The Red String of Fate Read online

  Kayne’s other boyfriend, William Clarke, was an accountant for a local firm in Newport. Thanks to Vee’s investigation, it was revealed that Nick had not in fact taken Kayne all the way to Cardonk where his parents lived, but rather to Kayne’s supposed “friend” in Newport. Basically, it meant that Kayne made his boyfriend drive him to his other boyfriend’s house without him knowing, which suggested to Landon that Kayne wasn’t all that serious about Nick. So if he wasn’t serious about Nick, what reason would he have to to hate Vee?

  Landon couldn’t help but think he was missing a piece, or neglecting another angle. He needed to take a step back and consider the crime itself. Vee was with a few members of her club at an abandoned house in the woods for pretended club reasons. They had a party, got drunk, and Vee was killed that night by Kayne. So what happened at the party? Landon didn’t know all of the details, but he knew that Vee had kissed Jon and posted it online, and that Jon harbored some feelings for Vee.

  So, what if Kayne had a relationship with Jon as well? What if the murder wasn’t premeditated at all, but something that happened after Vee’s little stunt, prompting Kayne to lash out? The idea wasn’t all that farfetched, based on what Landon knew about Jon.

  Jon was the kind of guy that didn’t take things too seriously. At least, the way he saw people suggested that he didn’t think of them so much as friends as much as things. To him, others existed as entertainment and fun, and less as actual people. Simply put, he was selfish. As such, he was proud of Vee for turning down his earlier suggestion, because honestly loving a person like Jon could prove to be difficult. Unless you weren’t honestly loving him.

  Kayne was a man with two boyfriends. Two known boyfriends, anyway. It wasn’t too out there to think he might have more, and that they might be in close proximity with each other. After all, he did get Nick to drive him to Newport. If only Kayne were nearby, he thought, I could actually get a read on his thoughts...

  Until he had the chance to see Kayne face-to-face, though, he’d have to rely on the strings of Vee and her clubmates. And truthfully, he probably wouldn’t have to wait long to see Kayne, either. Earlier that day, Nick had let Kayne know that Vee was still alive. Kayne would probably want to check for himself, and depending on his motive, there was a chance he’d strike again. However, Landon reviewed the conversation Vee had with Nick after she returned his phone; and based on what was said, it was likely that Nick told Kayne the police had come by asking for him. That meant Kayne knew he was a suspect, so he’d be lying low.

  Not that that mattered to Landon. As long as he had a string to follow, he could locate Kayne. As long as he was in Lamelle, he’d be able to track him down pretty quick. That would have to wait until tomorrow, though. It was getting late, and he was hungry. Not only that, but it was important that Vee get behind locked doors soon, lest Kayne make another move.

  Speaking of Vee, she had been gone for a while now. Looking at his phone, something around 20 minutes had passed—way too much for just grabbing a bag of clothes. Landon clicked his tongue for having lost track of time, and left his vehicle.

  He entered the building and hurried up the stairs, an uneasy impatience fueling his stride. He got to Vee’s door, which was thankfully closed and locked, but he still couldn’t shake the worry. He knocked. No response. He knocked again.

  “Vee?” He called through the wood.

  Again, no response. A pit formed in his stomach, and he pounded a little harder.

  “Vee!” he said.

  Landon almost considered breaking down the door when his phone buzzed, startling him. It continued buzzing. He was getting a call. He looked at the screen. It was from Sylvie. He hesitated, but picked up.

  “Sylvie? What’s up?”

  “Mr. Clawson...I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...” she said. Her voice was shaking, and it was obvious to Landon that she was talking through tears.

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” Landon knew there was panic in his tone, but he couldn’t hide his concern. Not only was there no response from Vee, but now he had to worry about Sylvie, too. Suddenly, the voice on the other end did not sound so distressed—nor did it sound like Sylvie.

  “Is this Landon Clawson?” he said.

  “Kayne,” Landon said. “Where is Vee?”

  Kayne didn’t answer his question. “If you care about your little secretary girl, go to the location I send you. If you contact the police, I’ll kill her. If you don’t arrive within 30 minutes, I’ll kill her. If you don’t come alone, I’ll kill her. Are we clear?”

  Landon grit his teeth. “Taking hostages now? What’s your game, Gilbert?”

  The call cut out, leaving Landon sweating in front of Vee’s door. He half expected to hear Vee call out at any moment, but he had no such luck. In the meantime, his phone buzzed with a message from Sylvie. The coordinates were outside the city and into the forest a ways. Landon gripped his phone. If there was no response from Vee, Landon had to assume the worst. However, there was no time to check. To get to the location he sent, he’d have to leave right away to make it within the time limit. It was likely a deliberate choice.

  As he rushed to his car, he quickly dialed Detective Bimmel’s number. It rang through.

  Damnit, Jim! Pick up your phone when I call you!

  He dialed again. No response. He tried a third time. This time, the call connected.

  “Landon, what in heaven’s name is so important you can’t just wait for me to call you back? I’m already working my ass off for you, you know.”

  “He has Sylvie,” Landon said.

  “He what? Back up, kid. Explain what happened.”

  “Kayne. Gilbert. He’s taken Sylvie and wants me to come alone to some place in the woods and says he’ll kill Sylvie if I don’t. He’s taken her hostage, Jim, how much clearer do I have to be?”

  “Damn,” Jim said, “so he’s after you now? Where’s the rendezvous?”

  Landon described the general location while forwarding the text over.

  “He should be heading there from my office. That’s where Sylvie would have been. He probably expected to find me, though...”

  “Don’t worry, kid, we’ll mobilize a force and get this guy once and for all. Damn, he sure moved fast, though.

  Landon was already on the road and headed toward the edge of the city. “He was in Newport, not Cardonk.”

  “Newport?” Jim said, “Shit, the guys at Cardonk aren’t gonna be happy when we tell ‘em we sent ‘em on a wild goose chase. Why was he in Newport?”

  “That’s where his boyfriend lives,” Landon said.

  “You mean the scrawny kid? News flash, but he lives like, 10 minutes away from your office.”

  “His other boyfriend,” Landon said. Then, his eyes grew wide with realization.

  “Oh, now you tell us. Think you could’ve mentioned something like that a bit earlier?”

  “Jim, I need you to find out where he is.”

  “Who? Kayne? We’re already doing that, dumbass.”

  “No, the other boyfriend! His name is William Clarke. Kayne doesn’t have a car, so he’d have to get a ride from somebody. That’s why his boyfriend takes him to Newport! If William isn’t chauffeuring this criminal around, then get info on the Taxi agencies. For that matter, look into Jon Yule. He might be involved, too. And while you’re at it, check my office as well. In the event that he didn’t outright steal a vehicle, there’s a chance he just left Sylvie tied up to avoid any hassle.”

  “Woah, woah, woah,” Jim said, “slow down! Lamelle isn’t exactly a metropolis, Landon. We don’t have those kinds of forces to spread thin if you want any level of security! Let us take things one step at a time. Our priority should be setting up a perimeter around the location you sent.”

  Landon grumbled under his breath. He knew that. He knew they could only spare so many officers to the cause, but he felt desperate. “Fine.”

  “Just leave things to us. I’ll see you there.”

  -
15 -

  Vee gasped as she regained consciousness, accompanied by a strangely familiar feeling of being unable to actually breathe. Vee swung around. She was in her room, and Kayne was there, too. He had a rather rudimentary-looking smartphone in his hand and appeared to be looking something up. Vee didn’t remember him having that model of phone. Then, a quick survey of the surroundings was enough for Vee to remember what happened. Her body was on the ground. Lifeless. She wasn’t standing, she was actually floating. Her skin was wispy and blue.

  Vee was dead, and Kayne had killed her.

  Only, this time, for whatever reason, she had regained awareness much sooner this time. Vee could feel the anger rising in her, and as it came to a pitch, she yelled out in anger.

  “Kayne!”

  The windows shuddered, and some items on her night stand fell over. Kayne looked up from his phone and looked nowhere in particular before returning his attention to the device.

  Vee was angry. Angry that he couldn’t see her. Angry that he had killed her, not only once, but twice now. Angry that she was powerless to do anything about it now.

  Kayne pocketed the phone and kneeled over Vee’s body. Vee hovered around as he rummaged through her pockets until he found her keys. When he headed for the front door, Vee realized he was going to leave.

  “Wait!” She called in vain as he opened the door. At the spur of the moment, Vee rushed toward him, putting her entire effort into following the killer.

  Kayne stepped out the door and noticeably shivered. He rubbed his arms for a moment, but proceeded to lock the door behind him and headed for the stairs. Vee followed close behind.

  Down one flight, a drunk college kid called out to Kayne from the hallway. “Hey, man! You able to get in your pad alright?”

  “Yeah,” Kayne said, holding up the keys, “thanks for letting me use your balcony!”

  “No prob, dude. I hope maintenance doesn’t charge ya too much.”

  Kayne smiled and continued down the stairs. So that’s how he got in, Vee thought. She had wondered how he managed to get to her third-floor apartment from the window. She suddenly regretted not getting to know her neighbors better. At the bottom, Kayne slunk to the back of the building and pulled something out of the small backpack he was wearing. There was a plastic sandwich bag and a hammer, and he proceeded to put the phone in the bag.

  What is he doing? Vee thought, but the answer became clear when Kayne threw the bag-covered-phone on the ground and beat it with a hammer. Vee watched in awe as he pulverised the electronic brick. A burner. Like in the movies and all. How thought out was this plan?

  Vee felt helpless. She was relegated to following her killer, unsure what else to do. Thinking about it, she probably should’ve stayed back in her room in case Landon came by. He’d probably be worried about her in a bit. What would he do when she wouldn’t respond? How long would he even wait for her? But, on the other hand, following Kayne could possibly give her an edge. She’d know where he was and could let Landon know. ...Assuming she even came in contact with Landon soon. She wondered if she could reach him from the back of the apartment complex, but to no one’s surprise, a strange force stopped her from leaving any more than 30 feet from Kayne’s side.

  Kayne moved quickly to the street and slid into a car. Vee knew Kayne had a license, but she also knew he didn’t own a car. He got around by walking or otherwise hitching rides. At least he wasn’t using Nick’s car. As he got in, Vee prepared to stalk him from the passenger’s seat, but as soon as the car took off, Vee almost immediately phased through it, hitting the border within seconds. It took her by surprise, and she flew up to the car again; but as it gained speed, it started leaving her behind, only to be leashed by the invisible wall tethering her to Kayne.

  It was strange, existing in the middle of the road, travelling as fast as a car, but not residing in one. Vee flinched a few times when other cars got near, and at stoplights, a few even drove straight into her. She got used to it after a bit, but it was still an odd sensation. Before long, Vee recognized the scenery more than she expected to. They had moved away from the more student-populated area and were well into the downtown district. If Vee was correct, they were actually pretty close to...

  Landon’s office. Kayne had parked directly in front of Landon’s agency. What is he doing here? Vee thought. He’s already killed me again, what else does he need to do? And why here?

  Before he got out of the car, though, he pulled another cell phone from the pack and turned it on. He also pulled out a piece of paper with a phone number on it, then dialed. It went through after a few rings. “Hello?”

  “Hey,” Kayne said with a smile. Vee got close to hear the whole conversation.

  “Kayne! Everything okay? You left pretty quick. What’s with the weird number?”

  “Yeah, I’m alright. I just remembered something I had to do in Lamelle, that’s all. Went and forgot my phone, though, so I’m using a stranger’s.”

  “Oh, gotcha. Glad it worked out.”

  “Actually, I’m almost done. I wanted to apologize, though, so I wondered if you were up for a late-night cruise on your bike through the woods? I can meet you there.”

  “Heh, is that your idea of getting me in the mood?”

  “Is it working?”

  “Yes. Yes it is.”

  “What do you say we go the extra mile, then? I got some extra pay from my job recently. We could go to a hotel.”

  “Feeling generous? Shoot, I’m in. I’ll see if I can work from home so we don’t have to worry so much about time.”

  “Great! I’ll send you the location in a minute here. Gas up before you get there.”

  “Sounds good. Be sure to dress warm, it’s not exactly summertime anymore.”

  “I know. See you soon.”

  Kayne hung up and took a few minutes to pick out a spot somewhere along a long-forgotten road outside the city, then sent the location to the number he just called. Then he put it in a bag, exited the car, and inconspicuously hammered that phone to dust, just like the other one.

  If there was one thing Vee was certain about, it was that Kayne had contacted a lover—probably Mr. Clarke—and that the lover didn’t know about Kayne’s activities. And, if he didn’t know about Kayne’s activities, it was unlikely he knew about Kayne’s nature as well. Vee couldn’t help but feel that this information was important or useful in some way. At the very least, she had made an effort to see where the location was on the phone. It helped that Kayne had followed roads along the map to get there, which Vee assumed was because he also needed to memorize the path when he planned on destroying the phone right after. If Vee could somehow get that information to Landon, she could potentially assist in the arrest of Kayne Gilbert.

  The only question was, how?

  Cecil had told her that if she stopped haunting the person she was currently following, she would appear back in the space she originally inhabited. Vee couldn’t be sure, since she hadn’t actually checked the boundaries at her apartment, but it was likely that that was where she would end up if she broke the bond keeping her tethered. If she did that, though, what then? Even though it hadn’t been very long, it had been at least fifteen minutes, meaning there was no guarantee that Landon was still there; and if he wasn’t, Vee had no way to contact him except for coming here—where she already was. At that point, she’d have to arrange for a ride or get a taxi, and she didn’t have the money for that. And then where would that put them? Maybe she could call the police. What were the chances she could get a hold of Detective Bimmel, though? If she couldn’t would they trust her tip? How long would that take?

  As Vee contemplated her options, Kayne leisurely strode up the stairs to the office suite, forcing Vee along. It was then that Vee decided to stick around. She still didn't know what Kayne wanted to accomplish at Landon’s agency, but it could give her some extra information to work with. So, she decided to scout ahead. There was little she could actually accomplish, but at least s
he could see if Sylvie had gone home. It was pretty late, so there was a good chance.

  ...Only, she wasn’t. Vee deflated as she noticed Sylvie typing away at her computer, unaware of the incoming threat.

  “Sylvie!” Vee called.

  No response. Vee grit her teeth, hoping that nothing bad would come of Kayne’s appearance. Somehow, Vee knew that wouldn’t be the case.

  With a few knocks at the door, Kayne emerged a moment later.

  Sylvie looked up, and with her usual smile, said, “Welcome to the Lamelle Private Investigation Agency! I’m sorry, but—”

  Sylvie’s words cut off when she got a proper look at Kayne. She managed to finish her sentence, but not without a level of audible reluctance. “—the detective is out...”

  “What’s your name?” Kayne said.

  “Um,” Sylvie said. Vee was unsure what to do.

  “Your name?”

  “S-Sylvia,” Sylvie said.

  “Sylvia,” Kayne said, “you said the detective is out? Where is he?”

  “I’m...not at liberty to say,” she said. Vee was impressed at the professionalism in her choice of words despite the situation at hand.

  Kayne reached into the pocket of his hoodie and closed some distance between them.

  “Say, Sylvia, why are you so nervous?”

  “You must be imagining things,” she said.

  “You know who I am, don’t you?”

  Sylvie continued to stutter over words, despite her attempts at ignorance. “We’ve never met before, sir...”

  “But you know who I am,” he said.

  At this point, Kayne had completely closed the gap. In a swift movement, he uncovered a fairly large hunting knife from his hoodie and held it against Sylvie’s neck. “Listen up, bitch,” he said, “you’re going to do exactly as I say, or this nice little blade will find its way into your neck. Who else here knows about me?”