LETHAL OBSESSION (25 page)

      They
both got out of the car and peered over the stone barrier.  It was impossible
to see anything in the pitch of night, but Ellen knew what was down there. 
Trees and vines on this mountain side were so thick they could swallow a car
whole, never to be seen again.  It was not a comforting thought.  She put her
arms around Martha and found herself weeping right along with her.  Maybe they
both just need a good cry right now.

      Once
Martha had finally settled herself enough to go to bed, Ellen was still up,
restless and pacing.  She looked at the empty bed and thought about the man she
loved so much.  She and Rick had been together every night since that first
glorious time they made love in this bed.

      Her
stomach was aching and her head pounding with worry and frustration.  Ellen
closed her eyes, willing her mind to be still.  Please God, if you're out
there, watch over him and let no harm come to him.  You put us together for a
reason.  It's not supposed to end like this.                                                             

      Rick
opened his eyes seeing nothing.  His mouth, hands and feet were bound with duct
tape. The odor of raw gasoline permeated the air, as his feet kicked out
hitting barriers. It felt like he was lying on a spare tire.  God, he was in a
car trunk.

      "We
got him. What now, Boss?"

      "Yeah,
we shoved the car over the cliff.  Ain't nobody gonna find that car.  The brush
and weeds done buried it good."

      "Okay,
we're off."                                                      

      Rick
felt the vehicle lurch forward. He tried to piece together the conversation but
it didn't make sense.  He didn't know his captors or how long they would let
him live.  All he knew was that somehow his brother in-law was at the bottom of
it. Eliminating him was exactly what Gene needed to do to get his hands on Ellen.

      The
following morning Ellen and Martha went to work at the shelter and tried to
pretend nothing was wrong.  Rick only worked at the shelter part time, so nobody
had a clue he had disappeared.

Ellen
sat at her desk in deep thought, struggling to keep the panic at bay.  She knew
this was no accident.  Rick was a careful driver, especially now that he had so
much to live for.      Gene was involved somehow. Ellen felt it in her gut.  The
stalking, the photos, and his insane jealousy all added up to getting rid of
the competition. Gene had always hated Rick and especially now. Gene wanted
Ellen for himself. The man she loved had to be eliminated.  It was the only
answer that made sense.

 Gene
must've hired men to kidnap Rick.  The man had a motive for everything he did, no
matter how unbalanced.  If she could just get into his head, think like he
does, she had a chance of finding Rick.                 Ellen looked out her
door and noticed Martha was busy in the kitchen with some of the women.  At
least for now, she appeared composed and not so fretful about her brother. Ellen
wanted to do her own investigation without Martha coming along.  It would just
upset her more than she already was. The trick would be slipping away. Ellen
had to tell her something.  She put her purse over her shoulder and walked to
the kitchen.

      "Excuse
me, I don't mean to interrupt.  Martha, I have a headache.  I'm going home for
awhile."

      "Ellen,
let me come with you.  You shouldn't be alone at a time like this."

      "Thanks." 
She gave Martha a kiss on the cheek. "I need to be by myself right now. 
I'm sure you understand."

      "Of
course I do.  Call me if you feel worse and I'll come."

      "I
will do that, thanks."

      "Ellen
wasted no time walking through the front door and out to the parking lot.                                             

      Once
on the highway, Ellen watched the pavement carefully.  She was looking for skid
marks, a dented guard rail, or anything out of the ordinary.  It was much
easier to see by the light of day. Her heart accelerated as she slowed the car
and stared at the highway.                                                         

      There
they were, the tell tale black skid marks. It could be something or nothing. 
Cars skidded around here all the time. She was at a dangerous hairpin curve
with no place to pull off.  Finding a safe turnout, Ellen left the car, camera
in hand.  Anyone driving by would assume she was one of the many tourists
visiting Smoky Mountains National Park. 

      Carefully
keeping to the side, Ellen saw car tracks that seem to head right into the
mountain wall. Behind those were another set of tracks. A piece of a tail light
glittered in the sun.  She picked it up, examining the piece carefully. A car
was rear ended here.  Was it Rick's? There were scant pieces of glass and metal
on the pavement, but it looked like somebody had tried to clean up the area.  Her
camera clicked as she photographed the highway from every angle.

      She
walked to the edge of the precipice and looked over the guard rail.  The sheer
drop made her dizzy. Taking a deep breath and fighting back acrophobia, Ellen
peered into the dense undergrowth far below. If a car went off here, it would
be swallowed up by the vegetation.  The rail would be damaged. She could see
nothing down below, but there were spots where the rail was missing.  There was
even a spot where it looked like the metal rail had been shoved back together.

      Ellen
photographed everything that might point to a possible abduction.      Would
the police even bother to look here in this place? Would they scoff at her
photographs? Without any more proof than this, she doubted they would even give
her the time of day.

      There
had to be some way to find out what happened. If she was convinced Gene had
something to do with Rick's disappearance then somebody was paid to do it for
him. That's how Gene operated.

Then
it hit her.  Men living in this area were loyal to their sheriff.  Look at what
happened in the courtroom. These men were paid well to keep secrets. 

      The
right bait just might draw out a lot of rats.  How much money would it take to
force a man to break his loyalty? She figured every man had his price. Ellen
had the money.  All she had to do was make it available.

      She
looked at her watch. In exactly five hours Rick could  be considered a missing
person.  Then the law would be involved.  Would the police scoff at her offering
a handsome reward?  It didn't much matter because Ellen was not going to share
that plan with them.  She was going to let it be known in the right places. Would
it be a wise thing to do?  Probably not, but getting Rick back unharmed was
something Ellen did not trust the police and especially the Sheriff's
Department to handle.

By
tomorrow morning the story of Rick’s alleged abduction would be all over the
news.  Ellen had better act fast.

      Parking
her car outside the sheriff's office, Ellen took a deep breath. If she wanted
to offer big bucks for information, this was the place to start, in the rat's
nest.  Going about it might prove to be delicate, but if the deputies weren't
hiding secrets, nobody was. Gene's men knew him better than anybody.

The
dispatcher smiled. "Mrs. Anderson, how can I help you today?"

      "I'd
like to speak to whoever has taken Gene's place."

      The
other deputies in the outer office looked at her, then at each other. Ellen
kept her demeanor placid and waited.

      "Is
this a private matter?"

      "Yes,
it is."

      "That
would be Deputy Matt Howard. Have a seat and I’ll see if he is available.”

      Ellen
sat in one of their hard vinyl chairs and waited. In less than five minutes she
was summoned.   “Mrs. Anderson, if you'll come this way, I'll take you to his
office."

Ellen
took a seat by Matt's desk and waited.  She could hear several male voices behind
the closed door. The men were talking or gossiping.  Matt seemed to be a nice
man and had referred several domestic cases to her for the shelter.  She didn't
want to believe he was involved in anything shady, but she didn't think Gene
would hide a camera in her bedroom either.

      The
door opened. "Hello Ellen, it's nice to see you again."  Matt shook
her hand and took a seat behind his desk. "Is this about Gene's
disappearance?  The whole department is in an uproar over that. How's Martha? 
We've all been concerned."

      Ellen
chose her words carefully. "Martha is having a hard time not only with
Gene's desertion, but with her brother's disappearance also."

      "What?"

      "Dr.
Carrington left the clinic at his usual time and never came home last
night."

      "Oh
my God, that's awful.  Do the police know?"

      "The
police informed me their hands are tied for twenty-four hours and it hasn’t
been that long yet. I will file a missing person's report this evening."

      "I
understand you and Dr. Carrington are very close."

      "We're
planning to be married so obviously this situation is extremely upsetting to
both Martha and me."

      "How
can I help you, Ellen?"

      "I
am offering a substantial monetary reward of a hundred thousand dollars for any
information concerning Rick Carrington's whereabouts. When he is found and
returned unharmed, the informer will get his money."

      Matt
whistled. "That's a lot of money. You know it's bizarre that Gene and his
brother in law would both disappear like this."

      "Why
would you say that, Matt?"

      "Well,
I don't mean anything by it.  I'm sure it's not related."

      "Tell
me what you think."

      "Gene
and his brother in law have been estranged for years.  Everybody knows
that."

      "I'm
not blaming Gene or anybody else for Rick's disappearance. I just want him
back."

      "I
understand."  He stood up.  "I will tell the deputies about the
reward."

      "Thank
you, Matt."

      Before
Ellen started her car, she glanced into the open window of the department.  It
looked like Matt was holding an impromptu meeting as his men seemed to hang on
his every word.  The story of a windfall reward was going to spread faster than
a forest wild fire, perfect.

       Rick
opened his eyes slowly, wincing at the throbbing ache in the back of his head. 
The last thing he remembered was bumping along in the trunk of a car. When the
car finally stopped and the trunk opened he tried to focus on his captors. 
That’s when he was hit on the head again and went under.  Rick wasn't sure how
bad he was hurt but when he tried to feel for injuries, his hand stopped
short.  Grimacing, Rick realized he was handcuffed to an antique brass bed .  He
blinked to clear his vision and fight dizziness. He probably had a concussion. It
seemed he was being held in a hunting cabin of some sort.  A deer head
displaying a large rack of antlers stared back at him through lifeless, glass
eyes.  Rick struggled but it was no use.  His feet were also shackled.     Voices
could be heard coming from the other room.  Listening carefully Rick swore
Gene's voice was among them.  That was no surprise.  His brother in law had a
plan. Rick knew he was expendable and only hoped Ellen would come to no harm.  

      As
the door knob turned, He braced himself. Heavy footsteps approached the bed as
Rick locked eyes with Gene. For silent moments, nothing was said between the
two men. Then Gene took out his revolver, cocked it and shoved the cold, hard
barrel against Rick's temple.  Rick never flinched or blinked but continued to
stare.

      "Brave
son of a bitch, aren't ya?"  Gene replaced the hammer putting the pistol
back in its holster.  "That would be too easy. I want to see you suffer before
you die."

      "Why,
Gene?"

      "Why?
The man asked."  Gene wore an agitated expression as he paced around the
small room.  "Are you telling me,
Doctor
Carrington, as smart as
you think you are that you really don't know?"

      Rick
remained silent continuing to stare at his brother in law.

      "The
only thing I wanted in this world you managed to snatch right out from under my
nose with very little effort.  Now don't you think that deserves some
punishment?"

      "Ellen
is the thing you want?"

      "Oh,
give the man a cigar.  You're damn right, it's Ellen."

      "You're
a married man."

      "And
that's supposed to stop me?"                                  

      Rick
knew this conversation would go nowhere.  There was no point in arguing the
issue with a delusional man so he held his tongue.

      "Do
you have any idea what that little piece is worth?  And she has handed you the
whole treasure chest without you hardly blinking an eye."

      Rick
felt his hackles stand up.  He was being goaded into a fight.

      "Ain't
talkin are ya?"  Gene rounded on him, getting his livid face within inches
of Rick's.  "Well let me tell you how it is.  This is my cabin and only
one other person knows about it.  Oh yeah, I brought that delicious thing up
here one day and she screwed my brains out, right on that bed you got your
worthless carcass on.  Best piece of tail I ever had, and I don't aim to lose
it that easily."  He watched Rick for a reaction.

      "You
know, I don't give a shit whether you believe me or not because guess what's
going to happen now?  Our darling Ellen is going to come looking for you because
I plan on luring her up here. When she gets here you are going to be treated to
a little show."