She sighed and went in search of a mug. She poured a cup and rummaged in the fruit bowl for a fresh grapefruit. Logan’s cell phone rang. He answered curtly, listened for a moment and then slammed the paper on the table. “Yeah, but I haven’t seen her in months.” He listened some more, his expression serious. “No, I didn’t get any phone messages.” He switched the phone to the other ear and scribbled some notes. “No family in town? Sure I can be there this afternoon. Okay, I’ll see you in a few hours.”
He disconnected the call and slid the phone on the table, a troubled look on his face. He doodled absently on the paper.
Jade didn’t want to pry but she wanted to help if she could. “Is anything wrong?”
He glanced up as if he'd forgotten she was there. “Someone I know was killed in an accident.”
“I’m sorry, Logan. Can I do anything?”
He shook his head and scooted away from the table. Grabbing the half-eaten banana and cup of coffee, he padded away. “I’ll be in my office,” he called out over his shoulder.
Jade watched his retreating form, sadness washing over her. He couldn’t even trust her enough to seek comfort. She wondered about the person who died. She heard him say "her" so obviously it was a woman. A former girlfriend?
She sat at the table and picked at the grapefruit. Too many people had died lately, most at the hand of her obsessed fan.
She thought about the nice limo driver. Another casuality to add to the growing list of people her stalker had potentially murdered. She had no arguments, no heated discussions with Stanley Plant. He'd merely been collateral damage in one man’s murderous quest.
How many more people would be harmed before he was caught?
Jade made a note to contact Stanley Plant’s family and offer to pay for his funeral once this mess was over and she could go out in public again. It wouldn’t bring their loved one back, but hopefully it would ease a bit of their pain.
Looking for an excuse to take her mind off of the murderous rampage, she headed to her bedroom and scrounged through her suitcase for the script of ‘Attraction Overruled’. Returning to the kitchen, she sat at the table and started reading. A quarter of the way through, she was convinced this was the part for her, the role that would take her career to the next level. It would cement her standing as an actress capable of headlining a major motion picture. She wanted it badly.
“I’ve got to go out for about an hour.”
Jade had been so engrossed in the script, she jerked at the sound of Logan’s voice.
“Will you be okay here by yourself?”
Jade nodded, one hand covering the title on the front page. She didn’t know why she felt guilty for reading the screenplay, but she did. Logan eyed the stack of papers but didn’t say a word. He turned to leave.
“Do not open the door for anyone,” he ordered.
Jade saluted his back. As if she didn’t know that by now. He certainly drilled it into her head every chance he got.
She listened for the garage door to open and Logan to motor away before she skimmed the rest of the pages. By the time she finished the last sentence, she decided the heroine, Marla Ford, was written specifically for her.
Picking up Logan’s phone, she dialed Randolph’s personal number—one he only gave to a few select people.
“Randolph London.”
“Randolph, this is Juliet LaRue.”
“Juliet! Have you had a chance to read the script?”
“Actually, I just finished.”
“Well…don’t keep me in suspense. What do you think?”
“I think I am Marla Ford. I want the part, Randolph.”
“I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. I’ve wanted to get you in a starring role for MegaPics for a long time now. You have that certain quality that we look for and I just know you will be a huge success.”
“Why didn’t you offer me a role sooner?”
“Sid didn’t think you were ready to carry a film. He always rebuked my offers.”
A sharp pain stabbed Jade—no doubt Sid’s hand reaching up from the grave to give the knife he firmly planted in her back an evil twist.
“Ron Stone's my agent now. I'll have him call to make the arrangements.” She just had to call Ron, her first agent whom she fired and replaced with Sid, and beg him to take her back.
“We're ready to go on this, Juliet. I need you here yesterday.”
She sucked in a breath. She couldn’t leave that soon. What about Logan? Isabella? Trudy? The stalker?
She couldn’t tell Randolph about her demented follower. He wouldn’t want to endanger the movie crew or hire someone who could disrupt filming.
“I have to wrap a few things up here, Randolph. Can you give me some time?"
“We don't have time," Randolph informed her. “Having to replace Meg set production back and I've already waited for you to read the script and decide. If I didn't hear from you today, I would've moved on to my second choice."
“I understand," she said, meaning it. Filming a movie took a massive amount of planning, scheduling and coordination. Even a one day delay could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions. Not the best first impression to make as the marquee star. "Can you give me a few days?”
“I want you here tomorrow night. Everything is in place. I’ll have my secretary make the flight arrangements. Let’s get this project going.”
Jade hung up, excitement and sadness both wielding swords in her stomach. This picture could be the break she'd been hoping for all along. She should be excited. Logan made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her now, so really, what was holding her back? The duel was going full force in her belly, and she feared sadness held the upper hand.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something on the floor. She bent to pick it up. The notepad Logan scribbled on earlier. It must have fallen off when he got up. Did he need the information? She skimmed the top page and gasped. The pad of paper fell from her grip.
Logan’s friend, the woman who was killed, was Charlotte.
Chapter Forty
Jade didn’t know how long she sat at the table, staring at nothing. She spent the afternoon yesterday with Charlotte and now the girl was dead. Charlotte had nothing to do with her—she only met her yesterday. Still, something wasn’t right.
Why were all the people around her dying?
While she would never call her a friend, when Charlotte left, they parted amicably. They bonded over coffee and shared stories. However, when the girl arrived, they'd argued. In fact, they fought loudly and very animatedly. She didn’t have the door open long, but what if the stalker saw her and watched them quarrel? What if he thought Charlotte posed a threat? What if he killed her?
If he did kill her, that meant he knew exactly where Jade was right now.
The phone rang and she jumped a foot in the air. Her hand shook reaching for the receiver. Maybe it was Randolph calling to give her a few more days reprieve. Hopefully it was Logan and she could tell him about meeting Charlotte and her fears. She glanced at Caller ID. Mrs. Harper? Why would she be calling?
“Mrs. Harper, is everything okay? Bella?”
A slight pause. “Hello, darling.”
Jade froze with horror. It was him. The stalker.
“What have you done to Mrs. Harper?”
The maniac on the other end hummed a lullaby.
“How did you find me?” They had been so careful. Unless this man was psychic on top of psychotic, he couldn't have known where she was staying. But he did.
“I always find you, Juliet, darling. You don’t make it easy sometimes, but I do enjoy the hunt.”
Jade shuddered. This man was completely nuts. “You killed Charlotte, didn’t you?”
“Charlotte?” He paused in thought. “Oh, you mean the whore who yelled at you yesterday? No one talks to you that way, darling. I won’t have it."
His menacing tone turned gentle. “I’m tired of waiting for you, my love. Everyt
hing is set for the wedding. I didn’t want anything to get in the way of our family’s happiness.”
“F-family,” Jade repeated breathlessly.
“Yes, our family. You, me and our precious baby daughter.”
This man was beyond lunatic. “We don’t have a…”
Blinding panic gripped her. His next words confirmed her worst fears. The room spun violently and she collapsed to the chair.
“She is so sweet, isn’t she? She has my hair. Black and curly. She didn’t recognize me at first, but she knows now that I’m her daddy. Don’t worry, darling, I’ll take good care of our little girl.”
Oh no, please God, not Isabella.
Anger replaced fear and Jade jumped to her feet. “Don’t you dare hurt her you son of a bitch.” Jade slid into her shoes as she talked, hoping to keep him on the line. She had to get to him before he harmed Logan’s daughter.
Then she would kill him with her bare hands.
She opened her mouth to let him have it and stopped. She wanted to keep him talking so she changed tactics. “Why don’t I come over right now and we can talk about the plans for the wedding, put our daughter down for a nap? I’m sure she is tired.”
She desperately needed to trade places with Bella, get the girl away from the maniac. She grabbed her gun out of her purse and shoved it in her pocket. “I love the wedding dress you picked out for me. It’s perfect. You knew just what I would like.”
“I’m sorry, darling, I can’t talk right now. I’m going to feed our darling daughter. She looks hungry. I’ll see you soon.”
The phone went dead.
“Noo,” Jade wailed.
She bolted out the door at a dead run, not bothering to disengage the alarm. She heard an engine roar but the car had already rounded a corner out of sight. She punched Logan’s cell phone.
“Bradley.”
“Please tell me Isabella is with you?” She could barely talk through her labored breathing.
“Jade?”
“Isabella, is she with you?”
“No, she’s at Mrs. Harper’s house this afternoon. Why?”
“Oh no, he has her.”
“What? Who? Who has her?” he roared.
“The stalker.”
Tires squealed across the phone lines and car horns blasted. “No!”
“Logan, I’m so sorry…”
“I’m less than five minutes away.” He hung up.
Jade raced to Mrs. Harper’s front door and banged hard. “Mrs. Harper? It’s Jade. Are you okay?” She peered through the window but couldn’t see anyone. She rattled the handle. Locked.
Jumping off the porch, she sprinted around the house to the back. Banging with her fist she tried again. “Mrs. Harper, are you okay? It’s Jade from down the street. I’ve come to check on you and Isabella.” Still no response. She tried the knob but this door was locked as well. Her eyes roamed the yard, looking for something she could use to break a window.
Tires screeched and she bolted around the side of the house and almost crashed into Logan. His hands whipped out to steady her. “The doors are locked,” she said around a breath, her chest heaving.
Logan leaped up on the porch and used his foot to bash in the front door. The heavy oak panel splintered and teetered from one hinge. Logan shouldered it aside and Jade rushed in behind him.
“Isabella? Mrs. Harper?” he bellowed. He darted through the living room to the kitchen.
“In here,” Jade called out.
Logan rushed to her side and found Mrs. Harper unconscious on her bed, a blanket covering her legs, blood oozing from a deep cut on her forehead.
“I’ll call an ambulance.”
“I called one on my way over,” Logan told her as he checked for signs of life.
“Is she…”
“She’s alive, but her pulse is weak. Stay with her until the paramedics arrive. I’m going to look for Bella.”
Logan, looking frighteningly pale, disappeared. Jade lifted Mrs. Harper’s cold hand and spoke softly to her, assuring her everything would be fine. She said a silent prayer that her words would hold true. Sirens drew close and then shut off. Jade left Mrs. Harper’s side to guide medical personnel into the room.
Luke rushed inside behind the police, having been alerted by Logan’s frantic call. “Bella?”
Jade shook her head.
He swallowed visibly. “Mrs. Harper?”
“She’s alive.”
Logan stumbled into the room and ran a hand across his forehead. He moved aside as a medic wheeled a stretcher through the doorway.
“Anything?” Luke asked.
“No.” He closed his eyes and shoved both hands in his hair. “I have to find Bella, she needs me…” He brushed past Luke, intent on his search.
Luke grabbed his arm. “One of your neighbors gave a description of the vehicle. The police are issuing an Amber Alert immediately. We'll find her.”
Logan stood dazed, seemingly unable to focus on anything. Finally, he said, “Dan. He needs to know.”
“He’s in Indy, working on the Simmons contract,” Luke said. “I’ll get in touch with him.”
Jade needed to let Logan know about Charlotte, but he was too distraught over Bella. She pulled Luke aside and explained everything.
“I’ll let the police know,” he promised.
“Luke, take a look at this.” The paramedic tending to Mrs. Harper held up a note. Luke took it from his grip.
My dearest Juliet -- I didn’t want to hurt the nice old lady caring for our child, but she wouldn’t let me have our daughter. I tried to explain that I was her father, but she wouldn’t listen. Don’t worry, darling, I have our baby now and she is safe with her daddy. We love you and will see you soon.
Chapter Forty-One
Lauren Dianetti stood next to her friend Brittney in line, waiting for their turn at the counter. She usually didn’t indulge in fast food but right now, if she didn’t get a Big Mac and an order of fries, she would faint.
She and Britt were conducting a summer cheerleading camp at her step-mom Jac’s fitness club. They'd just spent half an hour lecturing students from around the state on the benefits of eating healthy and staying fit. She hoped none of the kids showed up to witness her not practice what she preached, but the scent of hot, fresh fries almost made her not care.
They placed their orders, Britt chatting away happily the entire time. The freckle-faced clerk slid the tray across the counter, trying his best to flirt with her. Lauren smiled her thanks, picked it up and turned to find a seat. The restaurant was crowded but not packed so there were open tables scattered around the dining area.
Lauren grabbed a straw and napkins and filled her plastic cup with diet soda. She lifted her tray and proceeded to find a seat. Her steps faltered when she saw a strange man sitting in a booth with a small child beside him.
The child was Isabella Bradley.
Bella sat still as a statue, her eyes wide with terror. The Happy Meal in front of her was untouched while the man beside her wolfed down a burger and fries.
Lauren had never seen the man before and a cold tendril of fear raced down her spine. Horrible flashbacks to the time she was almost abducted by a child molester assailed her. She'd been lucky—her dad found her before the man could force her into his car.
Lauren’s gaze found Bella and her jaw clenched with determination. She would make darn sure Isabella was lucky, too. She wouldn't let anything happen to the girl.
She shoved her tray at Brittney. “Take this and go call the police.”
Britt fumbled with the trays, attempting to arrange both orders on one. “What? Why?”
“Shh,” Lauren admonished, not taking her eyes off Isabella. “I don’t have time to explain. Just do it…please.”
She grabbed her keys and positioned one in her hand to use as a weapon if needed. Britt scurried off, the food teetering precariously in one hand, the other digging in her purse for her cell phone.
Pasting
a smile on her face, Lauren approached the table. “Hey there Bella-Bella.”
The girl’s wide eyes whipped to Lauren and relief washed over her tiny face. A big fat tear spilled over and Lauren almost jammed her key in the man’s eye. He froze, a fry halfway to his mouth.
“Wauren,” Isabella whispered, hopeful.
Lauren smiled at Bella's nickname since she couldn't pronounce her name yet. She glanced at the man out of the corner of her eye. His posture changed from relaxed to alert and he stared at her suspiciously. Every warning bell within a one hundred mile radius rang in her head. She had to get Isabella away.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Lauren.”
She extended a hand at the man. He looked reluctant but shook hers back.
“Mi…ah…Bob,” he said.
“Miahbob, what an unusual name.” Lauren smiled sweetly at the man. When he continued to eye her guardedly, she cleared her throat.
“Isabella honey, you look like you really need to use the little girl’s room. Why don’t you come with me and I’ll take you.”
“Hey…” The man made a grab for the girl but she'd slid under the table and launched herself at Lauren.
Lauren hugged the little girl to her chest and turned to run. “Hold on tight, Bella.” Bella locked her arms around Lauren’s neck and her legs around her back.
“Someone stop her. She’s kidnapping my daughter!”
Lauren ignored the man’s cries and kept going. Keys in hand, she punched the button to unlock her car door as she pushed through the exit. A hand grabbed her hair from behind, jerking her back. She stumbled, but kept a hold of Bella. Without stopping to think, she swung her leg back and landed a solid kick into the man’s groin. He howled in rage and she tore out through the parking lot.
Thank you Luke for teaching me that move.
She chanced a look over her shoulder and realized the man rolling around in agony on the ground was not Miahbob, but some Good Samaritan who must have thought she really was kidnapping Bella.
“Sorry,” she shouted sincerely to the man moaning with anguish, his hands clasped between his legs, his face red with pain.
The Fan Page 22