I See You (Criminal Profiler #2)(32)

“What did you see?” Vaughan asked.

“There was a man. Dressed in black. He had a knife to my w-w-wife’s throat.” He stammered and closed his eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks.

“What did the man look like?” Vaughan asked.

“I’m not sure,” Foster said.

Spencer jumped in, asking, “Was he taller or shorter than your wife?”

“Taller. At least six inches taller.”

“Was the assailant fat or thin?” she asked.

“Medium build.”

“Was he wearing a mask?”

“Yes.”

“What color was the mask?”

“Black. It was a ski mask.”

“Did you see the color of his skin around his eyes or on his neck?”

“It was tanned.”

“African American? Hispanic?” she prompted.

“A white guy. His skin reminded me of someone who works in the sun a lot.”

“Did he ever face you?” she asked. “Did you see his eyes?”

A sigh shuddered over Foster’s lips, and he closed his eyes for a moment. “He glanced at me once very quickly before he used my wife’s body like a shield.”

“What did he want?” she asked.

“He wanted money and drugs.”

“Do you keep either in the house?” she asked.

“Hadley keeps sedatives. She’s always had trouble sleeping. And I don’t keep cash in the house.”

“What did the man’s voice sound like?” Spencer asked. “Was his voice deep, high pitched?”

“Deep.”

“Did he have an accent?”

“None that I heard.”

“What about rings, scars, or tattoos?”

Foster opened his eyes. “I don’t remember. I should, but I don’t.”

“You’re doing better than you realize,” she said.

“How did he get into the house, Mr. Foster?” Vaughan asked.

“It must have been the front door. I’d been on my way out to work, and I had unlocked it when I remembered the recycling. I left it open and didn’t think twice about it. It was only open for a few minutes.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “I should have locked it.”

Vaughan didn’t react with pity or condemnation as he gathered truths and potential lies. “Where was your daughter?”

“In her room. She must have been trying to get dressed.”

“What happened next?” he asked.

“It all happened so fast. This animal dragged my wife forward. It was like in slow motion. I couldn’t believe it. And then he slashed my arm.”

“Did he speak at this time?” Spencer asked.

“He said he’d kill my wife if I moved. I wanted to tear his head off, but Hadley was crying and begging me to stand down.”

“Your daughter should have been out of the shower and dressed by then,” Vaughan said.

“She was.”

“Why didn’t Skylar call 911?” Vaughan asked.

“I don’t know. I guess she didn’t have her phone with her,” he said.

“A teenager without a phone?” Spencer asked. “That’s not very common these days.”

“I guess it was in her room,” Foster said.

Spencer said nothing, but the slow intake of breath told him she was not convinced. It was possible Skylar had not had her phone, but the phone records Hughes had already requested would give them a better idea of when and if she had been using the device that morning.

“What happened next?” Vaughan asked.

“He shoved my wife into the hallway, and she nearly stumbled onto my daughter as Skylar burst out of her room. He ordered them both to walk down the stairs and out the garage door.”

The assailant had entered through the front door yet was leaving through a different exit. It would be risky to take two captives over new ground unless he’d been watching the house before the attack.

“Both my wife and daughter were screaming,” Foster said. “I followed them down the stairs and, in a moment of desperation, lunged for the man. That’s when he stabbed me.”

“You were found collapsed at the front door,” Vaughan said.

“I saw my car pull out of the driveway through the front window. My daughter was driving the car, and that monster was in the back seat with the knife to my wife’s neck.” Again, he closed his eyes. “The look on Skylar’s face was pure terror.”

“You were able to see all that?” Vaughan asked.

“Yes. Those moments will be burned in my brain forever.” He shook his head. “I should have saved them. I shouldn’t have let him order me around.”

“You made a difficult split-second decision in a very stressful situation.”

“I should have been stronger. But I got so dizzy and dropped to my knees.”

“You called 911,” Spencer said.

“I pressed the emergency button on my phone before I passed out,” Foster said.

Vaughan scribbled key phrases on his notepad. “There was a huge bloodstain in your bedroom. Whose blood was that?”

Foster’s gaze froze for a moment. “My wife’s, I guess.”