She had to get that gun out of his hands somehow...
Grant was startled that Brooke and her sister knew so much about what he’d been up to over the years. But why should he be that surprised? After all, the two were obviously into something he couldn’t comprehend. Something that gave them the ability to move through the years without aging. At least in the case of Brooke. Her sister literally grew up overnight, so the two could now almost pass as twins.
They must have used this hocus-pocus to their advantage to gain knowledge of things outside the reach of everyone else. But they were still human, as far as he could tell, and bled just like anyone else. Whatever means they used to save Brooke in the past wouldn’t help her one bit now.
“I lost count after the first one...Jackie something,” Grant said, deciding to confess. After all, it wasn’t like they would ever get to tell another living soul. “Yeah, I killed Priscilla. The opportunity was there and I took it. Just like with you two.”
Brooke met Rachel’s eyes. They were trying not to let the dire situation turn them into hapless, powerless victims.
Rachel had instinctively looked out the back window a little earlier and saw what she believed to be Duncan’s car trailing them. It meant he had surely alerted the authorities by now. Help was on the way.
Would it come too late?
They had to fend for themselves against a man who had murdered at least eight girls. And had a gun.
Rachel said a prayer while envisioning what it would be like to be shot. Or bludgeoned to death. Not to mention what he might do to them before he got to that stage.
* * *
Duncan stayed back so Grant wouldn’t know he was tailing him, but would not let the Explorer out of his sight. He couldn’t really see inside, but suspected Rachel in the back seat must have looked out the window at some point and saw him. There wasn’t much either of them could do right now, though. Grant Palmer was in the driver’s seat in more ways than one.
Grant would kill Rachel and Brooke, if he had his way.
Duncan felt his stomach turn at the thought. I can’t let him do that and ruin whatever future Rachel and I have. Besides, it would go against everything the Sisters of Time had orchestrated to keep Brooke alive.
Detective Sawyer promised him, more or less, that the police would handle it and everything would be all right. But the farther Grant Palmer drove, the more concerned Duncan was that the police could not be counted on to save his girlfriend and her sister. Could be it was up to him to do something dramatic to avert another tragedy.
* * *
Rachel watched as Grant turned off the road and headed toward a construction site that was currently unattended. She figured he planned to assault then shoot them, before dumping their bodies in the foundation so they were never found. He still had the gun pointed at Brooke, but seemed distracted.
Rachel made eye contact with Brooke, reading each other’s thoughts in conjuring up a plan and when to act on it. Duncan had crept up behind them. Rachel suspected he was about to try something that could very well make the difference between life and death.
She nodded to Brooke, who knew it was time to distract Grant.
“You know, I had a crush on you back in high school,” Brooke murmured coyly. “Surprised you didn’t get that. Even Natalie knew it...” She hated bringing Natalie into this, but would do whatever it took to get out of this situation.
“You’re kidding?” Grant glanced at her. Maybe he had been wrong about Brooke, mistaking her coldness for playing hard to get. Or was she trying to mess with his head to save her own pretty little neck?
“It’s just something I thought you should know.” The thought of being with him disgusted Brooke in every way. “My feelings never changed...”
Grant contemplated her words for a moment before coming back to his senses. Regardless of what might have been, it was ten years too late for them. Didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun with Brooke before killing her.
“Maybe we can do something about that,” he said sweetly.
As they neared the construction site of row houses where he worked part-time, Grant slowed down. He planned to kill the girls and dump their bodies in a nearby landfill. Once the job was done, he would go home and lay low for a while. Natalie would be glad to have him there. And Haley, too.
When he looked in the rearview mirror, Grant suddenly saw a vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed. At the last second, the car swerved past his and then cut sharply into his lane.
“What the—” Grant tried to avoid being hit. He jerked the steering wheel to the right and pressed down hard on the brake, losing control of the Explorer, which ended up in a ditch.
Brooke knew it was now or never to make her move. While Grant was preoccupied, she grabbed his hand holding the gun, diverting it away from her. A shot went off, shattering the window on the front passenger side.
At the same time, Rachel lunged from the back seat and wrapped her arm around Grant’s head, pulling it back, and used her free arm to start punching the side of his face. She saw that Duncan had gotten out of his car, and was already opening the driver’s side door. He was holding a wooden bat that he used in a summer baseball league.
Brooke bit Grant on the wrist hard enough to draw blood and he responded with a loud scream. He let go of the gun and it fell to the floor on the passenger side. When Grant shook Rachel off and bent down for the weapon, Duncan slammed the bat into the back of his head and neck, time and time again. Brooke put her foot on the gun and kicked it away from Grant’s outstretched hand.
The three teenagers were determined not to give in without a fight, which they intended to win as Grant succumbed to their collective efforts to subdue him.
* * *
The sky went dark all of a sudden as Rachel, Brooke, and Duncan emerged from the car; leaving Grant slumped over in the front seat, half-conscious, with blood gushing from a head wound.
“What’s happening?” Brooke gazed up, frightened as though the world were about to come to an end.
“Looks like we’re due for a major storm or something,” Duncan suggested. Never mind the fact it had just been sunny without a cloud in the sky a moment ago.
Rachel flinched. “I think it’s more like something.” She had a feeling this was more than just an abnormal weather pattern.
There was a cackle of thunder and a flash of lightning. The three teens watched with amazement as the glowing transparent image of two tall beautiful women appeared before them.
The one with long, flowing, sandy hair said, “I am Angelina.”
The other, with an abundance of raven hair, said, “And I am Octavia.”
Duncan gulped. “The Sisters of Time...?”
Octavia smiled. “Yes.”
Rachel felt jittery as she tried to come to terms with seeing real goddesses. “You sent me the clockwatch?”
“Yes, Rachel. You were the chosen one to receive the power to bend time,” Octavia told her.
“To save Brooke?”
“Yes, in part—”
All eyes turned to Brooke. She could barely believe this was happening. But the very fact she was in 2011 at age sixteen told her that any and everything was possible. Including actually being face to face with Angelina and Octavia.
“Why did Rachel rescue me from the accident, then from being killed by Grant Palmer more than once?” Brooke asked, afraid of what the repercussions might be.
It was Angelina who answered. “Because it was not your time to die, my dear. More importantly, it was necessary to stop Grant Palmer from continuing his evil ways in order to restore the balance. You see...in a twist of fate, had we not intervened and brought you to the future, the killer’s next victim would have been your sister, Rachel.”
“What...?” Rachel’s eyes grew, stunned.
“It’s true,” Octavia said. “So, in effect, you saved each other from a premature death. Now it is over.”
Rachel sighed and tried to comp
rehend her words. Duncan put a comforting arm around her.
Brooke regarded her sister, finding this turn of events astonishing. Rachel rescued me so I could return the favor? The thought of Grant going after young Rachel was hard to bear. But he had failed to get either of them.
Brooke looked at the car where Grant still seemed out of it, and turned back to the Sisters of Time. “When you say it’s over, what does that mean? Do I go back to my own time...or stay here?”
“That will be up to you,” Angelina told her. “As your work is done, you can either return from whence you came and lead a full life or remain in this time and continue a rich new life with the love and support of your sister.”
“What about my dad?” Brooke wondered. “Will he ever see me for who I am in this time?”
“He may or he may not,” she responded. “Some things we can no more control than you. In this instance, only time and its self correcting possibilities can determine this.”
So there was at least a chance the proper order could be returned to make us a real family again in the present. Brooke wanted that badly and knew Rachel did as well. But can I settle for less? Or should I go back and live my own life?
Brooke gazed at Angelina. “Can I think about it for a while?”
Angelina shook her head. “Unfortunately, you must make a choice now, my dear. Grant Palmer will soon awaken and will need to be neutralized before he causes any more trouble. Whatever you decide, all that has happened will be erased from your minds so as not to burden you with issues heavier than your young minds should have to deal with.”
Brooke took Rachel’s hands, knowing this would affect both of them. “What should I do?”
Rachel felt her heart skip a beat. She didn’t want to make such an important decision for Brooke. But she did ask for her opinion and Rachel felt she should be honest about it.
“I want you to stay,” she said selfishly. “I’ve just gotten used to having you around as a sister my own age. It’s been a cool experience. Of course, I’ve never known what it would be like to have a twenty-six-year-old sister. I guess I’m afraid to take any more chances with time and more changes to find out.”
Brooke’s eyes watered. “I feel the same way. All of a sudden, I can’t imagine what I’d do without you in my life as a sixteen-year-old.” She paused, wiping tears from her cheeks. “But you have dad, Virginia, and Duncan. Something tells me you two have something wonderful and long lasting. I’d like to experience that too with someone I meet maybe in 2001 or 2002 or anytime after that. I need to go back and lead the life I was given. Someone has to be there for mom. I never got that chance and you were too young to help her the way she needed to be helped. Speaking of which, I love my little sister and want to see her grow up to become you. Maybe I can even find a way to make sure Natalie stays as far away from Grant Palmer as possible.”
Rachel cried at the thought of having to say goodbye to Brooke, never dreaming such circumstances could have brought them together, if only for a short while. Deep down, though, she knew Brooke was making the right decision. Brooke deserved to be a normal sixteen-year-old in the correct time for Rachel to look up to and have in the future as the older sister she could lean on for guidance and support.
“I know you have to go,” she told her emotionally. “I’ll miss you, Brooke, as you are, even if I won’t remember it.”
“So will I,” Duncan had to admit, happy to have been a part of this time travel experience. “It’s been way cool getting to spend time with Rachel’s older sister.”
Brooke beamed. “I’m glad to have met the guy my sister is absolutely wild about.” She hugged her. “I love you, Rachel, and have enjoyed being here with you more than I could ever say, even if the circumstances were pretty amazing and sometimes downright scary.”
“Love you, too, Brooke,” Rachel uttered. “That will never change.”
“I know,” Brooke said, comfortable with that knowledge if she didn’t retain anything else from this incredible journey.
The sisters continued to hold onto each other till Brooke forced herself to pull away, not wanting to anger Octavia and Angelina.
“Then it is settled,” Angelina said sweetly. “We must go now.”
For an instant, Brooke thought about changing her mind and staying put, but knew she had made the right decision.
She gave Duncan a quick hug and Rachel a longer one, before moving toward the Sisters of Time.
“Do not be afraid,” Octavia said comfortingly. “It will all be over shortly and you won’t feel a thing.”
Brooke felt a little scared nevertheless as she found herself encircled by the Sisters of Time. Through them she could see Rachel and Duncan. Brooke smiled and waved at them for a final goodbye.
Rachel suddenly found the clockwatch in her hand. It opened and the music began to play. She and Duncan stood transfixed as Brooke, Angelina, Octavia, and the antique watch faded away into nothingness.
The darkness lifted and the sun once again shone brightly as the teenagers turned toward the Explorer and Grant Palmer, who was beginning to stir.
* * *
The sound of sirens permeated the air and, before they knew it, squad and unmarked police cars surrounded Rachel and Duncan.
The police took over where they left off, handcuffing Grant Palmer and taking him into custody.
“You’re crazy, you know,” Rachel told her boyfriend, after giving him a big hug. “You could’ve gotten hurt with that car stunt.”
“But I didn’t.” Duncan flashed a serious look. “I wasn’t about to let that creep hurt you.”
Rachel smiled, thinking how fortunate she was to have someone willing to lay his own life on the line for her. She loved Duncan for that and was glad they had both survived this frightening ordeal.
* * *
Detective Sawyer walked up to the two teens standing by a Volkswagen Jetta with damage to its front end. They looked a bit ruffled, but neither appeared to have sustained any serious injuries.
“I thought I told you to let the police handle things with Palmer,” she mildly scolded Duncan.
“Yeah, I heard you. But he kidnapped my girlfriend and I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.”
“Well, you got lucky this time. I wouldn’t advise using your car to try to stop an armed killer anytime soon.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Duncan smirked.
The detective turned to look at Rachel. “Did he hurt you?”
Rachel shook her head. “No, he didn’t get the chance before Duncan interrupted his plans.”
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Detective Sawyer said. “You won’t have to worry about Grant Palmer coming after you ever again,” she spoke confidently. “Even if he escapes the death penalty, there’ll be a prison cell with Palmer’s name on it to keep him away from the public for the rest of his life.”
That certainly gave Rachel solace. Still, she hated that Priscilla had already become a victim along with at least seven other local females. They would never get the chance to have a long life and all that accompanied it.
Rachel kissed her boyfriend and held his hand, ready to put this nightmare behind her and enjoy being a teenager again.
THIRTY-THREE
“Looks like you’ve been through quite an ordeal,” remarked Edwin after he and Virginia returned from their vacation.
“It was all just part of summertime adventures,” Rachel said, trying to make light of it, knowing it had been anything but an adventure to be abducted and nearly murdered by a serial killer.
In the past few days, the local press had been all over the story of how Rachel and Duncan had outmaneuvered and outsmarted the police in connecting the murders of eight Lake Melrose girls over the past eleven years and identifying the killer as Grant Palmer.
While Rachel shied away from the attention, wanting only for things to get back to normal, Duncan ate up the spotlight, happy to take credit for his role in capturing a brutal killer. Rachel went along with
this, knowing that without her boyfriend’s heroics she might never have survived her brush with death.
Confessing to the crimes, Grant Palmer had spared the victims’ family members the torment of a long trial. In return for a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the State had agreed not to seek the death penalty.
In Rachel’s mind, Grant deserved no less than he gave to his victims, but agreed it was best to put this behind them as soon as possible. Maybe it would help Priscilla rest in peace.
“All the same, I wish we’d been here.” Edwin favored his daughter in earnest as they sat in the living room. “You and Duncan shouldn’t have had to go through this alone.”
“We didn’t go through it alone,” she pointed out. “Nana’s here, remember?”
“Yes, of course.” He smiled.
Rachel smiled back, understanding what he meant. Her grandmother was taking a nap after an exhausting day. “Besides Nana, there was someone else who lent a helping hand.”
Edwin cocked a brow. “Who?”
Rachel had barely been able to contain herself. She looked toward the stairs and saw two people coming down.
“Brooke’s home,” she said excitedly.
Rachel ran to her sister and the two hugged. It had been six months since they’d last seen each other in person. Rachel was glad they were able to do video chat through their cell phones.
“I missed you, too,” Brooke said.
Rachel gave Brooke’s fiancé, Ridge Ingram, a friendly hug. A successful lawyer, he was tall, dark-haired, and handsome, just like Brooke had always wanted. Their marriage would take place next summer in Hawaii and Rachel was really looking forward to it.
“Always good to see you, Rachel,” Ridge told her.
“Back at you,” she said.
“Brooke...” Edwin stood.
“Hey, Dad.” She flashed him a brilliant smile. “Welcome back. You, too, Virginia.”
Their stepmother rose and gave Brooke a hug. “Nice to see both of you again.”
Danger in Time Page 17