“Oh, my God! Why in the world…wait a minute. That’s where I know Rachelle Albright’s name from. She was a nurse’s assistant in Dr. Tilley’s office. You don’t think…”
“I don’t know what to think, but I know we should get that information to Richard Staples.” Cole picked up the phone.
“I’ve got to get Ben.” Tim stood.
“Hang on, Tim. You don’t even know where the Parkers live.”
Tim dropped back in his chair, but everyone knew he wouldn’t sit still long.
After giving Richard the message, Cole turned Tim. “Say your son is with the Parkers?”
Tim nodded. Cole made another call. When he hung up, he said, “Dad is on his way to the Parkers’ now. He said not to worry. He’ll make sure your son is safe. In fact, he said he’d call as soon as he got there and let you talk to Ben.” Seeing Tim’s still-worried face, he added, “It won’t take him more than ten minutes. In the meantime, Luke, do you think you can get Alex to join us without alarming Heather?”
“Sure. I’ll ask Heather to go sit with Brenda while I talk about some farm business with Dad.”
Alex joined them shortly, and twenty minutes later, Tim hung up the phone. “Well, Ben says he’s having a ball and wants to stay longer. Seems your dad has already enticed the boys to play with a farm and ranch set that Mavis keeps for her grandson.” Tim kind of chuckled and added, “As Ben put it, Mr. Jude and Mr. Neil are cool men just like Poppa.”
Alex grinned. “My grandson has good taste.”
The men then turned to the serious matter of what was happening at the farms of Coverton Mills.
•♥ •
“Well, what do you think, Earl? Is she tied tight enough?”
Earl looked at the trembling woman tied in the chair in front of Heather’s desk. “Yep. You did a pretty good job for a drunk woman, Anna.”
“I told you my name is Rachelle, not Anna, and I’m not drunk. Let’s get busy.”
It was sometime later when they came back into Heather’s office.
“That was fun,” Earl said. “I sure wish I could be here to see Alex’s face when he sees what we’ve done to his fancy house. The bastard will think twice before he testifies against me again.”
“It was fun. And if you’ll quit whining about him being the reason you had to go to prison, I’ll do what I have to do in here.”
“So, get to it. I’m anxious to make use of that fancy bedroom of theirs. Ain’t right for a man like him to get to sleep with a beautiful woman in that big bed. If Anna had married me instead of him, I’d be sleeping there with her.”
Rachelle gave him a drunken look. “Why don’t you get sex off your mind and do the room with the pool table while I’m busy in here?”
“You get busy, too.”
“Please,” Irma said. “Why do you have to mess this place up?”
“Shut your mouth, old woman,” Earl shouted at her. “What we do here is none of your business. You’re just the maid.”
“I’ve—”
Rachelle butted in. “Can’t you find some duck tape for her mouth, Earl?”
“I’ll look.” He started out of the room. “Now, you get busy.”
•♥ •
Irma bit her lip. She knew she better keep quiet. They’d warned her before if she didn’t keep her mouth shut they’d kill her. Afraid they might keep this threat, she began to ponder what was happening. Ms. Heather was a wonderful person, how could this crazy woman hate her so, and how did she know Mr. Alex? But she must know him, because she kept saying how much she loved him and he was meant for her and not Heather.
Then the crazy man kept saying he’d come to make Alex pay for taking Ms. Anna away from him and putting him in prison all those years ago.
Irma tried to tell him that Ms. Anna was dead, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He said Alex only pretended Anna was dead so nobody would take her away from him. He kept raving about how Anna loved him and not Alex. Then he said he knew Alex was the reason the police had arrested him for stabbing a man, though the man needed killing.
He came up to Rachelle and slapped her on the behind. “Hey, did I tell you old Alex is going to pay? So are his friends. I’m going after Jude Winslow as soon as I put old Alex six feet under.”
“Well, I have my plan, too. After Heather’s gone, I’m going to run away and take little Ben with me. He’s so smart, I know he’ll someday be a rich man and I need someone like him to insure my future since I lost my job at the hospital.”
Irma wondered if it was a mental hospital.
“We’ve talked enough, woman. Let’s get busy.” Earl left the room.
Rachelle sat down at one of the computers and booted it up. There was a crash and Irma jumped.
“What did you do?” Rachelle looked up from Heather’s computer and yelled.
A sinister laugh came from the entry way. “I knocked over the grandfather clock.”
“Oh, no. That clock has been handed down in Mr. Alex’s family for generations,” Irma couldn’t help saying.
“Go ahead and smash the clock, Earl. The lady, here, says it’s special.”
“Thanks.” In a few minutes there came the sound of breaking glass then the dings and rings as the clock was mutilated.
Irma bit her lip. She had to keep her mouth shut. She couldn’t let them know about anything else in the house that was special. They’d destroy it, too.
Rachelle began singing in a monotone voice as she deleted files from the computer. She was making up her own words. “Now, I’m getting rid of everything you’ve written about my Alex. He’ll be mine alone, and you’ll be out of our life. Aren’t you going to be mad? And I don’t care, because as soon as I get to you, you’ll be dead just like this Anna. Then I’ll run away with your grandson and nobody will ever see him again until I put him to work. You’ll be sorry you tried to keep my Alex from me.”
Irma shivered. This woman was insane. Was there any hope for any of them?
Earl burst into the room. “Look what I found, Anna.” He was holding a liquor bottle in each hand. “He’s got a lot of this stuff in his pool room.” He laughed. “Can you imagine anyone rich enough to have a pool room? One with a bar full of fine whiskey.”
Rachelle didn’t correct him for not calling her Rachelle. She grabbed at the whiskey. “I need that.”
He handed her a bottle and she tore into it. Not bothering with a glass, she drank from the bottle.
“Are you about through?”
“I won’t be much longer.”
“Well, hurry up, Anna. I’m not going to wait much longer.”
“I said, I won’t be long!” she screamed at him.
“I’ll go see what else I can find, but you better be ready in ten minutes. That’s as long as I’m going to wait.”
“I’ll be ready.”
CHAPTER 48
“Well, fellows,” Alex said, hanging up the phone, “Richard has things under control. He talked with Dr. Tilley, and he confirmed that Rachelle disappeared last Monday with Ben’s file. He found out she’s obsessed with Heather’s character, Alex Hargrove, not me.”
“So, she’s not after you, Dad?”
“No. Seems she wants to write the Alex Hargrove books herself so she can pair him up with a woman named Rachelle. She thinks the only thing standing between her and this goal is Heather.” He took a deep breath. “They didn’t know why she took Ben’s file, but I think she knows that, through Ben, she can get to Heather. We’ve got to watch those boys.”
“I agree.”
“Jude and Neil are aware of the situation. There’s nothing to worry about as long as the boys are there. This Rachelle probably has no idea where they are or how to get there, but we’re not going to take any chances. Neil wants them to stay until she’s caught. Alex looked at Tim. “If it’ll make you feel better, Neil and Mavis want you stay with them, too.”
“It’d help if I could be with Ben.”
“Then it’s settled. Heath
er and I will leave in a little while and we’ll drop you at Neil’s.”
“Maybe I should take him, Dad. She obviously knows your car, but she doesn’t know mine. I think it’d be safer.”
“You’re right.” Alex stood. “I’ll have to tell Heather what’s going on, but—”
“I’m not telling Juanita,” Tim said. “She’d be out of that bed and going with me.”
“I’ll not tell Brenda, either.” Luke stood. “By the time the girls are ready to come home, we’ll have all this mess settled.”
• ♥ •
As Alex and Heather were on the way home, Neil called to tell them Richard Staples called to say a couple of deranged people had broken into their house, ransacked it and beat Irma, who they’d sent to the hospital.
They were concerned about what they’d find as they got out of the car and headed inside.
“It will be okay, honey.” Alex took Heather’s hand.
“I know. We have each other, and together, we can get through anything.”
Heather clung to Alex’s arm as they came down the hall to the kitchen. It was almost unrecognizable. A man was talking to a police officer, but turned when they entered. He came toward them and held out his hand. “I’m sure sorry about this, Alex.”
Alex took his hand. “Do you have any idea who did it, Richard?”
“Not yet.” He looked at Heather.
“Richard, meet Heather. Honey, this is Richard Staples, chief of police. We’re old friends.”
“Hello, Heather. I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances.”
“So am I.”
“Could you tell us about Irma, Richard?”
“When she called, she could hardly talk. I sent an ambulance right out and they were working with her as I arrived. She managed to tell me she played dead so they wouldn’t kill her. The paramedic said she had some broken ribs and some bad blows on her head, but her vital signs were good.”
“Then, we have a lot to be thankful for,” Heather said.
“Yes, we do.” Alex put his arm around her. “We have two new granddaughters born today, Richard.”
“Congratulations. My oldest daughter’s pregnant. I can’t wait to be a grandpa.” Richard took a breath. “I hate to do this to you, but you know we’re going to have to declare this place a crime scene. Do you have some place you can stay?”
“We’ll stay at Bed, Breakfast and More.”
“I forgot you own that.”
“You’ll let us get a few clothes won’t you?”
“Of course I will, Alex. Why I don’t I go with you to get them.”
When they got to their bedroom, Heather couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped. “Oh, Alex. Look what they’ve done to our bedroom suite!”
“Don’t cry, honey. It’ll be okay.” He wasn’t sure he believed his own words, even as he said them. Graffiti covered the bedposts, walls and pictures. A knife had been used to rip the spread and the mattress, which was now resting halfway off the bed. The lounge chairs in the sitting area had also been sliced.
“I looked in the closets earlier, and I think most of your clothes are okay. I guess the culprits were more interested in wrecking your furniture.”
“How about upstairs, Richard?”
“It’s pretty much the same as down here.”
An officer stuck his head in the door. “Chief, we’ve finished dusting for prints upstairs. Want to start down here now?”
“Yeah, but start in the kitchen area and work this way. Mr. and Mrs. Hargrove are getting ready to leave.”
“Let’s get a few things and get out of here so they can do their job, honey.” Alex looked down at her.
She nodded and went into her closet.
“Could you step out a minute, Alex? There are a few things I want to discuss with you,” Richard said.
“Sure.” Alex followed him into the hall.
CHAPTER 49
“That was Dad,” Luke said to Tim when he shut off his cell phone. They were headed toward the Parker farm. “He said he and Heather will be staying at Bed, Breakfast and More and they’d get you a room, if you like. I told them I thought you were going to stay with Neil and Mavis until Juanita gets out of the hospital.”
“So, the house is so bad we can’t stay there?”
“Yes, and the police have it cordoned off.”
“I don’t suppose they have any leads on this Rachelle.”
“No, but Irma told them the man with her kept calling her Anna. They’re positive it was Earl Turner. He has hated Dad for years. Seems he thinks Dad took Mother away from him. Also, Dad and Jude and a couple more of their friends saw him go after a man with a knife in a bar fight. They testified against him when Earl was arrested for murder. He was sent to prison, so his motive seems to be revenge. The only thing they can’t figure out is how the Albright woman and Earl got together.”
“I hope they’re caught soon. This is a rough thing for our folks to go through.” Tim sighed. “Of course, I’m worried about my mother. I can’t imagine someone wanting to kill her.”
“Dad will protect her with his life, Tim.”
“I know. I’m thankful she has him.”
They pulled into the Parkers’ driveway and Luke cut off the motor. “We’ll certainly be there for both of them.”
Tim almost chuckled. “I can’t believe that in the midst of all this Neil offered me a job as principal of Coverton Mills High School.”
“That shocked me, too. I knew Dad had said something to Neil about a job for you, but I never expected such a good offer. Are you going to accept it?”
“I’m thinking seriously about it. I mentioned it to Juanita, and she said she’d stand behind me in whatever I wanted to do.”
There was a short silence, then Luke said, “Well, brother, I think you need to accept that job. With our two families living here and being supportive, plus knowing the love they have for each other, I’m sure our folks can handle anything.”
Tim nodded and didn’t hesitate. He held out his hand to Luke. “You’re right. I’ll take the job, and together, we’ll see them through whatever happens.”
The two men’s eyes locked, and in that instant they knew, though they were not related by blood, they’d be brothers for the rest of their lives.
•♥ •
It was after ten when Heather snuggled close to Alex in the big antique bed in the second-floor suite of Bed, Breakfast and More. “This is a lovely place, Alex.”
“This suite is not quite as nice as the one on the first floor, but I thought it safer. The one downstairs has an outside entrance.”
“I know there are other guests. You didn’t have to move anyone did you?”
“No. This suite wasn’t rented. I told Carolyn if someone called about it, not to rent it until we knew how long we’d need it.”
“I hope we can go home soon.”
“Honey, it’ll take a while to get our house cleaned up.”
“Do you think they can clean our bedroom suite?”
He hugged her closer to him. “If they can’t, we’ll get another one like it.”
“I want that one. It has sentimental value to me.”
He chuckled. “Any place I sleep with you has sentimental value to me.”
She laughed. “Of course, you’re right. People are what counts. Not furniture.” She kissed his chin. “Speaking of people, has the girl who checked us in always been slow or has something happened to her?”
“Carolyn had an accident about four years ago. Her father is Ethan Foley, one of the Redwoods. She used to be quite the scholar and planned a career as a math professor. One night, she and her boyfriend and another couple went to a party where they drank too much and shouldn’t have driven. They missed one of the curves, and the car went over the side of a cliff. The other girl was killed, and her boyfriend broke his neck and is in a wheelchair today. Carolyn had head injuries. She’s come back more than they anyone thought she would, though she’ll
never be that math professor. Her boyfriend was driving. He walked away without a scratch. Needless to say, he dropped Carolyn shortly after the accident.”
“That’s sad. She’s a sweet girl, but I couldn’t help noticing her run-on sentences.”
He chuckled. “I think she talks in three- or four-hundred-word sentences all the time, but she’s such a likable person, nobody minds.”
“I’m glad you gave her a job.”
“Ethan came to me and asked if I would. I think his wife, Meg, is ashamed of her and wanted to get her out of the house. He said he was sure Carolyn could clean rooms or something menial. It didn’t take me long to see she was capable of more than that. She’s still able to work with figures as long as it doesn’t get complicated, and she likes working the front desk. She now lives in a small apartment on the back of the inn. She comes to work every day whether we have guests or not.”
“You’re a good man, Alex Hargrove.”
“Think so, huh?”
“Oh, yes.” Her hands began to caress his back.
He grinned into the dark. “Okay, young woman. Don’t you start getting frisky unless you want to finish it.”
“I’m not young. I’m a grandmother.”
He whispered, “Honey, when you act this way, you revert back many years.”
Before she could answer, he was kissing her.
•♥ •
“So, you think they’re in that room up there.” Rachelle looked at Earl as they sat in his truck with two bottles of Scotch they’d taken from Alex’s liquor cabinet.
“I’m sure of it. The curtains closed and the lights went on in that room after they got here. It’s got to be them.”
“How do we get to them?” She took a drink.
“They say last night’s storm wasn’t as bad as what we’ll get tonight.”
“So? What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Don’t be stupid, Anna…”
“My name is Rachelle! If you don’t stop calling me Anna, I’m going to start calling you Alex.”
“I don’t care what you call me.”
“Okay, then Alex. What’s going to happen when the storm hits?”
Stalking her Dreams (A Coverton Mills Romance Book 1) Page 24