But would she be alive? And if so, would she wishshe was dead?
**********
“Hey!”
The young couple sitting in their car was startled by the crazy man in the bathrobe banging on the window.
“What’s your problem?” The young man yelled back, afraid to open the window.
“My wife was kidnapped. Did you see a man drive away with a pretty redhead?”
The young man rolled down the window. “Maybe. I’m not sure if her hair was red.”
“Yeah, it was,” said the woman.
“Did they leave in a dark green Jaguar?”
“I don’t know what kind of car it was,” said the man. “But I think it was green. Definitely some type of sports car.”
“Thanks,” said Greg. “And I’m sorry I scared you.”
He rushed back inside and found Sandy, Rebecca, Chaucey, and Crow in his room. Rebecca was sitting at the table, working at her laptop. Greg had not even realized she’d brought it.
“I found a couple making out in the parking lot. They saw Larry and Cynthia leave in his car. But I have no idea where he’s taking her. How am I ever going to find them?”
“Rebecca’s re-reading his last chapter,” said Sandy.
“He wrote another chapter?” said Greg. “Is that how you knew he was here in Orlando?”
Greg got in Sandy’s face and yelled. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I tried—but your cell phone was turned off and you didn’t listen to the message I left you,” he said, pointing to the phone on the night table. “I’m sorry. I should have told the desk clerk.”
“It’s okay.” Greg calmed down a bit. “It’s not your fault.”
Chaucey walked over to where Rebecca was sitting. “Any clues?”
“Not yet. But you know he probably gave one or two,” said Rebecca.
“Yeah,” said Chaucey, “he loves to do that. Thinks he’s smarter than everybody else.”
“For the apartment in The Woodlands, he used the name Revo Enim,” said Rebecca, “which, of course, is just ‘Undermine’ spelled backwards. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he did something like that again.”
Greg said, “Yeah, but we don’t even know if he’s taking her to a motel or an apartment or what.”
“I can’t imagine him renting an apartment,” said Sandy. “He knows the police are looking for him, so he wouldn’t want to stick around for too long.”
“Good point,” said Rebecca. “So, I’ll look for anything that could be the name of a hotel.”
Chaucey leaned in close and read over Rebecca’s shoulder. She found something and pointed to it on the screen. “What about this? He’s talking about making his fantasy come true in Orlando?”
“What does that tell us?” said Greg.
“Try searching on the words ‘fantasy’ and ‘Orlando,’” said Chaucey.
After a few seconds, Rebecca said, “Bingo. Orlando Fantasy Hotel. That’s got to be it!” She clicked on the link, which took her to the hotel’s website.
Sandy opened his cell phone and called the number on the screen.
“Yes, can you tell me if you have a Larry Luzor registered there?”
“What was the name again?”
“Luzor. L-u-z-o-r.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Now what?” said Greg.
“Wait. He wouldn’t use his real name, would he?” said Chaucey.
“Doubtful,” said Rebecca.
“Call back, Sandy,” said Greg. “Ask for a Mr. Ruzol, which is Luzor spelled backwards.”
Sandy called the hotel and asked. But they had no Mr. Ruzol.
Just when Sandy was about to hang up, Crow said, “Ask about ‘Bigy Rules.’”
“What?”
“Bigy Rules,” said Crow.
Although Sandy couldn’t imagine where Crow was coming up with the name, he tried it anyway. “You do? What’s the room number? 343. Thanks.”
“You’re kidding me,” said Rebecca.
“No,” said Sandy. “They actually have a guest by that name.”
“Crow, how did you come up with that?” said Chaucey.
“Roulz. R-o-u-l-z is Luzor with the letters scrambled. And I figured he’d like that one since it sounds like rules, r-u-l-e-s, because he thinks he rules.”
“Okay,” said Rebecca. “But where did you get the ‘Bigy’?
“Well, you were telling us all about Larry while we waited for the bus. And you said his real name is Lawrence Igby Luzor. So I just swapped a couple of letters in the name ‘Igby’ and got ‘Bigy.’”
“You’re smarter than you look, Crow,” said Rebecca. “No offense.”
“Bigy Roulz,” said Chaucey. “Yeah, that’s him. No doubt about it.”
“Come on,” said Greg, rushing out the door, “we’re gonna outsmart Mr. Bigy this time. But we’ve got to hurry.”
**********
As Larry pulled the Jaguar into the parking lot of the Orlando Fantasy Hotel, Cynthia saw that there was a group of teenagers getting out of a bus nearby. Larry wouldn’t shoot her in front of all those witnesses, she thought.
“Now, I’m warning you, Cynthia. Don’t make a scene or you’ll regret it.”
She nodded humbly.
“Okay, let’s go.”
They got out of the car. Cynthia started running. She ran as fast as she could toward the hotel.
Larry thought about pulling out his pistol, but saw the kids and decided against it. So, he ran after her. “I’m gonna get you,” he yelled out, as though it was just a game.
She ran to the side entrance. Once she reached the front desk, she’d be safe. He might be capable of killing her, but she didn’t think he was prepared to shoot the desk clerk and several others.
But the door was locked, and according to the sign, required a key card at night. Larry was approaching quickly.
Cynthia ran to the back of the hotel, where the big garbage bins where kept. It was dimly lit, and smelled like rotten fish.
Larry flew around the corner only to see something flying at his head. He ducked, but the large cinder block clipped his forehead anyway.
Seeing that he was stunned for the moment, Cynthia turned to run away.
But he lunged at her, grabbing her leg on his way down.
She tried to kick free, but he latched onto her like a bear trap.
As he crawled up her body, his dizziness began to dissipate. Finally, he planted himself on her thighs and pulled out his gun and pressed the barrel into her left ear.
Cynthia wondered if this would be her last moment on earth. Was this where she would die—in this smelly place behind a hotel? A popular hangout for rats and other vermin, no doubt. Her body would look like one of those cadavers on the CSI show—the top of her head blown off. Maggots coming out from everywhere. Could she fight him off and wrestle the gun out of his hand?
“Is this what you want? Huh? You want to die right now?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run away. That was stupid of me.”
“And you shouldn’t have hit me in the head. That could have left me brain dead.”
She wished.
“I’m gonna give you one more chance.”
“Okay.”
He started to get up, but changed his mind. “You don’t even think this gun is real, do you?”
“What? Of course I think it’s real.”
“Or, maybe you think it’s not loaded.” He pointed it toward the sky and fired.
Cynthia jumped. Even with the suppressor muffling the sound, there was no doubt he had just fired a bullet.
“Let’s go,” he said, as he got up and helped her to her feet. “Time to get it on, Baby.”
Chapter39
“Okay, Baby, our time has finally come,” said Larry.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” said Cynthia.
“Alright. But don’t be long.”
She went in
to the bathroom and locked the door.
Larry opened the French doors and went out onto the balcony. He breathed in the crisp, 60-degree air. Wonderful night for his dreams to come true. It would take just a few minutes before Cynthia realized there was no escape. She couldgo out the bathroom window. But they were on the third floor, so it would be a killer jump. And there was nothing in the bathroom that could be used as a weapon—except maybe a towel to strangle him with. Good luck with that, Honey.
He took out his pipe and inspected it. Thank goodness it had not been damaged during the scuffle downstairs.
After puffing away for several minutes, he heard Cynthia calling to him from the bathroom.
“Larry? I’m sick.”
“Sorry about that. Come on out.”
“No. You don’t understand. I’ve got diarrhea.”
He tried the doorknob. “Unlock the door.”
“Believe me—you don’t want to come in here.”
“Unlock the door, Cynthia.”
“No. I’m embarrassed.”
“You’ve got five seconds to open this door before I kick it in! One…two…three…”
The door opened. Cynthia was fully dressed and the bathroom was odor free.
“Nice try. Now get your sweet little butt out here.” He closed the French doors. “Go over there to the bed.”
Cynthia walked to the foot of the king size bed. “Why are you doing this to me, Larry? You said you loved me.”
“Oh, I do. Always have, since high school.”
“Okay, then. So, why would you want to rapeme? If you really love somebody, you don’t force them to have sex with you.”
“Well, I don’t necessarily have to rape you.”
There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
“You can do it willingly.”
“I’m a newlywed. Are you trying to destroy my marriage?”
“Not at all. In fact, I want you and Greg to stay together for the rest of your lives.”
She was speechless.
“Yes, I want you two to be happy and raise a wonderful family.”
“Then, let me go.”
“I willlet you go. As soon as we’re done.” He pulled the pistol out of his jacket pocket and secured it under the waistband of his pants. Then he took off the jacket and tossed it on a chair. “Now, take off your blouse. And do it in a seductive way. Make it fun.”
“Fun? You just said you wanted Greg and me to be happy.”
“That’s right. I want y’all to be happy so the kids will be happy. So, ourkid will be happy.”
Cynthia was terrified. And the hope of getting away unscathed was fading fast. “You want to get me pregnant?”
“Yes.” He smiled proudly.
“You’re a monster!”
He laughed. “That’s right. And this monster is gonna load up your womb with his monster sperm tonight, Baby. Now, take off your blouse before I rip it off!”
She reached for the top button and unhooked it.
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” He practically jumped up and down in anticipation.
**********
Greg, Sandy, Rebecca, Chaucey, and Crow were in a taxi, on their way to the Orlando Fantasy Hotel.
“Are we going to try to get a key or just break down the door?” said Rebecca.
“I can do it,” said Crow. “I’ll knock down the door.”
“But what if it’s a solid door, and you have trouble getting it opened?” said Greg. “We need to surprise him.”
Sandy knew that Greg had not read the latest chapter about how Larry wanted to get Cynthia pregnant. But there was no reason to add to his worries. They were getting there as fast as they could.
Chaucey said, “If the desk clerk is a man, I can get the key.”
Rebecca said, “I’ll bet you can, Honey.” Men could no more resist a woman like Chaucey than they could resist a fine sports car, she thought. And this one was fully loaded.
The taxi dropped them off in front of the lobby.
“Y’all wait out here,” said Chaucey.
The desk clerk was male and in his forties. Piece of cake, she thought. “Hi.”
“Good evening.”
She giggled. “I feel so silly. I’m afraid I went off without my key. I was in a hurry when I left for dinner. It’s sitting right there on the TV in my room.”
“No problem, ma’am. If you’ll just show me some identification, I’ll be glad to give you another key card. What’s the room number?”
“343.” She dropped her purse on the floor and several items fell out. “Oh, my.”
The clerk watched with great interest as she turned around and her long, silky hair flung around too, seemingly in slow motion. She bent over while pulling her skirt up just a bit.
A little higher, he thought, as he leaned his head down close to the counter for a better view. It was taking quite a while for her to gather everything. He could almost see her panties. Please take longer, he thought. His head was resting on the counter, as though he was taking a nap. But he wasn’t. His eyes were wideopen.
She suddenly turned her head and saw him gawking at her butt.
He jerked his head upright and nearly pulled a couple of muscles. In an instant, the key card was in his outstretched hand. “Uh, here you go.”
Chaucey stepped up to the counter. “Thank you.” She smiled warmly, as though she didn’t even realize his dirty thoughts were burning a hole in his pants.
After Greg and the others saw that she had succeeded, they walked in and joined her at the elevator.
**********
“It won’t work, you know. You might as well put on a condom. I could have a disease. You might as well be safe.”
“I don’t even havea condom.”
“And you’re wasting your time, because I’ll just have an abortion.” She knew the rape would happen anyway, unless she could stall long enough for Greg to find her.
“No, you won’t. You would neverhave an abortion.”
This is good, she thought. Keep the conversation going. “Yes, I would. Because there’s no way I’m having your baby.”
“But what about your mom?”
“Huh?”
“And what about Jennifer?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But her eyes told him otherwise.
“You really miss her, don’t you?”
Cynthia began to tremble.
“Yeah, it’s too bad about your sister. You really think she can hear you when you talk to her?”
Tears began to run down Cynthia’s face.
“All these years…she could have been there for you…if you’re mother hadn’t—“
“—stop!” Her eyes were red and her cheeks were drenched. “How did you know about Jennifer?”
“Oh, that’s right—I forgot to tell you. I spent a few hours at your house yesterday. Comfortable bed, by the way.”
“You animal.”
“And I enjoyed learning so much about you. You women really open up when you write in your diaries. So, you see, I knowyou won’t have an abortion—like your mother did when she killed your big sister, Jennifer.”
“My mother was raped!”
“Right. But you still hated her for having the abortion, didn’t you? She killed your sister.”
“Jennifer wasn’t really my sister—she was never born.”
“But she wouldhave been. And your mother must have at least consideredkeeping the baby since she gave her a name.”
“You are the most cruel person I have ever met!”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear you say that about the future father of your firstborn. Now quit stalling!” And with one quick stroke of the hand, he torn her blouse open.
Larry was so consumed by the sight of Cynthia’s breasts, barely contained in her lacy red bra, that he didn’t hear someone unlock the door behind him. But he didhear the hinge squeak as the door opened. He spun around, as he pulled out the pistol.
Greg ran at him like a madman.
Before Larry could swing the gun completely around, Greg grabbed his arm.
Larry squeezed the trigger, and the bullet went into the wall.
Greg wrestled the pistol from Larry’s hand and it flew into the air.
Larry tripped Greg, threw him down, and then jumped for the gun, which had landed on the floor, near the bathroom doorway.
Chaucey tried to beat him to it. She reached down, and was about to pick it up when Larry grabbed her. So, she kicked the pistol out of the way, and Rebecca snatched it up.
Larry put his left arm around Chaucey’s waist and held her so tightly she could barely breathe.
Rebecca pointed the gun at him. “Let her go!”
“You think you’re in control here?” He reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a large pocketknife, opened it and held it to Chaucey’s neck. “Think again.”
“No!” yelled Crow.
“I’m going to walk out of here with Chaucey, and you people are not going to try to stop me. And you’re not going to call the police. Because I really don’t want to cut up her sexy little body. So, don’t make me.”
“Noooooo!” Crow ran at Larry.
Larry had less than a second to make a decision. This was the same meathead who had attacked him in Chaucey’s apartment. Didn’t the idiot see the knife? Doesn’t he know I’ll kill Chaucey? He’s crazy!
Chaucey sensed Larry’s uncertainty and felt him pull the knife away from her neck. So, she let her body go limp.
Larry couldn’t hold her up with one arm.
Chaucey fell to the floor and roll away from Larry.
Now he was exposed. But he still had the knife. Just as Crow reached him, Larry slashed, nicking Crow’s left arm.
Crow clamped onto Larry’s hand and squeezed with all his might, until Larry released the knife and it dropped to the floor. Then Crow picked him up and ran toward the balcony. Larry felt no heavier than the cockroach he was, as Crow rammed his head into the French doors, which broke open to the balcony.
“You’ll never touch Chaucey again!” Crow held his body upside down above the railing.
“Stop, Crow!” Chaucey ran to the balcony.
But it was too late. Crow released him.
“No!” cried Chaucey. A fall from the third floor would surely kill him.
Illusion of Luck Page 20