"Damnit!"
Mace cursed loudly, not caring if the predator chasing her could hear her. She was done playing possum. Being a damsel in distress was never her cup of tea.
Why start now?
Jerome of course. Her damn boss had a quirk that made her wince. Mace could just ignore him, do things her way. But no. He wanted something far different from what was the norm.
"Our perp is someone who knows his way around empty places. I have asked some of Asi's assistants to help us with some leg work. They found some very interesting occurrences for the last seven years."
Mace closed her eyes and took several deep quiet breaths. Who knew that looking for a new place to live in would lead her straight to the criminal?
She never believed in Coincidence, so when Jerome suggested visiting a particular agency, Mace gave him a skeptical look.
It took her three days to clear her schedule and book an appointment, after that, she was introduced to a man named Luke. Everyone told her she was the best person for the job.
He had sold countless houses and condos. He was also their employee of the month for the past seven years.
To say she was impressed was an understatement. He also looked respectable.
She did not anticipate being gassed inside the car they used.
Mace's had finally quiet down. Her breathing was even and slow. Rationalization slowly took root as she began to formulate a way to escape.
To be honest, she has no Idea where she is right now. The chloroform had done a good job on knocking her out.
Call her dumb, but she does her moments that she was not in her detective mode. Being in the constant state of alertness was tiring.
Who would have thought that the guy she was with was the killer?
Mace needed to be on higher ground. It would be almost impossible to see where she was on the second floor of wherever she was.
She listened as to any signs where her captor was. Jerome had not given her a lot when it came to profiling the damn man. Other than that he has access to different places.
The man had been taking kids and a few teens for the past years. The number of bones their team had unearthed was staggering.
The questions that most of them had asked, was he alone? Or was his place a burial spot? How many more dead bodies have they buried?
Mace looked at the room where she escaped.
There were rows of long desks. Some stools and a cabinet that had long been emptied out was in a government facility? If so, what kind of facility was this?
She peeked outside the window that lined the hallway outside. The room on the other side was barely visible. The windows were covered in some kind of protective layer.
Silence.
She never closed the door, so…where was..
"You know, I know where you are the whole time…"
His voice suddenly blared from all over the place. It was followed by a maniacal laughter that sent shivers down her spine.
Rather than panicking, she surveyed the room. This time, taking her time to examine every nook and cranny of it.
There were speakers on all the corners of the room. Mace had to assume that each room would have it as well. As for the eyes…
There!
Ooh this man was paranoid. All of the speakers had tiny little red dots that indicated there was a camera. It was placed so that there were no blind spots.
The question was now, how many screens does he have?
"You know, you gave me a fright when you walked into the office. I thought you were there to catch me. I nearly died because of you. But now…here you are."
"Where am I, exactly?" Mace asked out loud.
Another laugh came through the PA system. "Don't you remember this place, officer?"
Okay, so that answered her theory that she could also be heard. It was worth a shot, but she was still happy that her haunch was right.
"You have to pardon me, Luke," she replied, using his name, "If I had any idea, I wouldn't be asking you."
Luke's face grew hot with anger. The audacity of the woman! How dare she!
"We were in the south. This place had been a laboratory of sorts. Due to budget cuts, maintaining this big place was a chore. They decided to shut the place down," he proudly stated.
Mace stood up. There was no use trying to hide since he had eyes everywhere. It would be better if she met him head on.
"You mean the chemical plant far south?"
"So you do know this place!"
Of course she does. Her late mom had taken her to this very place. Mace remembered how happy her mom was. She was just a child when they shut down. From there, her mom had a hard time looking for work.
If this was the same place…
Mace opened the door, and looked at the empty hallway. The once pristine white walls were now filled with graffiti. Her fingertip touched the dirtied walls, remembering the layout of the place.
She was on the second floor. This facility did not have an elevator going up. The elevators were used to reach the basement.
The basement.
Realization dawned at Mace.
The bodies. The semi frozen state they were in.
The puzzlement why they did not burn.
The basement of the facility was used as a storage area. Chemicals that needed extreme cold were stored there. They also had this container of sorts.
Mace remembered her mom telling her that it was used to dissolve carcasses of dead animals.
And…
The operation or surgery room was also in the basement.
This was where he performed all his crimes.
This was once a facility that helped develop cures, produces medicine, and saves lives.
In his hands he turned it into a slaughterhouse. A dark place. A place that festers fear and death.
It ends now.
As to how, she had to think about it. For now, she needed to send a signal to her teammates.
She just needs to go up…