Don't Scream (Complete)

Chapter 16

Eli Bensworth 

Eli Bensworth and Rhonda Willis were high-ranking detectives working for the San Francisco Police Department. But they nearly broke every speed limit that day as they sped through the city in Eli's Sedan, following the familiar route to the Crowles' residence before it was too late. 

Rhonda had radioed the station from Eli's car and told Lt Powers the situation report. He'd sent back-up along on their way, but they wouldn't be able to catch up to Eli and Rhonda for about half an hour. The two of them were on their own to nab the Homewrecker, if he really was going to be back at the Crowles' residence a third time to kill Lisa Crowle. 

Sitting in the passenger seat, Rhonda loaded the gun in her holster and blew at it for good measure before proceeding to grab a back-up revolver from the glove compartment of Eli's Sedan and putting it in her back pocket for safekeeping. "You never know, Greg's gonna put up a fight." 

* 

Eli stopped the car sharply outside of the Crowles' residence and the two of them leaped out of the vehicle even before Eli had killed the engine properly. 

Without standing on courtesy, Rhonda kicked the front gate open and the two of them cut through the front yard until they'd reached the front porch. Eli put his hand to his holster, ready to draw his weapon quickly if need be and noting Rhonda mimicking him. He knocked on the front door with the bronze doorknocker. "Lisa? Lisa, are you home?" 

No reply. 

"I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to circle back and look for an alternate way in," Rhonda said and Eli nodded at her in grim affirmation. 

Eli continued to knock on the door but there was no reply. Moving right, he peeked in through the window. The living room was empty, no sign of either Bryan or Lisa. Perhaps, just perhaps, Lisa and Bryan happened to be out of the house. Or maybe they were wrong about their conjecture, maybe Greg wasn't planning to kill Lisa after all. 

A shrill shriek sounded from inside the house and that settled Eli's internal debate instantly. He kicked the door down, drew his weapon and crept forward into the house, instincts on the alert. 

There was definitely some shuffling movements coming from upstairs. Eli bounded up to the landing with quiet but agile footwork, coming to a stop outside the door that he knew led into Lisa's bedroom. 

"Lisa?" 

Eli knew it was ridiculous calling Lisa's name. If Greg Chaplain really was here, in the house, calling Lisa's name was as good as announcing his presence and at which section of the house he was at. But if Lisa was here, unharmed, and Greg was nowhere near the house, Eli could just as easily sneak in silently and Lisa could attack him, mistaking him for the cretin that Eli himself had meant to stop from getting to Lisa. 

Pushing the door open with the tip of his shoe, Eli stepped into the room. The bedroom was a mess; such a mess that Eli couldn't tell whether it was the sign of a struggle or if it was just the mess that an ordinary teenage girl would make of her room. 

Papers and folders were strewn all over the linoleum floor. The large queen-sized bed was undone and there was a bag of crisps lying amid the overturned bedsheets. Cookie crumbs littered Lisa's desk, along with an assortment of make-up items and other pointless accessories. 

A creak sounded from behind Eli just as he stepped into the middle of the room. He turned around in time to see a filthy, bedraggled man leap out from Lisa's cupboard and slash at him with a knife! 

"Gah!" Eli jumped backward instinctively but the knife cut a gash deep in his right forearm. 

Greg Chaplain growled and lunged forward again, his left hand grabbing Eli around the throat and the hand clutching his knife moving to plunge down into Eli's shoulder.