grounds quickly and hid in a clump of bushes where he watched Daniel Pratt loading his tools into the back of his van. Before he left for the day, Dan’s boss, Pete, asked him if he would pick up some supplies on his way to the job site in the morning (at the local lumber store.) Dan agreed to, so Pete told him what was needed and handed Dan five one hundred dollar bills which Dan folded neatly and slid under his driver’s license in his billfold. They said their goodbyes, and Dan watched as one by one the other guys waved and drove off. He knew he would be the last guy to leave the job site that day since it was primarily his tools that were used for the day’s work, and it was left to him to gather them all and put them away. Dan began arranging a quilted moving pad in the van so that in the morning, he could just slide the pre-stained boards inside that he’d been asked to pick up.

His thoughts drifted to his two little boys, Sam and Connor, while he busied himself. He remembered back to the day he and his wife Joanne formed the tradition of letting the boys choose their favorite fast food restaurant to celebrate the end of the first week of school. He found himself smiling as he envisioned them right at that moment eating their double cheeseburgers, fries, and their favorite—the chocolate milk shakes. He felt bad he couldn’t be there to join them. He remembered how excited they were that morning as they discussed what they were going to order and what toy they hoped to get with their meal. Dan struggled all day with the thought that maybe if he hurried, he could meet them there, but finally concluded that even if he finished work at a decent time, he still had to stop by his dad’s house to discuss a few side jobs his dad had found for him and race home to shower, and it would just be too late. He knew the boys had to stay on schedule now that school had started, so he insisted they go on without him. He apologized to Joanne that morning as she made the bed, and although she said she understood, he could see the obvious disappointment written all over her face.

Dan really appreciated Joanne’s supportive, patient ways. She was the love of his life and turned out to be not only the best wife but a fabulous mother as well. He grinned the whole time as he relayed to her that if he were planning on going with them, he would order that mushroom and Swiss burger, those curly fries with that tasty jalapeno cheese, and a root beer. They exchanged a chuckle as she got his message loud and clear what he wanted her to order him. He took a twenty dollar bill from his billfold and set it on the table for her. Then he reached for his cell phone and stuck them both down in the pockets of his coat. He smiled at her and said, I love you Jo. She smiled back and said, Ditto, Dan! Then he leaned in and gave her a kiss good-bye which left her smiling while she finished up in the kitchen. Her last thought as she parted the kitchen curtains and watched him pull away was, I have to be