“Wasn’t Kathleen murdered before Lorraine?”
“Yes, but she wasn’t found until after. Whoever murdered her had transported her body to a more secluded location. It was out near the marsh by the house I grew up in, and it was too dangerous for people to be walking out in of. They found my hair at the scene and they said my motive for killing her was because she would expose our affair to Angela, but Angela already knew I had slept with her before. That wasn’t something I couldn’t deal with.”
“And what about Daniella?”
“My only motive for killing her would be so I could get custody of my children, which was something I couldn’t have regardless. Those girls ended up in the system and not even the Gemangini family would take them in. I was never too sure why, but if she had not taken away my custodial rights I would have been there for them.”
“Why does Teresa think you were responsible for her mother’s death?”
“I suppose I was painted as a monster the entire time they were growing up. Look, I know I can’t win this, even if I wanted to have an appeal. I am the one percent the entire nation wanted to see locked up, because if I walked they would all think it was because I paid off the right people.”
David nodded and he understood what was going on. He looked Castro dead in the eye, “Why did Angela leave you?”
“She thinks I am a murderer. If I was her I would have left, too. I’m not a good person, that’s obvious I guess, but I’m not a murderer and I would do anything to make sure they know I’m not the monster I’ve been made out to be.”
“You seem paranoid, is there a reason behind it?”
Castro leaned forward and he spoke very softly, “The real killer is out there, and I know they are counting down my days. They are in control of when I meet my maker.”
“Is there something we should know?”
“That you should get out of this while you have the chance. I mean, I don’t know what brought you into this, but you best see your way out of it. This is not something anyone wants to get tangled up with.”
“We are in this because someone is missing, and we think it is related to what happened here. We need to eliminate this as a possibility.”
“Who is it, maybe I could help.”
“I doubt you would want to once you know who is involved.”
“How about you tell me and we’ll see if you’re right about that.”
“Fair enough. Teresa married a man named James Shapiro, and now he’s gone missing. She came to us wanting to know if we could help find him.”
“You won’t be able to find him… at least not alive. Whoever took him would have killed him.”
“And why would you assume that?”
“James was on my side the entire time, but he kept that on the down low. He was looking to find the man responsible for all of this. If they found out what he was up to they would do anything in their power to get the information out of him; and even if he didn’t speak they would still kill him regardless. These people are very resourceful.”
“Do you have any idea who it is? Who is behind all this?”
“I won’t be able to say any more, other than the fact that I thought I could trust everyone in my inner circle. Obviously someone who was very close to me was the one who betrayed me.”
David nodded. “Thank you for your time. It has been a pleasure to meet you.”
“Wait,” he said, as they were getting up to leave. “I know they probably wouldn’t want to hear this, but I love them, and if they ever need answers they can always find them—if they know where to look.”
Emily took a step forward, and she spoke. “Do you know a Natalie Granger?”
“I knew a Natalie Hartman when I was younger, but she died in a car accident with her family. So to answer your question in short, no I don’t know her.”
“Again, thank you for your time.”
They knocked on the door and were soon being escorted out of the prison, yet David still felt as if he was missing a large piece of this puzzle. The next person he needed to speak with was William Gemangini.
Chapter 14
She had been watching the news as if something would flash across it with all the answers she was waiting for, but nothing was there that told her James had been found. She had no way of knowing whether he was dead or alive, but as the hours continued to pass she couldn’t help but feel that he was gone. She didn’t want to believe it, but her sister was attempting to convince her that she had been used. Of course she was torn between both scenarios. In the one he had used her, and that would mean he was still alive. She didn’t want him to be dead. But if he was, that meant whoever was responsible was still lingering. Olivia was beginning to wonder if Carlisle Castro was really involved, or if she had been wrong about that the entire time.
She turned off the television and walked over to the small sitting area, peering out the window. There had to have been something she was missing and she needed to know what it was. If she had been more cautious she would have been able to figure this out from the start. She knew there was only one place she to go for answers.
Finally, she knew where she needed to go, and she couldn’t tell Marissa. Hell, she didn’t have to tell anyone anything. She knew the only person she could trust at this point was herself. She was walking out the door and was in such deep thought, she didn’t even check to make sure that the door was shut.
###
It was late afternoon, she had finished with all of her tasks that day and pulled up to the motel. Her phone was balanced between her ear and shoulder and she was listening intently.
“I understand,” she said forcefully. “Please don’t treat me as though I don’t understand any of this.”
“I don’t think you do understand this Samantha,” she heard him say. “That investigator was poking around today, and it is very possible they can figure this out.”
“I can promise you they will not get the chance to do anything about it. But I’ll need your help with this.”
“Of course, but you know how to relay the messages that are needed for this.”
“Yes, I know.”
She hung up the line. She didn’t like being treated as if she was inferior. She wondered if it was because of who her father was, or if it was just because she was a woman. Whatever the case, she didn’t like the tone he used. She had been the mastermind behind this past operation and so far everything was working out fine. She approached the door to the motel and it was wide open.
Stepping inside cautiously, she looked around and saw that her sister was missing. She wondered where Olivia was. Taking out her second phone, she called her, but it went straight to voicemail. Her heart was sinking. She knew something was wrong. This wasn’t something she had anticipated.
###
They were back in Primer now and Emily was still refusing to speak to him. He had attempted to strike up a conversation with her, but her only response was that she would put all the information on his desk. He knew there was something between them. He wanted to fix it, but he knew he was probably not going to be able to do so. He arrived back at the office and saw that there was an envelope underneath the door.
Picking it up, he shut the door and he locked it behind him. Walking into his office, he sat down at his desk and eyed it suspiciously. There was no return address and he wondered who and where it had come from.
Opening it up, he saw there was a DVD inside. He looked around cautiously, making sure no one else was there. He then looked to his desktop computer that he had not used very often. He wasn’t too sure what his password even was, but after a few minutes he was at his main screen. He saw that it was beginning to load and watched the screen in horror. The screen flashed the text “Only one will live.” Then it transitioned to a picture of Nancy and Emily.
Chapter 15
Staring at the screen, he was looking at images of Nancy and Emily. He was not too sure what to make of
it, when he heard his phone beginning to ring. He was frozen there for a moment, unsure if he was going to be able to move. He picked it up and held it to his ear, but he couldn’t say anything.
“David Orlando, you are a very persistent and thorough man, and that is why we have come to this. You have a choice between one of these girls to save, and there will be a clue at each of their residences. You have six hours.”
The line was disconnected, and he could not help but feel furious. He looked back to the computer where more images of them were there for him to see. Nancy’s eyes were filled with terror, while Emily’s were filled with pain. He saw how she carried her wrist and noted how she stood, and he could see the blood streaming down her leg.
As he continued to watch, the images were playing out in front of him like a slide show, and something popped up on his screen. He was not too sure where it came from, but he did know that it was a video. There was a part of him that insisted that he not play the video, but curiosity got the better of him.
Opening it up, he saw Nancy pressed into the corner of a small room. There were tears streaming down her face, and she was screaming. There was a single dim light in the room, and he was able to watch as the snakes swarmed throughout the room. “No,” she screamed and she choked on her tears. “Let me out! Let me out!” David felt a chill going down his spine. He felt sick to his stomach, and he did not know how to react. He was appalled. The video paused itself, and another pop up appeared.
This one was going to be about Emily—he was more than certain about that. He was not too sure he could tolerate what was going on with her. Finally he clicked on it, and he watched her on the screen. She appeared to be in a much smaller space than Nancy, and she was not freaking out the same way Nancy had been. In her hand she had a flashlight, and David could see the sweat. He also noticed how shallow her breathing was. The entire time she was looking around herself as if she was trying to figure out where she was, and she looked right at the camera. It was as if she knew that it was there, and a look of rage appeared on her face as she hit it and the image went dead.
For a moment he was completely taken aback, and he didn’t know what to do. He was not able to think clearly, and he couldn’t make this decision. He couldn’t only choose one of them to live. Beginning to feel sick, he knew that this was all because of his investigation. He must have been getting close in order for them to do this, and as he sat there, he knew exactly who he was getting close to, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to prove anything. Anything he had right now would be conjecture, and no one would take him seriously. He was positive about that.
Getting up to his feet, he began to pace back and forth. He knew he was not helping them right now, and that he had to have a clear mind. He would not let one of them die, but he knew that he was outmatched. He also knew that if he brought anyone else into this, they would be targets as well, and he couldn’t allow that to happen. There was only one person he would trust enough to help him with this, and he wasn’t certain he would be able to seek him out.
His anger was beginning to take hold, and he still didn’t know what he was going to do. He heard a message beeping from his computer. Pausing for a moment, he didn’t like what was going on—something was wrong. As he walked on over to his computer, he read the message: ‘Tick tock, David, tick tock.’
As he looked to the computer, he didn’t see that the camera was on, but he knew that the moment he inserted that disk he had somehow allowed them access to his computer. They knew exactly what he was doing. They were monitoring him, and he was more than certain that they wanted access to his computer to see if he had any files on there. Being a Luddite had its props since he kept everything as a hard copy.
Acting as though he did not suspect anything, he strode across the room and was on his way out. He knew that he needed to seek help from someone else, because he was not going to let them die. As he was exiting the building, he saw Tom sitting at his station, and he seemed bored.
“Tom,” David said, as he approached him.
He watched as Tom looked up at him in wonder. David knew he was awful when it came down to communicating with other people.
“Mr. Orlando,” he said. “Is something the matter?”
“Actually,” he said, as he looked over his shoulder, “There is something wrong. I am working on a case with Emily, and something has happened to her along with someone else.”
David watched Tom freeze, as if he was not expecting to hear that. Then again, he was certain most people wouldn’t expect to hear that at all. “What do you need from me?”
“I need your help. They made it very clear that I cannot get to them both, and I don’t want either of them dying.”
“What can I do?”
“Go to Emily’s,” he said. “They left behind some sort of clue as to where she is. Tom, I don’t want to drag you into this, but I really care about her and I can’t let anything more happen to her. Please, for me.”
Tom did not have to think about it for more than a moment. “On one condition,” he said, as he was stepping out from his desk.
“Name it.”
“You make sure that I don’t get in trouble for leaving my station.”
David nodded and they walked away. It didn’t even cross his mind that it was odd for Tom to be here this late.
###
The drive to Nancy’s home couldn’t possibly have felt any longer. Finally, he was pulling into her driveway, and he looked to her home. Everything looked normal, but he knew it wasn’t. He knew that his relationship with Nancy was not what was normal for most people, but he was not normal. As he took a moment to collect himself, he knew he was dating Nancy in order to get Emily off of his mind, but he did love Nancy. He had always been close to her, and now he was going to be sure that she would be safe. He would make sure nothing like this would ever happen to her again.
Getting out of his car, he rushed up her driveway and onto her porch. Taped to the door was an envelope, and he quickly grabbed for it. Tearing it open, he saw a small piece of paper inside, and he noticed all the words seemed to be cut out of a magazine. Reading it over and over again, none of it was making sense to him. He realized that he truly didn’t know her—he did not know Nancy at all.
Taking his cell phone from his pocket, he knew that he had to make this phone call. He knew he had to bring yet another person into this, and he was more than certain that was what they were hoping he would do. Dialing the phone, he listened as it rang and finally he picked up.
“David,” he said. “Do you have any idea how late it is? Most humans go to bed before midnight now.”
“Rodney, something has happened. This case I’m working on, the people I’m dealing with—well, they took Emily and Nancy, and I only have time to save one of them.”
Rodney was silent for a moment, then he answered. “What do you need?”
“The riddle they left me for Nancy says something I don’t understand. Maybe you can help with that since you know her better. ‘My life was taken before my time, and they found me hanging by a vine. Betrayed by all of those I’d met, I knew of a secret meant to be kept. To find me you will need to unravel a lovers’ greed.’ What the hell is going on, Rod? How does that tie into Nancy?”
Rodney was silent for a moment, and he sighed, “David, that riddle is about her mother.”
“What? Her mother is alive and well.”
“No, her biological mother was sent to an institution when she was a teenager. She was locked in there because of her father, and when she was eighteen she was able to leave. Her mother was raped and got pregnant, but she never charged the man. Her mother lost all custodial rights to her immediately, and her daughter was raised by the very man who had deflowered her. Her mother was put back into the institution and she hanged herself with a vine in the garden, or at least that is what they were saying. Nancy always believed there was more to the story than that.”
“Where
was the institution?”
“It is in Dodge City, maybe a forty minute drive. David, you are not in this alone. What do you need me to do?”
“I don’t need anyone else to get hurt,” he said, as he was rushing down the driveway towards his car.
“You said you had to choose between Emily and Nancy. I am willing to help you right now. I know you don’t want one of them to die.”
David was throwing open his car door, and he shook his head. “I already have someone out there ready to go and get Emily. All I need from you, Rodney, is a standby. If anything goes awry I’ll call you, and even if you don’t hear anything, something is wrong.”
“I understand, and I’ll be waiting. Just be safe, David.”
“It isn’t me I’m worried about,” he said, as he disconnected the line.
Backing out of the driveway, he knew he was in over his head. This was not the kind of thing he’d thought he would have to deal with. No, he had always envisioned it would be interrogations of powerful, greedy men and women who had motives to murder others, but in this instance it seemed as though he had gotten in way over his head. As he continued to drive, he kept thinking back to everything that had transpired in the past seventy-two hours.
###
Tom had arrived at Emily’s residence, and he knew the code to the gate. He had been here once before, and that was how the others knew how to get in. During his dealings with them, they had assured him that Emily was not to get hurt in any of this, and they had lied. He would never have provided them with the information had he known what their true intentions were.
Walking up to the house, he saw one of the men standing there. He did not know his name, and he smiled at him. “You know you could have called with an update.”
Promised Box Set Page 63