Twisted Hunger

by Marilyn Campbell

  “Good morning, Miss Winters.”

  Ellery stared at the smiling man standing in the doorway that connected their two offices. He looked the same as when she last saw him, yet she felt as though she were being greeted by a stranger.

  “Miss Winters? Are you all right? You’re as white as the proverbial ghost.”

  She blinked, shook her head and pretended to stifle a yawn. “I’m sorry, sir. I guess I didn’t get enough sleep this weekend.”

  “Oh? I hope it was due to something enjoyable. I know it’s none of my business, but Vivian would tell you I’m an old romantic at heart. Whatever happened with that young man that was so infatuated with you? The professor… I forget his name.”

  She knew he was lying. He would not have forgotten Luke’s name after their second meeting. She wanted to lie in response, but if this was a test… She forced a shy smile. “He’s part of the reason for my lack of sleep.”

  He chuckled. “And from the blush on your cheeks, I’d venture to guess you’ll be seeing him again. Good. Everyone should have love in their lives. Perhaps we could make a double date of it one night.”

  “I don’t think that will be possible,” she replied too quickly then tried to recover. “He… he has to return home tonight.” A flicker in his eyes told her that news didn’t sit well with him, but his smile remained fixed.

  “Ah, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon enough. Unfortunately, someone will probably be hurt by this development.”

  Though his tone of voice didn’t suggest it, the words sounded like a threat to Ellery. “What do you mean?”

  “I was thinking of poor Brandon Ross.” He paused for a heartbeat before continuing. “He had seemed quite smitten with you as well. I’m sure he’ll be disappointed that another man has won your attention.”

  Her stomach clenched. Everything he was saying had a double meaning to her. How could he mention Brandon so casually? Was it possible that they were wrong about The Eye Doctor being responsible for Brandon’s disappearance, or was Jones toying with her to see how she would react to his innuendoes?

  “Are you sure you’re feeling all right, Miss Winters? You’ve gone all pale again.”

  She didn’t want to look in his eyes, but she had to make herself behave normally. “Didn’t… didn’t you hear about Brandon?”

  He looked completely innocent as he shook his head. “We were kept quite busy with Vivian’s parents this weekend. What happened?”

  Another lie. He would never miss the news for an entire day. She swallowed hard and reminded herself that her life could depend on his believing that she didn’t suspect him. “He’s missing. No one has heard from him. It’s beginning to look like… like foul play could be involved.”

  His expression was one of genuine shock. “How awful. Do they have any clues to go on?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I’ve heard.” She forced herself to meet his eyes but she saw nothing suspicious, not even the tiniest glimmer of evil. He only looked appropriately surprised and dismayed.

  “No wonder you look so upset this morning, my dear. Remind me to call Sheriff Patterson later and get an official report. In the meantime, I know he was a friend of yours. I had something I was going to ask you to do today, but if you need to take the day off, please don’t feel you—”

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “And I’d rather keep busy. What did you need?”

  “Actually, it’s a request of Vivian’s. I’m afraid it’s quite an imposition, but she would be most grateful.” He paused, as though he were somewhat embarrassed to ask. “She forgot that she had made arrangements to meet the new caterer at our home in Sausalito this afternoon. Originally, she had planned on being there, but it slipped her mind completely and she drove back here with me last night. After the long weekend, she’s completely exhausted. She was hoping you could go for her, since she already went over the preliminaries with you.”

  She had to stop herself from leaping at the opportunity he’d just handed her. “Of course I could do that. But what time did I need to be there? The staff meeting is scheduled to start in ten minutes.”

  He smiled. “I think we could manage without you this once. The caterer was to be there at one. I was thinking you could hire a helicopter.”

  She smiled. “No, thank you. I’d rather not. There’s enough time to get there by car.”

  “Then hire a limo. That way you could nap on the way up.”

  Now that the opportunity was at hand, she didn’t want to have anyone with her who might interfere with her search. She used the reason he had used himself. “Thank you, but I’d really feel more comfortable driving my own car.”

  “All right, but be sure to put in an expense report for the mileage.” He gave her directions, the keys to the house and the code to turn off the security system. As she was about to leave, her direct phone line rang. She almost reached for it then realized that it could be Brevowski or Luke, and she didn’t want to speak to either of them in front of Jones.

  On the fourth ring it would automatically transfer to her secretary’s desk, but the caller hung up after three. That suggested that it was probably Brevowski, and since she knew there was a bug hidden somewhere in the office, he would know where she’d gone as soon as he listened to the recording.

  She decided that it could be to her advantage if it took him a while to catch up to her. In the event that she discovered something important, she could call the FBI, or even the local police. She would make sure Jones was legally dealt with, while protecting herself from any nefarious plan Brevowski might have for keeping her quiet.

  As for Luke, she planned to call his cell after she was on the road. If he knew where she was headed, he would surely try to go along or follow. His itinerary involved returning his rental car at the airport, to back up the story that he was heading back to North Carolina tonight. It was imperative that he convince anyone who might be watching that he really was leaving.

  Ellery could barely believe the perfect way everything was working out. Without using Brandon as her escort, she hadn’t been certain she could wrangle an invitation to the dinner party by herself. Now it was no longer necessary. In fact, this was much better. She wouldn’t have to sneak around with a houseful of people. She could inspect the entire residence and take her time about it. It was almost too good to be true.

  She briefly considered the possibility that this could be a trap, but she knew exactly where the senator would be every minute of the next eight hours, and he had suggested that she take a driver with her. He wouldn’t have done that if he had some lethal ending planned for her. Besides that, when Vivian previously discussed the dinner plans with her, she had mentioned the possibility of having her meet with the caterer before the affair. Thus, she had no doubt about the legitimacy of the request.

  Once she was on her way, she allowed herself to think about what Luke had said that morning. They had argued about her going into work today at all. He wanted to keep her where he could protect her. She felt compelled to keep up appearances of normalcy, at least until she could get herself invited to Saturday’s dinner party in Sausalito.

  It wasn’t the disagreement that kept replaying in her head, however. It was what he had said to her right before she left the apartment.

  “I love you, Ellery, whether you want to hear me say it out loud or not. And I want to be a permanent part of your life. But when this is all over, if you tell me there’s no room for me in your future, absolutely no way I could make your life better than it was before you met me, I’ll leave without a single attempt to change your mind. Only please don’t put the ‘no trespassing’ sign back up until then.”

  It was the most beautiful thing any man had ever said to her, and she wished with all her heart that he had not spoken those words.

  It wasn’t just that the timing was all wrong. Nor was it that she felt nothing of what he felt for her. The truth was, when she awoke this morning, still comfortably nestled in his arms, she kne
w very well that she had fallen in love with him. No, lack of feeling was definitely not the problem.

  Despite his promise that accepting his love would not take anything away from her career goals, she didn’t trust herself not to hand her life over to him. And when the day came that the feelings faded, she would despise him for what she had lost.

  It was better not to love at all than to watch love turn into hate.

  About halfway to Sausalito, she called Luke’s cell. When it went right to his voice mail, she was actually a bit relieved. She would be spared listening to the argument he was sure to make.

  “Hi. It’s me. You’re probably at the airport now. Must be why it went right to voice mail. Or you’re on another call. I wanted to let you know where I was in case you tried to reach me at the office. I’m on my way to the residence in Sausalito. I can imagine your reaction to that, but don’t worry. I’m just meeting the caterer. No one else will be there. It’s a perfect opportunity.” Her heart urged her to say something personal, but her common sense won out. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  By the time she reached the sprawling hillside home, a blue van was already parked in the driveway. On the side were the words “Catering by Connie”. When a middle-aged woman dressed in a business suit and carrying a thin briefcase stepped out of the van, the last of Ellery’s uncertainties vanished. There was nothing to worry about.

  “Miss Winters?” she asked, walking toward her with a friendly smile. When Ellery acknowledged her, she explained, “I’m Connie Westin. Mrs. Jones called a little while ago and said you’d be meeting me instead. All I really need is to take a good look around to get a feel for the best flow for the service personnel and to familiarize myself with their wine cellar.”

  Though Ellery had the same goal in mind, she said, “I’m afraid I won’t be much help with that. This is the first time I’ve been here.”

  “Oh that’s all right. I’m sure I’ll be able to find my way around. I just needed someone to let me in. But Mrs. Jones also mentioned that you might have some alternate thoughts about the theme for the party.”

  Ellery unlocked the front door then hurried to the security box to deactivate the alarm.

  “I understand you have some experience in the catering field,” Connie said pleasantly.

  Ellery’s gaze darted toward the woman. Had she recognized her? Could she possibly know about her mother? As she punched in the security code, she tried to sound casual. “Why would you think that?”

  “Mrs. Jones mentioned something about your handling a recent banquet for the senator. She said she trusted your judgment implicitly.”

  Ellery relaxed. “The hotel staff actually did the handling. All I had to do was approve their plans. Shall we go find the kitchen? I’m sure the stairway to the wine cellar would be in there.”

  The ringing of Ellery’s cell phone momentarily stopped their progress, but when she saw it was Luke calling, she sent it to her voice mail. There would be time enough to call him back after the caterer left.

  Ellery followed Connie, careful not to get in her way, through the living area, dining room, kitchen and down to the wine cellar. While they walked, Ellery gave her the few ideas she’d been able to come up with for the gathering. She had to restrain herself from snooping, as she was anxious to do. Fortunately, her investigation did not have to be put off for long. Connie had made notes of everything she needed to know in less than an hour and left after only a few minutes of parting conversation.

  * * *

  Luke felt as though his nerves were on the outside of his body as he paced back and forth in Ellery’s living room. It had started when he heard her message. For the hundredth time, he damned the cell phone company whose faulty reception had prevented him from getting the message for almost an hour. Considering everything they knew so far, what in God’s name would have possessed her to go to that house alone? And why hadn’t she at least left the address in her message? The most important question, however, was why hadn’t she returned any of his calls since then?

  He had already called the office and spoken to her secretary, only to be told that Ellery was out for the day. And no, she was not at liberty to give him the address where Miss Winters had gone. His anxiety compounded tenfold when he asked to speak to the senator and was told he was gone as well.

  Luke knew where Jones was headed—right for Ellery. “Could you at least tell me how long ago he left?”

  “About a half-hour or so, but you’ll be able to reach him tomorrow as well.”

  Jones had a jump on him, but the bigger problem was that he had no idea where in Sausalito the house was. Like a gift from an angel, he suddenly knew who to call who might be able to find out.

  Maria was working a detail when he reached her, but she promised to find out and call back as soon as possible.

  Counting on her to get him the missing information in time, he decided to start heading north rather than wait. Then he realized that Ellery had driven her car and he had just returned his rental to the airport. With a groan of frustration, he called for a taxi to get him to the nearest rental car agency. At the last second, he grabbed Mr. Harris’ gun and hid it beneath his shirt.

  * * *

  As Ellery expected, nothing seemed amiss on the surface inspection, but now that she was alone, she could look beyond the obvious. If it were anyone else’s house, she would have begun in the bedroom and looked for a hidden safe or files. In this case, however, she was fairly certain that her mother had seen something in the wine cellar.

  When Brevowski first approached her, she had gotten the impression that her mother may have accidentally overheard a traitorous conversation or witnessed an exchange between Jones and some unethical person. But now that she believed he could be The Eye Doctor, it seemed more logical that her mother might have seen some evidence that connected the senator with one of his victims. Perhaps it was a piece of bloody clothing or the murder weapon or a form of identification from a victim’s wallet.

  Whatever it was, she doubted that it would still be out in the open for her to discover, but perhaps, if she searched the cellar well enough, knowing the sort of thing she was looking for, she could find it.

  Halfway down the stairs she thought she heard a noise coming from behind one of the wine racks. She truly hoped there were no mice down here. She stopped and listened for another sound but heard nothing except her own breathing. Was it possible that her mother had been frightened by something as simple as a mouse? Ellery remembered the words she’d managed to pass on and decided none of them pertained to a small, harmless rodent.

  She got to the bottom of the stairs and studied the concrete floor. There were a few dark stains that could have been caused by the spilled wine from the broken bottle or blood from her mother’s head wound. “Okay, Mom. Here I am. Why don’t you give me a hand and point me in the right direction so I can get out of here?” When no flash of insight popped into her head, she began a row-by-row, floor-to-ceiling inspection, looking for anything that seemed out of place.

  When she got to the rack on the back wall, what she saw first seemed to be an optical illusion. An entire section was out of line by a fraction of an inch… like a hidden door! How had neither she nor Connie noticed it before?

  Filled with both excitement and fear, she grasped the edge of the frame and tested its ability to be moved. The door was heavy but opened almost effortlessly. Though it was dark within, the cellar light was sufficient enough for her to see what looked like an efficiency apartment.

  This had to be what she was looking for! A secret hiding place for Jones’ secret life. She felt like shouting at the top of her lungs. She considered taking off immediately and letting the authorities search the premises, but what if she was wrong? She had to be certain there was some sort of evidence in this room or it would all be for nothing.

  Thinking about fingerprints, she opened her purse to get out a tissue. Suddenly something hard slammed against the back of her head and her body wa
s shoved forward. Momentarily stunned by the pain in her head and pitched off balance, she stumbled and fell. But she managed to turn in time to see the door closing her in.

  Instantly she was enveloped by darkness. There wasn’t even a hint of light along the edges of the door. Panic clutched at her throat, cutting off her breath. She was boxed in and blind and alone.

  No! She wasn’t alone. Someone had pushed her inside. Realizing that whoever had done that probably intended to harm her made the panic increase. “Please,” she said in a strangled voice. “Don’t leave me in here.” She had no idea whether the room was soundproof, but her voice was barely loud enough to be heard even if it wasn’t.

  Using her hands to feel her way, she crawled to the door and pounded on it with her fist. She sucked in a breath and cried, “Please let me out!” The terror of being trapped in the coat closet all over again threatened to steal her sanity.

  She curled her knees against her chest and rocked her body back and forth. This wasn’t happening. It was a bad dream. If she just concentrated hard enough, she would wake up and still be in bed with Luke’s arms around her. But time passed and she was still blind and struggling to breathe in an airless box.

  It’s not airless, Ellie. Think. Someone uses this place as a secret hideaway, so there has to be an air vent. And you saw the room. It’s not a box. Don’t let the panic stop you from using your mind.

  Although near hysteria, Ellery heard the voice in her head as though it was coming from her father. She fought back the tears and forced herself to breathe. If Jones used this room, there had to be a light and a way to open the door from the inside. That thought gave her enough strength to unfold her body and feel the surface of the door for a handle or knob.

  When she found none, she stood and ran her fingers over the frame and along the wall around the door in search of a light switch. A bubble of laughter escaped her when her fingers touched it, but it instantly dissolved when raising and lowering the switch produced no light. Whoever had locked her in here must have turned off the electricity as well.