Chapter thirty

chapter 30
word count 449

With a gloved hand, Bud placed the bloody knife in a plastic bag, then stood back to gaze at the empty wheelchair. Next, he'd dust it for prints. Check for DNA. Who would do this? He hadn't called it in yet. To bring in the cops would disturb the sanctity ensconced in the quiet of this empty room where his thoughts prevailed. Jane! Poor Jane, an invalid in a wheelchair, helpless, carried off...His Jane! He'd always treasured her like a china doll, cared for her, loved her.

He'd been violated. This home, this place away from the dirt and grit of his normal existence, this refuge from it all, and his gentle, comforting wife...intruded upon by a stranger who ripped it to shreds leaving broken and empty parts behind. If he closed his eyes, he could sense her out there somewhere. She was all right. He knew she was all right. But probably very frightened. She was helpless, unable to help herself or run away.

Bud Kramer wanted to kill whoever did this. An unfamiliar blood lust invaded his heart. In everyday life, he was a medical examiner, a scientist; he never carried a gun. It was against his principles. His typical day was filled with cleaning up the vestiges of death, and he had no interest in causing more of it...until now.

His cell blaring in his top pocket interrupted. He fumbled it out, still dwelling on the residue of his conflicted emotions.

"Bud Kramer?" The other voice sounded distant. It fought to get his attention.

"Yes."

"I understand your wife is missing."

His heart lurched. "What do you know about it?"

"I know where she is. I saw her and the guy who took her. I can help you...if you help me."

Games! What kind of games was this idiot playing? "What do you mean?"

"I know where they are. I'll chase them down and get your wife, return her to you. All I want is for you to drop it at that. The guy who took her. I want him. I don't want the cops to get him. If you let it go, don't tell anyone, he'll be mine. You get what you want. I get what I want. Do we have a deal?"

Bud had never made any deals. But this one would bring Jane back to him. If there was one thing people said about Bud Kramer, even though they loathed his sharp tongue, it was that he was honest. But Jane was out there somewhere...frightened, pulled out of her fairytale innocent existence...helpless to fight back. This went beyond job description or personal ethics. It was all about Jane.

"You've got a deal," he said.