Chapter Seven

William sat down and proceeded to respond to some of the texts that Matthew and Laura had sent to her and Nick, never once thinking or questioning if anything was wrong. ‘Samantha’ told her dad that Nick was still at her apartment and had decided to stay and help her with case for tomorrow and that they would have dinner later in the week. ‘Nick’ had sent a message telling Laura the same thing but that he would be home later and not to worry. Samantha had started to feel better though her mental state would never be the same, she worked herself into an upright position. Nick only asked once more how she was doing, knowing his words had little impact on her true feelings and state of mind. William had actually left to go and move Nick’s car as to avoid suspicion for when Matthew would get home later that night.

He returned not long after, Samantha had fallen asleep on the couch, but Nick was still awake presumably keeping an eye on Samantha. He provided Nick with a few sips of water and some food, William may have been a murderer, but he never deprived his victims of at least the basics. Nearing the end of a long day William gathered Samantha up from the couch and brought her back into the bedroom where he proceeded to tie her down to the bed once more. This time he kept her feet bound and brought the restraints a little lower down the bed posts, he didn’t want her trying to hurt herself in the middle of the night. And though she was sound asleep he still opted to place a gag over her mouth again to ensure she wouldn’t scream out in the night either. Though William had kidnapped and murdered dozens of women before Samantha, there was still something about her that made her stand out from the rest. He had to admit that while all his previous victims had been beautiful in their own way, Samantha still seemed to outshine them all. He sat there watching her all night only getting up to check that Nick was still restrained or to use the bathroom. William dozed off maybe once or twice, he was capable of staying awake for long periods of time without it affecting his health or state of mind.

Soon morning came and with it the next part of Williams plan, after cleaning himself up he allowed Nick to do the same followed by Samantha. He stood outside of the bathroom door should they decide to try anything to escape. Nick was quick, but while William was in the process of tying Nick back to the chair, Nick’s cell received a call from Laura. William warned Nick not to say anything to tip Laura off or he would regret doing so, knowing William meant what he said Nick was extremely careful in his wording. He told Laura that he’d accidentally fell asleep at Samantha’s and was in the process of cleaning up and that he would be into the office later. He also told her that Samantha wasn’t feeling well and would need Laura to fill in for her at the trial and that she would give them all a call later to let them know how she was feeling.

“Laura, hey sis, sorry I didn’t come home last night. I accidentally fell asleep at Samantha’s apartment; I’m actually cleaning up now before heading out. Before I forget Sam isn’t feeling well today, can hardly get out of bed, could you take over for her in court today?” William was really impressed at how Nick was handling himself, given the circumstances. “Oh no, I hope she feels better, I know it has been a rough week for all of us.” Nick hated to lie, but if it meant keeping all of them safe then it was a small price to pay. “I’m going to grab a few things for her and then I’ll head into the office after that.” Nick knew it was only a matter of time before they at least began to question his absence, but more than anything he just wanted to keep his sister safe no matter the cost to him. Not long after he finished his call with Laura, Matthew called Samantha’s phone, William not wanting to waste anymore time had Nick answer that call as well.

“Hey Matt…”

“Nick? Why’d you answer Sam’s phone, is everything alright?”

“Yes, everything’s fine, I accidentally fell asleep on her couch last night while helping with the case files. Unfortunately, she’s not feeling well this morning so Laura’s going to cover for her at the trial. I’m going to grab her a few things before heading back to the office. Hope that’s alright?” Nick just hoped Matt bought what he was saying, as much as Nick hated lying, he absolutely hated doing it to his friend and boss.

“I appreciate that, I’m sure Samantha does too. Can you have her give me a call later so I can check on her?” Without missing a beat, “Absolutely, will do, see you in a bit.”

William couldn’t help but be impressed at how Detective Montgomery had handled the whole situation. While his voice showed and put forth confidence and belief of what he was saying, he could see the pain on his face, and it spoke volumes. William finished tying Nick back to the chair before going back into the bedroom to allow Samantha a chance to clean up. After cutting away the binding for her feet and removing the gag from her mouth, William released Samantha from the wrist restraints. He followed her to the Bathroom door and waited outside while she took a shower and cleaned up. He could hear the sobs every now and then from shower, it made him smile knowing that he’d already broken some if not all of her spirit before the second day. While she stayed in the bathroom longer than he’d wanted he didn’t push it, there would still be time for everything to come.