by R. G. Ryan
“I can’t believe he just shot me for nothing,” Eddie said, her voice weak from pain and shock.
“Oh, it was for something all right. It was for the pleasure of seeing your pain.”
“But, how could someone get to the point where an innocent person’s suffering brings them pleasure?” Conflicting emotions flowed across Eddie’s face: hurt, which turned into anger, which flowed into amazement.
An evil laugh caused both of them to jump. Paul Morgan was somehow sitting upright again and he was no longer bleeding.
“Shame, shame on you, Ms. Blake. Hitting a wounded man like that. Why you could have killed me—oh, wait, is that what you had intended?”
The malevolent smile on his ruined face chilled both of them almost as much as seeing him sitting upright.
Cassie kept her voice steady and her gaze intense.
“No, Paul. If I wanted to kill you I would—I wouldn’t even have to work that hard to do it. But, of course, you know that, don’t you?”
“What? That you’d kill me if you wanted to?”
He brought his hands together in a supplicating posture and got up on his knees.
“Ooo…I’m real scared,” the laughter that exploded from his throat had a nearly inhuman quality.
“Cass, this is really scaring me,” Eddie’s voice trembled involuntarily.
Cassie patted her tenderly on the shoulder and stood up holding the gun at her side.
“Listen, Paul, let me tell you what’s going to happen over the course of the next few minutes.”
“Oh, please do. I’m all ears,” he mocked. “Well, one ear, at least.”
“Okay, I’ll probably beat you unconscious again because I can’t stand to listen to the sound of your voice, and then Eddie and I are going to go find Jake. So, what do you think about that?”
From the deepest recesses of Paul Morgan’s subconscious mind a personality began to assert itself. It frightened him, not because of unfamiliarity, for it had always been a welcome presence whenever he had needed it. It had enabled him to do things he never would have attempted on his own. It had been an ally of sorts—the source that fueled the fire, if you will. But this…this was different. For the first time in his life, he felt it fighting his conscious mind for total control.
Eddie saw the struggle and grabbed Cassie’s arm, her grip strong enough to be painful. The two women looked at each other as fear, confusion and awareness passed between them.
Somehow Morgan stood to his feet, and when he spoke, his voice seemed deeper and more resonant.
“What do I think about that?” he said rhetorically, repeating Cassie’s question. “I think that I will enjoy your pain immensely.”
Cassie whispered to Eddie, “Do you think you can walk?”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I can manage something if it means getting away from that…that thing. How about you?”
“Likewise.”
“I won’t kill you right away, you know. I’ll make it interesting.”
Morgan’s lips parted in a reptilian grimace of a smile.
Even though she was fighting for all she was worth to break the grip of sheer terror, Cassie summoned strength from a source she couldn’t identify and boldly faced him.
“You won’t kill me at all, Paulie. And if you try it will result in your own death.”
“Bravery…I like that,” he mocked. “It’s really no fun when they fall on their knees and begin praying or begging for mercy. It takes all the challenge away.”
She knew he was toying with her…and seeming to grow stronger with each passing moment.
“I’m warning you, I will not hesitate to kill you.”
The laugh was loud and sustained.
“Kill me? Oh, that’s right. You don’t know, how could you know—I’m already dead!”
He threw his head back as the laugh returned, longer this time and with more volume.
Cassandra Blake then did the bravest thing she had ever done. Walking quickly over to where Paul stood, she grabbed him by the shoulders and kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. He immediately doubled over in agony and as he did so, she grabbed the back of his head with her left hand and with her right smashed the butt of the gun repeatedly into his head. The force of the blow knocked him onto his back, where he lay semi-conscious and moaning.
“Let’s go, Eddie.”
But Eddie seemed transfixed by the spectacle and found it difficult to turn away.
“Eddie!” Cassie repeated forcefully. “I said let’s go.”
Eddie shook her head slightly and turned to follow.
“Where are we going?”
So far, Cassie’s only intention had been to get away from Morgan, but since it appeared that there was little chance of him following them, she had to decide what to do next.
“Back to the cabin, I suppose. It’s not like there are a lot of options out here.”
With their arms around each other for support they started to leave when suddenly, Paul’s moaning ceased. The women stopped and turned in unison to see what was transpiring.
He was gone.
Cassie walked quickly to where Morgan had been a few moments before, examining the ground around where he had fallen and looking for anything that would help explain his disappearance.
“This is not possible!”
Eddie joined her.
“Impossible or not, he’s gone.”
“No, what I mean is, that physiologically it just isn’t possible. I mean, the knee to the groin alone is enough to put the average adult male in the hospital for several days. Add to that a broken nose, concussion and bullet wound—it makes no sense.”
Cassie peered behind two large boulders, fully expecting to see his body on the ground.
“Cass, this is really scaring me,” Eddie said, stepping closer.
“I know what you mean, but with those injuries, there’s no way he can get very far.” She lowered her voice to a quiet whisper before adding, “If you think you’re able I want you to head back toward the cabin. I have to go look for him.”
“Look for him! Are you kidding?”
“He’s severely injured, Eddie, and without help he could die out here.”
“And that’s a bad thing because…” Eddie prompted.
“It’s a bad thing because…because I can’t just walk away and let someone die—not even Paul Morgan.”
Eddie nodded her head slowly.
“All right, then. I’m staying with you.”
“Not a chance.”
“And, why not?”
“Because it could be dangerous.”
“That’s exactly why I need to stay.”
Cassie said patiently, “Look, we need some help here, Eddie. You have to go back to the cabin and wait there in case Jake shows up.”
“How do you know he’ll be able to find the cabin?”
Cassie smiled, “Oh, he’ll find the cabin. Now, get going.”
Eddie started to protest further, but one look at Cassie and the resolve she saw in her eyes convinced her to do as she was told.
As Eddie limped away, Cassie thought she heard something moving on the trail behind her, so she turned and began to walk quickly up the steep path never noticing that her foot felt oddly normal.
“Paul? Come on, now. You need help.” She stopped, listening for a response. “I’m not going to hurt you—I only want to help.”
Paul Morgan crouched quietly behind a cluster of boulders not fifty feet from where Cassie stood calling to him. Even though he was certain that the drug had finally kicked in, his body was awash in agony that pierced to the core of his being. A ragged cry rent the dusky twilight, torn from a place of misery known only to those whose choices ultimately produce a harvest of tragic consequence.
No time for that, though.
It was time for a reckoning.
Chapter Thirty-four
The small, rusti
c cabin was now only a hundred yards away and more than ever, I felt certain that the girls had come in this direction. I mean they had to. It was really the only thing that made sense. And if the girls had come this way, Paul Morgan would no doubt be close by.
Following agent Carter’s makeshift suturing and a couple of doses of fentanyl, my head felt substantially better, to the extent that the wound was now more of a nuisance than anything else.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true.
It was also an embarrassment.
In any case, I was in no shape to do what I was trained to do, which meant that I would have to rely heavily on Carter and Washington.
We approached the cabin slowly, noticing a dim, flickering glow coming from the small, front window. When we got to within twenty feet or so we stopped walking and stood in silence, assessing the situation.
“What’s next?” asked agent Carter.
“Well, I’m thinking that there is no way Morgan is in there.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Trust me. If he was in there, he would have started shooting the minute we came into view. Besides…” I scanned the ground. “…no blood trail.”
Agent Washington said, “Maybe I should go check it out.”
I thought it over and replied, “I guess there’s really no other alternative.”
He pulled an enormous handgun from a shoulder holster.
“Okay—me and the equalizer here will be right back.”
“What the hell is that thing?”
“This?” he asked innocently while holding the gun up for my inspection. “This here is a Smith and Wesson .500 Magnum. Take down a Grizzly with this bad boy.”
“Impressive. Just the same…let’s be careful out there, man.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about me none, brother.”
In the illumination from our flashlights, I watched him slowly climb the three slanting steps that led to a simple wood porch where he paused as if listening for any sounds from inside. He pushed against the door with the tip of the gun’s barrel—it didn’t budge. Holding the flashlight under one arm he tried the handle, which seemed to either be locked or stuck. Looking back in my direction as if seeking permission, he turned and kicked the door nearly off its hinges.
A woman’s scream suddenly pierced the darkness and I started running for the cabin before I realized that I couldn’t run. When I stumbled, going down on my bad knee, agent Carter was right there beside me helping me to stand.
I shouted, “Washington, what’s happening?”
Agent Washington stuck his head back through the door.
“When you’re right, you’re right. The girls did come this way and one of them is still here.”
Leaning heavily against Carter’s side, I managed to walk up the steps and into the cabin’s interior. In the insufficient light of what looked to be an antique lantern, it took me a moment to make out the bedraggled form sitting at the crude table. From what I could see, the young woman had been through a lot.
Carter helped me over to the table and onto the bench opposite from the girl as Washington said, “Jake, this is Eddie. She is responsible for Cassie getting away from Morgan.”
The girl had been sitting with her eyes downcast, staring at the floor. At the mention of my name, she looked up at me, her gaze lingering momentarily on my bandage before finding my eyes.
With the barest hint of a smile she said softly, “Uncle Jake. Cassie has told me so much about you that I feel as if I know you well.”
We sat in silence just staring at each other for what seemed like a long time before I said, “Nice to meet you, Edwina.”
Her eyes widened.
“You know who I am?”
“Cassie told me during the call she made on the SatPhone.”
Eddie was a slight, blonde girl with delicate features. Even in the dim light of the lantern the blue of her eyes stood out like twin pools in a tropical forest. As disheveled and depleted as she was, I could tell that she had once been stunning.
I continued, “Eddie, I don’t fully understand how you’re involved in all of this, but thank-you for being there for Cassie.”
“Oh, hey…no problem. No problem at…”
And then she began to cry—quietly at first, but the sobs quickly took over as her shoulders shook with the emotion. Washington sat down on the bench beside her, putting one arm comfortingly around her thin shoulders.
He spoke softly, “Hey, now. It’s all right. We’re here and everything is going to be okay.”
His eyes met mine as if to say, “This girl’s in a lot of trouble.”
I waited for the emotion to subside before saying, “I don’t mean to seem insensitive, but we need to find Cassie. Where is she?”
She pulled back from Washington’s embrace, her eyes darting back and forth between the three of us.
Finally, she said, “She’s up there.”
Carter asked, “Up where?”
She pointed.
“Up there on the bluffs with Paul Morgan.”
I stood so quickly I nearly upended the table.
“Morgan has her?”
“Well, that’s hard to say because, see, she sent me back down and stayed up there. But I’m pretty sure she didn’t intend to just stick around. So I think she’s probably up there somewhere trying to get away.”
Carter asked, “Why did she send you back to the cabin?”
“She figured because of my knee I’d be better off down here.”
Washington asked, “What about your knee?”
“He, ah, he shot me,” Eddie replied breaking into sobs once more.
Washington shined a light under the table to get a look at her knee through the tear in her jeans.
“Whoa, Jack…this girl’s got a gunshot wound.”
Carter came around the table, and between them they got her onto the tabletop so her knee could be examined.
“Looks like it didn’t penetrate,” Carter concluded as he peered at the ragged flesh.
Washington added, “Uh-huh…it looks like the bullet grazed it right below the kneecap.”
Eddie suddenly reached across the table and grabbed my hands.
“You have to go up and help her before that thing…before that thing…”
I said patiently, “Okay, now I need to know exactly what you’re talking about. Can you take it slowly and tell us what happened.”
I realized that in her fragile condition nothing was going to happen quickly and trying to push her would be not only useless, but also potentially damaging.
I also realized that for some reason, the pain in my head was easily half of what it had been.
“Well, we heard gunshots coming from the valley and figured that staying here in the cabin wouldn’t be a smart thing because of not knowing who was doing the shooting and all.”
“That was me exchanging gunfire with Morgan,” I explained.
“Cassie figured it might be. But, we really couldn’t be sure, so we headed up toward the bluffs—you can’t really see them because of the dark, but they’re up there. It seemed like a better place to hide out until someone came looking for us. Her foot was in pretty bad shape so we—“
“Her foot? So, Morgan was right? Her foot is injured?
She nodded.
“Back at the house where we were first being held, I mean where we were holding Cassie—Jake I’m so sorry about all of this and you need to know that Paul made me do it or he would have hurt me really, really bad—“
“Don’t worry about that now, just tell us what happened next,” I said soothingly.
“Well, after Cassie kicked Paul in the back of the head and knocked him out, she could barely walk and thought that maybe she had broken her foot.”
“She kicked him in the back of the head?” Carter asked incredulously.
“Yeah. When she jumped him. Turns out that her foot wasn’t broken, j
ust sprained.”
“All right,” I said. “Go on.”
She shook her head slightly as if to clear her mind.
“Well, we were up there on the bluffs resting—it’s quite a hike and Cassie was in a lot of pain—when from out of nowhere, Paul shows up with half of his face blown off.”
“It looks like you hit him after all,” Washington said.
I prompted, “Eddie, can you describe in a little more detail what you mean by that?”
“Well, it looked to us like a bullet had hit him at the corner of his right eye and had grazed it kind of like that bullet grazed my knee.” She indicated the path of the bullet with her finger on her own face. “I’m pretty sure the bullet tore out a chunk of bone and most of his ear and blinded him in that eye. He was pretty messed up, that’s for sure.”
Washington asked, “And he was up walking around?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard anything yet. One thing leads to another and suddenly right in the middle of a conversation he’s having with Cassie—they’d been arguing about some stuff that had happened—he hauls off and shoots me! Blam! Just like that. At first the pain was so bad that I didn’t know what was going on but after a while I hear Cassie asking if I’m all right and I sit up. Well, Paul’s lying on the ground unconscious and bleeding from that bullet wound. Apparently she had whacked him again. So we talk a little more and all of a sudden he sits up like there’s not a thing wrong.”
Washington said, “Wait a minute…you said that this guy has his ear torn off, a chunk of bone missing from his skull, blind in one eye and bleeding badly and he’s sitting up talking like there’s nothing wrong?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, but it gets better, or worse depending on your point of view. He starts talking in this crazy voice that doesn’t quite sound like his own about how he’s going to kill us both only he’s going to take a long time doing it. He didn’t seem himself anymore. His voice was lower, thicker and he, he just hated us so much. Cassie told him that she would kill him if he tried to come after us. That only made him laugh.
“So she walks over while he has his head thrown back laughing, knees him in the nads and then bashes him in the back of the head a few times with the butt of a pistol she took away from him.”