The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  * * * *

  Glancing around the bedroom he and Laurie shared at the big house, Ross felt a cold dread grip his heart. He missed her more than anyone could possibly know.

  Powerless. He was powerless. That vile feeling of weakness churned through him. She was in danger and he couldn’t help her. The bedroom seemed empty and cold. He found no comfort there.

  The Remington jet was flying in from California, so they had no choice except to wait for its arrival. Thank you, Seth. We’re more than even.

  Ross, Sheila, and Bruiser would go to Greenwood, Indiana on the search for Ruby and Duchess and the diamonds. Deepika and Andrew would remain behind, awaiting any news. Everyone was getting some badly needed sleep. Everyone except Ross.

  He pulled the quilt back and saw a small wrapped box and a piece of paper. Ross smoothed the paper out and immediately recognized the handwriting from the other journal entries.

  Ice’s fortune lies where one life ends.

  A treasure to be shared by friends.

  Yet, fate is cruel and prone to strife.

  A broken man will take no wife.

  Though mother true I may not be,

  they need so very much of me.

  I loved enough to play the part,

  but the fortune rests with his buried Heart.

  The blood is Cold and on my hands,

  and punishment my soul demands.

  So Fortune I will never find,

  though to his family I will bind.

  Seek not treasures of great worth.

  Let the fortune rest in Mother Earth.

  “Duchess,” Ross whispered as he suddenly realized who had been writing the poems. He put the paper down and grabbed the box. Laurie had told him there was another birthday present. Ripping off the ribbon and gold paper, Ross opened the gray box to find a snow globe. He tipped it and then set it on the bed as he watched the tiny bits of plastic snow fall on the fake River Bend, Montana.

  “That’s my girl,” he whispered to the empty room. Feeling that he’d taken an important step toward finding his wife, he stretched out on the bed for some quick sleep. Pulling Laurie’s pillow to his chest, he breathed in her scent. His hand rested on the snow globe.

  I’ll be there soon, Love.

  * * * *

  Alex was still cursing at her when they pulled into the carwash. Steering the sedan into one of the self-service stalls, he yelled at her again. “You could have warned me. I would’ve pulled over.”

  Laurie almost laughed before she caught herself. She was amazed he couldn’t see the mirth reflected in her eyes. “Sorry. It just happened so...sudden. I told you I can’t read in a car, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  Vomiting on the man’s lap had definitely bought some time. And some personal satisfaction. She could even ignore the fetid smell as they drove to the closest town and scoured around for a place to wash the mess away.

  Getting out of the driver’s side, Alex leaned back in and grabbed his bag. “Don’t do anything stupid. I’m getting out of these clothes then I’m getting some change for the sprayer.” He walked over to the restroom and disappeared behind the door.

  She thought about running, but knew it would be futile to even try. The farther away from Chicago they got, the more she thought about escaping. She could get a warning to Ross and her friends before Alex could get back to hurt them. Unfortunately, he must have come to the same conclusion, because Alex now kept her constantly cuffed to him or the car. There wasn’t another soul at the deserted carwash. Hell, this whole place looked a ghost town.

  He reappeared a few minutes later in a new set of clothes, stopping long enough to stuff his soiled garments into a trashcan and slide a bill into the slot of the dollar changer.

  Alex stomped back to the wash stall. He unlatched the handcuffs from the car door and then snapped the loose end around his own wrist. Laurie glared at him. He fed the change into the machine to start the sprayer and tried to clean the inside of the car. She tried to make it as difficult for him as she could.

  Annoying Alex had quickly become an amusing game.

  “Alex, I’ve gotta pee again,” Laurie said in an exaggerated whine.

  “Again? You just went like twenty minutes ago.”

  “Yeah, but...” She pointed across the parking lot, using her cuffed hand to tug at his arm and make him drop the sprayer. “Look, the ladies room is right over there. Can I go?”

  He threw a nasty frown at her and bent down to retrieve the gadget. “When I finish cleaning up the car.”

  Laurie started dancing around like a two-year old who desperately needed to find a toilet. “Alex, I’m not kidding. I’ve gotta go.”

  Alex slammed the sprayer down. He reached across the seat to grab a jacket that he draped over the handcuffs. Dragging her across the parking lot, he pushed her toward the restroom. Stopping at the door, he shoved it open and stuck his head inside. Laurie figured it was empty because he pulled out the key and unlatched the cuffs. “I’ll be right outside the door. Remember, nothing stupid.”

  Laurie relieved the pressure on her bladder. It wasn’t nearly as urgent as what she’d led Alex to believe. But she had noticed how often she needed to go now, and she was tired of peeing in bushes. With the addition of her nearly constant nausea, Laurie had begun to believe she might be pregnant. Unfortunately, she could find no joy in the realization. Not in her present situation.

  “What do I have to work with?” she whispered. Trying to think of some way she could leave a message, Laurie let her gaze wander the bathroom. No paper towels. Nothing to write on. But she realized that she had nothing to write with either. Think, damn it.

  Alex wasn’t going to wait much longer. Laurie looked at the liquid soap dispenser. Best I’ve got. She pumped the orange liquid onto her fingers. She smeared Ross’s cell phone number on the white marble countertop. Although the mirror would have been a better choice, she figured Alex would check the room again before they left. Below the phone number, she tried to write the word “help.” The numbers and word looked so pale they were barely legible. She realized how difficult it would be for anyone to see them, let alone read them, but she was determined to at least give it a try.

  Laurie washed the soapy mess off her hands and shook them to remove the excess water since the hand dryer was hanging from the wall by a couple of wires. She pulled the door open to be greeted by Alex’s stern frown.

  He stuck his head back into the room and then snapped the cuff back around her wrist. Throwing the jacket over the metal, he said, “Good girl.” Then he dragged her back toward the car.

  Chapter 24

  “Time to buckle up, folks. We’re approaching the airport,” the pilot’s voice buzzed over the intercom.

  Bruiser flopped into one of the chairs. “I can’t believe the women didn’t figure it out first. Deepika and Sheila have been sweatin’ over that damn diary forever.” He tried to buckle his tall and bulky frame into the seatbelt but wasn’t having much success.

  “It just makes sense if you read the rhymes,” Ross explained. “Duchess—Ellie—was in love with T.J. She’s got to be the one who wrote the poems after Ruby died.” He settled into a seat for the first time since the plane had taken off. He knew his perpetual motion probably irritated Sheila and Bruiser, but Ross just couldn’t seem to stop pacing as he worried obsessively about his wife. “I think Duchess felt guilty about what happened to her friend. It’s like she’s trying to explain herself.”

  “This place don’t look like much,” Bruiser said as he glanced out the window. “Nothin’ but a little suburb.”

  “There are probably hundreds of kids living here who feel exactly like Ruby did. They just want to get the hell out,” Sheila added.

  Bruiser frowned. “Yeah? Look how good that turned out for Ruby.”

  The plane set down gently at the Greenwood Municipal Airport. From what Ross could see, the place wasn’t more than one runway and a couple of outbuildings. After he swung the door
open, Ross searched around for the car Bruiser had been promised would be waiting upon their arrival. The black sedan stood on the tarmac with a man leaning casually against the trunk, arms folded over his chest.

  Ross ran down the stairs and quickly covered the ground between him and the Crown Vic. “Are you Bob?”

  The fifty-something man nodded. “You Ross?”

  Ross nodded in return.

  Bruiser walked up and gave Bob a slap on the shoulder hard enough to knock the guy sideways. “Bob, you old son of a bitch.”

  “Bruiser. Ugly as ever.” Bob grinned. “And still finding a way to get in the middle of trouble I see.”

  “Yeah, well. You know me. Wouldn’t be happy any other way.” He nodded at the black sedan. “Still a detective. Can’t believe they haven’t busted you back to patrol.” Bruiser grabbed Sheila and hauled her up against his side. “This is the little woman. Sheila Crabtree.”

  Bob’s gaze swept Sheila from head to foot. “Little being the key word.” He winked at Sheila. “You put up with this idiot?”

  “For now,” she replied, earning a scowl from Bruiser.

  “Can we get going please?” Ross asked. Every minute they sat there having their little reunion was one more wasted in trying to get to Laurie.

  “Let’s roll,” Bob replied as he opened the back door to let Sheila and Bruiser slide behind the cage. Ross set himself into the front passenger’s seat.

  “I hate this. It feels like I’m in jail,” Bruiser growled as he smacked the metal grate with the back of his hand.

  Sheila gave him a teasing smile. “Think of all the people you put behind bars. Be glad you’ll be outta here in a few minutes.”

  As they drove past a shopping mall and a couple of car dealerships, Bob explained what was coming next. “The principal knows you’re on your way. All the old class pictures are in the community room. It’s got a bunch of historical stuff one of the students collected for her senior project. Old band uniforms. Letter jackets. Stuff like that. All the pictures are in one of those big displays like they have for the posters at Mega Mart.”

  “Have you seen them?” Sheila asked.

  “Yeah,” Bob replied. “I’m stationed at the high school a few of hours a couple days a week.” He turned down the long tree-lined boulevard leading toward a sprawling brown brick building. “I wander in there from time to time and look through the displays. See if anything’s new. The kid turned it into a kind of museum. The early years have small pictures of each of the students’ faces on one big sheet. You’ll be able to see everyone in the class at the same time.”

  “Did you check for the years we needed?” Ross asked, feeling agitated that things weren’t moving fast enough to suit him. As far as he was concerned, the cop should be using his lights and siren to get them to the damn school.

  “Yeah, I checked. They’re all there.”

  Two anxious men stood outside the front door of the school. “Looks like that assistant principals are waiting,” Bob said as he parked the sedan and the group piled out of the car.

  One of principals shook Ross’s hand. “Mr. Kennedy?” Ross nodded. “A pleasure to meet you. It’s between passing periods, so we can get you into the community room right away. Just follow me.” He led the way while the second of the principals brought up the rear, neatly sandwiching the visitors between them.

  Sheila pushed her way into the room first. Moving directly to the large display of class pictures, she began flipping through them. “Here’s nineteen. We’re looking for a redhead with...What did Ruby say? Eyes like a cat?”

  “How are you going to find a redhead in black and white pictures?” one of the principals asked.

  Sheila rolled her eyes. “It’s not that tough, Sherlock. Look.” She pointed to different cameo portraits in the large poster-sized compilation of pictures from the Greenwood High School class of 1919. “She’s a blonde. She’s brunette. Can you see how odd this one’s hair looks? She’s a redhead.” Sheila scanned the pictures for a few moments before she turned to Ross. “Two redheads.”

  Ross squinted at the faces. “I don’t see cat eyes.”

  “Me, either,” Bruiser added as he came up behind Sheila and glanced over her head.

  Sheila flipped to the next class. “Hey. Here’s a redhead. And see her eyes? Looks like a Siamese cat eyes to me. I’ve never seen anything like ‘em.” She pulled out her steno pad and started making notes. “Ruby has got to be Judith Madison. Class of 1920. But which one’s Duchess?”

  Ross studied the new compilation. “Blonde, right?”

  Sheila nodded. “Ruby said she had family in Scotland. And Duchess was the one who knew about a handfast ceremony.”

  “Five blondes,” Ross said as he looked over their names. “Anderson. No. Johnson.” He shook his head. “How about McCrae? Isn’t that Scottish?”

  Sheila nodded again. “Elsbeth McCrae. Ellie. It fits. She’s gotta be Duchess.”

  Ross startled when his cell phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number, couldn’t even place the area code. But the call might have something to do with Laurie. He flipped the phone open. “Hello?”

  “Um... Like, dude, I don’t know who you are, and this might be, like, I don’t know, a joke or something. But...” The adolescent male voice trailed off.

  “What do you want?” Ross growled, his patience having long ago come to an end.

  “Um...like, your number, at least I think it was your number, dude, but it must be because you answered...”

  “What?” Ross was nearly roaring.

  “Your number was, like, written on the counter of a bathroom. Next to the word ‘help.’ Um... My girlfriend found it. Like, are you in some kind of trouble or something?”

  Ross’s heart started slamming against his ribcage as his mouth went dry. “Where are you?”

  “Three Forks, Montana, dude.”

  “That’s my girl. Thanks, buddy. Hang on a second.” Ross looked at Bruiser and Sheila. “We’ve got her. I was right. The squirrel is running to Montana.”

  * * * *

  “But this is where I found the journal,” Laurie insisted as she knelt in front of the old clothes trunk in the Circle M ranch house attic. She took a bit of comfort from smoothing her hands over the familiar pink dress she loved so much.

  Alex paced in nervous circles, stopping periodically to yell at her. “Then why can’t you get a read on the stones? Huh? Where are the damned diamonds, Laurie?”

  Laurie gave an exaggerated sigh while she smiled in her thoughts. She’d been running Alex all over the ranch house since the moment they arrived. Now it was dark, and she knew he was rapidly growing tired and frustrated. She felt beyond drained, but knew she needed to exhaust him as much as possible, to push all his buttons, and to wear his patience to a frazzle. She had to throw him entirely off his guard, hoping his aggravation would cause him to make a mistake.

  She’d faked several premonitions like some sideshow freak to keep him occupied. First, she’d run him through the barn while fabricating stories about things Ruby, Fortune, or Duchess had done when they lived on the Circle M. After a lunch of whatever stale food they’d found in the pantry, Laurie went through the rooms of the ranch house, running her hands over objects and inventing fables about the times the objects had touched one of the trio in the journal.

  Just for the hell of it, she’d invented stories about some of her other relatives as well. Making up the tales, Laurie knew she had to keep her mind sharp so she wouldn’t be trapped in one of her lies. Alex was too smart to be easily led astray, but she was rapidly growing too tired to keep her guard up for much longer.

  When it appeared that he had at long last grown skeptical, Laurie decided to produce something to convince him of her psychic powers. Pretending to have a premonition, she led him to the red beaded dress as if she hadn’t already known it existed. Alex seemed entirely impressed with her abilities. The man was practically drooling at the prospect of finding the gems.

/>   Laurie hoped if she played her cards right, she could convince him to let her have some time alone. She figured she would tell Alex that she needed to recharge her mental abilities before she could help him find any other clues. Unless she got some privacy, there would be no way she could plan any type of escape.

  With an exaggerated yawn, Laurie let her voice become a whine. “I’m too tired now, Alex. If you want me to help find the stones, I’m gonna have to get some sleep. I can’t see things...you know...get premonitions when I’m this tired.”

  Alex stomped across the attic floor, sending dust swirling around him. Grabbing Laurie’s upper arm, he jerked her to her feet and then pushed her toward the stairs leading back to the second floor.

  Walking down the hall, Alex stopped at the bathroom and let Laurie alone for a few moments. She figured he’d finally caught on to her frequent trips and hoped he was a typical male who was ignorant of a woman’s needs and wouldn’t figure out exactly why she needed to go to the bathroom so often.

  Laurie couldn’t even take the time to enjoy the few moments of peace and quiet the privacy afforded her. She searched through the drawers and cabinets as quickly and quietly as she could manage, looking for anything that might help her. Just when she was about to give up, she spotted a small bottle of baby oil someone had left behind.

  Grabbing the bottle, Laurie dribbled the oil into her hands and rubbed it on her wrists. She’d come so close to slipping out of the handcuffs the last time Alex had slapped them on her and left her alone. If she had a little bit of lubrication, some time, and an awful lot of luck, perhaps she could finally pull her hand free. She massaged the oil into her wrists and hands then wiped away the excess on a towel and hoped Alex wasn’t very observant.

  She came back through the bathroom door, and he shoved her across the hall into one of the bedrooms.

  He’s pissed. And I’m almost out of time.

  Laurie’s bravado started to fade when she feared Alex might try to force himself on her. The combination of sex and violence often overwhelmed psychopaths, and Alex was most definitely a psychopath. She eyed him suspiciously, ready to gouge at his eyes if he made a move to hurt her. He pulled the handcuffs from his pocket and slapped one end around her wrist and the other around one of the brass spindles of the headboard. Laurie’s heart pounded as panic swept through her.