Wicked Obsessions (40 page)

"What? No forwardin' address?" Drew asked, a bit sarcastically.

Parkins shrugged. "Thomas Nelson is a fairly common name. It pops up all over the place. Computers can only put out what's put in. And even then, the right question has to be asked. I figure I just haven't asked the right question yet. At any rate, my nose tells me they're not just holed up in a public motel room somewhere. It would be too hard for Selena to keep Teri under control in a place like that. We checked property records for every county in Pennsylvania. There's no record that the Nelsons bought another house in that state. And there's nothing listed for Selena or Selena Lipschitz either. Would you know of any place Selena might have gone to lie low? Family? Friends?"

"I'm positive Teri said she had no family. I think the mother and stepfather died, too. And she was pretty sure she was Selena's only friend."

"Do you have any idea where she lived last? Sometimes a psycho will return to a rock they crawled out from."

Drew rubbed his temples, trying to remember any other detail Teri had mentioned. "I don't know. Teri only said she moved to Manhattan about a year ago, but I don't remember if she said where she had moved from."

"And she changed her name at the same time. Well, thanks anyway. If you think of anything, you know how to reach me."

"That's it? You're just givin' up?" Drew couldn't believe there wasn't something more he could do to help find Teri.

"No, Mr. Marshall. I'm not giving up. I'm going to keep searching databanks. There has to be something somewhere that will give us a lead. But sometimes waiting is the only thing we can do."

As the sergeant walked out of the room, the nurse came in with the painkiller Drew had been so anxious for just a short while ago. He knew all the frustration and fear he was feeling would be washed away with the pain a few minutes after the drug was injected into his IV. All he had to do was lie back down and let it go to work. But the thought of giving in to it clashed with thoughts of Teri, out there somewhere, with a maniac killer, probably scared out of her mind.

"No, wait," he said abruptly, stopping the nurse as she was about to press the plunger on the hypodermic. "I don't want it any more. Just get me some aspirin, okay?"

The nurse clucked at him, but withdrew the needle. "There's no order on your chart for aspirin. The doctor prescribed specific medication and that is all I'm authorized to give you."

Drew forced himself not to give in to the seductive pull of the drug in the nurse's hand or the rage building up inside him. "Look, I'm a recoverin' addict. This here's too easy, you see? Please call the doctor and ask him about some aspirin." Fifteen minutes later, he had his aspirin and knew what he had to do next.

He called Ann and told her his need for clothes had suddenly become urgent, since he was checking out tomorrow morning. Then he called the White Plains Police Department and caught Sergeant Parkins just as he walked in.

"I have an idea," Drew told him. "But you'll have to help me get out of here. I'm still weak as a kitten today, but they're takin' the tube out of my arm tomorrow mornin' and I think I'll be able to do a little more walkin' by then. I want you to take me to Teri's house. I know you said you already went through there, but maybe I'll see somethin' you missed, since I've been there before."

Parkins laughed. "I'd thought of that myself, but the doctor had threatened to perform delicate surgery on my private parts if I tried to get you out of there before another week."

"You just be here. I'll get myself out."

It was easier than he had expected. At ten thirty the next morning, he and the sergeant took a walk down the hall and just kept on going. By the time they reached his car, however, Drew had accepted Parkins' smaller frame as a crutch.

Drew was able to catch his breath on the ride to Teri's house, but he now understood why the doctor had wanted to keep him in the hospital for another week. He promised himself to return, if he didn't find anything of importance at the house. Once he regained enough strength to talk, Drew told Parkins, "After you left, it occurred to me that Teri would not have gone willingly with Selena no matter
what
story she had concocted. Teri didn't trust her anymore. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew somethin' wasn't right. That was why she told me not to meet with Selena. The way I figure it, Selena had to force Teri out of that house, and, in that case, maybe Teri tried to leave me a message. That's assumin' Selena didn't tell her I was dead, of course."

"I'll buy that, although we didn't see anything."

And neither did Drew... during the first hour that he was in the house, going from room to room, and searching through the upheaval in the bedroom. He was so exhausted and disappointed at not finding any clues, he almost passed on a second look at the master bathroom.

A memory of his walking through this house another time, looking for an intruder with Teri on his heels, had him smiling in spite of how awful he felt. He remembered her laughing about his braving the shower monster for her, and the night he had interrupted her strawberry bubble bath.

That
was what he smelled—strawberries. Following the faint scent, he pushed himself into the bathroom and looked around. The shower curtain was drawn halfway along the tub, but a quick glance inside assured him no scary surprise awaited him there. He pulled the curtain the rest of the way back and frowned over the broken crystal decanter. Had Teri broken it while Selena was dragging her away? There was no blood to indicate a struggle, only shards of glass and spilled pink crystals.

Then he looked again. "Sergeant! Come here quick."

Parkins was at his side a second later. "What is it?"

"Look. I almost missed it. There are letters scraped out in the bath crystals. Dust settled over them, but if you look hard, you can make it out. See? SELENA KILLED... what do you think this name is? It's not as neat as the other three words. Teri must have been rushed away."

"Son-of-a-bitch! Pardon me, but two of us looked in here and didn't notice that. The only excuse I can give is when I glanced behind the curtain, I was at an angle and half-expecting to see a body. When there wasn't even a drop of blood, I just kept going." Parkins knelt down and read off the letters: "V-L-S-T-E-R-C. Does that mean anything to you?"

"No, but there's definitely a space between the 'R' and the 'C'. Maybe it's the first initial of a last name."

Parkins moved his finger in the air over all the letters, tracing Teri's words several times. "Maybe that first letter is a 'U' not a 'V'."

"Ulster?" Drew asked, testing the sound of the name. "There's an Ulster in Ireland."

"And one in New York!" Parkins exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "The 'C' could stand for 'County'-Ulster County, New York! Your lady left a message, all right." He rose and dusted off the knees of his dark uniform pants.

Drew felt a surge of success revitalize him. "Do you think that's where they were headed?"

"It's worth a shot. At least we have a specific county to search public records. Are you up to going to the station with me, or should I take you back to the hospital? You're white as a ghost."

Drew just looked at him like he was crazy and Parkins laughed. He understood what it was like to want to be part of the hunt. He wouldn't deny Drew Marshall even if he did look like he was ready to fall on his face.

Chapter 23

"Bingo!" Ross Parkins shouted staring at his computer monitor. "Selena Lipschitz gained title to a piece of property in Ulster County a little over a year ago."

"Let's go," Drew said, but the time it took him to get up from the chair betrayed his lack of energy.

"You'll have to stay here," Parkins told him.

"I'm going if I have to hire a cab and follow you there."

After several more curt exchanges and Drew's promise to stay out of the way, Parkins gave in and went to clear his trip with Captain Hart.

Since the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction in Ulster was New York's State Troopers, Hart arranged for Parkins, Morris and Marshall to go to the station nearest Selena's property and be accompanied to the house by troopers. There was no guarantee Selena was there, but they would be prepared to apprehend a crazed killer slash kidnapper nonetheless.

Drew slept through most of the two-hour trip, but the morning's exertion took its toll in pain when he awoke. Every breath was like another knife in his chest. But it would all be worth it if they found Teri safe.

* * *

Through half-closed eyes Teri watched Selena take the little tray away. This marked the ninth meal of bread and water rations... and she had actually been grateful when Selena brought it to her. Teri had thought Selena had already deprived her of all she could when she woke up naked in the barren cage. But at that time, she had still had two weapons left—her strength and her mind. The first was disintegrating from purposeful neglect. Selena was keeping her too hungry to stage another rebellion, and the slightest activity left her weak and dizzy.

At first she believed Selena couldn't break her will to live, no matter what torture she devised. But then, at first, Teri also believed that she could somehow talk her way out of her imprisonment.

In the time since her escape attempt, Teri had stayed silent and obedient, apologized, pleaded, screamed in anger, and cried in desperation, all to no avail.

Her newest fear stemmed from the awareness that Selena no longer had any lucid moments. She talked only to Juliette and served Teri's needs like a robot. Teri was fairly sure her warden wasn't getting any sleep either, since she rarely moved from the chair. She was sitting there, staring at Teri when Teri fell asleep, and she was always there when Teri awoke. When she did go upstairs, she would leave Juliette in the chair to keep her one good eye watching their prisoner. Sometimes the shabby old doll frightened Teri more than her owner did.

Selena also seemed to have forgotten her offer to let Teri earn back her privileges, or perhaps, she, too, was losing track of time. Teri and her cage were still stripped bare, and the only water she had received was for drinking. She knew better than to waste that on washing herself. Though she might be filthy and losing weight, as long as she had bread and water, she could survive.

And that fact made Selena the only lifeline Teri had. Without her, Teri knew she would die of starvation. Depending on someone so insane for her merest existence left her totally helpless. And that helplessness was slowly chipping away at her will. Every so often she found herself wanting to curl into a ball and go to sleep, never to awaken again. So far, however, her mind had remained clear enough to push such thoughts away. Although her situation offered no sign of hope, she wasn't yet ready to follow Selena's mother's escape route.

Overhead, she could hear Selena moving about. Strangely, it sounded like she was running from one end of the house to the other. What could she be up to now? Having something to be curious about stirred Teri from her lethargy.

Suddenly she heard Selena open, close and bolt the basement door then saw her racing down the stairs with Teri's robe over her arm. With her long, white hair flying madly around her and her glazed eyes widened in panic, she looked as if she was being chased by demons... or was one herself.

Teri backed into the corner of the cage as Selena hurriedly unlocked the door, darted inside, and locked herself in with Teri.

Pocketing the key, she tossed Teri the robe and ordered, "Cover yourself. Quickly. And be very quiet."

What Teri saw in Selena's hand quieted her more effectively than the warning. Selena had Rico's gun, and, as far as she knew, it was still loaded. At least it wasn't pointing at her this time. She pulled on the robe and made herself wait for an explanation.

"Don't worry, Teri. I won't let them get you. I'll protect you."

"Them?" Teri prayed Selena wasn't just being paranoid. She listened intently for any noise that might indicate a rescue was imminent, but for several minutes the only sound in the empty basement was Selena's breath hissing through her teeth.

* * *

"That's the white Cadillac we're looking for," Parkins told the men around him as soon as they went around the back of the house. "We'd better assume our killer and the kidnap victim are in the house. So everybody stay alert." The six troopers who had provided escort surrounded the house while Parkins and Morris went to the front door. Drew was ordered to stay behind until they had the situation under control.