Chained Guilt (Hidden Guilt (Detective Series) Book 1) (19 page)

31

Miranda woke suddenly to the sound of voices from somewhere above her.

“David, I thought we could take my car. Is that okay with you?”

Miranda’s screams were muffled by the tape across her mouth.
David!
He was here!               It had taken Miranda a while to realize she was being kept in the woman’s basement.  Now it appeared her captor had been telling the truth the entire time. She had infiltrated Miranda’s family with the intent to take it over. Miranda was horrified beyond belief, and all at once, everything made sense. Tied to her chair, she struggled to make a noise—anything that might capture David’s attention.

“Yeah, Stacy, no problem,” David said. “You’re kinda out in the boonies, aren’t you?”

Miranda felt a myriad of emotions running through her, followed by an agonizing pain in her chest. She could barely breathe. How could David have fallen for such an evil person?  How long had he waited before he simply moved on? Tears warmed her eyes.

For a while, Miranda had been able to keep track of the days and months, but that time had long passed.
Maybe it’s been a year
, Miranda thought. If David had no reason to believe she was still alive, certainly he could be expected to move on eventually.

Miranda knew Stacy had intended on bringing David here all along to torture her. That’s why she’d taped her mouth earlier that day. She knew Miranda would be in agony, listening to David’s voice only a few feet away. It might as well have been miles. They talked for a few moments more, and then Miranda heard the front door close.

Miranda realized the anger she once felt was slowly turning into hopelessness and despair. She missed David and the girls, and as bittersweet as it had been, she was glad to at least hear his voice once again. 

32

“So tell me, David, why did you want to be a cop to begin with? I mean, had you always wanted to be one?”

I thought for a second. I could give some macho answer that wasn’t the truth, or I could start off this relationship with some honesty.

“Honestly, it kind of happened. I mean, I know that sounds cliché and all, but it really did. I’d been bouncing around dead-end jobs after the army, and someone told me to give it a shot. I never thought I’d be doing this for fifteen years.” I paused. “I probably owe much of that to Miranda. Lord knows I thought about quitting more times than I can remember.”

“She must have been a really special girl,” Stacy said.

“Yes, she was . . . but what about you?” I asked, wanting to change the subject. “Why nursing? Not to be rude, but it seems like with a little more schooling you could be a full-fledged doctor.”

“I don’t think it’s rude. And to be perfectly honest with you, I have no idea. But I can tell you this—the thought of more school right now is out of the question. As a nurse, I already have more medical training than most of the people on this planet.”

“Well, I guess you do,” I said. “That’s a good point.”

I knew if I allowed my mind to wander, it would drift back to Miranda. She was dead, and I had accepted that, but I still missed her dearly.  I never thought dating again would be this tough on me emotionally. I felt a sense of guilt for trying to fancy another woman.

A few minutes later, we pulled up at Papadeuax. I got out and moved around the car to open Stacy’s door. I was a perfect gentleman.

“Thank you, sir.” She smiled.

I returned her smile, my heart pounding. I felt like a high school boy on his first date.

I escorted Stacy inside and gave the hostess Stacy’s last name for the reservation. She had asked for a secluded spot at the back of the restaurant. I was surprised. She’d gone all out.

“So what do you think, David?” she asked as we sat down.

“This place is incredible . . . and you look incredible.”

Stacy leaned closer. “I look even better in my tight, little night-night shirt,” she said with a seductive smile.

Then she kissed me.

33

Hilary lay in her bed and looked around her room. She opened the nightstand drawer and felt around for her iPod. Music—her escape. She knew her dad really liked Coach Stacy, though she secretly had some reservations of her own. She would continue to hide her concerns, though. After all, she’d encouraged her dad to go out with Stacy. How could she explain that lately she thought something just wasn’t quite right with the lady.

                   Since the first encounter with her at her mother’s funeral, something about Stacy made her uneasy. She’d tried to ignore it. After all, Stacy was a pretty woman, and she knew her dad was lonely. Sometimes, when no one else was looking, she thought she caught Stacy peering at her from the corner of her eye.  It was creepy.

                   Hilary also needed to decide what she was going to do about her boyfriend, Rodney. Rodney and Hilary had met at a house party right after her mom went missing. Fireworks had shot between them from the beginning, even though they were very different creatures indeed.  Rodney was a computer geek, hacking into anything and everything he could find. Hilary hated computers almost as much as she hated school. She majored in partying and rock music.

                   Unfortunately, a night of drinking games had left them naked, drunk, and lusting for each other. They had gone up to one of the bedrooms and began making out. Something—perhaps the memory of her mom’s nagging voice in her head—gave Hilary enough willpower to avoid having sex with him. Ever since that night, Rodney had been pressuring her to go all the way.

                   Sure, she wanted him to like her, but she didn’t want to feel like a piece of meat. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the ding of her phone. She picked it up and answered, knowing who it would be. 

              “Hello,” Hilary said.             

                 “Hey good lookin’. Wanna see me tonight?”

                   “Rodney, I don’t know. Right now I’m home watching my little sister. My dad is out with Stacy.”

                   “Yeah? Well, why don’t I just come over there then? I’ll be good. I promise. C’mon, Hil. You know you wanna see me. Hey, did you finally tell your dad Stacy gives you the creeps?”

                   “No. I told you my dad really likes her, and she may be good for him even if she’s not good for me. Look, I’ll call you after my sister goes to sleep. My dad won’t be in ’til late, I’m sure, but you have to be gone before he gets here or he’ll kill me!”

                   After the phone call, Hilary went to check on her sister. She found Karen in her room, writing in her diary, as she often did. She sat down on the floor next to her little sister and read over her shoulder.

Hi mommy me again,

Tonight daddy finily went out with Coach Stac
y
. I hope you are not mad. I was right about them liking each other—they do. Will I ever see you agin? Maybe in heven I will. I sure hope so you ment so much to me. Hilary has been sneeking boys in when daddy is gone. She dusnt think I know but I do. When I get older I wont do that don’t wurry.

Bye for now
.

Love

Karen

**

Stacy and I seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. We laughed and shared stories about our pasts as we finished our dinner at a local restaurant. It wasn’t nearly as fancy as our first dinner, which I preferred. I was more comfortable with diner-type fare than fancy dishes I could barely pronounce.

“I really like you, David,” Stacy said. “I don’t need to go on fifteen more dates to know you’re the man I want. Actually I don’t need another date. I want to be a part of your life and the girls lives . . . permanently.”

I didn’t see this one coming, and it must have been plainly written on my face. No hiding this one.

“I’m not asking you to marry me, silly, but I would like to move in with you and the girls and make our relationship feel more real.”

She looked at me with expectation. I didn’t know what to say. She was moving kind of fast, but I knew a lot of things had changed since I’d first dated Miranda. Still . . .

“This is a surprise,” I admitted. “Not in a bad way, but a definite surprise. I mean, I thought we had a connection, possibly, but—”

“Talk it over with the girls,” she suggested. “Think about it, David. I want you, the girls, us. Our own little family. Maybe even a kid of our own one day.”

I pushed myself away from the table. The “one day” relieved me a little.  I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m on not one, but two types of birth control right now. Mainly for some problems I’ve been having,” she said, lifting her hands. “No pregnancies here!” she laughed. “But enough talk about the future. Let’s have some fun tonight.”

She suggested we skip the theatre and make our own “production” back at her place. She quietly admitted she hadn’t had sex since her boyfriend’s accident. It didn’t take much prying and cajoling before Stacy and I were headed back to her place.

I slowly eased my hands up the sides of Stacy’s body, stopping just shy of her breasts. She grabbed my hands and encouraged me to cup her breasts. She moaned in my ear. From that point on, my hesitance vanished.

After our lovemaking session ended, I headed to the bathroom to clean up before gathering my clothes from the floor beside the bed.

“Where are you going, hon?” Stacy asked, lying naked on the bed, not a shy bone in her body. “Won’t you stay with me tonight?”

I shook my head. “I have to get back to the girls. I told them I’d be in late, but I’d be in nonetheless.”

Stacy tried to convince me to stay by offering another round of sex, but I declined. She didn’t make it easy. She rose from the bed, leaving the sheet behind, walked over to me and rubbed my crotch as she nibbled my ear.

“Very tempting proposition, but I really have to go. This we will do again—a whole lot more, if the girls aren’t opposed to you moving in with us.”

“So does that mean you’re okay with my moving in?”

“Well, let’s just say I’m warming to the idea.” I shrugged. “But I’m on duty early tomorrow, and my gear is at home.”

How weak am I?
How did I go from three or four dates to possibly letting this woman move in with me and my girls? Oh, the pleasures of the flesh.

“Oh yeah, De Luca,” Stacy muttered. “How could I forget?”

I noticed the sudden hard edge to her voice, though she tried to disguise it behind a smile. I frowned.

“I’m on duty whether Detective De Luca rides with me or not. She’s a coworker and nothing more; besides, this gentleman prefers blondes.”

34

The engine noise woke Miranda. Again, she pulled at her restraints. She heard the front door open and close. Her heart thudded in her chest when she heard David’s voice above her, talking to Stacy. She looked around the semi-dark interior of the basement until she found the source. The bitch had positioned a baby monitor on the small table behind her. The volume was low, accompanied by occasional static, but she heard every word. Just like Stacy wanted.

“David, I won’t break. Don’t be scared,” Stacy was saying.

Miranda’s stomach clenched as she was forced to listen to the moans and groans of Stacy, her captor, as she had sex with David. The tape over her mouth prevented Miranda from screaming in outrage. Defeated, she let the tears flow. David had always been a good lover, and now he was showering another woman with his passion.

Miranda lost her breath; she couldn’t afford to hyperventilate. She struggled to gain control over her emotions, knowing she would die of a broken heart right here, right now, if she didn’t get a hold of herself. She couldn’t allow the bitch to see her pain. Then again, what was the point? Her daughters and her husband had been wiped out of her life by the psycho bitch, and now the woman talked of moving into her house! With her children! With her husband! Miranda moaned in despair. She remained trapped, unable to prevent it.