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Terrorizing Ted – Crushing Crancer
A Ted Must Die story by Rena Koontz
Some villains get caught by the police. Others take a little more effort to bring down. And then there’s Ted. I’m especially happy to welcome my dear friend Rena Koontz to The Ted Must Die Project as one of our Ted Hunters. Rena knows a thing or two about writing crime, having spent years as a journalist covering the cops and crime beat. So naturally, when she decided to help me take on Ted, I knew he didn’t stand a chance!
A Little About The Ted Must Die Project
If you’re new here, The Murder of Ted is my ongoing personal blog series about my real-life battle with breast cancer, otherwise known as Ted. The Ted Must Die Project grew from that series, with authors joining me as Ted Hunters and using their own creativity to help send Ted packing.
Each Hunter brings something completely different to the fight, and that’s what makes this project so much fun.
Meet Ted Hunter: Rena Koontz
Rena Koontz is a multi- award-winning author who was a career journalist recognized for her writing excellence by the Associated Press. She covered various news beats, but found her footing on the cops and crime beat. She draws from her street experience to write about real events she covered as a news reporter in Pittsburgh, PA., and Cleveland, OH., formerly two of the top twenty newspapers in the country. Her books often take you from the crime scene into the courtroom. Her passions are her husband and her dog. Not necessarily in that order.
Check out her website at: https://www.renakoontz.com/
Purchase her books on Amazon
Terrorizing Ted – Crushing Crancer
By Rena Koontz
Chapter One
Rylee Lapiz wanted a good look at the bast—er, the bad guy. A serial killer. Credited with hundreds of deaths, which was hard to fathom. Number One on the FBI’s most wanted list.
Ted Crancer.
Apprehended this morning when he tried to sneak into her friend’s life. Thank goodness Nick was on duty and his cop’s sixth sense kicked in. She’d learn later that Nick became suspicious when he saw a man lurking in the parking lot, collar turned up, ballcap pulled down. Eyes on the ground. What was so interesting about the parking lot asphalt?
Nick circled the perimeter and returned in time to see Michelle, Rylee’s colleague, walking to her car. And Ted Crancer stepping up his pace behind her. Nick flipped the siren switch. Michelle jumped and dropped her computer bag. Ted bolted, but not before looking directly at Nick. That’s when it registered with Nick who the pissant was. Nick regularly read the FBI dispatches regarding felons captured or still on the run. Ted Crancer had been in the wind for a while now.
Michelle had mentioned to Rylee she felt off. Like someone watching her. A presence she couldn’t see but felt. Rylee told Nick about it. “Michelle isn’t one to whine or complain,” she told him about her best friend. “She’s a fighter. If she’s spooked, I take it seriously.”
He did too. That’s why he scouted the TV station when he knew Michelle was reporting to work or leaving for home. That’s how he spotted Ted Crancer, who was trying to get away.
Not on my watch, mother fucker.
He floored the gas pedal, swerved when Ted veered, and hit him with the front bumper of the police cruiser. Nick was out of the car and handcuffing Ted before he could get up. Onlookers recorded the entire incident on their phones. Video posts were going viral with taglines like “Caped Crusader Cooper” and “Just in the Nick of time.”
That’s how Rylee found out about the arrest. Someone in the newsroom showed her the video. She called Nick immediately, but he didn’t answer. She knew he wouldn’t. She and Nick had an agreement. They didn’t tell each other about their jobs. After all, a police officer and a news reporter were like fire and gasoline. They didn’t mix.
Only she and Cooper sure did when they were both “off duty.” Their heat was extreme.
So, she called Michelle for details. “I thought he was going to get away. But Nick was on him like fleas on a dog.” It was a cliché, but appropriate.
“I’m on my way to the hospital now.” Rylee entered the hospital with her news credentials hanging from the lanyard around her neck. She rode the elevator to the third floor, finding it crawling with cops, some in uniform, others in street clothes. It wasn’t hard to figure out which room Ted Crancer was in. A guard was posted on either side of the door. She spotted Nick’s chief off to the side and walked toward him.
“Hi, Chief. Is Nick okay?”
“He’s at the station. It’s a routine de-brief. The Feds might give him grief about running over this scum bag with his car but hell, they’ve been unable to catch him. They should give Cooper a medal.”
“What can you tell me? Michelle is my friend.”
“We got a warrant and searched his place. He stalked her for months. Lurked around the edges of her life. She sensed she was being watched and regrets now not filing a report with us earlier.” Rylee had asked her to, but she hated calling attention to herself. Instead, she suggested Rylee mention it to Nick.
The chief continued. “I always stress, if you see something, say something. We take it seriously. Michelle thought it was her imagination. Little glimpses that she convinced herself were nothing. Small signs, like the mail rearranged on her desk and a glass in her sink she hadn’t left there. Convinced herself she was losing it.” Michelle hadn’t confided those details to her. She must have really doubted herself.
“If you want to file a news report that helps your viewers, tell them, especially the women, that they should reach out to the police when they sense something is off. We won’t laugh at them. We’ll listen.”
“Can I take a peek at him?”
“No, Rylee. As much as I like you and as much as I want the city to know this freak has been captured, I can’t let you into his room.” He withdrew his phone from his pocket. “I’ll share this with you though.”
She looked at his booking photo, the white hospital pillows a backdrop instead of the usual city jail wall. She stared at the killer. He looked ordinary. Dark hair. Shadow of a beard. They say Ted Bundy looked like the boy next door. That’s how he convinced so many of his victims to talk to him. Maybe this Ted was cut from the same cloth. Ordinary on the outside. Evil on the inside.
“Are the bruises on his face from the car accident? In the video, it looks like the car just taps him and he goes down on his knees with his hands in the air.”
The chief coughed, cleared his throat, looked up and down the hall, and lowered his voice. “That’s the official story. Confidentially, I think your boyfriend might have gotten a little rough helping Ted to his feet.”
That surprised her. Nick was usually by the book. “None of the bystanders recorded any police violence.” She was grateful but didn’t understand it.
“I know. Pretty cool, huh?” He spread his hands, palms up. “If I have no proof that Nick worked him over, I can’t reprimand him for anything. My on-the-record comment for you is that my officer did an outstanding job capturing a violent fugitive. I believe Ted Crancer’s facial injuries were caused by his fall after the impact of the vehicle.” The chief’s eyebrows rose and lowered like a question mark. “If you get my drift.”
Oddly, Rylee felt a sense of pride. Ted Crancer deserved it. Now all they had to do was get him out of that hospital bed and on death row.
Chapter Two
Rylee yanked the pillow over her head while Nick reached for his cell phone. It’s never good news when the phone rings in the middle of the night. She sat up beside him when he cursed. “What? How the hell did that happen?”
He stepped out of bed and reached for his pants as he listened to the caller. “I’m on my way. Okay. I’ll get word to her.”
He spun around to Rylee. “Ted Crancer escaped. I don’t know how, but he managed to elude everyone. He’s a sneaky one. Will you call Michelle and let her know? Her situational awareness should ramp up to high alert.”
Rylee suppressed a chuckle. Most people would say she needed to be cautioned to stay alert. Not her Nick. Elliott Ness had nothing on her cop. “I’ll take care of the dog and go there in person. Be careful.”
Twenty minutes later, she knocked on her best friend’s door. Once. Twice. By knock number three, she started to worry. The fourth time, she pounded. “All right, all right,” Michelle’s muffled voice came from behind the closed door. “Rylee, what’s the matter? It’s four o’clock in the morning.”
Rylee shoved forward, backing Michelle into her apartment. She slammed the door and leaned against it. “Can you turn on a light?” She blinked at the brightness. Michelle looked at her anxiously.
Rylee had called a police source en route to Michelle’s. “Ted Crancer escaped. They were transferring him from the hospital to jail. He must have a lot of little minions who do his bidding. They created a diversion. Somehow, they all looked like him. They managed to confuse the police. The real Ted got away.”
Michelle paled. “How long is this little creep going to torture me? I don’t even know where he came from or why he’s targeting me.”
“You must have crossed paths with him somewhere. Even if you didn’t, you’re young, beautiful vivacious, everything I wish I was. You could have caught his eye just passing him on the street. None of that matters now. We have to be on the lookout for him. And be ready to fight.”
Chapter Three
Over coffee, Rylee did a deep Internet dive into Ted Crancer. He was relentless. His victims were young, old, men, women. He didn’t discriminate. All of them had tried to fight him and he’d prevailed.
Descriptions of him varied. Tall, short, white, black, long hair, bald. He was a master of disguise. He’d fooled everyone.
“Not this time,” Rylee declared, slamming the computer lid shut. “If we have to kill him with a thousand paper cuts, we will.”
Michelle tossed back her long, blond hair. “Ry, we’re not killers.”
“No, we’re warriors. We’re not waiting here like sitting ducks. We’re going after him.”
“With what?”
“I can shoot. Nick has extra guns at the house. I have mine, too.” She stomped into the kitchen. “You were the best axe thrower on our pickup team.” She slid an eight-inch butcher knife from the drawer. “There’s a weight differential you’ll have to adjust for. We’ll grab a hammer from the garage. Same plan. I have pepper spray in my car. Nick ran him over with the police car. We can do the same. My car is fifteen years old. Another dent won’t hurt.
“Get dressed. Grab a large purse or your backpack to stow your weapons. I’ll have my tote. It could pass for a suitcase.”
Michelle threw back her head and laughed. “I love your enthusiasm, my friend. But every police officer in the city is looking for him. How are we going to find him?”
Rylee laid the knife on the table in front of her. “We’re not. He’s going to find us. Let’s go shopping.”
Chapter Four
Arm and arm, they strolled through the mall parking lot as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Except Rylee’s head swiveled in all directions. Searching. Watching. Eliminating only the children. Ted Crancer might be clever enough to disguise himself as a woman.
“You’re making me nervous,” Michelle said.
“Just keep walking. And keep your eyes open.”
“Where do we go once we get inside?”
“Let’s get some ice cream.”
“It’s nine o’clock the morning.”
“It’s never too early for Rocky Road.”
Ted’s first attack came from the left, two storefronts before the ice cream shoppe. Like a ninja, Ted pounced. Rylee’s saw him in her peripheral vision too late. He slammed into her, knocking her down and throwing Michelle off balance. His scream was like a wild animal’s, high pitched and eerie. It echoed through the mostly empty mall.
“Bite me,” Michelle yelled. The ball-peen hammer soared through the air at the speed of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes’ best pitch. One hundred miles an hour. It shattered Ted’s left shoulder, propelling him backward. He failed to go down though. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Michelle rushed to Rylee’s side, helping her up. “Nice throw,” Rylee huffed. “He’s wounded now.”
“Yeah well, a wounded wild animal is more dangerous than one who isn’t. We better leave.”
“No way. He’s mad and when the devil is angry, he doesn’t think rationally. He’ll come after us again.”
The words were no sooner spoken than a shadow appeared behind Michelle. Ted jumped on her back, howling like a banshee, wrapped his gnarled fingers around her neck and squeezed. Michelle gasped for air. Rylee aimed the pepper stray in his face and emptied the canister.
He let go of Michelle, plastered his hands against his nose and mouth, and tumbled backward. Unfortunately, some of the overspray squirted on Michelle’s face. Despite wearing glasses, the peppery liquid caused an immediate allergic reaction.
“Dammit,” Rylee yelled, reaching to grab her friend when her knees buckled. Ted crawled crab-like under a nearby table.
“Sorry, sorry. I was a little excited.” Holding Michelle around the waist, they moved to an empty table in front of the ice cream counter.
Michelle swiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks with a napkin. “I can’t see a thing. Is he gone?”
Rylee spun around just as a dark creature-like form came flying toward them. The impact knocked Rylee off her feet and Michelle out of her seat. Rylee’s tote skidded across the linoleum. Her back hit the floor and instant pain shot up her spine.
Michelle’s face turned beet red. Her eyes had started to swell shut. Despite his left arm hanging useless at his side, Ted straightened to his full height. Rylee blinked once. Twice. The little snot was only four feet tall. He hunched over like a Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker and rushed toward her friend.
“Michelle!” Rylee screamed. “He’s coming right at you. Twelve o’clock.”
The steel blade glinted in the fluorescent lights when Michelle yanked it from her carryall. Clutching the handle with both hands Michelle rose to her full five-foot-six height. “No-o-o-o more,” she screamed. Blindly, she stabbed.
The first cut struck Ted in the forehead. Forehead wounds notoriously bleed profusely. This one didn’t disappoint. Blood spurted everywhere, including over Michelle.
She looked down at her blouse. “This is my favorite shirt, you little shit.” The second knife wound sliced into his collar bone on the right side. He shrieked.
Rylee slid backward across the floor on her elbows, keeping her eyes on the action. She reached inside her tote and removed her .357 Smith & Wesson handgun. It slipped from the holster and, still on her back, she aimed at Ted.
But there was no need. Michelle’s arms moved like an oil rig, drilling into Ted’s body as if it was solid ground. Blood seeped through his shirt like a sieve. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. His color turned translucent.
By contrast, fury colored Michelle’s face, darker than the pepper spray reaction. Anger kept her motivated. Survival kept her focused. Her rage found voice.
“You suck, Ted.” A slice to his stomach.
“You can’t hurt me.” The blade ripped through his chest cavity.
Employees and mall walkers stopped and stared. A woman began to clap, and then a man, then everyone began to applaud.
Sweat dripped from Michelle’s forehead. “You won’t win.” Ted’s stomach collapsed with a rush of air.
“I hate you. I’m done with you.” The dagger found the left eye.
The crowd began to chant. “Die Ted, die.”
“One more for my brother,” a man yelled. “For my parents,” someone else yelled. Their cheers fueled Michelle’s momentum. She took each directive to heart, gouging his abdomen, his right thigh and back to his chest.
Ted whimpered.
“Die Ted, die,” Michelle hissed. She slit his throat. The feeble resistance he attempted slowed. He gasped his last gulp of air. His breathing subsided slowly. Michelle punched him in the face with a right hook even Mike Tyson would envy.
Still aiming her weapon at the target, Rylee rose and crawled on her knees to her warrior princess friend.
Footsteps echoed through the halls and pounded the mall floor. Rylee looked up to see police flooding the building from every entrance. Nick led the pack, his face distorted with concern.
Her supporters weren’t deterred.
“He deserves it.”
“No mercy”
“Put an end to him.”
“The police are here,” Rylee whispered to Michelle. The onlookers formed a barricade around them, preventing the police from stepping in.
Michelle wiped snot from her upper lip and stared at the Swiss-cheese like figure she straddled. “Should I stop?”
Rylee lowered her gun and sat back on her haunches. “No, keep going. You haven’t stabbed him a thousand times yet.”
—End—
Cancer sucks. Michelle Clifton is in a fight for her life. She’ll win, no worries. Hopefully this short story lifts her spirits, motivates her to keep fighting, and inspires you to support her.
A GoFundMe page has been created to offset the astronomical expense killing Ted costs. Please consider donating – https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-michelles-fight-against-stage-iii-breast-cancer
If you liked Rylee Lapiz and Nick Cooper, read more about them in my award-winning Justice Series – Shady Justice and Chasing Justice. Find all my books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rena-Koontz/author/B0097E5PBY?ref
Coming soon: Justice Served.
Thank you. -R
Rena, thank you for being part of this project and for helping me murder Ted. Having a dear friend join the hunt makes this whole adventure have a lot more glitter!
Ted may be the villain in my story, but the real story is about hope, friendship, creativity, and a community willing to stand together. And what about Ted you ask? He really should have picked a different group of people to mess with.
If you enjoyed Rena’s story, I hope you’ll take a little time to check out her other books and discover more of her award winning writing.
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations! —Michelle❤️
