“Karen, are you feeling well?” he asked as he placed his own glass on the table, then gently pushed her back to prevent her from falling over.
Struggling to keep her eyes open, she slurred, “Tir…tired…can’t keep my eyes open.”
When her eyes finally closed, he smiled. Gathering her into his arms, he held her snugly to him, kissed her neck and began his work. Using the tips of his fingers, he gently turned her face towards him. “Karen, I want you to listen to my words very carefully. Do you understand?” he whispered directly into her ear.
“I..un..stand…” she mumbled.
He nibbled on her ear, then continued. “Very good. You must remember this, this could protect you. Remember the man, the one with blue eyes? He wants to hurt you. Don’t trust him, don’t trust anyone but me. Everyone else, they’re going to help him hunt you down, hurt you. Remember the name: Granger. He is the one who tried to kill you. Do you remember the horrible and unbearable pain he caused you, Karen?”
A nearly inaudible whimper of fear was her only reply.
“Karen, I’m the only one you can trust. Say it. Brett is the only one I can trust. Do you understand?” he instructed, his smile growing more wolfish when she nodded her head weakly.
“Brett..only…trust. Trust….” she mumbled
Slowly, he ran one hand up her thigh, gave it a gentle squeeze, and felt his manhood grow hard with excitement. As the drugged woman whimpered and acknowledged a few more of his questions and instructions, he marveled at how easily she bent to his will, and, unable to control himself any longer, gave her a passionate kiss.
Standing, he swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, all the while whispering to her that she would forget about what happened this night. All she would remember was that she had dinner with him, went home, and suffered another one of her blackouts.
Chapter 4
Raidon knocked on the office door of Sister Katherine, and heard a soft voice telling him to enter.
Opening the door and stepping inside, he was greeted by a rather thin white woman who was seated behind a large desk, the nun who had been running the home for twenty-seven years. He had been surprised to find out that the address given to him by the owner of the resort hadn’t been Doctor Parker’s office, but children’s home ran by nuns.
“Yes, may I help you?” she asked.
“Sister Katherine, I’m Raidon Bishop.” he said as he smiled politely and shook her hand, then handed her a business card. “I‘m a private investigator. I’ve come to talk to you about a young woman you may have cared for three years ago, an African American woman.”
“I see, please, have a seat.“ she replied.
Taking a seat in front of the desk, he withdrew a brown envelope from his jacket pocket, took out a photo, and slid it across her desk. It didn’t escape his notice that the woman’s initial warm, friendly smile was suddenly replaced by a guarded look when she saw the photograph.
Removing her glasses slowly, she sat back and studied the tall Asian man for a moment before speaking. “Who are you inquiring about, and who sent you here to gather this information?” Giving the photo another cursory glance, she slid it back across the desk.
Damn, this nun has a killer poker face… he thought, knowing now that he was on the right trail. He had been here for all of forty seconds, and already the woman was ducking and weaving so much he had to have hit a sensitive nerve. “I was hired by the woman‘s husband, Sister.” he replied. “The woman’s name is Cassandra Mortenson. I can’t disclose my sources of course, but someone did tell me a privately owned ambulance brought her here, along with a nurse, sometime in the summer. August, to be exact. A Dr. Parker was the one who paid for both the ambulance service and the nurse. He was with her when she was brought to a secluded area on these grounds. I believe you do have apartments on the grounds, am I correct? My source also told me she was in pretty bad shape, should have been in an ICU unit at a hospital, matter of fact. Face bruised and battered, face swollen, broken bones, and comatose.” He had already pieced together that this place was in fact where she had been brought not long after the attack, but he had yet to figure out where she had been prior to that. But he knew it had to have been a medical facility, her injures had simply been too extensive for her to not have had around the clock medical care.
Still silent, she remembered the day the woman had arrived; her face had swollen to three times its normal size. Her head had been wrapped in gauze from a recent operation, and she had had to undergo three more operations in the months to follow. She also remembered the constant warning from Dr. Parker, that a day may come when the monster who had almost killed the sweet woman would come back around, looking for her. The warning still ringing in her head, she thought, So, the man who did this to her is not only a crazed lunatic, but wealthy and powerful as well. He won’t stop until she’s dead. She also remembered promising to do all she could to protect the young woman, who in a short amount of time had become like the daughter she never had.
“Sister, please.” his voice cut through the silence.
Focusing once more on the matter at hand, she cleared her throat awkwardly and said, “Mr. Bishop, if the young woman had been here, well, we offer safe haven for people who really need it, and I can’t betray that trust, I’m very sorry.”
BINGO! He thought, but knew the old girl wasn’t going to give up anything more. Putting the photo and envelope back in his pocket, he stood to leave. “Very well, thank you for your time, Sister.” he said, giving her his best smile, then turned and left.
Leaning back in her seat again and drumming her fingers on her desk, she wondered if she should discuss the visit with Karen, but fearing it would be a little too overwhelming and frightening to her, decided against it. Instead, she would wait until the doctor returned, and let him know instead, he would know best what to do. “Father, please watch over Karen, protect her from the evil that stalks her.” she whispered.
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Granger smiled as he watched Regan round third base. “GO! GO! GO!” he cheered as his son ran home and slid in, exactly the way he had taught him. He looked on proudly as the boy jumped up, then dusted himself off. I wish Cassandra had stuck around to see our son grow, if she only knew what a joy she missed out on… he thought, feeling the old, familiar pang.
Looking up in the stands, Regan waved at him with a big goofy grin.
Waving back, he heard his cell phone ring. Getting up from the stands, he stepped down and away from everyone within earshot, and answered the call.
“Mr. Mortenson, Radon Bishop here.”
“Yes?” he answered impatiently. Pressing the phone to his ear, he stuck a finger in the other the other one to drown out the noise of the children playing, and their parents screaming and cheering them on.
“I got a tip that your wife was badly injured, and was taken to a children’s home, ran by nuns, to recover. I believe they may know where she is now, but they aren’t talking.”
Thunderstruck, he felt his knees nearly buckle. Could it be true that she could have been hurt somehow, and complete strangers cared for her? No.. I would have known if she had been hurt, after all, they couldn’t have treated her without notifying me. ..He cautioned himself.
“Where is she now?” he demanded in a voice that held no sympathy, in spite of what he just been told.
Astonished by the man’s reaction, Raidon couldn’t help but wonder for a moment if the strange behavior was because Granger himself was the one who had attacked her. He had expected the man to be pleased with the news. “Well, as I said sir, I don’t know where she is, but I feel that if I keep a close eye on the children’s home, it will lead us to her eventually.” He replied slowly, as he brought a pair of binoculars up to his eyes with his free hand and looked, watching children lining up to go in for dinner. He had found a good spot in the woods, where he could watch unseen. Looking around slowly, he spotted the gro
unds keeper, and watched as the old man snuck around the corner of one of the buildings. At the moment, the man was glancing around nervously, as if afraid of being seen. Reaching down into a large purple Butterfly bush, he pulled out a mason jar, opened it, and took a quick but healthy swing of the contents. Closing the jar quickly, he hid it back in the bush, withdrew a packet of Tic-Tacs from his overall pocket, and popped a few into his mouth. Grabbing his garden shears, he went back to work. Maybe I should go to the liquor store, then pay the old guy a visit…. he thought.
Determined to end the hunt for his wife quickly, Granger barked, “Alright, you do that. And the minute you see her, you call me with her exact, precise location, understand? Mr. Bishop, I’ve already told you I‘ll make it worth your while if you find her quickly. I’ll triple your usual fees. I want results and fast.” he reiterated, then hung up.
“Dad, dad, did you see that? We creamed them!” Regan called as he ran towards him with an infectious smile spread across his face, and gave him a high-five.
The pride he felt for his son washing away the anger he had been feeling only moments before, he patted him on the back, mussed his hair up, and smiled back down at him. “You know I saw it, tiger! C’mon, let’s go celebrate! How about a pizza?”
A Pizza Hut junkie, the boy cried out, “Allll RIGHT!”
Hugging him, he muttered, “I love you champ.” then cleared his throat, trying to keep his son from seeing him getting so choked up.
Smiling back up at him, he replied, “Love you too, dad.”
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BANG!……BANG!…..BANG!
Rolling over in her bed and groaning, Karen rubbed her eyes, then frowned. Probably some church group, or some kid selling something for school… she thought hazily as she slowly began drifting off to blissful sleep once again.
BANG!……BANG!….BANG!
Startled, she sat up irritably, tossed her covers back and winced, wondering why her stomach was so sore, indeed, her entire body. Feeling a little unsteady, she carefully and slowly got up out of bed, trying to ignore the pain. Great, I must be starting my period early… she thought.
BANG!….BANG!…..BANG!
“Alright, I’M COMING!" she half shouted in a grouchy voice. Stumbling to the apartment door, she opened it to see her best friend, Cynne’ Barns, standing there wearing a very put-out, grouchy expression of her own.
“Girl, I been banging on your door for ten minutes, I was about five seconds away from calling the cops.” she said. Looking at Karen’s rumpled silk gown, hair in complete disarray, and pillow imprints on her face, she knew her girl had just got out of bed. “You forgot didn’t you?” she whined as she stepped inside the apartment, closed the door behind her, then locked it.
Unable to think clearly, she rubbed her eyes, yawned, and stretched. “What time is it, and what are you babbling about?” she groaned as she made her way to the couch. Flopping down on it, she curled up and let out a contented sigh. Her eyes grew heavy almost instantly.
Slapping her leg to wake her, Cynne said, “Girl, today is the day of the street fair, and the booths are already up! You should remember, after all, you helped organize the thing for the children’s home! What’s wrong with you? Come on girl, there are some good deals, and I got money to spend. Its nine o’clock and you wanted to be at the booths before noon. And why are you still in your gown anyway? Are you sick?” she asked, suddenly concerned when she noticed a sheen of perspiration on her friend’s face.
Sitting back up groggily, Karen frowned in confusion, knowing she never slept past six in the morning. Disoriented, she looked down at what she was wearing, her favorite pink silk nightgown. When did I undress and put on my gown? She wondered, unable to remember. All she could remember was having a drink with Brett, then…nothing.
“Are you listing to me?” her friend asked, growing impatient, and looking at her like she was one of her uncooperative students at school.
Closing her eyes, she opened them again slowly, trying to clear her head. “I’m sorry Cynne, but something strange happened to me last night. One minute I was having a drink with Brett, we had went to dinner because he was going out of town today, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up to you banging on my door.”
Leaning close, she looked closely at her pupils to see if she was high, she knew the signs very well. When she was younger she had ran with a tough and vicious crowd, most of who either had serious addictions, or were dealers, or were extremely violent. Or all of the above. “What have you been taking?” she asked, growing more alarmed by the second. “Maybe we should get you to the emergency room.” Reaching out, she grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. It was racing as if she had just ran a mile.
“I’m not high, if that’s what you’re insinuating, you know me better than that! Just let me get a shower and eat something, then we’ll go.” she said irritably, then pulled her wrist free.
“Karen, I’m telling you, something isn’t right with that Doctor Parker, he probably slipped something in your drink.” she said. It was something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but from the very moment she had met the doctor, she knew he wasn’t to be trusted. She also knew from watching his behavior that he wanted to be more than just Karen’s physician. He also tried to manipulate her friend’s time, as well.
“Please, don’t start about Brett.” she snapped, holding one hand up in the air. “Just let me shower. We‘ll go grab some coffee and breakfast, my treat. Besides, I’ve had blackouts before, you know that. Brett says it’s a common after-effect from serious head injuries.” she finished in a dismissive tone, then got up and headed towards the bathroom.
Not buying a word of it, Cynne sat in silence, twirling one of her thin braids absently with one finger. “I’ll just bet he has nothing to do with those blackouts, the grinning and oh-so-eager-to-please creep.” she muttered as her eyes narrowed to slits.
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Sipping from her glass of wine, Martina sat waiting, watching the door for her dinner companion for the night to arrive. Still fuming inwardly, she silently scolded herself for allowing the fool to talk her into letting that bitch live. The plan could now blow up in her face any second, and she felt momentary panic at the mere thought of it. What will I do if my Granger actually finds her? She thought, then nearly screamed when a strong pair of hands grabbed her shoulders from behind.
“Hello Martina.” a familiar voice said with considerable amusement.
By the barest margin she managed to not curse aloud, and put her glass on the table with a hand that trembled slightly. Turning around, she saw her cousin standing there with a smirk on his handsome face. The same age, they had both been close as they grew up, and as children, he had always gotten a kick out of sneaking up on her from behind and scaring her. Aware that she had nearly caused a scene, she glanced around at several of the tables nearby and noticed quite a few women were glancing furtively at him, with eyes that burned with deep-rooted lust. She wasn’t surprised, because in truth he was an unusually handsome man, and came off as very polished and charming. She also knew it was all a façade, that something much more sinister was always lurking right beneath the surface. He was as smooth as peaches and cream on the outside though, and if she was honest with herself, she knew that she would have been just as easily taken in by his charm as many other women had before, were she not his cousin and knew him so well.
“Come now, you know you can’t stay mad at me…“ Brett cooed, his smile stretching nearly from ear to ear.
Feeling her anger melting away like snow under a July sun, once again she marveled, Oh yeah, he’s good all right…
“Sorry to have kept the lovely lady waiting. Come here, you, give us a hug." he said smoothly, then beckoned to her with one finger.
Standing, she wrapped her arms around him, loving the smell of his expensive, subtle cologne, and felt him kiss her cheek warmly.
“Brett, stop fooling about, we have a big problem.” she said as she pushed him away playfully and they both sat down. Looking around once more, peevishly, she was secretly pleased to see that the same women who had been watching him earlier were now shooting glances of envy and hostility her way.
Motioning for the waiter impatiently, Brett asked for a glass of wine for himself, and a refill for Martina.
Looking around nervously, as if she expected the police to barge in any second, she hissed, “He’s looking for her, you know who! I should have gotten rid of her while I had the chance. Now we have to get rid of her, right now, or all my plans will have been for naught. That bitch has been a thorn in my side for years, I wish she would have died.” she finished with maniacal hatred gleaming in her eyes.
Looking at her with a neutral expression, he was silent for the moment. Three years earlier he had entered into the plan to help her get rid of Cassandra, because at the time he thought it would be fun to use his skills to help her get the man she so desperately wanted, and he had always enjoyed participating in her little schemes.
Remember Me Page 4