The Monster Within

Chapter 20

"Any luck David?" Nova asks, coming into his office.

The lieutenant sits at his desk, pouring over papers of Emma's abductor. He'd spent weeks going over everything now, wanting to get this guy off the streets as soon as possible and give Emma the justice she deserved after the hell that she endured.

Arthur Julius Damian King

Age: 43

DOB: June 6th, 1966

Residence: Boston, Massachusetts

Spouse: Gwendolyn Juniper Wilson

Children: 2

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Occupation: N/A

Previous Offenses: Domestic Violence

Wanted for: Abduction, Abduction of Child(s), Attempted Murder, Sexual Assault, Battery, Assault, Fraud, Robbery, Trespassing, Arson, Possession of Illegal Weaponry.

Missing since: January 26th, 2017

Considered armed and dangerous, do not attempt to engage.

"No, the guy is still MIA," he sighs. He wishes beyond all belief that this monster was behind bars so he couldn't hurt another person and basically destroy people's lives, including his own. He kicks himself for not acting quicker to catch this man. And after the scare with Henry running away, he felt even more overwhelmed than before.

"Don't beat yourself up too hard, it wasn't your fault he got away."

"But it was," he mutters. "I was so caught up in being with Emma again that I let precious time go by that I could've used to get this guy. I should've had all the nearby interstates being monitored and the entire town searched and all the state borders on high alert."

Nova puts a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "You were happy to see your friend alive and after working so hard, you deserved the chance to see her again. The sheriff of the town just wasn't quick enough. The slimy bastard is very good getting away, he's done it before."

"And he needs to be stopped. I'm worried that he might try to do this with another woman. Emma was lucky, the baby wasn't his but who's to say the next woman will be as fortunate? What if he comes back for Emma? What about the baby? What about the man's family?" Gwendolyn and her two children were in protective custody and had moved in with relatives for the time being, but that still did not guarantee their safety. "Can they be considered safe anymore?"

"Whoa Dave, take a breath," his co-officer says. "I know you want to find this guy, but you need to take it one step at a time. We will find this guy and he will pay for what he did."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we've put enough of these bastards behind bars to know they cannot escape justice, especially when their witness is alive..." Nova trails off, knowing she's just implied something even worse. She bites her lip and swallows. David puts his head in his hands. "Besides, Emma is tough, she can fend for herself."

"Not while she's pregnant," he protests.

"Killian Jones can protect her then and you're always around too. Besides, didn't you say she was moving?"

"It still doesn't make me feel better," he mutters.

"We'll make sure someone patrols the neighbourhood every so often. We should also try to keep the story alive so he'll be caught faster. We might want to send a segment to America's Most Wanted. They can help."

David stares down at Arthur King's mugshot from his domestic violence case. His dark eyes seem to be soulless, they were the eyes of pure evil and the look on his face could only be described as hungry and depraved. He looks at the medical records of Emma's injuries and then her witness statement that was taken about a day after she was brought home to Boston. The lengthy document described in detail what sort of horrors she endured and what kind of man had been holding her hostage. He'd beaten her, nearly strangled her multiple times, drugged, and raped her many times, chained her to a bed, treated her like a prisoner, threatened her at every turn and basically kept her as his sex slave and "baby maker." He swallows the bile in his throat and remembers how emotionally distraught Emma was during this interview. He ended up holding her and helping her finish the statement so that she could go home. He saw the sadness and felt the fear in her voice. Emma had always been tough, he knew that from the moment he'd met her and to see her a shaking, quivering mess angered him and drove him to find this monster.

One the second page of a police report was an artist's rendering of what Arthur King looked like now. The sketch artist had still managed to capture the darkness in the bastard's eyes, unmoving and relentless they could be. What made this case harder was that this man could disguise himself easily, he likely knew how the law worked and he had slipped out of their radar again. The police officer wanted this man caught and put behind bars before he, himself got his hands on the monster and taught him a lesson. Killian would no doubt want to join David on this purge for justice.

"We'll keep a tip line open and follow up on any leads. He will be found..." She says before exiting the room.

David grimaces and looks over at the photos on his desk. The first was of him, his wife and son and the second was of Emma and Henry. Two people, whom he saw as family and may as well be. He had to find this man, for Emma's sake, for Henry's, Killian's and the new baby's.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and a text from his wife pops up.

Decided to have E, H, K, and baby over for dinner, you okay with that?

He smiles, knowing that his wife will always want to be the hostess and make her friends and family feel safe and loved.

Sure

He figures this might be a good way to talk to Emma about the protection of the family's future.

Sorry if this chapter is shorter. I know it's unlikely that Arthur would be 43 if he was born in 1966, but did anyone catch what I might be implying with his birthdate and middle name? Thank you for your continued support. Please read and review.