“Not much showing—his legs sitting on the end of the bed, but I can’t see anyone else.” Joe had to strain to hear what she was saying. But there was no way Harriet wanted to talk any louder. She pressed her head against the side of the building, listening for voices, as she held up her hand to keep Joe quiet.
After two minutes, she walked further down the side of the building beckoning Joe to follow. “I could hear Luke jabbering. But I couldn’t hear anyone else. That’s strange.”
“What was he saying?”
“God! Who knows? It was too muffled. All I can tell you for sure is that Luke was talking, and he laughed a couple of times. But there was no one answering. I wonder if he was on his cell phone.” Harriet pulled her phone out of her pocket to check for signal strength.
“It’s a good strong signal here, so that could have been it. Now what?” Detective work was new to Harriet and she was winging it along with Joe.
“Let’s hang for a while. It won’t hurt to look through a few more windows.” Joe grabbed her arm to guide her.
“The drape on the door is open, so maybe we can see something from the window across from his room on the other side of the cabin.” Joe and Harriet continued across the back of the house checking the second window in the other wall of the bedroom. The drapes were closed even tighter. They carried on around to the other side of the cottage, facing the bedrooms. Harriet looked in.
“I can see into the room, but I can only see Luke sitting on the side of the bed and I still can’t see if someone is in the bed. Wait, he just stood up. He’s setting his beer on a night table. Oh, crap—he’s taking off his clothes.” Harriet ducked back down while Joe looked in.
“Okay, he’s climbing into bed and leaning against the headboard—I can see half of him. There’s a beer in his left hand. For sure, he’s got someone in there. Let’s go back and see if he’s still talking. He didn’t have his phone in his hand when he was undressing.” They moved back under the bedroom window and listened once more. There was only a sporadic sound and it all seemed to come from Luke.
“He’s talking to himself, or he’s got someone in there with him who has a quiet voice,” he whispered in her ear.
“It looks like he’s planning to stay all night. What do you want to do?” She was undecided.
Suddenly the quiet was broken by a rhythmic banging coming from inside the cabin. Looking at each other, they clamped their ears against the wall. They could hear Luke’s voice, but no other sound except the bang, bang, bang of something hitting the wall.
“Oh man, he’s getting it on with someone. That’s the banging we’re hearing. It’s the headboard hitting the wall. Who the hell has he got in there with him?” Joe was thinking of breaking down the door, but then, if this was something innocent, he’d feel like an idiot, as well as being liable for damages and a possible lawsuit.
Harriet was getting a bad feeling, but didn’t want to believe the worst, yet. “Maybe he planned to meet someone up here. Maybe he’s having an affair. I don’t know what to do.” Harriet was more confused than ever. Her gut knotted as she tried to swallow the panic. She wasn’t ready to believe what was in the back of her mind.
Joe was getting the same uneasy feeling “All we have is circumstantial evidence. Nothing concrete. We’ll feel damned stupid if we break in there and find him making out with a girlfriend.” This was a nightmare.
They couldn’t call for help. With Luke, who knew what he might say? They couldn’t risk having to explain anything.
They moved around to the other side of the house to get a better view of the bedroom. They were standing back from the window in the shadows and could see the entire cottage. Just then, Luke came out of the bedroom, stark naked and headed for the bathroom. Two minutes later, he went back in, and they watched him get dressed. This didn’t relieve Joe or Harriet’s anxiety.
Standing at the side of the bed talking to someone on the opposite side, he turned around and headed for the door. Before leaving he turned out all the lights, locked the door and then got into his car and backed around, so his vehicle faced out. He took off and disappeared.
Joe and Harriet moved fast, knowing there was something very wrong here.
They tried the front door, but they knew Luke had locked it, along with the back door which was no surprise. Joe banged on the back door, but there was no sound from inside.
“Do we break in?”
“Let’s see if I can get one of these windows open.” Joe pushed upwards on the glass. “Not enough traction with my hands, like all old windows, someone has probably painted them shut.”
“Are you sure? I bet the only way they get any air in there is by opening the windows, the humidity probably has them swollen.” She resisted the urge to throw a rock through the glass.
“Okay, so let’s try them all.” Searching for anything useful lying around the yard, he found an old rusty pry bar next to a stack of tires. On his third try at the back of the house, he eased up the small bathroom window.
He stuck his head in and stared down at a toilet bowl. “Give me a shove, but not too hard. I’ve got open water under me,” he said.
Between them, they got Joe in without him getting wet. “Go to the back door, I’ll let you in.”
They didn’t want to turn on any lights, so Joe switched on the penlight and guided them into the bedroom. As he shone it on the bed, they were startled by a muffled scream.
“Holy shit!” There was Maggie, eyes as big as saucers, her mouth taped, and her wrists tied together. Joe flipped on the nightstand light.
She was naked with nothing more than a light blanket half covering her bare limbs. Her ankle had a chain attached to it, and there was a chamber pot on the floor beside the bed.
Harriet could feel her knees turn to rubber as she swallowed the bile in the back of her throat.
“Oh, Mugs, what has that animal done to you?” Harriet steadied herself by grabbing the footboard. She worked her way around to the other side of the bed and reached for the tape on Maggie’s mouth when Joe stopped her.
His mind was racing. He knew that Luke had done this, but he also knew that it was important to let the cops do their job without them messing up the evidence. He could barely think straight and was drawing from what he had learned in law school about disturbing a crime scene. Maggie was near hysterics and was still crying behind the tape.
“Wait a minute, Harri, this is a crime scene—Mugs, we don’t want to mess up anything. Can I take pictures with my phone before we touch anything?” Harriet glared at him through her tears, as she hugged Maggie close to her, rocking.
The wailing stopped. Maggie sucked air through her nostrils and blinked, her left eye purple and swollen shut. She sat up straighter and nodded. They could both see the bite marks on their friend’s neck and breasts.
Joe worked fast to get the photos for evidence, appearing a lot calmer than he was feeling. His hands shook as he snapped the pictures but he knew it was important right now to handle this right or they could kill the case against Luke. His criminal law courses at school had kicked in, and there was no way they would mess up anything if he could help it.
Harriet’s hands also shook as she removed the tape from Maggie’s swollen mouth using her fingertips. She set it on the nightstand. Harriet wanted to scream in anguish for what that monster had done to her friend’s face.
Maggie was in shock. Trembling she broke down again as Harriet gathered her into her arms. She held her tight, both of them crying and rocking while Joe went into the kitchen to find a knife to cut the ropes on her wrists. He wiped his own tears away.
“Are you okay, Maggie, can you talk?” Harriet had wiped her own eyes and forced her voice to remain calm.
The overwrought woman tried to get herself under control. “He raped me, Harri, over and over—he did so many horrible things. What did I ever do to him? Why would he do this to me? Oh God, I want to die!” She went into a fit of hysterical tears.
“
Shhh, it's okay, honey, we’re here… Luke won’t hurt you anymore.” Harriet did her best to soothe her friend and choke back her own tears. Meanwhile, Joe was rummaging through drawers in the kitchen looking for the key that fit the padlock on the chain securing Maggie’s ankle to the bed. He found a box of disposable plastic gloves and pulled on a set, then continued his search. Returning to the bedroom with a bunch of keys on a ring, he held them up, “It might be one of these.” He tried them all one by one. The second last key worked. Joe undid the lock and removed the shackle from her ankle. He dropped the keys into a plastic baggie he’d found and then placed the tape Harriet had removed into another baggie.
“Find her clothes if you can,” Harriet whispered as she held her friend.
He opened drawers trying not to disturb too much as he searched for her clothes in the old dresser. Holding up what looked like women’s clothes, “Are these yours, Maggie?”
She turned her swollen face toward jeans and a sweatshirt and nodded. “Yes.” Her voice was raspy from crying.
“Can I help you get dressed so we can get you out of here, Mugs?” Harriet’s hands were trembling as she scooped up the sweatshirt.
Maggie nodded and put her legs over the side of the bed. Joe slipped out of the room to call 911, annoyed that he hadn’t done that first, and angry he hadn’t acted as soon as they’d reached the cottage.
Harriet found Maggie’s undies tossed into the same drawer. She wondered why he had been so careful with her clothes, knowing he must have undressed her or forced her to get undressed. Her shoes were beside the dresser where Luke had kicked them. “Did you have a handbag or anything with you?”
“No, just my phone with my credit cards in the case and that’s still in my pocket. It rang so many times today. I know it was my mom, and I guess you, trying to reach me. I couldn’t get to it.” Her tears started again. “He brought me here last night. He said that this was the family cottage and we could light a fire and spend a pleasant evening together. I shouldn’t have come here with him.” She started to rock and wail in anguish.
“C’mon, let’s get you out of here. Joe, maybe you should get the car and bring it back here.”
“Good idea, I’ll be back in ten minutes. The cops should be here in fifteen or twenty.” He disappeared through the door and ran. His legs carrying him down the driveway in long strides. He was back with the car in seven minutes.
“The Mounties will probably send two or three people. One of them will want to ask you questions, Maggie, and then collect evidence. I guess we have to sit tight until they get here.” Every fiber of his being wanted to take the women as far away from this place as he could drive.
Harriet held on to Maggie tight as they both nodded, knowing there were no shortcuts out of this.
The officers were there in twenty minutes as Joe had anticipated. There was a man and a woman in uniform, and another guy in civvies.
Joe and Harriet gave their statements, running through their part in the story, leaving Maggie to answer her own questions.
“Are you okay, Mugs? Do you mind answering their questions?” Harriet didn’t want to see her friend put through anything more right now if she didn’t want it.
Maggie had an inner strength that surprised them. For someone who seemed so flighty she appeared strangely calm. “I’m okay now.” Harriet knew her friend was lying. “I want to get that creep out of circulation as fast as I can.” Inside she seethed… ready to murder the beast that had so soiled her. But first they had to catch him.
They were there for another hour while the two officers ran over Maggie’s story. They asked Harriet and Joe a few questions and the other guy spent his time in the bedroom, gathering more evidence.
Sergeant Helen O’Malley, who was in charge of the investigation, congratulated the young couple on having the foresight to take photos before they touched anything. “I know it must have been hard not to break in here, given what you told me. But you could have put Ms. McEwan and yourselves in danger. Few people have your presence of mind.”
She turned to Maggie. “Do you mind if we take you to the hospital now, so they can examine you and take samples? I understand how hard this is for you, but the evidence we gather now could put him away for a long time. We appreciate your cooperation, and we’ll make this as easy as we can for you.” Sergeant O’Malley reached out and squeezed the back of Maggie’s clenched hands.
Maggie nodded, resigned to cooperate until they had Luke Holmes behind bars, or in front of the gun she was holding. Deep down, she knew those murderous thoughts would pass, but she also knew she would never get over the damage that monster had inflicted on her mind and body.
Sergeant O’Malley called out, “You about done, Sam, we’re ready to roll?”
“Yep, all finished for now.” He came out of the bedroom.
“Do I have to go with you—can’t I go with Joe and Harriet?” Her voice wavered as she held back the tears.
“Yes, we have to take you, you’re in our care until we wrap this up, but your friends may follow.” This was the part of the job Sergeant O’Malley hated.
She turned to the constable who hadn’t had too much to say, “Mike, do you want to radio ahead that we’re coming, so they’ll be ready for us. I don’t want Ms. McEwan to wait around for them to get their act together, she’s been through enough. And make sure they’ve sent a car to pick up Luke Holmes.”
“I’m on it.” He went out the door in a flash while the other two finished gathering up everything to take back to the station.
“Are you going to follow us, Harri, I need you right now?” Maggie’s eyes made Harriet want to cry again.
“We’ll stay with you as long as you need us.” She turned and choked back a sob.
Both Harriet and Joe knew that it would be a long night. It was just before eleven when they all left for the hospital.
Chapter 9
The Spy Game
Back at RCMP headquarters, they dispatched a car to the Holmes residence to pick up Luke.
His dad, who was still up watching TV for the latest on the mayhem in the US, answered the door.
A large constable confronted him, “I’m looking for Luke Holmes.”
Dick knew his kid was a troublemaker, but this was the first time the cops had showed up looking for him. He was at a loss for words.
The officer demanded an answer, “I need to speak with Luke Holmes, is he here?”
Luke’s dad found his tongue, “Umm, uh, no, he hasn’t been home tonight.
The hulking cop stepped into the foyer, “We have to speak to him. I’ll look around.”
“Dick wasn’t going to let this bozo intimidate him, “I’m tellin’ ya, he ain’t here. “I haven’t seen him since about eight o’clock when he went out.” He resented the intrusion and the implication that his boy was in trouble. He knew Luke could be a shit-disturber, but he’d never had a serious run-in with the cops before.
“You can’t look through my house without a search warrant.” He figured he knew his rights, he watched all the cop shows.
“Okay, if he shows up, call me.” He handed the old man his card, then retreated to his car where he radioed headquarters to report that Luke was still at large and to order the warrant.
***
Meanwhile, Luke was on the road heading toward his buddy’s cabin near Truro. He and a few of his friends often got together there for binge drinking and partying. He’d packed his suitcase yesterday, and earlier tonight he’d packed enough food to keep himself fed, until he could figure out his next move. In the meantime, he wallowed in his revenge.
Grinning as he drove, Luke gloated, that’ll teach the bitch to mess with me! Harriet and Maggie were lifelong friends, and Luke knew his chances of getting near Harriet again were slim but getting even wasn’t that hard to figure out. Now he would play a cat-and-mouse game with the stupid cops. No need to even try to cover it up. All he had to do was stay out of their way until he was ready to put his pl
an into action.
The first thing he had to do was change his appearance. He’d start with his dirty blond hair. He’d picked up a bottle of shampoo-in color in a brunette shade.
That proved to be a messy job. “How do women use this shit all their lives?” he muttered. He dabbed at a stream of color running down his cheek with one of his host’s towels.
He stepped into the shower and washed out the residue and then stood in front of the mirror admiring the new Luke. “Not bad, not bad.” He turned his head from side to side admiring his handiwork.
The next part of his disguise was to grow a beard, knowing that would take some time. His beard wasn’t heavy, but he figured anything would help. It would grow-in a reddish brown, so it wouldn’t betray his dye job.
Standing naked in front of the mirror, he looked at his short dumpy frame. He was at least thirty pounds overweight. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to lose a few pounds of muscle. He laughed as he patted the substantial spare tire around his middle. That’s okay… I’m not in any hurry.
This conversation with himself, continued as he ticked off the things he knew would keep him under the radar for the next few months.
Tight pants didn’t suit him, so he rarely wore them. But he wrestled his chubby thighs into the jeans that were part of the new outfit he’d just bought. He tugged on the denim and tucked in a vertical striped western style shirt, then pulled on a pair of high-heeled western boots. Putting on his new leather belt with the silver horseshoe buckle, he grinned at the transformation, You handsome dog.
The boots would take some getting used to, but he knew he had no choice. He had ticked one more thing off his list. Next was his car. He knew that the cops would be searching for it and had already changed the plates for a set he’d lifted off a car this afternoon. It would be a matter of time before those were spotted, so he had to act fast.
Heading into Truro he found the used car lot and the salesman who had been recommended to him. After calling ahead, the guy was ready for him.
Return From the Future Page 6