Mind Bender

by Linsey Lanier

  “Talk?” He wanted to ask if she was okay. He wanted to find out where she was. But he was afraid she’d hang up if he did.

  “We have so much to catch up on, don’t you think so?”

  “Oh, yes. Yes, we do.”

  “Can you meet me there?”

  “At the set? Where is it?”

  “Bellwood Quarry.” She gave him the directions and told him where she’d be. He rushed for a piece of paper and scribbled it all down.

  “I’ll be there. Can’t wait to see you.”

  “Me, too. See you then.” The phone went dead.

  Kicking the laundry basket aside, Holloway went to his bedroom and took out his holster, his clips, and his 9mm Sig, the weapon the Agency had issued to him. Sitting down at his desk he unlocked the slide, unloaded, gave the chamber a check. Methodically he began to disassemble the gun. Slide, recoil spring, barrel. He wiped each piece off with a cloth, then brushed them, checking each piece carefully.

  He was going to make sure his weapon was clean and loaded. He was going to be ready.

  If Audrey really showed up at that movie set with that guy named Drew tomorrow, he was going to make sure he’d get her away from him.

  And maybe take care of that creep in the process.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The tall grass brushed against her bare shins as she strolled through the field in her gauzy white dress. She moved slowly, relishing each step as if it was the first she’d ever taken. The air smelled sweet. As she went along, the grass became higher and the pre-morning dew began to kiss her knees.

  Still, she went on. Into the mist.

  Into the darkness.

  The trees were thick around her now. Their branches bowed down, snatching at her hair. The mist engulfed her. The scent in the air grew stale.

  Suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

  And then she heard a cry from somewhere far away in the distance. A faint echo.

  “Help me.”

  Her heart began to pound with fear. She had to find her. She had to find her now. Before it was too late.

  She spun around, but the mist was like whirling waves around her. The broad tree trunks blocked her view.

  She heard it again.

  “Help me.”

  “I’m here,” she called out. “I’m coming.”

  But the thick grass twisted around her ankles making it hard to walk. She struggled with each step as the voice rang in her head over and over.

  “Help me. Please, help me.”

  She tried to move faster, but now the grass blades had grown tiny sharp barbs. They dug into her flesh as she went, making her legs sting with pain.

  “I’m coming,” she called out again.

  But she couldn’t see anything in front of her now. The mist was too thick.

  And then it cleared.

  She looked down at her bare feet and legs. They were scratched and bloody. A spiked chain was wrapped around her shins. The chain extended beyond her legs. It lay stretched over the ground like a long rope. She followed the length of it with her gaze and saw it ran all the way over to a tall pine tree. A woman stood at the trunk of the tree, the chain wrapped around her waist.

  Her hair was golden and she wore the same gauzy dress. But her eyes were big with fright.

  “Help me!” she cried.

  She picked up the chain, ignoring the barbs as they pierced her hands, and hurried toward her. The chain grew heavy in her arms, but she kept going. At last she reached her.

  “I can get you out,” she said, and began to lift the chain from her waist.

  The barbs dug into her palms. She kept working the chain, trying to loosen it, disregarding the blood now dripping from her hands.

  “No, you can’t,” the woman said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because of him.”

  There was a loud roar behind her. She turned and saw the grill of a white van racing toward her at a furious speed. Its engine growled. It was going to crash into the tree, smashing both her and the woman to bits.

  It was almost here!

  Miranda sat up and startled awake. Her chest heaved with fear and shock. What was that noise? The van? No. It was a loud, annoying beep, beep, beep coming from the nightstand.

  Her phone alarm.

  Good grief. She snatched it up and looked at the time. Four-thirty.

  With a heavy groan, she lay back and squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Good morning.”

  Reluctantly she opened one eye again and saw Parker standing beside her, fully dressed and holding a steaming cup of something that smelled wonderful.

  She wrinkled her nose. “How dare you be so awake and chipper at this hour?”

  He chuckled. “One swallow of coffee should cure your bad mood.” And then he looked closer and his smile faded. “You had a bad dream.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She waved it away.

  “Miranda.”

  “We don’t have time to deal with it now. I’ll make another appointment with Dr. Wingate later.”

  She didn’t want to face the bad feelings that were still clinging to the cobwebs in her head.

  She got out of bed and took the cup from his hands. She swallowed a big gulp. “You were right. All better.”

  He took the cup out of her hands and set it down on the nightstand “We can take a few moments to talk.”

  She slid her arms around him and buried her face in his strong chest. “All I need is a moment with your arms around me.” Closing her eyes she relished the feel of his gentle hands rubbing her back.

  The bad feelings evaporated. More Parker magic.

  “Mmm,” she murmured.

  “Mmm,” he murmured back, his lips moving temptingly over her hair, and his hands sliding down to her backside, making her skin glow.

  Really no time for that. Forcing herself to pull away, she gave him a quick kiss. “I’m fine. We’ve got to go.”

  “Yes, you’re right,” he smiled slyly. “You are in charge, after all.”

  She waved a finger at him. “And don’t you forget it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Miranda sat in Parker’s Mazda and cursed Atlanta traffic under her breath.

  Even though they’d gotten up at four-thirty, they still had to slough through the slow-moving vehicles on I-85 and I-75. Even when they finally made it to the surface streets that they had to take to reach the location of the movie set, they couldn’t get much above thirty-five mph. They’d be lucky if they made it before filming started.

  And yet the closer they got, the more Miranda thought this was going to be an exercise in futility. If Audrey was being held captive, she wasn’t going to show up for her job. And if she was a willing partner with Drew, she wouldn’t, either. She’d be afraid someone would spot her and arrest her.

  Could Audrey have teamed up with a gang member to kidnap a homeless girl? That was hard to believe, but so was the bank robbery.

  Parker cut into her thoughts. “Curt was relieved yesterday when I told him the appendage you found behind the shopping mall wasn’t Audrey’s.”

  Miranda took a sip of strong coffee from the travel cup she was grateful Parker had given her. Her earlier dose of caffeine had worn off. “Thanks for handling that for me.”

  “No problem.”

  “The two incidents might not even be related.”

  “A possibility.”

  Parker liked to leave the options open. But it was pretty strange to get a call from a woman who fired a gun in a bank at the same place a woman's hacked-off toe was left.

  “What I still don’t get is if Audrey is the victim in this case, what was she doing with a gun in her hands at the bank?”

  “Not usually what a kidnapper does with his victim,” Parker agreed.

  “And why did she toss that spike strip on the road when the police were chasing her? She should have been begging to be rescued.”

  “Yes.”

  “And why team up with a guy like Drew I
wasaki if you want to be an actress?”

  “She believed he got her a part in this film. Evidently he has some connection to the casting company.”

  Miranda imagined the gangbanger might be supplying a little cannabis as incentive to getting his way. Maybe he had something incriminating on the head of the company. But why would he do that if he wanted to use Audrey to rob a bank?

  And why would Audrey go along so willingly with his plan? Was it some sort of Stockholm Syndrome? And if it was, what sort of mental state would they find her in today? If she showed up.

  The idea made her antsy, but she was glad she hadn’t asked Holloway to come along. That would be a disaster.

  The sun was barely coming up when Parker pulled off the pavement and onto a narrow strip of gravel surrounded by gnarled, spooky looking trees. He stopped at the end of the road.

  “This is it?” she asked

  “This is the path to the quarry. We’ll have to travel to the set on foot.”

  She peered out at the luminous mist seeping in between the tree trunks. It looked ghostly. Like in the nightmare she’d had. Well, it was almost Halloween.

  Parker reached into the glove compartment. “We might need these.”

  He handed her a pair of pocket-sized binoculars and took one for himself.

  “You’re right. They might come in handy. I take it you’ve been on a movie set before?”

  Without answering, he gave her a mysterious smile. “It always helps to be prepared.”

  They got out and found a lighted sign marked “Set” a few yards ahead. They followed it to a “Do Not Mow” sign a little farther on. A few more yards led them to another sign with an arrow pointing toward the set area.

  Feeling like Hansel and Gretel, Miranda followed the signs down a winding dirt path along the edge of a wide field.

  As they walked, Parker pointed off in the distance. “The excavation site is about a mile that way.”

  Miranda recalled the photos she’d seen online of the century-old granite quarry when she’d researched the spot yesterday. It was a sweeping vista of curving hundred-foot cliffs that descended to a deep blue-green lake at the bottom.

  She had wondered how many kitchen and bathroom countertops had been hewn out of the place over the years. And gravestones.

  “The city council is redeveloping the site as a park and a water reservoir,” Parker said. “My father’s on the advisory committee.”

  Mr. P was into everything. “Meanwhile, movie producers use it for a cool backdrop.”

  “Just the spot for a majestic vision of a futuristic world.”

  “Complete with zombies falling down cliffs,” she smirked.

  But they wouldn’t be filming stunts on the rocks today. The signs pointed toward the surrounding woods.

  After trudging up a long hill, at last they reached a row of trailers set up for the stars along the edge of the field. Miranda spotted a group of young girls waiting around the steps of one of them. Probably to catch a glimpse of Taylor Anthony Jones. Shouldn’t they be in school?

  Beyond the trailers they found a tent where actors were being made-up.

  Near the entrance a young woman with her hair in a ponytail stood holding a clipboard. She had a frenzied look.

  Miranda pointed in her direction. “Let’s try her.”

  Parker walked up to the woman with his killer smile. “Good morning, ma’am. I’m wondering if you could help us.”

  “Not unless you know how to apply zombie makeup,” the woman said without looking up from her clipboard. “Two of my people called in sick this morning.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  The low sonorous tone of Parker’s sexy southern voice caught her attention. Then she raised her eyes and caught a glimpse of his gorgeous face.

  “Ooh,” she smiled. “Maybe you should try out for a speaking role. Have you ever acted before?

  “Not for remuneration.”

  “It’s never too late to start.”

  “No, thank you. We’re looking for a woman on your staff named Audrey Wilson. Actually she goes by the stage name Meg Ryan.”

  The woman laughed and shook her head. “Must be an extra.”

  “That’s correct.”

  She consulted her clipboard. “I’m sorry. The background zombies have already been done.”

  “Audrey is playing a background zombie?” What a glamour job.

  “She’s an extra, isn’t she?”

  “Do you know where we can find her?” Parker asked.

  “She’d be over in holding with the others, waiting to be called to the set.” She waved toward another tent in the distance.

  “Thank you.” Parker turned to go.

  “Hey,” the woman called after him. “If you change your mind, give us a call.”

  Parker only smiled.

  With the sun growing brighter, they followed the leaf strewn path to the tent marked “Holding.”

  Here a young man with red freckles, large ears and yellow shirt stood, ticking off items on his clipboard.

  Miranda decided to take this one. “Excuse me.”

  He jumped and flapped a hand to his chest. “Oh. You shouldn’t walk up on me like that.”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you, but we’re looking for someone.”

  He shook his head firmly. “The director is busy. I’m afraid you’ll have to come back another time.”

  “We’re looking for one of your extras.” She took her phone and scrolled to Audrey’s picture. “Is this woman here?”

  The young man squinted at it. “Hmm. Maybe. I see so many extras.”

  Miranda debated telling him she was wanted by the police. No, that would only bring unwanted questions. Besides, it was still hard to believe Audrey would show up here after she’d robbed a bank.

  “Oh, wait. Let me see that again?” He leaned closer to Miranda’s phone. “Yes. That’s—um—”

  “Meg Ryan?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

  “Is she here?” Really? Miranda peeked under the canopy.

  The man checked his clipboard. “No. She’s on set. Most of the background extras are. They’re about to shoot the forest scene. The director wants to get it done in the daylight. It’ll probably take all day.”

  And he just let her come and go like that? This guy didn’t watch the news, did he?

  “Thanks.” Miranda turned in the direction he had pointed.

  “Oh, you can’t go over there. You have to wait until they’re done.”

  Pretending not to hear him, she waved and smiled. Then she leaned over to Parker. “If we’re lucky we might be able to snag her before they start.”

  “Or after.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  With Parker at her side and a slight wind against her face, Miranda trudged up a steep hill toward a thick clump of trees. As she crossed the rise, she saw people in ragged clothes and muddied faces gathered in a group.

  A big group. There must have been a couple of hundred of them. A man stood along one side, addressing them through a bullhorn.

  Miranda couldn’t hear what he was saying. She craned her neck to study the extras. Men, women, a few teens, an elderly man. All wearing clothes that looked about to fall off of them. The skin on their faces did, too.

  Makeup.

  She wouldn’t recognize her own mother in a costume like that. Although her mother could look pretty scary at times.

  “How are we going to find her?” she whispered to Parker.

  “Needle in a haystack,” he murmured, disgust in his tone.

  “Let’s split up. Maybe one of us can spot her.”

  He scanned the field and raised a hand. “Let’s meet over there at that trailer in half an hour.”

  That’s all the time he wanted to give it? It was enough for Audrey to spot them and run.

  “Okay.”

  “Be careful.”

  “I’m always careful,” she grinned.

 
; She stepped away from him, circling to the left of the group, breathing in the earthy forest smell mixed with the scent from the actors’ makeup and clothes. Under a tall pine, there was a guy in a dark plaid shirt. Next to him stood a woman in a long flowing dress streaked with dried blood. As Miranda made her way around them, the group began to move.

  Spreading out, they stumbled through the tall grass and dead leaves, arms waving. One of them began making gurgling sounds.

  Behind the group she could see large cameras and boom stands hanging over the crowd.

  “You’re on channel one,” somebody said.

  Good grief. They were filming already.

  Where the heck was Audrey? Concentrate, she told herself. Female. Average height. Blondish hair. If they hadn’t dyed it or put some kind of goop on it.

  She struggled to keep her distance as she rustled through the leaves, dry sticks snapping under her feet.

  Suddenly the extras began to close in around her. Something exploded in the distance. About two hundred rotting zombies started moving toward her. This was too much.

  Pop, pop, pop. Shots smoked along the tree trunk in front of her.

  She let out a squeal and turned—right into the horde. To her left came a grrring sound. She turned her head and a zombie came straight at her. There was another pop and the zombie’s head exploded. Fake blood hit her in the face.

  Dear Lord.

  A nearby tree went up in flames.

  And then she felt teeth on her arm. One of these bastards was actually biting her! She raised her arm and rammed her elbow into his jaw. It fell off onto the ground.

  “Hey,” he said in a country drawl. “You weren’t supposed to do that.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  But there wasn’t time to argue. Five more were coming after her. Enough with the method acting.

  Miranda hurried to the nearest tree, jammed her foot onto a low-hanging branch and hoisted herself up. She climbed until she was out of reach of the crazy actors.

  Below her the shouting and grring and popping continued. The air filled with smoke and she could hardly see anything. She climbed higher, trying to get a better view, despairing of ever finding Audrey.