by Duncan, Mary
Dexter suddenly realized the seriousness of his trouble. He was in the middle of nowhere with a crazy woman who insisted on being with him and was unwilling to accept the fact that he didn’t love her. His fiancée had no idea where he was and he had no idea how to return to her. Playing along with Carol’s sick twisted plan seemed to be his only hope for escape.
“I see why you love it here so much; it really is a beautiful spot.”
“I’m glad you like it. We’re going to be very happy here, I know we will. I know you don’t love me Dexter but you will in time and we can be a real couple, we can even have a child.”
“I’m sorry about the baby, I know I said some harsh things to you but I didn’t mean them. I would have been there for you; I just needed time for things to sink in.”
“Oh Dexter, do you remember the night we spent together at the lake? I’ve never felt that way before, the way you touched me with such tenderness, as if nothing else mattered.”
“You’re easy to love Carol, you’re beautiful and sexy and any man would be pleased to have the opportunity to make love to you.”
“That’s why I love you Dexter, you’re the most considerate man I’ve ever known; not like the other men in my life. My father was a violent alcoholic. He beat my mother and then he would beat me; he beat me so badly I could hardly sit down. It didn’t take much to set him off either. One time I spilled my milk on the floor and he put my face in it and told me to clean it up, I couldn’t have been more than five. He beat me with his leather strap until I was nothing but a bloody mess. Later that night he came into my room to apologize, wanted to make the pain go away he said but it didn’t, not the way he tried. He pulled the covers back and slid my panties down. He climbed on top of me and forced himself inside. It didn’t make me feel better, only caused me more pain. I couldn’t say a word as I knew what the outcome would be. He finished his business and left my room. Night after night, from then on, the abuse continued until I left home. I hated him, I still hate him and I hate my mother too. How could she not know what was going on; why didn’t she stop him?”
Dexter didn’t know what to say. He had no idea that Carol had suffered such trauma; he suddenly found himself feeling extremely sorry for her. At least now he somewhat understood why she was so screwed up. His feeling of hopelessness was more now than ever as he had a deeper understanding of Carol’s driving force.
“Oh Dexter I want to feel your touch again.” She said moving closer.
She wrapped her arms around him with a desperate need to quench her passionate desire. Firmly grinding her body against his, she kissed his lips. Rejection was not an option for Dexter as Carol wouldn’t take kindly to being pushed away once more. He submitted to her demand.
Chapter Six
After crying herself to sleep, Carmen spent much of the night tossing and turning. Dexter still seemed to be missing without a trace, as if he’d somehow dropped off the face of the earth. She desperately hoped to learn it was all a terrible nightmare and Dexter would be beside her when she awoke this morning, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case at all.
“Carmen, breakfast is ready.” Her mother called.
“I’m not hungry mom, it’s too early.”
“You must eat something dear; you have to keep your strength up for the baby.”
“I’ll grab something later; my stomach feels sick right now.”
Carmen had to find out the latest news on Dexter.
“This is Carmen Haines; I need to speak with someone concerning my fiancée’s disappearance please.” She told the officer.
“Who is your fiancée ma’am?”
“Dexter Crane, he’s been missing since yesterday. Do you have any new leads in his case?”
The officer put her on hold.
“Officer Smith here, how may I help you?”
“I’m Carmen Haines, Dexter Crane’s fiancée, is there anything new concerning his case?”
“No ma’am, unfortunately we have nothing to go on. I went to Carol Avery’s apartment but it was vacant, her landlord said she moved out a few weeks ago. Her mother hasn’t heard from her either. It seems as though Mr. Crane isn’t the only one to disappear.”
“If she moved out of her apartment weeks ago, she must have been preparing to move forward with her plan then.”
“That could be a possibility but there’s
no way to know for sure until we’ve located
her.”
The new information only upset Carmen more. Dexter’s disappearance wasn’t just a spur of the moment decision after all. She feared the worst.
Meanwhile, Dexter awakened to an overwhelming sense of guilt this morning. Although, survival was his priority at the moment, he couldn’t help but feel as though he’d betrayed Carmen once again. He didn’t know anything else to do but play along with Carol until the opportunity arose for him to make his escape. The sound of running water caught his attention. Carol must be taking a shower. He slowly and quietly got out of bed to investigate.
It was too easy, not only was she in the shower but she’d left the car keys on the fire mantle. He got dressed and opened the front door, careful not to make a sound. He turned the key in the ignition but nothing happened.
“Get out of the car Dexter, now!” she screamed pointing the gun at him.
He knew it was too good to be true; his escape attempt was a failure.
“Did you really think that I would be that stupid?” she asked, holding what appeared to be a spark plug wire in her hand.
“I just wanted to go to the store to get you some flowers and surprise you.” He lied.
“Sure you did, you were planning to leave me. You were going to the police and have me, put away; weren’t you?” she said with a shaky voice.
“No, I wasn’t, I swear, I just wanted to do something nice for you, honest.”
“Why are you lying to me? I know it’s her you’re thinking of; it’s her you want to be with, not me.”
Dexter’s frustration level was building. He did love Carmen and was sick of playing games with Carol. His son was due to be born and he wanted to be there with Carmen, at her side, for his arrival.
“You’re right Carol, it is Carmen I’m thinking of so why won’t you just let me go? You know I don’t love you; why are you doing this?”
“Shut up Dexter! I don’t want to hear anymore. We’re going to pretend this never happened. Don’t force me to do something we’ll both regret.” She warned.
Dexter couldn’t stand it any longer, it was about time someone put Carol in her place.
“What are you planning to do Carol; are you going to kill me like you did my mother?”
“It’s your fault she’s dead, you should have listened to me, I had to do something to get your attention.”
“But why, why did you have to kill her, she never did anything to you? Did you really think killing the person most important to me would make me love you and want to be with you; did you?”
“Obviously not, that’s why I had to take this approach. It looks like the only way to be sure that you will stay away from Carmen is to kill her too, maybe it should have been her instead of your mother to begin with.”
Dexter was outraged by her response; he fiercely lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. Unfortunately his head hit the corner of the glass table, he was unconscious. Carol restrained his arms and feet with rope as she wanted to insure no further attempts to escape.
Carmen finished breakfast and gathered the morning paper. Dexter’s disappearance was on the front page. He was nowhere to be found, not a single clue in his case had been discovered. Carmen was devastated; how could the happiest day in her life be turned into the most miserable experience she’d gone through in an instant? She felt helpless; there was nothing she could do to help the man she loved. No one could just evaporate from the face of the earth, someone had to see something.
Carmen looked over her guest list from
the wedding. S
he refused to sit there any longer and do nothing. She would question everyone until someone remembered something for Dexter’s sake.
The news of Dexter’s disappearance was quickly becoming the talk of the small town. Everyone was familiar with the case but no one had offered a prominent lead in solving it. Carmen’s perseverance finally paid off.
“Hey Amy, how are you? I would like to ask you a few questions in regards to Dexter’s disappearance if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, come in. I’m sorry to hear about what happened to him. Dexter’s a good guy. Do police know anything yet?” she enquired.
“Nothing yet, that’s why I’m here. Someone had to see something that day and just failed to realize its relevance at the time.”
“Like what?”
“Maybe there was a strange vehicle
hanging around the church or something.”
“You know, now that you mention it, I do remember a blue mustang exiting the back alley. It seemed to be in a hurry but I didn’t think anything of it. I couldn’t make out the driver, except that it was a woman.”
“Was it an older model mustang?”
“Probably a sixty-seven I would say.”
“Thank you Amy, you don’t know how much help you’ve been, thanks so much.” She said running away.
There was no doubt in Carmen’s mind concerning the identification of the driver. She needed to get in touch with Officer Smith and share the new information with him. Carmen was suddenly overcome with terrible cramps in her stomach. She feared that something was wrong with the baby; she had to get to the hospital right away.
“Help me please! I need to see a doctor now. I think I may be having a miscarriage.” She informed.
The nurse quickly found her a wheelchair and wheeled her back to an exam room. She then obtained blood and urine specimens for necessary testing. Soon there was a knock at the door.
“Ms. Haines, how are you feeling?” the doctor asked.
“I’m fine doctor but how is my baby?”
“He’s fine but I’m ordering bed rest until you’ve seen your OBGYN. You need to make an appointment as soon as possible.”
“Yes sir, I will; thank you so much. I was so scared. I thought I was having a miscarriage. Thank you again doctor.”
Carmen was relieved to learn that her baby was fine and healthy. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him this far into her pregnancy. Suddenly she remembered her meeting with Amy.
“Officer Smith please, this is Carmen Haines. I have some information concerning Dexter’s kidnapping.”
There was a short pause on the line as she was placed on hold.
“Officer Smith here, how can I help you?”
“I spoke with one of the guest at my wedding; she remembers seeing an older model mustang pull out of the back alley behind the church. The driver was a female. Carol Avery drives a car fitting that description.”
“I’ll run her through the system and see if we can return a positive ID on her tag plates and issue an APB. Good work Carmen, I’ll keep you informed.” He promised.
Carmen was relieved, police would soon be closing in on Carol and Dexter would return to her. Then it hit her; what if Dexter was dead, causing her to shudder at the thought. How could she live without him? He had to be alive and well.
Chapter Seven
A week had gone by and not a single new lead had surfaced in Dexter’s case. No one had seen him or Carol Avery. More than likely Carol had read the papers and discovered her picture to be in connection with Dexter’s kidnapping as she was the number one suspect in the case. Police were offering a cash reward to anyone who could lead them to her, causing Carol to be extremely cautious not to reveal her true identity.
Dexter was contemplating his next escape attempt with obvious uncertainty. Carol was a sick-minded, yet highly intelligent person and was to be dealt with very carefully. He had to find a way to regain her trust; it wouldn’t be easy.
“I need to go to the bathroom please.” Dexter said.
“I’m coming with you and don’t do anything stupid; I still have my gun.” Carol warned, pointing it at him.
He stood up and went towards the
bathroom, Carol closely following. She was taking no chance on his trying to escape again.
“I need you to untie my hands; I can’t go with them tied up.”
“I’m warning you Dexter, I’ll shoot you if you try anything funny.” She told him, untying his hands.
When he finished his business, Carol immediately reached for the rope.
“Can’t you leave them loose for a while? My wrists are sore, I won’t try anything, I promise. I’m not stupid, you have a gun and besides I’ve already tried that route once and failed miserably. I’m tired of fighting with you.”
“It’s about time you figured out who’s in control here. Okay, you get one chance, you understand.”
“What’s for dinner? I’m starved.”
“What about meatloaf and mashed potatoes?”
“That sounds great.”
Carol went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Dexter’s first instinct was to run out the front door but he fought the urge as he knew he could never make it to safety before Carol put a bullet in him. He would eventually reclaim his freedom but now wasn’t the time, he had to be patient.
“Dinner’s ready.” Carol called.
Dexter went to the kitchen.
“Smells great, Carol, and it looks good too.” He said sitting down at the table.
“Hey, you think we can catch some television tonight? A Walk to Remember is coming on at eight.”
“I suppose we could do that; I do love that movie.”
They quietly finished up dinner and Carol cleared the table. Dexter offered to help her do the dishes but she thanked him and politely refused. He went back into the living room and patiently waited for her. She was surprised that he made no attempt to escape. Maybe he was beginning to give in, ready to freely accept her love for him. He hadn’t made mention of Carmen in a few days. Could it be that he was willing to move on?
Carol took the remote from the coffee table and turned the television to A Walk to Remember, just as she had promised. The two of them sat quietly on the couch, and watched the movie together.
The worriment of Dexter’s disappearance and the uncertainty of his safety had begun to affect Carmen immensely. She walked around in a constant daze, spending most of her time alone crying; she had become an emotional wreck. Unfortunately the circumstances were now taking a toll on her physically as well; she couldn’t eat or sleep, there were dark circles under her eyes and she was constantly tired and run down. She had to get through this somehow, for the baby’s sake. She’d already lost Dexter; she didn’t want to lose their son too.
Carmen got dressed and went to the living room to watch some television. She was flipping through the channels when she was disturbed by a knock at the door.
“Hi, how are you?” the stranger asked.
Carmen had no idea who he was; she’d never seen him before.
“Fine thank you, can I help you?” she offered.
“My name’s Nick; I’m new in the neighborhood, I just moved into the old Jameson house up the street. You know the one?”
“Sure I know it, so what can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if I could borrow a cup of sugar. I am dying for a glass of tea and I haven’t had time to go to the grocery store yet.”
Carmen excused herself and returned shortly with a cup of sugar in her hand. She kindly handed it to him.
“Thank you so much, I promise I’ll repay you once I make a run to the store.” He said.
“No problem, glad I could help, have a nice day.” She said closing the door.
Carmen returned to her television programming without another thought of the stranger. After all, what was out of the ordinary about his asking for a cup of sugar? As soon as Nick was out of sight, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
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“I made contact with Carmen; she has no idea who I am. I told her I moved into the Old Jameson house up the street, she looks like she’s about ready to pop.”
“I know all about her pregnancy, how did she appear otherwise?”
“She looked pale and worn out.”
“I need you to find out what’s going on with the cops; find out if there are any new leads in Dexter’s case. I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”
Dexter had been secretly listening in on Carol’s conversation. He couldn’t believe it; she was spying on Carmen, using her to gain information concerning his case. He had to find some way to warn Carmen, but how, with Carol keeping him under foot twenty-four seven. He could only think of one way to distract her.
“Why are you sitting over there by yourself, come sit next to me?”
She gladly accepted his invitation.
“This is nice, huh?” Dexter asked.
“Yeah it’s nice but I’m not sure what your motive is.”
“No motive, I just feel like being close to you.”
Dexter gently stroked her face with his fingers as he leaned in to kiss her. She gave in to his seduction. Carol was pleased with Dexter’s willingness to be with her intimately. He was finally beginning to put Carmen behind him once and for all; the two of them could be a happy couple.
“I love you Dexter, no one has ever made me feel the way that you do. We were meant to be together.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, I was just confused. I thought I loved Carmen and when she became pregnant, I didn’t know how to break things off with her. It’s you I really want to be with, I know that now, I love you Carol.”
Carol put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Secretly, he was filled with regret and disgust, he couldn’t stand to touch her and she made his skin crawl. He would never love her, Carmen was his soul mate and he would eventually find his way back to her and their son. He missed her terribly and wondered how she was doing with her pregnancy, hoping that everything was okay with the baby.
Hours soon turned to days and days to months and still no word from Dexter. Carmen was expecting the arrival of their son any day now. Although, she’d hoped for Dexter’s safe return by the time the baby came, hope of that happening was quickly fading. She remained close to her parents as she didn’t want to be alone through her delivery.