As my body moved along, my mind couldn’t stop going over and over the image of Angie in the dumpster. She needed to be cleaned up before her family saw her. I knew Doc Gardner would make sure of it. I had liked her for the few minutes we’d talked. I had believed her when she said she was clean. Maybe she was, but I couldn’t imagine why else she, Brian, and Adam had been killed. To be honest, there could have been a million and one reasons. None of this made any sense. What was up with the pictures? What, then, did the killers, who I assumed were my kidnappers, want with me? Did they think I had them? So what if I did? I hadn’t noticed anything worth killing people over.
Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted beams of light off in the distance. Evidently they hadn’t given up looking for me. I quickened my pace, wincing in pain with each step. If I stayed in the water for much longer, I wouldn’t have to worry about the kidnappers finding me. I’d be frozen stiff in a block of ice like an episode of Scooby-Doo. The moon that had thankfully been hiding behind clouds that threatened rain made judging the distance I’d traveled impossible. While the darkness helped hide me from my captors it also made the going more difficult.
The going was slow thanks to an injured ankle, freezing water, and lots of mud. A sloth could have passed me, but as long as I stayed ahead of the idiots following me, it would have to do. After what felt like days I made it to a point where the sides weren’t so steep. I did a combination of climbing and crawling to make my way up the side and out of the water. Thankful to be on dry land, I stuffed my feet into my shoes then walked to the back of a building and collapsed, hiding myself between the building and a parked delivery truck. I had spent so much time in the water that walking on dry land felt awkward. I leaned against the truck and tried to catch my breath. Though it was tempting, I couldn’t rest for long. Getting far away from here and getting help was a priority. Falling asleep and letting the ski mask twins find me would not be an ideal situation.
I stood up and had to decide between returning to the water and going closer to the street. At the moment neither felt safe, but just the thought of returning to the water was enough to get me up off the ground and heading for the street. I limped along, leaning against the side of the building for support. My progress was slow but I made it to the front of the building. Luckily the owners of this place hadn’t found it necessary to wrap it with a six-foot fence. There was also a line of hedges along the edge of the curb which I used to shield me from prying eyes on the street. Another advantage was no more slipping in mud and my body temperature was working its way back to normal—I hoped.
This end of town was usually deserted at night. To be fair, it was pretty deserted during the day too. Drug dealers, hookers, and gang members called this part of the city home. Most of the businesses here had gone out of business, leaving behind large, empty buildings. Once again I was desperate to sit down and rest. If I did, odds were I’d fall asleep, which sounded pretty good. Instead of giving into the temptation I kept going.
I would have danced my own little happy dance, if I could have, when finally Route 48 was in sight. If I followed it, I would eventually make it home. Running through the center of Lakeview would mean patrol cars and possibly a nice safe ride home. My immediate problem was I had to cross the street. My kidnappers could be lying in wait, ready to catch me when I dared step foot into the street. It was a risk I had to take. I slowly slid out from behind the hedges, half expecting someone to jump out and grab me. When that didn’t happen I took a deep breath and walked across the street. By this time both feet ached. I swore if I ever got out of this I’d never wear heels again, ever. Okay, maybe not never, but for a week at least, pinky promise.
The lack of sound was quite eerie. It kind of reminded me of the horror movies when it got real quiet before the scary music started. These weren’t really the uplifting thoughts I needed right then. I was so happy when I made it to the other side of the street. It really was a small accomplishment, but, at the moment, it felt huge. Of course my bladder chose that moment to remind me who was boss. I looked around, desperate for a porta-potty. With none in sight I did a quick look around before squatting behind a large bush. It reminded me of one night in high school my friends and I had gotten two cases of beer and had gotten plastered. We were at a party near the University of Dayton. All of us had to pee but every one of the bathrooms was full. Desperate, we ran outside and hid behind some bushes in the backyard. Since my idea of camping had always been a hotel with room service, that had been, until now, the only time I had ever gone to the bathroom outside.
Every summer my dad would take my brothers camping. They’d spend a week hiking, fishing, and hunting while living in tents and cooking whatever they caught that day over a campfire. God bless him because each time he always asked Mom and us girls to go and each year we turned him down. Just the thought of a week without electricity and sleeping outdoors with bugs was enough to incite nightmares.
The rain weathermen had promised had yet to arrive for whatever reason and I was just grateful. Fifteen minutes of walking and my ankle needed another break and so did I. Off to the right there was a large pine tree surrounded by three-foot-tall bushes. It was the perfect place to sit and rest. The uneven ground took far longer to traverse than it should have but I made it. I squeezed between two of the bushes. A beam of light hit me right between the eyes. I froze, convinced they’d found me.
“Hey, git outta my house!”
I stumbled backward. “Jeez, what is wrong with you?”
“Me? You be the one trespassing, missy.”
“Sorry, I didn’t know this tree was taken.”
“Don’t sass your elders. Didn’t anybody ever teach you nothin’?”
I swallowed a laugh. The curmudgeonly man reminded me of my grandfather on my dad’s side. All grump on the outside with a soft, tender center on the inside. He even had a hint of the brogue.
“You’re right. I should have knocked first.” I smirked. “Would you mind pointing that light somewhere else?”
“Ha, young ones, smart mouths the lot a ya,” he said, pointing the flashlight to the side.
I laughed. Only a man in what appeared to be his eighties would consider me in my late twenties and holding as a young one. I could be off though on the estimate of his age. It was hard to tell with the scraggly gray beard and gray hair—what was left of it anyway. “So just camping out to see the stars?”
“No, I’m not camping. This is my home and you’re sittin’ in my bedroom.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“You’re workin’ a bit late. Most of the workin’ girls in this part call it quits by two.”
“I’m not a hooker!”
“Oh, sorry, I forgot you call yourselves escorts now, don’t ya?”
“I’m not an escort. I just have had a really bad night.”
“Well, that’s good, ’cause you wouldn’t be makin’ much lookin’ like that.”
“Thanks. So this is your home?” I asked, eager to get off the subject of my not looking like a hooker.
“Yep, and there’s not a better one to be found. I’ve got a view of the stars, when the clouds aren’t hoverin’. There’s nothin’ better than fallin’ asleep lookin’ at the stars.”
“What about bad weather or animals?”
“I’ve got a tent for when it gets wet or cold, lots of blankets to keep me warm.”
“What about squirrels and bugs? Don’t they bother you?”
“Nope. Besides, the only wildlife around here are those no good gang bongers.”
“Bangers.”
“Bangers, bongers, whatever.”
“Don’t they bother you?”
“I’m just an old man. I leave them alone, and they leave me alone.”
“How do you manage that?”
“Well, those fools don’t know how to find me.” He chuckled.
I reached into my purse and pulled my now wet twenty dollar bill from it. I held the money out to him. “Well, I’ve go
tta get going, but thanks for the hospitality.”
“Young lady, I’ve got everything I need right here. My social security buys me two square meals a day and a pint of whiskey each week. I spend my days in the library, surrounded by books, and my nights under the stars. I’ve also got my health. What more could I be wantin’?”
I understood his love of books and spending days in the library but I couldn’t imagine my life without TV and computers, plus walls and air conditioning. I was also pretty fond of my hair dryer and coffeemaker. “Well, thanks again.”
“I’d like to say it was a pleasure but, dear girl, you did interrupt my beauty sleep.” He chuckled.
“Sorry, but it didn’t appear you needed any more.” I winked and waved goodbye, his laughter trailing after me.
The sidewalk would have made traveling easier and faster but then even the two idiots looking for me could find me. About a block away a lone working street light shone. Civilization was getting closer, which meant people inside. Those people would have phones and I could call for help. Lakeview was the type of town where decent people were in bed asleep by now. Only those up to no good would be out and about at this hour, whatever hour it was. If I went up and knocked on someone’s door, I was likely to have a gun pointed at my face.
As eager as I was to get to what most people would consider civilization, I wasn’t eager to make myself an easy target. Paranoia had finally set in. The closer I got to the light the more I expected someone to jump out of the shadows and grab me. It was weird that not a single car had driven down what was usually a busy road. To take my mind off scary thoughts I tried to think about how good it would feel to get home. Being in my own bed would feel wonderful.
Eventually an occasional car zipped past. As desperate as I was to get out of there I wasn’t about to get into a car with a complete stranger, so hitchhiking was out of the question. When my feet couldn’t take it any longer, I sat down and leaned against a telephone pole.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Huh? What?” I opened my eyes, confused.
“Can you stand up?”
What was this guy talking about? I was standing. Wasn’t I? I opened my eyes and found myself staring up into a face that seemed vaguely familiar.
“Ma’am?”
Oh my God. He may have come to my rescue but how dare he call me ma’am. I’d have to shoot him. Of course it’d have to wait until he got me the hell out of here and, of course, he’d have to wait around while I got my gun, since I didn’t happen to have it with me.
“I think so.” I finally answered his question.
“Here, let me help you up.”
He grabbed my hands and gently pulled me up. I kept most of my weight off the injured ankle. We stood a few inches apart. His voice had sounded like one I’d heard recently. Looking at him up close I suddenly realized why. “Kevin!”
“Yes. Miss Murphy, is that you?”
“It’s me all right. What are you doing here?”
“I was headed home when I spotted someone, well, you, leaning against the pole. I pulled over to see if they, I mean, you, needed help.”
“I’m so happy you did. Could I use your cell phone? I need to call the police.”
“Sorry, my battery crapped out a couple hours ago.”
“Oh.”
“If you want, I can give you a lift.”
I considered my options. I could stay where I was and pray help showed up before the idiots who’d kidnapped me or I could get in the car with a virtual stranger. Neither option sounded great but only one of them would get me home fast. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Here, let’s get you inside.”
Kevin moved to my side and had me lean on him for support. His car, a blue Toyota Corolla, was parked at the curb, running with its lights on. He helped me in, closed the door, and ran around to the driver’s side. Once seated behind the steering wheel, he asked me where to. I gave him the first turn he had to make and leaned back against the headrest. Kevin’s car was warm and it smelled like Heaven—pizza and garlic. I closed my eyes and inhaled the familiar scent like a dog sniffing the local fire hydrant. I woke to the sound of arguing. I chanced a quick look around. I was still in Kevin’s car but me and the car were now inside a garage.
“Are you crazy? I told you not to bring her here.” I heard a woman’s voice say.
“Well, what else was I supposed to do? She was just sitting on the ground. I thought it was a sign,” Kevin said.
“A sign? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Like God telling me it was okay to get her and bring her here to you.”
“What the hell am I going to do with her? If she wakes up, she could have us arrested for kidnapping,” the woman said.
“No way, I didn’t kidnap her. I think something bad happened to her, but I swear it wasn’t me.”
Oh no. What the heck was going on? It sounded like my hero had just kidnapped me. How the freak had I managed to get kidnapped not once but twice in a matter of hours? If my dad found out about this he’d have me married off and having babies like my sister. I shuddered. As much as I adored my nieces and nephews I wasn’t ready to be anyone’s mom. Besides, I’d tried the wife thing and that hadn’t exactly been a rousing success. After tonight, I had to admit my dad’s plan held some merit, at least more than it had last week or even this morning.
“Bringing her here was a bad idea. What if someone saw you with her?”
“I’m not an idiot. No one saw us and I made sure I wasn’t being followed.”
“Good. Now you can take her back to wherever the hell it is you found her.”
“I can’t take her back there. She could get hurt or worse.”
Well, at least someone was concerned for my safety.
The woman he was arguing with sighed. “Did you honestly think she’d help us after you kidnapped her?”
“Stop saying that. I helped her, that’s all. I’m sure she’ll help us now. She owes us, well, me, anyway.”
“She sure as hell wasn’t willing to help before.”
“That’s because she couldn’t then, but she can now. You’ll see.”
“She’d better.”
“She will. So, are you going to help me get her inside or not?”
“Fine, but if she pukes all over my carpet, you’ll be cleaning it up.”
“Okay.”
Just great. What the heck was I supposed to do? I closed my eyes and tilted my head to the side just in time for Kevin to open the passenger side car door. I was impressed when he scooped me up and carried me out of the garage and down a long hall. I wasn’t really heavy, it was just Kevin didn’t strike me as the type with a lot of upper body strength or any body strength at all. After a few turns he placed me down on a bed. I held my breath while he placed a blanket over me. A few seconds later I heard the door shut behind him.
As far as kidnappings went I had to admit I much preferred Kevin’s method. It didn’t make any sense. Why did he kidnap me and then tuck me into bed? That thought led to some really creepy ones I just didn’t have the energy to think about. Besides, I wasn’t really getting the creepy feeling here, but then what the hell did I know? Plus my brain wasn’t exactly functioning at a hundred percent. I stayed still for a few minutes in case Kevin or his lady friend decided to check on me. When neither one appeared, I eased up and looked around. It seemed I’d been relegated to someone’s guest room. The queen-size bed was way too soft and fluffy for my taste and someone had placed half a dozen pillows on it. The furnishings were upscale. Just because I couldn’t afford it didn’t mean I didn’t recognize it when I saw it.
My search for a phone turned up empty. What the heck kind of person had a guest room without a phone? Maybe Kevin and his friend weren’t as hopeless at this kidnapping thing as I’d thought. Though I couldn’t figure out how they could have planned Kevin’s finding me on the side of the road. The closet was empty except for a bunch of fancy cloth covered hangers�
��not exactly an ideal weapon. Unless, of course, I hoped they would laugh themselves to death. The dresser drawers weren’t of any help either. In the bathroom I had my choice of weapons: a toothbrush still in the package, a strawberry-shaped soap, or an unopened condom, which wasn’t exactly the type of protection I was in need of at the moment.
As for exits, the window in the bathroom was way too small. Back in the bedroom, there were two big enough for me to climb out of. The one on the right was directly behind a side table with a lamp. I was a bit of a klutz under the best of circumstances, and this was not the best, but not exactly the worst either, but it didn’t seem prudent to try to move furniture around. The other one was free of any obstacles. I pushed aside the flowery curtains and flipped the latch. I held my breath and slid open the window. God, fate, or karma chose that moment for the bedroom door to open. I spun around and grabbed a vase.
“Put her down!”
“Huh?”
“My grandmother, you’re holding her urn.”
Sometimes it didn’t pay to ask questions. I placed the urn back down, careful not to spill any of Grandma on me.
“Thank you.”
“Uh, sure.”
“Well, you may as well come into the living room, but please stay off the furniture. You reek.” She turned around without waiting for me to follow.
I sniffed and winced. Until then I hadn’t noticed but all that time in the water had left a disgusting odor. If I was lucky, it would only take a couple of hours of scrubbing to feel clean again. Unfortunately there would be no saving the dress or the shoes. Oh well, maybe I could think of it as an excuse to go shopping. Eager to get this night over with I closed the window and traipsed through the house, looking for the living room. When I spotted Kevin I figured I’d found it. He was not alone.
Death By High Heels (The Kim Murphy PI Series Book 1) Page 21