“Nothing is as close as it appears.” Jessie wiped the sweat running down her cheek with her hand.
“You ought to be grateful this is winter and not summer, little lady. We’d all be a puddle by now. No one can survive long out here in the summer heat,” Tony mentioned as tried to keep pace with them. “How does he do it? That dog is pulling something fierce. His arms must feel like they’re going to fall off at the end of a track. I guess it’s all worth it if that dog finds something.” He slowed down and started to fall behind as the dog picked up speed.
“Watch, and you’ll be amazed how good he is. I know I was the first time.” Matt lagged behind with Balasco.
“We’re getting closer and he’s getting harder to hold back.” Frank tried to slow him down.
“Let him have his lead, we’ll follow behind and catch up soon enough.”
They were surprised when they found Adriana ten minutes later curled up out of the sun in a crevice in the rocks. The dog’s excited howl awakened her from a deep sleep.
Jessie could see the fear on her face. “Don’t be afraid, Adriana, I’m Jessie. Frank is my friend, and so is his dog Radar. We’ve been looking for you.” When Matt and Chief Balasco caught up to them, she introduced them. “We’ll get you to safety.”
“Do you think you can walk a little ways?” Frank asked her.
She nodded at him. “How did you find me?”
“This good old boy right here did the work.” Jessie patted the dog’s head “With a little help from one of your shirts that your husband gave the police.” They gave her water and started the trek back to the car. “I’m so glad that we’ve found you.”
Tears filled Adriana’s eyes. “I only traveled at night for fear he would find me.”
When they reached the car and she was safely inside, Matt handed Adriana his phone. “Would you like to call your husband and let him know you are alive and safe now?”
“Yes, please.” She touched the phone’s numbers and began to cry when her husband answered. “Evan, it’s me. Honey, I’m safe. They found me. I’m safe. I don’t know where I am. Here you can talk to the policeman.” She cried and laughed as she handed the phone over.
“Evan, this is Matt. We met in the bookstore in Blue Cove.”
“I remember you.” He sounded as if he was crying. “How did you find her?”
“It’s a long story and I’ll let her tell you all about it later. We are several miles outside of Palm Springs. We need to take her to the hospital and have her checked out. I’ll make sure she calls again the minute she gets settled.”
“Is she okay?”
“A checkup is routine for any victim. She appears to be fine, but we want to have her checked out thoroughly and ask her some questions. You understand?”
“Yes.” He drew a gasping breath. “I’ll book a flight there right now. How can I ever thank you?”
“Hey, it’s our job. See you when you get here. Evan, the phone is on the speaker. Do you want to say anything else to your wife?”
“I love you, sweetheart.” His voice broke again. “I’ll be there as soon as I can get there.”
“Okay, I love you too, Evan.”
Matt smiled at Jessie. “I’ll let you make the next call. You can tell Agent Henderson that Radar found her, and we are en route to the Palm Springs Hospital.” Matt handed her the phone.
“Agent Henderson speaking.”
“This is Jessie. Matt is driving. Radar found Adriana and we are taking her to the Palm Springs hospital now.”
Matt grinned when he heard the colorful language coming over the line. “Henderson, you missed a thing of beauty. We’ll fill you in as soon as we see you back at the station. Balasco and I will put it all in our report.” Matt hit the lights and siren as they passed the crime scene on their way into town.
Chapter 20
He had looked everywhere. He swiped at the sweat dripping down his face. He was in big trouble, and no amount of thinking was going to get him out of this one. She was gone. How’d she get free? He knew he had tucked her in nice and tight. She’d hardly awakened the whole trip. Not even when he’d tied her to the chair. His heart was pounding as he ripped through the trailer, overturning furniture as he went. He kicked a pile of clothes, scattering them. Back outside, he looked in the lean-to, and the small outbuildings a second time, throwing things around. She was gone. Damn, damn. He hit the side of the trailer with his fist, staring out over the desert landscape, miles and miles of nothing but sand. He swatted at a fly buzzing around his head.
How long has she been gone? He cleared the clutter from the couch, throwing it onto the floor, and sat down. Jeez, this place stunk. He rested his head in his big hands. The medicine bottle stared at him from the table. When had he taken the last one? He rubbed his temple. He couldn’t remember. One, two, or ten days, what difference did it make? Grabbing the bottle, he counted the number of pills inside, but he still didn’t remember. He hated them. Each one of these little pills sucked his life away, making him woozy and sleepy. He didn’t need them, but everyone said he did. He unscrewed the lid and popped one in his mouth, swigging an open bottle of water from the table in front of him. It was warm and tasted awful.
She was probably dead somewhere out there in the damn desert. He had just killed someone to get back to her, and she wasn’t even here. What a mess. His boss would have his hide.
What would he tell him? Think, stupid, think. His phone rang, and he knew who it was without looking. He let it ring a few times and then answered.
“Mallory, what have you been doing? I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.”
“I was in town, doing what you told me to do. And then, my phone’s battery died, and I was just able to plug it in.” Quick thinking, he smiled.
“Have you been taking your meds? You know how you get if you don’t stay on them.”
“I just took one right before you called.” He had a silver tongue, yes, he did.
“How’s my girl? Is she there waiting for me? She’d better be fine, or you’re in trouble. I don’t want her hurt.”
“She’s okay, all safe and sound, right here, just like you wanted.” He was holding his own; the lies were rolling out like water. He grinned. Maybe these pills did work.
“Now you see, Bill, you don’t mind if I call you Bill, do you?”
“Not at all.” He sat up taller on the couch. He was ready for the next question. He didn’t like the way the boss had just called him Bill.
“I’m having a little problem with what you just told me.”
“Oh, yeah? Why is that?” Here it comes. His hand fisted.
“You see, I just heard the news the cops and some reporter found Adriana in the desert. You know the same reporter that you wanted to have for yourself?”
“You must have heard wrong.” A lightning bolt of fear ripped through him. “She’s here all right. Maybe it’s a trap to get you or keep you from your work.” He covered his ears as the cursing began. “I don’t know how she got away.” The words, bubbled out, treacherous tongue, betraying him. “I had her tied and gave her the pills just like you told me to. I don’t know how she got away.”
“The guys aren’t happy about the publicity. They weren’t supposed to know. It was our secret. Remember? You know what that means, don’t you?”
“You want the money back.” He scratched his head and wiped the sweat running down his cheek onto his sleeve.
“Screw the money. I’m going to kill the reporter. She’s what you wanted, right? Well now, she’s going to die because of you. That’s how it goes when you mess things up. And boy, did you mess it up. You know how it works. I don’t like messy situations or unanswered questions.”
“I would’ve had them both in my hands if your stupid magic tricks would’ve worked.”
“They’re not tricks. I can refresh your memory if you need me to. I’m in town working on our little project, and now I’m going to have to stop working and check on you. Yo
u’d better be there, or you’ll be the next one dead after the cop and the girl.”
“Don’t threaten me. I was smart enough to blackmail you, wasn’t I?” His voice rose. “If you ask me, you should be taking the pills, not me. You’re sick and twisted. The worst thing I ever did was to get to know you. I know where the bodies are buried, don’t forget.”
“You won’t talk. You’re too afraid of what I can do to you. You can complain all you want, but you have money sitting in your bank account because of me. If you want to keep it, don’t go anywhere. Stay where you are. You hear me?”
“I heard you.” He ended the call.
He looked around the trailer, his mind racing. Billy boy, it’s time to think. You can’t let them kill her. She’s yours. What are you going to do about it?
He stretched out on the couch, folding his hands behind his head. From the first time he’d seen her, with her hair blowing in the wind, with those killer legs, and interviewing that stupid Irwin, he’d fallen hard for her. She wouldn’t give a guy like him the time of day. But, he had a plan to make her love him. All he needed was the time to convince her. What was he going to do? He was resourceful and they were about to find out what he was capable of doing.
Chapter 21
Jessie stopped to check in with the young officer sitting outside Adriana’s room. “You’re fine.” He motioned her on. She smiled when she saw Adriana sitting up in bed.
“How are you feeling?” Jessie hid the large gift bag she was carrying behind her back.
“I’m much better now that I’ve had a shower and got out of those filthy clothes.” Adriana blushed. “I must have smelled something awful.”
Jessie waved it off. “It couldn’t be helped. Here are a few items for you.” Jessie handed her the bag and sat in a chair by the bed. “We did a little shopping. Knowing that you had to be in those same clothes throughout this whole ordeal, I wanted you to have something new.”
“Thank you. May I open it now?” Adriana smiled as Jessie nodded. She pulled out lacy undergarments, a nightgown, a pair of navy blue pants, and a blue floral twinset. A bottle of her favorite perfume was next, followed by a pair of black ballet flats. “How did you know my size?” She sprayed perfume on the back of her hand. “This perfume is my favorite perfume. Who told you?” She grabbed the shoes and clutched them to her chest. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile showed off the tiny dimple in her chin.
Jessie smiled at her. “Evan helped us. He must have gotten sick of our calls, but I wanted you to have something to wear before he got here with your clothes.” She reached into her purse and handed Adriana a gift-wrapped box. “This is from my friend, Katie.”
Adriana opened it and smiled down at the silver necklace with a small turquoise stone and a matching pair of earrings. “Oh, these are lovely.” She dabbed at the tears filling her eyes. “I can’t tell you what this means to me.”
“We loved shopping for you.” Jessie searched for her phone in her purse. “Do you mind if I take a picture of you, for Katie and my grandmother?”
“It’s all right. You’ve all been so kind to me.” She smiled for the picture.
Jessie snapped a couple of pictures and sat back down. “It must have been scary for you.” She crossed her legs. “I can’t imagine all the emotions you must have experienced during the whole ordeal. Worry about the baby, wondering if you’d ever see Evan again, I don’t think I could have done it.”
“I didn’t have a choice; I just tried to survive.” Adriana pulled the blanket over her legs.
“Did he ever hurt you?” Jessie was afraid to hear her answer.
“A little.” Adriana shrugged.
“The first picture I had of you in my mind was in the trunk of his car. He stood looking you over, but you didn’t seem to be moving. Did you ride in the trunk?”
“The trunk is where he kept me the whole trip, but to his credit he left water in case I woke up. The upper part of the back seat had been removed so the cool air could get to me.” Adriana frowned. “I was aware of what was going on, but I didn’t want him to know it. It was strange. At times, he was so nice, and other times he was frightening. I never knew who would show up. As much as I was afraid of him, someone else scared me more. I thought maybe he had something to do with my abduction, I never saw him, but still I know he was there.”
“Who?” Jessie watched her.
“Just someone from my past.” A strange expression came over Adriana’s face.
“Do you mean the stalker you had in college? Did you know who he was?”
“How did you know about the stalker?” Adriana looked surprised.
“I had interviewed one of the professors when it was going on. Another girl went missing around the same time. I searched the records and saw no one was ever arrested.”
“He never showed himself, but I always knew when he was there.”
“You never saw him?” Jessie saw her shake her head.
“No! Thank God! He’s the scariest person I’ve ever had to deal with in my life. I’ve never seen him, but I know when he’s around.” Adriana pulled her covers up to her neck. “He’s behind this somehow. I know it. I can’t prove it, but all the same, weird things were happening.”
Jessie saw the fear on Adriana’s face. “Is that what you meant when you told Jayla death had found you again.”
“Yes,” her voice grew softer. “He is death in a person.”
“I hope you don’t mind me asking. Can you remember much of what happened to you?” He must be the dark shadow that Jessie kept seeing in her mind, not Mallory.
“The man was always trying to force pills down me.” Adriana’s expression changed. “There was something off about him, too. He talked to himself all the time. Other times he would lash out, hitting anything in sight, including himself.” Adriana shivered. “I pretended to sleep most of the time. I didn’t want him to give me too many drugs. They could hurt my baby.” Adriana’s hands went protectively to her stomach. “All I want to know now is that this ordeal hasn’t hurt our baby. The doctor is supposed to be in later to tell me the results of all the tests.” She folded the new clothes and placed them neatly beside her.
“Do you want me to put those back in the bag for you, and get them out of the way for now?” Jessie picked up the clothes when Adriana nodded and placed them neatly in the bag, setting it on the telephone stand. “If you like, I’ll wait with you until the doctor comes.”
“Thank you. I don’t want to be alone until I know how everything is.” Adriana stared off into the distance.
“I wouldn’t want to be either.” Jessie fluffed her pillow. “I don’t want you to answer anything if it makes you uncomfortable. Tell me to back off if you don’t wish to talk about it.”
Adriana looked thoughtful. “I need to speak about it. I don’t even know how many days he stole from my life. I felt so powerless, and I never want to feel like that again.”
“Believe me I know what it feels like to be powerless,” Jessie told Adriana about her own time in the trunk of the car and the potent drug they had used on her. “You always wonder what you could have done differently. I still second-guess myself. I have a therapist who has helped a lot, and I’ve trained to use a gun. I’ll never go down again without a fight if I can help it.”
“I don’t know what more I could have done to fight against him. He was such a big man and his fists.” She shivered and hugged herself. “I saw the damage they could do when he hit things.”
“If you heard about Maria Gonzales and Rodney Owens, then you know what he’s capable of doing. Not challenging him was the smart thing. You’re alive because of it.”
“Agent Henderson told me about them both earlier. I would like to visit Maria before I leave.” Adriana wiped the tears that were running down her cheeks. “I can’t remember much about the day he took me. My car stalled. I managed to get off the road. A car came up behind me. I saw the man in my mirror, but there is nothing after he opened the car door.�
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“Do you know where you were held?” Jessie listened, taking mental notes as she spoke.
“The place was a dump. He tied me to a chair and left me there the entire time. I couldn’t even use the restroom. You can imagine the smell.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”
“I’m glad he never hit you.” Jessie touched Adriana’s hand. “After Maria, I have to admit that I was afraid for you. Especially, if he had found you before we did.”
“I feared that more than anything. I believe he would’ve killed me.” Adriana shuddered. “You never know your strength until you face a crisis and have a desire to survive.”
“I’m amazed you’re doing as well as you are.” Jessie patted her hand.
“I’m so relieved that you guys found me. I could still be wandering around out there. How can I ever thank you for everything?” Adriana’s eyes lit up as she sniffed her hand where she had sprayed the perfume. “I smell nice again. Not to have the dignity of using the restroom has to be one of the worst things in the world. I think I’ll be more grateful for the little things from now on.” She tucked the blanket around her legs.
“It was our pleasure to do whatever we could.” Jessie dabbed at a tear running down her cheek. “I sent the story of your abduction to my boss and he was going to run it. I asked him to hold it. I want to add to it the story of your escape and rescue. Would you like to read it, too?”
“I would love to. I hope they catch my stalker this time. Every day I’ll be grateful if they do. Mallory was scary, but the other man is evil.”
“Write your email address on this and I’ll send it to you.” Jessie handed Adriana a piece of paper and a pen.
They spent the next hour talking, and Jessie was pleased to hear the good news when the doctor gave Adriana a clean bill of health for both her and the baby. Jessie stayed long enough to see Adriana in her new outfit. She watched Evan walk into the room and head straight for his wife. He embraced her passionately, kissing her cheeks, her eyes, and lips.
“My love.” He touched her stomach and Adriana beamed. He shuddered and then began kissing her again. Jessie walked out of the room not wanting to disturb the touching scene. She smiled. They were a cute couple.
The Game Changer Page 16