“We’re here,” said the monster as the vehicle came to a complete halt. Kate struggled to sit up, a difficult task, given the handcuffs. Her door opened a few seconds later. The fresh country air was unmistakable as the man removed her hood. The moonlight was intense, and given the pitch-darkness of the last half hour, Kate felt totally blind for a split second. She blinked her eyes several times, and the world progressively began to come into focus. Several feet in front of her stood a dark mysterious figure facing her. Her eyes were first drawn to his chest. He was wearing a dark flannel shirt. His right hand held a small shiny pistol. She slowly looked up to see his face. In total surprise and terror, she gasped.
He was wearing a Nixon Halloween mask with the classic long, pointy nose, rosy cheeks, and shit-eating grin. She looked into his cold, dark eyes and saw diabolical malice, shameful pure evil. Powerfully, he grabbed her arm with his big left hand. Yanking on her, he disconnected her gaze and walked her to a small barn about twenty feet away. Swiftly, he unlocked the door and pushed her inside.
“You have an hour.” The door closed behind her. The lock clicked loudly into place. A bit disoriented, Kate looked around. It was dark, but the unmistakable silhouette of Amelia made her rush to her side. Amelia had been lying in a small bed. With the noise of the door unlocking, she sat up and then stood by the bed. She was shackled to a weight-bearing post in the middle of the barn by a long chain. Realizing what was happening, the girls ran to one another and embraced, tears flowing down their cheeks. Wordlessly, the sisters stood there hugging for a long moment, each projecting much-needed courage and hope to the other.
“Are you OK, Amelia? Did he hurt you?” said Kate, caressing her sister’s face.
“No, I’m fine. But I want to go home.” Amelia said, crying. “Why did he take me?”
“I’m going to get you out of here. I promise. For now, do what he tells you.”
“What about Mom and Dad? Are they OK? I miss them, Katie.”
“They’re fine.” Kate managed a slight compulsory smile. “Are you getting enough to eat?”
“Yes. He gives me whatever I ask for,” said Amelia, managing a faint grin.
“Have you seen his face?”
“No. He’s been wearing that stupid mask in here.”
“What about at the mall? Did you see his face there?”
“At the mall, he was wearing a moustache, a beard, and sunglasses.” Amelia sighed. “But I saw him take them off when we got here. They were fake.”
“Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. If you can’t identify him, he won’t need to—” Kate paused in midsentence. “Everything will be OK. I promise.”
After a short pause, the girls embraced again. More tears emerged. Kate had a tissue in her pocket, which she used to wipe her sister’s tears. Then her own.
Kate stood up and studied the place. It was a relatively large typical barn with several stalls, where Kate imagined farm animals must have lived. Three large wooden pillars supported the roof. A long chain attached to the middle pole with a nail anchored Amelia down and prevented her escape. This chain was fastened to a manacle that had been placed around her sister’s ankle. This allowed the captor to come and go as he wished, with only minimal care for the girl. The long fetter allowed Amelia to use a small portable commode in an adjacent stall, use the bed and a small desk in this stall, and reach a small refrigerator and microwave in a nearby booth. She had a small TV, video games, and age-appropriate books. He had thought this through, it seemed to Kate. Having worn a disguise, the mysterious man ascertained that he could, one day, let the girls free without the fear of being identified. That meant his grumble was not with either of them. His beef is probably with Dr. Norris, mused Kate. He has to be the man Dr. Norris almost put in jail three years ago. The one who got away. The mastermind behind the Rat Poison murders.
Kate examined Amelia’s restraints, struggling to see in the dark. Given the poor lighting, it’s unlikely Nixon is watching us.
Kate focused on the large nail hammered into the wooden beam that secured the chain around Amelia’s ankle. She pulled on it with all her might, but it didn’t budge. She kicked it from above and then from below. The nail moved ever so slightly. She continued this multiple times, but little progress was made in dislodging the nail.
“Amelia, I want you to work the nail in that beam over there,” she whispered to her sister, pointing in the direction where she had struggled to remove the pin. “Try to loosen it up when you’re alone. If you can remove it, you won’t be attached to the pole. When I come back for you, you have to be freed up from your shackles.” Kate winked at her. “I’ll be back soon.”
“I don’t want you to leave,” said Amelia with a tremor in her voice.
“I know you don’t. But I have to go.” Kate heard footsteps approaching the barn. “He needs me to do some dirty work for him.”
The girls turned to the noise of someone fidgeting with the lock in the entry door.
“I love you, Amelia,” said Kate.
“I love you, Katie,” said Amelia, sitting on her bed, weeping. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
“Time to go home,” said the man inside the Nixon face as the large door into the barn opened noisily. He walked toward the girls and threw the hood in Kate’s direction. She put it on and stood up. The man took her arm and guided her.
As the outside door to the barn locked, Kate heard a faint click and then the noise of something being dropped somewhere. Some device was dropped into his pocket. There is no electronic gadget governing the door. This must be arming some sort of device.
Kate felt the man’s strong grip guide her to his car. She got in and was again handcuffed to the door. What is that electronic gizmo? A spying device? An explosive device to go off if the door opens?
Kate perceived the same road conditions in reverse as her car ride took her back to her Honda.
I’m in way over my head. I can only trust Dr. Norris. But how do I contact him without Nixon knowing? He has bugs in my car and apartment. Where else is he spying on me? He may have accomplices, too. She felt her jaw muscles tighten, and her tight fists made her fingers feel numb. I have to find a way to contact Dr. Norris without anyone knowing.
CHAPTER 14
“I’ll be right there,” said an elderly woman loudly after Kate knocked on the front door of her home. Kate heard footsteps growing louder until the front door opened.
“Hi, Mrs. Atkinson,” said Kate. “We spoke on the phone earlier today.”
“Yes, Kate from Dr. Norris’s office. I recognize you, dear. Come in.”
The two women walked into the house and sat at the kitchen table. Kate had a bad feeling about this but carried on with the script as instructed.
“Dr. Norris asked me to come see you. Is your husband home?”
“Yes, he’s playing cards on the computer.”
“Would you mind getting him?” said Kate. “I’d like to speak with both of you.” The older woman smiled and complied. The more things were proceeding according to plan, the more nervous Kate became. Mr. And Mrs. Atkinson arrived and sat down, an inquisitive look on their faces.
“Dr. Norris sent me to see you both to explain our new home services. We’ll care for you at home. I’ll come see you periodically and give you Dr. Norris’s instructions. If you have any problems, call me at this number.” Kate pointed to the cell number printed on the business card she had placed on the table in front of the elderly couple. “Dr. Norris would like to make some changes to your medications. Will you go get them for me?”
Kate smiled as Charlie got up from the table and disappeared from sight.
“These are all my medications,” he said, reclaiming his chair at his wife’s side. Kate looked at the labels and made two groups of pill bottles.
“This group, you continue to take,” she said, pushing several pill containers
to one side. “This group, you’re going to stop taking. In addition, we’re going to add these other medications.” Kate opened her purse and removed three new bottles of drugs. “I also typed up a new list of all the meds Dr. Norris wants you to take from now on.” She handed over the piece of paper and remained silent for a spell to allow the Atkinsons to review the information.
“This is pretty easy to follow. I take these at breakfast time and these at bedtime,” said the older man. “OK, I got it.”
“Kate, Charlie is doing so well now thanks to Dr. Norris. But why make changes?” asked Mrs. Atkinson.
“I don’t really know, but he feels this is a better course to take.” Kate had difficulty looking either of them in the eye, the turmoil inside her increasing by the minute.
“OK. I trust Dr. Norris,” said Mr. Atkinson. “If he wants me to change medications, I will.”
Several minutes later, Kate exited the Atkinson home and got in her car. More than ever, Kate realized what she was doing was immoral, unethical, and plain wrong. She was stunned and completely terrified by the actions she was coerced to perform. Alone in the vehicle, she began weeping, a whimper at first that crescendoed to a wail, rage cruising through her every fiber. She tightened her muscles, and her fists squeezed tightly around the steering wheel, her wrath oozing from every pore. Terror and disgust overflowed in her head, and a blanket of revenge overwhelmed her heart.
She would get revenge. She would prevail. Amelia would survive the ordeal, and she would not let these innocent bystanders suffer at her hand. I have to find a way to stop all this insanity.
Still frozen with terror in her car, Kate’s mind suddenly drifted to many years in the past, a faint grin growing across her face.
• • •
A thirteen-year-old girl struggled to jump over the large fallen tree, its roots partially embedded deep in the ground. She jumped over the tree stump with ease. Her father carried the rifle over his shoulders. When they arrived at the large rock, the young girl positioned the three large cans as she had done several times before. They walked back to the shooting area.
“I’m very proud of you, Kate,” her father said. “You have gotten better and better at this. Heck, you’re almost as good as I am.” He smiled and handed her the weapon.
“Thanks, Daddy, but I think I’m better than you. I haven’t missed yet at two hundred feet. Watch me.” She made herself comfortable lying on the ground, the rifle in front of her, and lined up the first can in the front and back sights. The safety latch was released, and the trigger was squeezed slowly and steadily. A loud bang echoed. The first can was hit squarely in the center, forcibly propelling it backward. Likewise, the second can was struck with a loud thud. The third can now stood perched alone on the rock. But it was no longer a can. It was—it was—it was the head of a man wearing a Nixon Halloween mask. The loud bang this time was repeated multiple times, numerous holes punched on the mask. For a long moment, the bullet punctures remained undisturbed. Undisturbed until a few seconds later, when blood began to ooze from each perforation.
• • •
A car honked its horn nearby, and Kate was yanked back to the present. In disgust, she started up her car and drove on, her mind again dealing with the depraved actions she was forced to commit on behalf of the mystery man.
The Honda stopped on a driveway, and Kate got out of the car. I will make this right! One day soon, I will make this right! she repeatedly thought. She walked to the front entrance and knocked. A long moment later, the front door opened.
“Hi, Mr. Carter. I’m Kate Fanning. I’m a nurse, and I work with Dr. Norris. May I come in?”
CHAPTER 15
The team was ready and the patient prepped. Dr. Jack Norris had made the necessary review of the available records and medical data and now entered the electrophysiology lab to perform the ablation procedure. The patient’s intermittent racing heartbeats had become a thorn in her side and had been resistant to medical therapy.
“Good morning, ladies,” said Jack, entering the lab with a student in tow.
“Hi, Dr. Norris,” said Vijay, one of the lab nurses.
Tracy, the other nurse, waved and smiled. “Ready to go?”
“Let’s do this.”
Jack scrubbed his hands at the sink outside the lab, prepping for the procedure. He entered the room, and soon the catheters were inside the heart and in their proper position. He mapped the electrical impulses in the patient’s heart, and in no time the radiofrequency ablation was carried out, forever ridding the woman from the pesky rapid palpitations.
“Everything went well, and she should be able to go home later today,” said Jack to the patient’s family, who had been anxiously awaiting his arrival. Jack’s beeper went off. “The emergency room,” murmured Jack to himself as he prepared to dial the number.
“Dr. Norris. We have one of your patients here. He came in with a cardiac arrest.”
“I’ll be right there,” said Jack, hanging up the phone.
Jack trotted to the emergency department. On his arrival, the secretary pointed to room 3. Before Jack pushed through the closed door, Dr. Petrov came out, a somber guise engulfing him.
“Joel Peters—one of yours, Jack. Collapsed at home. EMS called. They found him in ventricular fibrillation. Shocked twice to sinus rhythm with a systolic blood pressure of eighty. He rearrested in the ambulance and has been pulseless since. Nothing we tried worked.”
“Mr. Peters has been so stable lately,” said Jack. “He had a wonderful response to the meds.”
“Stable patients sometimes die,” said Petrov, putting his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “When the good Lord is ready for you, there’s no medication regimen that’ll keep you here.”
Jack hung his head. “I’ll go talk to his family.”
The two paramedics at the scene exited room 3 and stood by Jack and Petrov. “His wife and son are on the way,” said one of the medics. “Not here yet.”
“What else can you tell me about your initial findings at the scene?” said Jack. “This death was so unexpected.”
“We were told he was feeling pretty bad for a few days. His wife said he called your nurse but was told to stay the course. Not to come see you or go to the ER.” He wrinkled his forehead. “It doesn’t make sense.”
CHAPTER 16
William Stoops had been feeling poorly for three days now and was getting worse by the minute. He had felt increasingly weak and fatigued. Getting up this morning had been a colossal chore.
“Call Dr. Norris, Bill,” insisted his wife. “If you won’t, I will.”
Mildred was worried about her husband’s recent deterioration. “It all started since your medications were changed. Call him now.”
“OK, OK. I’ll call. Where’s that card Kate left behind?” He was pale and decrepit. Listless. Puny. Sweat glistened lustrously on his forehead; his voice was frail, and his hands had become tremulous.
“Here, it’s ringing,” said Mildred a few seconds later, handing him the receiver.
“Hi, Kate,” said Bill into the phone. “I feel weak and dizzy. I have—”
“Tell her about the leg cramps and the fainting spell,” said Mildred.
“I passed out yesterday when I got up from the couch to go to the bathroom.” Mildred got closer to the receiver so as to listen in on the conversation. “It started three days after you came to see us and changed my medications. I was doing so good before.”
“I’m going to call Dr. Norris and call you right back,” said Kate.
Bill hung up. “I gotta go lay down. I don’t feel good.” Mildred helped him to the couch a few feet away. He sank into the sofa, hard. As he placed his feet up on a cushion, she rushed out and returned with his favorite pillow, which she placed under his head.
“Comfy?” she asked.
“I feel some better,” Bill lied.
He forced a smile when their eyes connected. She reciprocated.
“Should I call for an ambulance?” she asked.
“No. Let’s wait. She’ll call right back.”
• • •
Several miles away, Kate paced the floor of her apartment, waiting for the monster to answer her call.
“I just got a call from Mr. William Stoops. He’s dehydrated and feeling horrible. The changes in his medications have begun to make him sick. What do you want me to do? He needs to go to the emergency department, or he’ll die.”
“You will tell him to stay home and that everything will be all right,” said the man.
“I have to help him!” Kate’s voice was a snarl. “I can’t just do nothing!”
“If you want to see your sister alive, nothing is exactly what you’ll do!”
“No, please don’t hurt my sister.” Deep loathing for the man grew with his every utterance. Her hand squeezed the phone receiver with a death grip. “I’ll do what you say.”
Rivulets of tears made tracks down her cheeks, and her eyes were swollen. She slammed the phone down on her coffee table and crumpled, face-first, into her couch. She shouted obscenities into the pillows. After a long moment, she ceased and took several deep breaths.
Once she mustered enough strength, Kate picked up her cell phone. The call was answered even before the first ringtone had concluded.
“Good evening, Mrs. Stoops. It’s Kate from Dr. Norris’s office.” Kate swallowed and paused. She looked down at her feet in shame and disgust with her impotence to do what she knew was right. “Dr. Norris says it’ll take a little bit more time for him to adjust to the new medications. He wants you to stay the course. Have him go to bed early and rest. He’ll feel better by tomorrow.” Kate swallowed hard and then continued. “No need to go to the emergency room tonight.” She looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. “Unless he gets much worse,” she ad-libbed. With silent tears flowing down her cheeks, Kate hung up.
HARMED - Book 2: Seconds From Revenge Page 7