Grace

by Laura Marie Henion

  "Should I take off your shoes or help you get undressed?” Grace asked.

  "No, dear. I'll stay dressed and ready just in case."

  Grace smiled.

  Aunt Delores took her hand. “Be safe, Gracy. I love you like a daughter, you know that, right?” Aunt Delores began to cough. Grace instantly became worried. Her aunt wasn't that old. Could she be sick and not saying anything because of the current situation?

  "Aunt Delores, are you well? Should I call a doctor?"

  Aunt Delores smiled. “I'll be fine. Don't be silly. Now go tell your mother the news and give May a kiss for me."

  Grace kissed her aunt on the forehead and made her way out of the bedroom. She was headed toward Leeann's room, still feeling concerned for her aunt. She would ask Leeann what to do.

  Not focusing on anything around her, the intruder struck.

  Powerless, Grace couldn't see a thing. Everything was black. Something was slipped over her head and face.

  She pushed and kicked hard, causing her attacker to hit the hallway table and knock over something, shattering it, most probably her aunt's expensive lamp.

  Strong arms wrapped around her body, lifting her in the air, and she realized she was being carried somewhere.

  The crash was loud and would surely wake the other members of the household.

  She tried to scream but nothing came out of her mouth. Her body felt weak and her mind dizzy. The stairs. She was being carried down the stairs.

  In an instant, she was unconscious.

  * * * *

  The mansion filled with police and detectives. Max and Tommy walked into Aunt Delores’ bedroom while forensics took pictures and dusted for fingerprints.

  A white substance lined Delores’ mouth.

  "Either she took something, or our killer poisoned her,” Tommy said as the technicians finished up.

  Max was concerned for Grace's life. There had to be a clue left behind by the killer. Grace's life depended on it. He had to stay focused despite the lack of sleep and the continuous nonstop events since yesterday. He wondered how the killer got the jump on Grace. How did he get into the house undetected?

  Max pulled on the disposable rubber gloves and moved closer to Delores’ body. He prayed they'd missed something. Something that would tell them where the Master took Gracy.

  He squinted, his eyes noting the way Delores’ hand held her sweater closed against her chest. Then he saw it. A tiny piece of yellow peeked out below the purple cashmere.

  "Hey, Lucky, you get a picture of this?” Max asked the technician and the photographer took another picture. Max then removed the yellow paper.

  It actually was multiple, long pages, revealing not only Delores's hidden secrets and sins but also those of the Master, her illegitimate son.

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  Chapter 11

  The room in the cottage was set up perfectly. There were bars on the windows and bolts on every door. Snow was falling at record speed. He couldn't have planned this night better if he tried. It was as if someone watched over him, and the blizzard that came in by surprise was the icing on the cake. There was no way the detectives could venture out in weather like this.

  His plan was foolproof. He had carefully planned for this day and for his future with his queen. Months of weekend visits stocking up on all the necessities was a thrilling time for him. The anticipation alone was enough to drive him crazy. He was losing his patience when suddenly his destiny appeared and fate led him the rest of the way. He smiled as he glanced at his sleeping beauty. Grace represented so much in his life. She was his past, his present, and his future. There was no doubt in his mind Grace was created for him.

  He recalled his teenage years and the longing to have his mother's love. He followed her every move, watched the beautiful young woman who visited from time to time that he later found out was Delores's niece. He was smarter than anyone had ever given him credit for.

  He approached his mother, demanding an explanation, then demanding money and retribution to keep his mouth shut. Meanwhile, he had been creating the ultimate plan of revenge. It was a shame that Grace had left the state but then again the business venture surfaced and he realized just how much power he would have. The more money, the more power, the more control he possessed.

  The fact Grace returned and as a homicide detective investigating women he was responsible for abducting was satirical in its own way.

  Then when she showed up at the club dressed in leather, obviously working undercover, he couldn't resist temptation. He took a chance calling her by her name, but the power he held enforced his invincibility.

  The pieces just seemed to fall into place. The more he learned about Grace Elizabeth Martin, the more he knew she would complete him.

  The refrigerator and pantry were stocked with enough food to live out there for months. They would pass the time together, getting to know one another slowly, intimately as only lovers could do.

  He wasn't a fool. He knew she would resist at first. After all, she was brainwashed into thinking his mother cared about her. Delores was a self-centered, worthless bitch. He looked at Grace again with some concern that she may fight her fate and resist their destiny to be one.

  If Grace attempted to escape, she would freeze to death.

  He smiled wide. There would be no escape.

  He thought about his old life one final time. Remembering the power, the control, the money he made now safely in various accounts overseas. After the investigation into Grace's abduction slowed down, they would leave the country and start their new life together. By then, she would surely be compliant.

  The firewood crackled in the large stone fireplace behind him and in the distance, he could hear the snowplows way down the mountain.

  They weren't headed anywhere near the cottage. It was nearly nonexistent.

  The Master grabbed the two hundred dollar bottle of wine along with two glasses and headed to Grace's room.

  His lovely prize lay sleeping on the king-size bed in the master suite. Her wrists were tied with enough rope so she could move around and be somewhat comfortable. He longed for the day he wouldn't have to restrain her. The day she embraced him willingly with every inch of her body.

  Not to say that he would wait that long to have her or claim her as his own. He smiled, then placed the bottle of wine on the table and began to open it.

  He thought about the 2004 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon vintage, a plush wine with balanced tannins that had an underlying silkiness. Harvested between mid-September and early October. Aged in new French oak for seventeen months, the results were mouth watering. This was a special wine for a very special occasion.

  He glanced toward the bed as he heard the movement.

  Grace slowly opened her eyes.

  He watched as her long thick eyelashes fluttered open multiple times.

  * * * *

  Grace jumped at the realization she was a prisoner and even more shocked to find out who the Master really was.

  "Gracy, you've awakened just in time. A few more minutes for the wine to breathe, then we can celebrate our beginning."

  "You! You're the Master?” Grace asked in shock.

  Larry Sullivan smiled wide.

  * * * *

  "I can't believe this! I can't believe what I'm hearing, Max.” Nicholas, Leeann, and May stood inside his office with the phone speakers on. May had been released from the hospital after a full exam. Phillip stayed out in the hallway with the other detectives waiting for the next order from Max.

  "It's all here in the letter Delores wrote. She admitted to her illegitimate child, and making a deal with Carl and Sherry's killer to get ransom money from all of you. Plus the money left by Grace's grandfather in his will to Grace and how Delores used it to support her son, her spending habits and extravagant lifestyle. Apparently, her son tried to get her to help him capture Grace,” Max said as Tommy drove the unmarked Crown Victoria through the snow.

 
"I can't believe he's her son, that he's the killer. You checked his house, his condo, every place?” Nicholas asked, full of concern for Grace. It was obviously heart wrenching to lose one daughter and have her returned only to lose his other.

  "His house is clean, cleared out. We were checking every floor when we found a locked door to the basement. Celina was there, barely alive. Sanchez is talking. He gave up Jasmine's location, as well. Now we have to find out where Sullivan is, where he's taken Gracy.” Max released another uneasy breath.

  "Please move fast. Find her, Max, please find my daughter."

  Max promised he would.

  * * * *

  "This is crazy. How many fucking places does this guy own?” Tommy asked as dispatch patched through a call from Detective Jeffreys and the others working the case.

  "One more location in the suburbs. It's about twenty minutes north of where you are,” Jeffreys responded, then gave Max the location.

  "It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It's probably empty like the others.” Tommy shook his head in frustration.

  "Maybe not. If you notice, Sullivan did leave a lot of valuable things at the other places. He didn't expect us to figure out who he was so soon. I'm sure he didn't think his mother would ever give him up, write a full confession or commit suicide by drug overdose.

  "He's got to be around here somewhere. We have the APB out. The airports, train and bus stations are all covered. The story is all over the news. He won't take the chance of being seen. Besides, he used the chloroform on Grace in order to abduct her. He's not going to lug her around."

  "Let's hope you're right. Because we're trailing a parade of patrol cars behind us and this damn snow isn't letting up. I think the forecasters were wrong. This is a goddamn blizzard,” Tommy said

  They were barely able to see more than twenty feet in front of the car. The snow came down heavier and the police cars were getting stuck in the road.

  "We're all going to get stuck,” Tommy complained as he slowed the car down to twenty miles per hour.

  Max rolled his window down a little and could hear snowmobiles in the distance. He got an idea. He called in to dispatch and asked to be connected to the local highway department. Ten minutes later, a large plow truck was leading the way to Sullivan's house in the woods.

  Max warned the snowplow driver to stop at the bottom of the roadway before Sullivan's house. He didn't want to tip off Sullivan that they had found him.

  The large truck stopped.

  "How the hell are we going to get up to the house?” Tommy pulled his coat tighter against him. “We're not exactly dressed for hiking in the snow."

  "I'm not planning on hiking in the snow. Did you hear those snowmobiles in the distance? We're going to ride most of the way up, then hike the rest of the way."

  "That's your fucking plan, Max? We'll freeze our goddamn asses off before we even reach the front door."

  "No, we won't. We've got the extra police jackets and bulletproof vests in the trunk, and so do the other guys. All we need are the snowmobiles."

  "You're crazy ... psycho! Thank God you're one of the good guys,” Tommy added.

  Max was in serious mode as he got out of the car to tell the others.

  * * * *

  Larry began to untie one of Grace's wrists. He left the other one tied to the bedpost.

  Grace's head throbbed, and her mind was still a bit fuzzy from the chloroform.

  As Larry poured the glasses of wine and smiled wide, she watched him.

  "Our first celebration drink, darling, before the big night."

  "What big night?” Grace asked, not being able to register Larry Sullivan's words or intentions.

  He laughed softly as he placed Grace's fingers over the stem of the half full wineglass, helping her hold it. “Our first night together, darling."

  Grace threw the glass at him, smashing it against his shoulder. Then she attempted to get up off the bed.

  Her right wrist remained tied to the post and her legs were wobbly. Too late, she realized she had her back to the Master.

  Larry grabbed hold of her hair, forcing her back onto the bed. With the additional pressure on her wrist, she cried out in pain, realizing the snap she heard was the sound of it breaking.

  "That was expensive wine, Grace. You'll pay for that."

  Blood showed through Larry's blue dress shirt. His eyes were dark blue, bloodshot and full of rage.

  Grace recalled the Master having blue eyes but Larry had green eyes at the party.

  Swinging at him with her good hand, she made contact with his face. He retaliated by grabbing her throat and straddling her hips. He was heavy on top of her.

  She couldn't breathe. He was choking her so hard. Was he going to kill her? Suddenly, he released his hands from her neck and grabbed hold of her good wrist. His focus remained on the walls. Then she assumed he must have heard something, because he quickly pulled Grace up with him.

  He untied her hand when she realized what the sound was.

  Abruptly, he pulled Grace from the bed, grabbed his coat, then yanked it on. Pulling a gun from the pocket of his black parka, he wedged it against Grace's side.

  "Let's go.” He walked through the bedroom into another room where a small light stayed on in the corner.

  Pulling Grace along with him, he turned off the remainder of the lights.

  They could hear the snowmobiles coming closer.

  Larry pulled her toward the back door and small porch. There was nothing but darkness, and a full moon illuminated the night sky. The snowflakes were huge and falling fast. Grace could feel them covering her hair, her eyelashes and body. Instantly, she was cold.

  They heard the snowmobiles coming closer, then they abruptly stopped. Soon there was nothing but silence and the sound of snowflakes hitting Larry's jacket. It was incredibly eerie to hear such silence and the fear of dying soon followed.

  Grace tried to pull away, but Larry pulled her against him.

  "Not a sound or I'll kill you, then your whole family."

  Grace swallowed hard. He grabbed her broken wrist and held it tight. The pain was excruciating. She cried out, falling to her knees.

  "Shhhh!” he demanded, pulling her back up and against him with his face against hers. He kissed her skin, then licked the snowflakes on her rosy red cheeks.

  Grace shuddered in disgust. She tried to pull away, but he squeezed her broken wrist tighter. Grace couldn't help crying in agony against his jacket. Her teeth chattered. Her body shook. Then she felt his lips against her hair on the top of her head. “Soon, my special one ... soon we will be alone."

  They listened while Grace felt nauseous from the pain of the broken bone. The cold snow numbed her whole body. She was only wearing a sweater, a pair of dress pants and black leather dress boots. Her toes were frozen. In her mind, she begged for warmth.

  Larry pulled her along with him toward a shed.

  Suddenly, he stopped. Footsteps were heard, then the sounds of voices and banging doors.

  On the side of the shed, another snowmobile sat covered with a tarp.

  Again, Grace tried to pull away from him, but Larry pistol-whipped her across the cheek. When she tried to knock the gun from his hands, Larry pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, missing both of them. Larry quickly started the engine to the snowmobile.

  * * * *

  Inside the house, Max, Tommy, and the others realized Larry and Grace weren't there. Then they heard the gunshot.

  Max ran through the back door just barely catching the sound of Grace screaming in pain.

  "Over there, Tommy, come on!"

  They raced through the snow.

  He heard the roar of a snowmobile engine and he cursed when he realized Larry might escape with Grace as his prisoner.

  * * * *

  Larry grabbed Grace and pulled her onto the snowmobile. She threw herself over the side, landing in the cold snow.

  "Stupid bitch! Get up here!"

  "
Stop right there!” Max yelled in the distance.

  "Police! Don't move!” Tommy yelled.

  Larry pointed the gun in their direction and fired multiple times into the darkness.

  Screaming in fear, Grace tried to grab the gun from Larry's hand.

  Larry pulled Grace over his lap, then pressed the gas button on the handlebars. The snowmobile jolted forward and the gun fell out of Larry's hand as he tried to regain control of the snowmobile.

  About to fall against the rotating tracks of the snowmobile, Grace screamed. The engine whined, and the snow splattered up against her cheeks, stinging her. Larry pulled her up. He still hadn't regained control of the snowmobile.

  Using all her strength to pull herself up, Grace then grabbed the brake on the other side of the handlebars.

  Larry wouldn't give in and he kept his hand on the gas button, determined to keep the snowmobile in motion. They were headed toward the woods and back in the direction of the house.

  Screaming in pain, Grace pulled the steering wheel with all her might one last time. Larry tried to stop her and Grace flew off the snowmobile, landing in the snow on her arm. The loud roar of the snowmobile's engine filled the air as it turned to the right, lifted and flipped, landing on top of Larry with the rotating tracks still running.

  Max screamed, watching the whole scene unfold as Grace landed in the snow and Larry was instantly killed.

  Max and Tommy both rushed to Grace's side. Deep in the snow, she was bleeding and freezing.

  The others ran toward Larry and turned off the snowmobile's engine.

  "Her arm and her wrist are both broken,” Tommy said as Max tried to comfort Grace.

  She was going into shock.

  "Does it hurt anywhere else, Grace?” Max asked.

  She was silent a moment and her eyes fluttered open.

  "Yeah ... my ass,” she said weakly.

  Max laughed.

  "That's my girl. Lie still while we check you over to be sure there's no other injuries.” Max and Tommy checked her and began to move her.

  "I bet the Master's angry that he didn't get away.” Grace's eyes closed.