The Missing

By Terry Keys

"I could feel his evil in my bones." After his wife was murdered CID operative Tanner Storm moved to Houston to start his life over. His plan to PI petty crime cases and catch a few cheating husbands was quickly dashed when a sinister serial struck again. Within hours of his arrival Storm, was entangled in the maze of murderous violence that was every investigators worst nightmare. Nothing he has ever seen has prepared him for being face-to-face with this killer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terry Keys
• Release date: Mar 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386281061

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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I’d like to thank my daughter Jacey for this book. She is a teen-ager and like all teenager’s dad is a crazy old guy that doesn’t know much. (She may be right about some of that) However she has given me motivation to keep pursuing higher levels of my craft and to continue to be better each time out. I am encouraged that she is a reader and like my son who shares my name have read or are reading all of my books. They have even encouraged their peers to do so. Teenagers need more books and less cell phones. Finding a way to make reading more appealing to high school aged kids without forcing them to read is challenging but we cannot give up the good fight.

Visit Terry’s website here:

https://terrykeysbooks.com/books/

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Prologue

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The pretty dead woman lay motionless on my table. And I was right all along - she was so pretty. So pretty. Her hair was perfect and smelled so good. Her blue eyes were like ocean portals into her soul. She wanted me. She longed for me.

Was she as pretty as my mother? No. No. No! Don’t you say that! There was no woman as pretty as my mother. I stared at her as she sat across the room in her chair and rocked.

I’m sorry mommy, for thinking she was as pretty as you are. Forgive me?

Mommy didn’t answer. Mommy? I asked again.

I waited - still no response. There was never any response. Mommy hated me. She’d always hated me. Just like everyone else. I was always the fat, lazy, special kid that everyone made fun of. She probably wanted me dead. Dead just like this pretty woman that lay on my table.

One minute. Two minutes. I just stood there tapping my foot waiting still. She didn’t answer. I fought back tears.

Mommy, I said I was sorry! I said a little louder this time.

Still nothing.

Mommy! This time a lot louder.

Silence.

I’d come to expect it now. But Dr. Ross told me I still needed to do my part. Which was to say ‘I’m sorry’ when I made a mistake. Dr. Ross was very pretty too.

I played with the dead woman’s long blonde hair between my fingers. Her face was so cold. Her lips were soft and much prettier after I put the red lipstick on them. I caressed them with my fingers.

Mommy, I’m going to kiss her now, you may not want to look. I’m giving you fair warning here.

Nothing.

Whatever.

I bent down and gently put my lips on hers and licked them with my tongue. My body tingled. I took a hard sniff of her neck. She smelled so clean and fresh.

I’d waited two months to get this one. Watching her every day, learning her every move. Until finally she was mine. All mine.

Mommy, do you think she’s pretty?

I didn’t want to bring home an ugly girlfriend. No man wanted to bring home an ugly girlfriend to his mother. And you call me the stupid one?

The sunlight started shining into the bedroom. Damn it. No. That meant it was nearing seven. School started at eight a.m., but they wanted me there at seven thirty each morning.

I wanted to quit this silly job so many times, but where else would I be able to see so many pretty teachers, moms, and girls all in one place? And Dr. Ross said I needed to work. That it would be good for me. Boy was she right! She didn’t know how right she was. Dr. Ross was pretty too. I wanted to bring her here and kiss her too. But then who would my new doctor be?

I hated cleaning those toilets, especially in the boy’s restrooms. Those stupid boys! So nasty and filthy. Don’t they know that someone has to clean it up? Don’t they know that I have to clean that up? Just pee in the damn toilet! I wanted to put a sign up but the principal probably wouldn’t let me.

On second thought, maybe I would hurt one of them. Teach them a lesson. Maybe they would stop making fun of me then.

No – don’t tell me that! I’m not going to hurt one of the boys. If I get away from what I’m good at I’ll get caught. No. Stick to the plan.

Mrs. Brandi was still staring at me. I could tell that she liked my kiss. I was good at it. But she was starting to look cold.

Are you cold beautiful?

I didn’t wait for her to answer me. The blanket that I was going to let her use was in the closet. I think she’d like the Tom and Jerry blanket.

I will be back for you later tonight. I have to get dressed and go to work or I’ll get fired. You understand, don’t you? Please don’t be mad at me.

I wanted to cut her shirt open or rip it open, just to see what she looked like. All of her. I’d earned that much. I knew she wanted me to see too.

As I placed the blanket on her, I skimmed my hand over her breasts. I laughed. I was careful to make it look like an accident so she wouldn’t notice. I don’t think she did. And I didn’t want my mother who was always watching to see me do it either.

I walked around the table putting my back between my mother and me. Before I could stop myself, I squeezed one of her breasts. It was so big. A lot bigger than I’d thought. Somehow I had to get Mommy out of this room – so we could be alone.

I kissed her one last time. It felt so good.

Okay, I really gotta go now or you’re going to make me late. We will have all night to get to know each other. You just lay here, I smiled.

Just lay here.

I smiled. See Mommy, I am funny. I can make jokes just like Joshy.

She ignored my comment. Didn’t matter - I was still funny. I didn’t need her damn permission to be funny.

I turned to leave my new beauty behind.

Mom I’m leaving, I gotta go to work. Are you coming?

She just kept rocking in her chair.

Fine. Stay as long as you want. You’re really starting to piss me off, ya know?

The buses lined up one by one dropping the kids off. I watched them file out – the girls were so pretty.

I was not good for them. I was bad for them. Really bad. I didn’t want to be bad.

How long had it been since I’d taken little Cameron?

One thousand three hundred and two days silly.

I smiled. I knew how long it’d been. I knew exactly how long it’d been. Too long. But it had to be that way.

See mommy I told you that I was smart.

No – I can’t take a little girl every day. They’d catch me. And I don’t want to be caught.

Easing the window down I took a sniff of the air. The smell of their sweet little perfumes and body sprays made my skin tingle.

Don’t you dare touch yourself here, Jimmy.

My hand moved towards myself but I stopped - barely.

I flipped the visor down and slicked my hair back one last time before climbing out.

Some of the kids were already snickering at me. I could hear them. They walked close behind me. No one knows that I can hear them. But I can.

No one is talking about you Jimmy. You’re a freaking lunatic.

No I’m not... I can hear them. You shut up.

My skin was on fire. I was close to them now. Close enough to reach out and touch one of them. They all wore the little short skirts. Skin tight too. If they knew I was picking one of them out would they wear stuff like that? Probably not but who cares right? They don’t know. They don’t know that I’m a monster.

I laughed. I can keep secrets better than anybody.

Every direction I looked every day. Dozens of them. All here for me. Some of the girls did smile at me.

Down the hall I heard a kid yell ‘stop it jerk’ really loudly. I looked up and it was Jason Crowder and his football punks. Pushing some kid into a locker. I put my head down and kept walking.

Maybe they won’t see me today. Maybe they won’t pick on me today.