Sabre didn't bite. "Did you put the bat through my mail slot?"
Murdock's mouth turned up in a smile, apparently proud of the maneuver. He quoted a riddle, in an eerie Vincent Price tone.
Color, a pretty, bright red
In the darkness, toward the light;
He took his hand and he swirled it around Sabre's head, like a bat zooming in and out, saying "Circling, circling the head." He brought his hand back and swooped in with one quick move. He took a step back, then leaned his body towards her. His face inches from hers, he said, "causing sheer fright. Boo!"
Sabre knew he wanted to see her squirm, so she tried her best not to show just how frightened she felt. "Alexis was at my office when you did that. She could've been hurt."
"Yes, that was unfortunate, and I scolded Alexis for running away. She shouldn't have been there. I never would've done it if I'd known, but I think it taught her a good lesson. Don't you?"
Sabre didn't answer his question. "The lizard – did you put it in my bed?"
"Cute little things aren't they? Boy, did you scream!"
A chill went up her spine. "You were there the whole time?"
"No, not the whole time. I slipped out after you parked yourself on the sofa for the night."
"You did it all – the flat tire, the beach?"
Murdock walked into the other room and returned with a bottle of cologne. He sprayed a little in the air in front of her nose. "Maybe this'll help."
"Kantor," she whispered, recognizing the cologne. "Why Kantor?" She already knew the answer. What she didn't know was how he knew or why he was doing all this.
"Well, your brother loved this cologne. Didn't he?"
So much swirled through Sabre's mind, frightened and confused. The thing striking her hardest . . . Murdock had just used the past tense. Did he know something she didn't? "How did you know? What do you know about my brother?"
"Oh, I know plenty about Ronald Adrian Brown." He said the name with contempt. "I know he lived in Dallas. I know he worked out at the gym every day at ten o'clock. I know he drank espresso and drove a Porsche." Murdock watched and seemed to enjoy every twitch in her face as he delineated his knowledge of her brother in a quicker tempo. "I know he had a dog named Patches, a mother who still bakes his favorite pie on holidays, and a sister named Sabre, who worshipped him."
He leaned over Sabre's chair and put a hand on each shoulder. She could feel him tremble. He looked her straight in the eye, saying very slowly, "I know he pretended to be my friend, and he loved my wife." Murdock remained in that position – looking directly into Sabre's eyes – for several seconds, in complete silence. Finally, he let go and stood up.
"Gale and Beth," Sabre said in disbelief. "You're Gale, and your wife is Beth." She remembered Ron talking about this wonderful couple he had met. The last few months before he disappeared, he had spent a lot of time with them. She knew he shared a special relationship with Beth, but she never suspected any kind of romantic interest. Besides, it wasn't Ron's style. Although quite the lady's man, he had strong convictions about not messing with another man's woman. Whether or not something went on between Ron and Beth didn't matter at this point, Sabre decided. What matters is what Murdock believes. Sabre felt sick. "Did you kill my brother?"
"No, of course not." Murdock smirked. "I just helped him become the savior he wanted to be. It's not my fault he talked too much."
"What happened to him?"
"I don't know for sure. I just know there are some circles where if you talk too much, you don't live to tell it."
"Am I going to live to tell this?"
"Now, what do you think, Ms. Brown? You're a smart lady."
"Did you plan this from the beginning? Did you come to California to kill me?"
"I needed to leave Atlanta for a while. California seemed like a good idea. I remembered Ron telling us about you, so I decided to have some fun, pay him back for what he did to me."
"But the juvenile court case – how did you get me on your case?"
"Pure coincidence. I didn't even realize it was you until after we'd left the courtroom. I heard someone call you Sabre." Murdock smiled. "You got thrown right into my lap. I didn't even have to track you down."
"So what happens now?"
"Well, you're not much good to me anymore, Ms. Brown. Yes, you and yours will definitely have to go, but you won't know when."
Sabre remembered Honey. "What did you do with Honey?"
"You don't need to know about Hon . . . ." Murdock stopped as Alexis walked in. "Alexis, did you have a good time?"
"Yes, Father."
"You must be hungry. I'll start dinner. Go wash up and then come help me," he instructed.
Alexis followed his direction and went to the bathroom to wash her hands. When Alexis left the room, Sabre tried to pick the conversation back up where they left off, but Murdock, not responding, strolled into the kitchen area and started dinner.
After dinner, Murdock and Alexis cleaned up the kitchen and then sat down at the dining room table to play some games. Alexis convinced her father it would be more fun to play with three so he untied Sabre's hands, but he left her feet tied. Everything seemed so crazy to Sabre. She didn't have any experience with kidnappers, but she was pretty sure this was not the norm. She sat at a table eating pumpkin pie and playing games with her captor, the whole experience bizarre. Most of the time she had her hands and feet tied, and she was in excruciating pain and suffering from sleep deprivation. The food, on the other hand, tasted four star, but every time she ate she felt like an inmate on death row having her last meal.
There were no clocks in the room. Sabre, uncertain of the time, thought they retired earlier than usual. The bed beckoned Sabre, her exhaustion taking a toll. Her eyelids had been heavy all day, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyes popped open. Murdock had tied her feet to the bedpost again, leaving her stuck in one position, and she couldn't get comfortable. Every sound she heard startled her. She wondered if this night would be her last, and as much as she wanted to sleep, she struggled to stay awake and live every moment.
After about two hours, Sabre fell asleep. She awakened abruptly when she heard her door creak. Her heart skipped a beat, certain it was Murdock coming in to kill her. She scooted as far as she could to the opposite side of the bed. The footsteps tiptoed toward her. She muffled her scream when she saw Alexis' silhouette. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.
"Shh . . . ." Alexis said. "He's asleep." She walked softly around to the back of Sabre's bed and untied her from the bed. Alexis handed Sabre her shoes and she slipped them on. Sabre stood up, making as little noise as possible. They walked to the door and Sabre looked out. She didn't see anything in the hallway, and no lights were on. They crept down the hallway. Just when they reached Murdock's bedroom, the floor creaked. They stopped and waited. After what seemed an eternity, they moved on. Every couple of steps, the floor creaked. Sounds never noticed during the day pounded out in the quiet of the night. They continued to the front door. Sabre reached up and slowly unbolted the lock. She turned the handle and opened the creaky door. It seemed so loud in the still darkness. No lights came on and they didn't hear anyone coming. Alexis picked up a bundle and a backpack near the door and followed Sabre.
They had made it outside. They hurried off the porch and toward the dirt road when Alexis spoke. "Here, I brought us each a coat." Sabre, so glad to be getting out, hadn't thought about how cold it would be.
"You're a smart cookie." She gave Alexis a little hug.
Sabre took a step, glanced back at the house, and saw the lights go on. Murdock flipped on the porch light and yelled, "Alexis. Alexis, where are you?" They stood still, watching him. He looked around, dashed back in the house. He returned moments later and ran to the car. Sabre grabbed Alexis by the hand and they ran off the road into the woods.
The utter darkness made it difficult to see. Suddenly a light beamed through the trees. They could hear the engine fro
m Murdock's car as he drove around in a circle, using the headlights like a searchlight.
The light came toward them. "Get down. Lie flat," Sabre said. They dropped down. Sabre hit her face on a stick protruding from the ground. It poked her hard in the lip. She muffled a cry. The lights came closer. She didn't dare move. The lights passed them. When Murdock had made a complete circle, he drove down the road toward the highway. Alexis and Sabre slipped deeper into the woods.
CHAPTER 32
Sabre and Alexis stumbled along in the darkness for about an hour, trying to put some distance between them and the cabin, not knowing which direction they were going. Sabre feared she could be leading them in circles and they'd end up back at the cabin, or worse, deep in the woods where they would either starve to death or be eaten by some ravenous animal.
The leaves rustled. Sabre stopped, put her arm around Alexis and held her still. Something moved a few feet away. Sabre could feel Alexis trembling. She held her tighter. All of a sudden it scurried away. "Just a squirrel or something," Sabre said, whispering. She had no idea what kind of animals lived in these woods, or in any woods for that matter.
Finally, Sabre felt comfortable enough to speak. "What's in this backpack, Alexis? It's heavy."
"Just some stuff I thought we'd need, like some water, your cell phone . . . ."
"My phone?" Sabre said, pulling the pack off her back. "You have my phone? Why didn't you tell me?" She sat down right where she stood, opened the backpack, and dug out the phone.
"I forgot," Alexis whispered.
"It's okay," Sabre said, elated. She could just call the police, and they'd be rescued. She snapped the phone open and started pushing buttons, but nothing happened.
"What's the matter?"
"It's dead. The battery's dead."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Sabre, I thought it would help us."
"Sweetie, you were so smart to think to bring it. Don't worry. We'll get out of here just fine. Let's see what else you stuck in this bag," Sabre said, going through the backpack. "A flashlight – that could come in real handy, but we better not use it right now because it could draw attention to us. Two water bottles – good – muffins, a roll of toilet paper, and what's this?" Sabre pulled out a small tin box.
"A first-aid kit. We could clean up your face, Ms. Sabre. You're bleeding."
Sabre had been too cold and scared to think about her face. Besides, it didn't hurt as much as her ankles and wrists. "You're right. We should clean it up so it doesn't get infected."
Sabre placed the kit and the flashlight deeply into the backpack and turned on the flashlight, propping it so the light wouldn't show. She reached into the backpack and poured a little peroxide onto a cotton ball. Dabbing it on her face, she felt the peroxide fizzle and sting. Sabre flinched. She removed another cotton ball from the kit and dabbed it on her face again. She wiped the dried blood off the best she could without a mirror. Before she closed it up, she looked through the kit. Besides the usual supplies, band aids, cotton balls, an ace bandage, and the peroxide, she saw some matches and a compass. She pulled the compass out, gave Alexis a great big hug, and said, "You're a genius!"
"What is it?"
"It's a compass. It'll keep us from going in circles, and as long as we go west we'll be headed for the ocean and not deeper into the mountains." They each took a small drink of water. Sabre repacked the bag. "Here, hold the backpack so I can shine the light inside on the compass." Sabre looked inside. "It looks like we've been going south. We'll make a turn and go west."
Sabre carried the flashlight in her hand, even though she didn't dare turn it on; the flashlight and compass gave her a sense of power. She had a plan.
They continued on their journey, mostly in silence, stopping occasionally to check the compass. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little cold, and it's kind of spooky out here," Alexis replied.
Sabre felt her anxiety. She wanted to stop and hold her and keep her warm, but she didn't dare. They had to keep moving. Murdock could be anywhere, looking for them in the woods. Sabre didn't know what else might be out there waiting to hurt them. She had to take their minds off the dark, frightening woods. "Alexis, why did you decide to help me escape?"
"I heard you and Father talking today. He wasn't going to keep his promise to me, was he?"
"No, I don't think he was. That's when you decided to help?"
"Yes. I didn't want him to hurt you."
"When did you put the things in the backpack?"
"When I was in the kitchen helping with dinner, I set the muffins and the water bottles aside. When I put the games away, I picked up the flashlight, the first aid kit, and the toilet paper. I've been camping with my father lots of times, and you always need toilet paper in the woods," she digressed. "My father tucked me in on the sofa and then he went to the bathroom before he went to bed. That's when I took your phone out of your bag, put the things in the backpack, and lay back on the sofa. He came out after he used the restroom and kissed me goodnight, but I pretended to be asleep."
"You are the bravest little girl I've ever met. Thank you."
They stopped and checked the direction on the compass. They were off course, heading north. Sabre made the adjustment, and again went due west. The night was silent again, except for the noises from the forest, the occasional owl hoot, or a coyote howl in the distance, but every noise took their breaths away.
Although it had been only a few hours, it seemed like they had walked for days and still saw no signs of civilization. Sabre wondered what time it was. Just then she saw a light in the distance. She couldn't tell what the light came from. Inching their way forward, they kept low to the ground and behind trees as much as they could. She heard a car engine. Through a small clearing, Sabre could see the road and a car creeping north along the highway with a light shining outside the window and into the trees. It must be Murdock.
Sabre's heart pounded as she quietly turned Alexis around and headed deeper into the woods. When Sabre thought they were far enough away from the light, they turned and went south, trying to stay parallel with the road without getting too close. Sabre felt a little relief. Murdock continued to search for them, but from his car and headed in the opposite direction, not on foot in the woods. For now, their biggest concern was the wild animals, the thought squelching any relief she had felt.
They continued along in the quiet winter air. "They killed Honey," Alexis blurted. The words echoed in Sabre's ears, making her shudder. "They shouldn't have killed her. They didn't need to, you know."
Alexis spoke quickly, as if she needed to say it all before she changed her mind. "It was the night we left for California. Father said we were going to go anyway, but I don't think so. He had never mentioned it before. Honey was visiting us. I loved it when she came to visit. We would play with our Barbies. She had more than me, and she had lots of clothes for them. Adelle liked to sew and she made her lots of Barbie clothes." Alexis paused for a moment. "It's my fault, you know."
"What's your fault?"
"That she's dead. She wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for me. I'm the one who should be dead. I'm the one who heard them. She didn't hear them. She couldn't hear them. She was deaf."
"Alexis, I'm sure it's not your fault Honey is dead. You didn't kill her. Tell me what happened, what you heard?"
"We were playing with our Barbies on the back porch. Honey had just put the mink coat on one of her Barbies, a coat Adelle made. It wasn't real mink or anything, but it was real pretty. I got tired of playing with the dolls and wanted to play school. I wanted to teach Honey her ABCs. I had learned how to sign each one of them. I had to get real good at it so I could teach her. Anyway, Honey lined up her dolls, like in a classroom, and ran inside to get the blackboard. I followed her, but she ran into the room first.
"I heard a man yelling at my father and he sounded real angry, so I stopped. I could see inside the room. The man said something about killing a cop and that my father would go to prison.
He spotted Honey and I saw him charge at her. I tried to scream, but nothing came out."
Alexis talked faster, her voice cracking, tears running down her cheeks. "He picked her up with one arm and grabbed her by the neck with the other and just twisted." Alexis spoke lower, breathing heavy and sobbing. "Her head just flopped over . . . like a d-d-dead b-bird. Then he j-just . . " Alexis sobbed, "d-dropped her and she lay there on the floor real still."
Alexis started to cry hysterically. Sabre sat down, pulled Alexis close to her, and wrapped her arms around her for comfort and warmth. Alexis pressed her head against Sabre's bosom and sobbed. Sabre couldn't think of any words to comfort her. Although concerned Alexis might be heard, she couldn't interrupt her mourning. She held and rocked the scared, sad, little girl while she wailed in the quiet forest.
Alexis sat up, still whimpering, but quieter. Sabre reached in the backpack and pulled out some toilet paper for Alexis to blow her nose. "You're right," Sabre said. "The toilet paper did come in handy in the woods."
Alexis responded with a quick smile. "Thanks." She wiped her nose, turned to Sabre, and said. "We better get going, huh?"
"Yup, we better. Are you okay to go?"
"Yeah." She stood up. Sabre marveled at Alexis' strength, as she took her by the hand and they walked on.
They had only taken a few steps when Alexis spoke again. "I was so scared. I wanted to go help Honey, but I was too scared. I just wanted to get away before they saw me."
"So what did you do?"
"I sneaked back to my bedroom and crawled in bed and pretended to be asleep. A little while later, Father came in the room and gave me a kiss on the cheek and went back out. I think the men had left by then."
"The men? Was there more than one?"
"Yes, I saw two of them, but I only recognized one. There may have been more, but I don't think so. That's all I saw, anyway."
"You recognized one of them? You mean you had seen him before?"
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