by Gregg Stutts
He lost count of how many cars had spun out into the median or off the side of the road. He only saw one snow plow and it had been going the other direction. No one expected this much snow so early in the season. This kind of storm was unheard of before Thanksgiving.
He was kicking himself for ever going in the first place. He should have listened when he had the chance. Whether it was his own thought or God’s, he didn’t know. Either way, he regretted his choice to leave home.
As he prayed for God’s protection for the remainder of the trip, he suddenly felt compelled to pray He would also protect Michelle.
Chapter 104
Michelle shut the bathroom door behind her and locked it. She planned to call for help, but Chris knew what she was plotting. Without a window, there was no means of escape. She searched the drawers for a weapon but found only a dirty toothbrush. Someone with prison experience could probably make something of it, but it wasn’t something they taught elementary school teachers.
If she could only make it to the front door with enough of a head start, she might just make it outside before he caught up to her. Maybe someone would be passing by or neighbor looking out a window. But if she didn’t make it, if she wasn’t seen, well, she knew now what Chris was capable of. She couldn’t believe how completely she’d misread the monster in her living room.
When she came out of the bathroom, she saw Chris had a fire started. “Come on, Shelle, make us some lunch.” He glanced at the clock. “Or an early dinner.” He laughed. “We’ll eat in front of the fire.”
He actually believed they were going to be together. That she was going to leave Max and Lakeside and go to New Jersey to be with him.
He’s really sick.
She found some deli meat in the refrigerator and made a couple sandwiches. While his back was turned, she looked through the cabinet that contained various prescription bottles. Some were expired and all were harmless—nothing that would quickly knock him out. Or kill him.
“There’s a sandwich and bottle of water for you on the table,” she said.
“Bring it in here,” he said. “It’ll be more fun to eat by the fire.”
Maybe if she played along he’d relax and give her an opportunity to escape. She handed a plate and water bottle to him. She sat on the sofa and was about to take a bite of her sandwich when he said, “Hold on!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Switch sandwiches,” he said. “Can’t be too careful.”
He might be crazy, but he was sharp. He was a step ahead again. Getting away wasn’t going to be easy.
Chapter 105
It took Max over an hour and a half to drive forty miles of interstate. Every mile was becoming more treacherous. The snow was falling harder making visibility and road conditions increasingly worse. He’d passed at least two-dozen cars or trucks that slid off the road. He almost joined them several times. He was only thirty-five miles from home but traveling on state and county roads would be even more difficult. He might have at least another ninety minutes.
After nine hours of driving, his back and neck ached. And his hands were cramping from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. At least his discomfort was helping to keep him awake. The coffee had worn off. He rolled the window down for a few minutes to let the cold air revive him. It was even colder than when he made the stop for gas.
He thought about getting a motel for the night, but all he wanted was to be home with Michelle in front of a warm fire. He tried calling her again, but there was no answer.
He told himself again that she was probably napping or watching a movie and didn’t have her phone nearby. He wasn’t convinced though.
Chapter 106
Chris insisted they sit on the sofa together and watch a movie. The warm fire and falling snow would have made for a perfect afternoon, except she wasn’t with Max. He was almost two hundred miles away for a football game.
Chris seemed calmer, but she knew almost anything she said could set him off. For now, she would play along and wait for the right moment and hope it would come before it was time to go to bed. She knew what he would expect.
“I have to use the bathroom,” she said.
“Again?” he said.
She shrugged her shoulders and got up.
“You know the drill. The one in the hallway. And bring me your phone.”
She handed her phone to him and went to the hallway bathroom. She thought again about running. It was dark now. If she could get outside, she might be able to hide. Not in the snow though. She wouldn’t make it twenty feet.
She looked underneath the sink for something she might be able to use against him. A can of Comet, a bottle of Windex and an old sponge were probably enough for MacGyver, but they weren’t much help for her. She went back to the living room feeling defeated and stared out the window out at the snow, which was getting heavier.
In the window’s reflection, she saw him pick up her phone. “Give it to me,” she said.
He held it out to her. “Unlock it.”
“Forget it,” she said and went back to watching the snow. “It’s private.” She hoped he wouldn’t remember the password. She’d told him what it was when they were in New Jersey together. Changing it hadn’t occurred to her.
“Well, let’s just see if...” He tapped the screen six times. “...there it is.” With a smug look on his face, he said, “I’ve got a great memory.” He tapped the screen a couple more times and swiped with his finger. “Now what’s this I see, Shelle?”
“What are you talking about?” she said.
“This is a very interesting search history you have here.”
Oh no!
“I see you’ve been interested in the accident in which my poor wife died.”
It was the last thing she wanted him to see.
“Ah yes, and here’s a comment from JerseyGirl97.” He scrolled a little further. “Such a shame what happened to her.”
“What are you talking about?” she said.
“She was a paramedic who happened to see the accident and tried to help. Couldn’t keep her mouth shut though.”
“Keep her mouth shut?” she said. “About what?”
“What I had to,” Chris said. “As my dear wife was dying, apparently she mentioned something about her brakes failing and a life insurance policy.”
“You killed her.”
He didn’t look up, but she watched the corners of his mouth curl slightly. It was subtle, but it made her feel like she was going to throw up.
He continued to scroll through her phone. “Yeah, some people just don’t know when to mind their own business.” He shut off her phone and slipped it in his pocket. “I’d suggest going out for dinner, Shelle, but that might be a little difficult, so being the gentleman I am, I’ll cook dinner tonight.”
This could be her opportunity. While he was cooking, she might have a chance to make a run for it.
“First though, I’m going to have to ask you to come sit over here at the table,” he said.
“What for?” she asked.
“Well, not that I don’t trust you…but I’ve learned you just can’t be too careful.”
She sat down at the table and watched as he opened and closed kitchen drawers and cabinets. “Here it is,” he said. “I could tell by the way Max looked at his truck the other day he wasn’t a very handy guy, but every man has a roll of duct tape somewhere around the house.”
“What do you need that for?” she said.
He responded by wrapping the roll of tape around her waist and chest several times to secure her to the chair.
“Stop it, Chris!” she screamed. “You can’t do this!”
She struggled as hard as she could, but it didn’t prevent him from taping her wrists and ankles to the chair. When he was done, he stood back and admired his work. “That should do,” he said.
She tried to struggle free but couldn’t move. “Let me go!” she yelled. Then she screamed as loud as she could, �
��Help!”
“Now Shelle, I really don’t think anyone is going to hear you, but seeing as how annoying that was, I’m going to have to tape your mouth shut,” he said. He tore off a six-inch piece of tape and pressed it over her mouth.
She watched as he walked to her bedroom. When he was out of sight, she tried with every ounce of energy she had to get loose but couldn’t. Tears filled her eyes as she wondered for the first time if he was even going to let her live.
Chapter 107
Snow wasn’t uncommon in Northwest Arkansas, but it didn’t make sense to invest millions of dollars in snow removal equipment that would really only be needed a few times each year. So the normal forty-minute drive from I-49 to his house took almost three times as long. It was just after six o’clock when he finally turned onto this street and almost slid into a parked car.
He’d been driving for eleven hours. The last three were the worst conditions he’d ever seen. He pulled into the driveway, shut off the motor and stepped into cold. His feet sunk into at least six inches of snow.
He tried to open the front door quietly, but it was locked. He reached for the doorbell but wanted to surprise her. He pulled his keys from his pocket, found the one to the front door and quietly slid it into the lock and turned it. He twisted the knob and slowly opened the door.
He stepped inside, set his briefcase down and closed the door as quietly as he could then tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen. When he turned the corner, he saw Michelle taped to a chair and her eyes wide with fear.
Chapter 108
He hurried to her and pulled the tape from her mouth. “Chris is here,” she whispered. “He’s in our bathroom. He’ll be back any second.”
He quickly began pulling the tape off while glancing toward the bedroom door. He almost had her arms free when Chris appeared from the bedroom. His eyes flashed with anger at seeing Max.
Chris ran to the fireplace and grabbed the metal poker from its stand.
Max had no time to find a weapon. He assumed a defensive posture as Chris approached ready to swing at him.
“What an unexpected surprise,” Chris said. “Were you expecting company, my dear?”
“You’re sick!” Michelle screamed.
Max was calculating his options. Chris was roughly his size, maybe a little lighter. And he had a weapon. And was crazy.
“Leave now and no one needs to get hurt,” Max said. “Let’s end this now.”
Chris laughed. “No one needs to get hurt? I think it’s a little too late for that, don’t you?”
“What’s he talking about, Shelle?” Max said while never taking his eyes off Chris. “Did he hurt you?”
“He killed Donnie,” she said.
Chris gave Michelle a look of disappointment and said, “Is that all the credit I get? Just Donnie?”
“What are you talking about?” Max said to him. “What else did you do?”
Chris took another step toward Max. They were ten feet apart. “Well, if you really must know…”
Max thought about a full sprint and launching himself at Chris before he had a chance to get off the first swing with the poker. If Chris caught him in the head, he was dead. If he could get close before he swung, there wouldn’t be as much force behind it. He might be able to withstand it and take Chris to the floor.
“Ya know, when ya think about it, that Donnie Black really does have the worst luck,” Chris said. “First, you get him fired and then what are the odds he and his friends sit right in front of me? I mean, seriously, of all the places for them to sit down. It’s like it was just meant to be.”
“What are you talking about?” Max said. If he could keep him talking he might have an opportunity to rush him.
“Well, he started talking about how he heard Shelle here was pregnant…but not only that…she wanted a paternity test,” Chris said. “That was when I realized I was going to be a daddy.”
Max felt a surge of adrenaline. He slowly took a step forward.
Chris raised the poker to strike. “But that Donnie was a talker. He really didn’t know when to shut up. So when he started talking about giving Shelle a flat tire and watching her struggle to fix it…well, what kind of man would I be if I just let that go?” Chris said.
“You’re crazy,” Max said. “You’re totally crazy.”
“Just crazy in love,” Chris said as he took another step toward Max. “So when Donnie went to the men’s room I had to confront him about his terrible behavior. Of course, he didn’t appreciate that very much.”
“You killed him,” Max said. “With my knife.”
“Yeah, and what’s so funny about that is how I’d planned to kill you with it. If we had time, I’d tell you the rest of the story, but frankly, I’m getting bored.”
Chris took two quick steps and swung the poker. Max got his left arm up just in time to block it from cracking his skull open. His left wrist took the full force of the blow. He didn’t have to look to know his wrist was broken.
Chapter 109
“Oh, did I hurt you, Max?” Chris said. “I thought a tough football player like you could take a hit. But maybe you’re as weak as your friend, Willy.”
“You ran him off the road.” Max wanted to rush him now but was at a major disadvantage with only one arm now. The pain in his wrist was excruciating.
“What is it they say? A friend of my enemy is my enemy?” Chris said. “I just don’t like him. Not since the day I saw the two of you in the coffee shop.”
It was Chris he saw the morning Willy came to pick him up after he was released from jail. And the car. The one he’d seen outside the coffee shop. It was all making sense now. “You were following me in the park. You’re the one I backed into.”
“Guilty as charged.” Chris laughed loudly.
“If you think you’re tough because you can go after an old man and a defenseless woman, then I’m sorry to tell you, you’re not tough at all,” Max said.
“Don’t think I’m tough?” Chris raised the poker for another blow.
“You’re the kind of guy who quits football the first day the hitting starts,” Max said.
Chris laughed and said, “Oh, you’re hurting my feelings, please stop.”
“If you want to find out who’s tough then put the poker down,” Max said.
“So make it a fair fight?” Chris said.
“Why not?” Max said.
“Okay, let’s make it fair.” Chris lowered the poker, but then suddenly charged again and swung hard again at Max’s head.
He couldn’t block it again with his left hand and couldn’t duck fast enough. Chris landed a glancing blow to the left side of Max’s head that knocked him to the floor. Immediately, blood gushed from his lacerated scalp.
He tried to get to his feet but was off and stumbled backwards hitting the floor hard. Another blow was coming and would probably be his last.
Chapter 110
Max rolled onto his stomach, his face in a pool of blood. He tried to move, but his left arm wouldn’t work.
I’ve been in a car accident.
“Max! Max!”
He could hear Michelle calling to him. He tried to yell back but couldn’t.
The snow. I crashed.
“Chris, please leave him alone!” Michelle screamed. “I’ll do whatever you want. Please don’t hurt him.”
Shelle!
“I just wish I could believe you, Shelle. I really do.”
“Please, Chris, just listen to me. We won’t tell anyone. Really. If you just go, we’ll never say a word,” Michelle pleaded.
Chris stood over Michelle and caressed her cheeks, then suddenly grabbed her face in his hand and yelled, LIAR!”
“You’re hurting me,” Michelle said. “Please, Chris.”
He let her go and said, “You can’t be trusted. Not you. Not my wife. Well, I showed her two could play at that game.”
He was looking at her, but his eyes looked vacant.
“Please, Chris, j
ust let us go. We won’t tell anyone.”
“I really do wish I could believe you, Shelle. Maybe we could have had a life together,” Chris said.