Now You See Me

by S. Y. Thompson

  When it was done, they both collapsed against the mattress panting for breath. When Erin finally found the strength, she crawled back up the length of Carson’s body until she could be held in strong arms. But if Carson thought Erin was finished with confessions for the night, she was wrong.

  Erin snuggled against Carson and placed a small kiss on the shell of her ear. “I love you,” she whispered. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know.”

  Carson pulled back to look into Erin’s eyes, but when she opened her mouth to speak Erin laid a finger across her lips. “Shh. Go to sleep.” She kissed Carson gently and then snuggled into her shoulder.

  Carson’s strong arms tightened around Erin, but she was quiet. Erin’s declaration had surprised her, but also elated her. She wanted to tell Erin that she returned her love, but clearly, she didn’t expect to hear the words. Maybe it was too soon for Erin to hear it, or she would feel Carson was only saying it because she thought she should and if that was the case Carson was willing to be silent for now.

  Content now that she knew Erin returned her feelings, Carson decided to sleep for now. Later she would make sure Erin understood that there was nothing to fear. Carson did love her in return. Tucked happily into Erin’s arms Carson fell asleep very quickly.

  JIM THOMAS OPENED his eyes and then promptly slammed them closed against a blinding headache. He was momentarily confused about where he was, but then everything came rushing back. He was on the floor of a psycho killer’s closet with a murder weapon directly in front of him. That was enough to make him force his eyes open again. He reached up and touched the large bump on his temple, and his fingers came away sticky.

  The goose egg was tender to the touch, but at least the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

  The flashlight still shone on the bloody axe, but the beam of light had weakened. He guessed that he had been unconscious long enough for the battery to weaken, and he needed to get out of here before Adams came back.

  Jim reached for the light and stood up on shaky legs. The clippings of Erin and another woman came back into view and Jim inherently knew they were in danger. All day he had wondered where Adams went. From the marks drawn through the newspaper photos, he guessed he had the answer.

  However, if this man was the killer, and there was no question of that, then Erin and her friend weren’t the only ones in trouble. What of Mary Adams? Even if he would never hurt his own wife, Adams had clearly left her untended to for hours. He needed to check on Mrs. Adams and call Sean so that he could warn his daughter.

  Jim reached into his coat pocket for the cell phone and used the lighted display to call Sean Donovan. Thank God he had saved the number into memory after the last time he talked to the man since Jim didn’t think he could see clearly enough to dial the numbers right now. As he waited for his friend to answer, Jim walked toward the bedroom where Mary Adams still sat in a chair.

  He assumed she was still in the chair since he was still alive. That meant Adams hadn’t returned yet.

  Sean answered sleepily in the middle of the second ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Sean this is Jim. You’ve got to call Erin and let her know she’s in danger.”

  Suddenly Donovan was completely awake on the other end of the connection. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m in the Adams house. I found a bunch of newspaper clippings about Marsters and a bloody axe. Sean, there are also some clippings with Erin’s picture circled. I think Adams is after her.”

  “But why? The wife is still alive!”

  Sean was clearly in denial, but now was not the time. “I know. I’m checking on her now.”

  Jim opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. The unmistakable smell of death slapped him hard across the face. He was intimately familiar with it because of his former employment and it wasn’t something he was likely to mistake for anything else.

  “Oh, God!”

  “What is it,” Sean asked frantically.

  Jim didn’t answer. He walked up behind Mary Adams and looked over her shoulder. What he saw made him retch and turn away.

  “Oh God, man. She’s dead! From the looks of her, I’d say she has been for days, maybe weeks. You’ve got to get hold of Erin. I’ll call the police.”

  “Look, Jim, I need your help. Erin is out at the old Rockfort place for the weekend. Do you know where it is?”

  “Yeah, I did some work for the old man a long time ago. Why?”

  “Tell the police that’s where they need to go, and then stop by here to get me. With this storm I don’t know if I’ll be able to get hold of her on the cell phone.”

  “All right. I’m on my way.”

  Jim hung up and immediately dialed the police. He ran to the car as he gave the dispatcher the Adams address and told them what he’d found. Later he would worry about breaking and entering charges, but he impressed on them the importance of getting a unit out to where Erin was.

  Sean’s club was only ten minutes by expressway, and Jim was already halfway there before he could get the dispatcher to take him seriously.

  CARSON OPENED HER eyes and looked around groggily in the darkness. She had been sound asleep when something woke her up. At first, she couldn’t figure out what it was, but then heard the sound again.

  The sound of a ringing phone seemed to come from a great distance. Carson struggled up through a fog of sleep confused by the incongruous sound. She looked at the phone on the bedside table that remained silent, and wondered where the sound came from. It must be Erin’s cell phone since Carson’s was still in the car.

  Carson gently nudged Erin awake.

  “Huh, what is it,” Erin asked huskily.

  “Your cell is ringing.”

  “My cell? What time is it?”

  Carson looked at the alarm clock while Erin sat up on the edge of the bed. The numerals that normally glowed red were completely dark.

  “I don’t know. The power’s still out, but it must be important. No one would call this late unless it was.”

  Erin’s cell stopped ringing and she thought it must have gone to voicemail. Whoever it was would show on caller I.D., and she would call them back after she put some clothes on.

  It had grown cold in the house with the power out for so long, and they were still naked from their earlier lovemaking. Erin was quite content wrapped in the cocoon of shared body heat, but running through the cold house naked wasn’t her idea of fun.

  “Do you have something I can put on?”

  Carson got up. “If you insist, but I was sort of enjoying the view.”

  “Ha, that’ll be some view when I turn into a block of ice.”

  Carson handed her a pair of sweats and then grabbed another set for herself. “There’s no telling how long this storm is going to last, so I guess I’d better start the generator.”

  “While you’re doing that, I’ll find out who called.”

  A crash from downstairs made them freeze and look at one another in sudden fright.

  “That was the cup I left on the coffee table,” Erin whispered. “Someone’s in the house.”

  Carson’s eyes widened even more. “I forgot to set the alarm.”

  Worse, there was nothing upstairs that they could use as a weapon.

  “My phone!”

  Erin ran barefoot across the hall to the guestroom with Carson right behind her. Erin had left the cell phone on the nightstand, but it wasn’t there anymore. The phone was set to vibrate before it rang and she thought it must have fallen to the floor.

  Erin dropped to her hands and knees to look for the phone, but she couldn’t find it right off.

  “Hurry!”

  Erin could hear heavy footsteps downstairs and almost cried out in frustration. Carson’s phones were all cordless, and with the power out the cell phone was the only way to get help.

  Just then, the cell phone started to vibrate. The light display came on and Erin snatched the phone up from under the edge of
the bed. She flipped it open before it could ring at the same time that Carson grabbed her under the arm and pulled her into the hall.

  “We have to get in the attic.”

  Erin willingly followed Carson, but frantically answered the phone at the same time. “Hello, who is this?”

  “Erin, it’s Dad. We know who the killer is. It’s Ron Adams. We think he’s going to come after you and Carson.”

  Carson stopped at the front of the hall near the stairs, and reached up to pull on a cord that hooked into the ceiling. Erin never really noticed it before, but when Carson pulled on the string, a trap door dropped into view. There was a fold out latter attached to the door and Erin realized what Carson had in mind.

  “He’s already here,” Erin said in a loud, frightened voice.

  “We’re on our way, the police are on the way! Erin, hide!”

  Heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs, and Erin forgot about the phone. Carson grabbed her and pushed her toward the ladder.

  “Go!”

  Erin stumbled up the ladder as fast as she could go. Carson was close behind her, but the sound of the man running toward them was louder. The whole world narrowed down until all Erin could see was the opening into the attic.

  She lunged through the opening and swung around to look back down at Carson.

  Carson’s head was just below the attic entry when the killer suddenly came into view. Erin gasped at the familiar sight of bushy black hair, dark beard, and beady eyes, but she recognized his rapid deterioration since their last encounter.

  His right hand raised high and she saw a glint of moonlight flash off a large, wicked-looking blade.

  “Carson, look out!”

  Erin saw Carson look over her shoulder and how close Adams was to her. She seemed to realize at the same moment as Erin that there was no time for her to escape into the attic. She turned half way on the ladder and drew her left leg up. Then she kicked out as hard as she could.

  Carson’s bare foot connected directly with the man’s forehead, and Adams lost his balance as he jerked back. He slashed at Carson with the knife before he lost his balance and fell. He fell a few steps down the landing before he managed to grab the railing.

  Carson cried out in pain and Erin started to go back through the entryway to help her. She stopped when Carson shouted, “No!” and started back up the steps.

  Adams was on the move again just as Carson got through the opening. She jerked on the rope from above to pull the trap door up just before Adams could grab the ladder.

  Erin expected the man to pull the cord to open the door again, but Carson was way ahead of him. As soon as the door closed, she pushed a heavy metal bar through two rings mounted on either side of the trap door.

  “Help me with this!”

  Carson limped to a trunk sitting against the wall. Even in the scant moonlight through a small attic window Erin saw the trail of blood.

  “You’re hurt!”

  “No time. Help me push this over the door.”

  Erin helped push the heavy trunk across the entry, but Adams didn’t give up simply because they were out of sight. She could hear him moving around downstairs, and then something thudded against the wall.

  Carson groaned and slumped against the wall, and Erin was beside her in an instant.

  “Here. Sit down.” Erin grasped Carson by the shoulders and helped her sit on the floor. “We’re safe right now, he can’t get in. That was Dad on the phone. The police are on the way.”

  Erin pushed Carson’s pants leg out of the way to have a look at the wound. The cloth was already saturated with blood, but she needed to see how badly Carson was hurt. The fact that Carson didn’t try to stop her told Erin it was bad.

  The noise below them stopped abruptly and captured Erin’s attention as completely as a gunshot would have. She turned to look at the attic door when Adams began to pound on it from below.

  “He must have dragged something over to stand on,” Carson mumbled.

  “It doesn’t matter. He can’t get in.”

  “He won’t give up.”

  “Good. He doesn’t know the police are coming either. They’ll get him.”

  Below them, Adams cursed and pounded on the attic door. For a while, he seemed to be trying to break in by sawing through the wood with his knife. Erin listened to him, but concentrated on checking Carson’s leg.

  The sharp blade had neatly sliced the calf muscle, but she didn’t think any major arteries were severed. Carson’s quick thinking when she kicked Adams in the head had probably saved her life. Erin shuddered in horror at the thought, but hid her reaction from Carson.

  “I don’t think it’s too bad, but we need to get the bleeding stopped.”

  Carson licked dry lips and looked around the room for something they could use. That was when Erin got her first look at the attic. Cobwebs and dust hadn't taken control, like in most attics, and the hardwood floors were polished to a brilliant shine.

  “This wasn’t on the tour.”

  Carson smiled at the small joke. “You know me, I like to be prepared. There’s a small desk there in the corner. I think I left some shop towels on it.”

  Erin left her side for only a moment and walked toward the corner Carson indicated. The table was small and would have been easy to miss in the darkness, but it was there. Erin felt around and found a folded cloth. It smelled like furniture polish, but at least it was something. It went quiet again downstairs, but Erin knew Adams would be back.

  She returned to Carson’s side immediately, but she already looked like she was about to nod off. Surely she couldn’t have lost that much blood so quickly.

  “Oh no, you don’t. Stay awake. Talk to me.”

  Carson forced her eyes open. “There is something I want to tell you. Just in case we...”

  “No! Don’t talk like that. We’re going to be fine.”

  “Please, Erin. Let me finish.” Carson gently cupped Erin’s cheek. “I just wanted to tell you that I love you, too. I think I loved you before we met. Didn’t you notice how I used to hang around your firm, and how we were always accidentally bumping into each other?”

  “I never really...”

  Erin’s eyes widened when she realized what Carson was saying. “You mean you were stalking me?”

  When Carson blushed and looked away Erin’s heart melted a little more. All this time she thought of Carson as the self-assured, always in control executive. Carson secretly pining for Erin’s affection didn’t fit that image, but it was so touching that for a moment Erin didn’t know what to say.

  “You certainly didn’t sound that way the first time we met in my office,” Erin said gently.

  “I was afraid.”

  Something suddenly struck the attic door from below with explosive force. Erin heard the wooden door splinter under the onslaught and looked fearfully toward the noise.

  “He must have found the sledgehammer in the garage.”

  “What are you doing with a sledgehammer?”

  The question was reflex. All of Erin’s attention was riveted on the attic door. She didn’t really expect Carson to answer.

  “I used it to break through some concrete when I remodeled the basement. The construction workers were positively livid that I wouldn’t get out of the way, but you know me. I had to be in on it to make sure they got everything exactly how I wanted it.”

  Carson’s voice trailed away and Erin looked up from the wound. Carson’s eyes were closed, and Erin thought she might be about to lose consciousness.

  “Carson.” Erin grasped her chin with thumb and forefinger, and lifted Carson’s face to get her to open her eyes. “I need you to talk to me, honey.”

  Thinking furiously for a topic that would keep Carson with her, Erin asked a question. “Your father, you said he blamed you for your mother’s death. What did you mean by that?” It wasn’t a tactful question by any means, but it seemed to do the trick.

  Carson sat up a little more and took a dee
p breath. “When I turned five, I got a soccer ball for my birthday. I was outside playing with it and it...got away from me.”

  Carson took another breath. “I didn’t think. I just went after it. It rolled into the street.”

  Erin closed her eyes suddenly, sure where this story was going.

  “My mother saw the truck coming. She grabbed me from behind and tossed me onto the curb. The driver couldn’t stop in time, and she couldn’t get out of the way.”

  “Oh, Carson. I am so sorry.” A part of Erin understood that not only did Carson’s father blame her for the accident, but Carson blamed herself, as well. “Honey, it’s not your fault. You were five years old.”

  They were interrupted when the wood suddenly cracked again under Adams’ attack, and the large trunk on top shifted to an abrupt downward angle.

  “He’s coming through!”

  Erin grabbed Carson by the shoulders and started to pull her across the floor toward the dark corner. Her phone started to ring again and Erin dove into the pocket of the sweatpants.

  “Erin, it’s us. We’re coming up the driveway,” her father said urgently.

  “Hurry, Dad! We’re in the attic. He’s trying to get in!”

  Erin’s phone went dead and a moment later, she heard the front door being broken in. Men shouted, and the noise below the attic stopped. An instant later Erin heard Adams shout in rage, and then the cannon-like crack of several gunshots at close range.

  All was silent for a few stunned seconds until Erin heard her father shouting for her.

  “Erin! Erin, honey, where are you?”

  “Dad! We’re up here, in the attic.”

  Erin rushed to push the heavy trunk off the attic door, but with the splintered wood, it was hard to move. Carson crawled to her and lent her strength to the effort and they managed to get the trunk out of the way. Carson threw open the bolt and Erin’s father rushed through the opening.