LETHAL OBSESSION

by Carey Regenold

  He walked to the bed. His hand reached out, the urge to feel her skin was so strong it made him tremble with need. Then Gene's rational mind took over. His hand fisted and went to his pocket. His plans would call for stealth and a lot of patience. This exquisite woman was worth it. With utmost silence, Gene made his way down the stairs and out the front door.

  Ellen awoke with excited anticipation she didn't think to ever feel again. Her heart was filled with Rick Carrington. How quickly does tortured grief turn into mind blowing ecstasy. Yesterday, she would not have thought that possible. The smile on her face just wouldn't stop. They loved the same things, shared the same ideals, and both have walked the red hot coals of loss and despair. Ellen wondered what the day was going to be like. Fly fishing in a mountain stream with Rick has got to be the adventure of a lifetime.

  The chilly morning air was beginning to heat up as misty clouds of fog still mingled over the sparkling water. Thank heavens it was going to be a warm day for December in the Smoky Mountains. The river was freezing. It flowed rapid over the rocks to settle in deep green pools. Rick had two pairs of hip boots as he showed Ellen how to put them on. Walking around in them was anything but easy.

  "So, we're actually going to wade around in this icy river?"

  "Of course, to catch fish we have to get in there where the fish are. Come on," Rick took Ellen's hand. "It's easy once you get the hang of it."

  Once in the fast moving water, Ellen grabbed Rick's shoulder. She felt like her feet were going to slip right out from under her. Plunging into this frigid stream was not something Ellen cared to experience.

  Rick stood behind her holding the fly rod.

  "It works sort of like a bull whip."

  "I've never had the opportunity to use a bull whip."

  Rick laughed. "Neither have I."

  With his hands over hers, he pulled the rod back and whipped it forward with a flick of his wrist. The loose line went flying past their heads and back out into the river. "See? The tiny fly dances around on top of the water like this. He gave little flicks of the rod. The fish think it's alive and delicious. Here, you hold the rod and slowly pull in the line this way."

  Ellen did as he said while watching the tiny fly skip around in the water. Suddenly she saw a swirl as the fly disappeared. The rod bent double as the line stripped out. She almost dropped it. She shrieked. "What is that?"

  "You caught a fish. Pull it in like this." Rick moved behind her helping to retrieve the loose fishing line.

  It felt like she had snagged a whale.

  "This is one big fish. I can't hold it."

  "Yes you can, you're doing great." Rick slipped his arms around her to hold her and the rod steady. Once the fish got close, he reached out with his net. "See? It's your first catch. Wasn't that fun?"

  "It was. Now what do we do with it?"

  "We set him free." Rick eased the fly out of the trout's bony mouth. Laying his net in the water, the fish quickly swam away.

  "You don't keep them to eat?"

  "That's not the point of fishing for me. The fun is when they fight. Then they can grow up and fight harder the next time."

  "I like that idea. Let's catch another one. Let me try throwing the line out this time."

  "Okay, go ahead."

  Ellen pulled the rod back like she had seen Rick do. With the forward movement, she put everything she had into the swing. The slippery rocks underneath her feet moved with the momentum of her body. With a yelp, Ellen knew her balance was compromised three seconds before her butt hit the flowing icy water. It was so cold it took her breath away. Rick reached out to catch her but the rocks betrayed him too. So there they sat together on the rocky bottom in two feet of water while the river surged by them. Both were chilled to the bone and laughing with hysterics. What a memory this was going to be.

  "You didn't say we were going swimming."

  "It wasn't exactly in the plans."

  They helped each other struggle to the shore with their water filled boots, which made the chore even more difficult through hoots of laughter.

  Ellen and Rick came in through the back door looking like drowned rats and still laughing.

  Juanita put a hand to her mouth. "Oh Senora, what has happened?"

  "We fell in the river." She looked at Rick. "I'm glad you brought extra clothes."

  "Fishermen always bring extra clothes. That's one of the hazards."

  Ellen directed him to the downstairs bath. Right at the door Rick pulled her against him. Want to join me?"

  "Very much so, but I think Juanita would have a cow. There will be other times."

  "There will."

  She leaned up for a kiss. As their lips tasted her passion soared. God how she wanted this man right now, right here. Breathless, Ellen gazed him.

  "I've got to stop this or you won't be safe around me."

  "Who wants to be safe?"

  Juanita had fresh hot coffee waiting when they both emerged from their showers in dry clothes. As they sat at the breakfast nook sipping coffee, Rick took her hand.

  "Would you like to look at properties tomorrow? It's Sunday and there are quite a few open houses. Maybe we'll get lucky and find something suitable for the shelter."

  "That's a great idea. I would love to."

  "I'll come by and take you to breakfast."

  Rick left Ellen's home with a buzz vibrating through his body that was unbelievable. In the two years his family was gone he had given up hope of ever finding love again. He couldn't see anyone replacing his beloved Laura. Rick had made up his mind to live out his days in solitude. After two years the pain had settled into a tolerable numbness.

  When Ellen came into his office, Rick felt a connection but quickly dismissed it. They had a professional relationship which could not be breached. Even thinking about her in any way other than doctor/patient was unethical.

  Rick had no intention of going to the singles dance at the Moose Club. A friend had goaded him into it. He was on his way out the door when he spotted Ellen struggling with a bear of a mountain man. There was no choice. Rick had to help her. But outside the clinical area, he was surprised how sparks flew between them.

  Today at the river was icing on the cake. Ellen was such a good sport. They shared a passion for helping people. Being with her felt as natural as breathing. Rick couldn't believe she was such a perfect fit in his life. For the first time in two years Rick was happy.

  Suddenly a strange feeling made him look in the rear view mirror. What he saw didn't exactly surprise him. Rick was being tailed by the sheriff's patrol car. The two men stared at each other for awhile until the highway widened. That was when Gene pulled alongside. The glare he tossed at Rick before speeding off was undeniable. This man was a dangerous adversary.

  Ellen got out of bed with a spring in her step. She hated to see Rick go yesterday. The fly fishing was so much fun. Even falling in the river was fun. A spontaneous laugh erupted from her. What a Kodak moment that would've been with both of them sitting in the water.

  Today they would have all the time in the world to walk through homes, communicate and just be together. Ellen couldn't wait to see him again. Was it only two nights ago they discovered each other? True she had been seeing him as her counselor for several weeks, but Ellen felt as if their love had always existed.

  She removed the wedding rings from her finger placing them with reverence inside the velvet jewelry box. Today would be a brand new beginning. Still chuckling over the river fiasco, Ellen headed for the bathroom to begin her day.

  Just as her mouth was full of toothpaste the phone rang. She rushed to see the caller ID and would have answered toothpaste and all if it had been Rick. Her hand hesitated. It was Gene and she let the machine pick it up.

  "This is your friendly sheriff just checking on the princess to see how she is getting along today. You know where I am if you want to talk."

  Ellen felt a chill go up her spine. Why was he still calling? This was starting to ge
t creepy. Gene was way too sure of himself to come across as desperate. He knew how she felt so why this urge to hold on? Ellen couldn't help but wonder how Gene would feel if he knew about Rick. Probably not good and the fact that the two men knew each other would just make it worse. A phone call from him was dampening her spirits.

  Ellen was just getting ready to go downstairs when the phone rang again. This call had to be Rick so she answered without checking the ID, big mistake. "Hi Rick, I'm almost ready."

  "Hello Princess, surprise, not Rick. Figured if I called right back you'd probably pick up."

  Ellen felt fury with herself for getting duped into answering the phone.

  "What is it you want, Gene?"

  "For a friend you don't sound very friendly."

  "You're married, Gene. We're not friends and you don't need to be calling here. And frankly, you're starting to creep me out."

  "Yeah, yeah, so I'm married, so what? I can tell you what's creepy and that's you seeing Richard Carrington." Alarm ran through her. How did he know? "I have no idea what you're talking about." "Ellen, this is a small town, word gets around. I know the man and he's bad news." "I don't recall asking your opinion."

  "You know I'm in love with you, Ellen. I can't help it. I didn't mean for that to happen but it has. I'm sure in time you will come to love me too." She was shocked into silence so Gene continued. "I plan on divorcing Martha so we can have a life together."

  "I would not want you to do that, Gene. Martha doesn't deserve to be treated like that. I'm sorry if you think you're in love with me. It's your wife you need to be in love with."

  "Don't think it's over between us, Ellen because it's not, and it never will be. My wife will just have to accept that fact."

  Ellen had to fight to keep her voice from shouting into the phone. How could this be happening? Gene has become seriously delusional. Keeping her voice emotionless, she said. "There is nothing between us, Gene. There never was and there never will be."

  "Don't get involve with Carrington, Ellen."

  "Please don't call me again. Good-bye Gene." She put the receiver to her shoulder and closed her eyes. Then Ellen broke the connection with her finger. Gene was beginning to scare her. How did he know about Rick? She didn't want to believe Gene would stoop low enough to stalk her but that's what it sounded like. Her bubble of bliss had just been blown by his call. Now she felt paranoid and frightened.

  With guilt Ellen wondered if she had encouraged him in any way. Yes, she had, twice. She should probably tell Rick about the phone call but she didn't want to worry him. She was troubled enough. Ellen looked at her watch and gasped. Rick would be here in an hour. Making a mad dash for the shower, Ellen strived to put Gene's phone call behind her. Ellen had just brushed her hair and applied blush to her cheeks when she heard Juanita answer the door. Her heart pounded with excitement. What an awesome euphoria this was. Rick's smile warmed her heart as she came down the stairs. He took her hands and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

  "You sure clean up good, especially since yesterday. Are you ready to go?"

  "Yesterday was more fun than I've had in a long time."

  "Me too."

  His fingers caressed her left hand then held it up to the light.

  "Look, mine's gone too."

  Ellen took his ring finger in her hand, noticing the pale ring of skin so like her own. "This is another first for us."

  "It is.

  "As they went out the front door, Ellen missed the jovial look on Juanita's face as she folded her hands in prayer with eyes to the ceiling.

  Rick had a great looking SUV outfitted for camping and fishing. She loved that he was an outdoorsman. In fact she loved everything about this man. He reached over to hold her hand. "I've been thinking about our conversation and I'm really enthused about your shelter idea for women and children. I know we're going to find the perfect place."

  "I'm excited too, Rick. The shelter has been a dream of mine for quite awhile."

  "I'm not rushing you, am I?"

  "Absolutely not. I would've acted on this much sooner if my head hadn't been in a hole."

  "Great, let's go look at some houses."

  "I need to tell you something, Rick."

  He glanced in her direction. "Okay I'm listening."

  Ellen hated talking about Gene. It was such a downer to their euphoric moods. "I got two calls from Gene this morning. The first one I let the voice mail pick up. The second one I thought it was you and didn't check the caller ID which was really stupid."

  "What did he have to say?"

  "He warned me to stay away from you, and he professed his love for me." She noticed a muscle twitch in Rick's cheek and knew the conversation was upsetting. "I'm sorry Rick. I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to worry you."

  "I'm glad you told me, Ellen. We don't want to keep secrets from each other."

  "I know, that's why I told you. The last thing he said was the scariest. Gene told me he was going to divorce Martha so we could have a life together. It's like he believes I return his feelings when I've said repeatedly to the contrary."

  "Gene is delusional. He is going to believe what he wants to believe and we can't do anything about that. He followed me in his squad car yesterday."

  "Oh Rick. I feel like if I hadn't of..."

  "None of this is your fault Ellen." He placed a warm, comforting hand over hers. "We will get through this."

  "He really scares me."

  "Yeah, me too."

  "Rick? How do you know Gene?"

  "Martha is my sister."

  "Oh my God, you must be so worried about her."

  "I am."

  The next several weeks were pure bliss for Ellen. The soup kitchen was a new experience and she loved it. Watching Rick interact with the patrons warmed her heart. These poor people who had so little seemed happy and grateful.

  They went house hunting, enjoyed candlelight dinners and picnics in the forest, and talked about everything under the sun. His very presence soothed and aroused her all at the same time. Ellen felt as if she had known Richard Carrington forever.

  The only down side was Gene Stone. He seemed to pop up whenever she and Rick were out in public. He never approached or spoke with them. If Ellen happened to catch his eye, Gene would simply wave and walk away. It felt weird that he kept showing up. Ellen knew these events also bothered Rick but he seemed to take it in stride and not make a big deal out of it. Both of them were painfully aware that they were being stalked by the county sheriff. There was nothing they could do.

  Rick and Ellen had gone into Knoxville for an elegant dinner and play at the Orpheum. The mountain highway was dark and they had just entered Cedar Grove city limits. The flashing blue lights coming up fast from behind, startled them both.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Rick pulled over and the patrol car stopped also. Ellen looked at Rick with alarm. "What's this all about?"

  "I have no idea."

  The deputy took his time walking over to them. When he got to Rick's side of the car, he shined his flash light inside blinding them both. "Sir, could I see your license and registration please?"

  As Rick was pulling out his paperwork, Ellen leaned over to address the officer. "Do you work for Gene Stone?"

  "Yes Ma'am."

  "Why are we being pulled over?"

  "This is a DUI check, Ma'am and I need the driver to step out of the car please."

  Ellen's anger was at the boiling point. "Now you wait just a minute. This is not a DUI check, this is harassment. You had better call your boss and tell him to back off."

  "Ellen, it's okay." Rick tried to calm her.

  "No, it's not okay. I know what's going on here and Gene is not getting away with this."

  "Sir you need to step out of the car, and Ma'am, you need to stay quiet."

  Ellen sat in the car seat, arms crossed doing a slow burn. They had one small glass of wine each at dinner. Then they sat through a play for one and a
half hours. No way was Rick over point zero eight. Could Gene make this stick? She wouldn't put it past him to tweak the numbers.

  The officer was on the phone and Rick stayed outside in the freezing air for a long time. She saw him blow into the breathalyzer. After that the deputy had him do some field sobriety tests. Ellen pulled out her cell to call the head attorney for Anderson Enterprises. If Gene Stone thinks he can throw his weight around he hasn't seen anything yet.

  The deputy finally came to the car window. "Ma'am, I'm taking Dr. Carrington into the sheriff's department. Are you able to drive his car?"

  "May I have a word with Dr. Carrington, please?"

  "No Ma'am but you can follow us in."

  "Fine." Ellen slid into the driver's seat and worked at calming her breathing. She had better get a firm grip on her temper in order to deal with this unbelievable situation. Tom Sherman her attorney was damn good. Ellen was grateful he would meet them at the sheriff's department. She was going to have to handle things until he arrived. It dawned on her they have seriously underestimated Gene Stone.

  The deputy at the front desk ordered her to have a seat which she refused to do.

  "I demand to see Sheriff Stone right now."

  "That's not possible, Ma'am. He is interrogating a DUI case."

  Ellen was so enraged she couldn't see straight. "I'm well aware of that because I'm the case." She paced around trying to control her wrath and get her thoughts straight. "You give Gene Stone a message from Ellen Anderson. Tell him my attorney is on his way and he is looking right down the barrel of a whopping harassment suit, got it? The media will love it."

  "Yes Ma'am."

  "Ellen." Gene was at the door waving her into his office. As soon as the door was shut she turned on him.

  "What's the point of this Gene?"