Fragrance of Revenge (26 page)

Chapter
79

It was 9 o’clock back in Boston. She had just checked in at the airport and picked up her boarding pass. She would
be home in less than ten hours and it couldn’t be fast enough. She was
concerned about Scott since she just tried his apartment and hers and there was
still no answer. She knew this wasn’t like him, and she feared the worst.

She knew the process to make a
collect call and this time she was calling her dad. He accepted the charges.

“Hi Dad, it’s me.”

“Mercedes I can’t tell you how
great it is to hear your voice. Are you at the airport?”

“Yes, I’m about to board the
plane. Have you heard from Scott?”

“Honey something bad has happened,
but the authorities are involved.”

“What? What has happened?”

“Scott has been abducted.”

“When did this happen and where
was he…and what the hell was he doing?”

“There are many things we need to
talk about and this is not how I want to tell you about them.”

“Jesus, Dad, my concern right now
is Scott. You can tell me the other things later, but I want to know what has
happened to him. This is like déjà vu and I’m not there this time to help.” She
was attracting attention. “I need to get on the plane, but tell me what you
know about his abduction.”

“Mike Miller called me this
morning very early. Scott and he were doing an investigation and they both
witnessed someone being attacked and then killed. Mike said he went to help the
person, but the attackers escaped and in the process took Scott.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Mercy I’m so sorry. You might
want to kill me first.”

“Oh Dad, don’t tell me he was
involved in something for you. I think I knew this earlier when you wouldn’t
elaborate why you knew how to reach Scott. Dad, I’m really worried about him.
This is his third abduction and it might be his last. You said ‘attackers.’ Who
the hell were they and why did they take Scott?”

“This is too involved to go into
on the phone.”

“
Jesus, Dad, that g
ives me
something to consider on the plane. This is the man I want to marry and you’re
not telling me what I need to know.

“Okay, you’re right. Just give me
a second to gather my thoughts.”

“Dad the final boarding call has
just been announced. Why can’t you just tell me? It can’t be that bad?”

“It is Mercy…it really is. You
have another sister. Worse, Melanie had a twin sister. She was one of the
abductors and Mike said she is the one who killed their original captive.”

“Oh my God,
no! This
can’t be happening again
.” She beat the receiver against the payphone. This
was just too much to hear especially after her rescue. She heard the dial tone
and her name.

‘Would passenger Mercedes Strong
please report to gate twelve for final boarding? Once again, would passenger
Mercedes Strong please report to gate twelve immediately? The plane is about to
depart from the gate.’

“Ms. Strong?”

“Yes.”

“This is for you.”

She opened the white paper and
read the note.

‘Proceed immediately onto the
plane.

Do not talk to anyone. We have
eyes everywhere.

I have your associate, Ralph
Reynolds.

Enjoy your flight.

I am looking forward to
seeing
you soon in Boston.

You will be greeted when you
arrive.

Captain Chavez’

It was a bad day and it just got
worse. As she entered the gate she turned to see the man who gave her the note
smiling at her.

She had just a few hours to
plan what she was going to do to make it a ‘heads-up’ kind of day.

Chapter
80

I heard them in the shower and
this was my chance. I knew I couldn’t break the power cord, but I might be able
to slip it off my wrist.

This time there was nobody
watching me and from the sounds in the bathroom it might be a few more minutes
until they might check on me. I wrapped my fingers together into the tightest
ball I could and pulled. The loop of the cord slipped up my hand just a little
as it did before. I twisted my hand and pulled as hard as I could. The loop
slipped a fraction of an inch more. I looked over to see how much progress I
had made and it had just about an inch to go and it would be over my knuckles.

I twisted and pulled again with
all my might and the loop was almost there. I did it again and this time I
tried to move my body. The pain was excruciating.

I bit my tongue as the electricity
coursed through my body. I shot my hips up almost as a reaction to the shock
but it was enough to move the cord away from my skin. I looked down and the
cord was still dangerously close to shocking my body again. I lifted my right
knee slightly and the cord slid towards the wall. I lifted my left knee and saw
the cord hang even closer to my body.

I heard them laughing in the
bathroom and wondered just how much time I had left. I realized I was either
going to be shocked again, or the cord was going to slide to the wall some
more. I jerked my right knee and the cord slid some more. With only a small
amount of freedom to move it was like watching a snail move. The thoughts of
being whipped with a live cord gave me some additional strength.

I moved everything I could and did
a slight bounce on the bed. I lifted both knees quickly and the cord slid off
me down beside the bed. I pulled my left wrist again and withstood the pain of
the cord. Repetitive twists and one final pull and I had freed my left wrist.

I rolled my upper body to my right
side and started to work on the knot Chris had tied. I realized I no longer
heard the water running. I frantically pulled on the knot and tried to work it
loose, but it was not in the right place to get leverage on it. I don’t know
why I didn’t realize it before but with my left wrist out of the loop my right
arm could pull the cord from under the bed.

In two seconds, I was sitting up
in bed with the length of the cord laying on me while I tried to undo one of
the knots holding my ankles. I heard the bathroom door open and saw a blur out
of the corner of my eye. It was Chris running naked at me and he was reaching
for the revolver.

“Alexis he’s trying to get loose.”

I heard the loud crack and felt
the pain on the side of my head and everything went dark.

*.*.*

I don’t know how long I was
knocked out. My head hurt in two places and every beat of my heart made it
sound like the ocean waves were washing over my head. I kept my eyes closed and
heard the television. My mouth was very dry and I wanted to lick my lips, but
didn’t dare. I didn’t feel cool like before, and I realized I had clothes on.
There was a strong scent of Gardenia and I knew Alexis was close at hand.

‘…police are looking for the two
suspects seen to be driving a 1963 gold Pontiac Tempest. They were last seen in
the Chestnut Hill area of Boston. They are described as a male, Chris Sullivan,
about six feet tall with blonde hair. The woman, Alexis Strong, is about five
nine with long red hair. There is no description about what they were wearing.
Police caution the public not to approach these individuals and to call your
local police department should you spot them or their vehicle. They are armed
and considered dangerous. Once again, these suspects are wanted in the death
and mutilation of a Doctor Samuel Adler who was found murdered in his basement
early this morning. We resume our regular broadcast.’

“Well we’re famous now. I wonder
why they didn’t mention Scott’s name.” I could feel her eyes on me. “I think
our guest is awake and might have a serious headache.”

If I wasn’t awake the slap to my
groin would have woken me.

“It’s nice to see those bright
blue eyes of yours. Sorry you’re dressed Scott, but we need to be on the move.
It was fun dressing you, but Chris wasn’t happy about what I did before I
dressed you.” She looked down and I could see the blood stain on the left side
of my pants. “It would have been more fun if you were awake and watching me. In
case you’re wondering I duplicated the arrow design. Mercedes might enjoy the
stereo road signs, but she’s not going to have that luxury.”

I wasn’t tied up and they looked
ready to leave the room.

“The good news is you avoided the
punishment we had planned for you, but the bad news is you will still have the
joy of it later. Better said, we will. Chris is very upset with your attempted
escape and if he doesn’t kill you, I might enjoy watching Mercedes squirm as I
cut you piece by wonderful piece. I’ll even let Chris have my sister. I owe him
some reward for his help.”

“Chris she plans to kill you too,”
I yelled.

The straight razor appeared right
between my eyes from some place. It was a good thing she stopped its movement
before it sliced my nose off. “That’s right Scott, that’s your blood on the
razor.” Her face distorted. “Lick the blood off.” She didn’t like my
hesitation. “Do it, or I will slice your tongue instead…or, maybe you would
like an amateur circumcision?”

“Alexis we have to get out of
here.”

“Scott, I’m not going to ask you
again.”

I licked the razor and wondered if
she was going to cut my tongue anyway. I tasted my own blood and there was a
metallic taste to it. At least I was alive. She turned the razor over and I
knew what she wanted and obliged.

“Something you should know. Scott
doesn’t lie. Behave yourself Chris, but be very careful.”

  
Chapter 81

“Mike, I wanted to give you an
update on where we are in locating the people who took Scott,” Paul Brosque
said.

“Paul, thanks for calling. Any
progress?”

“None yet. We have an APB out for
Sullivan’s Pontiac, but have not had any reports of any sightings. I think
that’s strange and I feel they may have ditched the car, or parked it
completely out of sight.”

“You’re probably right on that
score. One other thought is that they made it out of state by now.”

“That’s a possibility, but I’m
betting they got off the road pretty quickly. Mike do you have any idea why
they abducted Scott?”

“I have one thought on that. If
Alexis knew about her twin and what she did and attempted to do…well, she might
just pick up where her sister left off.”

“We have a problem then. When we
searched Doctor Adler’s house we found an extensive collection of material
including news clippings on Melanie Strong’s two rampages, one in Boston and the other in Bermuda.”

“Paul, I was afraid of something
like this. What else can you tell me?”

“Well the straight razor used to
kill Adler was not found at his house and looks like they took it with them
when they left. You already reported Scott had a revolver with him. We also
found a file box of material on Alexis Strong which the doctor kept hidden. He
kept a very detailed account of her progress, but it was obvious he was using
her as a sex toy. The pictures he took were not meant to be seen by anyone.”

“I think Scott might just have
walked into a very unfortunate situation.”

“Mike…we also located Ms. Strong’s
diary. Although the doctor thought he was doing things while she was
hypnotized, it was obvious by her notes that she was just playing along with
him. That may have been the reason she mutilated him before she killed him.”

“Do you anticipate they might go
to either Scott’s apartment or Sullivan’s?”

“I hardly think they would go to
either location, or to Stephen Strong’s house or office building. However, we
have all four under surveillance.”

“Thanks Paul. I’m waiting here at
the Brattle office for Paddy. When he arrives, we’re going to get involved in
some manner. If something breaks, try us here. We’ll also be monitoring the
primary channel for any developments.”

“Mike, what’s the story on
Mercedes?”

“The last word I had was she was
headed back on an earlier flight from Venezuela.”

“Scott’s abduction by Melanie’s
twin sister is going to devastate her.”

“I think you’re right about
Scott’s abduction, but I don’t think she knows anything about her sister’s twin
yet. We’re going to pick Mercedes up at the airport and let her know what has
happened.”

“I’ll try my best to keep you
informed of how things are progressing. If you don’t hear from me, call me. If
you can’t reach me at the precinct, have dispatch reach me on the radio.”

“Thanks again Paul.”

Chapter 82

She needed to stop worrying about
Scott for a minute and take some positive action to ensure her own safety. The
thoughts of being in Captain Chavez’s hands again, or even worse, in the hands
of the men who abducted her the first time, made her stomach turn. She knew the
next time she was abducted it would be her last time.

She took a piece of paper and a
pen from her leather satchel and wrote a note.

‘My name is Mercedes Strong. I am
an FBI agent.

Before boarding the plane, I was
given a note.

My fellow agent Ralph Reynolds has
been abducted in Venezuela. I was warned, I will be abducted myself when we
land.

I have been given instructions to
contact nobody.

Please call FBI headquarters in Boston to alert them.

Do not say anything to me because they
could be watching me on this plane.

This is not a joke. My life could
be in serious jeopardy.’

She folded the paper and put it in
her purse. She tried to assess the surrounding passengers to see if any might
be watching her. There was only one man who was back three rows on the other
side of the aircraft who looked like he was staring at her.
Maybe I’m not as
attractive as I thought I was.

She got up and headed up to the
wait station. A stewardess was preparing some coffee. She tapped her on the
shoulder and opened her purse and handed her the note. She put her finger to
her lips with her back blocking the gesture. She closed her purse, took a bag
of peanuts and headed back to her seat.

Her heart was beating rapidly as
she took her seat. The man she spotted earlier was smiling at her, but she
ignored him. Her mind was going a mile a minute. Scott and Ralph were abducted.
It was hard to believe but she could smell Captain Chavez just like he was
sitting beside her. She turned and the man was still looking in her direction,
but got up and walked to the same stewardess.

He came down the aisle a minute
later and sat in the seat beside her. She tried to ignore him, but he tapped
her on the arm. She looked at him and he handed her back her note.

There was a commotion up front and
she saw two other stewardesses running to the coffee area.

“You were warned once. You will
not be warned again. You caused one death already, don’t cause any more. Ralph
didn’t send his best wishes, but unless you want his best parts sent to
you…stay in your seat.”

She watched him get up and thought
he was leaving. He opened an overhead bin and then another. He came back and
sat down and put the small blanket over both their laps.

“Your attention please. Is there a
doctor onboard? Please, if there is a doctor on board we have a medical
emergency. Passengers, if at all possible please remain in your seats for the
balance of the flight.”

They both watched a man near the
front of the aircraft come back to where the stewardesses were. One of them
closed the curtain.

She felt the man’s hand sliding up
her thigh.

“Captain Chavez told me he would
be joining you very shortly, and told me you were well worth my life. You
forced my hand a few minutes ago, but he told me I could amuse myself with you
until he arrived in Boston.”

She felt his hand between her
legs.

“I’m glad it’s a long flight,” he
said with a smile. “Aren’t you glad we have hours to enjoy…the flight?”

I could kill him with one quick
elbow. But would killing him be risking Ralph’s life if he didn’t check in?

“Ms. Strong, do you remember Jose?
I’m his brother and the captain’s cousin. My name is Hector. Please forgive my
inability to shake your hand as it’s rather busy at the moment. Will you please
unbutton your slacks, or do I have to create a scene and do it myself?”

She wished someone was sitting in
the third seat, but no such luck.
She was glad she was going to give her
notice, but wondered if she would actually have the luxury any longer.
She
felt his hand slip inside her panties and grip her flesh. She was very dry and
he was hurting her.

He pulled her hand under the
blanket to him and she wondered when he had exposed himself. She felt his
fingers lessen the pressure on her sex, and realized what the contract was.

“Ms. Strong this is nothing
compared to what you are in store for. You will make my cousin a very rich man
indeed. You are not only beautiful but you have other nice assets including
your fingers. Use them please.”

She saw them covering the
stewardess’ body. “Why did you have to kill that young girl?”

“You are so wrong. You were given
specific instructions and you didn’t follow them…your actions got her killed.
Don’t make another mistake.”

She felt a second finger enter
her. She squeezed his penis hard and she quickly regretted it.

“My dear lady, we have hours to
enjoy the flight. Let’s take our time to enjoy it. I have some toys in my
pocket that will cause you considerable pain. I would much rather please you
than hurt you, and I expect the same in return.”

She wasn’t stupid and knew what
Hector wanted.
She wondered if Ralph was still alive. Without her with him,
what did they have to lose in killing him? Maybe her being with Hector would
give him a few more hours. This time I’m sorry Ralph. Her thoughts went to
Scott and she wondered what her crazy sister had done to him, was doing now, or
would eventually do.

“You’re crying. I’m sorry if I
hurt you too much.”

“We regret to inform you that we
will be making an emergency landing in Miami. Once we land, no one will be
allowed to leave the aircraft. Officials will investigate the death of one of
our staff. We expect to resume our scheduled flight to Boston once officials
have completed their investigation. We appreciate your patience and there will
be complimentary drinks and cocktails.”

They both listened to the message
replay a second time.

She wondered if Hector failed
to check in at the scheduled arrival time in Boston…would Chavez assume
something went wrong and kill Ralph.

At the present time he was paying only
a slight attention to her body and was obviously ready to pop his cork.

“Excuse me. We’re very sorry for
the unexpected stop. Would you two care for something to drink…maybe a
cocktail?” She looked down at Hector whose eyes were closed. “Is he okay?”

She responded by nodding towards
the tented and moving blanket.

“Oh my,” the stewardess responded.

“We’ll pass on cocktails right
now. I need—”

She immediately felt the pain
inside her body.

“Yes?”

“Just some napkins please.”

“I can see why.” She threw a pile
onto the blanket and unlocked the cart and moved to the next row.

She felt his erection diminish.

“That was almost an unfortunate
mistake. Now you need to get me back to where I was.”

“Why Hector, are you going back to
your assigned seat?”

“Unless you want your head under
the blanket, put your other hand under there too.”

She felt his fingers resume their
in and out movement and she added her other hand to his balls and squeezed.

His fingers hurt her and she
released some of the pressure. She heard the rolling cart going up the aisle
and she exchanged glances with the stewardess. The stewardess must have seen
her with both her hands under the blanket.

I’m really not a tramp, but I
wonder what I will be like in a few years after Chavez is done with me. There
was only one person’s prize possession she wanted, and she hoped her crazy
sister wasn’t going to cut if off.