by Curry, Edna
If Loni didn’t come around and he had to take care of her, this woman might make the connection between his questions and her death. No, he couldn’t chance that.
“I have to close up soon,” she reminded him.
“Sure. I’ll just be a minute more,” he said. He bent down as if to tie his shoe, but removed the lace instead. He rose to his feet again and glanced at her.
She had shut down her computer and was tidying the card file, her back to him.
It took only a minute to tighten the shoelace around her neck and hold it until she slumped lifeless behind her desk. After making sure she was dead, he moved her body over out of line with the window in the door so she couldn’t be seen from the street.
He quickly re-laced his shoe and turned off the lights. Then he turned the sign on the door to ‘closed’ and turned the lever to lock the door behind him. Stripping off his gloves, he tucked them back into his pocket as he strode down the library steps and out into the summer evening.
The sidewalks were already lined with crowds of people, some setting up folding chairs to reserve a good spot from which to watch the parade. No one seemed to pay any attention to him.
He hurried back to his car. Mrs. Saunders had said Matt Bennes was living with Loni now. He needed to do something to put a stop to that. Loni was his and only his.
The bitch was not going to have another night in her new lover’s arms.
* * * *
Matt felt uneasy about going across the river to the fairgrounds to line up the parade. He’d had no definite premonition of trouble, but knew he would be out of reach for a couple of hours.
“Don’t be such a worrywart,” Loni said. “I’ll stay inside my store during the parade. I can watch it from in here; it’ll pass right outside my front window.”
“Okay.” Matt kissed her and walked out. He knew Ben and his deputies would be stretched thin with the crowd, so would probably not be able to help if Hank did show up.
Loni watched him go. She’d put on a good front for him, but she was feeling uneasy as well. The crowds of strangers in town could easily hide Hank.
An hour later, glancing out the window, she saw a man crossing the street who looked like Hank. Her heart began pounding as she stared at him. It was something about his build and the way he walked. But it couldn’t be him, she decided, trying to relax. The parade had started moving down the street outside now, and floats blocked her view of him as they passed by.
The man had dark hair instead of blonde and wore a baseball cap and dark glasses and a jacket? Why was he wearing a jacket on a hot summer day? His clothes didn’t look like anything she’d ever seen Hank wear. Still, he looked eerily familiar.
Then he turned and seemed to stare right at her through her window. He pulled out a cell phone and punched in some numbers.
She jumped when the phone rang on her desk. It couldn’t be that man calling, could it? She refused to answer, just in case. It rang ten times, then stopped. As she drew a deep breath in relief, it started ringing again.
Deciding she was being foolish thinking it might be him, she picked it up. “Hello?”
When she heard Hank’s voice, her mouth went dry. She couldn’t think.
“Hello, Sweetheart. Can you see me through your window? I’m right across the street. Did you get my roses? I know how you like yellow roses.”
He laughed, waiting for an answer, but she felt too numb with fright to say a word. Then he continued in a soft, coaxing voice, “How about we go out for a nice supper tonight? You’ve stood me up the last couple of times I called you for a date. That wasn’t very nice, you know.”
She found her voice at last. “Leave me alone! How many times do I have to tell you that we’re through? I don’t ever want to see you again. Go away!”
She slammed up the phone and then, trembling violently, picked it up again and dialed nine-one-one. When one of his deputies answered, she asked to talk to Sheriff Ben.
“I’m sorry; he’s out on an accident call right now. What’s the problem? If it’s an emergency, I can try to get an officer over there in a little while.”
She couldn’t stand the thought of explaining it all again to a deputy. “Just leave the sheriff a message that I saw Hank, the man he’s looking for, here in town. He’s gone now, but he was right across the street a while ago.”
“Are you sure it was someone the sheriff is looking for?”
“Yes,” she insisted. “I talked to him. I know it’s him! But he’s got dark brown hair now instead of blonde.”
“I’ll tell Ben as soon as he gets back,” the deputy assured her.
“Thanks.” She hung up, then grabbed her keys and turned to lock her door. She’d lock herself in until Matt got back, even if she was also locking potential customers out.
Hank stood in the doorway, grinning at her, a gun in his hand aimed right at her. He’d dyed his hair and wore a mustache, but she’d know that evil grin anywhere. How had she ever thought him attractive?
Her jaw dropped and she gasped, then found her voice. “Get out!” she screamed.
“That’s not a nice way to talk to your sweetheart, Loni,” he said quietly. “Ah, good, you have your keys. Lock up your store. We’re going out for supper.”
“Never. I told you I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Can’t you understand English? Go away!”
She eyed the gun. He wouldn’t really use it, would he? She stepped back toward the phone and grabbed it to call for help, but before she could dial, he’d taken it from her and slammed it back down. His grip was painfully tight on her arm and she moaned in protest.
“Get your purse,” he growled in her ear. Feeling she had no choice, she reached under the counter and picked up her purse.
He twisted one arm behind her and forced her to walk back to the door. “Now, lock the door and walk nicely beside me down the street to my car. You’d better not alarm anyone if you want that new boyfriend, Matt Bennes, to remain alive,” he snarled.
“Matt? What have you done to him? Is he all right?”
“Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t, at the moment. But if you don’t do what I say, he sure won’t be.”
Oh, God, Matt! How had she been stupid enough to put him in danger? Hank had gone crazy. There was no telling what he might do.
With trembling hands, she locked her shop, thankful that it was empty of customers since the parade had everyone’s attention.
“Smile and look normal. Walk down the street to the right,” he grated in her ear. “Nobody had better try to stop us or they’ll get some lead from this gun under my jacket.”
Loni tried, but couldn’t force a smile to her cold, stiff lips. She looked straight ahead. If she didn’t meet anyone’s eyes she might be able to avoid having to talk to anyone. She couldn’t stand it if he got suspicious and killed someone because of how she was acting.
A large band marched by, their music loud. People cheered and clapped. Clowns danced along the sidewalk beside them, bumping into Hank and Loni. She heard him curse, but his painfully tight grip on her arm never faltered.
He led her toward a dark blue Mercedes and unlocked the driver’s door. He shoved her inside, then started in after her. “Get over.”
She quickly scooted across the divide between the bucket seats and tried to open the passenger door, but he’d locked it with the control button on his door.
Hank started to get in then was back out again. Without stopping to see why, she reached across, punched the unlock button on his side, then opened the passenger door, jumped out and ran. She wove through the crowd, expecting to feel his hand on her again any moment, but it didn’t come. She chanced a look over her shoulder and then turned and stopped in amazement.
Hank had moved towards her, away from the car, but Matt was there on the sidewalk, too, slugging it out with him.
Where had Matt come from? He must have seen them walking down the street.
Then Hank was down, but a couple of
other local guys grabbed Matt’s arms and were pulling him off of Hank.
“No!” she shouted, fighting through the crowd to get back to help Matt. “Grab the other guy, not Matt!”
The marching band continued to play, despite the fight on the sidelines. More floats and clowns appeared and then a long string of antique cars.
By the time she reached Matt, he’d disentangled himself from the ‘peacemakers,’ but his nose was bleeding.
“You were saving the wrong man,” she scolded the men.
“Sorry, Loni. We only saw Matt grabbing this guy and pulling him away from his car. It looked like Matt was the one starting the fight.”
“Where did Hank go?” Matt said, holding a handkerchief to his bloody nose.
They shrugged, looking sheepish, and walked away. Hank had disappeared in the crowd.
“His car’s over there,” Loni said, but when she looked, it was gone as well. At least he hadn’t grabbed her again.
Loni turned back to Matt who was still nursing his bloody nose. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just a bloody nose, no big deal. Let’s go back inside the mall. I need some cold water, and I’m not letting you out of my sight again,” he said leading the way through the crowd back to the mall. “I thought you were going to stay inside your store until I came back?”
“I did,” Loni said with a shudder. She unlocked her store, since it was closest, and steered him to a chair. “Sit. I’ll be right back.”
She got some cold water from the bathroom and ice from the vending machine out in the mall commons area. Putting the ice into a plastic bag, she made a make-shift icepack. “You skinned your knuckles, too.”
“No big deal. I’ve had worse.”
She handed the icepack to him, and then explained, “Hank called me from across the street. I told him to leave me alone and to go away. I called Ben, but he was out. Before I could lock my door, Hank came in here holding a gun and forced me to lock up and go with him. He claimed he’d hurt you if I didn’t. God, I was sure he’d somehow already killed you like he did Don Bowers.” She shuddered. “He’s dangerous, Matt. I think he’s lost his mind.”
“So do I. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“How did you get here in time? Did you have another of your premonitions?”
“Yeah,” he said, frowning at her defiantly. “I did. But the streets were clogged with the parade. I was scared stiff I wouldn’t make it here in time to catch him.”
She shuddered. “You almost didn’t.”
Ben walked in. “What’s going on, Matt? I got your rush call, and my deputy said Loni called earlier.”
“Hank’s in town, Ben. He forced Loni to lock her shop and go with him. I got here as he was shoving her into his car and managed to stop him.”
“But he got away?”
“Only because a couple of the local guys on the street helped Hank instead of Matt,” Loni put in indignantly. “By the time I explained they had the wrong guy, Hank had gotten away.” She named the guys and Ben wrote them down.
“Did you see what Hank was driving?”
Loni nodded. “A fairly new Mercedes. Dark blue.”
“Did you get the license number?”
“No.”
“Well, no matter. There aren’t too many of those around here. What was he wearing?”
“Black slacks and a jacket,” Matt said, still nursing his nose.
“A jacket? In this heat?”
“He was hiding a gun under the jacket,” Loni said.
“We’re lucky he didn’t fire it then, or somebody would have been hit for sure in this crowd,” the sheriff said. “Anything else?”
“A blue and white baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, and dark glasses,” Matt said.
“And he’s dyed his blonde hair dark brown now,” Loni put in. “It was cut fairly short.”
“We’ll put out a warrant for him. I think we have a case for attempted kidnapping this time. Don’t worry. We’ll get him,” the sheriff said.
His phone rang and Ben tipped his hat as he pulled it out. “I’ll go outside to answer it. There’s better reception outdoors. Be careful, you two, and stay together. There’s safety in numbers.” He walked out.
“Come on, let’s go get some supper,” Matt said, tossing the now dripping icepack in the wastebasket.
“Are you sure it’s okay to go back out there?” Loni asked doubtfully. Why did the same suggestion of going out for supper sound so welcome in Matt’s words when it had been so scary when Hank had said it?
“Yes, I’m pretty sure Hank’s left town for now at least,” Matt said. “I doubt he’ll be back tonight.”
“All right, but let’s stay right here in town. I don’t care who knows we’re together.”
“Neither do I.” He walked out onto the crowded street with his arm around her. The tantalizing aroma of fresh popcorn filled the warm summer night air. The parade had passed, and Ben’s police car was gone. Brilliant red and gold rays of the setting sun shone through the trees. The band was setting up on top of a one story building. Soon they would be playing for the street dance.
Traffic was returning to Main Street, but one of the side streets had been blocked off for the dance.
“Everything looks so darned happy and normal,” Loni said as they wove through the crowd. “How can something so awful happen in the middle of a beautiful evening like this? It doesn’t seem real.”
“It was real, all right,” Matt said. “Too damned real.”
Suddenly she heard a thud and Matt’s arm dropped away from hers. She turned back to see what happened.
Matt lay on the sidewalk. She screamed and people were crowding around to see what had happened.
As Loni screamed, “Matt!” and tried to go to him, she was jerked away.
She tried to regain her footing but was pulled up tight against a man’s body. A hand covered her mouth. Something hard poked painfully into her ribs. Hank’s voice said in her ear, “Be quiet and walk with me or I’ll finish him off with this gun.”
He’d found her again.
Panic tightened her throat and numbed her. He really wouldn’t dare shoot Matt right here in this crowd, in front of witnesses, would he? She couldn’t take that chance.
Hank pulled her through the crowd. Everyone seemed to be concentrating on crowding around Matt on the sidewalk and paid no attention to her and Hank. He pulled her down the alley to the next street away from the parade route and pushed her into his car. This time Matt wasn’t there to help her and Hank locked the car doors and drove away.
Oh, God, help me! Let Matt be all right! Loni prayed under her breath. How could she get away from Hank?
She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes, trying to think of a way out of this mess. She’d better pay attention to where she was and what was going on. She opened her eyes and hoped to see someone she could signal for help. Taking the side streets to avoid the parade route, he drove out to the highway.
“Where are you taking me?” she demanded.
He turned and grinned at her. “I told you we were going out for supper, but you had to make it difficult, didn’t you? We’re going to your favorite restaurant, The Lagoon, of course. I want to be the one to enjoy a nice dinner with you there this time, Sweetheart. We had such fun going out back in Chicago, remember?”
He actually thought he could force her to sit across a table from him and enjoy a meal at the point of a gun? He’d really lost it. Could she possibly alert someone at the restaurant to call the police?
Would anyone believe this handsome man was a mean stalker? She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat again. Why didn’t he just kill her and be done with it?
What if Hank had seriously hurt Matt? She’d never forgive herself. She’d come here to her hometown, thinking only of finding a safe haven for herself. Instead, she’d endangered others. Cindy and Teri had narrowly escaped with their lives.
Her stomach kn
otted and threatened to expel its contents. She was a jinx.
Now the man she loved was also in danger because of her. Loved? God, where had that thought come from? Yes, she did love Matt. And she might be realizing it too late. She should have stayed away from him, so Hank wouldn’t be targeting him now.
Hank parked at the Lagoon and pulled her out, gripping her arm painfully as they walked across the lot to the door.
“Behave yourself if you know what’s good for you,” he warned as they walked inside. “Otherwise, lots more people may get hurt. And if they do, it will be all your fault, you know.”
“You’re crazy. It wouldn’t be anyone’s fault except yours and you know it,” she returned defiantly.
The restaurant wasn’t busy yet. It was early for the dinner hour crowd, and many people were probably still at the celebration and street dance in Canton, instead of going out to eat.
Her former classmate, Jean, was working there as the hostess again and smiled a greeting at her. Loni thought she was going to be sick as Jean escorted them to her favorite table by the windows overlooking the lagoon.
“I’m not feeling well. I couldn’t possibly eat anything,” Loni told Jean. She sent her a pleading look, hoping she’d get the message that something was very wrong.
But Jean only had eyes for Hank, as most women usually did. She smiled as she seated them, handed them the menus tucked under her arm and left.
Their waitress arrived and Hank ordered dinners for them both.
As they waited for their food, he told her all about how much money his latest corporate account was bringing in.
“We can live very well off my income,” he assured her. “You can sell that gift shop and we’ll get married.”
“You’re crazy,” she spat at him. “I’ll never marry you. You can’t keep me at gunpoint forever.”
“We’ll see about that,” Hank said with an evil smile. “There are other ways to convince you.”
Her stomach clenched with anxiety. He means he will harm Matt, or other people I care about if I don’t do as he wants.
