The Doll Collector's Son

Chapter 9: Jordan

Marina.

She cried out to me in anger, but I was so relieved that she wasn't tied up somewhere that I almost didn't understand what she said. Marina pushed me away towards the door as Annalise made her way back. All was clear.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Marina demanded. "And what the hell is she doing here?"

The glare she cut Annalise would have been enough to slice her in half if Annalise was fazed by those things at all.

"I'll be outside." she said, side stepping me.

"You weren't answering my phone calls. I was worried about you." I said, trying to convey urgency, but her piercing glare wasn't letting up.

"I'm ignoring you. We had a fight."

Toxic.

"Marina, I cannot have you ignoring me when I'm working a case this important."

She lifted a brow and crossed her arms.

"Am I in danger? Or is that something you can't tell me? Since you never tell me anything!"

I finally tucked my gun away and pulled her closer to me. She swatted my hand away, sharpening her glare.

"Marina, there are things I cannot tell you. This is what you agreed to when you started dating me. I work unholy hours and I keep secrets related to my job."

"No, you keep other things from me. We have a fight and you run straight to the office, to her."

"She is my partner, I have known her since childhood."

"I am you partner in life!"

Her friend shuffled uncomfortably on the sofa.

"Marina, whether you're angry at me or not, until this case is solved, you answer that phone. I will bust through a hundred doors if it means I keep you safe. I can't tell you everything, but there is a very real possibility that you may be targeted by the person we are investigating. Annalise likely called it in and there will be an agent here shortly." I explained.

"Why can't that agent be you?" she asked, her tone turning whiny.

"I need to be out there. I promise you, you'll be safe."

She shook her head, turning towards the couch.

"Even when my life is in danger, you're not here."

My phone buzzed with Annalise's message: an Agent Flores would be coming to sit with her. Marina ignored me as I gave her the agent's information to verify before opening the door. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, Annalise was on the phone. From the look on her face, important and concerning information was coming in. My phone too started ringing and Annalise turned away to continue her conversation.

There on the screen was a message from the Special Agent in Charge, Agent Sherwood. A numbness crept over my entire body both in nerves and building fear. The LA Times had already broken a story online about the bodies that had turned up. They had received a letter from the killer taking credit for their murders and had even given them the address to the latest body.

I ran a hand through my hair, gripping the roots. The body was still fresh, laying on the front porch of the most notorious house in all of California. It was his home, where my mother had been held and where his dolls had lived. Why they hadn't torn it down, I had no idea, but now it was the site of a murder in his honor.

Another message came through, this time a picture of a printed note. Jordan it is time to awaken, for I am here.

The numbing started in my toes then swept upwards like a rising wave of bile. I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. He was here, he was back. The Doll Collector had returned, for me. As a kid I always had nightmares of him showing up in my room, trying to take me back. My mom had told me as much, he'd actually kidnapped me and drugged me putting me in a closet while he tried to kill her.