Running On Fear

by Linda L Lattimer

  “After last night,” she smiled sweetly. “I’ve got any minute you want.”

  “Harris Galloway.”

  “Again? Are you jealous or what?”

  “How well can you trust him with your patients? I mean, did you check into his background?”

  “Duncan, he was at the conference. He’s reputable. I wouldn’t just take on another associate without checking them out. Why? Have you discovered something that I should know?”

  “I’m just curious about the man who works next to my wife.”

  “That’s thoughtful of you but, really, Harris is as harmless as a flea.”

  “Fleas can cause a lot of discomfort.”

  “He’s a good doctor. Brought all his credentials and papers with him. He came highly recommended.”

  “By anyone I might know?”

  “Probably not, since you aren’t in the medical field. Dr. Oliver Marrow from Orlando, Florida. Seems that he once worked with him. Dr. Marrow has been helping patients with depression for a long time. He’s been working with Celexa and Effixor to treat the chemical imbalances in people. He hopes to find out what causes this imbalance. He doesn’t believe that it’s just something that triggers in the brain. Face it, too many people go into a doctor’s office nowadays and get a prescription for depression.”

  “Do you write prescriptions?”

  “I have. Basically I try to talk to the individual.”

  “Dig deep into their head?” He asked while still clinging to her arm. “You’ll probably try to do that to me one day too.”

  “I don’t think so. I just about know what goes on in that head of yours, sweetheart.”

  He rose to his feet pressing her lips to his.

  “Oh, Duncan, if you only knew what that did to my insides,” she said when the kiss broke. She felt his hands lightly stroke her breasts through the fabric of her yellow blouse.

  “I believe you enjoy this excitement, too, sweetheart. Is the heat rising all the way from your toes?”

  “Yes, Duncan, I do.” Melanie could barely get the words out of her mouth. “I will never know how that can create such passion.” Another moan fell from her lips. “Oh the children, what if they come down and see us like this?”

  Duncan pulled away, then kissed her lips once more. “We’ll save that for later when we can disrobe you of that little outfit. The next time, all I want to see on that sweet body is your birthday suit, love. Best go get ready. We can finish this conversation later,” he said, slapping her on the rear. He heard her giggling like a schoolgirl as she ran off up the stairs.

  Melanie, what I wouldn’t do to be alone with you for the next four days and show you more thrills that you ever knew existed. He leaned against the wall, thinking of the few times he’d made love to her. She loved the way he teased her breasts with tantalizing kisses. Just the right size breasts to fill his hands and mouth with pure perfection. He closed his eyes when the cellphone rang.

  “Talk to me.”

  “Better watch your step if you want to keep that little lady of yours alive. Cutting the brake line didn’t work. I’ll have to come up with something better for you, detective. It was a joy watching her sister die. It will be an even greater joy delivering Melanie an even better death—nice and slow. I just hope you’re there when it happens. I’d like to see the expression on your face when I dismember your little family one by one, especially that sweet little Melanie.” Click.

  Duncan checked the number. Unknown. Unknown. Who’d gotten his number? How the devil had Riley known? He punched in a second number. “Ramon, you okay?”

  “Yeah, what’s wrong?”

  “He just phoned me on my cell!”

  “What?”

  “Yes. Now who in our network is working with him? Has to be someone who knows me.”

  “Duncan, he could have gotten your number from any number of sources.”

  “Not the phone I only use for the Bureau and missions.”

  “He dialed that number?”

  “He’s too close for my blood. We’re getting ready to leave. He wants a trip? He’d better be prepared. Got everything ready for when we clear the gates at the park? You know they’ll stop me once they see my gun.”

  “Got it all cleared. Just meet a guy by the name of Ray Hawkins. He’s going to make sure you four get in. Of course, he’ll have to check things, but he knows you have clearance to carry. He’s going to let you enter through the side the strollers and all go through. Make it appear like you’re some dignitaries.”

  Duncan smirked.

  “You keep that gun on you at all times. I’ve told Hawkins to notify the others in the park to be aware of why you’re carrying that weapon. I told them it was nothing serious, but that you were tracking a killer that could possibly be lurking there. I had to tell them something.”

  “Yeah, guess you did.”

  “You sound like all the wind just went out of your sails.”

  “It has. Here, I thought…. Look I made a bad mistake getting involved with this woman right now. We should have never … it should never have happened.”

  “Duncan, you don’t mean that.”

  “Ramon, he has threatened to hurt my family again. It’s all for revenge. If I find out he had anything to do with the first family I lost, he’s the one who’ll be unrecognizable. And don’t send in any agents to stop me this time. Riley Brewster is mine.”

  “Listen to me, Duncan, before you do anything foolish. I’m sure this woman has touched a part of your heart. Don’t let her hear what you just told me. That will kill her inside. And hasn’t she suffered enough by seeing her sister in that morgue?”

  Duncan took in a troubled breath and his gaze steered toward the living room. Melanie and the children stood frozen. It was too late. He knew all three of them must have heard every word. “You’re right, Ramon. Get someone else to watch the place. You and your family need a break too. Know what I’m saying?”

  “I do.”

  “Then take my advice.”

  “As long as you take mine.”

  “Yeah.” If only it were that simple.

  “We’re all set, Dad. Was that a bad call? Trouble is stamped on your face,” Tiffany said.

  Bad mistake. This woman. Never should have happened. He saw the despair on Melanie’s face. Yes, she’d heard. It was as if he’d plucked her heart out and crushed it into a zillion little pieces.

  Matt eased to his side, taking Duncan’s hand in his own. “You can trust us.”

  “After all, you brought us all into this together. You know about the letter. They know about their mother’s death.” It was Melanie addressing him. The mere words were like a cold hard slap in the face.

  “Got a phone call. This time on the cellphone that only the Bureau knows how to reach me on.”

  “Duncan, has someone else—”

  “No, Melanie, it’s nothing like that. Whoever the killer is, he got my private number. Like I said, only the Bureau and the associates can patch into that number. Well, Mom and Dad have it. I’m not even going to get into what he said. What he threatened.” Duncan rubbed a hand over his forehead then slumped into the chair, still clutching Matt’s small hand.

  “He must be pretty smart to have discovered a way to tap into your own personal line, Dad. But don’t you worry. Us McGregor’s stick together. No one is going to mess with us. Right?”

  Duncan’s gaze trailed to Matt, then Melanie and Tiffany. “Yes, Matt, you’re right about that.”

  “We don’t have to go to Disneyworld if we need to stay hidden,” Matt said.

  “No, son. I think that we all need this trip.” Duncan pressed his palm to his jaw rubbing it a couple of times. “I, for one, need this trip. Besides, it’s part of our assignment. If someone is really after any of us, they’ll be on our trail. It’ll be easier for us to nab someone if we know they’re following us.”

  “Sort of like a stalker?” Tiffany asked.

  “Could say that.”
<
br />   “I’m ready to go,” Matt said.

  Duncan still held his hand. “I want each of you to listen carefully. This is serious. You watch your backs. And when we’re in that park, not once do we leave each other’s side, no matter what. I’m going to have to keep my gun concealed but I’ll still carry it. This is important. You don’t let on to anyone that I am an agent of any kind. We don’t want to create any pandemonium in the park. We could get booted out and not allowed to return if we start chaos.”

  “Oh, we sure don’t want that,” Matt remarked. “I mean, we might want to visit Disneyworld again.” He gave Duncan a hug, then moved away to get his bag. “I can help carry the bags outside when you’re ready.”

  “You ready, Melanie?” Duncan asked, noting the hurt in her eyes. Why hadn’t he watched his tongue? He’d never meant to hurt her again with his words. Just when he was making her happy and allowing her to try to forget the terrible death of her sister, he had to go and open his mouth.

  “I’m ready. It’s going to be a long drive. We can switch down the road. You get some rest and allow me behind the wheel. I can handle it. Handled it before you came along. Been taking care of myself for a long time.”

  Tiffany and Matt eyed the both of them.

  “But Dad is here now. You should allow him to take care of you,” Matt offered. “I mean, we’re all a family now. You’re the only mom we have. And Tiffany and I don’t ever plan to go to any foster home. I’ve said it before, and I will say it for the rest of my life. If you and Agent McGregor can’t work it out together, then you need to tell Tiffany and me now. We’ll make other plans. It won’t be a foster home, but it will be someplace that no one can find us.”

  “I agree with Matt. I don’t know what strangeness is going on between you and Aunt Melanie, but Matt and I are getting the feeling we shouldn’t even be calling you Mom and Dad right now. It has to be more than the phone call you received. It’s like there’s an iceberg drifting through this living room right now.”

  “I only wanted to help with the driving,” Melanie assured them. “He’s been so busy staying awake and keeping an eye on us. I only wanted to do my share of everything. You kids have to realize that I’ve been a loner for many years. It takes time to get used to having a man in my life.”

  “But you love him. I see you smiling from ear to ear every time he walks in the room. Even when he brought the pizzas that first night,” Tiffany told her. “And lately you’ve been humming and singing a merry tune. Now that never happened until Agent McGregor stepped into the picture.”

  Melanie turned up the corner of her lip. “Tiffany, Matt, we want you to call us Mom and Dad, especially since we’re being hounded by some killer. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I’m just frustrated. I found someone that I care about and now all this fiasco has been thrown in our laps. Duncan and I haven’t chosen our words wisely. I only wish we could have met under other circumstances than these. Allison was all I had after our parents died. The way she died. What I had to view. Well, it will stick with me always.”

  This time Matt glued his small hand inside hers. “You have us, now. You have our new dad. Can’t we just try to be happy? Forget what our new dad said? Face it, grownups screw up and make a lot of mistakes. They don’t think before they speak. Mom always told us that.”

  Melanie brushed a tear from her eye. “Adults really need to listen to children. They make a lot of sense. Look, are we going to get on the road or what? Mickey Mouse is waiting for us. First, we better make a quick bathroom stop before we pile into that vehicle.” She rushed into the downstairs bathroom shutting the door behind her, and pulling some tissues from the box to wipe her eyes.

  Bad mistake. This woman. Never should have happened. Why couldn’t she get those words out of her mind? Now, whenever he went to touch her, the words would stick like glue. She’d have to block it out whenever the children were present. When all this was over, she was going back to her practice. Taking the children and leaving for Nashville. Melanie blotted her face, giving her makeup a once over. Putting on a fake smile, she joined the others.

  “Okay, who’s next?”

  Tiffany jumped ahead of Matt.

  Duncan sent his gaze Melanie’s way. Her little round face was lightly pink from fresh tears. He knew that, deep down, the hurt was still there. He had to find a way to remove it. No amount of tasting her sweet breasts would be enough to erase his words. He stood up and walk over to her.

  “I’m truly sorry. I never meant it the way it bounced off my lips,” he whispered in her ear as he breezed a kiss to her cheek.

  “We have to think of the children, now.”

  Duncan pulled away from her as Tiffany came out of the bathroom and Matt went in. “I need to get one more thing from upstairs and I’ll be ready. Give me a minute,” Tiffany said, racing up the stairs.

  “Duncan, I know all about thinking of the children. Let’s just get going—”

  A loud shrilling scream made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up. They both dashed toward the stairs as Tiffany came running down. Her hands were trembling as she held a piece of paper.

  “I-It was … on my … bed. The win … dow was…” Her lips quivered.

  Matt went to her side. “Tif, you okay?”

  She tried to nod.

  Duncan pulled his gun from the holster. “Melanie, take the kids and go lock yourself in the downstairs bathroom. Don’t come out until I come and tell you to open that door.”

  “But—”

  “Do it!”

  Melanie pulled Matt and Tiffany with her, and did as Duncan ordered.

  “Ramon, come in.” Duncan hoped that nothing had happened to him. “Ramon, come in. Do you copy?” Nothing.

  Duncan looked through the upstairs rooms even under the loft bed where Matt slept. Nothing. Again he tried calling Ramon but still no reply. Where the hell was he? Was he lying somewhere in a bed of leaves with his neck broken?

  Duncan looked behind the doors, in the closets, even under the beds, and found nothing, although he noticed that the window to Tiffany’s room was open. There was even an imprint of where someone had been sitting on her bed. He was sure it hadn’t been Tiffany. There was something strange about the imprint—it didn’t belong to a small girl.

  Edging to the bedroom that he and Melanie shared, he made sure no one was waiting to bolt from behind the doors. There was no sign of anyone, but he saw that this window was also open, and that the covers were turned down on Melanie’s side. He eased over and looked in the closet. Again nothing.

  He found something under Melanie’s pillow, and lifted it to find a picture of a call girl with two men. The call girl’s face had been replaced by a picture of his sweet Melanie. The writing underneath made Duncan’s blood boil. Sweet and innocent until I get my hands on her, then she will have a new profession.

  Folding the picture in half, he stuck it inside his pants pocket. “Ramon, where the devil are you?” He flipped open his cellphone and punched in the number. “Hargrove, where’s Ramon? I spoke to him earlier, but he’s not answering me on the radio. I didn’t want to use the cellular ‘cause that dirt bag has already phoned me on the private number we all use.”

  “What’s wrong? Your voice is troubled.”

  “He’s been in the cabin. We were getting ready to leave. He’s been up in my daughter’s room and where my wife sleeps, Hargrove. He left a nice little calling card. I want everyone in the Bureau checked out, do you hear me? You call Lincoln for me now since my phone is possibly bugged, and you tell him there is a missing link somewhere. I want it found!”

  “Don’t worry. Just take care of your family. I’ll send some more men out there before you go.”

  “Forget it, the farther away we are from that lunatic the better. You know when I get my hands on him, he will be unrecognizable.”

  “Dun—”

  It was too late, Duncan had clicked off the phone. He ran down the stairs and was about to kno
ck on the bathroom door when he heard someone walking on the porch. He got his gun ready to fire when he heard a loud crash. Duncan sped to the door opened it and looked out. Ramon was sprawled outside the door.

  “Ramon, what happened?” Duncan knelt down and pulled him inside. Blood was oozing from his shirt. He hurried to call Hargrove again with a request to get the medics up to the cabin, pronto.

  Melanie held tightly to the children. She could hear noises outside the door but refused to open it. That little command from Duncan was one order she didn’t wish to disobey. She’d gotten a good glimpse of the paper that Tiffany had held in her hand. Now Melanie held it as she clung to the children. When was this madness going to stop? When?

  The picture was still vivid in her mind without even looking at it. She was next. The killer had marked her as being next. Then he would have the children to sell to the highest bidder. He was going to slowly make her pay for what she had done to him.

  Silent tears ran in Melanie’s heart. She saw the picture of Allison lying on that cold slab again. What was wrong with her? Duncan was right. They should never have started this relationship. Not while the killer was out there. It didn’t matter what she said to her patients. This should have never happened with her. She had to take the children and hide. She’d tell Harris to watch her practice while they were gone.

  “Aunt Mel—”

  “Matt, it’s all right. Ramon must be hurt. I heard Duncan call for help. For backup.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “Don’t be, Matt. I’m here. I’m going to take care of you, I promise, sweetheart. I dearly love you and Tiffany both. Don’t be scared.”

  Tiffany wrapped her arms around Matt and Melanie, her small body still shaking. “I wish I’d never gone back to get my purse. We could be on the road now. Away from here. I thought no one knew about this place. Now the killer knows. He knows.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “I don’t want him to hurt you, Aunt Melanie. Tell our new dad not to let him hurt you.”

  There was a tap at the door. “Melanie, it’s Duncan, you can come out.”

  “Wait,” Matt said. “We need to make sure he isn’t being forced to say that.”